Hello earthlings! This is my new story that I hope you all enjoy! Please please please review! I haven't really done any fanfics for this! I have done a one-shot for the infernal devices so go check that out! I also have done fanfics for the Selection and Divergent. I really don't do disclaimers but I will do one that will be for the whole story.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Infernal Devices.
Happy? That was just for those people who do like disclaimers because I, my dear, don't. We get it, its , you don't own anything. Yeah so it any of you wanted to wonder why I don't really put disclaimers, there you go. Also I would like to thank ' Jillessa Heronstairs', ' The-Finale-Hope', and ' The Iron Sister' for reviewing on my one-shot. And now the story begins.
Tessa stood in front of the institute and gulped. It was a tall stone building and very castle like. People flooded in through the huge wooden doors with its black metal handles. Tessa's stomach dipped. It was intimidating, Tessa will admit, and she hated being in another country all by herself except for her brother who is always drinking and gambling. Since Tessa is still just sixteen and technically isn't allowed to live on her own, she has to live with her brother who is old enough to be on his own. And since Tessa had to leave all her friends behind, she figured she better focus on her education and getting a scholarship because there was no way she could depend on her brother. The London institute was the top rated school in the country. Although most people here are rich and don't need to work their butt off for a scholarship.
Tessa sighed and entered the building. The main hall had a huge and high ceiling with matching towering stained glass windows. There were all kinds of tapestries hanging from the wall that shows all kinds of things like angels. There were a bunch of stairs and hallways that lead out to different places in the huge building. More like castle, Tessa thought. The school was something that Tessa read from a book with its authentic stone walls and wooden beams. It was a mixture between a castle, church, and school.
Tessa pulled a map out of her back pocket and checked it out. She had to take the stairs. Tessa looked up at the several sets of stairs that went up several and many levels. She picked the one in the middle and sighed. This is going to be fun, Tessa glanced at the several suitcases next to her. Tessa threw her head back and groaned.
" Let's get this over with." Tessa muttered under her breath. She had several suitcases including two rolling bags, a backpack, and another duffle bag. She also shipped three trunks full of books which should be in the room already.
The next forty five minutes was filled with Tessa getting lost several times and angrily making her way up the stairs while cursing, and this is coming from a girl who just doesn't swear. Tessa had a method which was have the backpack on her back, roll the two bags behind her and kick the duffle bag lazily up the stairs. The wheels kept getting caught on the steps and the duffle bag kept rolling back down the stairs to her sometimes. Several times in Tessa's adventure did she nearly collapsed and start crying but pure stubbornness drove her on.
Tessa arrived at room 645 after nearly an hour. She was sweating, panting, and ready fall asleep on the door. Tessa clumsily opened the brown door to find several people in the in the room. Tessa stared at them, breathing heavily with her hair plastered to her neck and probably smelling like squirrel poo. I must look like a madwoman, Tessa thought with wide eyes.
Tessa frowned at them and furrowed her eyebrows. What were these people doing in her dorm? I mean, she knew she had a roommate but she thought she only had one roommate. Tessa had a disturbing thought. What if she was in the wrong room? She didn't think she could go up and down those torture devices they call stairs again.
" You went up the stairs?" Asked a beautiful girl with warm brown eyes and long platinum blonde hair. She had a skinny body and was the kind of girl who was on magazine covers. I mean, it could be possible. Some famous people went to the London institute. Tessa nodded mournfully. The girls british accent was nice. Pleasent. Or did they call it an English accent?
" You know we have a lift." A boy with brown hair and light green eyes says looking at her in a 'no duh' kind of way. Tessa's jaw dropped and she stared at him with wide eyes. She was pretty sure a 'lift' is what they called elevators here but Tessa didn't trust her brain at this moment. She wasn't quite sure how mentally stable she was. Every time she closed her eyes, stairs appeared on the back of her eyelids.
" Are you fucking kidding me!?" Tessa complained, her American accent distinct. Tessa barely realized that she just cursed and got several looks of surprise.
" He is kidding." A girl with brown hair and eyes and a scar running over half her face says calmly. " So I take from your accent that you're American." The girl added. Tessa set her bags down by the door and collapsed on the empty bed that had no sheets on it.
" Yeah. I'm from New York." Tessa huffed.
" Well then, welcome to London!" The person said it in a mocking sort of way and Tessa turned to the boy who spoke and what she saw made her swallow dryly.
