MALEC
CHAPTER ONE
Alec Lightwood
Alec Lightwood stared hard at his laptop. He sighed and shut it with a bang. "Izzy!" he yelled.
His younger sister came into the room. Her flowing black hair swayed in a high ponytail. "Yeah?" she asked.
Alec dropped his head into his hands. "You know for my English class I have to do that report on persuasiveness and the cold hard truth about today's world, right?"
Isabelle nodded. "Yeah?"
"Well, I don't know what to do for it. It's like. Like. Like I have writer's block in school."
Isabelle smiled. She walked over to her brother, placed her hands on his shoulders and began squeezing. "Ask Max. He's smarter than me with this stuff."
Alec sighed and leaned back. "I'm not persuasive. I'm . . . me. Boring. Serious. Nerdy."
"Sweet. Loyal. Cool. Charismatic," Izzy finished for him.
"Alec?" Their youngest brother poked his head in. "Jace said that you might need me? Why?" the brown-eyed boy asked. Curse that Jace Lightwood. He always seemed to know when Alec needed the smartest member of the Lightwood children even though Alec always called for Isabelle. That was something that Alec loved so much about his adopted brother.
Alec grinned at Max. "Just in time, bud. You know what persuasiveness is?" Max nodded. "Well, I'm doing a report on it for my English class. We're supposed to bring attention to the fact that people only look at one side of an argument before they make a decision. Could you help me?"
Max's face brightened up instantly. He poked his glasses farther back up on his nose. "Yeah!"
Isabelle smiled and left the room.
Later, with his paper already emailed and printed, Alec made his siblings supper. Alec had an adopted brother named Jace, since practically-Isabelle's-twin-since-they-were-the-same-age-Jace's parents had both died. The two were now closer than brothers, although not in the way that Alec would have chosen. "It's dangerous to eat Izzy's food, but she's the woman. This isn't natural," the blonde teenager complained. The nine-year-old Max rolled his eyes at Jace and Isabelle smirked and told Jace that if it was a woman's job, then why didn't he do it.
Alec laughed at that comeback.
Jace's hand brushed Alec's as he handed the eldest Lightwood some bread and Alec blushed. Alec had known for a while that he liked Jace. He was gay, but only Isabelle knew so far. Speaking of her, her black eyes were on him, large and inquisitive as though she had asked a question. "Alec?" she asked. "Did you hear me?"
Alec shook his head. "Sorry, no."
Iz rolled her eyes and snorted. "There's a new boy that's going to go to school. I hear that he's a little bit..." She pointed at her head. "...Lost. Heh."
Alec smiled slightly as Jace snorted and Max watched them all with huge eyes. "My friend Henry Branwell had his invention published," the boy said loudly. "His girlfriend Charlotte is spreading rumours that he just walked up and asked them to publish it. She's a snobby-"
"Not now, Max," Jace said quickly. "Tell me about it later, 'kay?" Max slumped down in his chair and Jace continued. "So you know that new girl that's going to school in Iz's class? Clary Fray? Yeah, I think that nerd dude is in love with her."
"Simon Lewis?" Isabelle said, surprised.
"Yeah, that one. They're, like, BFFs. Evidently, they went to some school at the edge of Brooklyn together and live in houses, like, a block away from each other. I think that she's kinda ignorant, though. She's totally platonic and he's into the romantic. Then there's this chick that Tessa mentioned-Alec, you know Tessa Gray, right?"
"Yeah, Izzy's best friend, and her boyfriend James Carstairs is your friend, but Will Herondale is more of your friend than Jem."
"Jem's your friend, right, Alec?"
"OMG!" Alec imitated Jace's voice when talking about school life. "It's, like, totally not 20-Questions, Johnathon Christopher Lightwood! Ugh!"
Isabelle stood up, her black eyes flashing. "Alexander Gideon Lightwood! Never ever snap at your brothers! You are so moody lately!"
"Isabelle Sophia Lightwood, don't yell at your older brother! I am the authority."
Max slouched down as Alec got up and stalked out of the room.
A new guy, huh?
Alec toyed with his favorite pen while laying on his back on his bed. What did this new guy look like? Was he cute? Was he gay? That would be interesting. Maybe this new guy would join the school's gay club. Alec snorted softly to himself. What was his name? What grade was he in? He would be in Alec's class, probably. He should have asked Izzy. She would have known, that social butterfly.
But this new guy. Why was he coming here? Alec let out a great sigh and shut his light off as he undressed. He'd see this guy tomorrow. Now it was time for sleep. Alec closed his eyes and his dreams were filled with fantasties of what the new kid's face could look like.
