"You still haven't told me your name." Minho said quietly. "It.......it was Elizabeth. But my name's Lyla now. New life, new name."
"Elizabeth." The name felt smooth and delicate in his mouth. It was a beautiful name, Minho thought to himself. He was going to have to tell her the truth; no more lies.
"Elizabeth, I'm sorry. WICKED lied to you. Your brother - he wasn't immune."
Elizabeth's face filled with horror.
"No. He can't be a crank. He could never be one of them."
"He only was for a short time. Thomas......Thomas gave him mercy."
She inhaled as the realisation hit her. Minho understood. Newt had been like his own brother. To have been hoping like that, waiting for him to appear.
"I guess I knew that really, deep down. I needed the hope though, the possibility that he could still be alive. It may have been fake hope.But sometimes, fake hope is the only hope. We always need hope."
Her next question threw Minho.
"What was he like?"
This should never happen, he thought. A family should know each other, love each other. WICKED had done this.
"He was kind, and loyal, and the best friend I could ask for. We were friends in Stage One of the test, and our friendship only increased with Stage Two. He was like a brother to me." Minho said, then immediately regretted his choice of words. She gave a small, sad smile. "WICKED may have broken families up, but at least they made new ones."
Minho shook his head, his eyes filled with sadness.
"WICKED didn't make those families. We did. And we can always make new ones. Not substitutes; nothing can substitute a real family, but something to ease the pain a little."
Minho looked at her. She wasn't crying, but every part of her face was etched with sadness. She returned his gaze.
"Elizabeth." he said quietly. "Your brother would have been proud of you."
She gave a little gasp, half laugh, half sob, and gave sad smile. "I told you." she looking at him. "My name's Lyla."
She looked away and pushed her hair back. "Call a meeting." she told him. "We need to discuss your food problem."
For a moment Minho was startled, but he soon recognised what she was doing. When he had been grieving he'd done this as well; make yourself busy and don't think about it. "Of course, your Majesty." He said half mockingly, half jokingly, curtsying and walking away. He heard her laugh and the weight on his shoulders lifted slightly. She was Newt's sister; it was the least he could do to try and make her life a little brighter.
