Darkness Within

Gala

"Kira, can you hand me the salt?" Rey asks and looks up at her daughter across the table who refuses to look up and has her jaw clenched tight. "Kira," Rey repeats.

"Here mom," Zyan says quietly and leans over Kira to hand her the small shaker.

"Thank you Zy," Rey acknowledges him quickly before looking back at her stubborn daughter. "Kira it's been 3 months, when are you going to speak to us again?"

She doesn't look up, just aggressively stabs at a green vegetable on her plate and shoves it into her mouth, chewing quickly. The last few bites make it into her mouth in quick succession until her plate is empty and she sets her napkin that was on her lap on the table. "I'm finished, may I be excused?" Kira asks, looking past Rey and instead directly at Ben.

Ben glances over at Rey who just shrugs, looking down at her plate and accepting defeat. "Yes you may, thank you for asking."

"Want to go train?" Kira asks Zyan as she stands up, tugging her black jacket back down so it just skims the top of her pants to avoid a comment from her father about showing too much skin.

"May I be excused?" Zyan asks, excited to go train as it has become one of his favorite activities once again.

"Yes, finish the last few bites first though," Ben agrees.

Kira waits at the top of the stairs while Zyan shovels the last two bites into his mouth, stands while still chewing, and pushes the chair in behind him.

"Don't forget about the gala tonight!" Ben reminds them as they walk down the stairs together, Rey watching them as they go. Zyan has shot up in size, towering over Kira now that he has filled out and she has for the most part stopped growing, leaving her only an inch shorter than Rey so the twin's height difference is almost comical now.

"It'll get better," Ben assures Rey as soon as the door to the quarters downstairs slides shut. "She made eye contact at least today."

"With you, not me," Rey mumbles while twirling her fork around in the noodles on her plate. "What if she hates me forever?"

"She won't," Ben answers quickly. "She's too much like you, she's stubborn but will eventually crack."

"We'll see," Rey mumbles.

"She will, I'm confident."

"That makes one of us."

—

Kira waits patiently with her eyes closed as the woman with long nails and tattooed skin applies makeup to her face. Getting her ready for the Gala had proven to be a challenge as she had never worn makeup or clothes other than her daily tunics and pants. Every dress the stylist presented the week prior was met with a look of disgust or confusion, and a quick wave of the hand from Kira.

Rey sits on a stool to the side, only wearing her undergarments with a long black robe layered over top, watching the finishing touches being put on Kira's face. Being more cooperative with the makeup artist had paid off as Rey has extra time to relax before the stylist would be back to help them dress.

"Perfect," the overprocessed woman says and sits back, holding Kira's jaw gently in her hand and tipping her head up. Kira smiles up at her, basking in the attention and the compliments, her features defined and eyes heavily emphasized making her look older than she is by far. "Just like her mother," the woman adds and Rey watches as the smile leaves Kira's face and Rey wilts a little more.

The woman collects her things quickly and leaves them alone in the room to wait for the stylist to bring the dresses to them from the steam room. Kira plays with her nails, keeping her eyes trained downwards and avoiding conversation with Rey in the silent dressing room.