Alec woke up early and pulled on a clean pair of black jeans but no shirt. He glanced at the clock. 6:30. Isabelle would want to be up by now. Max should get up too. Jace . . . Well, he'd wait a few minutes before waking up his adopted brother.
Alec knocked on his sister's door. "Izzy?" he called softly, in case his parents got back last night. Their business always had them travelling. He pushed the door open slightly. Pink glitter fell from the top of it and he almost tripped over a hair dryer. What a mess, he thought.
He meandered his way through pink and black things to poke his sister in the shoulder. She mumbled something incoherent and glared sleepily up at Alec. "Stop it," she muttered, closing her eyes again. "Stop i . . ."
Alec picked her up and carried her to the pink-and-black bathroom in her room. She mumbled and muttered. Alec made sure that she was wearing an old tank top and pajama shorts as he lay her in the tub. He twisted the shower setting to cold and turned it on. Cold water blasted Isabelle directly in the face. Her eyes snapped open again and she sat up, thrashing. She snarled at Alec until he shut the water off and gave her a towel.
"Alexander, you jerk!" she shouted angrily. "God, I hate you."
Alec smiled at her. "Do you? Just so you know, it is now"-he checked the time again-"6:45 AM. Did you want up?"
"I don't really have a choice now, do I?"
"Nope," Alec chuckled. "Get ready." He darted out of the room.
Tiptoeing down the hall, Alec decided to play a trick on his youngest brother too. He quietly opened Max's door and snuck inside. The boy was still asleep on his tiny bed. There were comic books, astronomy books, and manga books lying all over the floor. Alec picked his way around them and stood at the side of the bed. Max's glasses were lying askew on his bedspread, with an open manga book next to them.
Alec gave a ghost-like smile. He bent over and scooped up his brother. Max groaned softly. Alec suddenly jerked him into the air and called loudly, "Sanctuary! Sanctuary!"
Max opened his eyes and yelped. He scrabbled at the air. "Alec! Alec, put me down! Jace!"
Isabelle and Jace raced into the room. Jace was still struggling with his jeans; Alec looked away. Don't look, Alec, he thought. Isabelle was dressed fully, with her hair and makeup half-done. "Quit it, Alexander," Izzy snapped. "Why are you so annoying today? Usually the annoying one is Jace, but nope, today Alec takes the lead."
"What'd he do to you?" Jace asked curiously.
"He woke me up by throwing me into a cold shower." Iz huffed.
Jace stifled a snort. "Let's go, guys. Alec, get a shirt on." He turned away and walked out of the room. Alec realized that he had completely forgotten his shirt.
Alec hurried to his room while Max got dressed. He checked his bedside clock. 7:15. Fifteen minutes before they had to leave. Alec pulled out his frayed gray sweatshirt and his black Chucks and threw them on. He ran a hand through his permanantly messy hair. He then hurried back down the hallway to Max's room.
Max looked up with big hazel eyes. He was wearing a shirt that said "Gurren Laggen" and black jeans. "I'm ready," Max said.
"Max, buddy," Alec said, dropping his head into his hands. "You haven't even put your glasses on and your hair's all mussed up."
Max blinked. "I knew that," he muttered sleepily.
"Oh, kid. Do you feel alright?"
Max sniffed. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Alec smiled. "Max, I could have Izzy stay home with you if you want, or call Aline to ask her come over and stay with you if you want."
"No, I'm fine."
Isabelle poked her head in the room with Jace directly behind her. "Alec? Max? Are you guys ready?"
Max nodded and shook as he held back a cough. "Yeah, let's go, Alex."
Max was the only one allowed to call Alec 'Alex'. Still, Alec got irritated when the boy pretended that he was so strong. He loved Max, but the kid could be annoying sometimes. Jace was the only one who could make the kid do anything.
"Max," Alec's adopted brother said softly. "I'm calling Aline and you are staying home."
"I was thinking he would go all Mean Girls. 'I can't go out. Fake cough. I'm sick,'" Isabelle noted.
"Not helping." Alec glared at Jace. "Did my parents get back last night?"
"Alec Lightwood!" Isabelle snapped. "Never mention that. Why are you so pissy at Jace right now? What, do you need a freakin' Snickers bar?"
Alec looked at the ground. "Sorry," he muttered. "Jace just keeps going on and on about this Clary chick. She's probably a-"
Isabelle's eyes stopped the word he was about to say. She stepped forward and grabbed Alec's upper arm and hissed into his ear harshly, "If it means that much to you, why don't you just tell him?"
Jace had obviously overheard. His golden eyes widened a fraction of an inch and he looked at Alec, confused. Max tugged at Alec's sleeve and he asked loudly, "Alec, are you gay?"
