"𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙞𝙜 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩."

The colors on the horizon changed as the suns went down. A dance of purples, pinks, and yellows in the sky fading into each other. An evening breeze picked up, caressing strands of hair on and off my face.

A distinct aroma washed over me, clouding my senses. It caused a rumble in my stomach. My eyes flitted away from the setting suns and followed the trail of smoke coming from a humble sand structure. I couldn't help smiling even though I knew I was in for it.

"Cheeseburgers," I mumbled to myself.

I dashed towards the building that I called home and found an angry looking kiffar man standing at the grill. Yellow tattoos lined his tanned face which was framed by long, dark hair.

"Sil, it's almost rush hour!" he scolded. What were you thinking being gone so long?"

"Sorry, master," I replied. "I got distracted."

I got the crates of hamburger buns out of the storage and placed them one by one onto the grill. I prepared my work space and grabbed a knife to start buttering the insides of the buns.

"You spend way too much time staring at those silly sunsets," he said. "Do you know how many people I have to feed every day?"

I avoided my master's gaze and continued to work. His tall and broad stature overshadowed mine.

"If you don't start getting back here on time, I'll feed YOU to my customers," he threatened.

I frowned and continued to work soundlessly. I didn't want to upset my master any further or hear anymore about becoming Enzo's new limited time special.

I put the buns on the second grill to start toasting them the way my master did. I didn't realize I was on my toes until I heard him yell.

"Hey, how are you reaching the grill? Where's your box?" he asked. Enzo grabbed a nearby wooden crate and placed it at the base of the grill. "You're seven years old, not seven feet tall. I might sell human burgers soon, but burnt human is not on the menu," he knocked me lightly on the head with the butt of his spatula before turning his attention back to the meat. I smiled lightly at him before stepping on the box and toasting the bread.

The suns disappeared and the hungry residents of Mos Eisley drifted in and out of the restaurant. Shop owners, slaves, criminals. All kinds of people gathered where the smell of burgers wafted from.

Wes, the older boy who also worked for my master, stood at the front taking orders. Soon we would switch places and I would deliver Enzo's famous burgers while Wes helped in the kitchen. When rush hour was over, Wes and I took over the kitchen and Enzo relaxed outside with his friends and customers.

My stomach rumbled from the smell of the food I wasn't allowed to eat yet. Not until everything was cleaned up. After Wes and I wiped the last smudges of sauce left on the counter, we grabbed the burgers we made for ourselves and ate like animals. I could hear the laughs and chatter of people outside. I ate the last of my food and downed some blue milk.

"Alright I'm heading out," Wes announced. "See you tomorrow, Sil."

"Bye," I said with a hint of jealousy.

Wes and I were slaves to the same master. The difference was that he had a mother to go home to in the slave quarters. I didn't have that. I lived in Enzo's restaurant home.

I walked out of the restaurant to be greeted by a dark sky littered with stars. The air was fresher out here than in the kitchen. Rows of faded buildings and shops were lit by tiny lights. The most luminous areas were Enzo's and the cantina on nights like these.

I found my master talking with some dangerous looking men and women of different species.

"Hey Sil, come here!" one of the people my master was talking with called me over. I ran over with a skip in my step.

"You got any stories for us today, kid?" a man asked.

I smiled wide and started telling them an outrageous story about breaking into Jabba's palace and stealing speeders. They acted impressed and clapped at my daring adventure.

"That's amazing," someone said. "I couldn't have gotten away with that if I tried."

"Alright, Sil," my master said finally. "Isn't it time you went to bed?"

"I don't need sleep," I countered. "I need a blaster, so I can kill those guys next time."

I held my hands in a finger gun and pointed at random people walking by, making blaster noises with my mouth.

"Have you killed anyone before?" a woman asked laughing.

"Duh," I said. "I love killing people."

"Come on, Sil, let's go inside," Enzo said. "You've had a long day."

The group continued whatever boring conversation they were having before I showed up. I walked proudly, trying to imitate the body language of bounty hunters I had seen before. I passed the houses and stores that populated Mos Eisley. Beyond that was the endless expanse of desert. I spent days and nights dreaming of going on exciting adventures and getting away from this forsaken planet. But whenever I stared into the emptiness of the harsh desert, I wondered if this was all I was meant for.

*5 years later*

"I got four already!" I yelled into my earpiece.

I maneuvered the speeder bike through the canyon. I whizzed past blurs of red, orange, and brown rock formations. It was our day off, so me and my friends took the chance to go womp rat hunting.

"If you keep racing like that, you won't leave any rats for the rest of us!" Jed complained.

"Shut up, Jed," Ash said. "You're just jealous you can't fly fast enough."

