In•hale

I Have a Bad Feeling About This

"Wait, don't turn on the light!" Chalset whisper shouted, for she sensed that that was exactly what he was going to do.

Obi-Wan hesitated at the light switch and turned in confusion towards the sound of her voice. "Well how else are we going to see?" he whispered back in an exasperated voice. He was extremely uncomfortable with being here and breaking the rules. What would his master say? Well when he thought about it, his master broke the rules all the time...

"We'll just have to use our senses and memories to find the cookies."

Obi-Wan scoffed. "Well have fun because I haven't been in here for years. Usually you'll find me on the other side of the counter in the eating room where we're supposed to be."

Chalset clicked her tongue as a response while Obi-Wan wondered how she got him into situations like this. As they moved further into the pitch black room, towards what Chalset was sure was the pantry, she stopped cold when Obi-Wan sent her an awfully disturbing mental message.

"I sense another presence in the room."

Chalset, terrified at first, laughed it off because she was sure Obi-Wan was just messing with her. "Well yeah laserbrain, it's me!" she sent back with a slight chuckle escaping her mouth.

Obi-Wan suddenly grabbed her by the arm and clamped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes bulged as she stopped playing around and also felt another force signature in the room. She could feel Obi-Wan's heart beating a bit faster than normal on her back, but she knew he wasn't afraid. Jedi didn't have fear.

Then why, she thought, do I feel scared right now?

After about a minute of standing in that same position, the two young Jedi began to hear a very soft snoring coming from the very back of the left side of the room. Chalset felt Obi-Wan breathe a slight sigh of relief in her ear and slowly let go of her. "Whoever it is, they're fast asleep." he whispered. "Can we please just get the food and get out? Didn't I tell you I had a bad feeling about this?"

Chalset giggled, no longer worried about the other life form in the room since it was asleep. "You have a bad feeling about everything. And yes, we can hurry because I know where the cookies are." She stepped blindly through the dark towards the pantry cabinet and reached out towards where she figured the handle was. A warning from the Force suddenly shot through her, but her irrational mind, the one thinking about the wonderful rewards she would receive, was already in full throttle and pulling open the pantry door...

WHOM! WHOM! WHOM! WHOM! WHOM! WHOM! WHOM! WHOM! WHOM!

The light flew on, sending pain and blindness to the two friends as a growl escaped the throat of someone.

Chalset threw her hands up in surrender to whoever had caught them, confusion overcoming her. Why did she think this would work again? Honestly, she could have easily waited until morning for food, but her overconfidence that no one would catch them was her weakness. Them. Even worse than all of the reasons, she had gotten Obi-Wan into trouble right along with her.

Obi-Wan's going to kill me. She thought.

"Well if it isn't Chalset Carrelian," a voice she knew belonged to Bostick the chef. "And what's this? Obi-Wan Kenobi?!"

Obi-Wan winced at his own name.

"Well this is a surprise. I set those alarms for the younglings that like to come in for a mid-night snack. Never thought that I'd catch two senior padawans..."

Bostick sat down in a chair near the door and scratched at the blue skin on his arm. His wide, foggy eyes were trained on them with a look of sheer amusement. His baldblue head ever so shiny in the light of the room. "So," he said in his scratchy baritone voice. "What have you two got to say for yourselves?"

Chalset avoided Bostick's foggy eyes by looking at the shiny metal pots and pans around the room. A wave of embarrassed heat overtook her brown-skinned face. Anywhere but here. She thought as she fingered her padawan braid.

Ever the negotiator, Obi-Wan spoke up first in a calm composed voice. "We're ever so sorry to interrupt your peace, Sir Bostick. We simply missed dinner and figured it might be alright to grab a snack. Of course in the back of our heads, we knew it was wrong. Any anger you feel towards us we greatly understand. If there is anything that you'd like us to do to win your gratitude back, we will be happy to serve you."

Bostick laughed. "Yes, yes." he said, scratching the stubble on his chin. "I do have one or two things you can do. I'll make sure you find out what it is by tomorrow." Bostick eyes the two with his foggy eyes, impatiently. "Well?" he said, "Why are you still standing there? Get out of my kitchen!"

Obi-Wan and Chalset did a quick bow of respect and got out of there as fast as they could. The walk back to their living quarters was awful, for Obi-Wan wouldn't even speak to her. He was about to open the door to his room before Chalset finnaly spoke up.

"Obi-Wan?" He turned around. "I'm so sorry. That was all my fault. All of it. So if Bostick gives us work to do, give it all to me and go study the Jedi archives that you like."

Obi-Wan stared at her beautiful futures with his steely blue eyes. "Well that's not ture." he said matter of factly. "I'm just at fault as you are. Now I don't know about you, but I'm tired so let's just discuss this in the morning." he turned back around to open the door. "Hopefully," he added as an afterthought, "Bostick won't serve us cold porridge."

Chalset relaxed at his words, knowing that Obi-Wan wasn't mad at her. As she made her way down the hall to her own room, she hoped that Master Plo was sleeping, for she didn't want to explain to him where she had been.

Too bad he was standing right in the doorway when she entered.

"Where have you been?" he asked, obvious concern in his voice.

Chalset gulped and walked around her master to enter their room. "I was with Obi-Wan." she said, making her way to her bedroom.

The living area, as they called it, was the place between the master and apprentice's rooms. To the left was the door where Master Plo slept and to the right, his padawan. The living area was relatively clean, as Master Plo kept it, but Chalset had accidentally left some of her book on the table. She went to pick them up on her way to her room.

"And what were you doing?" Master Plo pressed, not satisfied with his padawan's answer.

Chalset felt heat rise to her face, and was glad her back was to Master Plo. Otherwise he would have clearly seen her embarrassment. "It's actually quite embarrassing." Chalset said, hoping her master wouldn't continue to pry.

Plo Koon stood in the middle of the living area deep in thought. If she is embarrassed, then it must not be good. He thought. And the fact that she was with Obi-Wan...her feelings for him are strong....What would have made her embarrassed? I just hope she didn't break any Jedi code with Obi-Wan. No, no they know better. Then what is it?

Plo Koon was thoroughly confused at the nature of teenagers. Especially teenage girls.

He sighed and gave up. "Get to bed young one. I don't want to have to say it a third time."

"Yes, Master." Chalset said in response as she walked into her bedroom. "Goodnight Master."

"Goodnight Chalset."

In her room, Chalset quickly changed into her bed clothes and put her curly brown hair into a bun. As she laid in bed, fingering her beaded padawan bread, she sighed, still wishing she hadn't gotten Obi-Wan in trouble. And still believing thoroughly that he was going to kill her.