Disclaimer: I do not own TMI TID or any of their characters, but I'd like to own Will Herondale : ) Please leave a review and let me know what you think.
Clair De Lune
Prologue
Life was hard. What with being as perfect as me, of course.
Sighing, she slid an enormous gray t-shirt over her head, then rolled over and gazed at the soft skin of the bare back opposite her. The skin was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, no doubt from the smothering heat wave they were currently experiencing. She smirked and stood from the downy mattress. Crossing the room, she rested a palm against the frost encrusted window, studying the otherworldly scene below. The murky forest below was entrenched in a snow wonderland, the moon glancing off the frozen landscape. In the distance, the crags of the Stiriacus Mountains rose into the cloud mass. The Stirs, as people called them, were the highlight of the scenery. Days like these made her wish for times long gone, where she could lounge with a book. Unfortunately, she had pressing matters to attend to.
"Get up. You!"
They always seemed to overstay their welcome. She nudged the slumbering form on the mattress with a pristine toe.
The man shifted slightly, muttering incoherently.
Cocking her head wolfishly, she prodded him once more.
"Ahhmkkl. Ama biii. Veeen..Veneeh".
Narrowing her eyes, she gave the man a forceful shake.
"Goddamn. I am busy and you're wasting my valuable time."
The man remained prone, regardless of her barely veiled threat. Pursing her mouth, she reached for him once more, only to jump backwards defensively as the man sat up. Remaining sitting, he turned his head slowly towards her, eyes closed. She did not like the behavior the man was exhibiting whatsoever. She slowly reached behind her for the dagger she kept near the door frame, pausing when the man began to speak. His eyes glowed an unorthodox blue, the color of fate.
"Audite. Veniet. Et amare. Audite lamia, vos estis monuit. Audite, audite, auditeee."
The man trailed off, slumping back to the bed after the last words were uttered. She stood frozen, staring at the man, shivering.
"Oh shit."
O O O
Chapter One
"Grace! Grace Rosemary Cadence!"
Her mother's shouts echoed through the dream she was having. She really hated when her mother called her Rosemary, made her feel like a grandma. Though, by the way her body felt, she could be one. Groggily, she swam through the nighttime soup and emerged into reality. She sat up gingerly and brushed her away hair from her face. As she sat, she struggled to remember the odd dream that had overtaken her during the night. Blushing, she remembered the naked back in front of her, and then the images began to fly past: a dark room, a snow capped woodland, somber mountains looming in the distance. And something else, blue lights perhaps? The fog of sleep was drifting away, and with it the dream retreated. She remembered someone speaking, a foreign tongue she couldn't understand.
"Grace Rosemary Cadence, I will come drag you from bed and make you carry these boxes out in your jim jams!"
Rolling her eyes, she pushed off the cocoon her sleeping bag made, and quickly dressed for the day. Another shout emitted from below, and she hurried downstairs with a grin in place.
"I told you that you needed to be up about an hour ago. You know we have an early start today. You wouldn't have just emerged from a nest of yours, would you?"
Her mother raised her eyebrows, opening her eyes in a way that reminded Rosemary of an owl startled at night. Stifling a giggle, she grabbed the last of the boxes and kissed her mom on the cheek as she dashed out the door, adopting a southern drawl in reply.
"Good morning, momma! Now, why ever would I waste a beaut of a morn?"
Her mother heaved a sigh and followed her out the door, carrying the last of the boxes. The sky was still dark and the crescent moon hung low in the sky; the early morning joggers were not even awake for another day of suburban life. The boxes were filled to the brim with books and clothes, things that her mother declared they could not do without. Slipping a dog eared book from within a box, Rosemary threw the novel on the passenger's seat and slipped back inside the house. Taking the stairs two at a time, the lithe young girl grabbed her newly abandoned sleeping bag and heaved it around her shoulders. She shut off all the lights and sailed out the door to the car with her mom. Her mother cast a wary glance around the block before she put the car in reverse and backed out of the drive. Strange, she thought to herself, and then began reading the worn novel. Soon enough, she began to drift off, the smooth movement lulling her to sleep.