Holy shit.
Like the average girl who sees someone attractive, Tessa stared. His hair was wet and Tessa half expected the water that drips off of them to be like black ink. He had dripping wet curls that fell into his eyes that were a starling blue tinted with violet. His lips were soft, pink, full and plush. You could see the high, defined arch of his cheekbones and his eyebrows were the kind of ones Tessa wished she had. His body was toned muscles and smooth skin. If Tessa read about him in a story, he would be the prince of Hell. There was something devastating about his beauty like broken glass that sparkles in the moonlight or dead butterflies pinned to walls. Tessa wasn't going to deny that he was attractive, but there was something broken and vulnerable about him that immediately made Tessa wary.
" Yes, thank you." Tessa said softly and going to get her bags that were by the door. There was a knock on the open door. Tessa looked up. There was a tall man covered in muscle with untidy ginger hair and warm hazel eyes. He had a cheerful smile on his face and Tessa couldn't help but smile back.
" I have several trunks for Tessa Gray." The man said smiling happily, a cheerful twinkle in his eyes.
" Ah, yes that would be me." Tessa says grinning, knowing her books and instruments arrived." Set them down at the bottom of my bed." Tessa instructed. The man set the three trunks that were stacked upon each other.
" By the way, I'm Mr. Branwell, one of the teachers here." The man says and sticks his hand out for Tessa to shake. Tessa shook his hand which was calloused yet warm.
" Yeah, well I'm Tessa Gray but you already know that." Tessa says smiling. Mr. Branwell turns to all the kids in the room. Mr. Branwell turns his back to Tessa and pulls up a chair, starting to talk to all the kids in the room. Tessa slowly opens the trunk and grins. Piles and piles of books that are stacked to the top. Tessa breathes in deeply and feels a sharp pang in her heart that spreads to a dull numbness. It still smells like home. Mint and peaches. Tessa turns the trunk on its side so all the books spill out of the trunk. Tessa turns the trunk upside down to make sure all the books have fallen out. " Which one of you is my roommate?" Tessa asks. The girl with long platinum blond hair and brown eyes raises her hand. Tessa glances at the girls empty bookcase. " Are you going to use your bookcase?" Tessa asks.
" No, you can have it. I'm Jessamine by the way." The girl says shrugging.
" I'm Tessa." Tessa replies and starts to pile the books on the bookshelf. Several people were staring at her in awe. Tessa inhaled deeply, taking in the familiar scent. She was only half done with the first bookshelf and had a bunch of books still littering the floor when she went to the second trunk. More books. She spilled them out on the ground and heard a gasp. Tessa lifted her head and looked at a boy that made her heart stutter in her chest. His eyes were narrow like he was of asian descendant but they were silver, along with his hair. His cheekbones were high and defined and his skin was pale and smooth like porcelain. He was like some sort of silver prince.
" Will, I think we have finally found someone who likes books more than you." The silver hair boy states smiling slightly. It wasn't anything fake, it reach his eyes and lit up the whole room. The equally attractive boy next to him grinned.
" I doubt it with every fiber of my being." The dark haired boy says smirking. Tessa looked up and could sense that he was challenging her.
" Nonsense, no one loves books more than me." Tessa huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. Mr. Branwell looked amused at this whole ordeal and was grinning like a chesire cat.
" There is plenty of sense in nonsense sometimes, if you wish to look for it. I'm William by the way but call me Will." The dark haired boy states with a grin that must have belonged to Satan himself.
" You can't possibly like books more than me!" Tessa continues, fuming at someone challenging her love of books.
" Okay then what is your favorite book?" Will asks with curiosity sparkling in his eyes.
" That's easy. Tale of two cities." Tessa answered smoothly and began to put more books on the shelf.
" Tale of two cities!? As in Charles Dickens Tale of Two Cities?!" Will sounds actually surprised but Tessa can't see his face.
" Yes do you not like it?" Tessa asks while moving on to the second book shelf.
" I strongly dislike it! It's foolish for one thing! Men going around and chopping their heads off for love! No one does that! Not even back then. Love is a silly thing, only excuse for families to stay together and keeping the family together once they make the mistake of having children." Will states sounding furious. At that, Tessa actually laughed. She didn't know why, maybe it was because that when she talked to him she felt like she could spill out her life stories. She felt like she could tell him why she got tattoos, why she has scars, and why leaving seemed so easy yet so hard. He made her feel like there was no one else in the room.
