Chapter 7: Evesa's Story (Childhood-Part II)

*Lower Coruscant - 37 BBY*

Evesa woke up with a start, tears stinging her eyes as a result of her terrifying nightmare. She hopped out of bed and climbed up to the high narrow window in the room that was more useful for letting in the "natural" light than offering a view. She peered through the small window and watched a few drunken degenerates wander the streets five stories below. Evesa glanced over to the bed next to hers, watching her brother sleep soundly. Wanting to avoid waking anybody up, she quietly snuck across the floor and climbed up the ladder on the far side of the room that led to the roof. Whenever she woke up from a bad dream or could not sleep in general, she would sit up on the roof and let her mind wander until she either fell back asleep or until the "sun" rose. She settled down on her favorite seat cushion and wrapped her coziest blanket around her shoulders, letting the warmth bring her out of the daze her nightmare had put her in.

Evesa had only been asleep for a couple hours, her mind racing with the reminder that a week from today would mark one year since she and her brother would have been offered an opportunity to join the Jedi Order. Her nightmare was a harsh reminder of what happened instead. Her family was ambushed in their apartment by the Weequay spice cartel in the early morning hours. Jepee was able to fight off a decent amount but eventually the Corsucant Underworld officer fell. The only reason Evesa and Evem were able to escape was because their father hid them in a secret exhaust vent in the kitchen. They watched in horror as their father took five blaster shots while he did his best to protect his children's hidden position from the hitmen. Evesa's photographic memory engrained the horrific scene into her mind, haunting her for almost a year now. She remembered watching her father's limp body fall to the ground, gasping for air. She wanted to scream. She wanted to run to him. She wanted to save him. But when she saw one of the hitmen walk up to her father and soullessly shoot him in the head to silence his desperate pleas, something inside of her snapped. She could no longer protect her father, but she could avenge his murder. She may have only been four years old at the time, but she was no stranger to death. After all, her very first memory from birth was her mother dying and then four years later, her father. Her and her brother were now orphans living on the run.

After escaping through the exhaust vent, they managed to stay hidden behind large crates and overfilled dumpsters as they desperately sought a safe place for them to mourn their loss. Once the artificial "sun" rose on a new day, they managed to easily blend into the crowded streets and snuck onto a transport that took them to Level 2046. When they finally made it to the correct level, they frantically ran to Desi's Noodles and cried in the Sullustan's caring arms, telling him everything they witnessed. Desi fed them breakfast and promised he would take care of them but the promise was broken by the next morning when the cartel sent more hitmen to rough him up while they searched for the fugitive siblings. Desi never caved to the weequays beatings and he never outed the children, but Evesa and Evem did not want their friend to suffer on their behalf so they decided to run away.

After a month of living on their own, Evesa and Evem met some other orphaned children living on the streets of Lower Coruscant, Cemath Ertul and Sheva Loss. Both were Twi'leks who they grew up together as neighbors until a violent gang shootout took place on their street and both Cemath's grandparents and Sheva's parents were killed. They were originally sent to the nearby orphanage but after staying in those insufferable living conditions for six months, they ran away and decided to live on their own. When they ran into Evesa and Evem, the group became fast friends. The Twi'leks welcomed the siblings into their humble hideout in the attic of an abandoned droid factory.

Cemath was eight years old, making him the oldest of the group, and Sheva was six, one year younger than Evem who was now seven. This meant Evesa was the youngest but she did not let that stop her from contributing to their daily shenanigans and schemes that helped them make ends meet.

Thinking about her nightmare, Evie's mind wandered to the Jedi they met on her birthday nearly a year ago and how they intended on testing them for Force-sensitivity. She brought her knees up to her chest and sighed. If they were never attacked that night and were tested by the Jedi as planned, would they have gone to join the Jedi? She remembered overhearing Evem tell their father he would not leave unless both he and Evesa passed the test. But if they did pass, what then? After everything that happened on that horrible night, they never talked about the missed opportunity. Did Evem even think about any of this? At the time, their main focus was to run away, hide, and survive. But ever since that day, her sweet, fun-loving brother was replaced by a no-nonsense, overprotective guardian.

Evesa wanted to wake him and ask him all these questions that burdened her mind, but she knew better. She rested her chin on her knees and sighed again, continuing to stare at the never ending amount of buildings and rooftops that stretched all the way to the horizon.

"You're worried."

Evesa gasped at the sound of her brother's voice, "You're awake?" She glanced over to see her brother climbing up through the trap door with a concerned look on his face.

"Of course I'm awake. I'm just as restless as you are. I can feel your anxiousness." He huffed as he sat down beside her, rubbing his tired eyes.

"I was thinking about what happened on the night of my birthday last year. About the restaurant and the Jedi…" She trailed off, interested to see if he would continue the conversation or if he would shut it down like he always did. Much to her surprise, he did not interrupt to change the subject so she cautiously continued.

"Do you think we could've been Jedi?" Evesa blinked curiously at her brother.

He was silent for a minute, his expression stoic, "I mean, maybe? We have some odd skills, Evie. Being Force sensitive would explain some of that."

"Would you have wanted to go with the Jedi?"

"I don't know. We first had to pass a test before making that choice, remember?"

"Yeah, I know, but if we did pass…would we have gone? Or would we have stayed with Papa? Stayed as a family?"

"Honestly, who knows. I'd rather not dwell on the 'what ifs' though." He tiredly sighed, looking closely at his younger sister. He felt large waves of uneasiness washing off of her, but there were hints of fear lining each wave. "Is there something else, Evie?" When she did not respond, he knowingly nodded, "You had another nightmare?"

She hung her head with a slow nod.

Evem shuffled closer to her, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders, "What happened this time?"

"I saw you and me. We were alone in the neighborhood. Papa was gone. We were scared. We were running." She sniffled.

