??????, Obi-Wan Kenobi

(Nora Viella)

"HAVE you made up your mind?" Grievous walks slowly into the large pool of ruby blood that now stains the floor. His metal feet clank with every step until he stops right in front of my father's head.

I stare in horror, eyes wide, as he grips it by the hair and walks with it in his hand towards me. He eyes me with his cat-like eyes at every step. I can't move as he bends down and throws it in my lap.

"I will kill everyone you have ever met."

I don't look up. I can't move. I can't breathe-

Grievous grabs me by the throat, his cool metal hand squeezing. I gasp for air as he slowly starts to block off the air. He forces me to look him in the eyes, dragging me up in the air where my feet are only centimeters off the ground. I can hear the uncoherent sounds that come out of me but nothing matters anymore does it? They're all dead, everyone is dead.

My parents, the people, Patch-

Grievous starts gripping harder and my vision starts to blacken.

My arms lay loose by my sides.

What does it matter if I die?

My head starts to throb as the blackness creeps closer to filling my whole vision.

I want him to-

"Let her go, Grievous." Obi-Wan seethes somewhere in the room.

The cool, metal hand drops its grip on my neck and I go tumbling to the floor.

I hear lightsabers igniting but my eyes rest on my father's head that lay beside me. His eye ares still open with pain and fear.

***

"Nora."

I open my eyes and lift my head slowly to see Anakin in the doorway of my room carrying a small tray of food and tea. "I brought you some dinner since you didn't come out." He sets it on the small wooden table beside my door.

"Thank you," I say quietly, knowing damn well that I won't eat it.

He gives me a genuine smile while running his hand through his hair, "Oh sure, it's no problem. Uh, good night," Anakin says meekly, shutting the door behind him.

I look at the food on the small table and then rest my head back down on the bed. The cold bites at my exposed skin as I lay on top of the blankets and stare at the ceiling in the pitch-black.

Then I start to think again.

Think about how they're not here and it hurts.

Think about how the pain feels like a missing limb.

How I can still hear our conversations of the future.

The air in here is suffocating, and yet I made it so.

I stare at the ceiling, letting all the thoughts pass me by until the sun comes up from the mountain peaks and I can see cracks of it through the window.

I stay like this until Anakin comes by again to replace the food tray that lays uneaten from dinner the night before. Breakfast now takes its place.

***

"Nora." Anakin's face comes into view from where I'm lying down on the floor. He moves my father's head with force, placing him away from my face. "You okay?" He asks, concern lacing his features as he scans my neck.

I nod slowly before he grabs my elbows and gently pulls me up to my feet. I sway backward as a pang of dizziness washes over me. Anakin catches me from behind, my back falling onto his front.

"Woah, easy... You good?" He looks out through my shoulder and I nod again.

"I'm fine, It's fine," I say but it comes out more as a laboured breath. I feel like throwing up.

I swallow, "Where's Obi-Wan?" I look around the room to see Grievous and Obi-Wan dueling each other. Their lightsabers crashed against one another.

"He's got everything under control with Grievous, but you and I need to get out of here." Anakin breathes, lightly tugging me along towards a window.

"No." I slam my heels into the floor, "I'm not leaving Obi-Wan."

"Nora, we have to."

"No" I bite out, there's no way I'm leaving him. Not when everyone I've left, everyone I'd cared about didn't come back.

"He'll be right behind us I promise. We have to leave before more droids show up-" Anakin shoves me away just as a tall droid with a purple electricity rod swings his weapon at us.

Anakin quickly defects it with his ignited lightsaber just as another droid comes up from behind.

I scramble on the floor, trying to get back on my feet.

"Nora, look out!" Anakin yells, making me look behind to see another droid raising his weapon in the air, ready to strike me.

Adrenaline pumps through my veins as I pull out the blaster from my thigh and shoot. The shots ring out in the small space, all of them, hitting their mark on the droid's head. It falls to the floor while it catches on fire.

I hear a grunt nearby from where Obi-Wan and Grievous are fighting.

"Getting distracted while fighting makes you a sloppy opponent Kenobi." I hear Grievous laugh-cough.

Obi-Wan grunts as the clashing of sabers continues.

"We have to leave, now!" Anakin urges, his tone demanding.

I hesitate before he pulls me along to the windows. I look back once more to where my parent's bodies lay still. Then over to where Obi-Wan deflects a rear attack with a stance he's shown me only a few days ago.

'Go. I'll be fine.' Obi-Wan's voice fills my head. He hasn't turned to me, still engaged in the battle.

I bite my tongue before leaping out of the broken window with Anakin beside me.

***

I feel a single tear fall down my cheek as I close my eyes.

My parent's bodies are still there. What's going to happen to their bodies? Will Grievous burn them or will he throw them to be eaten by the wolves? I shouldn't have left them there. Why do I leave everyone? I can't breathe again, I swear I can feel cool metal hands blocking my airflow.

***

"Breathe, it's going to be okay, you're going to be alright," Anakin says, rubbing my back as I slump in the co-pilot seat.

"They're gone, everyone's gone-" I sob, shaking my head. "It's not real, it's not real, this... isn't real."

Anakin dips the ship and opens the ramp. Obi-Wan uses the force to leap up onto the ramp. In one swift motion he is beside us and rushing up into orbit.

I stand up from the seat and spring onto Obi-Wan. His face becomes grim but his arms open. I embrace him and pull my arms around his neck. He holds his arms in the air for a second before slowly folding them around my waist.

"It's okay, I'm fine," he pants against my neck, making small circles on my lower neck. He brings us down to sit against the wall on the metal floor of the ship. I slump down into him and place my head in his lap while he pulls away the hair from my face.

I stare at the wall in front of me.