Brave by Sara Bareilles
Alexander woke up to Minho shaking him. "Come on kid, gotta get up." Alexander groaned. "It's too early. Five more minutes?" Minho smiled, shaking his head. "You've got until I'm changed, then you have to get up. Frypan's gonna need your help with breakfast." Alexander nodded, turning so he was on his back, looking up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes, listening as Minho opened the small closet in the corner, hearing the rustling of clothes as he changed.
He heard Minho walk over to the door, the bag unzipping as he looked through it. Finally, he listened to Minho's footsteps as he walked over to the boy, resting a hand on his shoulder while the boy opened his eyes. "Come on. Time to get up for real this time," Minho said grinning slightly. Alexander sat up, standing before leaning against Minho in a sleepy hug. Minho rolled his eyes, but wrapped his arms around the boy's shoulders. He sighed into Minho's shirt, pulling back and looking up at the Runner. "Come back," he whispered. Minho nodded. "I promise."
With that Minho backed up, walking over to the door and holding it open for them both. They walked together out of the Homestead, parting on their way out. Alexander watched as Minho meet up with Thomas, waving when the other Runner looked back at him. The brunette waved back, and off they went. He was just entering the Kitchens when he glimpsed another Glader walking along the edge of the forest. Curious as to who was up so early, he started walking over towards the Glader. And then realized who it was, and froze. Chuck.
The flashback with Janson returned to the front of his mind, and he gasped. "Alec! Come on! We've gotta get started!" Frypan shouted to him from the door of the kitchens, pulling him from his thoughts. A couple of Gladers, awoken from Frypan's shout, groaned and rolled to face away from the cook. Frypan rolled his eyes, giving Alexander time to shake himself out of his reverie. He would talk to Chuck later. The boy deserved to know.
"I'm coming," Alexander called back to Frypan, jogging into the kitchens. Frypan closed the door behind him, and he noticed that Adam and James were already here. He smiled, I guess they didn't want to do the dishes again. Frypan motioned for him to walk to the counter. "We're making pancakes, so I want you to stir the mix, then pass it off to Adam to fry." Alexander nodded, taking the spoon that Frypan held out toward him. He plunged the spoon into the batter and began to stir, holding the bowl in place as he did.
After it was stirred to the maximum, and looked as if it'd be smooth to the touch, Alexander passed the batter off to Adam. He quickly glanced around the kitchen, and then pulled the glasses from the cupboard. He set them all out, and began pouring cups of milk. He had about ten poured when a line began forming outside. Travis had been in charge of the delivering of the food, so he darted around the kitchen, a little behind schedule, and set food out for the hungry Gladers.
Alexander continued to pour milk until all the glasses were full. Frypan noticed he'd finished and called out for him to take over delivery. Travis and him promptly swapped places. Travis passed him the plate he'd been holding. The young boy then crossed the kitchen, walking towards Adam, who plotted a few pancakes on the plate before drizzling on some syrup. Alexander stepped back a few steps, and bumped into Frypan who turned and dumped some bacon off of his skillet and onto the plate.
"No fruit today?" Alexander asked lightly as he set the plate onto the ledge. "Fruit's overrated!" Frypan called over his shoulder. "What we really need is meat! Solid protein." Alexander rolled his eyes, and then looked forward at the line of people. There were only a few Gladers remaining, "five more plates!" He called out to the rest of the workers. They all grumbled a bit in response before throwing the rest of the food together. Alexander, once again joined by Travis, walked around picking up the plates and sliding them out onto the ledge.
Soon only a few more plates remained, as usual, leaving just enough for the cooks themselves. Alexander climbed onto one of the stools and Frypan passes him a plate. He reached towards the syrup, practically drowning the pancakes in it.
James settled next to him, his own plate in front of him. "Got enough syrup?" he questioned jokingly. Alexander smiled. "I'm not sure," he said as he bit into a piece of bacon. James laughed, digging into his own food. Just as he reached for a fork, a hand appeared over his shoulder, stealing a piece of bacon. "Screw you Adam!" He called out, while bringing his elbow back hard. It dug into Adam's stomach, he gagged and then swatted James on the neck. Alexander giggled and Frypan turned, glaring at them as if he were their disapproving father. Both boys put on an apologetic face for a second, but as soon as he turned away, both broke out into silent laughter.
Alexander smiled at the boy's antics, shaking his head before standing from the stool and putting his plate in the sink. He walked out of the kitchens, heading over to the Gardens. Brenden nodded at him when he walked up, asking him to go get the pails of water they would need again today. He did, not talking to anyone on the way there or back. The day was pretty boring so far, which gave him time to think about his flashback, about Chuck, and about W.I.C.K.E.D. in general.