"Ah. I see." He sighed anxiously. Although he avoided talking about that night, it still constantly plagued his thoughts. Given his strong empath abilities, he had made the mistake to reach out and sense their father's emotions as he laid on the kitchen floor pleading for his life. The fear. The sadness. The regret. The anguish. It would have been very overwhelming for anyone to feel that, let alone a six year old boy. In that moment he decided he was more than just Evie's older brother, he was now in charge of protecting her and raising her, a weight he did not carry lightly.

"Does this have anything to do with your birthday being a week away?" He tried his best to comfort her but his sixth sense was reacting to her nightmare and he was also beginning to feel anxious.

She sadly nodded again, "I miss Papa." She fidgeted with her mother's necklace, grateful she had it on that fateful night and she always wore it ever since then.

"Yeah…me too." He leaned his head against hers as they continued to stare at the cityscape together. Evem smirked as he sensed something else on Evie's mind, "You want to ask me something, don't you?"

"Do you think it would be okay if…" She hesitated, afraid to upset her brother. Despite her being an instigator for trouble, she also had the tendency to shy away from conflict. Evie hated upsetting people she loved. "If we go back to our old home? Just to look at it? For memories? As my birthday gift?"

Her brother remained silent for a minute, making Evie nervous. She must have upset him, she knew she should have just kept the thought to herself. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Evem responded, "Maybe."

"Really?" Evie perked up and smiled at him, she was sure he would have said 'no'.

"Yes, maybe. We'd have to run it by Cemath and Sheva first in case they already made plans for us." He smiled down at her.

"And maybe we go to Desi's for dinner?"

Evem chuckled, "Maybe."

"Alright. Here's the target for today." Cemath clicked a couple buttons on the data pad he stole a while back and the hologram schematics of a building appeared. Everyone sat on the floor of the attic-turned-hideout and huddled around the hologram. "This is Bantu's Bakery. I've been watching them for awhile and noticed that on the first day of every other week they get a special delivery of baked goods. The thing is…" He clicked another button and the schematics zoomed in to show the bakery's underground storage, "They do this drop off directly to the storage room. They don't delivery to the front of the store like usual. I'm thinking we use Plan 7 for this heist."

Sheva hummed in thought, her dark green eyes squinting at the hologram while she played with the tips of her yellow lekkus, "Soooo why are we going after this? It seems like it's not worth the risk. We can just hit one of our other usual targets if we want bread."

"We're not going to steal bread today. We have a couple more loaves left from last week." Cemath smirked, "I've been told tomorrow is Evie's fifth birthday, we're stealing a cake." He glanced down at the youngest member and winked.

Evie's eyes lit up, "A cake? Really?" She excitedly clasped her hands together.

"Is that really necessary?" Sheva scoffed, "None of us got a cake for our birthdays."

"She's turning five, Sheva. That's a big deal." Cemath scolded.

Evie raised her hand before interrupting, "No, she's right. I don't need a cake. We should look for another target." She avoided making eye contact with Sheva, knowing she would have a smug expression on her face that would make Evie's blood boil. Evie and Sheva normally got along fine, but Evie noticed that Sheva tended to get jealous of Evie if Cemath gave her special attention. Maybe someday Evie would stand up to Sheva but today was not that day.

Cemath regarded her kindly, his brown eyes softening with a caring smile. Ever since Evem and Evie joined their cohort, Cemath always had a soft spot for her. She was so young and full of life, he did not want to take away her jovial enthusiasm by revealing the full extent of ugliness the galaxy had to offer. Like Evem, he too wanted to do everything he could to protect her from this cruel reality. She had seen enough hardships already.

"Are you sure, Evie?" Evem placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He knew she was only backing down because she wanted to avoid any unnecessary tension within the group.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Evie nodded with a sincere smile.

"Alright. Then we'll change our plans." Cemath clicked another series of buttons on the data pad and brought up a new hologram schematic, "The seasons are changing so the temperatures are beginning to drop. We need a new supply of warm clothing…"

As he continued to talk about their new target, Evie found her mind beginning to wander. These briefings did not really require her attention, her job was to memorize the schematics of the building they were planning on hitting and then walk them through the floor plan if trouble occurred. She hoped she would be able to join in on the heists someday, but being the youngest usually meant she was automatically the lookout. Once Cemath had finished his debrief, the group dispersed to begin gathering whatever supplies they needed for the heist while Evie sat down on her bed with the data pad and began memorizing the building's diagrams.

"Hey." Cemath sat down beside her, "You okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine." Evie glanced up at him, looking at his cobalt blue lekkus, "They grew more." She pointed at his head-tails.

"Really?" He gently pulled the tips forward and carefully examined them, "How can you tell?"

"They were about here before." Evie poked the area just below his shoulder blades, "And now they're here." She moved her hand a couple inches lower, pointing to his mid-back.

He chuckled, "I think you're the only person who would have noticed such a small detail. Your mind is incredible."

"Thank you." Evie giggled, "And thanks for trying to get me a cake. It means a lot to me."

"Well, you mean a lot to us, Evie. I know you feel left out because you're always positioned far away from the rest of us, away from the action. But that doesn't make your job any less important. If anything, you have one of the most important jobs. You're our backup. You're our lifeline when things get messy. Without you, we would have never come up with these detailed heist plans. We rely on you a lot."

"Really?" Her bright blue eyes widened.

"I wouldn't lie to you, Evie. If I did, you'd remember it and use it against me someday." He playfully nudged her shoulder, getting another giggle out of her.

"Hey, Cemath?" Sheva called from across the room, "Can you give me a hand?"

"Sure." He responded. He hopped off the bed but he did not move as he looked between Evie and Evem, who was grabbing Evie's coat by the door, "Evem told me about your idea to go visit your old home tomorrow."

"And Desi's Noodles." She corrected.

He laughed, "And Desi's Noodles." Cemath lowered his voice when he noticed Sheva scowling in their direction, "I told him that as long as you two feel safe about going back, then you guys should go for it. You don't need my permission anyway."

Evie glanced at her brother from across the room before returning her gaze to Cemath, "Evem respects you as our leader. I do too."

"Leader?" He smirked, "I like the sound of that."

Evie rolled her eyes, "Ooookaay. Don't get cocky."

