I don't own Ender's Game.

Alright, so I'm back with another chapter for the story. People really seem to enjoy it, so I'll keep trying to make it good. Thanks for the support guys! Enjoy.

Petra's POV

I walked down the hallway with a string bag slung over my shoulder. I had stopped to grab some exercise clothes before heading to the training room. The energy in my throat had died down a bit, but now that I was so close to the room it reared itself back up again. I knew there was a cause behind it, the energy. I knew it could have been a number of things between Ender leaving, killing an entire planet, being lied to and manipulated, realizing that nothing would ever be the same and even finding myself in command of an army.

Coming to the room, I stared at the door for a moment, taking a deep breath through my nose, still afraid to open my mouth. I reached for the handle and was opening the door when a call made me stop.

"Arkanian!" I turned to see Colonel Graff marching toward me angrily. "What in God's name do you think you're doing? That room is designated only for commanders. You haven't chosen your army yet!"

Not trusting my mouth, I held up the Dragon Army commander badge Ender had given me before he left. Graff stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the badge in shock.

"So then, Ender's gone off somewhere?" he asked softly. Still not trusting my voice, I simply nodded, unable to stop a few tears from falling. Just looking at his face reminded me of the battle. "But why would he give you his army? He hasn't resigned."

I could feel the energy building in my throat and knew that if I didn't let it out through some other part of my body, a scream would ring through the halls. Turning, I made to continue into the exercise room, but Graff stopped me again. I turned to him with a glare this time and he searched my face. "What's wrong with you?" he demanded. "Something happen to cause you to lose your voice? Sparring accident?"

I raised an eyebrow at him, trying to convey with my eyes what I was feeling since my mouth couldn't do it without waking the entire ship. The colonel seemed to understand the look because he let go of me and took a few steps back. I nodded to him, my lips tightly shut. I held up the commander's pass and the computer identified my eye signature. Stepping into the room, I heard Graff attempting to follow and I locked the door behind me. The room was soundproof so there was no way I would interrupt anyone else from inside.

Walking over to the mirror, I dropped my bag and changed into my training outfit. Since I had technically graduated, I was allowed to grab a set of clothing. I chose a tank top and a pair of exercise shorts to train or work out in. Wrapping my hands in tape, I turned to the punching bag and took a deep breath, running at the large bag determinedly.

Punch after punch, I beat the bag as hard as I could, letting the energy from my throat spill out into each punch. I could feel the tears streaming down my face, but I just kept going. Logic, precision, accuracy. That's all I focused on. I didn't focus on the fact that Ender was gone, the fact that I had helped him kill billions of creatures, the fact that the only person I had ever loved had left his army, had left me, and was now out in space where I couldn't contact him.

I thought of none of this as the energy in my throat began building again, leaving my punches weak as I finally sank to my knees and screamed. My shoulders shook and sobs tore themselves from my throat as I simply screamed, holding my head as if to tear out my own hair. I couldn't control it, I couldn't control any of my emotions anymore. Everything was too vivid, flashing in front of my closed eyes. I couldn't stop the tears or the screaming, letting them gradually slow on their own.

I moved my hands from my head and put them flat on the floor, palms down. My head bowed down as I waited for the tears to slow as well. It was my fault. It was all my fault he was gone. If I hadn't been trained to fly that stupid gun, I wouldn't have been able to shoot it and the Formics would still be alive. None of us would be traumatized, we would most likely still be practicing. None of this would have ever happened. No one would have died.

Ender would still be here. Instead, thanks to me… he's gone.

Dink's POV

I watched through the window as Petra screamed and cried. I wanted to comfort her, to help her, but I knew she wouldn't let me. In all the years I've known her, she's never backed down from anyone but Bonzo—and that was only survival tactic—and she never let any of the other guys see her cry. Even back when we just found out we had destroyed the Formic planet, she didn't cry, or at least not in front of us.

She was kneeling on the floor now, her head down, palms flat, hair obscuring the majority of her face. I had half a mind to go to Graff and show him this image and help his soul if he responded with anything other than remorse. Petra was like a little sister to me. A little sister that could beat me in a fight, hands down, but a little sister nonetheless. To see her broken like this wasn't something I ever expected to see so soon. I expected it to be after her first kill, yeah, but not this soon. She's barely fifteen years old.

