Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She was running.

However, unlike Jakku, there was no hole to crawl into, no way to escape. He was coming for her, and she didn’t know how much of an advantage she had gained.

She stopped for a moment, her breath catching in misty puffs around her face. Looking into the distance she could see a flare of red peak through the foliage, much like it had in their fight months earlier. She could see the agonizingly stiff form in which he held himself as he sauntered over to her. His posture screamed a tight calmness, his face shadowed by his infamous mask, preventing her from getting a read on his mental state. His eyes were always his greatest weakness, in constant motion observing his environment, shuttering when she pushed him too far, and flickering to betray his stutter-step in attack.

He must have known this, for he had not removed his helmet since that fateful night on the Starkiller Base. He stopped abruptly about a foot away from her, silently observing her stronger, cleaner form. “You have benefitted from your training,” he commented monotonously through his distorter.

Rey huffed, “Master Luke has been most gracious in my training, and I have already learned so much,” she responded with a confused twinge to her voice; why was he bringing up her training with Master Luke?.

He hummed in response. “I suppose that will make it all the more disappointing when he inevitably fails you,” he sighed. “Because he will, fail you.”

And there it was.

“Why do you have so little faith in the world?” Rey questioned, frustrated beyond belief. “I understand that your childhood was rough, believe me, I do. But you can’t live on like this, harboring hate for anything or anyone that has done you wrong. Hate is easy, forgiveness is the difficult part.” She reasoned.

“You understand nothing. You’re weak, scavenger. Your ‘forgiveness’ is your weakness, my hate is my power.” He gave her a once-over. “It’s such a shame that you don’t understand that. Such a waste.” He commented in a mocking tone.

“Enough of this,” she huffed impatiently. “I won’t bring you to the light, and you won’t bring me to the dark side. Let’s get this on with then.” She reached into her holster, feeling the force singing in her veins as the blue saber hissed to life.

“As you wish,” he said as one would to appease a demanding child, and smoothly crouched into his starting form of Shii-Cho.

“Your mask, take it off,” she spouted to buy herself time, embracing the nearly electrical impulses of adrenaline marking its path through her body.

“Why? So you can see my expressive eyes? You should shield your thoughts better Rey,” he tsked in a disappointed manner. “You just never know who might be reading them.” He said as he reached for the clasp on the back of the helmet.

Shit, she mentally cursed, raising her shields back up. She forgot just how proficient he was in the force.

In response, he grinned at her, a dark desolate thing that made ice fight its path with the adrenaline rushing through her body. “Good, Rey.”

Thrown off by the mocking compliment, she appraised him, noting the scar that diagonally cut his face in two, curving its way around his left eye. She was always surprised when she saw him out of the mask, his youthful appearance contrasting with the way he spoke to her, as Master Luke would.

“Not looking too good, Ren. I can understand why you never want to take that thing off,” she gestured at the discarded mask with her non-dominant hand.

His head briefly followed her gesture, and he snarled at her with a wild rage, his body throwing itself at her with an overpowering combination attack that immediately put her on the defense. Her mind began to whirl, recognizing the broadness and power of his cuts to be Djem So. He relied primarily on perfect execution of simple attacks, while forcing his opponent into submission with his overpowering aggression and physical advantage.

She quickly parried his blows with her own stabbing movements from her lightsaber, her quarterstaff training curling around her mind with ease. She caught his eyes, and narrowly missed a death blow by catching his feint.

And so it went, his aggressive attacks setting the tone for the duel, as Rey held on as best as she could, waiting for him to eventually slip up. Someone as emotionally driven as Kylo Ren was bound to make a minor mistake, which is when she would deliver her own attack.

And there it was. The trailing hand that was just that little bit too slow, and Rey’s body moved at a speed that was nearly inhuman. In a split second, she had him pinned to the ground, with her lightsaber pointed to his neck.

She didn’t have the physical advantage on him, she realized belatedly. It was a position he could easily escape if he wanted to. Hell, he could even use the force. She was not as naïve to believe that she was stronger than him; she realized during their next battle that the duel on Starkiller Base was not an exhibition of his full strength.

He could remove himself from her hold, both physically and mentally, and yet, there he was, lying on the ground without a care in the world. It was the barely concealed delight in his eyes that unnerved her, that hint of pride buried deep under the darkness.

“You going to do it then? Kill me once and for all?” He lowly chuckled, and gestured as if to non-verbally say ‘go ahead.’

She raised her lightsaber above his neck, attempting to steady her shaking hands. She didn’t know if she could do it. Their fights had never reached the point where she had to decide whether he would live or die at her hands.

After a moment she shook her head minutely. This wasn’t the jedi-way that Luke had described to her on many occasions. She lowered her lightsaber slowly.

If anything, his expression heightened, and she could feel the revolting grin of victory from him. “At an impasse, aren’t we?”

She glanced up at him in defeat, part of her surprised that he hadn’t already taken advantage of her weakness and attacked.

“You won’t kill me because of some misplaced moral code, and me? I won’t kill you, because you’re just too much fun.” Which to Rey, were the words of the victor, someone who knew he would never be bested.

A slow rage began to thrum with every heartbeat, growing exponentially with every deep breath she took. She felt herself slot into place, a darkness growing within her. It was similar to the duel on Starkiller Base, after Kylo mentioned the power of the Force. The anger at his satisfaction, the humiliation of his taunting, the sadness for Ben, the revenge for Han, it all began to swirl in her. It gave her power, more than she had ever felt, and it was intoxicating, like an addict getting its fix.

She opened her eyes, and felt power radiate from them, as if they were glowing in the dark night. She could feel the shift in the air, her emotions nearly tangible. He could feel it too, as he met her expression; the smugness vanished, replaced with confusion and a dash of fear.

“I will end you, Kylo Ren. And I will mourn Han, and Ben, and any other beings you have murdered.” She spoke in a strangely detached voice, her body operating independent of her mind. She could feel her arms raising, her abdomen tensing in anticipation.

“Rey,” he responded softly, “stop.”

Her arms continued their ascent, and her eyes locked with his. She could no longer read them, she didn’t care for what she would see. She cocked her head dangerously as her hands snapped above her head with built tension from her biceps. “Rey,” he continued warningly, eyes flickering around him.

Kylo darted up, blocking her dominant saber hand and pulling at her non-dominant hand. His eyes suddenly flickered, as if he remembered something. He reached up at his neck at ripped off a well concealed necklace. It had a dark stone set in a worn leather chain that had a deep metallic sheen to it. He pushed it into her hands.

“This necklace…helps me. The light in it keeps me from going under at my worst,” he whispered as he folded her hand around it.

“What about your father?” She spat, still consumed with the dark rage of the dark side.

He looked away with a deep sigh. “I can assure you, that wasn’t my worst.”

Wasn’t his worst? If murdering his family wasn’t his worst, than what was? The rage came back at her like a wave, and she was submersed again, ready to bring down her hand to finish what she had started.

Until suddenly, she wasn’t.

Because she was frozen in place.

She huffed, looking at him impatiently. Did he really think a weak force trick would subdue her rage-fueled power? She dug deep, and began to push back against the hold. Her breath stuttered as she fought, unable to gain the upper hand.

“Rey?” He questioned, much like a child would; curiosity and shyness present in his tone.

He looked unnaturally still, and with a frown she realized that he was frozen as well. Her head jerked around in an attempt to find the perpetrator that had managed to force freeze two of the strongest users found in the galaxy.

When her search proved fruitless, her eyes descended on Kylo Ren again. He met her stare head on, as they both tried to fight their way out of their invisible bonds. A feeling of weightlessness began to settle in her bones as she fought with all of her might. A sudden coldness entrapped her feet, and began spindling its way up her shins, and then thighs. She looked up from her legs to Kylo, and mirrored his shocked expression when she realized her feet were no longer there. She opened her mouth to suck in a deep breath, to call for help, to make it stop. But before any sound escaped, darkness enclosed her, deep and impenetrable.

Kylo Ren stared at the empty space that Rey had inhabited only seconds ago. He exhaled slowly, as his lips began to curl upwards.

Chapter Text

23 ABY

Rey’s eyes scrunched together as she fought her way through the fog to consciousness. It seemed as though the rest of her body had yet to catch up to her now active brain, as she could nearly feel the blood sluggishly pooling in her inhumanly still limbs.

With a furrowed brow she sighed as her limbs ached from inactivity; how long had she been stuck in this comatose state?

Her hearing came back to her next, with a crackle of static unfamiliar voices washed over her. With a jolt, she knew; she didn’t know how, but she knew, these weren’t the med droids that regularly took care of her ailments on Ach-To. The Force wrapped itself in a protective cocoon around her, as she attempted to sift through her memories to receive an indication as to where she might be.

Her still-muddled brain lagged in its response to her unspoken question, as it brought flashes of the last few days. The lush greenery of Ach-To, the weary half-grin of her master, and the quarterstaff she lovingly wiped down after training. She could feel a smile hesitantly pull at the corners of her lips as she remembered her Jedi training. She strained her mind further, grasping at her most recent memories, little wisps that had yet to commit themselves to her long term memory.

A dark forest fizzled into sharpness, and then she knew. She didn’t have to see the vengeful flash of red streaking across her vision. She didn’t have to see the smirk, hear the calculated compliments, watch the angry scar across his face coil as he spoke.

Kylo Ren.

The monster in black, as she once referred to him. She knew her current situation was a result of their battle, but as far as she could remember, he didn’t land a solid hit on her. Her eyebrows subconsciously furrowed as she reached for an explanation to her current predicament, before the people around her knew she was awake.

She must have been taken captive by the First Order, it was the only explanation that made a modicum of sense.

