When I whistle, the walls bounce my sound off them. In a way, it's like I have someone in here with me. But in a lot of ways, I don't have someone to share this prison with. Maybe I should have asked for a trooper or two to toy with. They'd keep me entertained. I can only whistle to myself for so long before it becomes repetitive.

I remember when I used to whistle for a different reason: it would always sooth my frantic nerves.

*~*

Gone. They're all gone.

I'm the lucky one that hasn't been taken. I'm the only one that hasn't been taken. Those who are alive have left with him, those who are dead got in his way.

The images scare my mind. It had come out of nowhere, the sudden growth of anger through the Force. I had felt a glimmer of panic, of...malice?...before that. At the time, none of it made any sense.

Now, it does. But some things still remain baffling. For instance: why would Ben Solo decidedly...snap? What would possess my friend, my training partner, to turn his back on the Academy, his own uncle, and his fellow Padawan learners? What did I miss? Was the person I knew just an illusion?

I sit, curled into a ball, on my bed. Though I have a roommate, I feel alone right now. Only I can understand what I'm going through. I am the only one who saw what happened. I am—

A soft knock against a wall startles me. It's only Cayden.

"You were whistling again," he tells me softly.

"I got caught up in..." I wipe the dampness off my face.

"You thought about it again, didn't you?"

"It just doesn't make sense."

"Neither does you whistling when you're anxious."

"It's a weird coping mechanism," I agree.

Cayden moves into my room, and he tries to give off a calming presence. All I can feel coming off of him is pity, and I don't want it from him. He sits on the edge of my bed. "You've never told me what really happened, just that you came out of something awful."

"And I may never tell you."

"If we're going to be living together for a long time, Amara, I think you will. I would tell you my backstory."

"That's only if I prodded into your head." I sniff. "You're about as private as I am."

"I'm all for you giving me a piece of your story. I can give you a piece of mine."

"Not today, Cayden." Though it's only a horrific memory, the mood it gives me weighs heavily in my chest. "I won't be able to tell you with a level head, or a strong voice. It's still too fresh."

He nods. "I understand."

"You really don't."

"You know, despite it being a coping thing, you do whistle really well."

"You're flattering me, really?" I deadpan. "You're desperate to cheer me up, aren't you?"

"I don't think you realize just how powerful your emotions are, Amara. I may not be Force-sensitive like you, but, I feel a change in me. The only thing that makes me realize it's not my emotions is that I don't have a reason to feel so...afraid, or traumatized."

This is a first to hear. "I...I never knew."

"I didn't know it initially, but, you've been having a lot of bad spells lately. I finally connected the dots."

"I'll close myself off, then, so you don't suffer."

"No, don't do that. Suffering in silence will only make the pain worse. Go back to whistling, it helps you. If you should need me, you know where to find me."

I battle the noises of that horrible day with my solemn whistle tune.

*~*

My tool to help my anxiety go away stops when the door opens in front of me. Ben has returned, still with that stupid mask on. He remains alone, with no white-armored troopers to help rein me in.

"Back so soon?" I glance down at the noise of my shackles being undone.

"Follow me. Try anything, and you won't like the consequences."

I slink out of the chair, but stop there. "I'll go with you, but take the mask off."

"The mask stays on."

"Oh, come on. The quicker you do, the quicker we'll go to the Supreme Leader so we can get properly introduced." I tilt my head. "Yes, I know of your...is he technically your master?"

Ben ignores my question: "I can make you follow me. I can assure you that fighting back will be futile."

I narrow my eyes. "Cut the threats and take it off, or I'll do it for you." Why are you so reluctant? Are you disfigured beneath it? Are you embarrassed at what I might see?

I almost begin to tap my foot when both gloved hands reach for the sides of his mask. I watch as it is removed, and boy does it bring me a metaphorical slap in the face. Though it hasn't been long since the destruction of the Academy, it feels like a lifetime since I had last seen him.

Ben Solo looks almost like the same person that I remember, but there are significant differences. His stature overall looks...different. He holds himself like he's superior. His eyes, ones that used to hold joy and a hunger to learn, now look empty and dark. Though, I will say the one thing that remains the same is that dark mane of his. If anything, it's grown just a little bit.

