"𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧."

My fingers laced through my hair as I finished weaving a braid. I took the end in my hand and wrapped it around my head like a crown, pinning it in place. I smiled at myself in the mirror and threw a pair of goggles around my neck in case the wind decided to act up and blow sand into my face.

"Come on," Wes said entering my room. "Let's go milk that bantha."

Stepping out of my home, I was met with a dark sky. It was the time of morning when it was still somewhat cool and Tusken Raiders probably wouldn't come out and shoot you. In any case, I tucked a blaster into my belt.

We took the speeder and arrived at a farm where our grumpy bantha waited. Wes opened the creaky gate with his foot while I pushed some pails on a cart inside. We took turns holding the pails and milking the bantha.

"I thought you were going to bring your girlfriend to show her how we make milkshakes," I told Wes.

"I'll show her the fun stuff. Bantha milking isn't the most glamorous part of the process," Wes pointed his chin at the bantha who grunted loudly.

"I see your point," I agreed. "But I still can't believe you actually got a girlfriend," I elbowed him teasingly.

"If you don't spend all that time racing in the canyons, you might have one too."

"What? A girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend, boyfriend, bantha friend, whatever," he joked. "The point is, you're getting older and you need to figure out how you're going to escape this life. You don't want to work for Enzo forever, do you?"

"Obviously not, but I'm still just fifteen, Wes. I think you're overreacting." I rolled my eyes and smiled, but he wasn't smiling. He looked more serious than ever.

"Sil, we live in a dangerous place-"

"Yeah I know that," I cut him off.

"People will take advantage of you," he said louder and I shut up. "You're a slave."

I cast my eyes down and sighed. I knew what he was talking about, but neither of us wanted to say it.

"You're lucky Enzo isn't as big of an asshole as he pretends to be," Wes continued. "People have tried talking him into... letting others borrow you."

I mulled over what Wes told me. He was right. I needed to be smarter and think ahead, but I didn't know where to start.

"What should I do?"

"Learn self defense," he suggested. "At least so you can take care of yourself."

"Can you teach me?"

"Sure," he smiled.

We filled up the pails, loaded them onto the cart, and took them back to the restaurant. I pestered Wes on how much practice he had and what he was going to show me. After we finished what work we had for the day, he took me to his quarters where he had a punching bag.

"How much experience do you have with this?" I asked peering around his room.

"Enough. Now remember," he said. "It's not about knowing a million types of kicks or throwing fancy punches. If you master a few good techniques, you're better than half the bozos in that cantina."

We spent the whole afternoon punching, drawing power from the waist and making a direct path to the target. By the end of the day, my arms felt like noodles. After getting home and inhaling my dinner, I face planted onto my pillow and slept soundly.

Over the next few months, Wes trained me. The mornings after our lessons filled my muscles with soreness, but it felt good. It was a sweet kind of pain. I stared at my reddened knuckles, a smile forming on my face.

I put my hair in a simple braid down my back as I got ready to see my friends later. I snuck to the main door so my master wouldn't give me another chore to do. The door slid open with a whir. There was no way he didn't hear it.

"See ya, Enzo!" I said running out.

"Do NOT call me that!" he yelled before returning to his datapad.

I trudged my way towards my friend's meeting spot. I kicked the ground as I went, sending sand flying behind me.

"Hey! Learn to walk!" someone shouted.

I snickered and continued on my way, pissing off as many people as I could without getting shot. I passed by rows of rusted and busted speeders. Merchants stood by their heaps of junk, hoping to reel in a stupid customer.

I found my friends waiting behind a building, kicking through heaps of trash. "What're you guys up to?"

"Not much," Jam said.

"James was saying we should check out the new dessert place," Ash smiled.

I rolled my eyes at Ash using Jam's real name. "Sure. Whatever," I said. "I'm always down for food."

The four of us walked the dirt streets of Mos Eisley acting like we owned the place. Night fell and people came out of their hiding from the suns. Ash and Jam walked in front, side by side. They talked to each other as if there was no one else around them. Jed and I walked behind them and shared a look.

