Kai doesn't leave soon. My twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth birthdays come and go.

I have a girlfriend, kind of. Her name is Tenielle. She kissed me first, and she's a whole year older than me. Mother doesn't approve of her, but Kai likes to tease me about her.

His dreads have grown out long and he allows his sparse facial hair to grow out. I shave what little I have off. It itches me, plus Tenielle says she doesn't like it.

We met at the market. She sells blankets, which I bring, since Aden gradually just disappeared a few years ago. I saw his sister once, and barely recognized her, but asked where he'd gone. She didn't know either.

We suspect he's dead.

According to Kai's count, he's finally caught up with me in age today. That is, today is his fifteenth birthday.

The Empire has long since stopped searching for him. They found a mauled body just outside of the settlement, and decided that must be him. Kai felt bad when they claimed that someone else's child was a criminal. I didn't mention that it had been the same for me.

Because they don't seem to be looking for him, so we decide we can have a party for him. I started telling Tenielle about him a week ago, telling her all about my cousin from the other side of the planet. I eventually invite her.

All day today we've been running around, getting ready.  We leave the hole open so that if any Imperial troopers do decide to search for anything, we can hide Kai quickly.  I tuck one of the blasters into my waistband, as a precaution.

I haven't shot one in ages.  It's kind of hard to practice when Imperial soldiers are constantly on the lookout for anyone who even looks suspicious.

Tenielle arrives around lunch time.  She has a little package with her, which she hands to Kai before greeting me with a kiss.  "Hey, Cass."

"I'm glad you could come, Tenny."  She's one of the two people I let call me Cass.

She punches me lightly.  "I told you not to call me that."  Tenielle isn't angry, her smile gives that away.  I grin back and kiss her again.

"Alright lovebirds, we're celebrating Kai here."

"Yeah," he says, flipping his mass of dreadlocks over his shoulder in an imitation of some of the girls he can see through the windows.

Tenielle smiles.  "Happy birthday, Kai."

"I'm assuming that you're Tenielle," he says, extending a hand.

She nods and shakes the hand.

"Good.  I wouldn't want to see my cousin snogging a girl who isn't his girlfriend."

I scowl at him as she laughs.  "I'm glad, too," she says with a look my way.

"I wouldn't," I tell her.

"Good."  She looks at Kai, who's circling the food hungrily.  "I don't see much of a resemblance between you and your cousin."

I shrug, thinking of an explanation.  "He's adopted.  My aunt and uncle found him out in the cold and took him in.  They died, so he lives on his own now, in Trep.  He doesn't like to talk about it much."

"Let's sit down and eat. I made plenty of food, you all need to eat it." Mother pushes me gently towards the table.

We all sit and start eating.  Mother made soup and bread and some sort of sweet pastry that I don't remember ever trying before.

"This is absolutely delicious," Tenielle says, savoring another mouthful of the sweet pastry.

Mother smiles and thanks her. I think she may be warming up to my girlfriend. That's good.

"I think it's time for presents," Kai announces around a mouthful of pastry.

My mother gives him a look.  "Swallow before you speak.  Really, I thought you'd been raised better than this."

He swallows, apologizes, and again declares present time.  She nods and he lunges for the four piles of blankets I arranged this morning for everyone to sit on.

Tenielle ignores her pile and sits on the ground in front of mine, resting her head on my knees.  I lazily play with her sunny hair.  She fiddles with a ring on her finger obsessively, watching Kai as he Lords over his meager pile of presents.

Kai opens the present from me first.  It's a pocket knife, one I got from the market for a blanket.  He flips open the blade and tries it on the scrap of cloth I wrapped it in.  "This is amazing!"

I smile and shrug one shoulder.  "I saw it and knew you'd want it."

"Thanks, Cass!"

"Cassian."

He ignores me and starts on the one from Mother.  From the blue cloth he pulls a carved stone animal.  It's a taun-taun, a creature from Hoth, a planet similar to Fest, but one I've never even seen.

It's extremely detailed.  Even its eyes are painted with pupils and reflections and everything.

It is a work of art.

He marvels in it for a moment, then thanks her and puts it aside to reach for Tenielle's gift.  She's wrapped hers in real paper.

He takes it off slowly, careful not to rip the paper.

"I didn't know what you liked, so I figured you might enjoy this," she says with a bit of an offhand shrug.

He finishes opening it to reveal a crinkly bag of candy.  Even I haven't held candy.  His eyes light up like he's eleven again.

Kai thanks her profusely and starts to put away his treasures, dropping the candy into the hole, placing the taun-taun in after it much more gently, and sliding the knife into his pocket.

Tenielle stands and stretches.  "Can you point me to the restroom?"

I nod and point to the door.  She goes inside and locks the door.

Mother starts to clean up.

When Tenielle comes out, she walks back over to the pile and holds out her hand to pull me up.  I let her, and stand in front of her.

"What?"

"Nothing.  I just want a kiss."

I chuckle.  "You couldn't give me one while I was sitting down?"

"It isn't the same."

I give her a kiss, but it's interrupted by a powerful knock at the door.