A/N Hey! My name is Kassie and I've finally decided to start putting fanfics up on here. I'd love reviews and constructive criticism but I write because I love too. This is non-beta'd but I think it's okay. Fair warning, my updates will be weird. I live in an alternate universe and don't have internet at my house so it takes a bit for me to get my stuff up but I'll try as hard as I can I promise! On with the story!
This is it, I thought to myself, This is when I truly become a shadowhunter.
I'm watching the Silent Brother closely as he brings the steele closer to my arm and I brace myself for the burning. This will be the first marking I ever receive and although I am excited, I'm terrified. Today I'm stepping into a whole new world. As soon as those thick black lines adorn my skin I'll be expected to take my training and start doing something with it.
He begins and the burn makes me bite down on my lip. It hurts but I had known it was going to and honestly it wasn't as bad as I had expected. The first rune is small, the open eye on the back of my hand. There are three more to go before I'll be free to go but already I feel different, more powerful. I sit quietly through the rest of my marking, watching with eager eyes as the steele runs across my skin. And at last when he has finished I stretch my arms out in front of my to look at them clearly.
"And now Alyssa LaFare, you are officially a shadowhunter."
_Five Years Later_
"Jaqi come on!" I have to scream in order to be heard over the last shrieks of the demon that sits below me, my seraph blade lodged in its heart. "We don't have all day, just kill it already!" I know I'm being harsh with my younger sister but it's been a long day, it's hot, and I just want to go home. Jaqi is like a cat and enjoy's playing with her prey before destroying it. She is ultimately one of the best shadowhunters we have, and that's not sisterly affection talking, she's light years ahead of where I was when I was her age. At this point she's probably better than me even though I'd never admit that to her.
"Fine fine!" I hear a loud, gutted scream followed by a quick laugh by my sister. The demon she's dispatched is writhing it's way into oblivion as she shoves her seraph blade back in it's sheath. "Ally why do you always ruin my fun?" I sigh and wipe my bangs out of my eyes, aware that I'm probably smearing demon blood all over my forehead and not caring in the least.
"Because that was the last one of the day and I'm tired. Besides I could use an iratze and judging on that wicked looking cut across your chest, you could use one too." Before Jaqi could say anything, I carried on. "And we both know you wouldn't have that if you would just kill them quickly." She scowled at me and crossed her arms. At fourteen, her temper was a lot like mine but I was a bit better at controlling it.
"Whatever Ally." I smiled and tugged on the back of her ponytail.
"Aw come on Jaqi, besides we need to get packed and ready for our trip tomorrow." She grimaced. "What was that for? Aren't you excited? You'll finally get to travel to a different Institute. See how things are different." She shrugged and glanced at me from the corner of her eye.
"Same thing different place. I don't get why you're so excited, you've been to quite a few different ones." By this time we had reached the subway and I was glad for the glamour. I really didn't feel like having people stare at my blood and bruise covered body at this point.
"No, I've only been to ours and the one in London. I've never been to the New York Institute. The people that run it, the Lightwood's I believe mom said, are an old shadowhunter family and she used to be friend's with them when they were younger back in Idris. She wants us to stay there for a while so she can get everything sorted here." Jaqi's face darkened and I knew what she was about to say.
"Ally... Dad's dead and has been for three months now. Everything was fine until last week, what happened? This is weird and you know it. Yes I miss him, but we die all the time and we die young. Why does Mom need to get everything sorted?" I pursed my lips and stared out the window as the subway slowed. I wish I had the answers too, because everything she pointed out was right. It made no sense whatsoever for Mom to need us gone for a while. There was something she was hiding and I just couldn't get the information out of her.
We exited the station without my answering her questions. She knew I couldn't and that's why she didn't bother to keep asking. Getting off the train was always comforting, we were almost home. We could already see the top of the institute; the gothic cathedral that seemed to be a shared style in these buildings all over the world. We had lived in Los Angeles for a long time, just after I was born Mom and Dad were appointed to look after the institute here. It was always busy and full of people. LA was a dangerous place not only in mundane crime but that of the shadow world as well. Demons ran almost freely here and warlocks, faerie's, and other downworlders ran highly illegal shops that trafficked in all kinds of black magic. One thing for certain, one was never bored.
