The Forgotten Jedi - Rey Skywalker // Book V in A Spark of Hope

Chapter Ten- Cassian.

Caden screams.

His screams echo throughout the falcon.

We all fall silent upon hearing them. They're out of both sadness and anger, and possibly from pain.

No one bothers to check on him, knowing that he'd probably just shut them out.

No one likes to talk after losing someone close to them.

Jyn wipes the tears from her eyes, and I just stare off.

It almost doesn't feel real.

Jyn and I have already gone through this before.

We lost Bodhi, and we also lost Baze and Chirrut.

Back then, it didn't feel real. We didn't want it to be real. It was, for Chirrut and Baze, but for Bodhi it wasn't.

He was alive.

We may have thought he was dead.

We did mourn over him.

But he was never dead.

Now he is.

And all that pain we felt years ago has returned, only this time it somehow hurts more.

We know he's officially gone; that he's never coming back.

Bodhi Rook is dead.

We saw him laying there, and we heard them announce his death.

There's no way for him to return this time.

It hurts to think, and it's hard to believe.

It feels like we'll never get over this death, and we won't, but one day it won't hurt as bad. We'll just have to learn how to live without him.

Rose sits next to Poe and Lyra, her head resting in her hands. She has tears in her eyes, not just for Bodhi, but for Caden too.

I can't help but feel bad for the kid.

His last piece of family he has left is gone now, and now he feels that he's alone.

Caden's burns will heal like everyone else's, but the burns on his heart will stay forever.

"I can't believe he's gone," Jyn says, breaking the silence.

"I know,"

And the silence returns.

~

"PopPop! MeMe!" Stella exclaims, running up to Jyn and I. "Why Uncle Cade sad? And where Bodhi?"

Jyn sighs, and I frown.

How do you tell a child that someone close to them is dead?

For Jyn and I, no one ever had to explain what happened to the people close to us after they died.

Maybe it was because we actually watched them become one with the force right before our own eyes, or maybe it was because the time we were growing up.

Death was something normal in our lives back then.

"Well," Jyn begins. "you know how your other parents, Audrey and Ethan, had to go away, and your mama and papa had to become your parents?"

She nods.

"Bodhi had to go away," Jyn states, Stella frowns. "he had to join them."

"But ... why?"

"Because, his destiny was completed," I inform. "and when your destiny is completed, it's time for you to go away and join the stars. And when you go away, your friends and family feel sad. But when they miss you, they just gotta look up at the stars, and they'll see you."

"...Can we see Bodhi?"

"Maybe when we land."

"Okay, PopPop,"

~

We continue to fly around in the millennium falcon, not knowing where we are going.

We've been flying four about eight hours now.

Caden has yet to come out of the bunker, and Rose is worried sick for him, while Stella sleeps in Poe's arms.

Nothing has changed.

Luke, Finn, and Rey are sitting here with us, and have all three been treated for their burns. The two Skywalkers both had their hands repaired, although they'll still need a few touch ups when we land.

Wherever we land.

"Where do we go from here?" Finn asks. "That...that was our only base. Right? Where do we go now?"

"I don't know," Leia sighs. "I thought we were free. That the galaxy was finally at peace."

"That didn't last long," Caden states, stepping into this part of the falcon. "then again, nothing lasts forever. So, guess it's nothing new."

"Caden!" Rose exclaims, standing up. "Are you okay? How are you doing?"

"How do you think I'm doing?" Caden snaps. "My father—the last bit of my family that I have left—is dead. He's gone forever. I'm never going to ever see him again. I'm not okay, and I'm not doing good. I feel awful."

"Caden, we're so sorry," Finn says.

"Why are you apologizing?" Caden replies. "You guys didn't do anything. It's not your fault. It isn't like you're the one who set the fire to the base. You couldn't save him. So don't apologize."

"Is there anything we can do?" Lyra asks, Caden shakes his head.

"No, no," he replies. "I don't need anything from you guys. All I need right now is for whoever did this to pay for it. I'm not letting them get away with this. Whoever them even are."

"Despite your emotional state, do you feel fine physically?" Luke asks. "Like, your burns, and lungs, how are they?"

"I barely notice them," he admits. "honestly, everything but my heart is numb."

He sighs.

"You know, I don't want to upset you all," he replies, and walks out of that part of the falcon.

Obviously he wants to talk to someone about it, but he's too afraid of upsetting everyone. Realizing this, Jyn and I follow behind him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jyn asks, he shrugs.

"I don't know," he says. "I mean, you guys were also close with him. You guys are also mourning. It wouldn't be fair for me to make you guys talk about it."

"Cade, we can talk to you." I state. "He was your father, after all."

"There's nothing to talk about!" Caden snaps. "My whole entire family died. First my mom and sister, and then my dad. I guess I'm not meant to have anyone in my life. I'll make peace with it. I made peace with my mom and sister."

"Caden," Jyn says. "you aren't meant to not have anyone. Now, it may feel that way now, but one day you'll realize that you do have someone. You have us. You have Rose. We're all here for you."

Caden sighs.

"And it's okay to mourn." I add. "Mourning is natural- you should mourn."

"I don't have time for that." Caden states. "I'm not mourning until I find who did this."

"And when you do?"

He stares directly at us, both anger and sadness in his eyes.

I'm afraid to hear what he's going to say next.

"I'm going to kill them."