"Only in the darkness can you see stars."
-
It has been six years since Ben Solo succumbed to his fate and betrayed the Jedi Order after being seduced by the Dark Side. With the aid of his immense power, the First Order has cast a shadow over the g...
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I look up from the doodles I'd been creating on my holo all afternoon at a knock on the door.
"I'll be a second." I call, throwing the stylus down on my desk and choosing to ignore the sound of it rolling over the side and clattering to the floor. I bound out of my chair and slip on the fingerless gloves I had left waiting at the foot of my bed, catching a glimpse at my body in training apparel in the mirror across the room. Too much black, I think as I stare the clothing down, puffing out my cheeks.
Brunette roots have begun to make themselves known, signifying in my otherwise artificial platinum curls just how long I've been here. Dark purple circles, harsh as bruises, have formed underneath my dull sage eyes, a stark contrast to my unnaturally pale face.
I look like a ghost.
I clear my throat and blink twice, regathering my bearings.
After clipping on a thick leather saber belt, which had appeared at my doorstep moments after I woke this morning, I raise my hand to open the door before I reach it. Kylo is waiting as expected, sporting his usual thick black tunic, mask covering his damaged face.
"What took you so long?" He growls as I push past him. I pause in the middle of the corridor to give him the chance to begin leading me toward our destination, which he thankfully takes.
I don't indulge his rude question with an answer. I stare straight ahead as we fall into step, taking notice of the way that each passerby gives us a wide berth, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the looks they give Kylo as he marches by are nothing short of terrified. The back of my neck prickles with discomfort, even when I'm not the one they're terrified of.
Why would someone ever want that?
As my eyes wander over the various sets of masks and faces we pass, I catch just one who is the opposite of intimidated, and that I recognize- the officer I had met days ago, the spy. Lieutenant Avalon.
Her tightly wound cerulean hair shines under her cap, her pale face set into a permanent mix between a blank grimace and a sneer. A look I recognize from my dealings with Hux.
She masks herself well.
While the officer she's having a hushed conversation with turns their head away nervously while Kylo and I pass, she locks eyes with me and nods once, the movement so small I almost miss it. I purse my lips in acknowledgment.
Once she's passed, I risk another glance at Kylo, only to realize with a jolt that he is already peering down at me through his mask, and I wonder how much of the exchange he had caught. I suddenly feel queasy, terrified that I had already stupidly given half of Leia's spies away, knowing what that could mean for the both of us.
