Listen Before I Go - Kylo Ren

1

Boring. Boring, tiring, and repetitive.  

That was the general consensus of the life of a Stormtrooper.

Wake up.

Put on your suit.

Train for battle against the Light Side. 

Go back to your room. 

Sleep.

Repeat every day.

                I was so tired of it. But, of course, I had no choice. Nor did almost every other Stormtrooper here with me. The majority of us were taken from our families when we were young. I was taken at age twelve, and it's now been seven years since I've been labeled a Stormtrooper. 

             All I know about myself is that I have the Force. My entire life, I've felt this strange pull from my chest, but I don't know what it's pulling me towards. I've been able to move things with my mind. Little things, like a sock, or a pillow. I can tell when something bad is about to happen, and I can sense when our Master Kylo Ren is near. I've never told nor shown anyone in fear that they might kill me for it. 

        That was, until today. 

           I had woken up just like every other day, got into my Stormtrooper suit, and began training with my fellow troopers. Today, we were training how to fight while on moving platforms. These platforms were extremely high up off the ground, and a fall would mean instant death. I was standing to the side while observing two of my fellow troopers training. 

 The platform suddenly shifted, and the trooper on the left stumbled backward. Before anyone could help, the soldier fell off the platform. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, and an ear-piercing scream rattled through the large metal ship. The scream came from the falling trooper, and their helmet came off, revealing that the soldier was a girl. Her long black hair flew out of her suit and whipped against the air as she fell. A sudden memory flashed through my head, of a time long ago. It was of my sister, screaming as we were being taken away. My sister tried to fight too much, and ended up getting killed shortly after our capture. 

Before I could stop myself, I stumbled forward onto my knees and reached my hand out. I felt the Force swim through my veins until it reached the trooper, stopping them from hitting the floor. 

   The entire room was silent besides the low hum of machinery. I felt my chest heave as I slowly released my grip on the trooper. Her feet touched the ground and she fell to their knees, breathing heavily. I looked around the room, all eyes were dead focused on me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and slowly stood, my legs shaking. I felt a strong pull, and turned my head to see where the Force wanted me to look. My eyes landed on none other than our leader, Kylo Ren. My heart dropped to my stomach. 

       "SHL-9412, Master Kylo Ren wishes to speak with you." General Hux's shrill voice demanded. 

    Fear flowed through my veins as he led me down the platform's stairs. I could feel all of my fellow trooper's fear and worry as I passed by them. I turned my head to the left, observing Kylo's strong stance. I was terrified. Luckily, my mask hid my worried face. I lowered my gaze to the floor ahead of me. General Hux's boots were sleek and black as they tapped methodically on the metal floor below us. 

My breathing was slow but heavy as we walked. What would my fate be? Would I be punished? Why couldn't I have just let the Stormtrooper fall? I didn't know them. Now I was going to be killed off due to my stupidity. When she screamed, it just reminded me of my sister, and I couldn't help myself. 

     My brain stopped whirring when I realized we stopped walking. 

My gaze lifted from the floor to meet Kylo Ren's mask. My throat tightened and my stomach flipped. This was it, this is how I die. I gulped. A deep, coarse voice pulled me out of my thoughts. 

  "Come with me."