"Looks like Ash has a crush," Jed sang childishly.

"Unfortunately," I muttered. Ash was drifting from me recently and I didn't like it.

"Don't worry," Jed elbowed my arm. "You're still her best friend."

"I better be."

We arrived at the dessert place, got a Pikatta pie, and split it. I sank my teeth into my slice and a cry rang out. We froze in our tracks. I headed towards the noise with light steps. We approached the back of a bar and a man lay on the ground, groaning as he held a bloody spot on his stomach.

"It's just another bar fight," I said. "Come on, let's get out of here."

I turned around, but Jam stopped me.

"What?"

"We should help him," Jam said.

"Why?" I asked squinting in confusion.

"He looks badly injured," Jam reasoned. "He could die."

"And what if someone thinks it was us who killed him?" I pointed out. "We should go."

"Well, I agree with James," Ash said.

I looked at Ash as if she was a different person. "That guy needs our help. Come on!" She walked over to the man on the floor. I groaned as the rest of us followed her.

"He's been shot," Ash observed. "I'm going to get help," she ran into the bar while Jam found a loose piece of cloth and pressed on the wound.

"I don't believe this," I rolled my eyes.

"Sil, can you talk to the guy? Please?" Jam asked.

"Fine," I muttered and patted the guys cheek. "Hey buddy, are you still alive?"

Ash came back with someone who seemed to know what she was doing.

"I'll take it from here, kids," she said watching us comfort the man. "Thanks for helping out."

"It's no problem, ma'm," I smiled politely at her.

Ash frowned and punched me on the shoulder. Then we headed back for the slave quarters. We joked around with each other like always, but I felt distant. I had been willing to leave that man to die. The guilt ate away at me and latched onto my mind. I wished I had never thought of being so selfish. My thoughts clashed between lessons I learned from horrible people and the kindness of my friends. Tatooine was the home of gangsters, scum, and villainy. I couldn't become one of them.

*2 years later*

I wrapped my utility belt around my waist. It complemented my hips nicely as I brought my hands over them. There wasn't much going on upstairs in terms of curviness. I shrugged to myself. You can't have everything.

Most of the time my belt carried a small knife, some tools, and occasionally a blaster pistol. During dinner rush, it carried napkins and straws. I weaved through tables to make it to the person who called me over.

"Can I help you, sir?"

"Yeah, I found a hair in my burger," he pointed to a strand of hair on the table.

"Okay, where's the burger?"

"Oh I already finished it, but I get another one, right," he smiled.

I stopped myself from rolling my eyes at the crap this guy tried to sell me.

"It's not my hair," he said holding up his hands.

"Yeah, but it's your friend's," I tilted my chin at the man next to him who had a full head of hair.

"Listen here, girl," he growled. "I can get your restaurant shut down if you don't cooperate."

I yawned at his threat. This guy was totally an off-worlder. "Well I have news for you, buddy," I put a hand on my hip. "This isn't the upper levels of Coruscant. The only laws here are Jabba's laws."

"And Jabba loves having Enzo's food at his parties," another customer supported from the table behind me.

The man looked at me dangerously. "There are always other ways you could make it up to me," he sneered. "Slave girl."

I scowled at his smug expression. He grabbed my arm and shoved me away from the dining area. I stumbled forward a few steps. He put a hand through my hair and I grew angry. I turned on my heels and kicked sideways, landing a strong one on the man's stomach. He gathered his arms in front of him to subdue the pain. I eyed him victoriously and the rest of the crowd watched, nodding at my actions.

"Nice one, Sil," said one of the diners.

In a second, a blaster was aimed at my chest. On instinct, I rolled to the side as a shot rang out. I returned my focus to the man. He stared at me confused and glanced at his blaster as if there was something wrong with it. I darted out of the way as more blaster fire whizzed past my head. The man looked at me horrified and cursed as he stalked off. I looked at the people who were no longer eating, just staring at me in silence.

I awkwardly brushed a strand of hair behind my ear and walked back into the dining area. People clapped me on the shoulder and raised their glasses at me.

"You showed him, Sil," a woman smiled at me.