When we reached the gates, they opened quickly to us and I assumed Xavier was waiting. That was never a good sign. Xavier was our cousin, my Aunt's son. But she and her husband had died long ago and by now I just considered Xavier my brother. He was ten years older than me and lived here with his wife Noni and their daughter Colleen. She was a cute thing, with pale skin, green eyes, and caramel colored hair and had just celebrated her fifth birthday. But Xavier was fiercely protective over her (as he had been with me and Jaqi when we were younger) so knowing that he was waiting up for us was never a good sign.
When the door opened, sure enough he was waiting for us. Xavier was an interesting person to look at, with a mix of nationalities that lended him his exotic features. His mother was our mom's half sister and she had been a Chinese-American. His father had been Italian. So he had lightly olive toned skin with a hint of brown to it and black hair with small blue eyes. And he was tall, grazing almost a foot over my 5'5 stature. It sounded like a crazy mix but he was rather handsome. And his wife Noni was pale, short, and blond with the lightest of green eyes. I was interested in seeing what Colleen would look like when she grew into her interesting features. She didn't have her father's eyes and for that I was glad because too often, like right now, his eyes looked at me narrowed, telling me that I was most likely in trouble for one thing or another.
"Alyssa, you need to come with me. Right now. Jaqi, go to your room or to the training area. Just stay away from the library. I'll call for you in a bit." His voice was quiet but commanding and Jaqi was quickly to run away from his intense stare.
"C'mon Xavier, can't I at least clean up a little?" I gestured towards my blood-and-ichor- smeared clothes. His eyes scanned me quickly.
"You have five minutes than meet me in your mother's study." I raised an eyebrow at his change of location but didn't say anything, only skirted by him to my room to rid myself of my battered gear and change into an old t-shirt and a pair of cutoffs. I washed my face quickly and retied my hair into it's usual ponytail before jogging up the stairs and into my parent's - mother's- quarters. In a doorway just off her bedroom was her "study." It wasn't really that, just an old room filled with books that shouldn't be available to the public. Public mainly being anyone under eighteen. The books were filled with powerful spells and demon summoning rituals. Things adult Nephiliam should know. The more you knew about your enemy, the likelier you were to take it down without being injured.
I wasn't alone. The small room felt crowded and I was surprised at how many people actually fit in here. Besides Xavier, stood my mother, Noni, a man I didn't recognize that was so sparkly someone could have hung him from the ceiling and called him a disco ball, and a man and a woman who had locked eyes with each other. The glittery man had been eyeing some of the spell books on the higher shelves but must have felt me staring because he glanced over and met my eyes.
I forced back a gasp of shock. I tried to keep myself calm but he winked at me as if sensing my obvious surprise at what his cat slitted eyes were telling me. Warlock! I'd only ever met one before and he hadn't looked anything like this one. This one looked like something you would sweep off the floor after a rave.
"Ally, good you're here." My mother was the first to speak up and everyone's eyes instantly swiveled to her. I felt better to have the warlock's eyes off of me. "I only have a moment for introductions. This here is Magnus Bane," She gestured at the warlock who gave me a smile full of glittering teeth. "And the couple over there are Mayrse and Robert Lightwood, the ones that run the institute in New York." They nodded curtly at me and I did so back at them.
"Mother, what's going on?" She sighed and leaned against the back bookcase and it was only in this moment that I really saw her. She looked tired, dark shadows under her eyes and her hair was falling loose and un brushed around her shoulders. She was dressed in gear detailing the marks trailing over her arms but between those were dark purple bruises. I frowned, an iratze could have easily taken away the bruises, so why were they still there?
"It's about your sister." I froze. She was only three years younger than me and I was fiercely protective of her.
"What's wrong with her? What's wrong with Jaqi?" It was at this time Bane spoke up.
"I wouldn't say anything is wrong with her at the time but if she sprouts horns and a forked tail, there's no real reason to be alarmed." This earned a glare from her mother.
"Magnus! This isn't funny!" He nodded but I could see the amusement shining in his eyes. "Ally... I know you've been wondering why we're really sending you away to New York. And you're right, it has nothing to do with... with your father's death. Jaqi need's to be observed under two guardians and a warlock and New York is the closest Institute with someone willing to help." I felt fear churning deep in my stomach and was glad I hadn't eaten anything earlier or else it might be coming up right about now.
"What is wrong with Jaqi? Please just tell me." I saw the Lightwood's exchange glances but neither said anything.
