The mind may lie, but the heart does not. (Ender's Game Fanfic)

Chapter I : Cast Aside

'Look at her, Anderson. She's got a talent for strategy. Her tactical skills sets her apart from the others and she has the intelligence of a genius. We need a tool like her to ensure victory.'

'You've said the same about Ender. Why do we need the boy if we have her?'

'Ender's more ruthless but she's more empathetic. We need both if we want to succeed. Precautions must be taken.'

'Is there a difference in abilities?'

'The girl has the potential to think the best of others and consider their emotions. She uses them to her own advantage, while Ender looks towards the physical, yet logical side, of certain matters.'

'Do you mean the way he protected himself ?'

'Indeed. The girl would have another approach, and that was to befriend the opposing side. Through determination. If it all fails, she would resort to the last attempt. Like Wiggin had done.'

'You said everyone had to be enemies. How is this approach going to help her?

'Ender is a boy that wants to please the overbearing father figure. Combined with a complicated response to authority, we can't communicate with him like she does.
He needs empathy. The girl has the skill set he needs.'

'His isolation-

'-can never be broken, yes. But to combine both of their skills would give us a higher chance of victory over the Formics.
We need her, Anderson.'
_
A loud cry erupted on the other side of you, with the defeated rejecting their loss.
"You cheated!"

Not again.

"It was a fair game, Dera." You chuckled, and gave her a warm look.
Dera huffed, folding her arms in a swift motion. She pursed her lip and gave me a disapproving stare. Uh-oh, you knew where this was going.

"Dera, trust me, you did good! The only thing you missed was calculating the movement of the asteroid. If you saw ahead, then you could have won!"

"Oh, so it's my fault, now, hmm?" She snarled, glaring daggers at you.

A laugh erupted from your mouth, and you shook your head towards her.
"Come on, I'm sure you'll win next time." A slight smile settled on your lips, amused with her immaturity. Another huff escaped her lips, clearly annoyed with the situation. Her hands slowly bunched up to fists. Her shoulders became tense, and the glare towards you became more agitated. It was an imminent threat.

A threat to pounce.

But you knew how to react to these situations. You knew it all too well.
Cautiously, you walked towards her, trying not to recklessly anger her.
If it was anyone else, they would have either left the room, postponing the game another time. Otherwise, they could have said nothing, or continued laughing. However, you knew neither situations would solve things completely.
So you had another approach.
You opened you arms and embraced her.

At that moment, Dera could have pushed you away, but she didn't.
Why?
Because you knew she wouldn't. No, Dera was the sister of Stilson, an arrogant brat who acted like he owned the world. Taunting the other kids, he never showed any affection, not even to his own sister. As a result, his sister inherited the majority of his arrogant character, intimidating most girls in the school.
But not you.
You were different from the rest.
Somewhere, you knew she wanted affection, although she wouldn't show it.
She'd put on a cold, unaffectionate display, to show that she was the one in charge. But a disguise is all that it was, she was weak to love.
Give her some affection, and she'd willingly take it.