Chapter 7: Tug of Mind

Well, this was quite the mess.

Zarya lied down on her back, watching the ship she just jumped out of fly away, up in the blue sky until she couldn't see it anymore. She didn't move for a few minutes, still finding it hard to believe that after all this time, all the scheming and the late nights working on a way to leave this dust ball of a planet, she'd abandoned it all. Just like that. And for what?

She sat up slowly and put her left hand in her pocket, taking out pieces of her comlink. She looked down at the broken communication device mournfully, knowing that without it, she wouldn't be able to check up on Tarrik and Novi. She carefully placed the pieces back in her pocket, making sure to not lose a single part. Something to worry about later. Right now, she had to find out where she succeeded in landing herself so gracefully.

The girl looked around to try and situate herself. The building next to her had a large, garage-like door filled with boxes, most likely some sort of trade post or storage unit. She stood on a landing platform made of hardened sand, connected to the building. Getting out of here before a ship came and crushed her would be a good start. Shelter would be next, since the suns were already getting quite low, and it didn't take long for the desert to cool down drastically at night.

She felt the weird presence again, tugging at the edge of her mind.

Sighing exasperatedly, she got up and followed the direction it seemed to originate from. She was already knee deep in this Force thingy, why not worsen her situation some more?

All of this better be worth straying from the path she'd chosen.

(( ))

After walking for a few hours, the cold, fatigue and stress took their hold on her, forcing her to take shelter for the night. Fortunately, she had stumbled upon a city a while ago. Unfortunately, it was a huge, HUGE city, with its inhabitants just as rambunctious and trigger happy as the village she was accustomed to. All of this quickly got her feeling lost and paranoid, looking over her shoulder every few seconds and jumping at every shadow. In this life, Zarya was never one to seek company, but she never felt more alone than at that moment, in the middle of the night in a place she didn't recognize filled with shady characters, with nowhere to go.

Her only clue was the small tug she felt at the edge of her mind, calling to her.

When the sun was about to rise, she got out of her shelter, a closed shop she'd managed to get in by the small, open window. She snuck out the same way, twisting uncomfortably in the tiny opening to fall down feet first in the sand. The air was still slightly cold, but to her, it was the perfect temperature to walk in compared to the unbearable heat of the day.

Very few people where out and about at this time, the ones up all night having just left home for the day, and the others barely awake yet. Only a few seemed to get up early, most likely to start working or enjoy the cool weather.

As she started to walk again, the young girl winced at the pain in her muscles from all the exercise of the previous day. It seems her young body wasn't used to all this movement yet, and today she was paying for her lack of endurance. Hands in her pockets, her left one playing with the comlink's broken pieces, she pushed on none the less, hoping to find a place to stay before the suns reached their highest point in the sky.

As the air and the ground started to heat up with the suns' arrival, Zarya grew more and more uncomfortable and desperate. She tried to focus on walking towards what seemed to be calling to her, because if she didn't, she worried she might start crying. The sand that got in her sandals and clothes was rough, her hunger only grew with time and exhaustion pushed her emotions out of the barrier she kept them behind most of the time. How she wished she had stayed with her friends on that ship…

In an attempt to swallow back the tears that threatened to leave her eyes, she looked up from the ground, blinking rapidly and breathing deeply. That was when an impression of déjà vu struck her, slowing her movements to a stop.

She was in some kind of plaza, filled with many shops, restaurants in different stages of filthy and merchants stands reminiscent of the ones back at the market near the orphanage. Yet here, it was much bigger and filled with many more people. She was certain she had never been here before, but somehow, she knew this place.

The tugging had become stronger, yet less precise with all the people around. At the end of the morning, many seemed to be gathered here to buy or sell stuff, and the sheer quantity of emotions floating about was quickly giving her a headache. She couldn't follow the weird feeling, but she still knew where to go, and where to avoid. It was as if she had walked those streets before, in another life. Even a few faces seemed familiar somehow, even though she knew nobody here.

Still, she followed her instincts, walking a path she knew was the way to go. It didn't take too long before she had left most of the crowd behind, the commercial area fading into small house units stuck to each other. Every one of them seemed identical to the others from an outsider's eye, yet she still knew which one to go to. Just as she reached the front of the house, a hand lifted to knock on its door, Zarya hesitated.

What was she doing? She still didn't know where she was, and even less what, or who, was behind this door. In this life, nothing good had ever happened to her, and this was doubtfully going to change, no matter where she was on this planet. What could she be hoping for, some kind family to take her in and shelter her from this harsh world? She may look like a child, but at heart, she was nearly and adult and completely disillusioned from these childish, useless hopes—

The door opened without warning, startling the girl and making her step back fearfully with a squeak she would never admit uttering, her hands close to her chest. She looked up to a kind looking lady with surprised brown eyes looking down at her.

