"But I don't like it," Rey says, swirling her spoon around in her treemeal.

I take another big spoonful from my bowl and eat it. "It tastes fine to me."

Rey sighs. It's been three days now of no school and the most fun I've ever had with a friend, the only fun I've ever had with a friend.

"Rey, I don't want to come back here and get you food later when you say you're starving, like you did last night after you skipped supper."

Rey frowns. "But it tastes bad." She blinks back tears and I can't tell if they're one of her dramatic acts or if she's really that upset about how it tastes. She probably just wants chocolate instead.

"Eat some or I'm not going to play rocks with you," I say. She quickly gobbles up a spoonful then pretends to gag before swallowing it down.

"One more bite," I say, watching her to see if she'll listen.

Rey takes another spoonful and swallows it, shutting her eyes tight and shuddering.

"Now can we go play?" she says, wiping her mouth. A few heads turn in our direction but I don't care. Master Snoke is gone for the rest of the week until the Elimination Games, Hux isn't talking to me, and for all I know I may not even be alive for very long if I lose in the games, so I'm going to spend all my time with Rey and I don't care who knows about it. Everyone else has been working in their teams on battle plans to take out other teams. My plan is to try and stay alive.

"Come on," Rey pulls on my arm with both her hands. I finish off the last bit of my treemeal then pull her bowl towards me so I can eat hers too. I stick my spoon into it and scoop some up. Something wiggles about at the bottom of her bowl. I look closer.

"What is that?" I say. Rey looks down.

"Ew... I don't know."

I stand up so fast my chair falls over behind me. "I'll be right back," I say, then run off.

-------------

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hux yells at me. He's sitting on the floor with Phasma in front of a large map of the Capital Ship's layout. They've got red x's marked and pathways highlighted. Hux looks different, his hair disheveled and no longer shoulder length but shorter and hanging onto his forehead. Did Phasma give him a haircut? Somewhere in the back of my mind I wonder if they would have included me in their group if I hadn't choked Hux before the meeting a few days ago.

"What did you put in Rey's food?" I say to Hux.

"Nothing!" Hux glares at me from beneath his crop of orange hair.

"He was here with me all day," Phasma says. I look back and forth between them. I don't know why I care that they're spending so much time together, but I do.

"What was in her food?" Phasma says.

"I don't know, these little bugs or squirmy things."

"In the treemeal?"

"Yes."

"Those are treemites," Phasma says. "They sometimes live in the tree grain and grow if they're left out in the sun."

"Is it bad to eat?" I ask.

Phasma frowns. "They have parasites. We should get her to a medic."

* * *

Hux stands with me outside Rey's door as I wait for the medic to come out. Rey's grandfather is in there with her, along with two other Masters who are channeling the Force for her recovery.

"I don't know why you'd even want an attachment like this," Hux says, crossing is arms. "Just ask Master to erase your memory of her and move on."

My stomach clenches. It's the same thing Phasma said. Are they right?

The door to Rey's room opens finally and the medic steps out. He looks surprised to find us standing there, then tries to step around me. Hux blocks him.

"What's wrong with the child?" he says to the medic.

The medic looks over his glasses at him. "She's having a difficult time fighting the treemites in her system. Now if you'll excuse me."

"Wait!" I grab his arm. If he doesn't give me the details I'm going to force it from his mind. "Will she be okay?"

"It's hard to tell," the medic says. "If she responds to the medication and her white blood cells are able to fight off the treemite infection then she'll make it through. But at her age, it may not turn out well."

I let him go and look to Rey's door. I want to go in and see her but her grandfather and the other Masters are in there. A sick feeling stirs inside of me. She can't die.

The medic leaves and Hux stands there, watching me. I can't deal with this. I need a distraction and I don't care if I get into trouble for it.