That was some offer Helena had just given. I hated even considering it.

"Even if I wanted to do what you're asking, I don't have a gun."

You do. I planted it earlier. This was my original plan, remember?

I felt sick to my stomach. This was Blake's grandfather she was talking about.

I'll tell you where it is.

"Don't tell me, I don't want to know." I wanted to put my fingers in my ears and sing nonsense syllables, but that wouldn't block her out.

I heard footsteps coming up behind me. I turned around to see Blake.

"Here she is," Blake said. "Grandfather, this is Callie." Senator Harrison.

This was my chance. I could warn him. But I couldn't just jump in. I'd sound like a lunatic.

"We've been looking for you everywhere, young lady," the senator said, extending his hand.

Not the best introduction, having to be hunted down. As I shook his hand, I noticed he had the oddest expression. It was almost pained, as if he felt sorry for me.

"So where did you meet my grandson?"

"At a nightclub," I said.

He turned to Blake. "Nightclub? Which nightclub?"

"Grandfather-" Blake said.

"Club Rune," I said, probably too hastily.

"Club Rune." The senator stiffened.

I guessed he didn't approve. I should have let Blake answer. I glanced at him but he was poker-faced.

Blake turned to me. "Aren't you freezing out here?"

I shook my head. Then I looked into his face. Had I missed a cue to go inside?

The senator cleared his throat. "Lovely dress you're wearing."

"Thank you." I looked down and smoothed the fabric.

"And those earrings. The bracelet? Heirlooms? Very familiar."

"Your grandson picked them out for me."

The senator shot Blake an angry look. "Yes indeed. Take good care of that jewelry tonight. It's been in our family for several generations."

An aide approached and whispered in the senator's ear.

"We have to go backstage now. The ceremony starts in thirty minutes," Senator Harrison told Blake.

"I'll be right there," Blake said.

The senator huffed out a breath of air. "Appearances, Blake. Appearances."

"I'll be there."

The senator turned on his heel without a goodbye.

"I don't think he likes me," I said to Blake.

"Nah. That's his 'I'm really excited about her' face. Couldn't you tell?"

He squeezed my hand.

I had to smile.

"You've got your ticket. I'll meet you after the awards. There'll be a dessert reception in the ballroom." Blake stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth and rubbed his stomach before running off.

So now you know what the senator looks like. Don't let his charm fool you. He's a politician; they charm you in their sleep.

"You were there the whole time?" I asked Helena. The thought gave me the creeps. I had zero privacy.

Now listen carefully. The gun is in the last stall on the right in the women's bathroom on the second level.

And that's where it will stay, I thought but didn't tell Helena. Of course she could see that I wasn't heading that way.

You've got to get the gun, Callie.

"I'm not going to use it."

You can't leave it there.

"Why not?"

Because it has your fingerprints on it.

I stood in line at the women's bathroom on the second level. Elegantly dressed Enders primped in the wall-to-wall mirrors as they pretended they weren't holding their stomachs in. Ahead, to the left, were two rows of stalls, each with its own line.

Go to the right.

I moved to the right and waited. I counted four stalls, the last one a handicapped.

The middle stall opened up first.

No. It's the last stall.

I let the Ender behind me go ahead. Finally, the last stall opened and I went in. I locked the door and looked around. "I don't see it."

I whispered to Helena.

Look under the little trash bin.

There it was, low on the wall. I crouched down, trying my best not to get my beautiful gown in the toilet. I reached underneath it and felt a bulge.

She'd taped a small handgun to the bottom.

There.

I had to work at it to break through the tape. Chimes began to sound, alerting us that the ceremony was about to begin. Finally, I got the gun loose and put it in my purse.

As I rushed out of the restroom, I realized that I hadn't taken the bullets out of the gun. The ushers were closing the doors. I slipped my hand into my purse and clicked on the safety lock just as I entered the theater.

That's not necessary.

"Safety first," I whispered.

I sat by myself through the awards ceremony speeches. The senator was presented as a respected statesman. He went on about how his mission in life was to keep young people out of trouble by keeping them active. Helena added her running commentary, turning around every phrase to reveal Senator Harrison's true, malicious meaning.

She wasn't going to give up.

You have the gun. Shoot him.

If I could have spoken back to her, I would have told her to shut up. All through the world's longest presentation ever, the gun felt like it weighed a hundred pounds in the purse on my lap.

Once the ceremony was over, I poured out with the crowd.

"One question, Helena," I asked under my breath. "Why here?"

The bigger the scene, the better to expose the body bank.

I wandered around the ballroom waiting for Blake. Helena went silent, which gave me a break. I admired the mountain of desserts at the buffet table. I had no appetite, though, and I seemed to be in everyone's way, so I moved off to the side by the large windows.

I'd been there a few minutes when someone tapped me on the back. I turned to see the senator. Alone.

"Callie, isn't it? Enjoying yourself?"

This was my chance; I could warn him. "Mmm, not exactly. I-I wanted to talk to you."

His eyes narrowed. "You're so beautiful."

Somehow, he made it seem like an insult. It wasn't just that he was so direct, it was his tone that put me on edge. He stepped closer, way beyond the comfort zone, and examined my face like a doctor. I felt like a bug under a microscope.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"No, you're just about perfect, in fact." He took my face in his hand and turned it to one side.

My heart was pounding. I wanted to move to the center of the room, where there were more people.

"You are perfect." He picked up both my hands and examined the backs. "Not a single scar, mole, or cut." He looked back at my face. "Not even the memory of a pimple." His lip curled.

He moved even closer, his face so near I could smell the residue of bitter cigar smoke on his breath.

"I know what you are." He gripped my arm.

I tried to pull away, but he held on too hard.

"Why are you here? Did Tinnenbaum send you?"

"No." I struggled.

"Who else is here?"

"No one, just me."

"I want you to get out of here, now. And stay away from my grandson." He shook me. "What kind of woman are you?"

"You don't understand. I have to tell you something important."

"Nothing you could tell me would change anything." The veins in his temples bulged like worms under his skin.

Where we stood in the corner, only a few people were close enough to notice us. An Ender woman maneuvered through the crowd with purpose. I recognized her face from somewhere.

"Senator Harrison, that's the girl who came into your office," she said.

That was where I had seen her before. Great.

An elegant Ender accompanied her. Blake's grandmother, I guessed. The one he didn't like.

"Clifford," the grandmother said with warning eyes. "Don't." She grabbed his arm.

As she tugged, he released me. He took the elbow of the office woman and led her away.

"Excuse us," Blake's grandmother said.

As they left, it felt like the room was closing in on me. I stared back at all the eyes and rubbed my throbbing arm. My heart was pounding.

You see? You see his temper? You're foolish to trust him.

I saw it. And felt it. But I was pulled away from my thoughts as new hands grabbed me, tugging on my arms. I was sure it was guards.

"Let go of me." I struggled to pull away.

"Calm down, Callie, it's me. Briona."

It was the trio of renters I had met at Club Rune, the ones I had gone to the bridge with. Briona, with Lee and Raj, both in black tie. The three of them were trying to escort me toward the exit.