Chapter 22
chapter
twenty-two
Haven
Spider throws his arms around me just as I stuff a spoonful of soup in my mouth, nearly making me choke.
Sunlight streams into the room through the barred windows.
Flint and Rei aren’t here yet. We usually time our entrance together because there is strength in numbers, and nobody wants to be caught off-guard by Aric and his friends.
The air is tense on their side of the room, and I’m relieved when Spider drags out the chair beside me. Nobody dares to come near us when Spider is here. Or Knox.
“It’s so good to have you back!” he says. “I really took you for granted, didn’t I? Nothing like a good old kidnapping to remind you of one’s value.”
“Good to see you too, little psycho,” I say. “I heard about your antics. You’ve been back for a few days, and people are already bitching.”
He grins sheepishly.
“It was good to work off some steam,” he says. “But now that you’re back, we can resume our one-on-ones. I have a lot riding on you winning this thing.”
“And here I thought you were so concerned about my well-being because you considered me a friend,” I say, sighing dramatically. “Be still, my foolish heart.”
Spider elbows me. He’s smiling so wide, his dimples look like permanent indents.
“Come on,” Spider says. “I already know someone has their eyes on you.”
“Oh, yeah, who, Aric?” I ask. “He definitely has his eyes on me all the time.”
Spider glances away, making sure no one hears him, before he leans forward.
“I can’t say, but just know that I’m rooting for you both.”
He sits upright and winks at me before slipping out.
I roll my eyes at his theatrics. One thing about Spider is that he can’t resist the urge to gossip, which means he has no news to share.
He just wants to mess with my head. What an idiot.
Even knowing how silly he is, I feel a strange sense of camaraderie with him.
I can see why the other members of Black Star don’t get along with him. He tends to use his humor and biting tongue as a shield. They neglect to see that, beyond all that, he is a rather sweet, funny boy.
The Founder’s Day ceremony is to be held in the Primary Hall. The chamber is a vacuum of power, filled with dignitaries, cadets, and soldiers. Uniform medals twinkle under the crystal chandelier lights.
I’m in full regalia. The fabric of my coat is stiff and unforgiving. My undershirt is pressed to perfection, and silver-trimmed epaulets hang from the shoulder blades. I feel safe with my holster at my hip, and my boots planted like stakes on the marble floor.
Flint and Rei flank me, their backs as taut as bowstrings.
Everyone is a little on edge. It’s our first public appearance.
Only the Gifted are invited to this affair, except for me.
It’s strange to be in a room full of people who see me as their lesser.
My coat doesn’t have a colored collar. It is clear to see that I don’t belong.
Anytime someone strikes up a conversation, the first question they ask Rei and Flint is their surname and classification, while they ignore me.
“This is going to be unbearable,” Rei mutters. “A bunch of stuck-up Gifted, judging us in silence.”
I raise a brow. “You are a stuck-up Gifted.”
Rei waves a hand. “That was yesterday. Today is today.”
I exchange an amused glance with Flint.
The cadets are a little nervous about how the soldiers will treat them. Everyone is trying to be on their best behavior and not make any powerful enemies who will make their lives hell when they graduate.
My eyes roam the space. It’s a small mercy that Warrick won’t be here. He’s attending the celebration dinner at the capital instead.
Ender stands in the middle of the room. His obsidian coat molds to his shoulders and chest like armor. His dark hair is drawn back with some type of gel, revealing his elegantly beautiful face. Beside him stands Clover, her eyes locked on his, as he speaks with a bulky man with graying temples.
The way Clover looks at him disturbs me. She is gazing at him like the world lies in the palm of his hand. It isn’t just respect that glows in her midnight-blue eyes. It is devotion and love.
“Does your sister know that her husband has a woman who would get on her knees for him if he gave her the smallest cue?” Rei asks.
My fist clenches to my side.
“He wouldn’t dare humiliate my sister like that,” I say, between gritted teeth.
I would kill him without hesitation.
Ender takes the stage to begin the welcome speech; Clover follows him and stands to his left. She looks beautiful. Crests are pinned above her breasts, commemorating her various victories. Her pale hair is tied in a stern bun that pulls at her temples like pins are woven beneath her flesh.
Mercy should be there. Mercy should be the one smiling politely at the guests and standing by Ender’s side.
Not Clover.
“Easy,” Flint whispers, squeezing my shoulder. “It isn’t exactly a surprise for high-ranking officials to take mistresses.”
