A long time later, Peter's even breathing said that he was asleep. Ender peeled the bandaid from his neck. And for the second time that day he cried.
3
GRAFF
"The sister is our weak link. He really loves her."
"I know. She can undo it all, from the start. He won't want to leave her."
"So, what are you going to do? "
"Persuade him that he wants to come with us more than he wants to stay with her."
"Ho w will you do that?"
"I'll lie to him."
"An d if that doesn't work? "
"Then I'll tell the truth. We're allowed to do that in emergencies. We can't plan for everything, you know."
Ender wasn't very hungry during breakfast. He kept wondering what it would be like at school. Facing Stilson after yesterday's fight. What Stilson's friends would do. Probably nothing, but he couldn't be sure. He didn't want to go.
"You're not eating, Andrew," his mother said.
Peter came into the room. "Morning, Ender. Thanks for leaving your slimy washcloth in the middle of the shower."
"Just for you," Ender murmured.
"Andrew, you have to eat."
Ender held out his wrists, a gesture that said, So feed it to me through a needle.
"Very funny," Mother said. "I try to be concerned, but it makes no difference to my genius children."
"It was all your genes that made us geniuses, Mom," said Peter. "We sure didn't get any from Dad."
"I heard that," Father said, not looking up from the news that was being displayed on the table while he ate.
"It would've been wasted if you hadn't."
The table beeped. Someone was at the door.
"Who is it?" Mother asked.
Father thumbed a key and a man appeared on his video. He was wearing the only military uniform that meant anything anymore, the I.F., the International Fleet.
"I thought it was over," said Father.
Peter said nothing, just poured milk over his cereal.
And Ender thought, Maybe I won't have to go to school today after all. Father coded the door open and got up from the table. "I'll see to it," he said. "Stay and eat."
They stayed, but they didn't eat. A few moments later, Father came back into the room and beckoned to Mother.
"You're in deep poo," said Peter. "They found out what you did to that kid at school, and now they're gonna make you do time out in the Belt."
"I'm only six, moron, I'm a juvenile."