What She's Worth (Reylo)

Chapter 2

Notes:

So I finally read a wonderful book review and list of spoilers from http://reylooo.tumblr.com and if you read that, you'll probably have tiny hints of what will happen in the future events of this fic. I'm just so happy right now that Claudia Gray's "Bloodline" not only does NOT ruin the outline I have for the future chapters, it even adds to the plot! So now, I can officially say that I have intentions of this being a fan 'companion fic' for the novel. Oh, there'll be an original character from here on. I was initially unsure about adding that character, until I started this chapter :) You'll know which one once you get to that part.

~*~

"Good morning, Ben!"

"Not again," Ben thought as he dragged a palm across his face before peeking between his fingers to look at the smiling face of his little tormentor. As with everyone else in the academy, she wore the same style of tunic he did, though hers was always a size too big, practically hiding her hands underneath the beige fabric.

"Did you sleep well?"

"No."

Every day, since the night he first came to the academy, it was the same thing: she would show up at his door, clearly having found out his schedule and ask him if he slept well. And always, he gave her an unequivocal, honest no. He couldn't even remember the last time he had a good night's sleep. That she showed up every morning with her annoyingly chipper demeanor wasn't helping.

Worse still was how she seemed to have latched on to him. She followed him wherever he went, his only reprieve being his classes and training sessions with other padawans, which were of course separate from hers. But for the rest of his daily timetable—waking hours, mealtimes, and even in his one on one sessions with Luke—she was always a presence, and it was beginning to outlive its welcome.

As for Luke, he was no help. He seemed amused by it all, and much to Ben's horror, appeared to be encouraging it; so much so that the youngling preferred to spend more time with him than their master.

He was now, by all accounts and to his undeniable chagrin, her unofficial babysitter.

With a deep sigh, Ben closed his door and made his way to the mess hall for breakfast. He didn't have to turn to know she was following him.

"Mama used to give me a glass of warm blue milk every night to help me sleep better," she informed. Yet another tidbit of useless information about herself, Ben thought grumpily. She'd been sharing them a lot more as of late. "Maybe you should have some blue milk too. They have some in the mess—"

"I'm intolerant to blue milk," he lied.

"What's into...into...intorerant?"

The corners of his lips twitched at her pronunciation. "It means if I drink it, I get a tummy ache."

"Oh." She fell behind him again, and he took the opportunity to lengthen his strides. As expected, she ran to keep up, her twin hair buns bobbing behind her head. "Why does that happen?"

"It just happens to some people that's a—" He stopped dead in his tracks. He felt the youngling bump against the back of his leg and heard her mutter in complaint, but all that fell away at the sight before him.

He sucked in a breath as he gazed at an adolescent human girl, conversing and giggling with her fellow padawans at one of the tables.

He swallowed. Her name was Lennett Mha. That much, he'd been able to garner. He'd noticed her the day she arrived on his fifth day in the academy. And who wouldn't notice her, he thought. She was a wonder to behold, with eyes the colour of Naboo's summer skies, skin like the snowfields of Hoth, and golden curls which glistened under the sunlight pouring in from the mess hall's tall windows.