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Chapter 11 Despite the reassurances of her friend Tabi and her future teachers, Xenritha and Cha-Lee, Katrina felt like a hunted animal. Avlis Ker, the Dark Jedi who held legal ownership of her, lived and was looking for her. What was even worse was that he had found her, sensed her presence with his mind. It was only a matter of time before he physically found her and she feared that more than anything the miserable students and teachers around her could possibly imagine. She spent much of her time sitting alone trying to think of ways out of the boarding school she had been left in. Once more she cursed her luck at being dumped there rather than being allowed to stay with her fellow Zanespots, as tradition demanded. If someone bumped into her, called her name, or even made a loud, sudden noise nearby Katrina would physically jump, startled and frightened. It soon became a game with many of the girls, to see which could scare Katrina the most. By the end of one meal period she was physically shaken and close to tears. Tabi threatened retaliation but they both knew she was powerless to make it a reality, for if she did she would be turned out or punished in such a way that the very thought of it brought tears to Katrina’s eyes. Through much of the days they sat together, waiting and working. During the nights Katrina lay on her bed and sleep fitfully or stare into the darkness, sometimes dreaming and sometimes communicating telepathically with Xenritha and Cha-Lee. She spoke little and listened even less, moving like an automaton through motions that had become so much a matter of habit that she didn’t need to give them any thought. Months passed without an appearance by Ker but Katrina never forgot about him. Over time she finally managed to pull herself out of her constant state of fear and began to hear what was going on around her. The seasons outside of the school were changing and the weather was warming, making the other students antsy to go out and enjoy it. Word buzzed between students as the teachers turned away and pretended they didn’t hear, it was time to begin sneaking out. Katrina listened intently to stories of hidden staircases and tales of near capture. They spoke of secret rendezvous with young men from a near by town or hitching rides on departing spacecraft. Katrina recognized half of the stories as nothing more than exaggerations and imaginings, but she also recognized some truth and that gave her hope, and something new to spend her time thinking about. “Do you know how they sneak out?” Katrina asked Tabi one afternoon as they sat mending a pile of uniforms. “I have heard a few of the tales,” Tabi nodded but frowned. “I suggest you forget about it though, young Katrina. Some sound quite dangerous, and the risk of getting caught is very great.” “Why?” “From what I have heard, some of the teachers use the exact same method of escape.” Katrina giggled. She understood why the students would feel stifled locked in an all-girl boarding school, but she had not considered that the teachers might feel the same way. She giggled again as she pictured the sordid meetings the girls left for, replacing the student with a full-grown teacher. “You may laugh, but if you are caught you would be punished,” Tabi said reproachfully. “I doubt they can do anything worse than the Empire,” Katrina said sulkingly, thinking back to her days as a prisoner in an underground compound, guarded by her father’s minions. “I broke out of where they stuck me many times. Believe me, Vader and Palpatine could do a whole lot to punish you.” “But they would not throw you out in the galaxy to fend for yourself,” Tabi retorted. “No, they would have killed me first.” “Madame Zinkrey won’t kill you, but she might as well if she tosses you out. Don’t doom yourself to that Katrina. There are far too many hostile forces out there wanting nothing more than to control or destroy you.” “No, I have friends, teachers who would help me.” “And if they did not come in time? If they cannot or will not protect you against Ker what makes you think they can or will if you disobey them enough to have yourself thrown out of here?” Katrina shivered at the thought. “No, they need me too much.” Tabi did not reply but left Katrina with her own thoughts. If Katrina were to die she knew her powers as Zanespot of the Past would pass on to a newly conceived Force-sensitive child somewhere in the galaxy. Cha-Lee and Xenritha would have to find and train the child, but they would most likely only use a few years doing so. Would they trade her life and those possibly precious years in hopes of getting a child, and partner, that could be more easily controlled? Was a taste of freedom worth that risk? |
