Star Wars: Apparitions -- Scenes from The Last Jedi

Chapter 2 - Rain

Rey sat on the cold stone under the edge of the Falcon, her lips parted as she watched the steady downpour of rain soaking the island around her. She reached out of the Falcon's shelter to press her hands into a patch of wet moss, not caring when a belligerent gust of wind carried a wave of sea water over the cliff's edge and slammed it into her. She shook water out of her face, laughing and grinning breathlessly.

Chewbacca came down the landing ramp behind her and grumbled something.

"Still can't reach the Resistance?" Rey asked, getting to her feet and turning to face him. "That's alright. Keep at it. If you get through... ask about Finn."

She hadn't been able to shake the memory of Finn's screams as Kylo Ren's lightsaber burned deep into his shoulder, and she hadn't stopped wondering if she could have stopped it. Her fingers tingled with the memory of the strange power that had come over her— barely in time to save herself, and far too late to save anyone else.

Chewbacca nodded and went back up the ramp. Rey tried to shake her bitter thoughts away, picturing them washing down the cliff with the pounding drum of the rainwater. It helped a little— until the sound of the rain and the sea vanished into ear-ringing silence.

Rey slapped the sides of her head, trying to trigger any sort of sound other than the voice she was afraid she was about to hear.

"Why is the Force connecting us?" Kylo Ren asked quietly. "You and I?"

Rey chewed her lip and wondered if she could make him disappear by simply ignoring him. But a minute passed, and the silence remained.

"Why should I know?" she finally muttered, hoping he could hear her clenched teeth.

"I thought since you're standing over there so high-and-mighty, you might have some clue. Perhaps now you know everything there is to know about the Force, now that you're training with the greatest Jedi Master in the galaxy...?"

Rey rolled her eyes as she turned to face him. His arms were folded thoughtfully, and he was gazing out at the storm as though he could see it. But the sleek metal of his mask was untouched by the rain.

"Luke Skywalker doesn't give a damn about you," Rey informed him bitterly.

Kylo laughed. "If only that were true." He turned to face her. "Has he told you what happened?"

"What?"

"The night I destroyed his temple. Did he tell you why?"

Rey gritted her teeth. "I know everything I need to know about you," she snapped.

Kylo ignored that. He tilted his head at her. "You haven't told him about this either, have you?"

Rey glared at him and folded her arms. "There's nothing to tell."

"You really believe that?"

The note in his voice made her hesitate.

Kylo noticed, and he stepped closer. "I didn't think so..."

Rey took an accusatory step back. "I thought you couldn't read my mind."

"I can't," Kylo said, amusement in his voice, "but you just confirmed my guess." He nodded at her with mock pleasantry. "Thank you."

Rey glowered at him. "You wouldn't be so confident without that helmet on, would you?" she growled.

"What was that?"

Rey rolled her eyes. "I said: take off your damn helmet, why don't you?"

Kylo lifted his chin. "Giving me orders now, are you?"

Rey held her glare. "Yeah. I am."

For a moment, neither of them moved. Rey, fire in her blood, was happy to continue arguing. But, slowly, Kylo raised his hands to the sides of his helmet. There was a soft click, and the mask popped forward. Then he slowly lifted the helmet, letting his dark hair fall away from his face as he lowered his helmet and faced her.

The first thing Rey felt was a ghostly shiver down her spine as they made eye contact. His eyes were so dark, so deep on his pale face, she feared she would fall straight through them if she held his gaze.

"Happy?" Kylo said in a low voice.

Rey didn't answer. Her eyes flicked to his scar: dark red and distinct where it traced from his forehead, over his eye, down his cheek...

Kylo turned his head down, still looking at her. "Regretting ordering me around now, are we?" Without the mask, his voice was softer, more human...

Rey shook her head. "No."

"You had that look in your eyes," Kylo noted, stepping closer, "from the forest." His eyes glinted in the dim light. "When you called me a monster..."

Rey jumped at the opportunity.

"You are a monster," she growled. She didn't meet his eyes as she said it, but couldn't help but do so in the silence that followed.

She wanted him to snap back, to carry on the argument. It would have been far easier to deal with than the undefinable gaze he fixed her with, as he lifted his chin and whispered, "Yes, I am."

For although his voice was confident in his own condemnation, Rey found something different in his eyes— so deep it was almost lost. She couldn't put a word on it. All she knew was that he hadn't meant her to notice it. His facade had slipped, revealing something far removed from the cool confidence in his voice.

Another wave came crashing over the cliff, almost knocking Rey off her feet. By the time she'd regained her composure and shaken the water out of her eyes, Kylo Ren was gone, replaced by the sound of the rain.