|| Uninvited || An Anakin Skywalker Story

Chapter Five

I woke up the next day in pain.

I had finally fallen asleep in the early morning, and when my alarm went off only a few hours later, I was in sheer misery. After managing to pull myself out of bed and into the shower, I knelt my head against the cool tile and let the warm water pour over my body. It helped to ease the throbbing in my head. I watched as my blood colored the water a rusty red. I had done my best to clean up before bed last night, but it looks like I was still bleeding in my sleep. My nose was aching, and I could feel the swelling pool around my eyes. I was sure to be sporting a black eye for the foreseeable future. And I was right. As soon as I stepped out of the shower and wiped away condensation in my mirror, I was met with a deep purple shiner on my left eye.

"Damn..." I whispered to myself, leaning closer to inspect the damage. This was going to be impossible to cover. I sighed as I realized I would have to come up with a cover story for Glynn and the rest of my colleagues. That is unless they already knew the truth. I was sure at least Glynn had been alerted to Payto's condition and how he wound up in the medical wing last night.

I gingerly reached up to touch my nose and winced as soon as I made contact. I made a mental note to ask the doctor for a pain reliever when I stopped by to visit Payto. I closed my eyes as I replayed the events of last night. I couldn't stop the cycle from running through my mind. I could feel anxiety bloom in my chest as I imagined that man's rough grip on my arm. His disgusting teeth and his vile stench. His victorious expression realizing he could have his way with me before Anakin arrived. I forced myself to take long, deep breaths to calm my nervous system. I pictured Anakin's face and imagined him holding my arms instead, soothing me in his own way and making me feel safe. It helped.

I continued my morning routine and before I knew it, I was time to head to work. I took a deep breath before I stepped into the kitchen, doing my best to keep my head low. I walked by a few droids and kitchen workers who paid me no mind, but I was cut off before I could reach my station.

"Remlik, I need to speak with you immediately." Glynn's gruff voice said. I sighed and slowly lifted my head to meet her gaze. Her eyes immediately widened, and she opened her mouth before quickly snapping it shut.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her tone softening.

"I'm fine." I muttered quietly, "Looks worse than it is." I didn't want her to make a big deal about this or report it to anyone. I was worried that if the wrong people knew about the events of last night, more restrictions would be put on temple workers. That was the last thing I wanted.

"I was informed about Payto, and I had a feeling you might have also been involved." She eyed me with suspicion. I didn't know how to respond without exposing my guilt. I was caught red handed.

"Please Glynn," I begged softly, "I just want to get to work. I promise nothing like this will happen again."

Despite her harsh demeanor, I knew she had a soft spot for me. I have worked for her for almost a decade now. And I so rarely caused problems. I could feel her eyeing me.

"Fine." She said in an exasperated tone, "but I must insist you go to the medic wing after your shift tonight. That nose needs to be in a cast."

I looked up at her and nodded with a soft smile. I thanked the galaxy that at least one thing went my way.

Glynn shooed me to my station and left me alone to work. I quickly fell into the familiar pattern of motions, preparing and serving meals. And not before long, it was dinner time. I glanced at the clock, counting down the moments I could go check on Payto. Only a few more hours.

"Kels, you're on serving duty tonight." Glynn called out from across the kitchen. I groaned internally but nodded obediently. The last thing I wanted to do was to step out into the dining room looking like this. But I also didn't want to rock the boat with Glynn so I decided to suck it up and comply.