My fists curled tight, nails digging into my palms as I turned away from the image, unable to watch any longer for fear of doing something I might regret, either to myself (by hitting the wall) or to Graff. I strode back to the bunk room for Dragon Army and found the others getting ready for bed. Bean and Bernard glanced up at my entrance and stood from sitting on their beds.

"How is she?" Bernard asked, his eyes concerned.

"She's screaming and crying." I told him with a sigh. "She looks lost. I wanted to help, but…"

"She'd never let you?" Alai piped in.

"Pretty much." I shrugged. "Best we can do for her now is offer silent support and pray Ender gets back soon."

"I still wanna know where he went." Bernard grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Look, Petra said he left." Bean sighed. "Since we can't hear it from Ender, I trust her word. I don't like that she didn't tell us why or where he went, but she was Ender's closest friend up here, so I trust her word."

"But Bernard does have a point." Alai murmured, rubbing his chin speculatively. "Where did Ender go? And why did Petra omit the one important answer of why he left?"

"Maybe she's still dealing with it?" Bean suggested, leaning against the beam to one of the bunks. It was about then that I noticed that several of the soldiers were leaving, packing any of their special belongings and holding envelopes. Resignation letters. I thought, noting the tightness of their jaws. They want to get out. By the time Bean, Alai and Bernard began shouting at each other, there were only fifteen other soldiers remaining aside from us. I stood and attempted to discharge the situation.

"Hey, come on. Why does it matter why she kept the information from us. We only know two things for certain. She's upset and Ender's gone."

"But why did he give her the position of Commander and the rank of Admiral?" Bernard demanded heatedly. "Why not one of us? All Petra can do is shoot. Why not give it to one of us instead?" I growled angrily and grabbed him by the throat, slamming him into the wall beside his bunk. Bean and Alai stared at us in shock.

"Don't you ever let me hear you speak of her that way again." I snarled, my hand tightening on his neck. "She is more than that and right now, she is also our commanding officer. Whether you follow her or not is your own decision, but I will not have you creating dissent. She's already strung high enough as it is. Give her time to calm down before spouting off about her being an unworthy commander."

Suddenly, a shout of 'Attention!' flew through the air and we both stood at attention, facing the door. Bean cocked his head toward the entrance. "Officer on deck." Bernard and I turned to see Petra striding through the entrance to the dormitory. It was clear that she had just finished showering because her hair was still damp. We all waited for her to speak and she simply surveyed us, leaning against one of the frames of the entrance.

Standing straight, Petra walked among us and examined all of the remaining soldiers that she commanded. I knew she was counting in her head. She had a little under half the men she needed to have a proper army, but she showed no aggravation at this. I recognized this side of her instantly. Whenever Petra had just been emotional and wanted to try springing back again, she would always put on this act, the act of a badass. Coming back to the front of the dormitory, she turned to face us, her eyes cold and hard.

"You all need to shape up. Your form is lacking and I can't have a slacking army when we're so small. Straighten your backs, hold your chins high and keep your arms locked against your sides, elbows locked." Many of the other soldiers glanced down at themselves and Petra rolled her eyes. "Don't check for the mistakes, just make the changes ordered."

Several of the soldiers straightened their backs at her word and I smirked at Bernard, who had been one of the soldiers to do so. He glared back at me, but I paid little mind to that because Petra was speaking again. "Alright, I want three laps around the entire ship, no slacking, no slowing down until the halfway point. You will remain in a single file line while doing so. Am I clear, soldiers?"

"Yes sir!" We all replied.

"Move out. I will be running beside you. If I see anyone falling back, that is an extra lap. Let's go!"

I moved into the front of the line to take the lead while Bean, Bernard and Alai situated themselves at intervals to watch the other soldiers. I started the run at a steady pace and found myself right next to Petra. I gave her a small smile, but she simply stared straight ahead. I nodded, figuring she wouldn't acknowledge it. As I continued, Petra turned and ran along the line, watching the soldiers behind her.

Oh how great it was to be back in school.

Okay, there's another chapter for you guys and I hope you enjoyed it.

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