The woman, human, was wearing a worn out beige tunic and pants, her dark hair tied in a braid and bunched up at the base of her head in a bun. Just from a first look Zarya could tell that money was hard to get by in this woman's life, yet her appearance was still as clean as it could be considering the environment.

The lady seemed to analyse Zarya with her eyes too, and the girl wondered what she was seeing. Probably some lost child, skinny and dirty with bags under her eyes and clothes too big for her tiny frame.

Before any of them could say anything, a loud rumble came out of Zarya's stomach, making her blush to her roots in embarrassment. What a way to make a first impression.

The startlingly loud sound made the woman smile slightly in amusement, a hint of concern behind her eyes. In her worry, she kneeled down in front of the child, finally speaking up.

"You seem to be hungry. Do you have a home to go to?"

Slowly getting out of her shock, Zarya shook her head slowly, making the lady frown slightly, her worry increasing.

"A family, perhaps? Or some kind of caretaker?"

More head shakes answered her inquiries.

"Well then. If you have nowhere to be, would you like to come in? I'm sure I could find something to feed you, and we can find out what to do after, does that sound alright?"

Her voice was kind and quiet, the one used to speak to a child without necessarily babying them. Still, Zarya would have been a bit offended to be spoken to this way, but the thought of food was enough to distract her from her pride. Plus, she couldn't really blame the woman; she was, technically, six years old.

When she realized she still hadn't given her an answer, Zarya cleared her throat, making her realize how thirsty she was, and spoke in a quiet tone.

"If I'm not too much of a burden? I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, I just don't know where to go…"

"Nonsense, I can't just leave someone in need outside all alone." She got up, taking a step in her home and leaving space for Zarya. "Come in, the weather is much too warm to stay in the open for long. What's your name?"

"I'm Zarya"

"It's nice to meet you Zarya. I'm Shmi Skywalker."

Oh. Wait. OH. Crap. What even—

Yeah, might want to get in the house of Skywalker and wipe out the probably stupid expression on her face before Shmi changes her mind.

(( ))

After eating everything and anything Shmi put in front of her and drinking as much water as she dared without making too big a dent in the house's limited resources, Zarya finally felt better. Rest and a good cleaning were still in her agenda for the near future, but other things would take priority by the look on Shmi's face.

Zarya had told her about the orphanage she came from, and about her escape, but she changed the story a bit, saying she had been alone, and her leaving that place was on an impulse of the moment when she had seen an opportunity. When she finished telling her edited life story and recent adventure in between mouthfuls of fruits and bread, (Finally, something other than tasteless rations!), the two sat in silence, her lost in her thoughts while Shmi decided her next course of action.

"I have a son," she started," he's about your age. He and I live here as slaves, we belong to a Toydarian named Watto. In a way, we are lucky since he doesn't mistreat us, per say. Still, this kind of life isn't one I would wish for anyone, especially a young girl like you who's already been through so much. But if you don't mind lying low, maybe you could stay a while? It's not like Watto comes at this house often, so he shouldn't discover you anytime soon."

Zarya looked at her, speechless. She knew this woman was kind, but this…. This went beyond her expectations. Here she was, a complete stranger, and she didn't even hesitate to greet her in her home and share her already meagre supplies for as long as she wanted.

The young girl didn't know what she should answer. She had decided a while ago that she wouldn't meddle with the story unless absolutely necessary, and she was offered a direct access to it right now, with the help of a mother and her boy that she still had yet to see; the chosen one himself. It would be much safer for her to leave, find Tarrik and Novi and start over somewhere else, away from glowing swords, laser guns and force powers.

Nonetheless, she couldn't help but be tempted anyway.

She had left the ship and her friends for a reason, hadn't she? Despite trying to keep them at arm's length, she still grew to care for the three boys that had followed her around against her wishes. Despite that, she still left for a reason, a purpose she had no knowledge of. This could be it. But did she really want to follow what the freaking Force told her to? Didn't she prefer to choose her own way, independent from outside influences, without having to worry for her life at every turn?

Her hand strayed to the back of her head. At this point, she doubted she would ever be safe anyway.

"I don't know how long I would be staying" she finally answered.

Shmi smiled at her patiently. "That's alright. You're welcome to stay as long as you need. Right now, I doubt you have a better option anyway."

She didn't know what to say to that.

She still felt a tug in her mind, although it was calmer now. Another thing she would have to consider later. She has an idea on what is calling to her by now, and it leaves her with more questions than answers.

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Hello! It's been a while, I know… Not to worry! I should find more time to write in the next weeks.

Another chapter of the story is opening, and big decisions are to be made! Help me if you'd like, I always take your opinions into consideration, so leave a review, even if only to share your thoughts or feelings, they never fail to brighten my day!

Thank you to Mads-Chikistorm, OldWorldVulture and thatfanboi for the reviews!

Until Next Time,

-Maginary

*Disclaimer: I don't own anything Star Wars related, only my OCs*

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