That won't happen to you

Chapter 18

When Anakin entered the lobby a cold shiver ran down his spine.

He had been worried before because he hadn't been able to feel Ahsoka anymore.

But now he saw her. She was sitting there. Deserted, alone on the floor with a sponge in her hand.

She showed not a spark of resistance.

And her signature seemed changed.

Foreign.

No, more like buried.

Almost crushed by the burden of new memories, whip lashes and work.

But what caused even greater horror in Anakin were the injuries that appeared on Ahsoka's malnourished body.

Hundreds of small or large cuts, some scars, countless bruises.

And as the young Jedi with gnashing of teeth noticed, a lightsaber wound, which was large and probably very painful, stretched across the lekku of the Togruta.

Because she wore a short leggings and a belly top instead of her old Jedi clothes, one could see even better how thin she had become.

Her ribs stood out clearly under her pale skin and her arms and legs were as thin as sticks.

Ahsoka seemed to have not noticed him yet.

Anakin was surprised that his Padawan did not feel him.

But for now, it was more important to get her out of there.

Anakin almost turned his stomach when he saw how one of the 'watchmen' gave the teenager a firm kick in passing.

Ahsoka stayed down for a second, maybe only half a second, then she picked herself up again.

For a moment, it looked like she was going to throw the sponge at the watchman, but then she lowered her arm and kept going.

Anakin felt pain in her, but instead of the anger, which she should have had after such an action, there was only fear.

Also hope seemed to be missing.

No.

Not quite.

There was some hope.

Buried among the other emotions.

The Hope smelled like bread.

Anakin concentrated a little and found a memory. Wrong, he found several. He himself, as he was sitting at the table with her shortly before the crash eating bread. A young Twi'lek named Sarah sharing her bread with Ahsoka. Ahsoka and a person who appeared to be somehow blue-greenish, stealing a loaf of bread together. Ahsoka as she gave her bread to a hungry child found the old one and remembered the word together as she bit into the bread. And finally, one last time she stole bread for the hungry children.

He had to smile.

He sensed what was going on, her memories had been stolen from her.

But he knew that Ahsoka was not stupid.

She had set herself an anchor.

Now all she had to do was find her way back.

And Anakin was determined to help her.

More than that.

Obi-wan would arrive soon with Rex and a medi-pack.

He had stolen enough money from the now dead former 'owner' of Ahsoka to buy her out without anyone even realizing he was a Jedi or that he was freeing her.

Yes, everything would be fine.

That was for sure.