BLACK ROSES - A SHADOWHUNTER FANFICITON
SUMMERY: Sutton and Savannah Brady-distant cousins to the Blackthorns of the Los Angeles Institute-grew up under the watchful eye of their mother and father, homed at the only Canadian Institute in Toronto, Ontario. Their lives were never put in danger, their family was always together and no one died or went missing. Their Life, to put it simply, was normal and uneventful. They were Canadian, the wall flowers of not only the mundane world, but also among the Nephilim. The accords held strong between their Downworlders and the Nephilim of Canada. They were all cordial to each other. Nothing ever happened.
But when Sutton Brady's sister goes missing and no one can find her, her world shatters. Parabatai, bound together until death or exile do part them, Sutton knows her sister is no longer of this world when she feels a sharp pain and burning sensation as her mark starts to fade to a dull silver upon her left shoulder. Soon enough reports start coming in from the New York Institute of rumours among the New York Downworlders-a Nephilim has forsaken her marks and angel blood for life among the night sky, moon, and stars.
Determined to find her sister, Sutton travels to New York to seek their help in locating her lost sister, but little does she know that she's walking into an even bigger situation than anticipated.
She may have lost a sister but along her journey, Sutton gains friends meant for a life time, and a new perspective on what it means to live as a Nephilim and together with the Downworlders.
CHAPTER ONE: Forewarning
Toronto, On.
Canadian Institute
1 weeks earlier
The Canadian Shadowhunter Institute was located in the heart of downtown Toronto. To the mundane world, the Institute looked like a burnt down private school, but little did they know that under that glamour was the home of many Shadowhunters. The inside was decorated in dark wood panels, white marble accent pillars, and ash coloured tile floors. It was a more modern institute, only having been established a hundred and fifty years ago, in comparison to many of the Institutes around the world. It was a young institute but it was just as capable and authoritative as the other Institutes. However, there were fewer quarrels between the Canadian Institute and the Downworlders of Canada, the accords holding stronger.
Although there was little strife between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, the Shadowhunters still had their hands full with demons appearing and causing chaos.
"Over there! Hurry!" yelled a young dark haired Shadowhunter as she dashed across the vaulted rooftop of a nearby building.
The demon in question was a horrible sight to behold. It had more legs than one could count, and it's head turned a hundred and eighty degrees, much like an owl's head, but void of and fuzz or feathers. It had barbous spikes protruding from his spine that dripped demon ichor. However, this was not the original form the Shadowhunter had found it in. The demon had been prowling through the Toronto Zoo, shapeshifting into different animals and waiting for a mundane to approach.
"Tawn!" shouted the Shadowhunter's companion, another dark haired girl who looked nearly identical to the first. "Watch out!"
The first girl darted to her left as the demon spat neon glowing saliva at her. It whooshed past her head, nearly singing off the end of her long dark brown hair. "Shit," she said in exhale.
She sprang forward, Seraph blade shining in hand, and pivoted forward, lunging at the center of the demon. The blade struck the demon, sliding into its core with a sickening slurping sound. The demon quivered and let out an ear piercing screech before exploding into a cloud of sparks and demon ash.
The second Shadowhunter skidded to a halt, clapping the other girl on the shoulder. "Great job, Tawn. I was sure you were going to get a face full of demon goo. Then I'd have to save your ass and iratz you too..."
Tawn let out a breathy laugh. "Like I haven't had to do that for you nearly every time we've gone out on a mission, Van."
"Well, it's you we're talking about... You never need an iratz," Van replied, irritation laced in her words. "I'm always the one falling behind."
Tawn extinguished her seraph blade and put it in it's holster. She put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Down worry Van. You're amazing. Everyone needs an iratz every once in awhile. Even Jonathan Shadowhunter needed them, which is why we have runes like that."
Van sighed. "I know, I just wish I was a bit better at everything-like you are."
Tawn grabbed her sister's hand. "I told you I'd help you. We can train-"
"You just don't get it," her sister snapped, cutting her off. "I'm not good at anything a Shadowhunter is suppose to be good at. I feel like I'm not meant to be nephilim..."
Tawn gasped. "You can't mean that, Savannah. We're all meant to be Shadowhunters, that's why we're nephilim. We're given the strength and skills to be the protectors of mundanes and to keep the accords in tact."
"Maybe you are, but I just don't think that's what's meant for me," Savannah said with a sigh.
