“Because you haven’t stopped speaking about him since we left,” Mercy says. “And you have that little crease between your brows, that you get when you’re worried.”
“He’s…he’s my friend, okay? And I don’t want to see him hurt.”
“Okay,” she says slowly.
“You don’t believe me?” I say.
“I never said anything,” she says.
“He stood between the Supreme Director and me,” I say. “He protected me, and now he is being punished for it.”
“What if he can’t be fixed?” she asks. “What if it’s too late?”
Pain slices through me at her words. I know she didn’t say it to hurt me, but after Sullivan’s confirmation that Ender belongs to them, it is too much.
“I’m sorry, Haven,” Mercy says. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Nobody cares about Ender.
He is not a priority to the Resistance. They can’t see that we would be so much stronger with Ender on our side. After everything his father put him through, he would flip sides now without a doubt.
Somewhere beyond these walls, the boy I care about is being turned into a monster.
And I vow to get him back. Even if it kills me.
epilogue
Ender
The technicians stand in a neat line. Their eyes are downcast as I demand answers. These incompetent fools let the girl slip through their fingers.
“He drugged us, sir,” the man says with pleading eyes. “We didn’t see his face.”
“And he stole our uniforms,” the woman continues.
I listen without interruption. Excuses. That is all they offer me.
Once they are done, I whip out my gun and put a bullet in their heads, quickly and efficiently. Blood splatters on my boots, and a satisfying thud sounds as their bodies collapse on the tiled floor. They deserve to die for letting our strongest asset get away.
I head to my office on the upper levels of Block A. My father has been working out of it since he arrived yesterday. His leather briefcase lies flat on the desk, files spilling out of the open mouth. There is one with a bright white sticker that readsAstrid Mallory.
“She escaped,” I say flatly.
His scornful, dark eyes burn with fury.
“How?” he growls. “How could you let this happen?”
“They had help from someone. Their identity remains a mystery, but they mentioned he was a male,” I say. “He took her and her sister.”
Unease slides across the Supreme Director’s face.
There have been strong Untamed in the past whom we’ve captured and executed to protect the civilians and the greater continent. I don’t recall him ever having an interest in them. Not like he does with Haven Warrick.
I wonder if it has to do with the fact that he cannot see her future. As a Psychic, he can see everyone’s path. Except Haven and anyone whose life is intertwined with hers. It is why he couldn’t see her betrayal.
“Show me,” he barks.
I play the surveillance footage in silence. His fingers are steepled on the oaken surface, his expression unreadable.
