Flames Without Smoke

Unexpected Issues

 Blue eyes are the first thing I see when I come to, blinking above me curiously. They're unfamiliar, and for a moment, I panic, unsure of where I am. I remember being on the roof, watching the sunset . . . and the siren!

I bolt upright, nearly knocking the figure in front of me in the head. She's a Togruta, and looks to be around my age. She's dressed in some sort of combat gear, and I can see two strange cylinders of metal hanging from a belt on each hip—lightsabers? I've never seen one in person before, but I know what they signify: Jedi. She must've come to the apartment complex when it started to go up in flames.

"Did you get them out? Are they okay?" I can't smell any smoke, so the Jedi must have evacuated the building. Am I in a hospital? "Where are they?"
"Whoa, calm down there," says the Jedi, gently easing me back into the chair. I push back, but only slightly; my head feels cloudy and light.

"Don't tell me to calm down! Where are they?"

"Calla!" And, thank the stars, there is Padme, looking completely unharmed, with Captain Typho right behind her. There is a man beside her in battle attire similar to the Togruta's, and I can see the hilt of another lightsaber hanging at his hip—another Jedi, older than the girl. "Calla, thank goodness you're all right. We were so worried."

"Where are we?"
"We're in the lobby of the apartment building, Miss Frej. There was an unexpected lockdown drill that we forgot to inform you of. This is entirely our fault."

My mind is getting more fuzzy by the moment. "A drill? But I thought . . ."
Now all four of them are looking at me in the exact same way, even the ones I don't know. Their expression is all too familiar, and it settles in my stomach like a boulder.

Clearly, there had been no fire. The only heat I had felt had been from memories, and the building had not collapsed; I had. I was left alone for barely five minutes and I already managed to nearly get myself killed.

Poor thing, their eyes say. She's been through so much, she couldn't even last one day here.

I cannot be sent back home. Not when the only thing waiting for me is a collection of painful memories, and not when the last thing I can do for my parents is succeed. They cannot know how fragile a place I am in right now.

"Nevermind," I say. "I must've been startled by the siren and tripped over the edge. I'm sorry for causing such a fuss." I can tell that none of them believe me, but before they can say anything, I force myself out of the chair and, surprisingly, manage to stay upright, although I can feel my legs shaking under my robes. "Thank you for saving me," I say to the older Jedi.

"No need to thank me," comes his easy response. "Snips over here is the one who caught you."

I turn to look at the other Jedi, and have to repress a chuckle at the look of annoyance she shoots at her partner. When she turns to face me, though, she's smiling. "It was nothing. I'm happy to have been able to help."

"Well, thank you, um. . . ."

"Ahsoka," she cuts in. "Ahsoka Tano. And this over here is my master, Anakin Skywalker."

"Calla Frej," I respond, returning her smile. "It's lovely to meet the both of you, though I am sorry it was under such intense circumstances."

"No need to apologize, Miss Frej," Ahsoka responds with a grin. "Rescuing damsels in distress is in the job description."

Before I know it, I can feel heat creeping up my cheeks and coloring my face.

Oh dear. This is going to be an issue.

--

As the weeks passed, I began to grow more accustomed to my new life on Coruscant. I no longer found the constant noise at all hours of the night unusual, and the political figures I met with on a nearly daily basis were gradually becoming less intimidating. Most of them were kind to me—like Senator Organa, who was a close friend of Senator Amidala's—or at the very least, treated me with respect. Of course, there were some who very clearly disliked the idea of someone my age being so close to the inner workings of the Senate. At first, I found their disdain unnerving, and I was desperate to please everyone, but after a while, I accepted the fact that, in politics, there were always bound to be people who disliked you.