But still, it didn’t explain the tightness she felt when she moved her arms. Her fingers retracted into her palm. Bacta patches, she was sure of it. Why would her captors attempt to heal her injuries? So they could inflict more without killing her?

Still overwhelmed with confusion, but feeling much more alert than she had when she first awoke, Rey slowly opened her eyes, mentally prepared to face her captors.

And closed them just as quickly.

Bright sunshine poured through the opened window, scarring her retinas. Dark purple blobs danced their way across her field of vision as she attempted to clear her throat.

“Too…bright,” she sighed, her chest feeling the weight of the words as they pressed against her lungs.

She could immediately detect the hushed silence her words forced over the room, and then the flapping of soft, leather shoes as they made their way to the other side of her bed.

“Of course, dear girl-“ A soft male voice began.

“For kriff’s sake, how did you not think about the windows? Do I have to do everything by myself?” A sharper voice interrupted, female this time, and presumably the one to shutter the windows.

“Ah, she’s awake, how exciting!” A musical voice exclaimed, his statement accompanied by a portly laugh.

“Of course you would be excited, not having to do a damn thing-“ the female voice harshly muttered.

“Corianda dear, let’s not spoil such a happy moment with a sour attitude,” the man tutted affectionately. He paused in his speech, and she could hear the screeching of the chair as he turned towards the man with the soft voice. “Dr. Roland, would you mind sending for Battlemaster Katarn and Master Luke? I’m sure they will be overjoyed to hear our guest has awoken.”

Rey’s ears perked up, Master Luke? That had to mean something good. However, she didn’t recognize the Katarn man. She didn’t recognize his title either. Battlemaster? She hadn’t heard anything like it, even through her time with General Organa and the resistance.

“Of course Os, I’ll be back in a minute,” the doctor quietly murmured, his voice soothing her anxiety bit by bit.

Rey opened her eyes as the doctor took his leave, her head turning back to meet this Os character. He smiled at her widely, showing a set of full white teeth. His eyes crinkled kindly, an indication of his middle age. She suspiciously regarded his petite frame, and the crooked tie that was haphazardly tied around his neck; an individual quirk, it seemed.

“It’s so wonderful to have you back with us Rey, it really was touch and go for a while,” he sighed sadly. Within moments, the smile was back in place. “Ah well, no use dwelling on the past, when we already have so much to discuss!”

Rey nodded slowly, opening her mouth to give a half-assed reply. However, Os’ mouth opened again.

“I’m so overjoyed that you have come to the Yavin IV Praxeum to study for your final year,” he shot her a genuinely friendly smile. “I’m sure you will fit right into life here at our home.”

She blinked, overwhelmed at the information coming at her. She attempted to school the shock from her features, because even though she knew something wasn’t right, she knew better than to blow her cover by questioning this unfamiliar man in front of her.

But the Yavin IV Praxeum? Where her master had supposedly taught jedi younglings? Han had told her about it during a late-night conversation on the Millennium Falcon, the gentle rocking caused by the hyperspace drive opening up Han more successfully than any of her other attempts.

Han…

She sighed pitifully as she felt her eyes burn. Mentally, she shook herself; this was most definitely not the time to finally deal with her grief over Han’s murder.

“Yes,” she slowly sounded out. “I’m very excited to begin my studies at the…Praxeum,” her mouth caught around that unfamiliar word.

“I’m glad to hear it, my dear,” he cheered. “It will be an honour to have you in my class this term.”

So he was a professor? Or was he a battlemaster as well? Rey’s mind began to run with possibilities. In order to not seem too out of the loop, she smiled back at the joyful middle aged man. “As am I. If you don’t mind me asking…Professor,” she tested. “What class will you be teaching?”

The man began to heartily laugh in response to her question. At her confused expression, his laughter died down. “Oh, my apologies my dear, just that I guess my reputation doesn’t proceed me.” He smiled kindly. “I will be teaching you Force Education.”

Force what? She looked at the man as her mind spun, skimming through the information available to her. She was in a hospital room, which indicated that she was not being held captive by the First Order. She was supposedly in the Yavin IV Praxeum, that Master Luke was also in, which meant it couldn’t be that bad, could it?

Don’t get too comfortable Rey, they could just as easily be lying to you, a voice whispered internally. Her mouth pursed as she realized the voice sounded more like Kylo Ren’s than her own.

Still, she strengthened her mental shields, as well as testing her limbs as subtlety as she could manage. If it came to a fight, she needed to know preemptively what damage her body had sustained.

At his expectant expression, she sighed. “Sorry, it’s just…a lot to take in right now.” She hoped that her statement wasn’t too suspicious, as she was continuing her one-way interrogation with the bumbling professor.

To her relief, the professor paid no mind to her purposefully vague statement. “Of course, my dear! It must be so difficult, you coming to the Praxeum under such…difficult circumstances.” He sighed mournfully. “Yes, difficult indeed. But no matter, you are safe now.” He nodded determinedly.

She was safe now…did they believe she had come from a war zone? Though she had, technically, but her battle with Kylo was not the reason responsible for her battle wounds, this she knew as a fact.

Was there a war happening in this area? She looked back to the professor, ready to ask one more question.

Where was she, truly?

But her thought process, and the never-ending chatter of the professor, were ended as the door to her room swung open, revealing three figures. Two she did not recognize, and one, well one she did recognize.

Master Luke.

But she could immediately deduce that he wasn’t the same Master Luke from her training. This Luke wore a beige tunic, with his sandy, distinctly not grey, hair in soft waves framing his face. Which is where her eyes stayed.

The hardness and anguish was not present in his eyes, only openness and kindness. She looked over to his unfamiliar compatriot, who was smiling at her and nudging Master Luke in an excited way. The smile that was returned to the Battlemaster was friendly, giving the distinction that these two knew each other very well, and were close friends.

Her Master Luke had no friends.

His eyes held no openness, and were closed off to the world, to her, even.

His face was not smooth, with fatigue-induced wrinkles scarring his face.

Bearing this information in mind, Rey thought an amendment to her previous question was in order.

Now she wasn’t as concerned about where she was; rather, when she was.

Chapter Text

There was a moment of silence, with all of the room’s inhabitants staring at each other, mentally determining who would be the first to break the hush that fell over the room. She glanced first at Battlemaster Katarn, who was already looking at her peculiarly. At meeting his gaze, she chanced a small smile, and was shocked to find it replicated on his face, kind wrinkles indenting the skin around his cheerful smile.

“Rey, it’s so wonderful to see you! My niece, coming to the Praxeum for her final year, how exciting!” He said as he nudged Master Luke playfully.

He reached across her bed for a hug, and thankfully Rey’s horror had not yet seized her limbs. His niece?

She lowered her face into his shoulder to mask the thoroughly flabbergasted expression on her face. The position gave her a few seconds to process the shock, and decide how she wanted to approach this situation.

Clearly, she’d never met Battlemaster Katarn, much less be related to him; and Master Luke was much younger than he’d been before she had last closed her eyes. She couldn’t deduce for herself where, or when, she was, so she decided ultimately the best decision would be to go along with what was happening, until she could further investigate without these prying eyes.

“It is so good to see you as well…Uncle,” she tested.

Battlemaster Katarn raised himself from her hold, giving Rey enough time to mask her features into that of a doting niece.

“Is she alright to walk?” Katarn questioned the doctor in a concerned tone, as he rested his hand on her shoulder. She resisted the urge to shrug it off.

“Oh yes, as far as I know, there are no internal or superficial injuries as a result of her fall,” the doctor reassured.

Rey’s ears perked up. “Fall?”

The doctor turned to her. “You don’t remember? You arrived at the Praxeum just after dinner three days ago. You were on the front stairs, made eye contact with me, and then suddenly fell down the stairs.” He looked her kindly. “You had us all very worried. We couldn’t find an explanation for it.”

“Oh, um…wow,” she stuttered out. “I apologize for worrying everyone,” she said shyly as she forced a blush onto her cheeks.

“Not a problem dear girl,” the annoying professor interjected, likely feeling left out of the conversation. “Your fine now, and that’s all that matters.” He clapped his hands together.

“If Rey is cleared to walk, would you all mind if we brought her down to Master Luke’s office? We have a lot to catch up on, and paperwork to sort before she can be enrolled in classes…” he trailed off, looking around the room.

They all quickly cleared out, with the exception of the professor, who was taking his sweet time gathering his belongings. She had to dig her fingernails into her palms to keep herself from rolling her eyes. The man was a dolt, plain and simple.

He looked up sheepishly, at the three eyes that were staring at him with varying levels of disbelief. “Sorry, sorry, the arms just aren’t as quick as they used to be,” he joked, putting on his jacket. Rey quietly snorted, she doubted the man had ever done anything quick in his life.

He turned to Rey as he made his way out, “I hope to see you soon dear girl, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!”

And he turned back to the two men at the door, his radiant smile still in place. “Kyle, Luke,” he nodded to each of them in a friendly manner before he took his leave.

Kyle Katarn.

Uncle…Kyle. She tried desperately to suppress a shiver. She’d never had any family before, but she could definitely see that this wasn’t it.

She followed behind the two men, catching curious glances of students as she was paraded through the hallways. Whispers met her ears, but she didn’t care enough to decipher them; guessing their content was already easy enough.

As she trailed behind them, she scanned the exits and committed them to her memory. The Jedi Academy of Yavin IV was a maze of long hallways and large rooms. Even with her scavenger memory, it would a while to learn its ins and outs. The thought of having to get used to this unfamiliar building made her throat constrict.

Too soon, they reached Master Luke’s office, and Rey began to panic. She should have been thinking through the web of lies she would surely have to create to survive in this academy. Stopping behind them, she entered the office, quietly shutting the door behind her. She felt her heart rate escalate, and frowned at the fear-induced reaction; these were Jedi, with one of them being her master, and she was scared of them. What did that say about her character?

