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It was the largest compartment that contained the prize It looked like a spacesuit at first glance, coloves But it wasn't There was no airtight seal Still, it would effectively cover the whole body It was thickly padded It was also a little stiff

And there was a pistol within A lasergun, it looked like, since the end was solid, clear glass But surely they wouldn't let children have lethal weapons--

"Not laser," said a man Ender looked up It was one he hadn't seen before A young and kind-looking h beam Well-focused You can aiht on a wall a hundred meters off"

"What's it for?" Ender asked

"One of the ga recreation Does anyone else have his locker open?" The man looked around "I mean, have you followed directions and coded in your voices and hands? You can't get into the lockers until you do This room is your hoet the bunk you want and stay with it Ordinarily, we let you elect your chief officer and install him in the lower bunk by the door, but apparently that position has been taken Can't recode the lockers now So think about whohted dots on the floor Your color code is red yellow yellohenever you're assigned a path to follow, it will be red yellow yellow, three dots side by side--go where those lights indicate What's your color code, boys?"

"Red, yellow, yellow"

"Very good My name is Dap I'hed

"Laugh all you like, but keep it in et lost in the school, which is quite possible, don't go opening doors Sohter "Instead just tell someone that your mom is Dap, and they'll call ht up a path for you to get home If you have a problem, come talk to me Remember, I'm the only person here who's paid to be nice to you But not too nice Give me any lip and I'll break your face OK?"

They laughed again Dap had a roohtened children are so easy to win

"Which way is down, anybody tell me?"

They told him

"OK, that's true But that direction is toward the outside The ship is spinning, and that's what makes it feel like that is down The floor actually curves around in that direction Keep going long enough that way, and you come back to where you started Except don't try it Because up that way is teachers' quarters, and up that way is the bigger kids And the bigger kids don't like Launchies butting in You et pushed around And when you do, don't co to me Got it? This is Battle School, not nursery school"

"What are we supposed to do, then?" asked a boy, a really small black kid who had a top bunk near Ender's

"If you don't like getting pushed around, figure out for yourself what to do about it But I warn you--ainst the rules So is any deliberate injury I understand there was one attemptedhappens again, soot it?"

"What's icing out?" asked the boy with his arm puffed up in a splint "Ice Put out in the cold Sent Earthside Finished at Battle School"