The Grey Area

Part Two : Canto Bight

CANTO BIGHT – CASINO – NIGHT

“That’s enough for tonight.” Rion grabbed my elbow and pulled me out of my seat. The curtains hit my sides. Rion had me running to keep up with him. I couldn’t count the steps.

“I have to go to my room.”

“That’s where I’m taking you. Your power’s gone?”

“I think so…”

"That was your last one."

"I know." A warm tear rolled down my cheek. I swiped it away. “You don’t have to take me. Just take the kids and-”

“I’m not leaving you, Vim. How can The Force just disappear?”

"Why don't you practice it anymore?"

“What?” He stopped dead in his tracks, I stumbled to a stop. "You don't remember?"

I shook my head. He took my hand and ran my fingers over the back of my neck, and then the back of his. There were three bumps in a triangle. We started walking again.

"You tried to escape and hurt a lot people... property... they zapped you until you you couldn't move... They put these in all of us, if we ever practiced, they'd give us a zap."

“They don't see us in private.”

"There is no privacy." He sighed. “There’s an escape pod set to arrive-” The ground began to shake. Faster than he could open my door, Rion threw me into it. The bells fell from the door and my dishes rattled from the cabinets. “I’ll come back for you.”

“Take the kids and go!”

“I’ll be back!” There was a twinge of pain and panic in his voice. He was lying. He slammed the door behind him. I felt around to the door’s lock and locked it. I pushed my table against the door. Much good that’ll do, it’s essentially card board.

I changed into my night clothes and laid the gown on the guest chair. It felt similar to the one I had on days ago… I'll find out soon enough. I laid in my bed and looked the moving ground rock me to sleep. That day replayed, and I was right, it was the dress from the other day.

WHACK! WHACK!

Before I could roll out of bed, a bag was placed over my head. Smooth hands of fabric grabbed my arms, they pulled me out of the room. My feet grazed the splintered wood of my poor door.

They dragged me into the hallway and spun me around. I focused heavily on the memory of the hall… I’d either hear the casino soon, or smell the pins. The stench of fathiers overpowered everything else, and stayed in the bag and my nose. Hay crunched below my feet.

"If you take the bag off, I still won’t be able to see you."  

"We know about you, Dvimidha."

"Take the bag off."  I sensed a stick coming at me, I was able to kick it away and give myself enough momentum to get my arms free, I took the bag off.

Hay snapped behind me, I swept the leg and sat atop the statuesque person. I tried to find some skin to touch, only hard padding. Gloved hands wrapped around my biceps then yanked me off. I wiggled around and tried to fight them off.

"The children are missing. So is her handler, Rion." I froze at the sound of the new voice. "And a leisure cruiser."

"Stands to reason, they escaped." I chuckled.

WHACK! WHACK!

They stole my trick. They must have swept their legs, leaving me gasping for breath on my knees. What the hell are they wearing?

When I see them tonight, I will put a bounty out on beating the lights out of them. Their voices weren't familiar, yet they had no accent, no distinguishable dialect. I put my hands on the floor to push myself up, but instead, I saw the layout of the large room - I saw two spaces blacked out next to me, and seven extra spaces around us all. I looked up, hoping my vision had suddenly returned, but there was nothing. What are they wearing that blocks out whatever this is? The Force? Why was I able to a blueprint of the room and where everyone stood? Have I always been able to do this?

"Do you know where they went?"  This was a new one who spoke, he sounded unsettled. I assume he was the one who took a step back. I turned my head to his voice. "Answer me!"

"I don't know." A few spaces moved towards me, the shuffling of their feet was like a muffled stampede.

"You know nothing?" I shook my head.

"And if General Organa were to ask you, you'd say the same?"  I nodded. A few spaces left the room. I could hear the familiar clunking, Stormtroopers.

"Id say the same even if Supreme Leader Snoke were here. Tell me, Stormtroopers, what is it exactly you're wearing?"

"Get her up." A person entered, no armor. His voice both sinister and mousy. I tried to grasp the ground, but only ended up with a fistful of hay. Before they pulled me up, the person moved towards me. I reached out and caught his bare wrist.

He was weasly, pasty and scrawny. His hair was reddish golden, his nose sharp and his eyes were beatty blue. I saw whirlwind of images each no better than the last, but one kept popping up, over and over. "It's me!" He pleads.

He withdrew his wrist - before I could move, my head was met with a Stormtrooper's arm.

Everything was perfect. Everything was clear. The Stormtroopers that ran into my room were wrapped in several layers of cloth, from top to bottom. Nice to know my limits with The Force begin with heavy cloth. They took me down the hall, to the pins, that sure enough, had seven other Stormtroopers. The weasel guy wore a mask, but took it off in frustration of my ignorance. I watched fear wash over his face as I felt the ground and looked around. He knows my power, they know my power. Soon enough the Rebels will find me to and try to recruit me. I only hope whoever I end up with fights alongside my friend.

The following days were long, lonely, and boring-- my new handler was a droid. My visions came back enough to let me continue with future telling, but not enough to not get a headache immediately after the blur infested sight. Business was slow anyway. I mostly sat in my room, watched by the guards my bosses had hired to study my every move.

In the nights that followed, my dreams became less about the previous day, but about the previous years. I was reliving so much I had forgotten, like my last first day at the Academy. I couldn't get away from my parents and back to my friends fast enough.

Rion bringing up the bumps in my neck had me clawing to get them out. Maybe it was their fault my visions disappeared...

When I first got to Canto Bight, the bosses wanted nothing to do with me until I grabbed onto one of them and saw their future. They took care of us after that, the five of us... somehow the five of us dwindled down to just me and Rion.

Did the zappers in my neck affect memory as well? Or was my lack of memory from pain and being out of practice? My days as a circus animal were numbered. I need answers. Master Luke always said The Force was elusive, fluid: so hard to grasp, but so powerful once it was harnessed.

I was near perfection until the night of the fire. I lost so much more than I realized when I left...

How do I escape the guards? The only place they don't follow me is my room, but they stand just outside the door... I could send a message! Can I send a message to Master Luke? Or what about my friend? They could give me directions to them and perhaps resume my training? Would Luke be happy to see me?

Nevertheless, I want my old life back, I'm done being a cheap show for wealthy habitants.