A/N Pre-Writing: … Again I write with an OC. Shame on me! D: … Well I don't think she's a Mary Sue… However she is more me than Ella in my FMA story. (Which I don't know if it'll be posted or not by the time this is up ^^") Anywho… the Help is on (FANTASTIC MOVIE AND BOOK. GO READ IT.) and I feel like writing Many people don't read OC stories… I get it… But still. Those who are reading this… A/N Pre-Writing: … Again, writing with an OC. Shame on me! D: though I don't Thanks :3 and I hope you enjoy.
The rain continued to pour, soaking her to the very bone. She wished with every fiber of her being that it would stop, but this was London she supposed. It was so very different from the plantation in Georgia she had grown up on. The plantation was so… green. So open, so unrestricted. She could step outside and run for miles before the farm land finally ended. If she closed her eyes and thought really hard, it was like she could hear her father's voice. "Anna! Anabella Whitney! Where do you think you are going?" he would call with mock anger. Anna would only laugh. She knew he wasn't angry, and he knew that she would come running back before dark. London was so bleak and dull, not to mention cramped. She frowned and looked up, putting a gloved hand over her eyes as to maybe see better through the rain.
This has to be it. She thought. The London institute for shadowhunters.
She approached the door timidly. As hard as it was for her to admit, she was scared. Terrified. Shadowhunters hunted shadowdemons. Killed them. Murdered her kind. But, for now, she had to swallow down this fear. The shadowdemons were her only hope. Her kind was dying. She needed to reason with the clave, show them that her kind weren't monsters! That they were sister races! That a shadowdemon baby wasn't a monster, but a human being! Just like them! Her conversations with Charlotte had been civil, and she should have nothing to worry about, but the thought of what her parents did… It was years ago, but still an open wound.
With a shaky sigh, she rang the doorbell. One second passed. Two. Three. She bit her lip, a nervous habit. Thunder roared ominously in the distance and the rain continued on with renewed vigor. Her dress had already retained enough water to increase her weight by twenty pounds at least.
Please answer… She thought to herself, wrapping her arms around herself in a nervous manner.
Four seconds. Five.
"One moment!" she heard a voice call and she released the breath she had not realized she was holding. A moment later, the door opened to reveal a woman. She was small in stature, shorter than Anna was, which she found surprising. She had always been the shortest of everyone she met. Anna had yet to determine whether or not this was a pleasant change.
"Hello, I'm Mrs. Branwell" she introduced herself with a smile, it was genuine and warm. "And you must be Ms. Adams." Anna nodded shyly.
"Yes… It's nice to meet you." Anna said quietly. She never had been a people person. Mrs. Branwell seemed nice enough, which helped her relax just a little.
Mrs. Branwell frowned. "You're sopping wet." Anna's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.
"I'm deeply sorry… You see I misjudged the distance, and it didn't look like rain and I-"
Charlotte chuckled. "Something you will be sure to learn about London is that it always rains. Now come inside, I'm sure one of Jessamine's dresses will fit well enough for dinner, and I'll be sure to have Sophie wash your dress." As if on cue, a young woman walked up behind Mrs. Branwell.
"Is this our guest?" she asked. Anna assumed this was Sophie. She was a very beautiful girl. Incredibly so. Anna wondered why she was hear and not working as a parlor maid somewhere or hunting for a husband who was rich and would treat her well, and then she saw the scar. Anna didn't focus on it long however, it was rude to stare, and she understood how awful it made one feel when stared at.
Mrs. Branwell nodded. "Yes, Sophie, this is Ms. Annabella Adams." Anna and Sophie exchanged pleasantries before Mrs. Branwell continued. "If you could find our guest something suitable for dinner and show her to her room, I would appreciate it greatly. Sophie nodded and smiled.
"Of course. Ms. Adams, if you would follow me, we will get you out of the rain and into something warm." Sophie addressed her warmly and led her into a spare room.
It was nice, certainly a pleasant changed from the demon house. Demon houses were loud, messy, and the smell of sex always lingered in the air. You always wanted to change the sheets before retiring to bed as you had no idea who was using your room before you were. The Institute smelt clean, and the linens on her bed were freshly washed. She smiled at the pleasantness of it all. The aura of the Institute was much more relaxed and peaceful; a sharp contrast to the demon house that always reeked of desperation, the scent of those with maybe a month more to sighed and looked up as Sophie brought in a dress Anna assumed was Jessmine's.
"Miss Jessamine has only worn this once, so it's somewhat new; she won't miss it I assure you." Sophie said, hanging it up. Anna's cheeks flushed at the sight of it. The dress was certainly a statement. It was a bright red with a neckline lower than what she would normally wear. The skirt of the dress was bigger than any she had seen before, well, bigger than she had seen and considered practical. The dress very well could have weighed more than she did. Sophie turned her attention to Anna. "Well, let's get you dry."
Anna walked down the stairs slowly, taking extra care as to avoid tripping over the dress in her newly acquired heels. Despite Anna's protests, Sophie had gotten her into the dress and resembling a lady rather than a wet dog. Her curled brown hair had been dried and pinned up, make up applied to make her brown eyes more prominent. (They avoided blush as her cheeks flushed red so often Sophie considered it as effort wasted, as Anna continued to protest and blush would only make her cheeks resemble tomatoes.) As soon as the dress had been put on, Sophie led Anna to a mirror. Anna blushed and shook her head no in protest.
