Losing the Game

"Thanks, Bean." Ender said as the boys filed out of the door and down the corridor, heading towards the battle room. 

No one else was awake and if they happened to be, they were only just getting up. He was proud of his soldiers for being able to get prepared so quickly and efficiently, but disappointed in himself that despite so many battles he was simply pushing them harder by taking away some of their valuable sleep time. Ender and his army followed their color path down the hallways while his soldiers chanted and hollered. They too were exhausted, he could see it in their eyes, but even so they were energized and ready to fight. Ender on the other hand had different things on his mind, so he pulled Bean away from the crowd to talk to him. 

"Ho, Ender." 

"Ho, Bean." The small boy looked up at his commander, awaiting for him to say something. Ender was contemplating how to phrase his words in a way that wouldn't sound suspicious. 

"Listen, since we're early, I have a few things I need to do. I want you to get everyone ready, I'll be back before the gates open."  

Bean looked at him quizzically, obviously skeptical of his explanation. He let Ender get away with one secret, he wasn't going to act like he wasn't catching onto his act. 

"What are you doing?" Bean asked. "And why do you have to do it right before the battle?" 

Although Ender did trust Bean, he didn't want to seem weak by saying he was going to ask for a day free of games. Most of all, he didn't want to get Bean's hopes up. Ender looked around nervously; he'd never been good at improvising on the spot.  

"I-- I have things to attend to." The words fumbled out of his mouth so unnaturally that he silently cursed his lack of ability to lie in spite of himself. Bean looked at him with his eyebrows furrowed in skepticism.  

"Please, Bean," Ender pleaded. "Just do it." 

Bean sensed Ender's frustration and nodded slowly, almost somberly. Ever since Ender confided in Bean that one night and showed that he was an actual human who was capable of feeling emotion, Bean thought that they became close enough to tell each other things. Not everything, but at least where they were planning to head off to. Bean knew, however, that it was nothing to get upset over. Ender was important and everyone knew that; it was probably some urgent matter of business that needed to be attended to.  

"Alright," Bean said. 

Ender nodded firmly and watched Bean run to catch up with the group, announcing his temporary leadership as they all walked briskly toward their gate. As soon as each one of them was out of Ender's peripheral vision, he turned and sprinted down a corridor only a few feet behind him. It took him only several minutes to find the room that Colonel Graff stayed in, and once he did he walked up to it and knocked on the door.  

No one answered immediately, but he expected as much. Graff was a busy man who probably didn't have time to deal with insolent children attempting to visit him every moment of the day when he had a Battle School to run. He waited for a few seconds, and soon those seconds turned into minutes, and not long after a full ten minutes had went by. Knocking anxiously for the nineteenth or twentieth time-- he couldn't keep count-- he spoke into the door.  

"Colonel Graff?" He called. "It's me, Ender Wiggin."  

No answer. 

He tried again, gradually raising his voice louder and louder until someone appeared from around the corner.  

"Can I help you?" The man asked, his face sullen and irritated. "Are you lost or something?"  

"No, I need to see Colonel Graff." Ender said.