"See the Strings?"
[ Side 1 : St. Valentine ]
There was only one sound in the forest that could make Valentine's ears twitch alert and her shoulders shiver in mock-fear. Peter's sharp, caustic laughter was that sound. He approached Valentine with a merry stroll, probably about to let her in on whatever genius idea he had just come up with that she'd not doubt have to praise him for. It had been a while since Valentine had heard him laugh like that. Before, that laugh had meant he wanted to scare her into thinking he would hurt her. But now that they both knew how "precious" they were to each other as their pseudonyms, especially in this point of the game where the score of fame was almost tied, they were both aware that she was in no danger. Nonplused and growing suspicious , Valentine didn't dismiss the fact that he still had laughed like that. If he wasn't going to, or be able to hurt her, then there was only one other person he could be thinking of while he laughed.
"You're gonna love this, Val."
"You received something funny?"
"Actually, I received six funny things today. [ somewhere in space, Bean sneezes...] Well, a very funny essay in six parts by some random IF members who want--"
"--Want the students at the Battle and Tactical schools to be sent home?"
"Of course you would have also gotten a copy. So, come on, what do you think of it?"
"Peter, you know how I feel about that."
His voice went flat, which made it easily for him to mask anger. "Alright, then what does Demosthenes think?"
Valentine glared at him hatefully for a fraction of a second, then switched her gaze to the distant brown and gold leaves that scattered around him as he leaned on a dead tree across from her. She didn't think he would have noticed, but if she showed any nervousness or blemish in her usual perfect composure, he would have become suspicious from not noticing anything. She hated when he constantly reminded her that she and Demosthones were the same person, and that it wasn't the distant play writer and actor relationship she had ideally believed in. But she quickly placed the discomfort aside; He had a point to make somewhere after these questions, and that point would be who or whatever he had been laughing about. "Demosthenes agrees completely, and thinks that the children should all be sent to their own families and nations before the Russians "employ" them, or worse."
"Good." Peter nodded and pulled out his desk. "Oddly enough, Locke agrees with Demosthenes and wants to start and support a rally to get our brother home as quickly as possible." His ears registered his casual words, and Valentine caught a rare reflective ache in his eyes. He blinked it away defensively and stared at her for several waiting moments. "What are you doing? I said Locke agrees with Demosthenes. That means you have to get started first." Valentine analyzed his pervious words for a quick moment and came to a conclusion; If he wasn't going to say it, then she would.
"You were thinking about Ender."
"Huh?"
"You weren't laughing like that because of a new game move for Locke and Demosthenes, you were thinking about Ender."
"Oh right, Andrew. Sorry Val, I've kind of forgotten about Ender after all this time. The IF world is so distant from ours sometimes, that it's easy to forget they rid me of him." Valentine was shocked. True, she had believed that mother and father had forgotten Ender after moving, but Valentine never really believed that Peter could forget him. She had detected his resentment toward their little brother back when she released her essay on abolishing the family restriction laws. Peter had laughed at the thought of a Noble Third, so surely, at the time he was remembering, and also laughing at Ender.
"You haven't forgotten about him." She defiantly put her desk down beside her and shut it off. "I know you still remember Ender, and have feelings for him. And I know you have plans for him.
"You know but you never ask." His voice was serious with a calculated tone.
"I'm asking now. What are your plans for Ender?"
"I see that you are obviously not going to work for me unless I pay you."
"I am not working for you, and telling me how you feel about something isn't payment. I am your sister, wanting to know what you think of our little brother."
"You're a saint, wanting to know the Devil's plans."
"You're not the devil, and I'm not a saint!"
"Ok, Then what were your plans for Ender?" He mocked her with a raised eyebrow.
Valentine's patience was no longer. She stood up, walked over to her puzzled brother, and slapped him across his face as hard as she could. Completely stunned by the unpredictability of his sister, his head turned sharply to the right and stayed turned.
"How dare you think that I would want to use Ender!" She calmed herself down somewhat and backed away slowly, disgusted with both Peter and herself. "How could I ever let you deceive me?. You are a monster, and you'll do whatever you can, to whoever you have to, to be in power won't you? I'm not like you Peter. I said I'd help you because I wanted to help you, not your megalomaniacal fantasies. But there was never anything to help was there? All that time you were crying about being scared to turn into a monster, and you were lying...! You were already proud to be one! Even now, standing there, so calm and unaffected; you're proud to be a monster!" She waited several moments before he turned to face her again.
