“No, I always know… You don’t get to determine when I am safe, I do! ONLY I DO! Because no one… No one can be trustedexcept me!” He shook his head and let out a breathy gasp, as he stuttered out, “S-safety is mostly a lie.”
That wasn’t true…safety wasalwaysa lie. A trick of the mind… Because as soon as you felt it, that feeling would betray you, and then everything would be lost. Ender had already lost everything once! He couldn’t lose it again. He couldn’t! But what if he did?
Ender wrapped his arms around himself, his nails digging into his arms as he struggled to draw in air. Had he lied to himself again that he’d been safe?
He’d failed again. Ender let himself believe in safety again. His babies…he’d put them in danger…
“S-safety—aha—i-is a lie.”
Ender let out a fearful yelp when he felt arms wrapping around him, his eyes widening on finding Killian right there.
He flinched as Cyrus joined the now group hug, the Fate rasping, “Ender, you are safe with us.”
Ender shook his head. “No, no, no, you’re not listening. Safety is a lie. It’s alie.”
“It’s not, it’s okay. You are safe here, with us. We won’t hurt you,” Killian whispered.
On hearing the Siren’s smooth voice, something inside him felt as if it had loosened, or unraveled, soothed. It was a feeling that always came when the man spoke, one that he usually ignored, but now he couldn’t. It was dangerous… Both of these men were dangerous, but Killian had too much power over him…
“No, no! That voice! You are trying to trick me! I-I c-can tell!” Ender hissed as he attempted to push the Siren away, but the stubborn asshole held on.
“He’s not trying to entrance you, Ender!” Cyrus cried, the man almost sounding as if he was pleading for him to believe him. “You are safe with us. We are not going to hurt you. Hell, Ijust outright and unscrupulously murdered a bunch of people, in a manner where they had no way to fight back, just to make sure you were safe. I would have never done that if I didn’t care about your safety.”
Ender froze at the Fate’s words. He wanted to believe them… A part of him really did, but…why were they really there? Not for him…
They’d never been here just for him. The babies—they wanted his babies. That was the ONLY reason they were here. It was never about him!
“No, no, no, you just want my babies for yourselves!” Ender screamed, struggling harder to free himself.
Hissing loudly when he failed, he let the change come on. Scales rapidly formed over his skin as his legs joined and formed a tail, his hair coiling and thickening until slithering, snapping white snakes appeared. Even then, he couldn’t break free, as he found himself shifting more firmly into Cyrus’ hold over Killian’s. He was now in the man’s lap, his back pressed against the Fate’s chest.
“Ender, we are not going to take them from you. We want to raise them with you,” Killian swore. Ender hissed again, his fangs dropping when the Siren cupped his face. “I promise you, we are not going to take them away.”
“LIES! I don’t—” He took a wheezing breath in. “I don’t believe you! Let go! Let go of me!”
“Ender, you need to calm down. You are going to hurt yourself,” Cyrus begged. “You are safe.”
“No, no, no, no! Dangerous! It’s dangerous here!” Ender screamed, before giving up on struggling and just sagging there, feeling helpless as tears blurred his vision.
Why couldn’t safety be real?! His babies, they’d never be safe…he was going to lose them again.
“You are going to take them,” he sobbed.
“We won’t. We promise you, we won’t,” the Siren soothed.
“No, he’ll come again, or they will, and they'll take them just like they did the others.”
“No, no one is going to take them from you,” Cyrus promised. “You are safe.”
Ender shook his head. “Nowhere is safe. Th-they just want you to think you are, and th-then, when you do, they will be there.”
“Who will?” Cyrus asked. “Who will be there?”
He hesitated for a moment before whispering, as if saying it aloud would summon them, “Y-your family.”
Cyrus flinched at the words,the fear in Ender’s voice like a painful stab to his chest.
Swallowing hard, and hoping more than anything he wasn’t lying, he rasped, “I won’t let that happen. I won’t let them hurt you.”