"B-but Ms. Sophie, I can't go out in this…" The dress fit well around her waist and arms, it was a little long on her, but it was manageable. However, the dress was obviously tight around her chest, and the low neckline combined with the fit made Anna incredibly uncomfortable. Sophie sighed.
"Ms. Adams, I apologize, but you look just fine. And to be frank, it is not like we have many other choices. For now at least, you go to dinner in this or as naked as the day you were born as I refuse to allow you to go to dinner sopping wet." Anna blushed at her remark and with a sigh, she resigned to her fate.
Anna let out an involuntary sigh of relief when she reached the bottom of the stairs without incident. She had been absolutely sure that she was going to make a scene and break her neck. She took a step forward and wobbled, reaching out with her left hand to steady herself. She frowned. Of course Jessamine didn't own gloves Anna could borrow. She wished she could hide her hands, maybe the other residents of the institute knew what she was, but if they didn't, she would much rather tell them than having them see for themselves. Her nails, black as the darkest pits of hell, and the mark, an intricate pattern in black and red on the back of her hand, marked her for what she was. Sadly, she would just have to bare it.
After steadying herself, physically and mentally, she continued on to the dinner table. Mrs. Branwell was already there and Anna sat at the table and nodded in greeting.
"Good evening Mrs. Branwell, and thank you for your hospitality, It is greatly appreciated." Mrs. Branwell smiled.
"You are very welcome. And please, call me Charlotte. Everyone else does, and if you are going to be staying here, we will not be strangers, so I find it appropriate."
"Alright." Anna smiled in response. "In that case, call me Anna. All of this Miss Anna business is bizarre anyway." Mrs. Branwell- Charlotte, laughed. Anna smiled. Charlotte made her feel welcome. Maybe not all shadowhunters were bad, and maybe she might actually enjoy living here in their company. But then again, she had yet to meet the other residents. And with that thought, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
"Demon pox does so exist!" Anna heard a male's voice.
"There is no documented proof! I think you just dreamt it up…" Another male voice responded to the first.
"Fine. When you have inappropriate relations with a demon, refrain from coming to me for help as I surely will not grant it."
"Why would I be having inappropriate relations with a demon in the first place?"
"Who knows? Some people are into that sort of thing I hear. And some of them are rather attractive I must admit." The two boys walked into the dining room and took a seat. The boy who had just spoken had black hair that curled ever so slightly. His blue eyes turned to Anna and she looked away. "That one for example." The boy remarked, nodding toward Anna.
"William!" Charlotte chastised him. "That is no way to treat our guest!"
"What? It was a compliment. I said she was attractive… An impressive glamour, I must admit. I wonder what she looks like without it… Eh. Probably hideous, like the rest of them. How is she here anyway?" Anna frowned and looked away. She knew that she shouldn't take much offense, as her kind was rare and little was known about them, but his words did strike her with a particular cruelty that hurt her feelings.
"Because she's not the kind of demon you are thinking of, William." The boy's companion spoke up. "Can't you see? The mark on her hand, she's a shadowdemon." Anna looked down and rubbed the mark on her hand self-consciously. Maybe coming here was not such a good idea… The boy looked up. His skin was pale and his hair and eyes a light silver. It was a strange combination, but not unattractive. Anna blushed at the thought and bit her lip nervously. "I'm terribly sorry. It is not my intention to speak throughout dinner as if you aren't here. I'm James. James Carstairs. However everyone calls me Jem." Anna looked back up.
"I'm Annabella Whitney Adams… but everyone just calls me Anna…" The boy, Jem, smiled at her and she smiled back shyly.
"Such a pretty name for a creature such as yourself. Almost… deceptive in a way, actually. Anabella Adams, she'll trick you into bed, leave before you wake up the next day leaving you infected with the demon pox." Will pondered aloud, picking at the food on his plate that had just arrived. Jem frowned and turned to address Anna.
"I apologize for Will's behavior… He can be difficult." Jem frowned. The corner of Will's mouth twitched as if he were fighting an amused grin.
"And by that he means that I'm a bastard on all of the days that end in "y"." Anna sighed. It had been a long day to say the least, and putting up with this in her state was one of the worst possible things she could think of. When she was tired, she was irritable, and she really needed to be able to get along with these people. She didn't have a choice.
"I'm going to retire to my room if that's alright…" She said, standing from her place at the table. She turned to Charlotte. "Thank you so much for the meal." Charlotte frowned.
"If this is about Will-"
"It's not." Anna assured her. "I'm just weary from my travels. Today has been a rather long day. I will see you all in the morning." With that Anna went up the stairs and into her room. Jem frowned. He just didn't know what to do with Will. One moment he was kind and caring, and the next he was, to be frank, an ass.
"Would it kill you to be nice?" Jem frowned at Will.
"Actually I think it would. You know, I haven't been feeling well since I did that favor for you…" Will continued on but Jem simply did not want to hear it. Anna was their guest and she deserved better. With that, Jem ascended the stairs with intentions to apologize on Will's behalf.
A/N: 2,205 words. I think I will call it a night. I started writing at 9, taking only an hour break, it is now close to 1 in the morning. I think I deserve a rest. Now if only I could get motivated to update the Lair ^^" haha. Anywho, Night y'all!