Chapter 2

Graff walked into the kitchen ready to speak, but then saw Maya's face and looked down.

"What is it?" Maya asked.

"Well," began Graff. "It appears that Ender will be staying longer than expected with Peter."

"How long?" Petra asked.

"He said he doubts he'll be here tonight."

They looked at Maya. Now all I want to do is see him, she thought. I was suppose to and now I'm not. This is terrible.

"How about you stay here?" Petra said. She could see how distressed Maya was.

"Great idea," Fly said and they all concurred.

"Absolutely," Graff said. "We'll let your parents know, you can borrow clothes, and stay in one of the rooms."

"Come on," Petra said and grabbed her hand. She took her upstairs to a room that Ender had currently been staying in. Petra didn't plan on telling Maya that Ender had been using it, but Maya could tell based on some of the things around the room like the clothes and the books and papers.

"Has he ever talked about me?" Maya asked quietly.

"Not directly," Petra answered. "But he does in his sleep a lot." She gave her a sorry look. "Why don't you get some rest? You've had a rough day." Petra felt odd saying that. She had never said anything like that to somone before. She liked it, though. She felt...friendly and sisterly. "Here." She handed a shirt of Ender's to her. "I don't think he'd mind if you wore it. He'd probably prefer it."

Maya looked at the shirt and its size. He's gotten big, she thought. He's only sixteen. This shirt looks too large for a sixteen-year-old, but he's too smart for sixteen, too. Maya slipped off her dress and put on the shirt. It was practically like a dress on her short body. It had that Earthy musk to it that Ender naturally acquired way back when they were kids. She felt really comfortable and secure in it, like she was in his arms already.

"We were gonna make it a surprise," Petra said and sat down on the bed. Maya sat next to her. "We had planned on having you here and him coming in to find you. We weren't gonna be here when you two aquainted again. We knew Ender would feel - embarrassed in a way and wouldn't show all the joy he had for seeing you. You know how he can be." When Maya didn't say anything she said, "We won't be staying long either. We were just wanting to be with Ender for awhile, before we went our separate ways again. We'll still see him, but we wanted to have our last days with each other before we moved on and lived like normal people." She didn't sound enthused.

"You don't have to live like normal people," said Maya. "I'm not normal. I don't plan on living like everyone else in a cubicle. I just want to be a mom."

Petra slouched as she relaxed. "I wouldn't mind being a mother," she said. "You heard about Bean and I right? Achilles?"

Maya nodded.

"It's been over a year. I told him that if he ever wanted to have kids to come to me. He doesn't want kids because of his growing disease. Have you seen how big he's gotten? He's twice my size already. His body finally caught up with his brains."

Maya huddled closer to herself. "That's got to be scary," she said quietly. "To know that you're not going to live past twenty. I'm sure he can accept it, though."

"Of course he can, he's..." She laughed a little. "Weird."

Maya smiled lightly. "Weird is better than being the same. No one can define weird since everyone has different perspectives of what's weird and normal."

Petra looked at her. I wonder what it takes for a person to understand the things she understands, Petra thought. "I see why Ender loves you."

Maya blushed but couldn't help but smile. Then she stretched. "I think I'll hit the hay...I really wish I could sleep in hay. I use to when I went to my grandma's farm. It's so cozy. Ender came once, too. We fell asleep in a hay stack in the field." She spoke as she lied down and closed her eyes.

Petra smiled. "Keep talking," she said.

Maya was glad she said for her to keep talking. Maya and her mother talked every night in order for them to fall asleep. How will Mama get to sleep tonight? Maya thought. "It was a great, October night," continued Maya. "His parents had never met me, by the way. He would just say that he was staying the night at his friend Mike's place. He didn't tell his family about me because he wanted to keep me all to himself. I'm pretty sure his parents knew who I was and that Mike didn't exist, though. Anyway," She paused to yawn. "Ender hat met my family before. My mother loves him so much. She pictured him as her son, so did my dad. My grandparents and cousins all liked him, too. It's surprising because no one at school liked Ender. My family even knew he was a third. So we had a barbeque and I brought Ender along. We slept in a haystack and it was out of the city so all the stars were out. It was beautiful. One of our favorite memories. Ender was so relaxed there. He didn't have to worry about his family or the school kids. It's when I first realized I loved him..." Then she fell asleep.

Petra looked at her with a smile. I've known her for a few hours and I like her already. She stood up, planted a kiss on Maya's forehead, and she left. She suddenly couldn't wait until Ender came back and him and Maya reunited.

Ender sat in the passenger seat as Peter drove in the black convertable down the dirt road. They were in Brazil and heading to the headquarters that Peter used. Ender said he'd return before five, now he doubt he'd visit within the month. Ender had decided to just help Peter, probably become president, do a little mingling.

Peter looked at his brother. Then he rolled his eyes. "You've been on Earth less than two weeks and now you're already acting as dramatic as most people," Peter said to him. "Way to be a downer."

