Fractured Silence [Star Wars: The Force Awakens Fanfiction]

Projection

Rey's eyes moved underneath their lids, attempting to decipher shapes from the impenetrable darkness. After a moment, they shot open, and she simultaneously sat up in the hospitable bed.

 Immediately, a stab of pain pierced her skull, and she fell back with a moan. 

"Whoa," I murmured, taking her hand as her head hit the pillow. "Rey? Rey, can you hear me?"

Wincing, she nodded her comprehension. 

"Thank goodness," breathed Finn, letting out a sigh of relief. He sat back at the foot of Rey's bed, careful not to move her. 

"What happened?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. "Where am I?"

"You're back in the bunker," Luke explained. "Lora brought you back here."

I began telling her what happened to the best of my ability. "You fainted, and when I touched you, I saw -- a vision. It was of a --"

"Sunset," Rey finished, eyes opening again to stare at me. "You saw it, too?"

"When Lora touched you," Luke said, "a connection formed between the both of you. Lora could see the vision you were having, Rey."

"It wasn't just a vision," she implored, bringing her eyes back to look at me. "It was a memory, from when I was younger."

"How do you know?" inquired Han, looking skeptical.

"I can't explain it. I just know." She turned to Luke. "What does this all mean?"

Luke took a deep breath before explaining. "Lora explained to me the other visions you were having, and how they all started after touching this lightsaber." He patted the lightsaber harnessed to his belt. "I believe that these memories are slowly coming back to you after being triggered by touching the lightsaber. They're brought about by certain things: sights, sounds, smells, even words."

"In the memory," I said in realization, "the woman repeated what I had said a moment before: 'what a gorgeous sunset.'"

Luke nodded. "That -- combined with the sunset you were actually viewing -- must have been the cause." 

"And the dreams?" asked Rey, her face a mask of uncertainty. 

"During sleep, your mind is more open to the influence of outside sources. When your mind is unconscious, the memories must fall through the gaps and be viewed as dreams."

Rey heaved a sigh, laying her head back in desperation. "Well, what am I supposed to do? These visions could be triggered by anything."

"There's nothing we can do." Luke sat down on the bed next to Rey, looking at her with grave seriousness. "This is a gift, Rey. The Force is manifesting itself within you in this way. Using this, you will slowly uncover the secrets of your past. Isn't that what you want?"

After a moment, Rey nodded. 

"This is a weight you'll have to bear." Luke waved his arms around, motioning to everyone in the room. "Now that everyone is aware of it, they will know what to do when it does occur. No one can touch your bare skin, lest they be sucked into the vision like Lora was. They'll watch you until you come back into consciousness."

"In addition," Luke continued, and this time he addressed me as well, "I will teach both of you how to project images in your mind to others, as I did to you. Hopefully, this training will help Rey control her visions." 

"Will you train Kerr as well?" I asked, waving a hand at the boy. At the mention of his name, he dropped his eyes and wrapped his arms around my middle. I ran my hand through his hair out of habit. 

"Yes, but I will need to test how much of his abilities he has trained." Luke paused, thinking back. "He seemed to know quite a bit in telekinesis, and that goes hand in hand with telepathy. We can work from there." 

Standing up, he addressed the entire room. "I will allow Rey one day of rest. We will travel to Ahch-To in the morning. Your training will begin on the ride there." 

With that, he strode out of the room, cape billowing behind him. 

"He falls right into the role of 'leader,' doesn't he?" commented Finn. 

Han gave a hard laugh. "Always did."

Leia placed a comforting hand on Rey's shoulder. "Just let us know if you need anything." 

Rey nodded, averting her eyes. 

Han and Leia left, and it was only Finn, Kerr and me left with Rey. 

"How do you feel?" asked Finn, a concerned look on his face. 

Rey shrugged. "I just have a killer head-ache." 

Finn nodded empathetically, and we lapsed into silence. 

"Hey!" Finn's head shot up, a grin on his face. Rey and I both jumped a little. "I have something that will cheer you up!"

"What?" Rey asked as I was wondering the same thing. 

He jumped up. "I'll be right back." Finn practically sprinted out of the room. 

Rey looked at me. "Do you know anything about this?"

I shook my head, dumb-founded. 

A minute later, Finn burst into the room, holding the door open. "There's someone here who wants to see you!"

With a high-pitched beep, BB-8 rolled through the door. 

"BB-8!" Rey and I cried, smiles lighting up our faces. 

BB-8 whistled its happiness, rolling up to us. I squatted down on the ground so I was eye-level with the droid. It spun around in circles, elated at being in our company.

"How have you been?" asked Rey from her perch on the bed. 

Opening a hatch on his left side, it gave Rey a thumbs-up. We both laughed.

"It's been a while since I've seen you," I said, patting its head. Swiveling to face me, it beeped its agreement, then asked a question. "Yes, I think that can be arranged."

"What did he say?" asked Finn, staring at BB-8 like it would respond. 

"He asked to come with us on our next trip," translated Rey. 

"We're leaving tomorrow morning," I said. "You can come with us, as long as Luke's okay with it." Whistling its thanks, it rolled out of the room to find Luke. 

Rey laughed again. "I love that little droid." Yawning, she laid her head back on the pillow, eye-lids drooping. "It's going to be fun having him on board . . ." she muttered, her voice beginning to fade.

"You rest," said Finn, patting Rey's hand. "You've had a busy day, and we have another one ahead of us tomorrow."

Already nodding off, Rey muttered her agreement. 

"Let's go, Lora," Finn whispered. Together, we crept toward the door. By the time we glanced back from the doorway, Rey was breathing slowly and evenly. 

"I hope she's alright," murmured Finn. 

"Me too," I whispered.

We closed the door quietly behind us, and Rey was cloaked in darkness. 

Hey, Readers! I hoped you didn't really think I would do something terrible to Rey (I'm not that mean :) )

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Updated January 27, 2016