The Hidden Truth

The dinning hall, with it grand old tanish stone work that dated back several thousand of years was packed of people, not just humans, but all sorts of creatures, or what was probably rude to call, aliens, sitting down for the last meal of the day. The room was full of chatter, laughter, praises being thrown around, glares, and all the drama a person could want. The smell of various meats and plants being cooked, drifted on the slightly breeze in the air, filling my nose with delicious scents, tempting my stomach to growl with hunger. I had just spotted Lyn and would have run over to her when a calm Master Mirmo stepped into my path. I silently cursed him and his timing.

“Hello Karen.”

I greeted him quickly and took a step to his right to get around him. Mirmo shifted his weight just enough to continue to block me. I silently growled, impatient to get rid of him.

“Now, is that anyway to treat your master? You should be ashamed of yourself, brushing me aside as though I am an uninteresting piece of trash.”

It took all my self control not to say what I was thinking. I looked up at him, straight in the eyes and told him that I was sorry for pushing him away, but I had intended to go to Lyn.

“That is alright. I was just joking. I will move out of your way, though why you are so impatient to talk to her?”

I didn’t know why, but at the point in time I had decided, right there and then, not to tell my master of my telekinesis achievement. There was no logical reason to hold this exciting information, but the fact that I hadn’t reached my highest expectation, just made me want to hold off. Besides, I wanted the opinion of my best friend before letting Master Mirmo on this secret. I had to think quickly and managed to pull together a half meaningful explanation about some gossip and drama that I wanted to report back to her and get her opinion. Mirmo’s eye brows went up at the remark.

“Oh, you want her opinion and not mine? I see how it is.”

His voice was quieter than usual. I had a hard time trying to tell if he was pretending to be hurt or was his voice real. He had blocked his emotions from me, leaving me hopeless to guess. I hadn’t meant it to come out as rude or insulting, but I winced at my own tactless answer. I told him it was a girl thing and quickly hurried past him before he could respond. I felt slightly bad for this small mess, but all the same, I would not take back my words.

Lyn was sitting at a table, with a tray of half eaten brown meat and something that looked like white rice with two other girls. A groan came from me, as I realized this was my least favorite meal and turned my attention to the other girls. I vaguely knew these friends of Lyn for they had spent some time with her lately. Lyn was like me in that she didn’t have very many friends, nor needed them, but she could easily find company when wanted.

“Hi Karen. These are my friends that I knew before you came here. Have you had dinner?”

I shook my head and told her I wasn’t hungry. I sat down, but only on the edge of the seat, barely holding back to need to burst out with my news. I opened my mouth to say something when the two girls stood up and turned to Lyn.

“Lyn, we’ve got stuff to do, so we’ll see you later.”

Lyn smiled politely and bade them goodbye. I dropped my glaze for a second, knowing these girls didn’t approve of me and would not associate themselves with my presence. I had forgotten that the normal workings of society do not disappear just because one is in a school to become a Jedi. For a moment, I felt shameful and embarrassed for Lyn.

“Hey Karen, what’s wrong? You look like someone just died.”

I signed, forced a fake smile on my face and firmly told her it was nothing. We had been friends only enough to know when to push these things. I changed the subject and told her about the prior class and how I managed to move the ball.

“That’s great! I’m really happy for you! I saw Master Mirmo approach you before you came here. Did you tell him about the awesome news?”

I shook my head for the second time in less than twenty minutes.

“Why not? There’s nothing to hide. I’m sure he would be really pleased to hear this.”

Yes, he would be pleased, but I wanted him to be proud. I wanted to gain as much control as I could before I told him the news.

“Karen, I think he would be proud even now. You ought to tell him. Keeping a secret only weakens the bond between the apprentice and master.”

A flash of anger came over me. My body stiffened and tensed up. I saw the angry flash of my eyes in the clear, innocent reflection of hers. My blood rose as so did the heat of emotion blush a redish pink in my cheeks. Who was Lyn to tell me this? She acted as if she had a master and she didn’t. If she was so great, then how come she didn’t have a master after being here longer than me? She knew nothing about having a bond and what strengthens and weakness it. She should stop lecturing me like a master and start taking notes from me so she could stop being so pitiful and weak. When she spoke, her voice was soft, full hurt, and clear that she sensed the flare within me.

“Karen?”

I turned abruptly and left her standing there, completely befuddled by my turn in moods. I stalked out of the dinning, still having eaten nothing, and went to my room to blast the night away in angry, meaningful songs that spoke to my heart, now full of darkness.