Who Ben is Now

Excellent

We sat like that for a long, long time. I would take long sips from the glass of cold water, and Kylo would occasionally take it away in order to prevent me from getting sick. We made little to no conversation, nor did much eye contact ensue. It wasn't until the glass was once again empty that I decided it was time to speak.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice."

Kylo looked up, his eyes filled with unhappy confusion. "A choice of what?"

I sighed, too emotionally defeated to even explain what was going on in my own head.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice as to whether or not I'll stay here and train with you, will I?"

For a moment, he was very silent. His mask was off, and his dark eyes were staring out into literal space, as if searching the galaxy for answers.

"I cannot ensure your safety if you do not cooperate. I'm sorry."

. . .

I said nothing for a minute, thinking back to the torture that I had been through earlier. Perhaps there was a small part of Kylo that still cared for me, but he was definitely the only person on the ship who would be bothered by the idea of whether I lived or died.

At that moment, it didn't matter to me whether or not the person sitting by my side was Ben Solo or Kylo Ren. All that I knew was that if I followed his orders for a long enough time, it could lead to a way out.

'If you agree to train with this man, the gaining of his trust may lead to your freedom. Loyalty is your only chance at leaving the Finalizer and escaping the hold of the First Order.'

For a split second, I feared that Kylo may have heard my thoughts. However, a quick once-over of his face revealed that he was still seemingly occupied with an observation of the world outside.

I took a quick gulp, knowing that I was about to make one of the riskiest decisions of my life.

"Kylo?"

My use of his preferred name captured his attention. Instantly, his eyes were upon me.

"Yes, Allevra?"

"If I train with you, will you promise to free me of the suffering that so many force-sensitive individuals experience?"

There was a small glint in his eye that almost gave off a look of joy. There was no doubt that my sudden possible willingness to join him was a relief.

Suddenly, he outstretched his large, glove-covered hands and took hold of mine. I felt my limbs began to nervously shake at the sensation of his grasp. I wasn't sure if I wanted to cower in fear, or relish the feeling.

"Allevra, if you train with me, you will never again suffer from the pull of the light. I will make you as powerful as you were destined to be."

I hated myself. I hated what I was doing, but this was what had to be done in order to ensure that I made it out alive. Between the First Order and the Resistance, the Resistance seemed like the better place to be. However, the luxury of that decision was something that I no longer possessed. Oh, how stupid I had been to hide on Yavin for all those years. Surely, the Resistance would not have wanted to make a murder machine out of me.

"I . . . I will join you."

This time, no tears flowed. I was done with the crying for that day.

"I can tell that you are unhappy," Kylo remarked.

I pursed my lips. "Like I said, I don't have much of a choice."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

Kylo Ren's POV

I was no fool.

I was not happy with forcing Allevra to join the First Order. While her newly-found presence had erupted a set of emotions in me that I had not felt in a long time, I knew the struggles that came with joining the dark side. Yet here I was, making empty promises about ending a fight inside of Allevra that I had yet to end in my own soul.

I knew that she was reluctant to join the Order; her thoughts seeped into my head like a message over an intercom. She was scared and unsure and her loyalty would be questionable. Really, I would have preferred to dump her back on Yavin and pretend she didn't exist for another decade. Her presence on the ship was driving me crazy . . . But the decision to let her go, just like the decision to bring her onto the Finalizer in the first place, was not mine to make.

But her promise to join me had sealed the deal.

Immediately after her promise was made, I could feel a presence in the back of my head. It called for me, it pulled me away. There was no sense in fighting it.

After putting on my helmet and calling upon a group of Stormtroopers to guard the room, I made my way through the Finalizer's labyrinth of hallways. The presence only became stronger as I approached a large door at the end of a dimly-lit corridor.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the doors to find myself inside of a large, dark room. There were red, dim lights strewn across the floor in random places. The room was vast and expansive, and in the middle sat a hologram of a man that seemed to be fifty-feet tall. He was old and pale and terrifying.

Snoke.

My leader looked down upon me, as if waiting for me to speak. I tried not to feel weak under his scrutinizing gaze.

"The girl has agreed to commence with training."

Snoke let out a rotten, toothy grin. "Excellent."

A/N: Hey everybody! So sorry that I haven't updated in so long. School has been tough. Luckily though, today was a snow day and it provided me with a great amount of time to do some writing. Please tell me what you think and comment some love! Can't wait to update again. Thanks so much for your support, as usual!

-Alexa J