"All right, then," I say, moving away from the chair and past him. "Lead the way." He grabs my arm, and I nearly stumble back into him. "Please don't tell me you're cuffing me. Those chaff the wrists after a bit."

Ben doesn't cuff me, but he does keep the hold on my arm as he escorts me out. Like my room, the halls feel cold, like someone does not believe in heat in here.

Ben walks with confidence beside me. Small groups of troopers march in unison past us. Small service droids roll on by, one nearly runs into my feet.

The nerves start to creep in again. I refuse to whistle, because Ben knows what that means for me, just like Cayden does. Ben is the first person who's ever known that weird habit of mine. I don't want that used against me somehow.

I try to calm myself. This will go fine. You'll start your training, and then the real work truly starts. That's if I get that far, anyhow.

I have only heard of the name Snoke and heard that he's not a nice person. That he is the reason Ben is where he is at now.

We take an elevator up, and words want to jump out of my mouth, but I hold them in. It's a very awkward ride.

Once we leave the elevator, we go through another door. The room is dark, save a spot of light ahead. Ben releases me, and the idea of running comes and goes as a fleeting thought. There is no throne, there is no Supreme Leader Snoke.

"So...is this where he makes his grand, dramatic entrance?" I ask casually.

"This is where the final judgement takes place," Ben says hollowly. "If there are any underlying motives that you're hiding, he will find them."

Great. A human lie detector.

I bounce in place lightly, and before I can catch it, I let a note of a whistle blow out. At this, Ben casts a glance at me. Crap. He knows.

"You shouldn't worry. After all, why worry if you have nothing to hide?"

I know he's doing that extra dig on purpose.

And cue Supreme Leader Snoke coming to life as a very big hologram before us.

Ben takes a knee and bows, I'm honestly not sure what to do. Is it proper for me to bow when my intentions are on trial?

"Supreme Leader," Ben greets Snoke.

I'm really trying my hardest to not grimace at Snoke's appearance. Though holographic, he looks like his face made contact with an asteroid. I shouldn't be afraid of a hologram, but I don't know the extent of his powers.

"Master of the Knights of Ren," Snoke greets Ben in return. "I see you brought the girl, as requested."

"My name is Amara Galavan, Supreme Leader." I bow lowly. There are a lot of things I can say right now, but they'll all get me in trouble. "I'm sure Kylo Ren has told you much about me and how I came to be here...wherever this is." I clear my throat. "He might've also mentioned his suspicions about my arrival."

"He did, and I share his concerns." In the holographic throne he sits in, Snoke leans in. "He told me about your past. One of the last few Jedi alive in the galaxy."

I swallow and find myself only able to nod at the moment. I push away the bad thoughts for now. I don't need them to surface in this critical moment.

"Shall I leave you to talk with her in private, Supreme Leader?" Ben asks.

My eyes widen. Oh no. Don't leave me alone with him. He must know I'm hiding something. Or he's doing this just to torture me and see if I crumble.

"No, you may stay," says Snoke. "Tell me, Miss Galavan. Why would a Jedi go through all this trouble to walk into the hands of the First Order? Surely you're smart enough to realize we don't share the same views."

"Well, if you see that my reason for being here is true, then we may start to share some views," I say firmly. Good tone of voice. Keep that, and don't say anything out of line. Your life is literally in the balance. "You can do as you please, I have nothing to hide."

I feel a faint prickle in my skull, and immediately the floodgates open. Shreds of images. The Academy on fire. The screams of the dying. The anger of the man who started it. The anguish as I felt the lives snuff in the Force. The fear as I woke from the same recurring nightmares...

Snoke can feel it all. He can see it all. I can only hope that he interprets this differently than how it actually is.

When the prickle disappears, Snoke leans back in his throne. A crushing silence falls, and I'm waiting for something bad to happen. A lightsaber through me by Ben (which hurts to think about). Somebody Force-choking me to death.

Instead, the opposite happens.

"You've found the right people," the Supreme Leader tells me slowly. "All your hurt, all your anguish...We can help you turn that into something productive. No longer will you have to feel such emotion. The Jedi will never steal anything from you ever again, Miss Galavan. Kylo Ren will guide you with your training. He will be responsible for your progress. Do not, for your sake, fail."