" You not only think love doesn't exist but you think children are a mistake too. And why exactly?" Tessa asks feeling genuinely curiously.
" Love does exist for family maybe but not for strangers. And kids are just horrible. Nasty little things. Other families will have children but I plan on staying single forever." Will adds firmly.
" So you don't believe in love. Have you ever felt it?" Tessa asks.
" No, of course not. Because it's not real. I have felt love for Cecy maybe but not a stranger." Will huffs. Tessa walks closer to him and notices that he's only a little taller.
" Well I believe in it, because I felt it. I no longer feel it but let me tell you. I think you're in denial. That you don't want to feel love. It's not unreasonable. Love sucks yet is sweet at the same time. But with love, you just gotta lose yourself in the other person." Tessa whispered it quietly between them and she could of sworn she felt Will's breathing hitch. They were close enough to kiss but both Will and Tessa turned away from each other. Tessa went to the last trunk.
Tess opened the trunk and smiled. She had several instruments in there in their beautiful cases. Violin, flute, clarinet, saxophone, and bunch others. Tessa can play many instruments and the first one she learned was the flute when she was five. Then it was piano, violin, saxophone, guitar, electric guitar, drums, cello, viola, clarinet, and trumpet. Tessa knew a few others too and loved every single one of them. Tessa could've swore that the fact that she could play several instruments on experienced levels was how she managed to get into this school on scholarship. Tessa slowly took all the instruments out of the trunk in their sleek black cases and opened each case.
" Do you actually know how to play all those." A girl that looked just like Will asks. Mr. Branwell looks at Tessa with sparkling eyes.
" Yes, I believe she can. I read your application. Magnificent, truly." Mr. Branwell states beaming. " Tessa, would you mind playing?" Tessa looks at the display of instruments and picked up her flute. She put it together and cleaned the spit out of it, admiring the way the metal shined in the bright lights of the room. Tessa lifted the flute up and pressed her lips against the cold metal. Tessa blew air into it, angling her air just the right way so that the flute seemed to shudder to life under her lips and fingers. Her fingers moved in complex ways across the flute, pressing several sets of keys down and playing a song. The notes ranged to soft and low to violent and high pitched. Sometimes the notes were sharp and other times they were slurred. It all flowed smoothly together. Tessa finished the sing and set the flute down, breathing heavy slightly and feeling a little dizzy.
" That was beautiful." The boy with silver hair states. " I'm James by the way but please, call me Jem." Jem says extending his hand which Tessa shook. " I play the violin." He states smiling slightly.
" Oh! Jem and Tessa, can you both play together?" The girl with brown hair and a scar on her face asks. Tessa glanced at Jem.
" Sure." Tessa says and Jem nods, getting his violin. Jem and Tessa faced each other. They positioned their instruments and played. The song was soft and they both just created the song as they went along. Tessa played with Jem and was caught in the whirlpool of music. The sound surrounded her, wrapping her up her in a sea of notes and sounds. The song finished with one last lingering note from the violin and the room exploded into clapping. Jem and Tessa shared hesitate smiles.
" That was amazing!" The girl with the scar gushed to me. " I'm Sophie by the way." She says beaming. Tessa smiles shyly and introduces herself.
" Alright while that was fantastic, we have somewhere to be. Goodbye Tessa." Jessamine says standing up and everyone following after her.
" Goodbye Tessa." Mr. Branwell says getting up and following after them.
" Goodbye Mr. Branwell." Tessa says, getting up. Tessa her phone and map into her back pocket, standing up. She figured she might as well explore. She wondered if her cello has arrived yet. She finds the main office and sighed happily at how the stairs are no longer a chore. There her cello sits in its black case with a note on it.
Dear Miss Gray,
It is thoroughly my pleasure to welcome you to the London institute. Please, don't be afraid to ask for anything, any new instruments are at your disposal. Several other instruments of yours should arrive this afternoon. In your free time, you should check out the music room and auditorium. I think you'll find that your pleasantly surprised. Enjoy your day.
Sincerely,
Charlotte Branwell, institute head.
Tessa grinned giddily. She would have to find the auditorium. Tessa sprinted down the halls and up stairs with her cello, no problem. She opens the bronze colored doors to the auditorium and gasps. Rows and rows of seats that go far, far back and covered in red velvet. The ceiling had a painting of angels and little cherubs floating through the blue sky with soft and hazy clouds. The stage was beautiful with falling red curtains and the walls were a dull gold color. There were all kinds of gold accents on things and the room could easily fit thousands of people.
