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Detention, Depths of the Castle, Thursday

Another beautiful day had begun in Fandom, not that anyone in detention would have noticed. The lack of sunlight, the pleasant sound of Umbridge's voice, and the slightly stale smell of breakfast were all important aspects to making every day in detention routine! Surely everyone knew that surprises were no fun.

Look, the week was half over already and no one had been taken out and killed so far. That had to count for something, right?

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"Believe me, Jack, you want to get out by yourself," Karla said, sounding...rather eager actually. "Umbridge has gotten bored with you lot down here. You're a constant drain on resources she could better use elsewhere, and there aren't enough deaths or disappearances to make it worth her while. So she's decided to put you lot to work in another capacity."

Karla's grin was horrid.

"Personally, I'm looking forward to the show."

Dammit. That was actually appropriately chilling.

"I can't believe this," Jack said, instead of directly answering her. He gazed at the ceiling as he spoke, hoping he looked bored instead of scared. "Strongest witch I know, and you broke like the rest of them. Now you're down here making baseless threats. I'm sure Jaenelle would be proud."

He shrugged. "Personally, I'll take anything they can throw at me as I can keep my mind. But thank you."

"That's the worst part," Karla said, shaking her head. That quip about Jaenelle stung, but the pink fuzziness in her brain pushed it away. "You won't. She's going to take you out of here. Right before the full moon. Cage you. Leave you in the square for all of Fandom to see."

Her grin widened. "Of course...you won't be in that cage alone." She let her eyes track around the room. "Hmm, do you think it would be more demoralizing to have the Resistance see one of their own devouring the more helpless among the prisoners here? Or shredding the throats of those who can still fight back?"

Jack's breath slowed. Karla had hit on his worst fear of all.

"There are still weeks to go before the moon is full," he pointed out, though his defiance sounded feeble even to him. "No way to rush that one, is there? She'll forget all about me by then."

"Not if there's someone there to remind her," Karla said, batting her lashes at him. "Besides, the Rebellion is planning on doing something horribly foolish next Sunday. (http://poison-pretty.livejournal.com/748.html?thread=2540#t2540) I'm fairly certain she'll be pleased to remind them why it's a poor plan to attack her. Assuming there are any left at all."

"Sunday," Jack repeated, wondering if it might be true, if he could hold on until then if it was.

If there was any chance the rebels would win, what with Karla apparently singing like the proverbial bird.

"Good. I've been hoping someone would make a move." He hesitated. "What kind of horribly foolish thing?"

If Dinah would forgive the pun, she had sung like a canary.

"They found a way off the island," Karla said carelessly. Why should she hide it from Jack? After all, she'd told the Loyalists everything she knew already. And maybe it would convince him that he didn't owe those bastards anything. "Most of them will be fleeing like rats from a sinking ship just as soon as they get it ready. Some few others might stay and keep on the good fight, but not many."

She grinned at him again. "There was talk of freeing the people in detention first. Most people just decided to cut their losses. Even those who were reluctant to leave you lot behind saw that they didn't stand a chance, as outnumbered as they'd be."

Some part of Jack wouldn't have blamed the rebels if that were true. He'd left after graduation like his hair was on fire; who was he to deny anyone else the safety of being off the island?

"Is Ender Wiggin dead?" he asked bluntly. He could see some, maybe even most, of the others ultimately acquiescing to something like this, but if he had any bead on Ender at all he wouldn't.

Unless the island had twisted him, too, of course.

"No," Karla said, sounding reluctant. "Neither is Peter, though he's going to 'assure the safety of the refugees' by seeing them through the nexus. And then hightail it home like his ass is on fire, most likely."

She snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Ender's staying. So's Ace, the girl who likes to blow things up. A handful of others." Karla snorted again. "So was I, if you could believe it. Fortunately, Cara helped me...see the light, as it were."

Cara. Jack's eyes sparked with hope at the name.

She'd always been close to the edge, so deep into her cover that even Jack sometimes wondered what her true loyalties were. But if she was still a rebel at heart, then maybe ...

Maybe Jack just liked making up fairy tales.

"Then I'll put my trust in the ones who are staying," he decided instead. "Let the rest of them portal off and enjoy it, it's not as if they're helping us anyhow."

Karla shrugged. "You do that," she said. "And maybe they can pull something together before Lady Umbridge decides to lock you in a cage lined with silver. With a few friends, of course. You'll need company and I'm fairly sure she intends to make sure the beast is hungry."

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Detention, Depths of the Castle, Thursday

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