And his mom! Now that he remembered her, he wasn't just lost and confused in the Glade, because even though the boys here were nice to him, they couldn't replace his mom. He was lonely, he missed his mom. He remembered her, faintly remembering her playing with him now that that one memory was restored. And… he was the only one in the Glade with his real name. He was the only one that remembered anything. These thoughts continued to conjure up, only strengthening his resolve to tell Chuck. The other boys needed to know too, about the main one at least, but Chuck needed to know first.
He decided that he would take a break after he helped with lunch, and he would track down the slopper. The word sounded strange, even in his head. Which meant it would sound even worse if, or when, he actually said it. Their language was strange over all though. Shuck, Klunk, Slinthead, and the others. He wondered how the boys had come up with them, what made them think that they would be good words to use. He figured he could ask Minho, or Newt, or even Chuck, but he would feel stupid.
After he had gotten the pails of water and placed them in the shade by the shed, he walked back over to where he had last seen Brenden. But in place of the Gardener, was a shorter redhead, with curly hair pinned back in a bun. "Uh… hi," Alexander mumbled, flushing at how small he sounded. The boy looked up at him, smiling slightly. "So you're the new Greenie I've been hearing about, huh? No gonna lie, I thought it was all a rumor, them sendin' a kid up here," said the boy in a thick accent. It sounded similar to Newts, with a few more lilts to some letters.
Alexander's blush darkened at that, and he looked down at his shoes. The redhead smiled slightly, "Name's Connor, what's yours?" Alexander looked up. "Alexander but you can call me Alec," he said in a confident voice. Connor tilted his head slightly. "Well Alec, what're you doin' over here?" Alexander nodded towards the shed, where a Gardener was grabbing a pail of water. "I've been helping out in the Gardens for the past few days. Then I help Frypan in the kitchens in between. Brenden's been having me do stuff around here… do you know where he is?" Connor nodded. "Yeah, he's by the tomatoes. Nice seein' you, Alec," he added as the boy walked away. He nodded, walking over to the tomatoes, where Brenden was kneeling on the ground. Alexander walked closer, watching as Brenden grabbed a tomato, yanked and snapped upward to get the tomato of the rest of the vine, and sat it gently in his basket.
Alec smiled slightly, kneeling next to Brenden. "Can I help?" he asked softly. Brenden smiled at the nervous kid, nodding his head. "Don't squeeze the tomato too tight, and only pick the ones that are this color," the Glader said, holding a red tomato out for Alec to look at. Alec nodded, looking at the vine in front of him. He quickly spotted a bright red tomato and reached forward, grabbing it, not squeezing too tightly and snapping it upward. Brenden nods, pointing to the basket. Alec smiles, placing the tomato on top. After about twenty more tomatoes, and about fifty for Brenden, the Gardener dismisses him to help Frypan in the kitchens.
Alec walks to the kitchens, looking to the Maze Door and sighing. Minho and Thomas are out there right now, and even though the monsters aren't out, they could still get hurt. And he wouldn't know about it until when the door closes and they aren't back. When they're stuck out in the Maze overnight, when the monsters can get them. He shakes his head. He shouldn't be thinking like that. He should be thinking about lunch, and what he's going to help cook. But first he has to wash his hands.
He walks in, standing in front of the sink and standing on his tippy toes to turn the water on, putting his hands under the water and watching the main part of the dirt wash away. Then he reaches even further, grabbing the soap and squeezing some onto one hand, putting the bottle back with the other. He scrubs hard, trying to get all the dirt off.
Once he's done rinsing his hands, he looks to Frypan for instructions on what to help with. Frypan points toward Travis, who hesitated, unsure of where to put the boy. He ended up nodding towards the sink, placing a hand on Alexander's back and guiding him towards it. A few clangs rang out as the older boys reached into the remaining dishes, pulling out a few knifes. Alexander's eyebrows knitted together, unsure of what his friend was doing.
"Alright," Travis began, "I know you haven't done dishes yet, but I want you to get these out of the way. We didn't get them done after breakfast because lunch is so early today." Travis explained. "And I just removed the knives, so there nothing that'll hurt you." Alexander nodded, now understanding his earlier actions. He then frowned, feeling embarrassed. "I wouldn't hurt myself..." He muttered, hating that he was untrusted.