He laughed as he sauntered away to go help Sheva, who had not stopped glaring at them since she called for Cemath's help. But Evie did not care. Cemath's words made her feel a warmth inside of her she had not felt in a long time.

Evem and Evesa exited the transport at the infamous Level 2046. A strong sense of nostalgia tugged at their heartstrings as they passed through the exotic market before making their way to Desi's Noodles for dinner. They had not been on this level since they ran away from Desi's the morning after their father was brutally murdered. Terrible memories came flooding back from that day and tears stung Evie's eyes. Evem, feeling her grief, reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, similar to what he used to do with their father. She smiled up at her brother with glossy eyes, noticing an unusual amount of emotion on his normally stoic face.

"Don't think about the morning after. Think about the day before." He whispered to her as they continued to stroll through the market, "Remember all the vendors we met? All the snacks we ate?"

Evie nodded with a sad smile, "My favorite booth was Kat Saka's Kettle. I liked the Jogan Seed Oi-Oi Puff."

"Well…" Evem reached into his pocket a subtly showed her a handful of credits, "Cemath found these yesterday and gave them to me for us today. He also told us not to tell Sheva."

Evie gasped with giddiness, "Wow! Let's go buy an Oi-Oi Puff!"

The siblings ran through the market with excitement, Evie pulling her brother along behind her. On their way to Kat Saka's Kettle, Evie abruptly stopped at a new booth selling small purple and white crunchy puffed balls by the carton, "Oooooh what's this?" She asked the Pantoran vendor.

The young man suspiciously eyed the children before slowly responding, "Mantell Mix. Comes all the way from Ord Mantell City."

"How much?" Evem asked while reaching for the credits in his pocket.

"7 credits."

Much to the vendor's surprise, the boy handed him the credits. He felt a bit ashamed at himself for assuming they were scoundrels but he heard about a lot of recent thefts in the Lower Coruscant levels by a gang of street rat children. He handed the boy the carton of Mantell Mix, his mannerism completely different, "Thank you for your business. Have a good day." He smiled and waved as they siblings headed off.

"That was odd." She glanced back at the vendor before looking up at her brother, "Why did he act like that?"

Evem lowered his voice, "He probably thought we were thieves or something. I sensed his mistrust when we approached his booth but once I showed the credits, his skepticism went away."

"But…aren't we thieves? Didn't Cemath steal the credits we just used to pay for this?" She plucked a piece of Mantell mix from her carton and flicked it into her mouth.

"Well, technically, yes." He reached over and tried some of the mix as well, "But we don't steal because we want things without paying. If we had the credits, we would pay for things. If we were old enough to work, we would do so but we're all too young still. So we do what we do because we need food and clothing to survive. It doesn't make it okay, but it is what it is. It's what people call the gray area."

"Gray area?" Her doe eyes blinked in confusion.

"It's a metaphor. It means there are things in life that are black and white, as in clearly wrong and clearly right. But then there are those things that fall in the gray area. They can be seen as both wrong and right from different perspectives in different situations. You get it?"

"I don't know, I guess. All I know is that my brain hurts." She popped another handful of the mix into her mouth and hummed in delight, "And I also know this is delicious!"

Evem laughed as he threw his arm around her shoulders and the duo wandered around the market for another hour. Despite them constantly looking over their shoulders to keep an eye on their surroundings, they enjoyed exploring and laughing as if nothing bad had ever happened to them. For just that brief moment, everything was as it should be. Evem acted like his old silly sweet self and Evie reveled in having her brother back to being her sibling instead of her father-figure. They finally finished their market stroll and made their way to Desi's Noodles.

As they turned the street corner, Evie glanced up at her brother, "You think Desi will remember us?"

"I'm sure he will. The question isn't if he remembers us or not, it's if he welcomes us in or not."

"Why wouldn't he? Desi loves us."

"Last we saw him, he took a beating for hiding and protecting us. He may have developed hard feelings over the last year."

Evie stopped walking, catching her brother by surprise, "Maybe we shouldn't go then. What if those mean people come back and hurt him if he gives us food?"

"We can ask him if he'd be alright with us visiting. There's no harm in asking but we must be prepared for him to send us away."

Evie nodded in agreement as they approached the restaurant hand-in-hand. A swarm of anxious butterflies fluttered in their chests as they headed for the front of the long line. Memories good and bad flashed across their minds. They did not need to be nervous for long because as soon as Desi saw the siblings, he excitedly ran up to them and wrapped his arms around them in a warm embrace.

"Kiddos!" His relief in seeing them alive was overwhelming to Evem but he did his best to hold back tears.

"Hi Desi." He sniffled.

"Desi!" Evie cried into his shoulder, "Did you miss us?"

"Are you kidding?" He pulled away slightly to look at them, "Of course I missed you! I was so worried about you two." He gently wiped away their tears, "I was hoping you'd stop by today." He smiled at Evie with tears in his eyes, "Happy Birthday Evie."

"Thank you." She hiccuped.

The Sullustan stood up and led the children inside. He seated them at their usual table and this time he sat with them throughout the entire meal. As they ate together, they shared tales of what occurred over the past year. Desi was heartbroken to hear that his good friend's children had to resort to thieving in order to survive. He told them if he could not provide them a place to stay, then he would be more than happy to give them credits. The children hesitantly accepted his help, worried that his involvement would get him into trouble. When the meal came to a close, Desi disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a small chocolate birthday cake. As Desi and Evem sang "Happy Birthday" to Evie, she tried her best to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes. She was so happy to be surrounded by loved ones but also the absence of her father was difficult to ignore. Both Evem and Desi gave her a comforting hug before diving into the rich chocolate dessert. Finally, the cake was eaten, the leftovers were packed, and it was starting to get late. Desi offered his home to them for the night but they refused, they still wanted to visit their old home but they also wanted to give Cemath and Sheva the leftovers from Desi. After another tearful goodbye, the siblings left Desi's Noodles and headed toward the public transport.

