The Hidden End [Ender's Game]

+ Chapter 05

PART 01 || CHAPTER 05

Strong Allies

Morgan didn't want to wake up the next day. She was aching all over, and the fact that she had a long day of classes, battle room training, and combat practice didn't appeal to her very much. She got up a little earlier than the rest, took a shower, and by the time she was back in the bunk room, Ender was already getting dressed beside his bed.

"Hey," Morgan said.

Ender fixated his eyes on her and then smiled in return. "Hi." She noticed her damp hair, and for a moment he said nothing. Then, his cheeks turned pink and he looked away.

No sooner did Dap come in, barking at everyone to get up. They went straight to classes, where Morgan took her usual seat beside Ender. It felt strange to not talk to him much, especially since she heard him say extremely clearly that they were friends. She would've thought that by now, since they were technically allies, they would chat a lot more. But she got nothing from him but a simple nod or a bit of small talk. That was all.

It wasn't until the lesson started that he tried to get her attention.

She hadn't noticed it at first, but then he began to type something on his desk. It was a message, but he didn't press "send" because it would be transmitted to all the desks in the room. Morgan tried not to look, but when he was done, Ender cleared his throat. Biting back a smile, she pretended she hadn't heard him.

Ender let out a small sigh and then nudged her hand. It felt strange to Morgan to feel his skin against hers, and it sent tingles through her entire body. She glanced up at him, and he jerked his chin towards his desk.

Practice during free time?

She smiled and gave him a small nod. Ender's lips curled back into a smirk, and he erased the message quickly.

Their battle room training went smoothly. Ender and Morgan didn't get to talk much or do much together, but every once in a while, she'd catch him staring, or she'd float past him and give him a smile.

After their usual combat lesson, Morgan and Ender walked in silence back to their bunks. They grabbed a couple of spare towels and headed straight back to the gym as soon as their free time started. They didn't talk much on the way, and it was probably because there were a couple of other people walking past them, which wasn't too good for private conversations. But as soon as they got to the gym, Ender broke their silence.

"I wanted to talk to you," he said, stretching a little.

"I did too," Morgan admitted. "We didn't get much talking done these past few days."

"No," he replied. They got into their stances. "How've you been?"

Morgan wanted to laugh. "Is that all you can ask me?" She took a few swings at him, and he dodged them. "I thought there was something more serious you wanted to say."

"Isn't your well-being serious enough?"

"Not necessarily." Morgan grabbed Ender's arm as soon as he tried to take a hit at her, and then flipped him forward and onto his back the way Bean had taught her. She was shocked it would work on him; she'd expected him to put up more of a struggle. Maybe it was because he didn't expect that.

Ender groaned. His entire face turned into a grimace, and Morgan couldn't help but feel guilty. "You okay?" she whispered.

"Where'd you learn that?" he choked out. Morgan still had him pinned down, and for some reason, she didn't want to let him go yet. Ender didn't seem to mind it either.