Travis gave a light hearted smile and clapped him on the back. "Sure ya wouldn't kid." He said before returning to his station. Alexander pushed back his annoyance and switched on the water. He watched it run into the sink as it slowly filled, soon providing enough water for him to began washing. Alexander placed a few cups and plates into the water to soak, then grabbed a dirtied spatula from beside him. He swished it around in the water while grabbing a sponge. He dumped a bit of soap on the sponge and started on the spatula. Alexander worked off the bits of crusty pancake batter, relying heavily on the soap while he scrubbed.
As he washed, different activities of the kitchen went on behind him. They were having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with some berries on the side. James was pouring water. Adam had been stationed next to Frypan, the two working like an assembly line. Frypan swiped on the peanut butter, and Adam plopped on a spoonful of jelly. Then they pressed the pieces together, sliding the plate down to another boy, that passed it on to one of the many Gladers.
Alexander continued trudging through his work with the dishes. The experiment had confirmed his suspicion: he did not like dishes. But regardless, he picked up the last pan and brought his sponge down on it, wiping it on the bits and pieces of leftover food. After rinsing off the suds, he set it to the side on a drying rack. His face was flushed from the hot water, and his hands dry from the soap. He left out a sigh of relief as he drained the water. Frypan walked over to him, noticing the job he'd done. "Not bad," he said looking over the washed dishes. "We'll have to put you on dish duty more often." He said with a smile, knowing Alexander would oppose to it. Alexander quickly shook his head. "Cooking is more fun..." He said quietly, causing Frypan to laugh.
Alexander looked around the kitchen, noticing that the line had diminished, making it time for the cooks to eat. He settled in his usual spot and pulled a plate towards him. The kitchen was quiet as they all ate through their food, giving Alexander another chance to think about what he'd say to Chuck. Because the more time the better. He didn't want to scare him, or accidentally push him to tell one of the older boys. He quickly decided to just be honest. He'd had a dream and didn't know what it meant, that's what had happened, and that's what he'd tell Chuck. With his decision made Alexander slipped off the stool and placed his plate in the sink.
Frypan looked to Alexander. "Don't worry about coming for dinner. You've done enough for today." Alexander smiled. "Thanks," he said politely as he walked from the room, sending a quick wave at the other cooks. He sucked in a breath of clean air, happy to have escaped from the crowded kitchen. He started his trek to find Chuck, heading across the Glade towards a group of Sloppers. Among the gathered boys was Chuck. He had a shovel thrown over his shoulder. Like Alexander, his cheeks were also flushed from the heat and his breath labored from work. He smiled once he saw Alexander. "Hey Alec," he said lightly. "You done at the kitchen?"
Alexander nodded. "Are you done here yet?" Chuck also gave a nod, "we're just putting some stuff away. I'll be done in a second." Before Alexander could respond, a red headed boy passed Chuck a bucket and gestured towards an seemingly abandoned shack. "Meet you at the tree!" Chuck called out over his shoulder as he lugged the bucket along, following the boy. Alexander headed off to their usual meeting spot and settled down underneath the tree, leaning back against the rough bark. He took a deep breath, feeling quite nervous. What he was about to tell Chuck was crazy. Would he believe him? Alexander shook his head, he was the one being crazy. Of course he'd believe him, Alexander would believe Chuck if it was the other way around. Wouldn't he?
He began thinking about the strange dreams again, specifically about his mom. His missed her, he missed playing with her. He remembered watching the boys he now knew, through the monitor, watching his mom take notes furiously as she studied them. Alexander also remembered wanting to let the boys out, and her telling him it couldn't be done. But none of that mattered, it didn't matter what she'd done. Alexander still loved her.
There was then a rustling heard next to him and he opened his eyes to see a robotic bug. He studied it for a few second, wondering what it was. But it scampered away, disappearing into the woods.
Alexander was so distracted by the strange bug, he hadn't noticed Chuck. The boy plopped down next to Alexander. "So," he said. "What's up? Wanna go play catch or something?" Alexander shook his head, his stomach erupting with butterflies as he realized it was time to tell Chuck. "I a-actually have to talk to you about… something.." He stuttered out, struggling to meet Chuck's eyes. Chuck noticed his reluctance to reveal the news, "Alexander," he said, "what's going on? You can tell me." Alexander nodded, "I know I can." He sucked in a breath before breaking out into story, he told Chuck all about his odd flashbacks. About watching Chuck go up in the box, about what Janson had said… And lastly about his mom.
