Disclaimer:I don't own anything from 'Ender's Game'
This was originally an assignment in my English class…but I like it and I wonder what ppl would think about it…I got a good mark on it so I think I did a pretty good job…please read it and review…I would really appreciate it!
When I wrote this, it was just for fun…I didn't really paid attention to the facts and events that happened in the previous chapters…so if I did anything that contradicts the story or mixed up some minor details…please ignore them
Thanks and enjoy the story!
How He Changed Her Life
No, this can't be happening…I can't believe it! I'm going to have a little brother!
I stomped outside, kicking anything on the floor as hard and as far away from me as I possibly can. I stopped underneath a tree and sat down with a big angry sigh.
How can mother and father do this? Don't they see how unfair this is?
I closed my eyes, flashing back to what just happened a few minutes ago.
"Peter, Valentine, we have something really special to tell you." Mother calmly said to us.
"But before we tell you, we just want you to know that no matter what, we will love you just the same." Father added.
"Yes? What is it?" asked Peter, curiously.
"We're going to have a third child!" Father said excitingly, with a grin on his face.
I couldn't believe my ears. I was just plain shocked.
"Wha…What?!" I managed to stutter out.
"We're going to have a third child! A little boy, to be exact!" repeated Mother.
"No, this can't be!" cried Peter, who was just as shocked, "How can this happen?"
"Well, the government had authorized a third child to be born in our family. We're not quite sure why. Aren't you two excited?" asked Mother, with some uncertainty in her voice.
"Of course we are!" Peter answered happily.
I stared at him. Obviously, Peter wasn't shocked for the same reason as I was.
"What about you, Valentine?" Father kindly asked.
"Of course! Happy! Now if you'll excuse me." I kindly smiled back and stomped out the door.
How could this happen? Having a little brother will change everything! I don't want changes; I like things the way they are now!
I picked up a nearby rock and threw it at a squirrel that was running past. The squirrel winced and stopped as the rock made contact with its tiny body, and then it started running like crazy, realizing that something is attacking it.
I laughed as the frightened squirrel run past me and onto the fence. My laugh started to fade as I thought back to the thought of having a little brother.
I know that from the minute he comes out to this world, everything would change. I no longer would be the youngest child. I'll be the second one, the one that gets stuck in the middle. Naturally, Mother and Father would pay more attention to the youngest one, and forget about me. Just the thought of losing attention from my parents, made me resent my unborn brother even more.
Dinner that night was a bit more noisy than usual. Mother, Father and Peter all talked excitingly about the unborn baby. I stayed silent most of the meal. After I finished with my plate, I excused myself, and locked myself into my room.
After about 15 minutes, I heard a soft knock on my door.
"Who is it?" I called out.
"It's me, Val."
"What do you want?" I called back, recognizing Peter's voice.
"Can I come in? I want to talk to you."
I could hear the concern in Peter's voice. He was always the nice, understanding one. Knowing he won't go away until he finds out what he needs to know, I sighed.
"Fine." I slowly opened my door, letting Peter in.
"I get the feeling that you don't like the idea about having a little brother." Peter said, sitting down on my bed.
"No, really. How'd you know?" I snapped back sarcastically.
"Why?" asked Peter, ignoring my previous statement.
"I don't want things to change! I hate this new baby brother!" I said angrily.
"How would you know? He isn't even born yet." Peter told me.
"Yeah and how would you know if this is a good thing?" I questioned.
Peter remained silent.
"I mean, think about it. After that squirt comes out, Mother and Father would no doubt pay more attention to him. Sooner or later, they'll forget about us." I pressed on.
Peter opened his mouth to argue back, but shut it before he said anything.
I took this opportunity and kept on reasoning with him. "Peter, Mother and Father have enough responsibility raising you and me. I don't think they need a third child."
I know Peter knows what I'm talking about. After all, we're both smarter than the usual 2 and 4 year-olds.
Peter finally spoke. "So, are you saying that we should take the baby away from them?"
"You said it, not me." I replied with a mischievous smile on my face.
I knew Peter would understand my feelings. I made sure he did. Little by little, month by month I was able to persuade Peter to help me. About one month before the baby was due, Peter agreed into helping me and my plans.