“So, Rey,” Battlemaster Katarn began, glancing up at her over the desk. “How did you end up here? I wasn’t aware that you knew the location of our Praxeum.”

Her brain began to process in overdrive; she was sure that they could see the smoke coming from her ears. “Um, I was caught in a very dangerous situation at home, due to the ongoing war.” Flashes of Kylo Ren popped into her mind, his saber slashing its way across her line of vision. She met Luke’s eyes, seeing his older counterpart in her mind, mentally comparing the two, though they were one in the same.

Katarn nodded. “That’s horrible to hear, Rey, whereabouts were you and your family staying at the time?”

Should she lie? Or tell the truth? “Jakku, in the Outer Rim.” She took a deep breath. “And when I was a young girl-“

“Oh, that’s quite enough Rey,” Katarn glanced over at Luke, who nodded almost imperceptibly. “We already have everything we need.”

“How far in the future are you from, then?” Master Luke questioned in a careful tone.

Shock filled her again, and her mouth dropped, resuming the position it had been in all day. Did they-? Katarn just distracted her while Master Luke began an undetectable force mind penetration. A grudging admiration sidled alongside the anger and shock.

“How-?” She floundered for a response. And to think she would get away with lying to her Master.

“I do not wish to know the entire future Rey, I am only privy to the flashes of that…figure in your memories.” Master Luke wrinkled his nose. “And my old age.”

Katarn snorted.

“I don’t know how I got here, that I can be completely honest about.” She sighed. “One minute I was battling that...figure, and the next time I opened my eyes, I was in the medical bay. I don’t know what happened in between.” She raised her eyes from her feet. “I’m sorry, but I truly know nothing else.”

Master Luke ran a hand over his chin, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. “In your…future, does this building mean anything to you? Have you ever stepped foot in the Praxeum?”

She carefully shielded her emotions, avoiding the fact that this buiding was long destroyed before she knew what the force was. “No,” she confidently replied. “I’ve never been here before.”

“Now that is interesting,” Luke commented. “Yet the force does work in mysterious ways that may escape our early understandings…” He trailed off, looking to the bookshelf beside his desk.

She was happy to note that his wisdom-filled tangents had not escaped him in his young age.

He must have felt her burst of fondness, as he quirked an eyebrow at her.

“Well, niece, we need to have you tested as soon as possible to get your schedule going; those senior classes wait for no one,” Katarn chortled.

“Yes, Kyle’s right, Rey. I’ll have my nephew come collect you, and guide you to the training gyms. He’ll be a great asset in getting you up to training level.” Luke said with an encouraging smile.

Rey attempted to return the sentiment, yet was wholly unnerved by her current situation. Why was she here? In the Jedi Academy, with a younger version of her current master? And more importantly, why was she not locked up? How had they accepted her story so readily?

She felt her breaths come in jagged heaves. She needed to calm herself down.

Think about it, he is after all General Organa’s brother, and you know that her intuition is insanely powerful, she inwardly reasoned. She thought back to the General’s complete acceptance of Rey upon her arrival on D’Qar, after she watched Kylo Ren murder Han. Her strong intuition sussed out Rey’s character in a matter of seconds, why should she expect any less with her twin brother?

Maybe it was just a trait of the Skywalkers.

As she opened her mouth to express her gratitude, she heard a soft knock on the door. Seeing as both Master Luke and Battlemaster Katarn were sitting, she turned to reach for the handle.

Opening it, she was immediately met with a dark grey tunic. Craning her neck, she glanced up at the face of the tall person, sweeping over his slender figure. The first thing she noticed were his ocher eyes. They were cold, yet strangely expressive. She could register the shock and caution swirling within them, contradicting the wide, friendly smile pulling at the corners of his plump lips. If she were to view his face in segments, those segments would be telling very different stories.

She wondered what expression had transformed her own face in the presence of this admittedly handsome boy. If her eyes expressed that same distrust, if her lips curled around that same fake smile.

She also wondered how many people he had fooled with that smile. She smiled back at him with her own fabricated friendliness, and looked for any subtle reaction in his features. She found none.

He was good.

Which made it all the more worrying.

In her mental chatter, she had tuned out the physical chatter of the boy in front of her, watching his lips form over silent words. “Sorry,” she interrupted. “What did you say?”

The boy laughed in response, surely pleased with Rey’s overwhelmed reaction. He thought he had her in the palm of his hands. “I just wanted to introduce myself, I’m Master Luke’s nephew, Ben.” He went for the kill, with a sweet smile that would woo the heart of any young girl.

However, Rey wasn’t any young girl.

And he wasn’t any nephew either.

Ben.

Ben Solo.

Kylo Ren.

In response to his winning smile, she quickly shut the door in his face.

Chapter Text

She couldn’t stop staring.

She knew, of course she knew, what lurked under that carefully constructed façade. But to anyone unaware, he was the gifted, cheerful nephew of Master Luke Skywalker. An easy smile pulled at his plump lips as he directed her towards the practice gym. Seemingly unaffected by her rude first impression, Ben carried on as if it had never happened, politely introducing himself and leading her away from the only two people in this time that knew her true identity.

“So the girl’s dorms are just over that way-“ he interrupted her thoughts, pointing to her left. “And the guy’s dorms are across the hall.” His lips curled into an amused smirk. “Seniors always get first pick at the beds, don’t let the younglings convince you otherwise.”

Before today, she’d never thought Kylo Ren, or Ben, as she should be calling him now, was capable of smiling. Yet, in the last ten minutes alone, the small smile had never quite dropped from his features.

“Alright,” she whispered in a soft tone, feeling a wave of sadness submerge her at the thought of spending the night here.

Ben’s head turned to her, and he sported a curious expression. Shit, she thought, pouring over their entire exchange. Had she said anything that would compromise her position?

Satisfied with her memories, she continued on, with Ben’s head turning back towards their destination. “So, uh, this is the practice gym,” he stuttered, gesturing to the open expanse of space, littered with fake, and real, fighting gear. “If you can’t find me for whatever reason, more often than not I'll be here training.” He scratched the back of his neck.

“I plan to use the gym as well, maybe we can train together,” Rey suggested, attempting to avoid suspicion and stay on his good side, if there even was one.

He smirked then, the same triumphant twist to his lips as the night of the…accident. It reminded her that he was 19 as well, and had probably already pledged his allegiance to Snoke. It reminded her that she could never be too cautious, as Kylo Ren would always be lurking under the surface. Subconsciously, she strengthened her already resilient mental shields.

“Well, we’ll see about your testing first, to see if you’re even placed in my year,” he challenged, and Rey straightened, fully intent on giving him a lesson in underestimating people.

“We’ll see about that,” she muttered, and she could swear the shit-eating grin spread. Bastard, she thought vehemently, hoping he could read her thoughts then and there. Her expression likely told a similar story, for he threw his head back and laughed.

But again, it didn’t sound right. Too forced. Too one-toned. She frowned, distrust turning her body rigid.

He brought his laughter down, softening it to a sigh. His right eye twitched. “Let’s get on with it, shall we?”

Fighting Ben was...different, yet familiar. She could tell by his narrowed eyes that he had never faced such a competent opponent. His renewed ferocity in attacks was telling of that much, at least.

However, he had no idea that she knew all of his tells, the ones that stuck around, even in the future. The ones that he couldn't untrain. She could predict his movements by that flicker of his eyes, and that shift in his hips. He was just too easy.

"What are you smirking at?" He huffed as he spun into deathblow form.

"Just that you underestimated me, severely," she responded as she parried his blows.

Which he had. Against her intuition, Katarn had told her to not hold back against Ben, because she was his niece, after all. One would expect her to be fluent in the language of sparring.

His lips curled into a snarl, and attacked with one of Kylo Ren's signature Shii-Cho moves; the overhand strike. She caught onto its diagonal trajectory, and deflected the bruising blow.

Though his build was much more slender in this time; a lanky teenage body that he had not seemed to grow into, his physical advantage was still very much present. He had a solid four or five inches on her, and used his extended reach to his full potential, delivering attacks that could be blocked, but not properly defended against.

In his desperation to gain the upper hand, she felt the nearly ghostly whisper at the forefront of her mind. Was he-?

That cheater!

She pursed her lips in annoyance at the gall of him. Trying to read her moves in her mind to gain the upper hand? And only in a practice session? Ben Solo was competitive, which would make it all the more fun to take him down a notch. She raised her mental barriers once again, but only just, so he would not know that she'd caught onto his plan.

Raising her left side of the practice staff, she drew him in by attacking him in a move that was nearly too easy to defend against. Kylo surely would never fall for this, but she wondered if Ben was swayed by the appeal of an easy finish to a fight.

Sure enough, his body snapped into the corresponding defensive stance, leaving his right side open, just as Rey predicted. She quickly pounced, taking advantage of his surprise. She weaved her way around his body to lock his hands together, pushing into the pressure points while forcing his fingertips into his back. She knew it must be painful, but not a breath escaped his mouth. Like her, he was good at compartmentalizing pain.

"Give up yet?" She playfully questioned.

"Never," he snarled, shooting his hands forwards, out of her grip, as his back slammed into her torso, knocking the wind out of her.

The weapons were forgotten as they circled each other, crouched defensively, waiting for the right time to strike. Impatience won for Ben as he attacked first, a flurry of punches meeting her as he charged her. Rey did her best to counter and defend against them, but unlike the staff, she had not grown up learning hand-to-hand combat, in the way that Ben had.

