Ender's Game 2 Novels & Stories

"You need to bring your head back in the game. Forget everything in your fucking mind else and focus. I don't care what you're thinking, but you can't afford to lose this game. Do you hear me?" I swallowed hard and nodded, determination burning within me. After a brief rest, the second game began, and it was even more intense than I had anticipated. I was already on edge, but I summoned all my skills and focus to push through. In the final showdown, I played my last card, and it paid off – I killed my opponent's character. The crowd behind me erupted in cheers, and Tyler rushed over to congratulate me. Coach Swallow patted me on the back, beaming with pride.

Xantiago calls through the room as they all start moaning at who they would like to be rejected so they might bid on those leaving the games. When I catch Hunter looking at me, his expression is quite peculiar. “I thought you weren’t playing favourites?” he asks through the link with his gruff voice. “I’m not, but this isn’t to the death, I need these games to work, besides round two is where the fun really begins,” I reply narrowing my eyes as he just nods, not looking convinced, turning back to the screen. Jennifer appears once more, adding into the mix as the girls, tired, bloody and covered in sweat, fight for their lives.

“FUCK!” All I could do was run. Felt kind of like Indiana Jones running from that giant boulder. But of course, there’s no quick way for me to dodge it. The hedgehog is on my ass like I owe him money, and these playing cards block me at every turn. It was starting to piss me off. As I’m working up a sweat trying to stay just far enough ahead of this damn hedgehog set on making me a pancake, I hear a narrator voice in a video game shout, “Player Two has joined the game!”

The sight of his two hands made me breathe a sigh of relief. Now that I was relaxed, I teased him on purpose, "Two hands don't bring as much pleasure as multiple tentacles, it seems." Cyrus paused in his actions. Then, he raised his head to look at me, his gaze already dark with lust. "Is that so?" His gaze made my heart skip a beat. Before I could regain my senses, I heard a familiar chime drifting into my ear. [Congratulations, you've joined a new dungeon as a player.]

More matches passed. Eleonor continued acting carelessly, laughing like a fool when she ended up losing with ridiculous hands. The second game was won by Bash, with Two Pair. The pot wasn't amazing in the same way, only raising two hundred thousand dollars, but it didn't cause James a big loss, as he folded early on.

I could take anything, but the not knowing who I was up against had shaken my mind, and I had struck out. It was too early to start slipping up. And Friday was close. So fucking close. In my mind, I saw the redhead. I closed my eyes. “What, Clementine?” I snapped. He had been watching me as my mind wandered, not saying a word, not moving a muscle. “Are we done?” he murmured. “What?” My eyes opened slowly. “With the fuckfest. Are we done?” I stared at him. “Is there a round two?” he asked steadily.” I don’t want to be halfway to my place and have to come back here again.”

"The endgame..." "...starts now."

Then, he turned on his heel, his long overcoat billowing behind him as he strode back out into the pouring rain, leaving me alone in the dark Cathedral. I let out a ragged, breathless gasp the moment the doors closed, collapsing slightly against the stone altar. My hands were trembling violently. He didn't know. He had no idea his sweet, broken Aria was the masked warlord standing right in front of him. The game was officially on.

I looked at the red crawling up his neck and the outrage sitting in his eyes and the way he was holding himself like a man who could not decide whether to shout or stay quiet. 'Is that anger I see on his face?' I thought. 'Good.' This game was getting very interesting.

He had ended the game quickly so he could make it in time to the other. Now that he had already finished it, he went back to the Social Hall to play his second game of chess. It was then when he saw Dawn sitting opposite Christy. “Congrats..” One of Keenan’s teammates asked in a low voice. He nodded. He saw that the game had just started when he arrived. Dawn sat confidently. Her face was devoid of any facial expression. It was hard for Christy to predict what the latter was planning to do. As for Christy, she was feeling confident that she would win against the other.