Who Ben is Now

This Time

A/N: Guess who's back.

Allevra's POV

After Kylo left, I took the opportunity to bathe. He was not gone for long; maybe an hour, tops. Upon his return, however, it seemed that it was my turn to leave.

"The troopers will escort you to your new room," he stated, Stormtroopers by his side.

"A room or a cell?" I asked, running a few fingers through my damp hair. My voice cracked, making my statement sound more fearful than intended. All of my yelling from earlier must have really taken a toll on my vocal chords.

He stood straight up and remained expressionless, as I'd learned was his custom when troopers were present. Even if there was a hint of emotion behind that mask, I couldn't sense it in his voice.

"You have agreed to commence with training, therefore you are now an honored guest here. I have ordered a room to be prepared for you; you will find it very similar to my own."

I raised a brow slightly. Something told me that most people on the Finalizer would not be viewing me as an "honored guest". Nevertheless, I nodded.

Kylo stepped out of the way, as if to make room for me to step out. I glanced around the room for a moment, only to remember that I had no belongings there. With one last look at Kylo, I exited his bedroom. The door closed behind me with a swoosh.

The Stormtroopers were silent as we made our way to my room. I found that it was not distant from Kylo's own: room 22088 to be exact. A part of me wondered why he hadn't escorted me there himself.

Upon arrival, I was informed that I would not be permitted to leave the cabin unless authorized by a higher authority. Breakfast and dinner would be delivered at strict times during the day unless otherwise specified by an authority, and the door would be guarded at all times.

I began to wonder exactly how many people had authority on that crazy ship.

After the troopers had sealed the door and left me to remain alone, I took the opportunity to explore. Kylo was right, the room was shockingly similar to his own: a large bed, a pleasant bathroom, a garagantuin view of outer space on the far wall, and a closet. The only thing different seemed to be that Kylo's cabin had an extra door inside; one that had remained locked during my stay. I wondered what the extra room was for, and why it seemed so important that it stayed locked.

The closet in the corner contained several darkly-colored pieces of clothing. There wasn't much; a few jackets, some shirts, and some pants. There were a few other options hidden in the dresser beside the bed, but not much else. It didn't come as a shock to me that the Resistance was not a colorful place.

Letting out a deep breath, I licked my lips. Even after drinking what seemed like at least a gallon of water earlier, I was still parched. On top of that, hunger was beginning to make my stomach growl.

The clock on my bedside table read 11:41.

"I'm guessing there won't be any dinner tonight," I said aloud, sighing. I sauntered over to the bathroom sink and turned on the faucet. Cupping my hand underneath the stream, I gathered a sip of water and brought it to my lips.

"If you're hungry, I can have something brought to your room."

I choked on my water. Kylo Ren's voice had appeared out of nowhere. Coughing the liquid out of my lungs, I searched around for the body that was normally attached to the voice.

Kylo was nowhere.

"Heh . . . Hello?" I asked out loud.

"I'm speaking to you telepathically, Allevra. Don't be so alarmed."

I was more than alarmed.

"Are you kidding? How can you hear me speak?"

I heard a sigh. I swear, I heard Kylo Ren sigh in frustration telepathically!

"Allevra, you think about the words that you speak, do you not?"

I didn't know where to look. Talking to someone who wasn't there was weirding me out.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Another sigh. "Allevra, every time you say something, you think the words inside your head. I already gave you the speech about our force connection. I heard you mention that you were hungry via our connection, and chose to reply."

"But since when can you put words in my head?!" There was both anger and confusion in my voice. I knew that Kylo could read my thoughts, but speaking to me through my head was something entirely different. I wasn't sure if even the most powerful of Jedi that I'd heard of were capable of doing that.

"I can only speak this way to those with a presence of the force. You should feel so lucky. Now, would you like something to eat or not?"

Boy, was he moody.

"I could eat." It was all that I could think to say. I found myself worried about thinking or doing anything. How much more of a spy cold Kylo be?

"Very well. Something will be delivered shortly. Also, expect to be up bright and early for the beginning of your training tomorrow."

"Yeah, whatever," I sighed, glancing out at the far-off stars.

"Oh, and Allevra?"

I must have been red in the face from being so annoyed.

"What is it?"

". . . Try not to sling your food around this time."