Ender gave a very small smile. Ender had decided that Peter had changed for the better. He was actually liking Peter and his smart-ass antics, probably because Ender had turned into a smart-ass teenager.

"It's just teenage angst. Everyone goes through it, but hurry up and finish your stupid phase."

They entered the building to find Dink sitting on a desk.

"How did you get here before us?" Peter asked.

"I don't use public planes. I have a private one. When I found Ender wasn't coming back, I flew here."

"Why?" asked Ender.

"Ender, why are you here?"

"I'm here to help Peter."

"Shut up." Dink came over to him. "You can help Peter from anywhere in the world. Why would you want to see Peter anyway? Look at him."

Peter gave him a look.

"Anyway, there are other people that you do need to see everyday."

"I don't need to see anyone to help anyone. You just said that."

"Yeah but I know for a fact that there are people you want to see. Then not everyone even wants your help. There are certain people who want to help you, like me. I had to come here to help you. If I have to smack some sense into you then I will. I will beat you bloody, and I'm sure Peter will help me, too."

"So what do you need to help me with?"

"Ender, you're smart. You know I can sense when something is upsetting you."

Ender was silent.

"I payed Maya a visit," Dink said.

"How do you know about her?" Ender asked.

"You talk in your sleep. I asked Graff if he knew of a Maya you knew. She misses you."

Ender's jaw twitched, but he didn't say anything.

"Why don't you want to see her?"

"I do I-"

"Then why aren't you in her arms right now?" Dink was actually feeling angry. He had never seen such a sad face on a pretty girl like Maya. He had seen that face too many times on her.

Ender felt a sinking feeling go through him. He had been denying it adn shoving it out of his mind, but he couldn't anymore. Ender was scared, for multiple reasons. "I'm scared," Ender said.

Dink and Peter looked at each other. Ender defeated and entire alien species, and yet he was scared to see a girl. It made Peter feel better than Ender, but also brotherly since Peter knew what Ender was talking about. It made Dink feel like Ender was so much better than himself, and he admired Ender more.

"I'm scared to see Maya and have all the negative memories of my school life. I'm scared that I'll be with Maya but then in the end I"ll just make her regret ever spending her time with me. That I could break her heart. I'm also scared because I have no idea what I'm doing with anything. I don't know that I want to do. I've been at Battle School for more than half my life, basically all my life. I don't remember when I was one or two, and three even. Then when I was four I only ever saw my family. It wasn't until I was five that I met Maya and I started to become myself and feel comfortable with who I was, but then that was all taken away from me. I know I left, but if I didn't go then there would be no meaning in my life. I've already done what I was meant to do. Now what? I was born to kill and to strategize," his voice got softer. "Not to fall in love."

Peter got up close to him. "Ender," he said. "You might've been born to kill, but you were born human. Humans fall in love. You are in love with Maya. She loves you. When you're in love everyone is scared. You just have to be brave enough to take the risk."

Ender leaned against the wall and looked out the window as he soaked up his brother's words.

"You said you didn't know what you were gonna do. I'll tell you. You're going to get married to Maya. I'm going to be your best man. All your other little friends can be in it, too. It's gonna be outside, probably right here in Brazil, or where ever Maya prefers. You're going to buy Maya an expensive, beautiful dress. It's going to be a wonderful reception. You'll go to some small cottage all the way in Ireland that's secluded and surrounded by trees and a river. You'll but the land and live there. You'll have a bunch of kids, and they'll have kids, then you and Maya will die together happily. Got it?" He slapped his arm. "You're not gonna help me, at least not that much. You won't be president. You're retired."

Ender smirked. "I guess my reign's over and your's is beginning."

"It began before you knew it, little brother."

"Hi," said Alai.

Maya looked up. She had been staying in the house for two days. She had met everyone, except for Alai who had just arrived. She had heard that he was Ender's closest friend. "Hi," she said.

"Ender's still not here I see. The jerk." He sat down next to Maya. "Ender is a great person. He sort of lost himself when he got back to Earth. Battle School was a large part of him. It's gone, so now he's gotten confused. Well, he probably isn't confused. He's too smart for that. He just needs time." He looked at her. "Another large part of him was you. He never told anyone about you. He didn't want you and Battle School to combine. Battle School was ugly. You're pretty. Not a good match. Anyway, Ender said you name once in his sleep. I heard it. I don't think anyone else did. Somehow, I knew you were a friend that he loved. Not a sister o cousin or anything like that. There had always been something about Ender. It's like I could see that he was thinking about someone. When he whispered your name. I knew it was you. Now, you might be thinking I'm weird for springing this on you when we just met, but a friend of Ender's is a friend of mine. Also, it's fun to talk about Ender. It might be mean, but talking bad about him is so much funner than praising him. I mean, he is pretty great...still a jerk."

Maya smiled.

"I mean, he hasn't even come here yet, but we haven't told him you were here."

"Then how's he suppose to come back?"

"Oh, we have our ways. Strategy was a major tactic to aquire in Battle School."