“What?” I ask, turning to face him.
Flint shifts, uncomfortable by the wrath in my eyes.
“It’s not that unheard of,” he mumbles. “Tasteless. Yes. But does it happen? Yes, and more than anyone cares to admit.”
Ender cuts an impossible figure on the stage.
Everyone in the room is focused on him. Their eyes are wide with awe, and it makes me realize that I spoke too soon when I said he’d make a terrible politician.
He fits right in with the rest of those snakes.
He doesn’t need their admiration because they both fear and respect him.
“Soldiers and esteemed dignitaries,” he begins. “Today, we gather to honor the legacy of our Founder, Bane Vale, and celebrate him for the system he built with courage and sacrifice.”
A ripple moves through the crowd.
They latch onto his statement, as he regurgitates the same fruitless words his father often does during his campaigns. Malric Vale has won his seat for two ten-year terms consecutively without fail. His surname protects him, and his favor with the people is unshakeable.
“As Commandant,” he continues, letting the title roll across the room, heavy and unshakeable, “I ask you to remember that it is not your classification that defines you, but action in the face of upheaval. The Gifted may hold power, but the strength of any soldier comes from their resolve, loyalty, and the willingness to face what the world throws at them, no matter how impossible it seems.”
His gaze turns to me. He holds it for what feels like an eternity.
I shift uncomfortably under the force of his gaze and the meaning behind his words.
He breaks the intense eye contact, allowing me to suck in a deep breath.
It almost sounded like a compliment. Like he was trying to say, you don’t have to be Gifted to make a change.
But then again, only a fool would take his words for truth.
“Founders’ Day is not simply a celebration of the past, but a reminder that each of us, Gifted or Common alike, has a role to play, and an obligation to fulfill. It is only when we honor that duty that we truly serve our nation, and each other.”
Applause fills the room, and it takes everything in me not to roll my eyes.
“That man could sell water to a fish,” Rei says. “His father would be proud of him.”
I watch Ender with clear disdain. There will always be another Vale waiting to step up and rule us with an iron fist. First, it was his grandfather, Bane; then his father, Malric; and Ender would be next. And someday it would be his child.
Well, Mercy and Ender’s offspring. The thought makes me shudder, and I feel a sliver of guilt for putting my sister in this situation. It was supposed to be me locked up in his stifling house, preparing the wedding, while she roams freely.
I can’t help but feel like she got the short end of the stick.
Clover is still following him like his shadow. Occasionally, her hand falls to his elbow, lingering there for several minutes.
I put my sister in this position. The least I can do is ensure that the man I trapped her with doesn’t publicly humiliate her. Invitations have already been sent out for the engagement party. A week from now, everyone will know that Ender Vale and my sister intend to wed.
I head over to where he is speaking with a retired military couple. The man is in his full regalia. His white mustache twitches at my approach like a rabbit hiding in the underbrush. My lack of medals and gift classification makes him instantly turn away, dismissing me as a lowly, powerless cadet.
“May I speak with you, sir?” I ask curtly.
Ender’s eyes meet mine.
“Not now,” he says. “Return to your squad.”
“It is important,” I say. “It’ll only take five minutes.”
Clover’s eyes narrow suspiciously. She should be wary, because I am about to ensure that Ender never looks her way again.
He belongs to Mercy, and if he forgot, then I will remind him of his place.
If I can’t make him love her, I can sure as hell make sure he remains loyal.
Ender surprises me when he nods towards the terrace.
“Someone better be dying, Warrick,” he mutters.
“Someone is dying,” I say.
We step outside, and the sweet, night air drifts toward us.
Ender folds his arms across his chest while I head towards the banister, leaning my back against it.
“Well?” he asks. “Who is dying?”
“You,” I say sweetly. “If you don’t stop publicly cheating on my sister.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” I say. “Whatever was between you and Clover ends tonight. I won’t let you destroy my sister’s reputation.”
“I don’t have time for this nonsense,” Ender says, irritated. “You pulled me away from an important conversati—”
I pull out my gun and aim it at him.
“Swear that you won’t hurt my sister,” I grind out.
His gaze darkens.
“Do you know the punishment for holding a gun at a high-level officer, let alone me, the Commandant?” Ender barks. “Do you have a death wish?”
“I’ll shoot you if you don’t shut up,” I warn. “Swear it. Now.”