Clarissa shot up, the pain from her wound and a clanking at her wrist causing her to groan. Looking at her stomach, she pulled up her shirt to reveal new bandages, reminding her of the events of last night. Her eyes then turned towards her left wrist, which she found was handcuffed to the frame of the bed. "Deanna didn't want to risk you leaving again." Clarissa's head snapped towards her bedside, surprised she hadn't noticed that Rick was sitting in a chair to her right. He had his chin in his hand, looking deep in thought as he looked to the girl. She clenched her jaw as her tone became sharp. "I won't leave, so you can take them off—" Rick shook his head. "Deanna has the key. Trust me, they would have been off a long time ago if there was a choice. Glenn hated when she came in to put those on you last night." Rick was surprised to see her face soften at the mention of Glenn. "I had to send him home. He spent the night here to make sure you were okay and that Nicholas didn't try anything. Although, I think you knocked him out for long enough, he's still out cold." Clary bit her tongue, not wanting to reveal that she was pleased he had gotten just a taste of what he deserved.
Even being awake she was in pain, her nose and lips throbbing, her imagination leading her to believe she was most likely purple all over her face. She stopped thinking about the bruising when Rick spoke up again. "I get it, Clarissa. You feel trapped here, and you're not alone in that. I feel it, you know Daryl does too. But there are people trying to help you here, give you some kind of life—" Her head snapped towards him, causing him to falter. "The last time I had a life was with Solaris, and look how that turned out." She shook her head. "I'm not letting another community fall because of me, not when the people look as if they can't even take down a walker." Rick let out a sigh, standing up before resting his hands on his belt. He looked to the girl, wishing to understand how she had become the way she had. "Trust me, I know. I see how they are, just as you do. But all I can say is you better get used to being here quick, Deanna's not sure about letting you roam free until she believes you're not a flight risk." Clary rolled her eyes slightly. "And how is she going to determine that?" Clary questioned the man. "She's going to come tape you again, question you on why you were trying to leave, why Nicholas said you were dangerous. If you can prove your innocence, she'll be more lenient." Clary nodded as a knock sounded at the door. Both Clary and Rick's head turned towards it as it opened, revealing Glenn. His eyes scanned over Clary, checking to make sure she was okay, before looking to Rick. "Deanna wants to talk to you before she comes in. She's on the porch." Rick nodded, giving a nod towards Clary in departure before heading out past Glenn.
As Glenn shut the door, he made his way to where her wrist was cuffed, pulling out the thin silver key before unlocking her hand out of it. Bringing it to her other hand, she rubbed at the soreness produced by the metal against skin. "How you feeling?" Clary watched as he made his way around to sit in the chair Rick had been, his eyes steady on her. She let out a puff of air, similar to a laugh. "Like some asshole jabbed his fingers in my wound and rammed me into a wall?" Glenn's mouth quirked up a bit, as did hers, glad that she was able to crack the joke. He moved the chair closer, keeping his eyes on her as his voice sounded softly. "I know you just woke up, but I need to know what's going on before Deanna comes here. She's questioning me after, about the paper." As Clary's eyes widened, he held up a hand to ease her. "I already told Rick it was your goodbye letter, and that's what I'll tell her." Clary allowed herself to relax before she shook her head. "Why are you trying to protect me? You know what I am, you know how dangerous that makes me, so why? Why risk everything?" Glenn sighed, leaning back in the chair before bringing a hand to cup his chin. He looked at her momentarily before shrugging. "Because I don't believe you're just that person. I believe that it's a persona you had to take on in order to keep fighting, to protect yourself and others." He nodded softly. "I know you're dangerous, but who isn't?" Clary sighed before nodding her head, sitting up and facing the man. "What do you want to know?"
As Glenn leaned back in his own seat, he watched her with curiosity. "How did it start?" It was the simplest question, but perhaps the hardest to answer as it had taken everything. "The group that tore apart my community, after they killed those on the run, they found us. They demanded we gave them half of our supplies and they would come every month to collect. I was Commander at the time, and I said no. None of my people wanted to, and I listened to them." Glenn watched as the girl shut her eyes for a moment, seeing her jaw clenched. Her eyes opened as quick as they had shut before she continued. "In order to get my compliance, the leader killed my sister. Bashed her brains in with a bat. I agreed then, scared they'd kill anyone else. And out of my grief, the Angel of Death was born." Clary looked away from Glenn, her eyes falling on the window as bright sunlight filtered through. She had never thought she'd share this part of her, but Glenn deserved to know. He protected her, and she would never be able to repay him for keeping her secret. Glenn watched her with sad eyes. "Did your people know?" She only shook her head. "Not at all. I didn't want them to know in case they saw me as a threat, and my Second was too angry and aggressive to be Commander. He would have driven us into the ground." She remembered the face of her Second, the image only of him with angered features. "But becoming the Angel of Death, towards the beginning it was to protect them from outer threats, but towards the end it became about protecting anyone that couldn't protect themselves. I'd go for days at a time, sometimes people found me and begged me for help, so I did. But my main mission was to kill those that took part in my sisters murder, and the murder of my people. And only one person was malicious enough to teach me how to be dangerous. My Second, Charles Micson."