O O O
Rhett Anders was many things, but patience was not his best quality. He glared at the manager, forcing the man to awkwardly repeat his apologies.
"Sir, is there nothing else we can do? I will help in any way possible!"
Rhett had not time to listen to tittering like this man was doing. He was the living, breathing Rhett Anders, and nothing would get in his way. He grabbed the money from the counter, and stalked out of the store, slamming the door open angrily. The town was much too small sometimes.
Especially for him.
"Oy! Randy Darkwood!"
A familiar voice took over him as his black cloud of a mood traipsed down the sidewalk. Rhett whipped around and stared at the tall figure sprinting towards him.
"Beau Dragonway? What the hell are you doing here?"
"Well, it's a funny story. Not that I'm funny, but its kinda funny when you think about-"
He tuned out the answer and stared at his childhood best friend. He used to tease him his mother fed him too much, but in all actuality it was almost awe inspiring how damn big he truly was. Standing around 6'5, the boy was tall and well built. Rhett was no shrimp at around 6'2, but 6'5 was insane. He remembered how it used to ruffle his ego, for even as a kid Beau had been tall for his age. That was before my incredible good looks had fully blossomed, he reminded himself.
The kid had also been a phenomenal ShadowHunter, his angelic blood shining through as he slaughtered the practice dummies and breezed through training courses. Rhett had been a fiery child, and had a relatively easy time, but when Beau had lived at the institute, he had felt second rate. He hadn't done a very good job at hiding his joy when Beau's family transferred to the Raleigh Institute when they were 13. Beau hadn't said anything, but he still remembered how guilty he'd felt as Beau nearly cried when they left. Now he was back, and God help him if they were staying.
"And then mother said,"we're moving back to Culpeper."
Of course you are.
"I was glad when I heard that, it will be just like old times!"
I sincerely hope not.
"Mother said she'd put everything away in my room, and Francis said you'd gone down to the pawn shop or something, so I came to find you and tell you the news. Isn't it great?"
Beau shot him a big, goofy grin as he loped along beside Rhett back towards the Institute.
Oh, yes. Super glad. Yaaay.
O O O
Dark mountains towered high above, disappearing into a cloudy night sky as a bitter wind whipped at the clothing she wore. She trudged onwards, following a tall figure that apparently had little trouble getting through the snow that came up to her knees. The trees moaned into the wind with a sound that made shivery fingertips run down her spine. Tucking her head down deeper into her coat, and pulling the hat down tight, she shouted for the figure to stop. He turned around and-
Shook her shoulder?
Grace sat straight up, gasping for air, as her mother stared at her.
"You really should have taken theater, you know. We are in Virginia, by the way."
Narrowing her eyes, Grace stretched and took in their surroundings. They were on the outskirts of a large town parked in front of a massive Gothic structure. She never understood why, but the old fashioned stone architecture always made her feel uneasy, as if one of the gargoyles might leap down and gobble her up. Turning to her mother, she raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"Oh, I must've forgot to tell you before we left. I need you to run this inside and deliver this for me. Ask for Alice Hollowgreen. She will have brown hair and green eyes, and about as many freckles as there are stars in the night sky."
Her mother handed her an envelope, covered with her chicken scratch writing. She used to think her mother purposely scribbled so others wouldn't be able to tell if she spelled something wrong, but she now understood it was more likely due to her impatience. She stared at her mother, silently asking why she had to be woken from a glorious slumber solely to take a letter to a friend.
"Hang on a minute, how do you even know her? I didn't know you knew anyone outside Boston."