Reading an overwhelming panic in her features, Ben smirked, realizing his advantage. He flipped her around and wound his arms around her bent elbows and pulled, with Rey staggering along as she lost her balance. He took advantage of the opportunity and brought her to the mat, his Judo training shining through. In a series of complicated knots, her body was bent, and she knew she wouldn't break free.

"Now Rey," he began conversationally, as if his entire weight wasn't pressing on her lungs. "Do you give up?"

"Not to you, I will never surrender to you,” She snarled back at him. She would never surrender to Kylo, or Ben. He would interpret that as a challenge, but the malice in that statement was real.

She heard laughing and clapping to her right. Her head poked up, Master Luke and Katarn were sitting in the corner, watching the scuffle unfold. When did they get there? And more importantly, what did they see?

"I told you, she's got fire," Katarn murmured to Master Luke, though it was loud enough for both her and Ben to hear. Master Luke nodded in amusement, more than likely due to the position they found themselves in; with Kylo mounted across her body, breath fanning against her hairline.

Shit.

"Get off," she growled as she shoved at Ben.

He laughed, lifting himself off of her with an awkward grace. When she looked back up at Master Luke, she noticed that the amused look had not diminished, but had heightened, most likely to the heat she felt in her cheeks.

"Come, Rey. We'll get you set up with your supplies and room." Katarn beckoned in a friendly tone as he exited the practice gym.

She turned back to Kylo. "If I could offer you a bit of advice?" His brows raised. "Work on your feint, your eyes and hips need work." She reached out to pat him on the shoulder in a condescending manner.

He caught her wrist as she turned to make her exit. "Hmm," he cocked his head. "In the spirit of giving, I'll offer you the same kindness."

Now he had her attention, her head snapping back to his. His eyes lowered to meet hers, poorly concealed malice and rage present in his revealing ocher eyes.

"Always pay attention to your surroundings, Rey." That familiar mocking smile snared his lips. "Because you never know who might be watching."

And with that he sauntered out of the gym, leaving the gobsmacked, and frankly, flustered, Jakku girl in his wake.

Chapter Text

The Praxeum seemed a completely different place when the sun rose. This she noticed immediately. The empty hallways filled with lively bodies, and the eerie silence filled with chatter and laughs.

Her room was empty. Her roommates must have cleared out before she awoke. They must have intended for her to get more rest. It was...nice, she supposed. But still, she had a student body to face, one way or another. She guessed that it would be alone. That was okay too. She learned early on that more often than not she was more successful when she didn’t have to rely on the performance of others.

She glanced at the throng of young, strong bodies that surrounded her as she blearily made her way down the unfamiliar hallway. She watched the resulting scuffle as everyone playfully, and not so playfully, shoved each other into the canteen for breakfast.

She received many stares, some curious, some cheerful, and some leering. She guessed that the Praxeum did not make a habit of receiving new students that were past the youngling blocks. And then there was the matter of her familial status. She'd discovered last night that Battlemaster Kyle Katarn was a bit of an awe-inspiring legend amongst students. She expected she would be given a bit of a berth on her first day.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt something brush the back of her forearm. Even this early in the morning her reflexes were sharp, and she grabbed the person's wrist and twisted, hard. She glanced behind to see a young, boyish face, with a forced smile and his other hand raised in the universal ‘calm down wild animal’ gesture.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you, just wanted to say hi!" He quickly spoke as he glanced at his wrist, still twisted in her grip. Immediately, she released it, and he sighed in relief as he began to soothe his reddened skin. "So no kidding about being Battlemaster Katarn's neice, eh? Wouldn't want to get on your bad side." He laughed.

She looked him over; curly brown hair, olive skin, brown eyes, and a kind grin. She knew this face. And with that, her face mirrored his. In this unfamiliar place, she had at least one face she could trust. "I'm Rey."

"Poe Dameron. Nice to meet you, Rey." He stuck out his hand to shake. He leaned in to her, uncaring of the masses that were weaving around them, annoyed grumbles and sighs reaching their ears. "I just wanted to let you in on a senior's secret," he whispered dramatically. "There's a back entrance to the cafeteria, where you can miss the youngling hubub and get into line quicker."

Her stomach grumbled in response. "Lead the way," she laughed.

They snuck around the mass of people to a staircase, with a door hidden behind it. He looked behind them, and when he was satisfied no one was following them, opened the door to the canteen.

She had never seen anything so clean. Nearly everything was white, with varying shades decorating the walls, tables, and floors. The sheer number of people her age overwhelmed her as well; she had never been around so many young people. This also unnerved her; she was used to behaving around adults, their expectations laid out for her to easily interpret. Teenagers though, were another story entirely. Unpredictable, moody, and entirely self-serving. She would definitely have her work cut out for her.

"Poe!" Her head jerked over to the voice, and saw a short twi'lek girl with fire red hair beckoning him over.

"Tepca, hey!" He returned as he led her over to a group collected around a table. "Guys, this is Rey. She's new."

At once, everyone's head rose to her. Rey's cheeks reddened in response. She gave a wave, one that she hoped was friendly and not horrifyingly awkward.

"You're Katarn's niece, right?" One boy asked abruptly. Well, she thought, it'd be better that way, addressing the very evident bantha in the room.

"Panna, be cool man, she just got here," Poe responded, giving him a playful smack on the head.

Ah, she got it now. Poe was the ringleader of the group, of course he would be. Good looking, genuinely nice, and funny. What more could you ask for to become popular?

"Sorry," Panna whispered to her, chastised.

Well, now was the time to make her impression on them. "Oh no problem.” She began to count down on her fingers. “Yes, I am his niece. No, I'm not a trained assassin. Yes, I might be a thief, but he hid the chocolates first, he was pretty much asking for it." She lied with an amused smirk.

An uproar of laughter initiated her into the group. Panna beckoned her to sit down. She looked up from the table with a smile, and met Ben's eyes across the room. Her smile froze on her face. His eyes met hers with a calculating stare, his lip pouted in a frown. It was a look that he did not drop when caught. Instead, he held it for a few seconds longer, and then raised his eyebrow in amusement. Her own narrowed in response.

He stood up from his chair and began to walk towards her. Shit, shit, shit. She had about 10 seconds to get it together. Any chatter from Poe and his group was drowned out as she strengthened her mental shields and mentally prepared herself for whatever shitstorm he decided to incite while talking to her. She would not be caught off guard again by him.

"Hey man!" Poe said as he rose from his chair to lightly slap Ben on the shoulder.

Ben turned towards him with a smile, nearly genuine, it seemed. "Hey Poe, how's your mom doing?"

"She's doing good, asking about you. Worried about all of the added stress you've put on yourself with the extra training." Poe spoke with a fond smile.

Wait, what?

They were friendly? In her time, Kylo had tortured Poe for information, and it didn't really give an indication that they had grown up together. And as friends, it would seem.

She looked at Ben, attempting to understand the new mask he had in place, when she saw the almost imperceptible movement. His jaw clenched ever so slightly, she was sure she would've missed it if not for her obvious staring.

Hmm, she thought. Maybe they weren't as close as they were letting on.

Sensing her attention on him, Ben look down to her at his side, and his grin slid back up, covering his minimal lapse. "Good morning Rey," he smiled at her charmingly.

"Well it was, until you showed up," she muttered viciously, still sore on him besting her in her testing, and making her flustered, like some little school girl.

He threw his head back and laughed, as she looked up at him, shocked. It wasn't a joke, she was actually enjoying herself until his cocky, fake self showed up to ruin it all.

Noticing her angered expression, his laughs died down, but the wide smile still remained in place. "Aren't you just a ray of sunshine this morning?"

She scoffed. "As if I haven't heard that one, try again when you've put in a bit more effort."

That infuriating smile was still in place, angering her all the more. Her jedi-training was forcefully shoved to the curb as her calm energy evaporated. She wanted to embarrass him, humiliate him, so he would finally leave her alone.

"Do you need me to make a list for you? There seems to be a lot of things you need to work on..." she drawled, inspecting her fingernails as she did so.

If he was shocked at her forwardness, he gave no indication, as his smile stayed. "You wound me, truly, Rey," he sarcastically said as his lips curled around her name.

"I will if you don't-"

"My, someone's made an impression," Poe intervened and literally dragged the fuming Rey away from the smug Ben. "Fiery, I like it!"

Rey was seriously starting to get annoyed. Why was everyone calling her fiery? Did no one stick up for themselves here? Or, she speculated, already recognizing Ben’s influence over the other students; was it just her openly fighting back against his provoking nature?

Ben turned away from her and addressed the group as a whole. "So, how are your schedules?"

"Ugh." Was Tepca’s immediate reply.

"Pretty much." Another girl said, who hadn’t taken her heart eyes off of Ben’s frame for one moment during the exchange.

"I've got Force-Ed first thing," Ben supplemented helpfully.

"Mr. Gentry still teaching that? I had him last quarter, that man could put a wall to sleep, I swear." Poe huffed dramatically.

Right. She’d nearly forgot the bumbling buffoon was an instructor. She glanced down at her schedule; Block one: Force Education, Mr. O. Gentry.

She looked up to meet Ben's gaze. The look of absolute horror must have confirmed his thoughts, as his smirk grew wider, if that was even possible. "Looks like we're in the same block. Do you need someone to escort you to class?" He asked with overpoweringly insincere smile. Or at least that was how Rey understood it.

He knew, of course, what tizzy that statement would send her into. She was no damsel in distress, needing the help of anyone who offered it to her, especially those who sported ridiculous smirks.

His eyebrows raised with his smile.

Her narrowed into a scowl.

She huffed and turned to stomp away, determined to never speak another word to the insufferable vermin named Ben Solo.

Chapter Text

She was not going to make a good first impression, that was for sure. She'd been wandering the hallways aimlessly for at least half an hour.  

