Henry clicked the last part in place, his brow furrowed.
"Are you sure about this, Henry?" Will inquired, looking at the elliptical contraption uncertainly.
"I'm positive. I have had a number of problems with this particular device, but I am confident with its condition now."
Will smirked. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" He asked sarcastically.
"Oh, yes! I assure you; I've been working on this time machine for quite some time now." Henry said proudly. "Now, Tessa, when you're ready, turn this key," Henry gestured to the side of device, "and be sure to have your chosen destination in mind."
He turned to Will and Gabriel. "When you step in, make sure you keep your mind open, as this time machine takes you to the previous persons destination, or near the previous destination if you have not got one in mind. You will go after Tessa, Gabriel after you, and I will go after Gabriel, as I will be in charge of this time machine."
Tessa turned the key, and device came to life, buzzing and humming with life. She stepped in and the device and thought of New York, of how she remembered it. A bright, busy metropolis, where trains whizzed by on the elevated platforms and motorcars crowded the streets. When she stepped out, she was gasped in shock. The motorcars looked strange, the buildings looked as if they were about to fall on top of her head, and the shops were different. But the people outfits were just appalling. Will stepped out next and it was his turn to be shocked.
"Will, I suggest that you don't look at some of the clothing of passers-by." Tessa said evenly. Will's eyes widened in surprise, but his surprise soon morphed into a smirk.
"It is not funny, Will," She scolded.
"It is a bit."
"Come on, we'd better go find Gabriel and Henry." Tessa led the way, eventually finding Gabriel standing in the entrance of an alleyway.
"Do you know where Henry is?" Will asked Gabriel. He shook his head. They searched the street for Henry, discovering him to be questioning a passer-by about a particularly intriguing object. It had the pristine gloss of marble, appearing to be some sort of tablet.
"This is absolutely fascinating. I've never seen something so marvellous! Oh, what's that button for?"
"Uh, what, you mean the home button?" The stranger replied.
"Home button? How splendid. What is this device called? It is ever so wonderful, you see, I myself am an inventor. This is brilliant." Henry marvelled. The stranger looked at Henry incredulously.
"What? You don't know what a phone is? So, you've never heard of a phone." The man said disbelievingly.
"A phone! How bizarre! I could look at this delightful phone forev-" Gabriel cut in, evidently bored at their conversation.
"I'm sorry, but we must be off now," Gabriel said bluntly. "Now, where are the directions to the New York Institute?"
"Ah, I have them here," Henry produced a map from his coat, "these are the directions. They must be very outdated as we have travelled well into the future. For all we know, the New York Institute may not even exist." They followed the map, getting lost several times, finally standing at the doors of the Institute. It was a church which had long winding pillars, tall stained-glass windows and- a fluffy grey Persian cat trotted in front of Will, his tail swishing, looking quite unimpressed.
"Church?" Will said, his tone dubious. He stared at the self-important ball of fluff disapprovingly.
"Well, I guess we had better knock."
Isabelle hurried toward the door, curious of who it could be. Simon, perhaps, or possibly Magnus. She whipped the door open, finding three finely dressed gentlemen and a lady wearing a magnificent gown standing in the entrance. Church slipped past her sulkily.
"Well, hello there. How can I help you?" she asked politely.
"That's Cecily's!" Gabriel objected, staring at Isabelle's ruby pendant. Isabelle frowned, her hand flying to her chest.
"Oh, I assure you Sir, it most certainly is mine." She answered defensively. Who were these people? She thought.
"I'm sorry, but I haven't had the privilege to introduce myself." The lady said apologetically. "I'm Theresa Gray." She smiled.
The woman looked a little familiar. Actually, she looked very familiar. Tessa! It was Tessa, except she was wearing vintage clothes. Isabelle leaned forward and wrapped Tessa in a hug. Tessa looked a little taken aback, but returned the hug.
"Oh, of course, I'm sorry, come inside. I'll take you through to the Drawing Room." Isabelle led them through to the dining room, finding Clary curled up in an armchair doodling in her sketchbook.
Clary raised an eyebrow at the gentlemen, surveying them. She had never seen such flaming red hair other than her own.
Henry looked around the room in wonder, muttering "curious, curious," very now and then.
"Hello, I'm William Herondale, this is Gabriel Lightwood," He gestured to Gabriel. "And this is Henry Branwell. You seem to already know Tessa." Isabelle looked very surprised.
"Lightwood?" She inquired. "Why, I'm Isabelle Lightwood."
Gabriel went an ominous shade of purple and Will burst out laughing.
"Well, well, Gabriel? Cecily really wasn't joking when she said the two of you were going to marry. Thank God, I thought the entire Lightwood tree would be damned to your genes. You have me to thank for your handsome genes." He remarked.
"My genes are perfectly attractive, besides, Herondales looks are nothing compared to the Lightwoods." Gabriel stated, indignant.
Jace walked in, looking at Gabriel seriously, "What did you say about Herondales?"