"Ally... as you know shadowhunter blood is always dominate. So were a shadowhunter procreate with a human or even a downworlder that is capable of reproducing, the shadowhunter blood would reign supreme." I nodded confused, these were things I had learned a long time ago. "Well it seems that... for whatever reason Jaqi's blood is maturing a lot faster than it should be, it seems she is using magic to give her more strength faster than would be possible with regular training."
"But that's impossible!" There was a heavy hesitation. "Isn't it? I thought we didn't deal in magic, that belongs to the warlocks and such." Not being able to help it I glanced at Magnus who was decidedly ignoring me and staring down at his nails. They were painted a dark blue.
"Well yes." This came from Mayrse. "But the kind of advancement she is going through is much more unnatural that normal warlock magic. We're afraid that a Greater Demon is lending her it's power to increase it's strength. And of course in doing so, it's gaining a mighty weapon for once she accepts it's power, she can become it's pawn. Whether Jaqi knows what is happening or not is still unsure... She may have made a deal with a demon in full knowing of what happened or there may be someone controlling everything." The blood had all run from my face at this point. "But the fact remains that she has harnessed a great and unnatural magic to help her progress. And that's why your mother is sending you away. Honestly you don't have to come but we figured it would be easier on Jaqi, as well as easier to explain, if you just came with her."
I had nothing to say, I just nodded blindly and agreed with whatever they were saying.
"And of course you won't be alone." Robert said quite suddenly. "Our institute isn't nearly as busy as yours but my children live there. Isabelle, Alec, and Jace are all around your age." I noticed when he spoke of his children a dark shadow of sorrow passed over his eyes. I knew that look. That was the look Mom had on her face sometimes when she talked about Dad. They had lost a child. "Of course Jace is more adopted than anything. And his girlfriend Clary is always there and she's the same age as you." I felt a surge of recognition. Clary. I knew that name.
"You speak of Valentine's daughter." I said Valentine like a curse for I meant it that way. His demon war on the Glass City was what cost me my father and I was not akin to trusting anyone of his blood. Mayrse must have noticed my look and guessed my thoughts for her eyes darkened.
"Yes but if you recall she was the one that created the joining rune that allowed our people to work together with downworlders in order to defeat the onslaught of demons." I turned away from her and murmured a simple phrase.
"The sins of the father..."
The rest of the meeting went smoothly aside from Magnus occasionally quipping some witty remark that earned glares from everyone else. But I could see in the Lightwood's eyes that they weren't as put off as they pretended to be, they seemed almost amused by his comments and it seemed they had spent quite a bit of time around each other. How curious, I wondered why that was.
As they talked I thought mostly about the war that had taken my father's life. I hadn't been there and neither had my sister or mother. Xavier had been though as well as Noni. They had both come back, tragic sorrow in their eyes with new marks upon their forearms and a tangible sense of relief in their demeanor. They explained to me what had happened, that Valentine, the longtime enemy of the Clave had perished but that we had lost no small number of our race. My father being one of them. Oh yes he had been joined to a downworlder, a werewolf. But even in the end that hadn't saved him. In the end I was still left in white clothing with red marks adjourning my body and a sadness that never seemed to go completely away. And I blamed everything on Valentine and all of his blood.
Including his daughter Clary. Many regarded her as a hero of sorts but all I think about is if her rune had been better, if she had thought of something better, my father would still be alive. I didn't know anything about her but I hated her already. And she was dating the Lightwood's adopted son Jace? That name rang a bell as well but I couldn't place it. I would find out soon enough though. Even though I was warped with worry about my sister I couldn't help put secondary plans into place. I would take my revenge on Clary, revenge for not being enough to preserve my father's life.
My hands tensed when I saw Magnus look at me, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Could he read my mind? Was that something warlocks could do now? And even if he could why should he care about some shadowhunter girl? What kind of connection did he even have with these people that would make him volunteer to watch over my sister?
The answer hit me, and I was surprised with how naive I was being. It was so obvious. Money. All warlocks were practical slaves to it and would do anything for it.
"Ally? Alyssa? Hello?" My head snapped up when I realized Xavier was looking at me as well as the rest of the room.
"Yeah what?" I was surprised by the venom in my tone, my malicious thoughts were getting to me. "Sorry X, what's up?" The look of surprise on his face when I had answered him so sharply dimmed.
"I was just saying you can go now and finish packing your things. The only thing that we'll continue to converse about will be the finer details and you will be informed of them once everything has been settled." I nodded tightly and spun to leave the room but I could still feel the warlock's eyes burning into my back.
