Enders(34)
“Mixed martial arts,” he said. “Tae Kwon Do, Kali, Gatka.”
Hyden nodded slightly.
We’d seen Jeremy’s skills in action. Deadly. We opted not to reveal very much to him right away but to let him get used to things gradually. Except for my adapted chip, the chips prevented a Metal from killing anyone while being rented. But we doubted that held true when we were just being ourselves. And this was no time to find out.
That night, as we all filled our plates in the kitchen, Hyden came up beside me—keeping his distance—and smiled.
“What?” I asked. “You’re that happy over chili night?”
“I just wanted to tell you thanks.”
“For what?”
“For this. For convincing me we should gather the Metals.”
“It makes you feel good, doesn’t it? See, I was right.”
“Yeah. It’s good to see all of these people protected from my father. To be part of our community.” He grinned. “And now we have better cooks.”
I rolled my eyes and went around the table to get the bread.
In the dining room, I sat by Redmond. Hyden was at the other end, sitting opposite Jeremy. Near them were Lily, the acrobat, and Derek, known for his climbing skills. He was trying to pass a salad bowl to Savannah, but she was busy laughing with Michael. He’d finished his food already and he was sketching her. The other tables were filled with more Metals.
Someone tapped their water glass and the conversation quieted down. It was Jeremy.
“I want to talk memories,” Jeremy said to the group.
“You mean from our renters?” Savannah asked.
“I know I’m not the only one who has them. I hear things. So let’s get it out in the open. Who’ll start?”
Savannah raised her hand. “My renter wanted my black belt body to go beat up her old boyfriend—some old Ender guy. When I relived that memory, I was shocked. I don’t know what he did to her, but she felt so satisfied.”
Michael raised his hand. “My renter was a sleazy Ender.”
“I know, I met him,” I said under my breath.
“He wanted my artistic talents to impress Starter girls with. He offered to draw them,” Michael said.
“In the buff ?” Jeremy asked.
“Of course.”
Everyone reacted with disgust.
“You must have some interesting memories,” Jeremy said to him.
“No, they turned him—me—down,” Michael said. “Guess they saw right through the jerk.”
Lily raised her hand. “My renter was a hundred-year-old Ender dying of cancer. Her dream was to soar on the trapeze. I felt how thrilled she was, how light she felt. It was wonderful.”
People murmured and then went back to their private conversations.
Redmond turned to me and spoke softly. “So that key I left in the safe for you?”
“The one that told how you altered my chip?” I said quietly. “What about it?”
“Do you still have it?”
I wondered why he was asking. “I put it in a safe place.”
“Good.” His eyes narrowed. “Keep it there. Don’t give it to anyone.”
I saw a sadness behind his eyes and wasn’t sure why. I nodded.
“I have a favor to ask you,” I said.
“I can’t take that chip out of you, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Not the chip. The plate in my head. The one you put in as a blocker.”
“Why?”
“It doesn’t work anymore.”
“I told you it would only last a short time.”
“So I want it gone. I think it’s irritating me. I keep scratching at it.”
He pushed his bowl away. “It’s better to just leave it alone. Less trauma to your head. It’s not causing you any harm, the way it is.”
“It’s my head. And I say the less metal, the better.”
Redmond pursed his lips. I folded my arms. I wasn’t going to back down, even though I knew he was right. It was just that somehow, I felt if we removed the plate that covered the site of the chip, then we were one step closer to removing the chip … someday.
Redmond got Hyden’s approval to remove the plate. I made Michael come with me, for moral support. We followed Redmond to a small medical room with a sink, bottles of medicines, and drawers of instruments. As Redmond prepped the instruments, a sharp medicinal scent stung my nose. Michael stood close by.
“Ready?” Redmond asked.
I nodded. He had me lie facedown with my head resting in a hole in the operating table. It was anything but comfortable. The edges of my face stuck to a sanitary paper protector as Redmond put something cold on the back of my head.