“It is not Haven who is pushing me away from service. It is you,” I say. “You are forcing me to act against your orders. You are forcing me to kill myself to protect her.”
“You would die for a worthless traitor?” he spits.
“I would lay my life down for hers in a heartbeat,” I reply. “An act you would never understand, because you are incapable of love.”
The storm inside me collapses into silence. My thoughts drain away, and along with them my emotions, until I am a blank canvas.
The resistance leaves my body, and the blade clatters to the ground, rolling thrice before it lands flat.
“Excellent,” the Director says with a hum in his voice. “Give us the girl.”
I step forward.
I lay Haven on the ground like an offering.
Her hair pools around her like a shallow lake, dark and glistening.
And without a word, I step away, leaving her to face her fate.
chapter
forty-seven
Haven
Iwake to white.
White walls. White lights. White dressing gown.
I’m in an examination chamber. A camera is fixed in the corner, its dark lens watching me. I’m strapped to a narrow bed, my wrists and ankles bound in thick leather cuffs. Panic slides down my spine as I test them, but they don’t give an inch.
They know what I am. The Supreme Director knows about my power and my allegiances. Ender knows too, but somehow he kept it a secret. He protected me.
My chest warms at the thought. Nobody has ever looked after me before. Not until I met him.
Every injury, every wound, every misstep, Ender was always there to keep me safe. He never left my side. And I can’t help but worry that something terrible befell him because of it.
It explains why he was so distant before the test. He must have known.
Time passes in a blur. Nobody comes to check on me, and the silence is deafening. I try not to think about everyone I lost. I’ve learned by now that grief is like a sea, and if you allow it to, it will sweep you away into the dark. And I have to focus on my escape. I will mourn my friends once I am out of here.
The one thing I can’t shake is my worry for my sister. He has Mercy. He admitted as much. I need to stay strong so I can free her. My choices lead us here.
I fight the restraints every few minutes, but my efforts are futile. My powers are of no use unless someone comes close enough for me to stop time while I rustle through their pockets for the keys. I’m trapped.
When the door finally opens, dread fills me. Until I see Ender.
He’s immaculate in his uniform, dark hair combed neatly back, posture rigid. His hands are folded behind him. His beautiful face is set like stone.
“Hello, Haven,” he says.
“Vale,” I say, relief fills me when he approaches me. “Vale, you’re safe. That’s good.”
He stares at me, or rather, he stares through me. Like I am covered by a veil, and the fabric is too thick for him to see past.
“You are charged with conspiring against the regime, falsifying your testing records, deception, and espionage. How do you plead?”
The questions are unnecessary, not when he knows the truth.
