Entirely Different

Chapter Four : Oral Exam

The alarm crashed against your eardrums and you leapt from the bed. Once disarmed, the room was silent, and it was time. You weren't sure what to wear. You assumed it would be more Force training or potentially more, ahem, 'resistance training'... the kind without the weights, perhaps. Nonetheless, even more so, you had no idea what to expect or what to wear. So, you changed everything. A fresh pair of underwear and a new bra, tight compression pants with pockets in the sides of the legs and a tight turtleneck made of thicker, sweater material. You opted for a pair of sneakers instead of your boots, unsure if you would need to run for your life.

When you were fully redressed, you pulled a brush from the top drawer and yanked it through your hair. You furiously brushed your teeth, your split lip aching. Afterwards, you rummaged through the drawer trying to find some type of lotion or perfume. A useless endeavor, since you hadn't owned perfume since you were ten years old. A useless endeavor anyway, you reminded yourself, because you didn't care whether the Commander thought you smelled like vanilla or not. Right, you nodded your head.

Of course, it was possible that training would be no different than it had been. But you had decided that your reaction to his behavior could shape the way things progressed from this point. You had the option of either resisting his advances or succumbing to them, and if your behavior the day before, or the actions in your bed last night, were any indication of which option you would choose, it was fairly certain you knew exactly where you stood.

You left the quarters with only enough time to make it to the training room, attempting to control as much of your day as you could possibly manage. When you arrived, you were surprised to be met with not only one tower of darkness waiting for you in the large room, but seven. All were clothed in heavy black cloaks and masks, it might have been hard for anyone to discern amongst them; that is, if their leader had been anyone aside from Kylo Ren, himself.

He towered, still, above the rest. You realized, a lump calcifying in your throat, that these must have been the Knights of Ren. Suddenly terrified, you hesitantly stepped into the room, not sure if you should be there or not. The Commander turned to you, taking a step away from the rest. All heads turned to your presence in the doorway. Seven sets of eyes stared you down from behind shielded masks, and a disgusting dizzy feeling descended upon you. One knight in the back of the room shifted, as if to get a better view.

"Dismissed." Commander Ren ordered.

His knights dispersed like snakes, slithering around him and one another. Each of them took their organized leave from the room, every single one paying close attention to you on their way past you upon exiting. You shrank into the back wall, trying not to look, much less breathe, in their direction. Your eyes fixed, instead, on your Commander, who remained still in the middle of the room. When the last one had passed, he stood motionless at your side, his head turned in your direction. Your eyes flickered to him, seeing your reflection in his mask. Then, the knight looked back at the Commander and exited the room.

"Combat today, Officer Knight." Commander Ren called to you from the center of the room.

You approached him slowly, not quite turning your back on the door.

"Who were they?" You asked, quietly.

He scoffed, the sound not at all hidden by his helmet's synthesizer.

"You know exactly who they are." His voice was chilly.

You didn't reply. Instead, you stood a safe distance away from him and awaited further instructions.

"Say it. Who were they?" He persisted.

Aggravation shook your insides before you had a chance to register anything else. You looked up at his mask, your reflection confirmed the rising courage that you had found somewhere deep within.