I grinned at my friend's comment and scanned the rocks for womp rats. Movement in a crevice caught my eye. I lowered myself into the canyon and searched for the rat. It dragged a limp body into a dark alcove. It must've killed a lonely Tusken Raider. I aimed my gun into the dark hole and fired at it. The rat fell limp along side the Raider and I brought my speeder up from the deep walls.

"Got another one," I said.

"Let's get something to drink," Jed suggested.

I tasted my own parched mouth and agreed. We joined up and raced across the arid desert back to the spaceport to return the bikes to their owners. We ran to our favorite juice shop, the suns beating down on our necks. I smoothed out the braids in my hair and wiped the sweat from my face.

I looked to Ash, my best friend. Her pale green skin glowed in the daylight. She was smart to keep her hair cut short because of the heat, but I loved my long hair. Jed couldn't care less for the shaggy mess on his head.

After getting our drinks, we settled in a shady spot by the store. We drank quickly, relishing in the coolness seeping down our throats.

"I still think we should've gotten the blue milkshakes at your place," Ash told me.

"But I drink those all the time," I drew out in a long whine.

"Yeah, but we wouldn't have to pay," Jed muttered.

"Whatever," I said. "It's too late now."

We sipped our juices and watched the strange people of Mos Eisley walk by. The three of us theorized which people were criminals and what their body counts were.

"There's no way that Rodian is a murderer," Jed whispered. "Do you see his hat? It's not cool enough to be a killer's."

I nodded in agreement.

"Guys, should we ask that kid if he wants to join us?" Ash asked.

I turned to see an orange-skinned boy about twelve, same as us, sitting in the shade by himself. Lekku hung limply down his back. I never saw too many male Twi'leks. Most of the Twi'lek slaves here were female.

"Sure, I don't care," I said.

She approached the kid and and spoke gently. Ash finally brought him over and introduced us.

"This is Sil and Jed," Ash said. "Guys, this is James."

James watched us with wary eyes.

"Can he be with us?" Ash asked.

"Sure," I said. "But only if I get to call him Jam," I laughed quietly.

"Sil, why are you like this," Ash rolled her eyes at me.

"Because a bantha kicked Sil in the head when she was a baby," Jed joked.

"You kids are really weird," the older girl who served us our juices said from the window of her store.

Our eyes widened and we bolted. We spent the rest of the day running around pestering store owners and judging people's hats. The day darkened and we parted ways. My friends went back to their quarters and I arrived at mine. A crowd of people surrounded a table outside of the restaurant.

I peeked over shoulders to see Enzo and another man staring each other down. They were playing Sabacc. I watched with interest as people muttered to each other. The game must've been nearing its end.

Cheers erupted as people slapped my master on the back and many hands were shook. After the excitement died down, everyone left and headed home for the night.

"Master!" I called excitedly. "What did you win?"

"Your genius master won himself a land speeder," he said with a proud smile.

"YES," I screamed and punched the air. "Can I use it?"

"Did you finish cleaning the stove?" he asked.

"Yeeeees," I replied nodding my head in the direction of the kitchen.

"I'll think about it," he said.

"How do you win so many things?" I asked him.

"It's not all about winning, Sil," Enzo said. "You have to learn how to avoid losing. Unfortunately on Tatooine, moisture farmers seem to lose everything."

"What do you mean?" I tilted my head.

"Tell me, Sil," he said. "What do those moisture farmers have that I don't?"

"Water."

"Yes. Wait no," he corrected himself. "Okay they have water, but they don't get to keep a lot of it. Jabba taxes water. Those farmers have to give up most of it to that slug."

"And we don't?"

"We sell food," he explained. "And milkshakes, but not water."

I nodded along with him, understanding the process. "You're a genius!"

"That's right," he said. "Stick with me for a while, kid, and you'll learn not just how to make big money, but keep a lot of it too."

"But why does Jabba take all of their water?" I asked. It didn't seem fair to me that moisture farmers were stripped of what little they had.

"It makes him rich. That's all they care about," Enzo sighed. He noticed my upset expression. "Sil, listen to me and remember this for the rest of your life," he looked deeply at me and I turned all my focus on him. My master rarely got serious, so I knew whatever he had to say was important.

"There is only one thing people care about, especially in the Outer Rim," he said. "Money. No one ever does anything unless money is involved. Never trust a person who does anything for free, there's always a catch. Always."

I let his words sink and I pondered on what my master told me.

"What about friends?"

"There are no friends out here," Enzo sighed. He stared into the desert looking distant. There was something on his mind, but I didn't pry. "The only friend you have is yourself."