Andy had a dream. It was neither pleasant or unpleasant. He was walking along a cliff. An endless sea of grass swayed in the wind to his left and on his right a vast glittering ocean. He walked along the edge unfazed by the waves crashing across the rocks. He wanted to feel scared, or nervous. He needed to feel something. But he felt numb. The sky darkened. He looked out over the water again. The water turned to blood it poured over the rocks splattering across his face.
He woke up. A shadow cast across his bed. He turned his head. Alex was there watching him.
"You're alive?" he murmured.
"I am," she answered.
She stared at him. He shifted in his bed grimacing at the jolt of pain from breathing.
"I thought you were Griever food," he muttered.
He didn't like the way she was looking at him. She was looking over his face, analyzing him, not paying any attention to his words. It was like he was meeting her for the first time again.
"What?" he hissed.
"How did Brenda die?" she asked.
"Didn't you hear from the others? Jaden killed her."
She moved her seat closer to his bedside. Her jaw clenched and her wooden eyes lasered on him.
"Don't lie to me."
"I'm not lying," he said.
She grabbed his hand and crushed it with all her strength.
"Tell me you're not lying!" she shouted.
"Let go of my hand!" he exclaimed. "I oughta throw you in the cage!"
"Andy." He noticed tears dripping down her cheeks. "Did you kill our sister?"
"What?"
"Brenda was our oldest sister," she said. "You're the second, and I'm the youngest."
"No," he said shaking his head. "No, she wasn't. Why would you say that?"
"I meet a creator," she said. "She's our mother Andy. I remember. I remember it all. Where we grew up. The soccer field where you taught me how to play. Our dog. You loved her. Her name was Muffin, that was the color of her fur. I remember dad."
"No."
"The three of us spent a whole day in our tree house. Dad built it. And Brenda…"
"Shut up, Alex."
"And Brenda used to help me up the ladder because my legs were too short. And mom…"
"I said shut up!" he shouted. He cried in pain holding his side.
"Mom would read us books every night, because we were a family."
"Shut up," he turned away. His breathing turned to rasps. Blood slipped between his fingers and stained the old sheets. His stitching had come undone. The pain flared again. But it felt good. He was feeling something. Feeling at last coursed through his body. He swung his legs over the bed moving to a sitting position.
"Andy," she sat close to him. "I've told the others already."
She wished she didn't. She wished she was told about Brenda before she revealed her siblings to Max and Natalie. All she did was make Andy's story more believable. But she had to make do with the situation.
"But I'll tell the others that you killed her."
He met her gaze again. He couldn't read her eyes. There was a deepness of knowledge that he'd never seen before. It was then he realized that his two years memory couldn't come close to her years of wisdom. She remembered her mistakes, and the world before they all came here. He was outmatched. He felt a fear that had been buried since he first arrived in the Glade.
"I was there with the creators," she continued. "I didn't see it, but it doesn't matter. The people will believe me."
"What's stopping you?" he mumbled.
"I need you," she replied. She took a breath. It was rough staying calm next to her sister's murderer. She wanted to grab the scalpel and stick it through his leg. But that would ruin her plan. These next few minutes were the most important of her life. More so than meeting the boys.
"You'll announce to the Glade that I will replace you as the sole leader. You'll say that you are so broken over Brenda's death that you can't rule. The only person you trust to rule the Glade is your own sister. You'll be the 2nd in charge. You'll keep the boys in line."
Andy was quiet for a moment. Alex patiently watched him think.
"What about Wendy?" he asked.
"We can find a good spot for her," she answered. "Do we have a deal?"
He sighed looking away. He had imagined an epic fight against a rival group eager to overthrow him. Bloodshed and combat. Perhaps that, he thought, was going to be the end to his rule. But now here he was, handing the keys to the Glade to a girl on his hospital bed. He couldn't even stand up.
"Yeah," he said. "We got a deal."
She stood and headed for the door. He noticed that she no longer walked with a limp. So, she really did meet the creators.
"Oh, and one more thing," she said turning back. "I'm reversing your decision to remain in the Glade. We are going to focus all our energy on finding an exit. So, start backing that idea."
She left, leaving him with his blanket. He watched her through the window, walking to the manager's hut with her group of Overseers.