Fractured Silence [Star Wars: The Force Awakens Fanfiction]

Sunsets Painted by Memories

Han sat back in his chair, letting out a low whistle. "Wow," he muttered. "I missed all the good stuff."

"And you really used that device," Leia said, ignoring Han, "to find Kerr?"

"Yes," replied Luke. He was much more at ease now, and no longer sounded like he was walking on glass as he spoke. "I believe that with the right power and the right people, we could find other Jedi throughout the galaxy."

"The problem is," began Rey, fingers drumming the table, "we're not going to be able to do this on our own. We don't know how far away the other Jedi are, and it could be dangerous trying to get them out of whatever situation they're in."

"Especially if they don't know how to control the Force," I added. "Would you be willing to be our back-up?"

Leia was nodding before I finished my question. "We will support you through anything. You will always have the Resistance behind you."

"I have a question for the two of you." Han looked from Rey to Luke. "What's it like having the family together again?"

Luke's jaw snapped shut with an audible sound, and Rey suddenly became very interested in her hands.

"Luke doesn't remember anything," I answered, shaking my head sadly. "Neither does Rey. For all we know, they aren't even related."

"But how is that possible?" Han questioned, eyes squinted at Leia. "It makes sense that she's your daughter!"

"Except for the part where I don't have a single memory of my own daughter," Luke shot in. "If I did, do you really think I would've left her on Jakku her entire life?"

"Everything happens for a reason," Leia explained calmly, defusing Luke's anger. "The Force works in mysterious ways. We are all here together now, and that is what's important. I'm sure we will one day find out why Rey was abandoned on Jakku."

Suddenly, Rey stood up, her eyes shooting daggers at everything in the group. Luke rose with her, staring her straight in the eyes. "Stop talking about me like I'm not in the same room with all of you!" Her chest rose and fell rapidly, eyes moving from one person to another.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, and my clothes crackled with static.

Finn stood up, and took her arm lightly. "Calm down, Rey," he spoke slowly, cautiously. "No one here is against you."

After a moment, her she took a deep breath and nodded. Rey and Luke sat down simultaneously. The room collectively sighed.

"So," she began, changing the topic. "What do we do next?"

"I believe that we should go back to Ahch-To," Luke began, still looking hard at Rey, "and use the device to look for other Jedi."

"This time," Finn shot in, "I'm coming too. I won't stay behind again while you put yourselves in danger."

No one disagreed, but Leia and Han explained that they had to stay behind to look over the Resistance Base.

"Just let us know if you ever need help," Leia assured. "We'll always be right behind you."

Soon after, everyone decided to head to bed. I was going to head to my room when I saw a figure slide out the door.

After glancing around, I began to walk after it with Kerr trailing behind me. Ever since we had been on the base, he hadn't left my side and followed me around like a lost puppy.

Making a couple turns, I finally opened a door to the outside. It was getting late, and the Sun was making its way through the sky.

There was a figure sitting on the ground, legs crossed, staring into the sunset. Walking over, I sat beside it, with Kerr on my other side.

"I thought you would follow me here," murmured Rey without taking her eyes off the sky.

"Are you alright?" I asked her sincerely.

Drawing her eyes away from the Sun, she looked into mine. "Honestly, Lora, I don't know."

I fully turned my body so that I was facing her. "Talk to me."

She sighed, running a hand through her disheveled hair. "When I touched that lightsaber," she said softly, "something -- flipped -- inside me. Ever since then, I've had these dreams." She shook her head, trying to put into words what she was feeling. "I can tell that they're memories, but they aren't complete. Just bits and pieces, and they don't make sense."

"What are they of?"

"All different things. Stars, sand, a ship . . . but nothing I can identify. I've been having trouble sleeping lately and -- I just don't know what to do." Rey's head dropped, and I could practically see the visible weight on her shoulders.

I placed my hand atop hers. "Hey," I whispered. "We are both new at this Force thing. Maybe you're developing some sort of power that can be used for good. We can ask Luke tomorrow."

Rey nodded slowly. "Yeah. We can ask Luke."

I sat back on my hands, and we fell into a peaceful silence.

"Wow," I whispered. "What a gorgeous sunset."

"Mm hm," Rey agreed, and her voice sounded strange.

I glanced over just in time to see her eyes roll up into her head, and she fell back onto the pavement.

"Rey!" I screamed, moving close to her. "What happened! Can you --" I touched her face, trying to wake her up, but suddenly everything went black.

I could see a beautiful sunset before us, the sky painted with reds, yellows and oranges. I was holding someone's hand, but it was excessively larger than mind.

"What a gorgeous sunset," a woman said, and I looked up into her face. She was tall, with straight brown hair and a round face. She smiled down at me, moving a stray piece of hair out of my face. "Are you ready to go back inside?"

"Yes," I replied, and my voice was higher than usual.

As we turned away from the sky, the world started to fade.

Darkness fell.

I sat up, gasping for air and disoriented. The sun was still setting, so not too much time had passed. Quickly, I glanced over at Rey.

She wasn't breathing.

"Rey!" I shook her shoulders, careful not to make direct contact with her skin. "Wake up, please! Someone -- help me! Rey! Please wake up! Rey! Rey!"

OH NO! REY!

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Updated January 25, 2016