The Secret Life of Ri'ma Kenobi
Part Two: The Attack of the Clones and the Mystery Child
Part Two: The Attack of the Clones and the Mystery Child
Chapter Twenty-Four
"Ri’ma!” Tomvin yelled again. “Don’t make me”- he pulled of a shoe- “come in there after you! I will”- off with the other shoe- “So help me, I will come after you!” Ri’ma didn’t respond and he jumped into the water. He was a much better swimmer than she was, and he soon caught up with her.
“What are you doing?” she spluttered, treading water and trying not to get a mouthful of it.
“If he really is my brother, I have to meet him!” Tomvin began swimming again and Ri’ma struggled to go more quickly. Tomvin slowed his pace so they could swim together. The boat was not far from them and only lazily floating down the stream, so they were able to catch up to it in no time. When they were a few feet from it, the young man turned around and saw them. A puzzled look fell across his face and the woman leaned over and said something to him. The man responded, and they both stared over the side of the boat as Ri’ma and Tomvin came up to it.
“What on Tattoine??” The young man rolled up his sleeves, leaned over the side of the boat, and fished Ri’ma out of the water. He set her in the middle of the boat, between himself and the beautiful woman, then he helped Tomvin in as well. They sat there, dripping, as the man and woman stared. Ri’ma began to shiver in the cool breeze and, clearing her throat, tried to explain.
“We…thought we might know you.”
The young man frowned. “I’ve never seen either one of you in my life. Why were you swimming out there? don’t you know that’s dangerous? are you two all alone?”
Ri’ma was shaking now, too cold to answer. The woman noticed and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.
“Anakin, this little girl needs to be brought back to shore. She’s freezing. It’s much too cool a morning to go swimming.”
Ri’ma’s heart thundered in her chest. His name was Anakin! It had to be him!
“Okay…” Anakin turned the boat around. “We’ll go back.” He eyed Ri’ma up and down, from her grinning, blue-from-cold face to her wet bare feet. He seemed to be trying to place her. Ri’ma couldn’t speak, so she just grinned stupidly, excitement welling up inside of her. Tomvin’s eyes shifted back and forth from her, the woman, and Anakin. He seemed very confused and said nothing.
When the boat reached shore again, Anakin helped the woman and Ri’ma out, and Tomvin scrambled to shore himself. The woman smiled at Ri’ma and asked her where she lived.
“N-not far.” the girl managed. She was much warmer now, being away from the cool breeze blowing off of the water, and her excitement would no longer wait. “Y-you’re Anakin S-skywalker, aren’t you?”
Anakin looked startled. “Uh…yes, yes I am. How did you know that?”
Ri’ma giggled and threw her arms around him, startling him all the more. Her cheek pressed against his Jedi tunic she said “I’m Ri’ma Kenobi!” In her excitement she forgot that that name was supposed to be a secret. Gasping, she recovered, then stared up at Anakin’s face, her greenish-blue eyes sparkling and dancing. Anakin’s own blue eyes were cloudy for just half a moment before, looking down into her face, he said
“Ri’ma? Little Ri’ma Kenobi?”
She nodded and he burst out laughing. While the woman and Tomvin looked on, completely baffled, Anakin took Ri’ma up in his arms and swung her around. When he set her down his eyes danced with mischief. “I shouldn’t have done that. I don’t expect it’s proper.” he said with a sly smile. Ri’ma just giggled.
“Ani, who is this?”
Anakin looked at the woman shyly, which Ri’ma found to be quite odd. “She’s an old friend. She was just a baby when I was her age. I helped take care of her, all the time.” Suddenly Anakin looked strangely guilty, as though he had said something he shouldn’t have.
“Ani…did you say her last name is Kenobi?”
Anakin just nodded, still looking guilty. Ri’ma realized that he hadn’t meant to reveal so much about her- she obviously didn’t know that he had told Obi-Wan that his secret was’ safe with him’, but she figured that was true.
“Is she a relation of Obi-Wan’s?”
Anakin quickly changed the subject, turning to Ri’ma. “How do you remember me? You weren’t but a few weeks old when we parted.
“My mother told me all about you, and I pieced that together with my memories.” Ri’ma replied. Then her curious nature came out. “Who is the woman with you?”
Anakin colored up to his forehead. “Her name is Padme’ Amidala. She’s a senator. I was…escorting her here. She needed to come home.”
“Then why did you-” Ri’ma stopped, catching herself. What business was it of hers if Anakin kissed a senator? Still, she wanted to find out. Maybe she could ask him another time, when Padme’ wasn’t with him. She didn’t want to embarrass him. “It’s so good to see you again, Anakin!” she said instead.
Anakin grinned. “You don’t know how pleased I am to see you!” he said, in the most sincere tone. He looked at her with such fondness in those big baby blues of his that Ri’ma felt something turn inside of her. Then he flashed her one of those oh-so-familiar, winning smiles of his and her heart skipped a beat.
“Anakin…” she changed the subject, trying not to blush “This is your brother, Tomvin.”
“My…brother?”
“Half-brother.” Tomvin corrected. “We think.”
“How…what…” Anakin fumbled for words.
“His mother was Shmi Skywalker before she married again.” Ri’ma explained.
“Shmi…Skywalker?” Anakin was shocked. “I’ve been having dreams about her, and-” Padme’ sent him a warning look and he broke off.
“What dreams?” Ri’ma’s curiosity was peaked.
“There a little to scary for me to tell you about. I…I just had some bad dreams about her. I wish very badly to see my mother, but I can’t…” He trailed off and sighed, staring into the distance as though he were seeing those dreams now. Ri’ma stuck her tiny hand into his large one and smiled up at her handsome young uncle.
“It’s okay, Anakin.” she said soothingly. “I’m sure your mother is just fine. Dreams don’t mean anything.”
Anakin looked down at her, a strange heaviness in his blue eyes, and said nothing.
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