On their way, both of the children felt an uneasy sensation grip their gut. Remembering what their father taught them about diligently observing their surroundings, they carefully scanned the faces passing by. As they neared the transport station, Evie gasped, "It's him."

"What?" Evem looked around startled.

"It's him. The weequay from the restaurant last year."

Evem followed her hard stare and noticed a familiar looking weequay in the distance. He could not recall if he was the same or not but he knew his sister would accurately remember and if she said it was him, then it must be. "Alright. Looks like he hasn't seen us so let's not provoke him." Evem spoke calmly as he grabbed his sister's hand and directed her in the opposite direction. He tightened his grasp when he sensed her anger, "Let's go, Evie."

But she did not want to go, she wanted to teach that weequay a lesson. She wanted to avenge her father's murder. She want him to pay for his crimes. She told herself if she had been a little older, she would have gone up to him and showed what happens when you mess with her family. Unfortunately, she was still too young and too inexperienced to do the things she wanted to do. She reluctantly followed her brother onto the next transport and took a seat by the window. As the transport began to depart, Evie glanced around the station and noticed the weequay talking on his commlink. She did not think anything of it then but it turned out that he did spot the children and he was letting his contact know about their presence.

Twenty minutes later, Evem and Evie were walking hand-in-hand through the familiar streets they grew up on. For the most part, everything looked pretty much the same. There were still degenerates wandering up and down the street, stepping on the infinite amount of critters that scurried along the sidewalk, and the artificial lights of the Coruscant Underground illuminated the polluted streets. Finally, Evem led the way down a dark alleyway that brought them to their seemingly abandoned apartment. They were surprised no one had moved in but once they opened the front door, they knew why. The humble apartment looked exactly like it did a year ago on that fateful night. The Coruscant Underground Police officers left the crime scene markers and other forensic tools around the apartment as if it was still an active crime scene. The only evidence missing was their father's body and even then, the marked outline of his body remained on the kitchen floor. The walls and furniture were covered in blaster holes, the scorch marks from an explosion stained the kitchen ceiling, and every closet and cabinet door was torn open. They could tell the hitmen had torn apart the apartment as they searched for the hidden children once their father was killed. As they continued their nostalgic tour of their former home, Evem broke the silence, "Why did you want to come back here?"

Evie shrugged as she peeked inside their old bedroom, "I'm not sure. There was just something pulling me back here." She frowned when she noticed their bedroom had also been ransacked. Evem stood in the middle of the living room and watched her careful patrol the apartment as if trying to memorize every nook and cranny. He noticed she stopped when she reached the kitchen. Her photographic mind played cruel tricks on her as she mentally recreated the scene from that night.

"Papa! What's happening?!"

"You need to hide, Evie." Jepee carried her into the kitchen, Evem following close behind. "Both of you get into the exhaust vent. Follow the flow path and it'll lead you two outside." He bent down and opened up the vent, "Once you get out, you run as fast as you can. Go to Desi's, he'll take care of you."

"What about you, Papa?" Evem asked.

"I'll stall for as long as I can until you escape. Then I'll meet you at Desi's." He smiled at his son even though he saw the unconvinced look in Evem's eyes. He knew his son could sense his guilt and fear, he knew Evem realized he was lying. But his son did not say anything, he understood what was about to happen. Evem reached out and grasped his father's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze for the last time. Jepee squeezed his eyes shut as he brought Evem into a tight embrace, "I love you, son. Take care of your sister." He whispered, then kissed him on the top of his head.

Evem firmly nodded, "I will. I love you too, Papa." He stepped away from his father and climbed into the exhaust vent.

"Papa? You promise you'll meet us?" Evie's eyes were wide with fear. Unlike her brother, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was that she was afraid.

Jepee brushed some loose strands of hair out of her face, clearly seeing the fear in her eyes, "Yes, I promise. Just listen to your brother and follow his lead, okay? Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, Papa." She leapt into his strong arms and buried her face into the crook of his neck, "I'll see you soon." Jepee wrapped his arms around her and gave her a comforting squeeze, his eyes welling up with tears. He made sure he did not cry in front of them though. He wanted them to remember him for his strength and fortitude.

"I'll see you soon, sweetie. I love you so much." He whispered. His heart broke when he felt her tears on his neck.

"I love you too." She sniffled.

Jepee pulled away when he heard banging at the front door, "Time to go." He kissed her forehead before gently nudging her into the vent, Evem helping pull her inside. Jepee smiled at both of them one last time, memorizing their beautiful faces before replacing the vent cover and promptly hiding them from sight. A moment later, the front door burst open and a group of weequays charged inside with their blasters firing recklessly. While Jepee valiantly took them out one by one, Evem was silently tugging on Evie to follow him but she would not budge. She was enthralled with watching her father fight off these criminals. After Jepee finished off the first wave of hitmen, his children breathed a sigh of relief until another wave of thugs stormed inside. Exhausted from dealing with the first batch, Jepee reloaded his blaster pistol and began firing back once more. Evem tugged on Evie's hand again but she could not leave without knowing if their father was going to be okay. Jepee was handling the hitmen well, his background as a police captain paying off, until his gun jammed. He desperately fidgeted with his blaster but he was so preoccupied he did not notice the thermal detonator being thrown at him. His body froze when he heard the familiar beep of the detonator nearby and just as the grenade was about to explode, he picked it up and attempted to throw it back. Unfortunately, the grenade detonated mid-air, causing Jepee to be thrown back and violently slammed into the cabinets. The force of the blast made him drop his blaster and disoriented him from recovering it fast enough. The hitmen saw their chance to retaliate and took it, firing five blaster shots into his body. Evem's hand covered Evie's mouth just as she gasped at the sight of their father falling limply onto the ground. Evem could feel Evie's tears pouring down onto his hand, but he also sensed her intense terror and panic as they watched their father gasp for air and plead for his life. But the merciless weequay did not listen as he aimed his blaster at Jepee's head. Both children flinched when the trigger was pulled and their father's breathing stilled. Evem kept a firm hand around Evie's mouth as he felt her shake with silent sobs. He too felt overwhelmed with emotion as he battled the sensation of his father going cold, Evie's distraught anger, and his own horror. With such a strong torrent of emotions building up between the siblings, a low rumbling noise sounded as the ground began to shake violently. The walls shook and anything that was not caught in the firefight fell off the shelves and shatter on the floor. It was not until the lights exploded when Evem realized he and Evie were the source of the quake. He yanked Evie close to his body in a desperate attempt to shake them out of this state. It seemed to work since the quake stopped as suddenly as it started. The weequays frantically looked at each other before yelling for more reinforcements to come inside. With the thugs being discombobulated, Evem knew this was the perfect time to make their escape. He tugged on his sister's hand once more and this time she relented. Remembering her promise to her now dead father, she listened to her brother and followed his lead.

