Rigel saunters to the metal chair. The medic steps forward and speaks with him. Slowly, he folds up his sleeve, holding out his forearm for an injection. I had thought the medic was here to fix us up after, but of course, Ender isn’t that thoughtful.
“What is happening?” I whisper to Spider.
He was discharged yesterday after he was pumped full of medicine and fluids. He hit his head pretty hard from theexplosion. I felt so guilty seeing his skin so colorless, and his eyes sealed shut.
It’s getting harder to play both sides when there are people here I care for.
Ender stands on the observatory deck as usual, looking down at us like a king standing over his spoils. His face is hard, hands gripping the railing like it is a throat he intends to strangle.
Flint and Rei lean over to hear Spider’s answer.
“Mental warfare,” Spider replies.
“How?” I ask nervously.
“Vale is in their mind, showing them their worst fears and seeing if they crack under the pressure,” he says.
We watch in horror as Rigel starts seizing. His eyes are open, pupils wide and glassy, before he comes to a sudden stop. The medic returns, checks his pulse, and confirms the time of death. Ten minutes.
It took ten minutes for Ender to break him.
Aric is next.
“What’s the injection?” I ask.
“Temporary paralytic, so they can’t run.”
A shudder runs through me. I can only imagine what monsters Ender is using to torment them. He can’t read our thoughts or secrets, so he will go on what he knows about us. Our histories are all compiled in a file, and there are cameras placed in every public area. We are morsels that are consumed daily by the enforcers. He must have studied us to frighten us.
They claim that the surveillance is to keep us safe, to protect us from the Resistance, but it is about control. As everything in this broken world is. It is the same reason why they banned the cyberspace, so we would not be able to communicate on forums and share our stories of injustice. The reason they take away our books is so that we cannot be reminded of our history. So, we don’t learn about the rebellions that won or the governmentsthat were toppled. Or speak the names of the people who fought bravely for what they believed in.
I stand up.
Spider raises a brow, but I ignore him.
“Where are you going?” Rei whispers.
“To speak with Vale.”
My fingers are slippery with sweat as I climb the stairs to the deck. Despite all the tests we’ve done so far, this one terrifies me the most. Ender’s wrists are folded behind his back, and he stares down at the scene with an intensity that chills me.
He’s using his powers to torture them, painting them lies that they cannot escape. Stalking them like a beast carved from the shadows, sinking his claws into their skulls. They are witnessing great horrors unbeknownst to them; it all belongs to a single, terribly beautiful boy.
I swallow, trying to make my voice sharper, but it just sounds small and shaky, like a beetle scurrying under the floorboards.
“Vale?”
“I’m working, Warrick.”
“This isn’t fair,” I say.
“What if the Untamed have an Illusionist?” he asks. “If you can’t conquer your own fears, then you are not worthy of fighting alongside me. Now get back to your seat.”
I grit my teeth.
“Look, you can use anything against me.”
“I plan to,” he says. “Now leave.”