It almost made her regret not taking Ben's offer. But then again, he was a spoiled, arrogant git who would like nothing more than to make her feel weak. No, she thought to herself. Her lateness was worth any consequence she may face. 

She'd finally pushed her pride aside and asked one of the errant students for help. Which is where she stood now, outside of the door, bracing herself for what was to come next. 

She knocked three times, holding her breath as she heard the background noise of the classroom hush.

Mr. Gentry opened the door. "Ah, Miss Katarn!" He exclaimed as he gestured her inside. "I was wondering when you'd show, very difficult place to get around when you're not confident in your surroundings, yes, of course..." He nodded to himself as he brought her inside. 

"Class! We have a new student!" Mr. Gentry brandished her like a shiny new toy to her classmates, and she could hear the accompanying whispering and giggles, and her cheeks reddened accordingly. 

Somehow, she could sense him in the classroom, but refused to look in his direction, at the cocky smirk that was no doubt plastered to his face. 

"Now, dear girl. Don't hesitate to come to us for help in the future. We're all a little tight-knit community." Mr. Gentry said as he crushed her in a side-hug. 

"Now, you can sit over there with Ben," he pointed to her no-look zone. Her eyes widened in horror. "He saved you a seat and everything! How thoughtful," Mr. Gentry hummed as he ushered her towards the empty seat. 

She kept her head down the whole way, refusing to make eye contact with him. His now familiar force signature thrummed around her, suffocating in its presence. Feeling his eyes on her, she slowly raised her head, meeting his eyes. And there it was, the wide, blatantly fake, smile she'd come to expect every time she made eye contact with him. 

"Have a nice walk Rey?" He murmured in an amused voice, which sent her temper flaring once more.

"I did, thank you." She muttered viciously, swiping at the tendrils of hair that had fallen out of her buns. 

Turning her head away from Ben, she focused on Mr. Gentry, who was attempting to wrangle the attention of her classmates, who were eagerly watching the interaction between Ben and Rey. 

"Now, now students," Mr.Gentry began, accompanied by his hilarious arm flailing, "we will return to our investigation on the applications of the Force in the kitchen." 

Which was met with a collective groan from the students. Rey smirked at the uselessness of the information; who would even need to use the force in the kitchen? 

She heard the rustling of the books, students presumably opening the textbook to the right page. With a sudden realization, she sucked in a horrified gasp. 

"We will return to our reading on page 394," Mr. Gentry called out the class. 

Page 394.

Shit.

She couldn't count that high. Shit, shit, shit. Her cheeks reddened in shame. So stupid, she thought to herself. How could she have forgotten that reading and writing were required in school?

Fuck! 

She held her head in her hands, trying to contain the sob threatening to overtake her body. She was in the midst of talking herself out of a panic attack when felt a light tap on her arm. She looked up to Ben, not nearly ready to deal with his bullshit, when she saw him nodding over to a note he'd scrawled to her. 

The note contained squiggles, most of which were foreign to her. She recognized 'walk,' and 'bad,' but couldn't make sense of it. Defeated, she pushed the note away from her and slumped over her desk.

She'd never felt more aware of the fact she was a scavenger than now. Thoroughly humiliated and ashamed, she felt her eyes sting with tears.

Another tap, this one a bit harder than the last. She ignored him and propped her head on her forearms, concentrated on Mr. Gentry's babbling. She knew the only method she had of retaining information was through the lecture. 

Another poke, accompanied by another, and another, until she finally had enough, and glared up at him, her expression obvious in its malice. His eyebrows were furrowed, he looked confused, but to Rey’s immense relief, his mouth was no longer contorted into that mischievous smirk.

You okay? He mouthed to her. 

She nodded in response. She pointed to his textbook. Forgot it. She mouthed back. 

He didn't look like he believed her, and she didn't really blame him. She was about two seconds away from a full blown meltdown, over what? A measly textbook? 

Family stuff. She mouthed to him, knowing that was at least something he would understand. 

He nodded his head in comprehension, and she sighed in relief. Her illiteracy was something she never wanted him to find out about. 

After a moment, he quietly pushed his textbook farther towards her, and scooted his chair closer to her, close enough that she could see her flyaways flutter every time he exhaled. 

He was sharing his textbook with her. It was nearly...nice. Noticing her look of bewilderment, his lips twisted into a frown. "Don't get used to it," he huffed in a whisper.

A minute later, she realized why he'd done it, when Mr. Gentry walked past their shared table as he made his way around the classroom. 

"Splendid, Ben! What a great example of our community, sharing your textbook!" Mr. Gentry smiled at them. "Though something tells me you have ulterior motive, eh? It's all right though, we can all keep a secret!" For added effect, he winked at the pair of them as Rey's eyes widened horror. 

She didn't dare glance at Ben, who was preening under the attention, she was sure. 

"Of course sir, I couldn't let Rey go without a book on her first day, how inconsiderate that would be." He said solemnly, and she whacked him in the shin with her foot, whipping her head around to glare at him. 

His eyes were pinched in pain, but they shone as if he had just won a chest of credits. He grinned down at her, and she felt her cheeks further redden, but this time it was out of anger, with all of the subsequent embarrassment. She wasn't even going to address the last factor of her blushed cheeks, the flustered sensation she always seemed to entertain around him.

Though she knew it was mostly a front, she couldn't deny that he was Han Solo's son; a shit disturber in the finest. The amusement and general chaos enacted by Ben were certainly not part of Kylo Ren's world.

Kylo Ren.

She looked back at him. This gangly boy, this mischievous teenager, would soon bear the moniker of 'Jedi Killer' and go on to murder his father. 

She looked down, steeling herself. He was not a different person because he was younger. He was still on a path leading directly to the dark side. 

She would do well to remember that. 

Chapter Text

She could practically feel Ben's curious glances on the side of her face as the lecture continued. After her revelation about the violent nature he possessed, she had shuttered off, keeping to herself.

She could sense his confusion, the way her emotions had abruptly shifted, from the threatening, probably amusing to him, conversations to the dead silence they were currently experiencing.

Again, she felt the near whispers of his force signature softly pressing at the edges of her mind. If her barriers weren't so sensitive from her training, she wondered if she would feel him at all. She knew that he was miles ahead of the other students at the praxeum, only now did she realize the true extent of it.

She let him continue his subtle assault on her mind, listening to the hitches in his breath due to exertion. She tried, and probably failed, to cover her smirk. After a particularly painful push against her mind, she finally turned to him.

"You know Ben, you're not the only one strong in the force," she whispered as she took in his shocked expression. "Now, get out of my head." She muttered as she forced him out of her mind with a mental shove.

She didn't see his shocked expression, as she turned her attention back to Mr. Gentry's lecture.

Internally, she worried about her illiteracy. She was lucky that the examinations were practical, but what about her homework? She couldn't guess her way through the homework, when she didn't even have the ability to put it to paper.

When Mr. Gentry signaled the end of the block, she shot out of her seat, desperate to avoid confrontation with Ben over her admittedly stupid actions.

Why, she mentally berated herself. Why, would she go about showing the extents of her power to the enemy? Because she was prideful, and more importantly, stupid.

"Hey, Rey, wait up," Ben called, loosely grasping her forearm. She pushed through the crowd determinedly, desperately trying to avoid confrontation in a place that was not her own.

"Rey, stop, I'm not going to tell," he said soothingly, a response that seemed to disable her previous momentum, another facet of his charm, she supposed.

"Tell what?" She coldly responded, eyes surveying the unfamiliar exits.

He leaned closer to her, as the throngs of students rushed out of the classroom, leaving them in relative privacy of the classroom. "About the true extent of your force capability," he smirked. "Haven't gotten tested yet, have you?"

Her mind raced with formulating a reply that would get him off her back, because this was not what she needed right now.

"I have, that's why I was placed in the senior blocks," she calmly responded, taking steady breaths to calm her erratic heartbeat.

The easy smile dropped from his face, and his features hardened into a visage she knew quite well, Kylo. For the first time since she got here, she felt prepared for this situation. Ben was unpredictable, but Kylo? She knew him all too well.

"You're lying," he softly murmured, dangerous in its control. "I'll tell you this once, and once only; I do not take being lied to very well." He scanned her frame, and leisurely made his way up to her eyes. "Especially when it's to my face."

"I'm not lying," she huffed, and promptly realized that was the last thing she should have done. In her time, she did this to enrage him, to force him to fight with emotion, where she knew he would mess up and give her an advantage.

But they couldn't necessarily draw their lightsabres here, could they? They could only lock eyes, with Rey's eyes slightly widened at the absolutely loathing glare Kylo was giving her.

"Right," he viciously muttered. "We need to have a little chat, now." He said as he reached for her forearm, practically dragging her out of the classroom.

Nearly at the edge of the doorframe, he stopped abruptly, with Rey walking right into his solid back. Not expecting the impact, the breath whooshed out of her, and she glanced back up at him, her previous annoyance returned at full force.

Ben glanced over at Mr. Gentry, who was fumbling over the stacks of papers he needed to put in his briefcase. "Bye, Mr. Gentry!" Ben called in a friendly voice, a tone that was very different from the malicious mutter he gave her.

Mr. Gentry jumped, with his hand clutching the left side of his torso. "Oh, Ben!" He smiled, and then glanced over at Rey, with Ben's arm wrapped around her forearm. "...And Mrs. Katarn, what a pleasant surprise." He clapped his hands together. "Delightful, absolutely delightful!"

"Oh, professor...um Ben and I-"

"No need to worry dear girl, I can keep a secret," he winked at her and nodded at Ben's hand wrapped around her arm.

She watched as Ben bashfully smiled and lowered his eyes. Was he-?

That little shit!

She looked him in shock as he played the part to a tee, acting as if he'd been caught with a girl he liked.

