𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐎𝐈𝐃 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐕𝐄 | 𝟏𝟖+

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ❶

"Shield your face, my love, and don't let go of my hand." Mom exclaims, hunching over just enough to pull the hood from my robe up and over my head.

She grips my small hand in her own as we walk briskly through the market, down the path she normally takes to get to our hut after buying groceries for the week. I don't usually tag along, but our care-taker droid short-circuited and mom doesn't like me being alone.

Through the heat of the scorching twin suns, my hand begins to slip slowly from my mothers hold. "Momma?My hand—it's getting sweaty." Instead of wasting precious time, she hoists me onto her hip with ease and continues the quickened journey home. Only once we've arrived did my mother take in a deep breath, and I soon mimic her breathing pattern as my sight is drawn just over Momma's shoulder, Tusken's scavenging in the near distance.

Descending the few steps into our hut, Mom sets me down before unloading our grocery bags on the kitchen counter. "We have got to get that droid fixed," she insists in a soft yet concerning tone. "One wrong day of taking you with me and it could cost one or both of our lives." I nod, understanding the risk of possible capture by greedy men like Jabba and his goons, or even the sand people.

As I lower my hood and slip the robe off my shoulders, I suggest, "Maybe we can go to Mos Espa around mid-day tomorrow. I heard one of the villagers say there was a Toyderian who sells parts. Maybe someone there could fix CG-8?"

Momma glances at me as I stand on my tiptoes to hang my cloak by the door, raising a brow in distaste and continuing to put our food and snacks in their rightful places. "Eden, Mos Espa is quite a distance from Mos Eisley. We'd have to leave first thing come sunrise to get there by mid-day. And that's assuming this Toydarian can even fix CG-8."

I tilt my head as I walk to the dining area and grab a bunch of grapes from the fruit basket on the table, picking a berry from the vine before popping it into my mouth.

"We'll never know unless we try." I say softly after swallowing the sweet fruit, hoisting myself up onto the counter by the makeshift stove. Momma sighs, turning away from her tasks to stand in front of me, a sly grin playing on her lips.

"My daughter, always trying to find the good in things," she exclaims adoringly as she tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, then running her hand down my cheek to caress my chin.

I smile brightly at my creator and feed her a grape, causing her to giggle at my antics. Mom then peers into my silently pleading eyes for a moment longer before giving in with an exaggerated sigh, "Fine. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning." I can't contain my excitement as I jump off the counter and squeeze her waist with a gleaming smile.

This causes mom to giggle lightly before gently pushing my shoulders back as she continues, "But we'll have to get up earlier to strap CG-8 onto the back of the speeder." I nod with enthusiasm just as she turns me around and delicately shoves me towards the refresher. "Now, go wash up. Dinner will be ready shortly."

After mom heats up some Tatooine Terrine from the night before, we eat our dinner, take showers and get some much needed rest. Well—mom did—not so much me. I involuntarily toss and turn on my cot as the visions play before my closed eyes.

A tall man stares with wide eyes as I hide behind my mother's robes. His face then softens. "Don't be afraid little one." I look from the tall man, who now crouches down, to the younger man standing closely beside him. "W-who are you." The crouched man smiles and nods once. "I think you already know the answer to that."

Another scene begins to play...

"Mommy you have to come with us, please!" I beg on the verge of tears. She looks back at our Hutt before turning to me with a mirrored expression. "I want to baby, believe me, I do, but if they find me...who's to say if I'll even see you again?" I grasp her hand tightly between the two of mine and whine, a single tear rolling down my cheek, "But I need you!"