Peter and I waited impatiently as we sat on the couch, hoping Mother and Father would hurry up and come home soon with the new baby. We were going to carry out our plans tonight.
Finally, after 3 hours of waiting, Mother and Father came home. Father was extremely happy, and Mother was exhausted. Peter ran towards them, greeting the new baby.
I stared at the bundle in Mother's arms and got an uneasy feeling. I saw Mother beckon me towards her with a wave of her hand. I nervously walked closer to Mother and looked down at my baby brother for the first time.
The moment I made eye contact with him, my mind went blank. The only thing I thought about was how beautiful he was. The way his eyes stared back into my eyes determinedly and the way he made little sounds with his nose. The last thing that surprised me was when he suddenly smiled a toothless smile and reached out his little hands to touch my face.
"What's his name?" I asked Mother, who was smiling down at me.
"Andrew." Mother simply said.
I looked back down at my brother and couldn't help but smile.
"Welcome home, little Andrew."
That night, Peter came to my room, telling me that it was time.
"Actually, Peter, I don't think we should do this any more." I said quietly.
"Why not? You were the one who convinced me into doing it the first place." Peter questioned.
"I know, but, I changed my mind. Having a little brother might not be that bad after all." I smiled; remember how his little fingers touched my face.
Peter left angrily, probably mad and disappointed that he didn't get to carry out the plans we worked hard on.
After that night, we never talked about the plans again. As the years went on, I started to love my brother more and more. I taught him how to do things, to read and to play. Without knowing, I turned softer and gentler, unlike the old me who threw rocks at innocent squirrels.
Peter on the other hand was turning more violent and angry. He picked on Andrew, who I nicked named Ender, a lot. He was always grumpy and when our parents weren't home, he even threatened to hurt us.
It was one afternoon when both Mother and Father were out, when Peter threatened to kill Ender. Lucky I was there, I stopped it immediately. As Peter went out of the room angrily, I ran towards Ender, putting my arms around him.
"It's okay, he can't hurt you. Not when I'm here." I said quietly, as I slowly comforted my frightened brother.
As I went out of Ender's room, I saw Peter starring at me.
"So, protecting him now, are you?" He asked.
"Yes, he's our brother, you know."
"Of course I do. But weren't you the one who wanted to get rid of him at first? Why are you protecting him?"
"Is that jealousy I hear in your voice Peter?"
Peter didn't say anything. I ignored him and continued my way to my room. As I sat down on a chair, I wondered if Peter really was jealous that I'm so close to Ender.
Soon Ender turned 6; he had his monitor taken off. He immediately got into a fight with the class bully, Stilson. Not soon after that, an Officer from the I.F. came to visit him.
Colonel Graff explained the situation and asked Ender if he wanted to go to the battle school to train for battle against the Buggers. Colonel Graff told Ender that if he goes, he won't be able to come back until he was 16 and he told Ender to choose. At the end, Ender decided to go.
I was torn that Ender was going to leave us. I didn't know what to do. After 6 years of caring and loving him, he was going to be taken away from us for at least 10 years. I wanted to stop him, but it was his decision and I'm going to respect it.
The next morning, I woke up and I could feel a heavy atmosphere in the house. No one spoke through breakfast and kept silent. When the doorbell rang, I felt dread spreading through my body like poison.
After explaining things again to my parents, Colonel Graff led Ender to the door.
"Ender, say goodbye to your family, you won't be able to see them again for a long time." Colonel Graff told Ender.
Ender looked at Mother and Father and gave them a tight hug and said goodbye. Then he looked at Peter, who was trying to hide his smile. Lastly, he looked at me. He stared determinedly into my eyes, much like the first time he did when I first saw him. I could feel tears coming, but I held them back as Ender walked towards me and embraced me. I didn't want him to leave remembering me crying. I smiled a painful smile at him and said goodbye.
He walked to the door, turned and looked back once more at me. At that point, I couldn't stop the tears. I felt two streams of tears running down my face. As he turned and walked out the door, I whispered quietly to myself.
"Good bye Ender, I'll always love you."
I was right, back when I found out that I was going to have a little brother. From the minute he came out to this world, everything did change. I changed from the mean, angry Valentine into someone who cares, loves and protects others. Without Ender, I would've never known that it's so important to love someone. And I know that no matter what happens, Ender would always be my beloved little brother.