Chuck jaw had dropped open at Alexander's first words, "I remember." And it hadn't closed throughout the entire story. When Alexander finished he simply sat there, unmoving. "I- you-you remember.." Nobody ever remembered anything, not here. Not in the Glade. Even hearing the word 'remember' felt odd, and out of place. Something weird was going on, the voice they'd all heard, Alexander hadn't. And now he was remembering things? Chuck decided they had to tell someone, Alexander said he'd told Chuck because he deserved to know. Well everyone else deserved to know just as much. Chuck jumped up and sealed his hand around Alexander's wrist, pulling him up and towards the Homestead. "We gotta find Alby, now!"
Panic began to flood Alexander's mind, clouding his thoughts. He didn't know how they'd all react, he knew little about banishment, but he feared he'd learn a lot about it if he didn't stop Chuck.
"Chuck, wait!" Alexander shouted. Chuck didn't pause, causing Alec to yank his hand back. "I told you because you deserved to know… I-I don't know if I want everyone to know yet…" Chuck did stop at this. "We can't just keep it a secret!" "Can't keep what a secret?" Alec whirled around to find Newt standing there, arms crossed in what Alec had previously seen as a friendly manner. Now though, he was terrified. He didn't want to be banished, didn't want to get in trouble.
He tensed, not being able to take all of the emotions flooding through him. He turned on his heel and ran, ran all the way back to the trees and past them, past the deadheads until he slammed into the corner where the walls connected. He didn't care if Chuck told them anymore, he just wanted his mom back. Wanted to know, for once, that everything was going to be okay again. Wanted the mother he remembered to rescue him from this place and take him back home, where he was safe.
That was when the boy finally broke down for good, curling up and pressing himself hard into the corner as he sobbed, muffling the noise in his arm. He sat there, shaking slightly, for a while before the tears stopped. He froze when he heard Newt's voice calling his name softly. "Xander? Xander, are you out here?" Alec closed his eyes tightly, giving in to the illusion that it would only be real if he looked. He heard Newt's surprised gasp when he found him, heard it when the Glader ran over and fell to his knees next to him, but he still refused to open his eyes.
"No, no…. Xander don't cry, there's nothing to cry about." Alexander shook his head, "everyone knows. I'm gonna get in trouble, I'm gonna get banished!" He cried out. Newt blinked, he was worried about banishment? "You aren't getting banished, there's no way any of us would let that happen, and Chuck only told me. No one else knows." He explained, and Alexander's tears slowed. "I just, I miss my mom…." He admitted reluctantly, and Newt's heart broke at the words.
Alec buried his face into Newt's chest, still crying. "But why? If she-she was the leader of this… Why would she send me in here…?" Newt shook his head, "I don't know. But it must have been for a good reason. And no mother would let her child get hurt, that I know. I promise Xander, whatever happens, you won't get hurt. And I'll get you back to your mom. And guess what?" Newt asked softly. Alec sniffed, looking at the Glader, a confused expression written on his face. "What?" he asked. "I know, that Minho, Thomas, Chuck, Frypan, Alby, and I, along with so many other Gladers, care so much about you. And I know, that we're going to fight tooth and nail to get you back to your mom, okay?" Alec nodded, smiling.
"Now," Newt started, standing and helping Alec up as well. "Let's get back to everyone else, okay?" Alec nodded. "I just have one question… in my memory, my mom and I had telepathy," Alec said, proud of himself for pronouncing the word correctly. "Why didn't I hear what you heard then?" Newt's eyes widened. "Because… you might have been the one who said it." Alec froze. "What did you hear?" he asked, remembering his mom saying that if he wasn't paying attention he could have accidentally said something to someone in the W.I.C.K.E.D. compound. That wouldn't change here, would it? "You said-well, we heard, something about a job."
Newt's eyes suddenly widened in realization, "that was the day you got your job!" He pulled Alexander back down, they both sat facing each other. "Try and tell me something, just me." Newt instructed, looking directly into Alexander's eyes. Alexander squeezed his eyes shut, he knew how to do this, he could do this, he thought, trying to pump himself up. 'Hi,' he thought, directing it towards Newt. But the boy seated just a few feet from him didn't react, showing Alexander that he hadn't heard. Alexander tried again, this time trying to not think about it. 'Hi' he thought again with emphasis.
Newt's face broke out into a smile as Alexander's voice rang through his head. "Hello," he said, showing he'd heard. Alexander jumped up and threw his arms around Newt. He'd done it! Newt suddenly pulled out of the hug and gestured to something out of Alexander's view, he turned to see one of the weird bugs from earlier. "Check it out," Newt said, "it's a beetle blade, probably your mom watching you right now." Alexander smiled, feeling comforted by the thought. Wherever his mom was now, he was sure she was proud.