Even saying his name, she could hear the distaste on her words. Charles Micson was ruthless, angry, the true embodiment of dangerous. Glenn raised his eyebrows in surprise. "He knew about you being the Angel of Death?" She nodded with a clenched jaw. "He's the reason I am the Angel of Death. He had intel that led me to kill those that I needed to kill. He hated me because I took the title of Commander from him, and he challenged me once but I defeated him." Remembering the man, she shook her head. "But he was an angry man, and he used force to get what he wanted. Because of that, he used my sisters death to push me to become a killer, so I did. He wasn't afraid to hurt me, and that's what made me strong. This scar on my face? It was from training I did when I first became Commander, from his blade." Glenn looked at the scar for a moment, thinking about a young Clarissa Dean with what would have been a tender flesh wound. "Did you ever regret it? Becoming the Angel of Death." Clary thought for a moment, knowing she probably should regret it. She knew that killing so many, she should regret it, but as she shook her head she knew it was the right decision. "Not at all." Looking to Glenn, she expected disappointment in his eyes, but she only saw intrigue, so she continued. "Becoming the Angel of Death, becoming the one thing that group feared? It gave me power." Clary thoughts wandered to the group before shrugging. "The posters came up about a three months after the group had killed my sister, but they didn't know my true face since I always wore a covering. That new page must have been posted around when Solaris fell. I think they figured out it was me and to get me, or to at least let me know they knew it was me, they destroyed Solaris."
Glenn went silent, his mind racing a mile a minute. She wondered what he was thinking, if he regretted his decision to protect her. He let out a sigh. "Thank you, for being honest." Clary only shrugged. "You deserved to know. And I fully understand if you believe I am too dangerous to keep around—" Glenn cut her off, his eyes wide. "What?" Clary met Glenn's eyes to see the look of confusion spread across his features. She was surprised as he smiled with disbelief scattered over his face. "I— I don't even consider you being dangerous." He brought the chair closer, looking at the girl with steady eyes. "You're a survivor, a fighter, but you did those things for the people you swore to protect. You fought for the people you loved and cared for. Everyone in my group has done that, the only difference is that you have a name for it." Glenn let out a soft sigh before he shook his head, standing up fork the chair before sitting on the bed with her. "I know you say you don't regret it, becoming the Angel of Death, but I think you hold some remorse. I think you hate the fact that there even had to be a reason for you to become her." He watched as the girl's eyes met his, hoping that she could just believe him. "But you're not just the Angel of Death. You're Clarissa Dean, a girl that I see as strong, a fighter." Clary looked at Glenn as his eyes softened, her mouth opening to speak until the sound of the door opening cut her off.
Unaware of what had been discussed in the room before her arrival, Deanna walked in with her camera and notepad in hand. "Clarissa, I'm sure Glenn told you about what I'm going to do?" The girl only nodded. "Yes." Deanna smiled, giving a curt nod as she faced the man. "Good, Glenn if you could leave, I'd rather it just be me and Clarissa." Glenn nodded, giving one look to the girl before departing as Deanna set up her camera. Pulling the chair to be besides it, she opened her notepad before clicking a button. "Clarissa Dean, can you please explain what happened last night?" Clarissa nodded before letting out a deep breath, staring at the camera. "Last night, you had a welcoming party for Rick's group. I saw it as an opportunity to escape." Deanna nodded. "And why did you choose to escape?" Clarissa clenched her jaw, speaking through her teeth as she lied. "I had already taken a great amount of your medical supplies, and I didn't want to be a burden. And I couldn't imagine staying here. It's an amazing community, a peaceful community, but I have lived in a world that was kill or be killed. I thought I would never belong." Deanna pulled out a pen and wrote notes in the pad of paper on her hand. It took her a few moments before she faced the girl once more. "Nicholas kept saying you were dangerous. That there was a piece of paper that Glenn supposedly picked up. What was it?" Clary shrugged, keeping up with Glenn's story. "I saw it in a flash, he had shoved it in my face. From what I could see, it was the letter I had written to explain why I had left." Deanna nodded slowly, looking for any signs of a lie to appear on her face or in her words but there was none.
Turning off the camera, she nodded before turning away from the device and back to the girl on the bed. "I'm deeply sorry for what you had to go through because of Nicholas and he will be punished. And as for you, I hope I don't have to worry about you leave anytime soon." Clary on lunch shook her head, knowing the movement would be of little assurance. "Well, in order to be sure of it, Glenn and Maggie have offered to house you in their home. Rick has already agreed to it, so as soon as you have healed up you'll be staying with them." Clary clenched her jaw, knowing that to speak out against Deanna wouldn't be smart. Even then, she knew it was better at least to be with Glenn, who knew of her past, than with anyone afraid of her like one of Deanna's people. So, accepting the change, Clary nodded before Deanna departed. And then, the young girl was alone.