"Evie!"

She was snapped out of her memories when she felt her brother shaking her. Evie rapidly blinked up at him, noting his concerned and slightly scared look, "What? What's wrong?"

Evem's jaw dropped, "Are you saying you didn't feel that?"

"Feel what?" She unclenched her hands.

His eyes widened at her oblivious state,"The ground tremor? Was that you?"

"I didn't feel anything. I was just remembering what happened here last year."

"I know. I could sense your range of emotions. When you got angry just now, the ground began to shake." He gently grabbed her hand, "I think it's best if we leave."

Still feeling a bit dazed and confused about what he said, she silently nodded and allowed him to drag her away from the kitchen. But before they could leave, a large weequay stepped into the doorway and blocked their way, "Leaving so soon?" He maliciously grinned.

The siblings quickly stepped away from him, but it was Evem who answered first, "We're sorry to trespass. We were just leaving." The weequay looked familiar to Evem but he was not sure if it was because he was a part of the mob or if they just passed him on the street earlier. Evie, however, knew exactly where she had seen him.

"You!" She yelled, her little voice suddenly filled with courage, "You were here last year! You were the one who shot our papa!"

The hitman chuckled as he closed the door behind him with his foot, "Quite a memory you got there. We've been looking for both of you for a while now. How did you two manage to escape?"

As the thug stepped closer, Evem stood protectively in front of his sister, "What do you want?"

"Nothing. I've just come to finish the job. I've never had to wait a whole year to complete a task but there's a first for everything." He pulled out a blaster and aimed it at Evem.

Between Evem's protective nature and Evie's raging fear of losing her brother, both siblings simultaneously shouted, "NO!" At the exact moment, they defensively outstretched their arms towards the thug and to everyone's surprise, the weequay was thrown backwards by a powerful invisible force and crashed into a light fixture. The children fell to their knees in exhaustion, as if something had just yanked the energy out of them. The hitman shakily stood up and grabbed the back of his head, feeling the wet sticky sensation of blood trickling down.

He angrily charged and lunged at them with a primitive yell, tackling Evem to the ground when he pushed his sister out of the way. Evie rolled up onto her feet and ran for the thug's blaster that had been knocked out of his hand from the invisible blast earlier. She did not know anything about blasters but from what she saw her father do last year during the weequays' ambush, it seemed simple. Just aim and shoot.

Evie took aim at the hitman just as he was about to punch her brother. With a deep breath, her finger began to tighten around the trigger. Suddenly a loud blast sounded within the small apartment and the hitman's body fell limp on top of Evem's. Evie froze. The thug was shot dead but she never pulled the trigger. She turned around and gasped when she saw a familiar looking weequay standing behind her with his blaster pointed at the hitman.

"It's you?!" Evie stepped away from the same weequay she saw earlier in the transport station, the same one who was at the restaurant last year. "What? How?" She sputtered as Evem shimmied out from under the dead thug's body, "You saved us?"

Evem hurried over to Evie and took the blaster away from her. He pointed it back at the weequay, "Who are you?"

"Oh, hey now, we're on the same team." He placed the blaster on the ground and put his hands up in surrender. "The name's Viask Tlomi. I'm here to protect you."

"What?" Evem lowered the blaster, "But we saw you at the restaurant last year doing something illegal with the spice."

"I was an undercover agent tasked to help with arresting the other weequay you saw me with."

"Who do you work for?"

"I was hired by the Jedi. I'm pretty sure you already met them."

As if on cue, two Jedi stepped into the apartment and they both removed their hoods to confirm their identities, it was indeed Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. The siblings were stunned, they could not find the words to speak. Sensing their surprise, Qui-Gon knelt down in front of them with a fatherly smile, "You've seen quite a lot, haven't you? We've been searching for you two for a long time."

"How'd you know we'd be here?" Evem asked.

"Viask contacted me when he spotted you two at the transport station earlier. I had a feeling you two would end up here so I told him to follow and keep an eye on you until we arrived. Good thing too." He glanced behind the children and frowned at the dead hitmen, "When we arrived to test you for Force sensitivity last year, this place was swarming with Coruscant Underground Police. They told us what happened but nobody knew where you two had disappeared to. We were worried you had been kidnapped by the mob. But it seems like you've been faring well on your own for the past year."

"Most impressive." Obi-Wan quipped from behind his master.

Qui-Gon placed a hand on each of the children's shoulders, "My sincerest condolences for your loss. Your father was a great man." Both siblings lowered their head in respect at the mention of their father.

"Master Jedi?" Evie spoke quietly, "Did you still want to test us?"

Qui-Gon chuckled, "I don't need to test you. I felt your strength in the Force just now." He glanced at Evem, "Both of you." He stood up with a content sigh, "Would you two be interested in joining the Jedi Order? With your Force talents, we can teach you to harness those skills and use them to do good for those who need our help across the galaxy." He outstretched his hands towards them.

Evie and Evem stared at each other in surprise. This was not what they expected when they woke up this morning. They thought the Jedi had forgot about them but it turns out they had been searching for them this whole time. Evem could feel the excitement flowing from his sister but he also sensed a bit of hesitation from her. He knew why. Cemath and Sheva. They were a team, maybe even a family. Could they just leave them behind? As they paused to think about this life-changing decision, their father's words repeated in their minds; "The life of a Jedi is quite exciting, Evem. You'll do great things for those in need. Travel to places you couldn't even begin to imagine. I think you and your sister would do well in the Jedi Order." "You and your brother have so much potential, your potential is limitless. You two deserve the chance to go out and become who you were destined to be. The Jedi can provide you with a life I never could."