The excitement died down eventually and I returned to my duties. The calm chatter of the restaurant resumed.

It was finally closing time and I wiped down the last of the tables as Wes locked up the outer fence. People hung around the neighboring buildings and talked in low voices.

"Busy day?"

I looked up to see the Haler couple, Dira and Harry. They were middle aged. Harry owned a parts shop in the city. They were always kind to the slave kids, giving us treats and trinkets. The pair smiled at me warmly.

"It was a normal day," I shrugged. "You should see what it's like on Boonta Eve. People leave Mos Espa after the pod race and flock here."

They nodded in understanding as I smiled at the memories of how crowded it gets. My master learned to stock up the night before the big pod races.

"How is Enzo?" Harry asked.

"Oh he's fine. He's inside, probably in the kitchen," I said. "He won't be very happy to see you guys here though."

"Ah, he won't mind," Dira said. "Although I wish he'd give you up already. Enzo doesn't appreciate you as much as he should."

"We could use you at the store," Harry added.

"That's nice of you guys, but I can't just go with you," I said drawing my eyes away from them. I looked for any other spots I might have missed on the table. "I belong to Enzo."

"That's true," Dira released a heavy sigh. "Here," she handed me a small box. "It's a little something you can add in your hair since you love doing it so much."

I grinned and took the box. Inside were thin golden strands. They would complement my hair nicely.

"Thanks Dira," I smiled.

"Anytime, Sil."

I slipped the box into a pouch on my belt. After securing it, I heard my master's voice ring out.

"Hey!" he shouted. "How many times do I have to tell you two to stay away from Sil?"

"We were just talking to her, Enzo," Harry replied calmly.

"I don't need you guys filling her head with stupid ideas," Enzo countered. "Come on, Sil."

He held my wrist and led me in the house. I turned to wave goodbye to Dira and Harry. Once inside, Enzo sat in a chair and I sat across him.

"Why do you talk to them when I specifically told you not to?"

"They called me over," I defended myself. "I couldn't just ignore them."

He threw his head back in annoyance, but I was pissed off too. A long time ago, I did want to be with the Halers instead of Enzo, but I grew past that eventually. I realized I was fine here. I would never admit it out loud, but Enzo became more than just my master over the years. We could be explosive at times, but it didn't mean I wanted to leave. I just needed him to lay off me sometimes.

"Why are you so against me talking to them? They've only ever been nice to me," I said my voice growing louder.

"You have no idea who they are," he said darkly.

"What? Candy dealers?"

Enzo looked at me like I was stupid, which I probably was. "Their kindness is a front."

I sat confused as he gathered himself to continue speaking. "Their parts shop is also a front. I didn't want to tell you this because you were so young when they started talking to you." His voice grew sad and I listened intently.

"The Halers work for Jabba under the table. They find little girls and boys and sell them off to that slimeball to work in his palace," Enzo explained and cast his eyes down. "It wasn't long after your parents were gone they were after me. They wanted me to sell you to them so they could hand you over to Jabba."

After a few moments of silence and staring at the floor, I stood in front of him. All those years of those two being nice to me was to sell me off to be a dancer.

"You were right," I said softly. "All people care about is money."

"It's better you learn that sooner than later."

"Thanks for telling me. I'll be sure to steer clear of that couple from now on." I tried a smile which he shared.

"You're a smart kid, Sil," he said and pulled me in for a quick hug. "I know you'll be able to handle yourself."

He patted my shoulder and disappeared into a room. My smile lingered as I looked after him. I remembered the box in my pouch holding the gift from Dira. My smile fell and I walked outside. She probably got me the golden strands so I could look pretty for whoever she wanted to sell me to. I scoffed at the thought. I found a trash can and chucked the box into it causing a loud rattle. A few people glared in my direction, but I didn't care.

I stared up into the dark sky. Tatooine was a place full of horrible people and horrible things, but one thing that remained beautiful was the view. Two moons glowed overhead. When I was little, I always thought that the moons were friends who were lost in a sea of stars. They didn't know where they were, but as long as they were together, they'd be alright.

😎