"Enjoy yourselves you two, it's a very nice day outside, perfect for a walk," he smiled suggestively, and it took everything in Rey to keep from rolling her eyes.

"That sounds like a great idea Professor, thank you," Ben smiled shyly as he pulled her out of the classroom.

When they passed the threshold of the classroom, he dropped her arm, and the stupid smile, accordingly.

"What Ben, not so shy anymore?" She sarcastically questioned, rubbing her arm.

He rolled his eyes in response. "Oh come off it Rey," he said. "Besides, you and I have a lot to talk about."

Chapter Text

They were quiet as they trekked outside, an unspoken agreement between the two. Rey had her head down, not daring to meet the surely shocked stares of her classmates. 

She watched as Ben's fingers subtly curled around the empty air, and the opening of the door that followed. It was so subtle that had she not been watching his every movement, she wouldn't have caught it. 

Very impressive. 

Also,  very needless and boastful. It was the little things, such as this, that pointed towards his future in the dark side. 

She looked up to catch the tail end of a smirk, one that she was probably also not supposed to see. "Where are we going?" She huffed impatiently. 

"Not sure yet," he mumbled to her, as he flashed a charming grin at a giggling group of girls in their year. 

She tried not to, but failed, rolling her eyes at his actions. She had a charmer on her hands, definitely. 

He led her out to the courtyard, where he took an abrupt left, into the foliage towards the lake. 

"Have you decided yet?" She impatiently huffed, her legs trailing him as he walked gracefully towards their destination. 

"Yeah," he responded, glancing back at her. "I'm going to take you to my secret spot." He turned back in the direction they were heading, and Rey rolled her eyes again. Was he trying to woo her now?

Besides, she knew much better than to think this was his 'secret place.' Somewhere out in the open, with many potential hiding spots for others to spy on him? She didn't think so. But she knew he had to have his own secret place, but it was one she wouldn't see unless she was accepted in his ranks. 

He stopped on the shore of the lake, sitting down on the dry grass. She followed his movement and sat down beside him, leaving a wide berth of space between the two. As they both looked out onto the lake, neither said a word. Rey was fidgeting as a result of the awkward silence, because she didn't know how to start the conversation with him, especially when she didn't know what this 'chat' was supposed to be about anyways.

"So uh, what did you want to talk about?" She whispered, afraid to disturb the serene quiet of the lake. 

"The weather, it's just so lovely outside..." he trailed off as he glanced over at her. Glancing at her incredulous expression, he sighed exasperatedly.

"Alright, fine," he said dropping the facade, "I wanted to discuss the strength of your force capabilities." He did a once-over. "To be perfectly truthful," Rey had to bite back a snort at that, she doubted he'd ever been truthful in his life, "in all my years at the academy I've never met anyone who could rival my own abilities in the force." He stifled a laugh. "Your hand-to-hand needs a lot of work, definitely, but that is easily trained. A strong connection with the force? Not so much." He laughed lightly.

"Why are you offering to help me?" She spoke, unable to keep her suspicions in check. 

"Because I think that you're seriously gifted, and will one day be a great jedi," he cut himself off, looking down to his outstretched legs. "I want to see you at your full potential." He sent her a reassuring smile. 

So he was attempting to recruit her to the dark side then. Great. Just what she needed. 

As she was about to reject the offer politely, a thought came into her mind. If Ben trusted her, she would be in his inner circle, a part of the early formation of the Knights of Ren. Meaning she would meet with Snoke...

And have the opportunity to neutralize him before he could set into action any plans that would result in the war taking place during her time. 

Looking over at Ben, her devious side awoke. She smiled at him, masking her smirk with excitement.

"Wow, um, that's really nice of you to offer..." she trailed off, trying to make her performance as believable as possible. 

"Well, I feel kind of bad, because the other students have been practicing since they were younglings, so it kind of leaves you out of the loop," he reasoned. 

"Still though, that's really nice of you, thanks," she mumbled. 

A strange, indecipherable smirk pulled at his feature minutely, and when she blinked, it was gone. She frowned in concentration, wondering if the smirk was ever there at all. 

"It's no problem Rey, though I can't say it's an entirely selfless act," he said as he smiled down at her. 

"And why's that?" She questioned, poorly containing the caution in her voice.

"If I'm being honest," she severely doubted that, "I want to spend a bit more time with you. You're very interesting compared to the mindless droids that study here."

"Was that supposed to be a compliment?" She sarcastically responded, trying to improve the believability of the whole exchange. 

Ben had the decency to flush his cheeks. "Um, well, yeah," he stuttered.

"Well consider me not complimented," she retorted as she stood up.

As she turned to walk away, he called out to her. "Rey, before you go, I just have a quick question." So now he thought they were friends. Awesome. "Regarding your strength in the force, how do you draw out your power?" 

She frowned at him, unable to detect where this line of questioning would lead. She decided to answer it with the same answer he would. "I'm not too sure, but I know when I'm angry, or scared, my capabilities with the force are much stronger." She was satisfied with her answer, knowing that it was the one Ben was looking for.

However, she did not see the same satisfaction mirrored on his face. Instead, he looked troubled, as he glanced back out at the lake. "But isn't that...y'know, the dark side of the force you're using?" He questioned in a hushed voice. 

Ah, she thought. It all made sense now. He was testing her, making sure he could trust her with his use of the dark side.

She shrugged her shoulders carelessly, and glanced out onto the expanse of the lake. "At that point, it's a matter of whatever works, right?" 

She knew, without even looking at him, that her answer was the correct one. She felt waves of pride rolling off him like a tsunami.

Yet, his answer did not betray his emotions. He stood up as well. "Yeah I guess," he nervously laughed. "Here, I'll walk you back to the Praxeum."

+++++++++++++++

When they returned to the Praxeum, she noticed that the hallways and corridors were noticeably empty. They'd missed lunch. Fuck, she mentally groaned. 

"I've got to get ready for my next block, I'll see you later," she waved over to him.

"Same," he laughed. "But when you want to start training, let me know and we can make a schedule." 

They both waved to each other and parted. With her back to him, Rey smirked to herself, applauding her performance by the lake. She had him exactly where she wanted him.

Little did she know her counterpart was watching her walk away with a lazy smirk plastered to his features, sharing her exact thoughts. 

Chapter Text

Rey went through the rest of her classes in a daze, her mind occupied with thoughts of Ben, and her illiteracy. Subsequently, after a day of overthinking each, she had yet to come up with a solution, much less an approach to either issue. 

She supposed the best idea was to go to the library, and search for holopads with either textbook on them. If she could find an audio version of either textbook, it would be an immense help. 

But first, she needed to drop her stuff off in her dorm before dinner. It would be her first time meeting her dorm mates as well, as she had tucked in to bed quite early the night before, and missed them entirely. She walked quietly into the dorm, and recognized Tepca, splayed on a table, reading a book upside down. She sent a quick, friendly wave in her direction and continued towards her shared room. Retrospectively, if she hadn't been so hasty in her march to her room, she wouldn't have missed the sympathetic look her friend sent her.

She opened the door, and was amazed at the sight of the room, so much more lively than the previous night. There were four girls all sat on one bed, hunched together in some private conversation. Unsurprisingly, they all snapped their heads in Rey's direction at her entrance. For a few seconds they all just stared at one another, with the girls critically glancing her over, and Rey returning their hardened gazes with an awkward one of her own. 

"Um hi, I'm-" Rey began awkwardly, feeling wholly out of her depth.

"The new roommate, we know." One of the girls responded, openly scowling behind her shield of other roommates.

"And the new roommate we didn't want, either," another whispered, though she intended it still loud enough for Rey to hear.

Rey's features twisted, not expecting the cattiness. Force sake, they were at a Jedi Academy, shouldn't these girls conduct themselves with just a little more dignity? 

Rey huffed in displeasure, and the one who spoke first, seemingly the ringleader of the band of twats, opened her mouth to speak again. "Look, who even are you anyway?" She bit out. "We have had assigned dorms since we were younglings, and you," she glanced over Rey's figure, "do not make the cut." 

Rey rolled her eyes, not knowing how to approach bratty teenagers. At this point, she even preferred Ben to these idiots. "Look, I'm a student here, so I am your equal. And," she added, "as far as I know, you were the only female dorm with an extra bed that no one was using."

She gestured over to her bed, that was...covered in hair supplies and clothes. Her teeth ground together in frustration. "Why is there stuff on my bed?"

One of the girls laughed darkly. "That's not your bed, it's our bed. And we'll use it for our own needs."

Ignoring her, Rey marched over to her bed, fully intending on throwing every single item on the bed across the room with pleasure. However, she looked down the side, noticing that her sparse belongings weren't there. 

She turned slowly towards the girls. In a dangerously soft voice, she questioned, "where is my stuff?" 

The girl rolled her eyes back at Rey in response. "Out in the common room, where they belong. You won't be staying in here, that's for sure." Her statement was met with snide laughs.

Rey had just about enough of this. She stepped forward into the pack of girls, with her back rigid, her mind already anticipating a fight. "Are we going to have a problem here?" 

The leader stood up and looked at her. "Only if you make it one, and I can assure you it's in your best interest to not make it one." 

Rey rolled her eyes, and glanced down at the petite frame of the girl. She would be no match for Rey in terms of physical, and mental, combat. Emotional, on the other hand, she wasn't so sure about. 

"This is ridiculous," she scoffed. "I'm going to leave, before something unfortunate happens to you," she glanced at the rest of the girls, and gestured towards her bed. "And all of my stuff better be back on my bed when I get back, or you'll suffer the consequences."

She laughed snidely. "What? Going to tattle to your uncle? How very Katarn of you." 

