Kylo's Story, Part 9 - Forgotten

My face crumbles and I almost start to cry.

We found her.

Finn reaches into the coffin and I smack his hand away.

"How do we wake her?" he says quietly. I look down at her still frame. She looks peaceful, with her arms crossed and eyes closed, her skin glowing with the dust. I can feel her now, so strongly it chokes the air from my lungs.

I call to her.

BB-8 rolls up to the side of the coffin, trying to look in, but she's too short to see over the edge.

"Maybe you have to kiss her," Finn says.

"What?" I look at him. I always thought he was stupid but I don't think I realized just how stupid.

"Or maybe do," he mumbles. My fist flies up and he flinches, jumping back. I stop myself before punching him in the face. I knew I should have just killed him on Yavin_4. I could have made it to look like an accident.

"Maybe you just need to speak louder!" BB-8 adds, beeping extra loud, the sound reverberating off the walls.

Rey stirs and Finn gasps. Her eyes flutter open and look up, dazed.

"BB-8?" she says with a scratchy voice. "Are you okay?" She coughs then struggles to get up. Finn immediately reaches out to help her. I'm frozen in place. She's alive. She's here. she's alright. I swallow hard, my eyes burning with tears.

"Where am I?" she says, rubbing at her eyes. She stares into the green fog for a second then notices Finn.

"Finn!" she cries out. Her excitement is like a dagger to my heart. She throws her arms around him, pulling him into the edge of the coffin and he grunts in pain. I get up and step back.

"What are you doing here?" she says. Her eyes are shut tight and tears escape down her cheeks. I take another step back. "Where were you? I tried contacting you after I got back to Jakku."

Her words hang in the air. Even BB-8 is silent. She pulls back, looking around again. I'm backed far enough now, into the fog, that she doesn't notice me.

"Why is there a glowing fog in the cave?" she looks down. "The bath tub..." Her expression becomes fearful. "Finn?" She breathing gets more frantic. "What is this?"

"It's a coffin," BB-8 beeps.

"What?" Rey scrambles to get up. "Get me out! Get me out!" she yells, grabbing for Finn. I step forward to help but then stop, watching them work together. Finn grimaces as Rey puts her weight on him to step out over the side of the coffin.

"What's the last thing you remember?" he asks.

"I don't know." She closes her eyes for a moment. "The cave... I was in the tub. That's the last thing I remember."

I hold my breath. Her last memory was the bath she had on Yavin_4? I try to think back. What happened up until then? She asked me to stay with her at night, she was crying. I held her in my arms and stayed up all night, not daring to move a muscle in case I'd wake her and she'd send me away.

Rey covers her cheeks with both of her hands. "Oh..."

"What?" Finn asks.

She slides her hands up over her eyes and mumbles into her palms. "How embarrassing."

"What is?" Finn asks.

"Nothing." Rey lowers her hands and straightens. She wobbles a bit and Finn reaches his arms up to steady her.

"Finn you're bleeding!" Rey's eyes go wide as she looks down. "What happened?"

Finn glances in my direction and I clench my fists.

"Ben hurt him," BB-8 beeps.

"Who's Ben?" Rey turns to BB-8. "BB-8, you look different!" She kneels down to get a better look.

"I have a new body!" BB-8 beeps. "I don't remember what happened because Ben took out my memory card."

"What!" Rey yells. Her voice pierces through the fog and makes me flinch. "Who is this Ben? I don't think I like him very much."

"The Resistance fighters shot at me and I blew up-"

"That's enough BB-8," I interrupt, stepping forward.

"Master Luke!" Rey cries out. She's looking right at me. I freeze. Her smile fades. "Kylo?" My heart sinks. She looks down at the ground and wraps her arms around herself. "Finn, can you please get me out of here? I'm really thirsty."

* * *

Finn cringes with every step as Rey leans on him for support. I keep my distance behind them and BB-8 rolls at my side. She's quiet now, after I told her not to share the details of all that had happened since Rey's last memory. I whispered it to her while Finn struggled to help Rey over the coffin on the other side of the fake wall, her muscles weak from not using them for so long. I was secretly hoping Finn would bleed to death or faint already. But it wouldn't matter if he did. I don't think Rey would let me touch her.

She's avoiding eye contact with me. In fact, she's avoiding me all together. Part of me wants to believe it's just her embarrassment from her last memory, maybe she remembers me walking in on her while she was in the bathtub. But another part of me is scared she'll forget me now, like she's forgotten all we went through together. It would be for the best, since she doesn't remember how I betrayed her and how she killed Poe. Those parts, I hope she never remembers.

Finn and Rey stagger in front of me and I frown, reaching my hand out to catch them with my Force power from behind. I hear them sigh in relief as I hold them up. Finn glances back at me. Rey leans her head on his shoulder.

"Thanks Finn," she says. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes. Just fine," he replies.

"What have you been up to since Starkiller Base was destroyed?"

We've reached the entrance now and I raise Rey up, a little too fast. She screams in fear and I immediately regret my impulsive action.

"It's okay!" Finn says quickly, reaching his arms up to her. "Kylo's just lifting you out."

Rey's eyes are wide as she looks over at me. I glance past her shoulder, to the sunset colours in the sky above, then lift her the rest of the way and gently set her down at the top. Finn looks as though he wants to say something to me but then decides not to.

"You go ahead," I say, nodding to the ladder. "I'll catch up."