Breaking the Rules

Peer Pressure Gets You in Trouble

Jae stared over the edge of the massive, floating station. The ground was thousands of feet below and death would claim anyone who took one extra step than was there.

She swallowed, the height making her stomach twist into all kinds of knots. Why was she standing there again? She'd made the decision to get as far away from that ledge as she could when she got a heart-stopping reminder as to why she was there in the first place.

"Hey! Are you ready?!"

Jae nearly jumped out of her skin when her new friend, Elia, appeared out of nowhere. Her heart shot through her chest and a panicked gasp left her mouth. "Where the hell did you come from?" Jae whisper-yelled, trying to steady her rapid pulse.

"Literally nowhere. Girl, don't you remember my power?"

Jae thought for a minute, remembering their introductory conversation. Teleportation. Of course. No wonder she could sneak up on her.

She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the endless abyss.

"So are you ready?"

"You know we're gonna die, right?"

"Oh, don't be so negative! We will be just fine if you're as powerful as you say you are," Elia challenged, a smug look on her face.

Jae's blood started to bubble. Fine. She wants a show? I'll give her one.

"Fine. Hop on."

Elia's smirk morphed into a shit-eating grin and she came at Jae at full speed.

Jae quickly braced herself, anchoring her feet into the ground below her. Elia's entire being was catapulted onto her back within seconds. She wasn't heavy, but she wasn't light either.

"On noble steed!" Elia shouted.

Straightening herself, Jae cursed in every language she knew. 'Maybe I could just throw her over the edge,' she thought.

But that wouldn't have looked good in the eyes of her fellow staff - let alone the boss man. And she didn't want to do anything to get on his bad side.

She walked backward, putting a good amount of distance between them and the edge. She stopped after about a hundred feet.

"Ready?" She asked the full-grown child on her back.

"Born ready! Let's go!"

Jae closed her eyes, focusing all of her energy into her back and her power.

Then, she took off running. Slowly, seeing as she had a whole other being to carry, but she was gaining speed. 75 feet. Her legs were already on fire. Her previous training had been nothing like this. 50 feet. She had never doubted her power before, but having another life in her hands was making her more nervous with every step.

25 feet. Adrenaline was rushing through her veins. Any resentment she had moments ago was gone and replaced with shared excitement. She could hear her heartbeat and Elia's accelerate as they both watched the edge come closer and closer. 10 feet. This is it. Just jump, Jae. Jump.

"Jae Matthews!"

And just like that, everything stopped. Jae skidded to a halt, mere inches before the unforgiving edge of the station. They both toppled over, Elia landing on top of her and knocking the wind out of her. They groaned in a symphony of agony and turned their heads in the direction of the strange voice.

A droid stood a few yards away from them, devoid of life or facial expression. Yet somehow they could still feel the judgment coming off of it.

"What is it, metalhead?!" Jae yelled, upset at the spoiled moment.

"Jae Mattews, report to Master Ren's office immediately. That is all."

Shit! What could he possibly want?

What they were about to do wasn't strictly against the rules, but that didn't mean he would condone it. The droid scurried off and both of them made eye contact. Elia looked guilty, but also relieved she wasn't being summoned as well.

Jae said nothing, her annoyance obvious in her face. She stood, dusted herself off, and started to make her way to his office - a slight limp in her step from the fall. The butterflies in her stomach turned into pterodactyls the closer she got. She'd only met the guy three times.

He was tall, dark, and undeniably handsome. And intimidating. Dank farrik, was he scary. You wanted to stare at him all day and just observe his beauty, but the second those amber eyes hit yours, you were done. Trapped in an embarrassed fluster of regret and self-hatred.

Before long, Jae was in front of the door. His door. His office that doubled as his quarters. It felt wrong to be there - like she would walk in on him sleeping in his bed as if it was some girlish prank. But no. This was his place of business and Jae needed to grow a pair.

She raised a shaky hand and knocked on the solid door. The echo rang for a few moments before she heard a reply. "Enter."

His impossibly baritone voice was unmistakable. Jae took one last deep breath of courage before hitting the button and stepping inside.

And there he was - hunched over his desk like some kind of giant that was too big for anything average-sized.

She took a few steps into the room, unsure if he knew she was there since he hadn't looked at her yet. Even though he was the one to summon her and call her in. But she stopped dead in her tracks when his eyes met hers.

A shiver ran through her whole body, starting at her head and lowering into her left arm and then her core. She felt anxious and suddenly short of breath. They stared at each other for just a few moments of paralysis. He was waiting for her to say anything and she was waiting for her next command. She didn't want to overstep or do anything wrong.

She didn't want to get...punished.

"Sit."

It wasn't a question or even a gesture - it was an order. Jae followed it quickly, taking one of the seats in front of his desk. It was so close to him that her knees were touching the wood. But she didn't dare move it. Especially under his harsh gaze. She didn't even want to breathe in fear of doing it incorrectly.

When he finally broke eye contact he scanned her up and down, shamelessly. His gaze rested longer on her chest than it needed to as well. Jae noticed, but said nothing. She began to feel incredibly warm as well.

"So what exactly were you hoping to accomplish with Miss Elia today, hmm?"

She didn't answer right away, a little embarrassed and unsure of what to say. He continued.

"Did you think you could just come aboard my station and get away with anything you want?"

His tone was condescending and it made Jae upset. Even if what she did was wrong, she wasn't a child. She didn't need to be scolded like one.

"There was nothing to accomplish, sir. Elia wanted to see my power - so I was going to show her."

He quirked one eyebrow at her tone. Ten seconds ago she was a nervous mess and now she was straightening her back and giving him attitude. She was going to be very fun to break.