I raise my blaster and shoot at the target. The blaster ray misses and hits a tree behind it. Phasma laughs and my hands tighten on the blaster. I shoot again. This time I finally hit the target. That's one of four.

I frown and step away from the start line. Phasma hit all of her targets. Commander Klein writes something down in his clip board. Our turn is over.

Phasma and I hand our blasters to the next two students, then take a seat at the end of a long bench. Hux is up after the next round of shooters. I watch him sitting on the bench. He's less energetic than usual. Maybe he'll stop harassing me now, because he's embarrassed about the mind reading thing. He glances over at me and I quickly look away. It's his turn to go up.

"Phasma?" I say. "Can I read your mind?"

"Are you asking me if I think you can do it?" she says. "Or are you asking my permission?"

"Your permission." I watch Hux hit every target with hardly any effort at all.

"No," Phasma says. "And you're not allowed to use your powers, anyway."

I smile at her. "I am today."

Phasma shakes her head. "If you're going to read someone's mind at least don't ask them permission."

"But I have to be close enough to do it, and I think they can feel it happening. Actually, I'm not sure if they can. But if they know then they try to resist."

"Then just don't tell them." Phasma glances at Hux as he walks past us to take a seat at the end of the bench. "I wish I could do that, read someone's mind."

"It's not as great as it seems," I say. "You usually find out stuff you didn't want to know."

"What really happened in the forest, with Hux?"

I flinch, the question catching me off guard. "Nothing. Hux tried to scare me and jumped out at me."

"So then what are you hiding from Master Snoke?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't have to be a mind reader to know you're hiding something. I've known you long enough that I can tell," Phasma says. "You've been different lately."

"How?"

"No talking!" Commander Klein says to us. All heads turn our way and Hux gives us a glare.

* * *

The day of training seems longer than usual and near the end I realize it's because I'd rather hang out with Rey than be in classes all day. Our last class of the day is equipment training, which is a lot of reading flight manuals and figuring out spacecraft layouts, since we don't get to go on actual ships until the end of the course. When General Dray finally dismisses the class I notice that Hux lingers behind to talk to Phasma. I stop outside the door to listen.

"What did he say?" Hux asks her.

"Nothing," Phasma says, sounding irritated. "I asked him what he's hiding and then Commander Klein interrupted us."

"Can't you seduce him or something?"

"I thought he was like you, you know-"

"He's not."

"Are you sure?"

"I would know if he was."

"Well then he's too self-disciplined to be seduced, like the Masters."

"No, he's not. He's just like the rest of us."

"Only not as evil."

"Grand Master will help him with that."

Their voices come closer and I quickly move away from the door. Suddenly I see Rey, standing at the end of the hall. She sees me too and takes a deep breath to shout something in my direction. My hand goes out instantly to Force hold her into silence. Her eyes go wide and she drops the rock she is holding.

Go to the Forest where the bird nest is and I'll meet you there.

I let her go and she just blinks for a moment. Then she picks up her rock and disappears around the corner just as Hux and Phasma come out of the classroom. Did Rey hear me? In her thoughts? Did she get the message?

"Ren?" Hux says in an accusing tone. I lower my hand.

"Trying to read a child's mind?" Phasma asks.

Damn, she saw me. "No." I start to walk away but Phasma stops me.

"Wait." She grabs my arm.

"You can't touch me," I say automatically.

Phasma frowns and lets go. Then she seems to regain her composure and gives me a sly smile. "Want to break the rules for once and come to my room?"

"No," I say, a little too abruptly. "I mean, I would but the apprenticeship with Grand Master is really important to me." It's partially a lie. The apprenticeship is important to me, but I'm not interested in lying with Phasma. I'm already breaking the rules way too much lately and am about to once again when I go meet Rey.

"I guess I admire that," Phasma says.

"I admire the way you shoot a phaser blaster," I say.

She smiles. "You'd better watch your back Ren, I never miss."

I nod. She really is pretty when she smiles. I don't think she knows it though. Other than Rey, she's the only girl I've ever known who wasn't scared of me.

"Phasma?" I say, before she walks away.

"Yeah?"

I hesitate. I've never had a girl ask me to her room before and probably never will. It's a complement to me and I kind of want to complement her too. But if I tell her she's pretty she'll get the wrong idea. "Never mind."

Phasma crosses her arms. "Alright, well go rip the head off a bird or whatever you guys do for Snoke," she says, dismissing me with a wave.

"You and Hux talk a lot, don't you?" I say as we start to walk.

Phasma sighs. "Yeah. We just talk." She begins to walk faster. "I'll see you later, Ren."

I turn and walk the other way. Hopefully Rey won't get lost in the forest, if she's actually going there to meet me. I probably should have picked a better meeting place.

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