The duo locked eyes and spoke in a special silent language only they could understand. Nodding in agreement, they both reached forward and grasped Qui-Gon's hands. The Master Jedi smiled down at them, his kind eyes crinkling in joy, "Obi-Wan and I will escort you to the Jedi Temple. We'll give you the grand tour and help you get settled in."

Obi-Wan incredulously eyed his master. He knew the Jedi High Council would still require the children to be tested, especially given their traumatic childhood. Being Force sensitive was not enough. They needed to prove they would not be mentally and emotionally affected by the horrors they experienced growing up here. But if Obi-Wan knew his master, and he did, he knew Qui-Gon would give the children a bit of coaching prior to the testing. He had seen how much time and effort his master had poured into his search for them over the last year. He knew his master felt there was something particularly special about these siblings that would be worth the extra effort to ensure their success. Obi-Wan was not quite sure if he supported the odd emotional attachment his master invested into these children but as Qui-Gon's padawan, his job was to follow and learn whatever lesson this was supposed to teach.

As the group climbed into the speeder the Jedi arrived in, Obi-Wan felt a tug on his robes, "Master Jedi?" The little girl curiously looked up at him, "Can we make a stop before we go to the Temple?"

Obi-Wan could not help but smile at the sweet girl's mistake, "I'm not a Master Jedi. I'm just a Padawan learner. You should ask Master Qui-Gon your question."

Evie nervously glanced over at Qui-Gon, "I would but he's talking with my brother and I don't want to interrupt."

Obi-Wan chuckled at her overly considerate observation, "Alright. Where do you wish to stop?"

Evie explained the current arrangement she and her brother have been living in with Cemath and Sheva. She wanted to say goodbye to them and give them the leftover's from Desi. Little did Evie know that Evem was asking Qui-Gon the same question. Both Jedi looked at each other with amused expressions before agreeing to this quick detour. Qui-Gon and the children expressed their gratitude to Viask for saving the sibling's lives before saying goodbye and heading out. Evem directed Qui-Gon to their current home and the group arrived at the abandoned droid factory in no time. Cemath and Sheva must have been watching from above because by the time Qui-Gon parked the speeder, they were already running out the door to greet them. Cemath and Sheva's eyes widened as they approached the Jedi, trying to figure out why Evem and Evesa were being dropped off by them.

"Is everything okay?" Cemath cautiously asked.

Evem avoided his stare as he helped his sister get out of the speeder, "Everything is fine."

"We brought leftovers!" Evie excitedly handed Cemath the bag.

"Thanks, Evie." The twi'lek chuckled.

"Are we going to ignore the fact that two Jedi are standing here?" Sheva crossed her arms and glanced between the two siblings, "What's going on?"

Evie opened her mouth to respond but she quickly decided against it and hid behind her brother. Evem sighed and cleared his throat before explaining what happened tonight. He stole a glance back at the Jedi as he concluded his explanation, "Turns out Evie and I are Force sensitive. These Jedi offered us a chance to train at the Temple and…" He hesitated, "Evie and I decided to accept the offer."

The two friends were speechless. They continued to stare at the siblings for a minute until Evie piped up, "So? Whatcha guys thinking?"

Sheva scoffed, "You guys are going to be Jedi? But what about our team?"

"Sheva-"

"This team needs four people to work! How are Cemath and I supposed to survive? You're just thinking about yourselves-"

"Sheva!" Cemath glared at her, "Evem and Evie are our friends. We should be happy for them and supportive of their decision." He turned to face the siblings with a sincere smile, "We're really going to miss you guys but this is an amazing opportunity and I'm so happy you're taking it. You're going to be great Jedi."

Evem stepped forward and gave him a hug, "Thanks, Cemath." He pulled away and looked at Sheva, "I have an idea that'll help with Evie and I leaving." He explained to them how Desi had offered to help them with food and shelter but Evem and Evie declined the offer because they did not want to get Desi in trouble with the mob. But since they will no longer be around to put him at risk, Cemath and Sheva could take him up on his offer. No more living in cold abandoned buildings. No more having to worry about when their next meal will be. They could have an actual chance at a decent childhood.

"Well…" Sheva blinked in surprise, "That's not a bad idea."

Cemath clapped a friendly hand onto Evem's shoulder, "We'll consider the offer. Don't worry about us though. Sheva and I will be fine."

"Take care of yourselves." Evem hugged Cemath once more before hugging Sheva goodbye.

Evie scurried over to Sheva and also gave her a quick hug. She sniffled as she said goodbye, surprised to see a couple tears in Sheva's eyes as well. Evie then turned to Cemath, "Thank you for everything." She whimpered as she ran into his open arms. He wrapped her up in his arms and gave her a tight squeeze.

"I always knew you were special." He whispered into her ear.

She squeezed him tightly before letting and stepping away, wiping away the tears on her cheeks. The siblings said goodbye to their found family once more as they hopped back into the speeder. Just before they left, Cemath jovially hollered to the Jedi, "You better take care of them for us!"

Obi-Wan looked a bit surprised by the brazen remark but his master only chuckled, "You have my word!" He shouted back to the twi'lek with a smile.

As they sped off into the night to make their way up to the surface, Evem and Evie continued to wave until they could no longer see their friends. The children were fascinated by the large portal that connected Lower Coruscant to Upper Coruscant, they had never gone through it before. They were even more fascinated by the numerous amounts of speeders and skylanes they saw when they neared the surface. It was rare to see a speeder in the Coruscant Underground, let alone a skylane full of them.