"There are other path you could choose, maybe an Iron Sister?" Tawn pulled at Savannah's hand, "Let's go home. It's been a long hunt and some rest will do us good."
"Fine." Savannah let out a reluctant sigh and let herself be dragged away. Little did Sutton know this was only the beginning of a bigger problem her sister would soon be fighting...
*x*x*
The Present
Sutton slipped through the heavyset doors of the Institute, heading out into the bustling city. She had a hunt to complete, a mission. The demon in question was a shape shifter, causing havoc on the general mundane public. The Institute had received reports from it's sensors of a demon slipping through the thick waves of people milling about the downtown core of Toronto, changing its face and body shape every few minutes. The reports came in stating that a demon was tricking Mundanes into thinking they were hallucinating and seeing duplicates of themselves.
This was an easy job for Sutton, one she'd done many times before, although normally her sister would accompany her. Usually they would both race through the thick of the downtown pedestrians or leaping from rooftop to rooftop. But for this particular mission Sutton was alone, her sister having gone to bed earlier the night before with pain and fatigue; and refused to come out of her room. So Sutton prowled across the various rooftops, searching for signs of her demon.
Even though she was use to having her sister for backup, a part of Sutton was happy to be by herself. Being alone meant that she didn't have to worry about anyone else, she didn't have to coordinate attacks or plans with anyone else; and she could do what she wanted, how she wanted, and when she wanted.
Her mind was suppose to be on the hunt, on the demon she needed to find and take care of, but Sutton couldn't help her mind from replaying the conversation that Savannah and her had had only a week earlier. What could she do to help her sister, Sutton wondered absentmindedly. They were only a year a part, more like twins than just regular siblings, so there had to be something she could do. Her sister was her best friend and they knew each other so well, so why couldn't she figure out a way to help her sister feel more confident in her role as a Shadowhunter?
A sudden scream from below pulled Sutton out from her thoughts and reminded her of the task at hand. She searched the crowd of Saturday shoppers and tried to locate the person whom the scream came from. Finally she noticed a mundane woman standing on the sidewalk, looking at a mirrored image of herself. People around here were whispering and pointing and questioning the mental state of the woman-a typical mundane thing to do.
Sutton descended down from the rooftop and quickly worked her away across the street, coming to stand behind the demon. "Hey, Asmautos! I thought I told you never to show your hideous face around here again. No one likes your tricks!"
The demon hissed as it spun around, giving the mundane a chance to turn and run. The glamour the demon dawned faded away, causing the woman to scream again with hysteria. The demon glanced down at Sutton hand, recognising the Seraph blade in her grip. Similar to the woman's, the demon let out a shrill screech and lunged for the young Shadowhunter, large purple talons glinting in the sunlight.
Sutton whispered breathily the name of her blade. "Apphia."
Right as Sutton was about to slash away at the demon, her phone started to ring in her pocket. The sudden noise momentarily distracted the Shadowhunter, leaving her open to the demon's attack. The purple talons buried themselves in her right shoulder and left side of her torso.
She screamed out in pain before trusting her Seraph blade deep into the chest of Asmautos. The demon screeched out a similar sound before bursting into a cloud of demon ash. Sutton coughed and her blade clattered to the ground, it's heavenly light extinguishing as it met the cold concrete. Blood splattered at her feet with little droplets sprinkling the toes of her black boots. . With a wipe of her sleeve against her blood stained lips, Sutton pulled out her phone and checked the notification.
Missed Call: Mother
1 minute ago
New Text Message: Mother
Come home now. Your sister has disappeared!
Sutton groaned and coughed again as she reached for her blade. Her mind began to swirl with thought after thought.
She had to get home.
She had to find her sister.
She had to get the demon poison out of her system.
Sutton staggered, trying to put one foot in front of the other, but she could feel the poison coursing through her veins. She could feel its grip getting tighter around her heart. With an agonizing scream, Sutton fell to her knees, gripping the front of her shirt, just above her heart. The last thought she had before everything went dark was of her sister:
I'm sorry Savannah, if only I had been a better sister, you'd-
Authors Notes:
HEY GUYS HEYYYY
I'm kinda sorta back.
And because I'm trash and have been on a very big TMI/TID/Shadowhunter kick, I bring you my latest story and I'll probably forget about.
But until then, please enjoy this new series.
-Al