Peter's expression was blank and unreadable. "That's the problem with girls, especially you, dear little sister. Girls are too emotional, and you jump too quickly to conclusions when it concerns the brother you love," he paused considerably, " ...against the brother you hate." Valentine didn't want to know if the pause was planned, and sternly reminded herself that Peter was now a monster. He had no problem being hated by her. She grew more angry at him each time he opened his mouth to speak. "If you want to know, I've been wondering where Ender has been all this time. I didn't know if he was still in battle school, or if he was promoted early or held back; or who knows what, lying dead where ever the IF hides their failures. I've been trying to hunt him down, but the IF security is the toughest I've come across, and I need time to develop relations with insiders before I can get any info. I've been watching the head lines for Kids who returned home early or for alumni I can contact, but there never are any. I've been so helpless, so of course I've never expressed it to you. Locke has never touched on the subject of the Battle School because he was too afraid to come across any....unwanted evidence or news..."
Now he would display his horrendously perfect acting skills. "You are accusing me of accusing you of wanting to use Ender," His tone of voice started becoming urgent, and his words ran on in a supposedly random outbursts. "But I didn't accuse you of anything! I just wanted to know if you had any info that I didn't! You were always closer to Ender than I was, so I thought you might have had news or contact with him. You know me, Valentine. You know how hard it is to admit you have an advantage over me..." Valentine didn't want to listen to him lie, and try to gain sympathy from her. His words starting fading away as she repeated to herself over and over how much of a monster and a manipulative bastard he was.
"...So I tried to get the info in another way. It was vice because I'm vice, and you know that about me and I'm sneaky and I'm concealing and I'm.... I'm sorry, Valentine."
"Don't ever apologize to me, Peter." 'Because we both know it's insincere.' She thought.
"I'm so sorry..."
"Stop that." It hurt to know he was still trying to deceive her.
"......"
She thanked God that he obeyed, and decided to end his game once and for all. "Demosthenes has an essay to write. It's going to be about bringing her genius little brother named Ender in Command School home to her and Locke--"
"No!" He reached out and grabbed her wrist as she turned to retreat, spinning her around to face his other face. "Has talking about Ender made you stupid?!"
"Let go of me! How can you still say that?!"
"You CAN'T talk about any genius kid! Don't you see what I've been trying to do? I've been trying to protect Ender! I'm trying to protect these kids remember?! All this time I've been looking for him because I know what's going to happen to him! I may be a monster to you, but I know what my intents are, and they include having Ender safe at home after the war."
"You mean safe in your clutches. That would be the perfect way to unmask Locke wouldn't it? 'Young intelligent and compassionate leader embraces ruling the world and his hero little brother who saved it from destruction' isn't it? Not only that, Having blood relation to, and control over the most brilliant military mind in the world in times of war, will grant you any victory from intimidation alone! "
"Is that all you'll ever see me as? As the manipulator?"
"I see the strings. They're from your hands, not on."
"And I guess Ender would be the perfect puppet, huh?"
"Of course.. He's only been a puppet all his life."
"What do you want me to do Valentine? Let the Russians take him away from us?"
"No.. No, of course not."
"But you'll always see me as the puppeteer."
"And even still, I'm as helpless to do anything as the wooden stage you make him dance on." Valentine yanked herself out of Peter's grasp.
"I don't control the whole stage, Val. You know you can expose Locke and Demosthenes whenever you want."
"No, no I can't. I know you're right about everything, and exposing us would only cause more trouble. Mentioning Ender would definitely make him a target...." She sank down against her own tree to turn her desk on again. "And no matter how much I don't want it to happen, the best thing for Ender is to be in your control..."
"That's the way it is Val, you--, we have to accept it."
She shot him one last tired glance. "I've accepted it . A long time ago. And I'm sick of accepting it, but I want these kids home."
"So do I, and It will show up in Locke."
"Then Demosthenes will have the pleasure of going first."
'Yes,' thought Valentine. 'Demosthenes will continue to watch and accept. Unwillingly giving consent and aid to Locke's actions.' Valentine faced her reality. 'I will be the stage that supports our little three person show,' she continued to herself, ' only able to watch the puppet while he dances, helpless till the day the puppeteer releases him." She turned her desk on and typed a message on the blank screen.
/ Helpless until the day I can catch him when he falls./