After half an hour of traveling, they finally broke through to the surface of the planet. The siblings were stunned when they saw the beautifully ornate buildings standing proudly among the cityscape. Everything was so much cleaner and the air was far more refreshing than what they grew up with. For the first time in their lives, they could actually see the four moons of Coruscant and the infinite amount of stars that lined the night sky. Although it was still night time, the children were overflowing with excitement in finally seeing their first real sunrise in a few hours. Growing up in the underground, they only knew of the artificial sunlight that was provided to them. As Qui-Gon maneuvered them through the hustle and bustle of speeders, taxis, and buses; Obi-Wan took it upon himself to point out several major landmarks such as the Monument Plaza, the Senate Building, and finally the Jedi Temple as it came into view.

Once the speeder was parked in the temple hangar, Qui-Gon began familiarizing the siblings with their surroundings. The children were completely mind-blown by the vast array of starships that were docked within the massive hangar. The hangar itself was pretty vacant of Jedi due to the late hour, but a few mechanic droids were buzzing around as they provided maintenance to the stationed ships. They've seen droids before but these were shinier and seemingly well looked after which greatly differed from the rusted robots they were used to seeing. Qui-Gon led them inside the Temple and the children gawked at the high ceilings, large columns, and intricate carvings along the walls. As the Master Jedi continued to give short descriptions of the layout, Obi-Wan was bringing up the rear of the group with a smile on his face. Typically when younglings were brought into the Temple, they were usually a lot younger than Evem and Evesa. Being so young, they either did not understand or appreciate the beauty and serenity of the Temple. But since Evem and Evesa were a bit older than normal, they not only appreciated the Temple but they politely complimented everything they saw with many Oohs and Aahs. Finally Qui-Gon brought them to the guest quarters where they would stay for the rest of the night.

"Master Qui-Gon?" Evem softly spoke, "Will you stay with us for the night?"

The Jedi knelt down in front of the siblings, "Would you like me to stay with you?" Both children nodded aggressively. "Alright. Then I'll stay." He nodded with a smile. As the children went to the washroom to clean up, Qui-Gon sensed Kenobi's uncertainty. "I don't expect you to stay here, Obi-Wan. You're free to return to your quarters."

"Yes, Master." He headed for the door but paused, "Permission to speak freely?"

"You're always allowed to speak your mind."

The Padawan stepped closer and lowered his voice, "I get the sense you will talk to the children ahead of their meeting with the Council tomorrow. You know coaching prospect younglings is against the Jedi Code."

"It's a good thing I don't plan on coaching them then." He smirked before turning more serious, "Obi-Wan. These children have seen things most Jedi don't see until they're much older. You and I both know the Council will question their ability to cope with all the loss they've experienced. I feel the Jedi are responsible for their hard childhood, we should've found these siblings sooner."

"I doubt the Council will see it that way."

"It's rare to find Force-sensitive siblings to begin with but when they've been living here on Coruscant this whole time? We have no excuse. If we could have found them sooner, they wouldn't have seen their father murdered in front of them. I'm simply trying to level the playing field for them. I want them to have a fair chance tomorrow."

A small smile played across Obi-Wan's face, he knew his master well enough to know there was no sense in arguing, "I'm sure you know what you're doing. Have a good night, Master."

"Good night, Obi-Wan."

Shortly after Kenobi left the room, the children emerged from the washroom. Qui-Gon tucked them into bed and promised he would wake them up before dawn so they could experience their first real sunrise together. Evie asked if Obi-Wan would join them and Qui-Gon told her he would send him a message asking to meet them but it was ultimately Obi-Wan's decision. Deep down he knew his padawan would be there though because he took his duty as an apprentice very seriously and would do anything his master asked of him.

As the children slept, Qui-Gon sat in the corner of the room and took this moment of calm to mediate. His philosophy was more along the lines of seeking guidance from the Force rather than the Council. He wanted to be sure he would be prepared to handle this delicate situation between the Council and the siblings. Qui-Gon respected the Council but he was well aware they were not perfect and refused to blindly follow their requests. If the Force nudged him to disobey orders, then he would gladly do so.

Several hours later, Qui-Gon was walking the children to the High Council Chamber for their Force-sensitivity testing. They had shared a wonderful morning starting with one of the most beautiful sunrises Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had ever seen, almost as if the Fore granted them this picturesque good omen. They ate breakfast together shortly after they enjoyed the sunrise and once Obi-Wan was excused for lightsaber training, Qui-Gon took the time to prepped them on what they should expect during their testing. Afterwards, Qui-Gon took a small blood sample from each child to be tested for their m-count, the results would be revealed during their meeting.

Upon entering the Council Room, the children curiously eyed each Jedi sitting around the perimeter. Evem and Evesa were used to seeing a wide variety of species in the Coruscant Underworld but even then, some of the members in this room belonged to species they had never seen before. They watched in intrigue as Qui-Gon formally greeted everyone in the room and explained the presence of the siblings. Evie glanced around the room, trying to find a friendly face, but it seemed everyone in the seats surrounding them were intently listening to Qui-Gon's explanation. After a couple more minutes, Qui-Gon handed a data pad to the only human male member in the room.

The bald, dark-skinned man furrowed his brow as he studied the tablet while a small elderly green Jedi with long ears hummed in thought, "Rare it is to find siblings with Force gifts. Test them separately we will. Start with the boy we shall."

Both Evem and Evesa tilted their heads curiously at the strange sentence structure the Jedi spoke with. Qui-Gon respectfully bowed, "Yes, Master Yoda." Qui-Gon knelt down in front of Evie, "Obi-Wan should be waiting for you in the hall. He will keep you company until it's your turn."

Remembering what he had told them this morning, Evie calmly nodded her head, "Yes, Master Jinn." She turned and left without a fuss, despite her nervousness.

Once the door closed, the human Jedi with the data pad looked up at Evem with an unreadable expression, "Shall we begin?"

While Evem was being tested inside the Council Chamber, Evie nervously paced up and down the hallway. Obi-Wan watched her for a while, studying her coping mechanism when stressed. One thing he did notice was her constantly staring at the Council Chamber door. "I can sense your nervousness. But I'm trying to figure out if you're nervous for yourself…" He glanced at the door, "Or nervous for your brother."

