A New Beginning // reylo

7. The Sea That Touched The Night Sky

"Did you know there were force-sensitives here?" Ben asked in a yell whisper as they weaved through the crowd in the marketplace.

"Not at first, no." Rey responded in a low tone, not quite a whisper.

"What does that mean?" He said more exaggerated than it should.

"When I was meditating, I sensed it. It was unexpected, but I felt it." They came about a workshop that sold parts for speeders and snuck around to the back of it where the parts were dumped. There were children who were scavenging for specific parts that were asked for by the droids in the main area of the shop. Ben spotted the little boy they had briefly met in the alleyway and tapped Rey's shoulder. She turned toward the direction Ben was looking at and saw the boy too. Soon the boy noticed the two standing there and looked around quickly before walking up to them.

"You came!" The boy said quietly but excitedly. Rey smiled at him.

"Of course. Where are the others?"

"Here are some of them, but there's more. We meet sometimes so we can test our powers. But we're not trained. We don't really know how to use it." The boy looked down at his hands.

"That's nothing to worry about. What's your name?"

"Amee."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Amee. I'm Rey and this is Ben." Rey knelt down so she was at Amee's level, "When's the next time you all meet up again?"

"Tonight. When master closes the shop and we go back home."

"Could we join you guys tonight?" Rey asked kindly.

"Oh please do! You can show us how to use the force!" Amee shouted in a whisper so no one but them could hear him.

"Well, it's going to take a lot more than just one meeting, but yes we can show you." Rey laughed and looked up at Ben, "Isn't that right Ben?"

Ben met her eyes and smiled softly in assurance. But he felt something he couldn't quite pin his mind to. He felt it deep in his gut. Something seemed off. Not Rey, not the children, and not the planet or the people on it. It was in him. It slowly became clear to him as he and Rey traveled back to the palace until nightfall. Everything was moving so fast. One day he was Kylo, then within a few days, he was on a journey with the girl he'd been hunting for for over a year. Ben kept wondering how it was possible for him to push back all his hatred and brutal instincts so soon and so fast. Was he wearing a mask again, where he had to play the good guy this time? He felt incomplete in some way, and what felt the most empty, was not knowing what to do about it.

After the two rested at the palace for the afternoon, they made their way back to the marketplace and to a certain location Amee had told them to meet up.

"Rey?" Ben asked while they walked.

"Yeah?"

"Um, nevermind, just remind me to tell you something later after this." He said pushing it away.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine."

"Ben, is everything okay?" Rey asked looking at him concerned.

"Uh I don't know. Just- we'll talk about it later." He stuttered.

Rey pulled her lips into a fine line of concern. Something was obviously up, Ben made that clear. But her curiosity was just going to have to wait.

They arrived at an entrance that was on the far side of the marketplace where many didn't roam. With a wave of her hand, the metal door slid open and they made their way in. They squeezed down a tight hallway, where Ben had to duck lower just so he wouldn't hit his head against the ceiling. They finally reached the end of the hallway and came to a closed-in courtyard where children ran around, laughing and playing around. Amee spotted them immediately and called out to everyone to get their attention. Almost instantly, all the children ran up to the two and began asking questions all at once.