She squinted at her mother, as a whole new side of possibilities opened. Her mother had never really had friends in Boston, preferring to be home as soon as possible and leaving for work after Grace left for school. Her mother simply shrugged and urged her to head out the door. Heaving the sigh of all sighs, she shifted her signature nest of blankets down to the floor in front of her seat and struggled to get her seatbelt off. She shut the door, and approached the iron gate apprehensively, half expecting the door to be impenetrable. However, the door easily opened and she continued up the well manicured path towards the church doors. She presumed it was a church at least, but it didn't seem like any church she'd ever seen. In fact, she got a sense of déjà vu when looking closely at the building. She shook off her uneasy feeling of familiarity and let the heavy knocker on the door fall a couple times. Almost immediately, the door was opened by a wispy old woman, dressed in stern black. The woman stared at Grace as though she was sprouting wings and dancing naked in the moonlight. Guess they're not used to visitors.
"Hello? Who might you be?"
"My name is Grace Cadence, and my mother has a letter for me to deliver. I was told to give it to Alice Hollowgreen?"
The old woman took the letter and examined it carefully, though Grace didn't know why she bothered. It was like trying to read a doctor's prescription, utter gibberish.
"I see. One moment then."
The old woman handed the letter back and disappeared quickly, her footsteps retreating into the darkness that lay beyond the door. Grace shifted uneasily from foot to foot, and wondered where the old woman had gone. Soon enough though, the woman reappeared, looking flustered.
"Come inside, Ms. Alice would like to speak to you."
With that, the old woman took off.
"My name is Francis, and you may call me as such. No "F-dawg", "Franny", "Fran-daddy", or other unsavory names."
Francis glanced at Grace with a flinty look in her blue eyes. She nearly snorted as the elderly woman referred to herself as "Fran-daddy". Who must she live with? She doubted the proud woman would ever think of those herself.
As they walked, she realized the interior did not reflect the outside of the building. The inside was newer, less worn down. It was every bit as regal, she had never seen a building quite like this. It reminded her once again of something or somewhere, a vague sense of familiarity snuck up again. She passed by many doors, all seemingly closed with no one inside. The building had a spacious, but hollow feeling, as though many rooms existed that remained unoccupied. They soon approached a door at the end of the corridor, with large blocks of stone surrounding the wood. Francis knocked briskly, handed the letter to Grace, and walked away with the stride of someone 20 years younger. Watching her figure disappear into the darkness, she nearly jumped out of her skin as the door was opened.
"Oh, my! I didn't mean to startle you. My apology. Francis told me you were Grace Cadence? My name is Alice Hollowgreen, and I understand that you have a letter for me."
Grace nodded, slightly taken aback by the quick, efficient way the woman spoke. The woman was thin like a model, with non-descript brown hair and hazel eyes with a constellation of freckles splashed across her entire face. She handed the woman the envelope, and watched as the tore open the seal. Alice's eyes danced across the page, flipping to the next, her eyes growing wider with each line. Grace rocked uneasily on her heels, wondering about the contents of the letter and the location of the nearest restroom. After what seemed an eternity, Alice placed the letter on the desk and sighed. She ran a slender hand through her hair and sat on the edge of her desk.
"Miss Grace-may I call you Grace?"
Grace nodded, not completely listening as she was focused on the hunger pangs she was feeling, and the availability of food in the town. Alice continued, appearing more stressed with each word.
"It would appear that we have quite the dilemma. Would you mind bearing your shoulder to me for a moment?"
Now that caught Grace's attention. What dilemma, and this we better not be you and I. I don't do dilemmas, and I especially don't do them on an empty stomach. Reluctantly, Grace turned away and pulled the sleeve of her t shirt down slightly. She heard an intake of breath from Alice, and quickly turned back to face her.
"It seems that there has been…miscommunication in your life. Your name is not Grace Cadence, but Grace Rosewood. And you are a ShadowHunter."
Grace stared at Alice with a blank expression. Either this woman was off her proverbial rocker, or her mother had written one hell of a letter.
"What do you mean, I'm not Grace Cadence," she replied frostily.
"There has been a situation that has arisen, needing your mother to reveal this information to you. You are a Shadowhunter, as I said, as evidenced by the Voyance on your shoulder. Your mother was a Shadowhunter by the name of Diana Rosewood. Your father, we aren't privy to. And you are being sent here to train as one of us."
