5 | Hope Isn't Lost

Chapter 8 ༄ How Things Work

The ship landed at the academy and Eights, smiled back at her, the ride there was a little emotional for Kay, she shed a lot of tears. Eights didn't bother her or talk to her about it, he didn't know what to say, and knew it was better not too, so they flew in silence. Eights' touched down on the surface, on one of the few landing pads.

"Ready?" Eights asked her, getting up and grabbing her bag.

"No, not really." Kay answered, truthfully.

"For these types of things we never really are." He answered and opened the ramp.

Kay nodded and walked off with Eights, to be greeted by a girl Kay's age, smiling at the landing pad.

"Name's Vora." The theelin smirked. "Welcome to the academy..."

"Kay." She answered and filled in the blank.

"Kay." Vora repeated the name back and smiled. "Come on, I'll take you to Master Luke." She began to walk off, with Kay and Eights in tow.

"Oh you don't have to come." She turned around and addressed Eights. Eights looked shocked she would just say that so abruptly.

"I'll be fine." Kay looked up at her space uncle, to reassure him.

"You sure?" Eights said, kind of wanting to see Luke again, but didn't want to cause to much trouble.

"Yeah." She nodded, giving him a quick squeeze and Eights handed Kay her bag of things. "Thanks for the ride."

Eights looked reluctant to get back on the ship, but hugged her goodbye anyway. "Anytime, just holo if you need me. We'll find Ezra too, I promise."

Kay smiled back as she let go of him, and watched him walk back to the ship with a sad smile. "I'm going to miss him." She told Vora.

"Ahuh." Vora nodded, but didn't carry out that conversation and began to walk away. Kay scurried after her into the winding hallways of the academy.

They reached a door, which Kay assumed was Luke's office and Vora knocked. The door opened and a familiar face smiled down at them. She had only meet Luke once when she was younger, it was when Luke came to ask Ezra advice about the academy.

"Kay, it's good to see you, it's been too long." Luke said to her and Kay smiled back.

"I'm excited to be here, Luke." Kay answered.

"Thanks Vora for showing her to me, you can go now." He told the young girl and she nodded, walking off. "Come on in, Kay."

Kay followed Luke in and he closed the door. "So, do I get a room? Is their a schedule? Where do we eat? I'm rambling aren't I? I don't really know how this works."

Luke laughed. "Don't worry about that for right now, for now just relax."

"What?" Her eyes widened in confusion, but soon she felt an odd presence in her mind. "Luke what are-" She was cut off, by her own body falling into a deep sleep and into Luke's arms who caught her on the way down.

"I'm sorry, Kay but I have to do this. Considering, your Father's past and the darkness I already sense in you, there isn't another way." He told the sleeping girl and sat her down in a chair, sitting across from her he started his work. He hated doing this, but he spoke to Ezra about this and he agreed with this method, unfortunately he wasn't around to change his mind. So for the next hour, Luke erased any memory of attachment and her family in Kay's mind, leaving it blank of anyone, but Vora, who she just met and him.

"Agh." Kay held her head and woke up, a little while later. "My head feels funny, Master Luke."

"It's just a little headache you'll be fine." Luke answered her and smiled, concealing his regret.

"Ok." Kay said and smiled back, her head was fuzzy, but she didn't complain about it anymore, here was always where she was supposed to be.

"Here's your room card." Luke handed her a little card with a number on it.

"Thanks." She answered and took it, slipping it into her pocketz

"You can go." He realized she was waiting for his permission after a moment.

She nodded and left the office, Luke let out a sigh as he watched her go. He glanced at her bag of things, picking them up, he locked them it his closet, frowning at the amount of things in there, collecting dust.

"This is wrong, but it's the only way." He convinced himself. "We can't have another Anakin." Luke glanced at the old melted helmet that was also in his closet. "We just can't."

"And it wouldn't be the first time or the last I mess with memories." He observed and sat down, tired from his work.

༄

A few years ago...

"Kay..." Ezra looked at his 7 year old daughter, worry showing in his eyes. "Put the boy down."

"He's been bullying me long enough Dad." She held the terrified boy in the air with the force,
choking him, slightly. Ezra knew this boy, Kay would often come to Ezra for advice on how to deal with his taunts, but today looked like the day he finally crossed the line. "And he had no right to try to knock me down and steal my homework so he could claim it as his own."

"You're a monster." The young boy, choked out, between breaths. She just shot a glare his way.

"We don't torture classmates." Ezra warned and took cautious steps towards her, ready to force push his daughter down if he had too.

"You did." She snapped out and immediately regretted it, putting a hand over her mouth, and letting the boy down. He broke out into a run down an alleyway, yelling for his life.

"Kay, how do you know about that?" Ezra took another step towards her.

"You think I don't see your thoughts, see in your brain. See you reliving and regretting those decisions." She collapsed, losing her energy and Ezra ran up to her, scooping her up in his arms.

"I saw them in my mind and didn't know how to stop it.... I'm so cold." She muttered, and he rubbed her arms to warm her up.

"Don't worry, Kay. I'll fix this." He said and began to walk back home, carrying his child in his arms. "I'll fix this, somehow."

"Promise?" Kay looked up at him and whispered.

"Promise." He agreed and held her tighter.