Reflection of Fire

Part II Chapter 5

The ride did not settle her temper as she had hoped, and she returned to the house more restless than ever. Still, she held her tongue as she watched B.B. playing with Master Skywalker. Rey felt a pang of jealousy, though she wasn't sure if she was jealous of Beatrice, of Luke, or of having a relationship like that in general.

It started raining that evening and kept raining for several days. She was glad of the excuse to remain indoors, since apparently she would run into Kylo Ren anytime she left the house. Her hours were far too empty and she couldn't get the look on his face when she insulted him out of her head. It had been a surprise to be called those names, he had made it seem. And he'd been almost hopeful when asking if she knew what happened. What could he be hoping for?

Rey shook her head fiercely whenever her thoughts started down that path. It didn't matter. Soon, they would leave this place, and she would have no reason to think of him again. It was only the loneliness and the long hours of waiting that made her think of him now. Master Skywalker had revealed things about him, then she'd seen the man himself a couple of times, and otherwise her time here had been dreadfully dull. So of course she'd be thinking about the only intriguing thing that had happened. There wasn't any more to it than that.

Since the rain prevented B.B. and Master Skywalker from catching breakfast, Rey was no longer the last one to wake in the morning. Usually, she was first and B.B. came not long after. That provided some time to spend with her alone, which was a nice change. They played games and Master Skywalker did not interrupt them when he appeared. After breakfast, he and B.B. would disappear into the schoolroom, but at least Rey got some time beforehand.

She avoided Master Skywalker as much as possible. It was important to send her direction to Master Plutt, she knew, but she couldn't bring herself to broach the subject. Or to be alone with him at all. She told herself it was because she didn't want to admit to running into Kylo Ren despite his warnings to avoid him. It definitely wasn't because she had begun to consider that maybe he hadn't told her the whole story.

The rain let up after four days, and B.B. suggested they go on a picnic now that the weather was nice. Master Skywalker delayed a day, insisting that the ground was far too wet to be comfortable, but he gave in eventually. Rey was delighted by the prospect of getting out of the house. Especially if she would not be alone.

She helped B.B. pack a picnic basket, selecting a thick blanket for them to sit on, as it was truly still pretty wet outside. B.B. picked the food and had to be persuaded to bring more than just cakes and cider. Both of them wore simple walking dresses, and Master Skywalker wore the same suit that he always wore. Mr. Bacca joined them, and Rey wondered again who else actually worked here.

They spent most of the morning walking. Master Skywalker clearly intended it to be a teaching exercise, as he stopped them to discuss various forms of fauna that they passed. Most of it was something Rey already knew, but she enjoyed watching B.B. learn, even if it wasn't from her. Mr. Bacca spoke rarely, if at all, so Rey found the walk to be somewhat tedious.

The spot that had apparently been selected by Master Skywalker was on the edge of a lake. It looked beautiful in the sunlight. Rey spread out the blanket and insisted B.B. eat something after the long walk before playing any games. But soon she relented and smiled as the girl led them all in a game of her own invention. Even Mr. Bacca played, for who could resist B.B.?

It was fortunate that B.B. admitted the lake to be too cold for swimming, or Rey had no doubt she would have convinced all of them to jump in. She hadn't expected the picnic to be almost as pleasant as living with Master Dameron and Finn had been, but it was. Perhaps she could convince them to go on more picnics. Being included was a nice change of pace.