Free The Crystal Star by Vonda McIntyre Page B

seven
    thousand!
    One of them must lead outside, she thought.
    Then she realized, If this is a spaceship--which she had not been able to figure whether it was or
    not--then getting out won't do us any good at all.
    She was so tired. She tried to pretend she did not want to take a nap--naps were for little kids, like
    Anakin--but her eyelids kept drooping.
    Tigris urged Jaina and Jacen into the big stone room. It echoed all around. He stopped, standing between
    the twins. Jaina was so sleepy that she leaned against him. She almost fell asleep standing up.
    Tigris's hand lay on her shoulder. It was the only warm thing in her whole world. For a second--just a
    second--his touch felt like a friendly hug.
    Jaina thought he might pick her up and carry her to a place where she could take a nap, and tuck her in
    like Winter did. And everything would be all right.
    Then she remembered where she was and what had happened, and maybe Tigris remembered that too,
    because he shook her shoulder and made her wake up.
    "Here!" he said. "None of that. Here we don't sleep unless we're in our beds. There's no time for lazy
    napping!" "I wasn't asleep!" Jaina said, which was sort of true.
    "Me either," Jacen said.
    He sounded as sleepy as Jaina felt. He must be wrapped in one of Hethrir's heavy cold blankets, too.
    But when we're in bed it will be all right, Jaina thought. It will be warm and I can sneak my hand out of
    the covers and he can sneak his hand out of his covers and we can hold hands. And even if we can't
    think at each other we can whisper.
    Jaina's eyes filled with tears and her vision blurred. She had never before had to think about sneaking just
    so she could hold her brother's hand. She never had to think about sneaking before at all! And she could
    not remember the time before she could think at Jacen.
    She felt so cold and tired and hungry and lonely that she almost burst into tears again. She only kept from
    crying because she knew that pretty soon she could talk to Jacen and they could figure out what to do.
    Tigris urged them forward. They reached one of the little doors. Tigris opened it. Jaina thought there
    would be another long corridor beyond it. She did not think she could walk down another long corridor.
    There was hardly anything at all beyond the door.
    Only a tiny room, just the width of the door and only about twice as deep.
    Jaina stopped, confused. Maybe there was another door at the back of the tiny room. But she could see
    no handle, no automatic controls, no mark where the door's edge would be.
    The open door was heavy, scarred wood, while the inside of the room was the ugly, gray-glowing rock.
    Tigris let go of Jacen's hand and pressed him a few steps forward into the little room.
    The door thudded shut behind him.
    "Jacen! Jacenffwas Jaina cried. She snatched herself out of Tigris's grasp and ran to the door, grabbing
    for the handle. But Tigris pulled her away. From the other side, Jacen cried out her name. She could
    barely hear him.
    "Come now," Tigris said. "Don't be a baby. Here we don't shout and scream. We're brave." Jaina turned
    around furiously. "I am brave!" she said.
    She tried to hit him, but he caught both her hands and held them still, and she could not do anything.
    "I am brave, and I want my brother!" "It's time to sleep," Tigris said. "You won't act so foolish in the
    morning. Come along." Maybe I can still talk to Jacen through the wall, Jaina thought desperately. Maybe
    it won't be too bad..
    She turned hopefully toward the door next to Jacen's.
    Tigris led her away from Jacen's room, all the way across the huge square hall. He opened a door to a
    tiny room just like Jacen's, but as far from her brother's as it could be.
    Tigris let go of her hand. She looked up at him.
    "Show me that you are brave," he said. He glanced into the room and Jaina knew he wanted her to go
    inside without being told.
    She looked up at him, directly into his large dark eyes.
    "I want to go home," she said.
    "I