Evie stopped pacing and looked at the padawan, "Maybe a little of both?"

Obi-Wan knelt down in front of her and smiled, "You shouldn't worry. You and your brother are both strong in the Force. There is no reason why you should be worried about failing."

"What about everything Master Qui-Gon said this morning? About not showing our emotions from our past?"

"Well, I wasn't there, but I'm sure he didn't mean to hide them inside. You're still young and learning to manage your emotions is something they'll teach you here. I think what Master Qui-Gon meant was not to show your attachment to your emotions."

"Huh?" Her doe eyes blinked curiously up at him.

"The Jedi Code talks about not having any attachments. Now most younglings and padawans assume that means not getting attached to other people, but it could also mean not allowing your emotions to guide your decisions. It's alright to feel these feelings, it's completely normal, but you have to learn to let go of them as well. You can't let your emotions control you."

"Oh, yeah. Master Qui-Gon mentioned something like that. It makes more sense now though." She shyly tugged at a loose thread on her sweater, "Thanks, Master Obi-Wan."

"Again, not a master. Just a padawan." He stood up with a chuckle.

Evie blushed, "Obi-Wan? Can I ask you something else?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"Master Qui-Gon explained how a Jedi goes from youngling to padawan to knight to master. And…" She suddenly grew even more shy at the question on the tip of her tongue, "When you become a Jedi Knight, can you pick me to be your padawan?"

Obi-Wan's lips parted in surprise, "Oh goodness. I'm flattered." He rested a gentle hand on her shoulder and smiled, "I'll certainly consider it when the time comes."

That seemed to calm Evie down, "What're you looking for in a padawan?"

"That's an excellent question. Hmmm…" He hummed while he put some serious though into it, "I think I'd like my padawan to be inquisitive and dutiful. I think them having a similar personality as my own would make teaching them go a lot smoother. I can't see myself training a rebellious padawan, it would only bring a lot of unnecessary stress. I'd like to avoid that."

"Dutiful and inquisitive." Evie repeated, "I can do that."

Obi-Wan laughed, his blue eyes sparkling in amusement, "Then I will be closely watching your youngling training with great interest."

Evie bounced on the balls of her feet with excitement, a soft giggle escaping from her lips. She was about to respond when the Council Chamber's door slid open and her brother slowly walked out with Qui-Gon right behind him. She wanted to run up to Evem and ask him how it went but one look at his serious expression told her to keep calm. Qui-Gon called her name and asked her to follow him inside the chamber. As she passed her brother on the way in, she caught a knowing smile on his face. It was so brief that she was not sure if she had even seen it herself, but she knew what she saw and even more importantly, she knew it meant he passed. Now it was her turn.

Once inside the Council Chamber, the doors slid shut behind Evie and she was directed to stand in the middle of the room. Qui-Gon was standing a few feet behind her but she could not help the nerves that began to bubble up inside when she felt all eyes fall on her.

"Evesa Anful. Is that correct?" The human male spoke, glancing up from the data pad in his hand to raise a curious eyebrow at her.

"Yes, Master Jedi." She slightly bowed her head at him out of respect.

This seemed to please him as the tiniest hints of a smirk cracked his stoic expression. He began with introducing himself as Master Mace Windu and then he proceeded to introduce the rest of the Jedi Council to her. Afterwards, he returned to looking at the screen and began explaining the testing process to her before beginning. As she followed their instructions and answered their questions, she felt a strange sense of peace blossom in her chest that soon spread to the rest of her body. Was this the Force the Jedi spoke of? It was so reassuring and warm, like a hug from a loved one.

Finally, Master Windu put down the data pad and stared intensely at her, "One final question. Master Jinn explained to us the difficult circumstances you and your brother were raised in. If trained, how do you expect that to impact your judgment?"

Evie hesitated, this was a fully loaded question. She channeled the warm sense of calm she felt in her soul and sought guidance from that peace as she began to answer, "To say my past wouldn't change me would be a lie. Everyone has a past that makes them who they are today. But my papa once told me that change can be a good thing. And how you approach it is what will define what you make of it. You have to adapt to it. You have to embrace it. What my brother and I went through did change us, Master Windu. But I believe it changed us for the better. We are now better prepared to face the training and trials of the Jedi Order."

Everyone was stunned by her response, even Qui-Gon. This was not what he expected from her at all. It was almost as if another soul was speaking through her.

Master Yoda hummed in deep thought, "Of this how confident are you?"

"I've seen the deaths of both my parents and I still choose to greet each morning with a smile. I've lived on the streets of Lower Coruscant for a year and I still choose to enjoy the little things in life. I've chosen to not let the grief of my past steal the promise of a brighter tomorrow."

The Kel Dor Jedi, Master Plo Koon, nodded in understanding, "You are so young but speak with so much wisdom. I would be very interested to see how your training would embolden such beliefs."

Master Windu nodded in agreement, "As am I." He glanced at the data pad once more, "Your midi-chlorian count is definitely above normal as well. The Force does dwell in you, Evesa." He glanced around at his fellow Council members for confirmation. "It's settled then." He refocused his attention on Evie, "Welcome to the Jedi Order Evesa Anful. Master Jinn and Padawan Kenobi will help you and your brother get settled into your respective youngling clans."

Evie's chest tightened at the mention of her and her brother being placed in separate youngling clans. But remembering what Qui-Gon told them this morning about controlling emotions, she did not let those words phase her one bit. "Thank you, Master Windu." She joyfully smiled at her acceptance and at the realization that she and her brother were going to be Jedi.

Phew! That was the longest chapter of this story (so far haha). I've been trying to upload new chapters every Wednesday in honor of when The Bad Batch episodes would be released but this chapter was a bit longer than I anticipated so instead of rushing and giving something I wasn't proud of, I decided to miss my personal deadline last week. I'm hoping to upload the next chapter this week as well to make up for it. My plan for this story is to continue hopping back and forth between Evesa's past and the present storyline until Evesa's story has caught up to the current timeline. Once again, thank you for reading and have a wonderful rest of the week! :)