Bloody Hands || E. Wiggin

001

Status: Edited

"You've already picked the boy. Why do we need the girl?"

"We are isolating him. Destroying his childhood. If it crushes him, we need a back up."

"Colonel, sir, she is smart, yes, but she is so quiet. You say she has a brilliant mind, just like the boy, but if she can't speak her mind, how will she ever command a fleet?"

​"They are to work off of each other. Compete and learn from one another."

"Will Ender be the commander then?"

"Yes, but if he messes up, if he gets iced, she takes his place."

~~~

"You'll never make it to Battle School."

The punch flew at me, landing painfully on my ribcage. I stumbled back gasping for breath, but not once did I take my eyes off of the girl before me. Sandra Ral.

Her long black hair swayed behind her as she sauntered towards me, sneering down at my shorter frame. I stood my ground as she pushed her finger into my chest, leaning over in order to level her gaze with mine. "You're staying right here on Earth, out of my way."

I saw the next punch coming before she'd even lifted her hand. This was the moment I'd been waiting for. She was too confident in my defeat. I could see it in the way she smiled lazily, as if she'd already won.

But this wasn't like other times when I would let her slap me, whispering wicked words into my ear. No, this time was different.

Her fist rushed towards me, a blur, but I was just as quick. Ducking behind her, I nimbly scampered out of the way allowing her fist to collide with the wall. Slow to turn and already off balance, I kicked the weak spot behind her knee, pitching her body forward onto the hallway floor.

I watched carefully as she winced, rising to her knees and shifting to glare furiously up me. "Bitch," she spat venomously.

I stepped toward her and in one fluid movement gripped her shoulders and drove my knee roughly into her stomach. She grunted, features screwed up in agony as her body slumping sideways to the tiles. "That's karma," I stated quietly leaning over her as she clutched the place where I'd struck her. "And if you ever think of coming after me again, know that this is what happens to little girls who don't know their enemies."

I didn't give her time to respond to my words, sending my foot viciously into the hands that protected her front. There was a buzzing in my ears and a rush so loud I didn't hear the crack of her fingers as I struck again. Never again, I repeated like a mantra in my head with each kick. You'll never touch me again.

She knew it too. Her eyes met mine then, stone cold. For just a moment, I was horrified by how closely they resembled a corpse.

Slowly the world came back into focus and I stared down at the bloodied body of the girl in front of me. Somewhere down the hall someone was calling, Sandra, Sandra. I wished they would just be quiet.

I hadn't meant to lose control. I told myself it wasn't my fault that Sandra lay on the floor, eyes closed and body still. I told myself that she'd started it. That, really, this was what she deserved.

But deep down, I knew somehow it was still horribly wrong. Horribly wrong how I was the one still standing, how she was the one on the floor with a chest unmoving. I wondered vaguely, as Sandra's friends turned the corner and came upon the gruesome scene, whether I had really just done something unforgivable.

~~~

"Lara Flinn, to the main office please. Lara Flinn."

I knew it had been coming. Both Sandra and I still the monitors in the back of our necks, meaning someone was always watching. Of course the teachers had been notified of the fight and the damage I had caused. My only remaining question was why Ral had never been stopped before. Those monitors should be good for more than just scouting talent. But these were things that had been left unanswered for a long time.

I made my way into the main office and over to the receptionist. "Lara Flinn?" she questioned after a moment of tapping at her desk. "You are to report to the infirmary immediately," She stated, her smile not quiet reaching her eyes.

The doctor was all cheer when he found me seated stiffly at the examination table. "Hey there Lara. We'll be removing that monitor of yours today. Congratulations!" I was prompted to lay flat on my stomach, face down on the cool paper surface as a nurse blundered around the room collecting equipment.

I bit the inside of my cheek as something clamped down on the device at the back of my neck. I had failed, just like Daniel. There was no future fighting buggers for me. I'm just like everyone else, I thought bitterly. Stuck here on Earth, for the rest of my life.

"This won't hurt a bit," came the doctors voice from above.

I welcomed the angry stinging that seized my neck, splintering down my spin, stabbing the base of my skull, and numbing all thoughts to blissful oblivion.