She continued to stare at Alice, the words slipping around her braind. What on God's green earth is a shadowhunter and why are people needing to hunt shadows in the first place. I mean they re right there! She laughed until her stomach began to cramp and tears rolled down her face. Shaking her head, she wiped away the tears as the laughing subsided and grinned at the grim Alice.
"And how would you know that, huh?"
I know exactly who I am and your loony bin self isn't changing that.
"Your mother wrote it. This letter you brought, she explained all that, and that she would be leaving you here."
"Really. Alright, sure. And how long did she say she was leaving me for?"
Still smiling, Grace waited for Alice to grin and admit the joke was over.
"Indefinitely."
Despite herself, Grace felt a knot of apprehension. Her mother wasn't one for taking off on a whim, yet their move had been sudden, and she had said the town they were moving to was a surprise. Suddenly fearful, Grace shook her head then darted out the still open door, sprinting down the corridor towards the door she came in from.
O O O
"And my mother said, if I promise to keep it down, I can have the room right next to yours."
Rhett had nearly forgotten how talkative Beau could be. To be honest, it was really irritating, yet strangely comforting. Not that he'd ever say that out loud. He was actually glad in some way that Beau had returned; being with James, Abigail, Louisa and Edmund wasn't always a walk in the park. They got along well enough, but the consistent chipper mood Beau existed in did a lot to lift the black fog that surrounded him. They rounded the corner to the Institute, Beau still chattering away, when Rhett noticed a black car pulled up in front. Beau stopped speaking mid-sentence, and they both quickly crossed the street to the car. No one was inside, but in the back a woman was removing boxes from the trunk.
"Can we help you, ma'am?"
Rhett was the picture of a gentleman as he politely inquired to the woman, but his reflexes were ready if the she made a sudden move. Likewise, Beau was smiling, but Rhett could see from the set of his shoulders that he was prepared as well.
"Actually, that would be great. My name is Diane. My daughter and I are moving into the Institute, and I still have to unload some things. Do you think you could help grab some boxes?"
Rhett moved around to the trunk and grabbed a particularily heavy box. What the hell, did they decide to bring bricks with them?! Likewise, Beau picked up the nearerst box and placed it on the curb with the rest of the belongings. Diane chatted with them, explaining they were still moving things and getting it all in order, but were excited about life at the Culpeper Institute.
"In fact, I have to make a run back to the house real quick to grab the rest, but if you could carry this inside, that would be great."
Rhett and Beau glanced at one another, and shrugged. Diane nodded and took the rest of the boxes, blankets and pillows out of the back. Tenderly, she set a stuffed animal on top of the mass of bedding. Rhett thought he saw her wipe a tear, but then she straightened up, smiled at the two, and thanked them once more. She spun on her heel and marched to the driver's side, starting up the car. They picked up the boxes off the curb, Rhett throwing the extra blanket over a shoulder, and began to walk towards the Institute as the woman got put the car in drive and took off.
As they were nearly halfway to the Institute, a small figure exploded from the doors, hurtling towards them. Ahh. That must be Diane's daughter. Sidestepping to avoid the mass of hair and flesh, he watched it slam into an unlucky Beau. The two were thrown to the ground by the force of the collision. TIIIIMBEEER, Rhett snickered.
"Move! Get out of my way!"
That shut Rhett up quickly. Glaring at the girl, he hefted the box onto a shoulder.
"Pardon me?"
"Excuse me, but I don't recall stuttering, your Majesty."
Rhett's blood was boiling. Narrowing his eyes, he watched the girl turn and race to the curb.
"MOM!"
She collapsed to the ground and put her head between her knees, rocking slowly. No crying was happening, but the girl was breathing fast. What in the world is going on.
"She's gone."
AN: Hmm, that she is. PLOT TWIST! What will you do now Grace Rosewood? And who are those strapping young bros? Stay tuned, my friends. And leave a review, it would be really helpful. This is my first time writing anything, so tell me what you liked, didn't like, what you'd like to see, etc. I'll try to update frequently!