Tessa stared in awe and made her way to the stage where a stool was. Tessa settled onto the small wooden stool where a spotlight was shining. The lights were so blinding that Tessa couldn't see the rest of the room. Tessa placed the bow against the strings and started to play. It was slow and calming at first but picked up the pace.
The music became dramatic and intense and Tessa shut her eyes as images of her parents lying dead on the concrete came into mind. Tessa took a deep breath as another image flashed. Aunt Harriet, pale and dying on the hospital bed. Nate, drunk and lonely, past out on the kitchen table. Her first love, bleeding out on the bathroom floor. The letter her left, written in that neat handwriting of his that she'll never see again. Tessa began to sob, her tears falling onto the sleek cherry wood of her cello. Her sobs were drowned out by the music. Tessa began to play. She played her pain and depression out and played everything in every fiber of her being out.
She channeled every breath that all her loved ones didn't take and every breath that Tessa does take in which guilt nearly murders her at night. When everything is silent and she is left alone with her thoughts which can become even darker than the darkness that surrounds her. Tessa is sweating and panting, feeling her heart break into pieces at her feet. The darkness is like a slow and thick blanket. Slow but deadly. Depression eats you up inside and kills every bit of happiness.
Tesa violently slams and glides her bow over the strings. Her hands move of their own accord and Tessa closes her eyes, tilting her head back. The music was loud and extreme and it motivated Tessa. Tessa who thought she wasn't good enough. Tessa who was an orphan. Tessa who lost herself a long time ago and is trying to find herself. Tessa, Tessa, Tessa.
Tessa felt herself soar and felt stronger. The deep tones of the cello vibrated through her, shaking her whole body. Tessa played with a passion that was new to her. She liked playing right there. There was a sense of rightness. Tessa liked the openness of the room. Tessa liked the blinding bright lights even if she did close her eyes. Tessa strummed passionately, feeling a weight get lifted off her shoulder. Tessa's bow almost stopped when she heard voices.
" And this is the auditorium…." She heard a female voice trail off. Tessa opened her eyes and let her hand holding the bow fall away. Tessa had met the head of the institute once and that was over a video chat. The woman was small but had an aura of fierce determination and power about her that made you want to stay out of her way. Now, she looked flustered standing next to a bunch of tall guys in suits. Tessa quickly scrambled out of the seat.
" Oh, I'm sorry Mrs. Branwell I was just practicing my cello. I didn't know that you needed this room." Tessa said quickly feeling herself flush. She hated being looked at. That's why she closed her eyes when she played.
" No, no, no, don't stop. I do believe you are Tessa Gray. Charlotte has mentioned you to us. Would you mind playing some more for us?" A man in a black suit with a bit of of a beard and black hair. His eyes twinkled with light.
" No, I wouldn't mind. Not at all." Tessa replied somewhat shakily. Tessa took a deep breath to soothe her nerves. Charlotte and the men in suits took a seat up front. Tessa let her bow glide across the strings and although her mind was racing, her body knew what it was doing. The music was triumphant and Tessa cracked a eyes open to Charlotte smiling proudly at Tessa and some of the men in suites with their eyes closed. Tessa let the last note linger before fading out, the sound echoing through the large room. Tessa took a deep breath and opened her eyes to see the men in suits standing up and clapping and Charlotte looking relieved and proud at the same time.
" That was brilliant Ms. Gray but if you don't mind, we must be going now but I really hope that I could hear some of your splendid playing again." A man with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes says to her and shakes her hand. Each man shakes her hand before walking out and Tessa breaths a sigh of relief. Tessa grinned at the door closed behind them and did a little silent happy dance. Tessa made it back to her room and set her cello by her bookcase crawled into bed sighing. Tessa knew that here it was like dinner time but at home it was like midnight and Tessa was exhausted. Tessa's eyes fluttered close and she fell asleep, not even changing out of her clothes.
So yeah, that was the beginning of my story. I probably won't be able to update often because of school but I will try. Please review! The more reviews I get the more I'll update! Oh and follow and favorite. Sorry for any mistakes I made but please, please, please, excuse them. Give me suggestions of what you want to see. Jessa? Wessa? Both? Remember, Review!
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Lily
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