Rey rolled her eyes. "No, someone much worse, me. Don't think that you have the advantage on me because of your numbers. Cross me, and you'll spend the rest of your time at the Praxeum wishing you didn't." She murmured menacingly as she sauntered out of the room, smirking at the gobsmacked expression of the girls. 

 +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

First, she decided to make her way down to Master Luke's office, to see if her could offer her any advice for her...disadvantage. 

She quickly walked down the hallway, not wanting to be caught out of bed this late at night. Quickly glancing in both directions, she moved through the intersection of hallways towards Master Luke's office. 

Standing outside of his door, she squashed the residual fear that began to worm its way through her insides. She told herself it was better he knew the truth anyway, she'd rather not have to lie to his face. And he'd see through whatever she said, either way. 

She took a breath and knocked quietly, she didn't want to raise any attention to herself in this nearly deathly quiet hallway. 

He opened the door slowly, seemingly sharing her thoughts of being inconspicuous. "Rey," he said quietly, but with a smile stretched across his face. He opened the door slightly, giving enough room to slide past him.

He carefully shut the door, bracing himself against its creaks. "Is something troubling you, Rey? How can I be of assistance?" 

And there he went again. His intuition was quite helpful in minimizing the small talk. 

"Uh, yes Master Luke, there is," she stopped herself, steadying her shaking breath. "Um, in my time, I was never raised in the circumstances to become literate, so," she glanced up from her twisting hands to see the well-contained shock in his expression, which she appreciated more than anything. "I can't read the textbooks, and it's too late to un-enroll me in classes, all of the students have already seen my face." She rushed out quickly, shame forcing her eyes to refrain from meeting his. 

Seeing her downtrodden expression, he quickly responded. 

"Oh, my dear it's all right, don't cry," he whispered soothingly as she felt the tell-tale burning in her eyes. He came around the table to wrap her in his arms. This unconditional comfort of someone he barely knew, compared to the hardened shell of her former master, was what truly broke down her walls.

The anguish, the confusion, the rage, it all was diminished to the sobs tearing a path through her chest and throat. 

"I'm...-sorry," she hiccuped as she attempted to get herself together. 

"It's all right Rey, take as long as you need," he whispered back to her as he held her tighter. 

This, this was exactly what she wanted, what she needed, from her master. There was just the fact that she needed to be sent back in time to receive it. 

That thought made the sobs louder and more hysterical. 

Master Luke hushed her as she cried, until all that remained was her hiccuping breaths and tear-streaked eyes.

"Wow, I'm so sorry," she laughed weakly as she wiped her eyes in a futile attempt to hide her wet eyes. 

"You've endured a lot of trauma Rey, it's completely natural. And," he continued, looking down at her, "I have a feeling that life had not treated you kindly in your past." He looked at her knowingly. 

"No, not really," she laughed. "But to be completely honest, my life started to gain meaning after I met you for the first time." She looked down at her hands. "In my time, I'm not sure that you quite understand what you have given me, or how much I respect, and care for you." She fiddled with her hands, risking a glance back at him. "I don't know, I just thought that you would want to know." 

They were both silent for a moment, Master Luke in a contemplative silence while Rey quietly wallowed in her embarrassment. 

"Thank you for sharing that Rey, I imagine that it was difficult for you," he murmured quietly, so as not to disturb the peaceful quiet of the room. 

She remained quiet, afraid of what would come out of her mouth were she to respond. 

Sensing her reluctance to respond, Master Luke continued on with their previous topic. "Pertaining to your...condition," he carefully worded, "I may be able to acquire a few holopads that may contain audio transcripts of the texts." He said as he wrote a memo for himself. 

"Thank you Master Luke, I appreciate the way you handled this," she whispered as she raised her head. Mentally she was scoffing at her behaviour, this was most definitely not her normal disposition. Then again, this freak accident had forced her to face issues she was normally more than content to bury to immeasurable depths. 

She received a smile in return, and with relief, she noticed a light dusting of pink on Master Luke's cheeks, lending the notion that he was slightly embarrassed by this conversation as well. 

He cleared his throat and straightened to his usual tight posture. 

"Um...Master Luke, though I truly appreciate what you have done for me, I wanted to discuss a way for me to get home," she rushed out, anxious of his response. 

She waited for yelling. She waited to be berated. Instead, he laughed. "Of course you do Rey, I can't hold that against you," he smiled kindly at her. Then his eyes turned thoughtful. "I have a few contacts who may be able to help us; I will contact them immediately. And with your inability to read....," he hummed to himself. "Shall we designate a time to meet each night to research?" 

"But don't you have more than enough to do yourself, Master?" She questioned, though she knew that his help was key. 

His response was quick. "Yes, I do have a lot of work on my plate at the moment; however," he said as he met her eyes intensely. "I should like to think that your situation has a higher priority than those combined." He regarded her kindly. "Though it is wonderful to have you here, you don't belong in this time," Rey was unsure why the comment stung, though she knew it was not his intention. He looked back at her with a sympathetic smile, likely sensing her discomfort. 

"Besides, I think my...future self needs you quite a bit more than I do." He said as he scrunched his nose, thinking back to his older visage. 

Rey laughed in response, and the tension in the room dissipated. "I think so as well, Master Luke." She raised herself from the chair. "When is the next time you would like to meet?"

He was quiet for a moment as he thought to himself. "Definitely once I've heard word from my contacts, and I've thoroughly searched for the holopads. Maybe later in the week?" 

"That sounds perfect, thank you again Master Luke," she said as began to walk away from his desk. 

"Rey?" He called out to her. She turned towards him. "A word of caution, I'd like to keep your secret between us, if possible. Though I trust the students and the professors, this whole situation is practically unheard of, and I'd like to keep it that way." 

Rey nodded her head in agreement. "I feel the same. In my experience, power and knowledge definitely change people, and sometimes not for the better." 

She continued her way out of his office, thinking to herself. How was she going to find a way out of this time without the ability to read? And more importantly, how could she trust the information given to her? At this point she felt as if she could truly trust no one in this past with that kind of information. What if Master Luke deceived her? She would have no idea until it was much too late. 

She was giving herself a headache with her racing thoughts, but she couldn't help it. Her independent spirit cultured in the depraving isolation of Jakku had reared its ugly head. It whispered to her that she could trust no one but herself. 

As she continued down the hallway, immersed in her thoughts, she missed the figure cloaked in darkness, quietly following her every step. 

Chapter Text

"You're up and about late," Rey heard a voice murmur from behind.  

Immediately she sprang into action, spinning around to launch an offensive attack, not stopping when it was Ben's face she saw.  

There was no smile on his furrowed face as he readily defended against her attacks, as if he'd predicted her every move. Which, knowing him, was a definite possibility.  

She was superbly pissed at being caught off guard, more at herself than anything. She'd dropped her guard in an unfamiliar place, and if it had been someone who had a genuine malicious intent, she wouldn't be getting off so easy.  

The anger at herself reinforced her attacks towards Ben, her frustration at him resulting in more high-risk, vicious attacks.  

"Okay woah, we've established you're pissed because I snuck up on you, do you really want to be caught fighting in the hallways after hours?" Ben reasoned slowly as he continued to deflect her attacks with ease.  

She growled as she reluctantly lowered her hands, still clenched into fists. She glared up at him, ready to slide into her next form if she saw so much as a hint of that infuriating smirk.  

He must have guessed that she was not at all in the mood for his games, as he refrained from antagonizing her...for the moment, at least.  

"What are you doing up at this hour?" He murmured quietly, glancing down each end of the hallways.  

She pursed her lips, attempting to come up with a lie off the top of her head. He glanced down at her with amusement in his eyes, making his own (correct) assumptions about the extended silence.  

Eventually she huffed, and instead decided to turn his questioning back on him. "What are you doing up at this hour?"  

"Ah, ah," he tutted as he wagged his finger. "I asked first."  

Her fists clenched and unclenched, hoping for the opportunity to punch the smart ass remarks out of him. "I'm going to...the practice gym...to train."

"This late at night?" He looked surprised.  

"Yes," she heaved in an exasperated sigh. "Does it really matter what time I train?" She ground out as she glanced away from him in an attempt to control her temper.  

He was quiet as he thought to himself for a moment. "No, I suppose not." He said as he began to walk past her. He turned around when he realized she wasn't following. "Well come on then, you can join me." He said with faked exasperation as he jerked his head towards the entrance to the practice gym.  

She began walking in stride beside him. "Seriously? You just love stirring up drama, don't you?"  

He laughed, and this time she was pleased to note it seemed genuine, a low chuckle betrayed by the light in his eyes. "It seems so."  

She smiled back out of habit, shocking herself more than Ben, surely. The weight of her situation dropped the smile immediately, hopefully quick enough for Ben to have missed it.  

"So," he continued on, with his eyes directed towards the entrance to the gym. "What do you want to work on today?"  

"I just want to train," she sighed. "It's been a long day."

"Ah," he hummed in understanding. "So you just want to spar until you beat me up?" He questioned with an amused smile as he held the door open for her.

"Thanks," she muttered as she slipped past him into the gym. "And yes, preferably."   

"Alright, as you wish. But be warned, I'm not going to take it easy on you."  

He was rewarded with a vicious smirk for his comment.  

They walked over to the weapons pit in silence, Rey still reeling over their near...amicable conversation. If he wanted to throw her off kilter, then he'd definitely found a way.  

As she reached for the quarterstaff that she was sure only used by her, he remained, surveying the selection of weaponry. Finally, he reached into the pile and pulled out a wooden-imitation broadsword. Rey pursed her lips in distaste. "Really?" She said as she gestured towards the mammoth of a weapon. No one would willingly choose a weapon of that size, it would both diminish his speed and range of attacks. No one in their right mind would choose a weapon that would limit their chances of success.  

"Exactly," Ben responded, and Rey flushed once she realized she must have spoken her thoughts aloud. "After all, this is a training session, correct?" He spoke, sounding strangely like General Organa, something she'd never thought would happen. "You need to stop limiting your options of weapons because when you need to fight without your quarterstaff, you won't be able to hold your own." She knew he was referencing her first day at the Praxeum, when he bested her in hand-to-hand combat. Her lips twisted as she fought off a scowl.  

Ignoring his watchful eyes, she huffed and grabbed a thin, long sword, which she reasoned was close enough to the length and weight of her lightsaber. She pretended she didn't see the small smirk on his face.  

Walking into the practice area, she glanced back to see Ben practically right behind her. She jumped in shock. "Can you not be so...quiet? It's completely unnecessary!" She growled out as she walked backwards, though this time she was still facing Ben.  

"I can't help it!" He retorted indignantly.  

"You can, and you know it," she retorted, much like a five year old would.

This had Ben rolling his eyes at her. Typical. "What, do you want me to wear a bell around my neck like a Bantha?" He said as he chuckled at her ridiculous statement.  

"That would be preferable," she mumbled as she reached out with her own imitation sword to tag his shoulder.  

He glared at her with outrage. "That isn't how you begin a practice fight!" He muttered in an exasperated tone, pointing at the thin white line separating them on the matts.  

"And you think someone will adhere to that in the real world? You should know better than that," she said as a nasty smirk twisted her features. "Maybe you should add that to your encyclopedia of fighting knowledge," she mumbled, but still loud enough for Ben to hear.    

As she felt her eyes rolling again, accompanied by a scoff, she felt a blunt force whack into her bicep. Looking up in surprise, she saw Ben's smirking face, twirling the broadsword around as if it wasn't her body weight, and then some.  

"Okay you've sealed your fate then, I'm not going easy on you," she snarked as she rolled the tension out of her shoulders.  

A little laugh was his initial reply. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

They circled each other as her snarl was practically etched into her features. She was not letting him win this time, even if it took everything she had. She watched his movements closely, waiting for his always predictable overhand strike to begin the duel.  

"Too scared to make the first move?" He taunted as he watched her in the same fashion.

"Too smart, is more like it," she huffed as she quickly switched leading hands. Knowing that he would take the momentary advantage, she readied her body in the corresponding defensive stance. And instead of feeling the dull impact of their swords colliding, she felt the distinctive stinging of a quick tag against her ribs. She quickly fought through her astonishment at his deliberate change of movement, and instead focused on the anger of being bested, again, for something so silly.

"Lesson one," he spoke as he parried her frustrated blows, "don't ever think that you know the enemy, or their tendencies." He said as he forced her into a spin from the strength of his return. Momentarily blindsided by the gesture, she didn't have time to recover, and was locked in an inescapable bear hug from behind. She could feel his short breaths against the clammy skin at the junction of her shoulder and neck. "Because more often than not, you'll be wrong in your assumptions." He breathed quietly, arms still caging her in with a vice grip.  

She felt her heart jackhammering a path through her chest, and she was so not ready to deal with the implications of her body's response.  

Gathering herself, she breathed back in reponse: "so am I wrong to assume that you just can't seem to keep your hands off me?"  

She didn't hear, but felt his soft laugh on the exposed skin of her collarbone. "Hmmm, you might be on to something there."

And the thing was? She couldn't be sure of his intentions, as she usually was. Which made it all the more imperative to get out the situation as quickly as possible. With his arms still around her, slightly loosened from holding them in position for such an extended period of time, she dropped quickly into a squat, and struck her elbows out to effectively break his hold on her. Before the shock could even register on his features, she had his wrists twisted in one hand and the other positioned right in front of his eyes, with her pointer and middle fingered angled to gouge. His eyes crossed inwards slightly as he processed her defensive attack.  

"Lesson two," she started quietly, fingers still within a centimetre of his eyeballs. "Never get caught up in your own manipulation tactics, because then you won't know when someone is doing the same to you."

He had the audacity to smirk after hearing her comment. "Impressive. However, was this not supposed to be a training session for your benefit?"

She smirked back at him, a triumphant, nasty smirk. "Perhaps you need the training as well, and aren't as competent as you seem to think."  

The smirk stayed in place, but she could see his brows narrow in, the rage boiling beneath the surface. Suddenly the mission to get in his good books was abandoned as she realized that making him hurt was much more fulfilling.  

"That's debatable at the very least," he muttered coolly, not betraying any emotion in his voice.  

"Clearly it isn't, you just showed it right now," Rey baited.

"You don't know me, don't know what I'm capable of. You're treading very thinly, I suggest that you give that mouth of yours a rest, and actually think about what you want to say next for a change." He muttered darkly, the smirk, and the rest of his visage, slipping away.  

"You know what? No." she responded, walking closer to him, so close that she had to tilt her head to look at him. "You know I'm not scared of you, I won't be worked under your thumb like your droid-minded cronies."  

His mouth pinched unattractively as he rolled his eyes as he turned away from their close proximity. "So you've got it all figured out huh? Think you're so smart, don't you?" He turned back around, and she could tell that their playful time had very quickly met its end. His features were twisted by his exaggerated snarl. Internally she wondered if he was even aware of how much control he had lost of his facade. "You've been here for a week. You know nothing. Never forget that." He practically spat at her.  

In response, all she could do was smirk. "And there he is," she quietly murmured under her breath.  

"What?" He questioned viciously.

"You know, I expected a lot more from you," she began, walking towards his tensed figure. "For such a strong visage in front of others, it seems to drop right quick when I'm around."

He ignored the implications of her statement, responding with: "you just seem to bring out the best in me," he muttered sarcastically.  

"Still," she continued, "I expected a little more self-control from Master Luke's nephew," she watched with satisfaction as his hands tightened into fists at her comment. "To be frank, I'm a bit disappointed at how quickly you dropped character."

She watched in shock as his face transformed into a victorious smirk. Unnerved, because she thought she had him more than cornered.  

"Well done," he said, giving her the same sort of backhanded comment as he did in their final duel in her time. "You have surpassed my expectations," he looked down at his hands in apparent boredom. "However, I must admit they weren't all that high to begin with."  

She fumed silently, waiting to see where he was going with his train of thought. "With some training," his eyes scanned over her body, "you may be useful after all."  

At that she rolled her eyes. He had no idea just how useful she was in beating him in combat. "Training? I don't think so." She said with a scowl.

"No? But you were so excited...and overdramatic," he rolled his eyes, "in your desperation to gain my trust with training."  

At her shocked expression, his smirk heightened. "Lesson two, remember?"  

She rolled her eyes, strangely not panicking at him figuring out her manipulation tactics. "At least it's out in the open now." She sighed. She wished she could have kept him blinded for a bit longer, but she would have to make due.  

His features shifted again, this time cautiously. "I agree completely. So, does this mean we're allies now?" He questioned earnestly.  

Rey couldn't help the dark laugh that escaped her. Force, this guy was thicker than a ship's armour. "No it doesn't. Because from what I know about you," which was a lot more than she let on, "a proposition is rarely as simple as it seems when it comes to you."  

He rolled his eyes in an exasperated manner. "I thought we already went through this. I am interested in your strength in the force, and you have provided a near match for my abilities that I have not yet seen at the academy." He sighed. "Despite my previous...advances, I truthfully think it would be wise for you to become my ally."  

She scoffed. "You think so?" She sarcastically questioned. "Well how about this, I don't want any part of an alliance with you," she started. "Whenever I'm around you, my instincts tell me to run or fight." She whispered. "I learned early on that my instincts never fail me, only blind trust in others."  

She could see that he was fighting a triumphant smirk at the idea that he frightened her. "Well, is there anything I can do to help change that perception?" He asked sarcastically.

She sighed. She knew that he wouldn't back down. If he really thought that she was 'worthy of his time,' he wouldn't falter in his efforts until she was on his side. She knew that it was going to take something drastic to get him off her back. "Look Ben," she started viciously. "When I say my instincts tell me to stay away from you, it isn't completely true." She looked up to meet his eyes, sure of the fire in her own eyes. "I know everything, I know exactly what you've done." She whispered menacingly, keeping the answer purposefully vague. She saw the way in which his eyes unattractively popped for a moment. He quickly regained composure, forcing another one of those creepy, one-toned laughs.  

"My, my, Rey," he quietly snickered to himself. "It seems you've got a secret," he jokingly wagged his finger at her.  

Before she could even process the shock at his words, he charged at her, sending her body to the gym floor in a heap, with him straddling her stomach. He quickly pinched her nose and covered her mouth with an airtight seal, cutting off her supply of oxygen. "Now I'm going to make this quick, because admittedly, you're already looking a bit purple," he laughed evilly as she flailed underneath him, desperate to loosen his hold on her. "Who are you and what is your purpose here. That's it, that's all I want to know." He spoke monotonously. "Think you can give me that information, Rey?"  

She panicked.  

She couldn't help it. The thought of telling him she was from the future was too terrifying to comprehend. If she told him, she would likely never see daylight again. Her panic seized her entire body, and she couldn't fight through the fog her mind had created. A small part in the back of her brain was shouting at her to do anything, absolutely anything, to get air back into her lungs. But a larger part was focused on her self-preservation, to tell him nothing that would help him in the future.  

She felt the same feeling as before, when she was sent back in time, if a weightlessness in her limbs, but this time she knew she wasn't escaping anything.  

She was dying.  

And with that realization, she looked up into the nearly bored eyes of Ben, determined to hold eye contact for as long as her eyes would stay open. But she felt herself slipping too soon, the darkness opening its arms to her as if she were an old friend.