Author's Note:
This is my first fanfiction! :) Reviews welcome, tell me what you think!
Cassandra Clare owns the Mortal Instruments series. :)
Laney Lewis was the youngest of three. Her mother had wanted a girl. Wanted a girl long before any of her brothers were born. Gabriel was the first. Then Ben, short for Benjamin. Then Laney. Just Laney. Gabriel and Ben both looked like Simon Lewis, their father, but with Isabelle's coloring. Laney was just the opposite. If someone was colorblind they could easily mistake Laney for Isabelle. But she had her father's coloring. For all that, the Lewis kids really shouldn't look at all alike. But they did. Somehow. So on Laney's first day of high school, she wasn't surprised to find her brothers waking her up before her alarm clock had the chance.
"Laney!" Gabriel hissed, "Do you want to be late? Come on!" When she opened her eyes, Laney wasn't surprised to see her two older brothers dressed and ready. Both of them beautiful, and calm. Laney couldn't pretend she wasn't jealous. Though she looked like her mother, she wasn't beautiful. She wondered how that was even possible, but it was.
"Gabriel! Let me sleep." Laney saw Gabriel nod at Ben and sat bolt upright. But not in time. Cold water hit her in the face, and she squealed in annoyance.
"Ben! Gabriel! You two are so dead! Ugh, never mind, I'll get up."
The two boys smiled and left. Laney pulled herself out of bed and walked over to her closet in her pajamas. She wasn't her mother, and she wasn't as glamorous. She liked what she wore, and it wasn't ridiculously short dresses and impractical high heels. Not the kind of thing her mother always pointed out in the store. She pulled on a plaid button-down, and a pair of dark blue jeans. Navy blue converse completed the look for her. She wondered what to do with her hair. It was thick and wavy and brown. She ended up just leaving it, grabbing her backpack, and walking outside to meet her brothers. Gabriel, at sixteen years old, was driving the other two to school. Ben sat in the front passenger seat, leaving Laney the back seat. She didn't mind. Gabriel's big green car reminded her of camping trips and going to the pier. She smiled. Their mother came running out just as they were about to leave. Gabriel opened the window, and something flew into it.
"Thanks Mom!" he yelled, and handed the package to Laney. It was a book, with a note. The book was a copy of Grimm's fairy tales, and the note read as follows:
Laney-
I was hoping to prepare you a little more for high school, but it came at us so quickly. Give this to Will and tell him to tell you about everything. Tell him I said you were old enough.I'd prefer you don't show this to your brothers, as it will definitely cause tension between them and Will and James. I love you and remember to be careful with knowledge. Facts themselves are harmless, but the same is not true of the people who use them. Good Luck, Laney.
-Mom (Isabelle)
P.S.
Will-
Trust me when I say that she's ready. I know that it's hard, but I need you to trust her. I chose you, not her brothers to bring her into this. Take that seriously. I trust that you and James will protect her. She's special, whether or not it will be obvious at first. What would the first William Herondale do? I trust you, Will. Keep Laney safe.
Laney wasn't about to pretend that she could make heads or tails of the note, or the mysterious book, but she trusted her mother's judgement, and wasn't about to let her brothers know about it. She loved Will, and his twin James. They were two of the people she trusted most in the world. They were family friends. The sons of her mother's adoptive brother. They weren't related to her though. They both had blond hair and tanned skin, with the most interesting eyes. Will's were golden, like his hair, and gave off the impression that he was an angel. James's eyes were green, so piercing that they were often the first thing that someone noticed about him. They were both kind and talented, and both rather mysterious. They seemed to be in their own little club all the time. Had her mother just given Laney a pass into the secret club?
"What's in the package, Laney?"Gabriel's voice floated back to where Laney was sitting.
"Just some book." Laney said, praying that her voice would not betray her curiosity and excitement.
"Cool." said Ben.
They pulled up to the school. After Gabriel parked, he hugged Laney, and pulled her aside to talk to her.
"Be careful, but have fun. Don't trust everyone you meet, but don't be afraid. We're here for you. Remember."
Laney nodded, and Gabriel let go of her. He started walking towards the common area for students. Laney headed toward the freshman lockers, which were right next to the senior lockers. She knelt down next to her assigned locker, and started putting her books there. Her hand brushed something unfamiliar in her backpack. She pulled it out questioningly. It was a note. Checking that no one was looking over her shoulder, she opened the envelope and began to read.
Laney-
Don't be scared. Your mom told me ahead of time to trust you. Find us in the library at 12:30. this is a free period for all of us. Don't worry, and please don't go to your brothers. I know this is hard. Bring the book. And the note. The other one. Don't be afraid to trust me.
-James Herondale
PS- Laney, don't worry about how I got this note to you. I'm not stalking you, I promise. Also, Will says hello. I'm sorry about the secrecy, but you'll find that maintaining the covertness of our operation is necessary. We trust you.
Though Laney definitely found this note strange and concerning, she decided to ignore it for now. Or until it mattered. She carefully folded it back the way it was, and slipped it back into its envelope. Her first class was English. She only had three classes until 12:30. She was anxious for her free period.
Gabriel walked to his locker in the junior section of the lockers. He disliked the first day of school. It was full of people trying to hide behind the masks of first impressions and fake personalities. Full of girls who pretended they were something they weren't, boys who pretended to be more interested in sports than school. Gabriel would never understand why people would pretend to hate class. It didn't make them look cool, it made them look stupid. He had History first period, which was, in his mind, the most boring class ever. He didn't understand why the past was important. When he told his mother this, she stiffened and replied in a tight voice, "The past is always important, Gabriel." He didn't know why she cared so much. And he doubted she knew the causes of the Civil War. Gabriel walked to class forlorn, and sat in the last row. He saw someone familiar. James Herondale. His golden hair and skin made him look like an angel. His bright green eyes stood out strongly. He was only a sophomore. This was a junior/senior class. He was taking out a notebook for notes, and a pen to write them with. He looked antagonizingly calm, and though Gabriel didn't particularly dislike him, he found himself wanting to walk over to him and punch him in the face. Just then, the teacher walked in. He was an older man, with white hair and a beard often associated with Santa Claus. He didn't acknowledge any of the students, just walked up to the chalk board and wrote in big letters, American Civil War. Many students copied this down. Gabriel just held back a groan. More American Civil War? Yippee.
Laney had been sitting in class for hours. And now it was 12:27. She rushed to the library, which she had found on a map, with her book and the two notes she had so far. It looked deserted at first. There was nobody there, and Laney felt a wave of disappointment rush over her. She sat at a table and pulled her backpack up. She rooted around for her homework, and felt something unfamiliar. A note, in the same light blue paper it had been on before. The handwriting was different, but everything else was the same. Laney tore it open quickly.
Laney-
Back row, by the Fairy Tales.
Yours Truly,
William Herondale.
Alright then. To the back. Laney picked up her backpack and hoisted it over her shoulder. She walked towards the back, her footsteps absorbed by the thick carpeting. The bookcases went far above her head, and the library was huge. She was just wondering how she would find the fairy tales when she heard someone clear their throat. She whirled around, and saw that William Herondale had appeared silently. His golden eyes taunted her, and appeared to be flickering like candles.
"How did you do that?"
Will smirked infuriatingly. Laney had never seen him like this, totally in control of a situation. Usually, he sat in the corner looking like an angel that had been sent out of heaven for bad behavior, his brother being the more amiable one.
"All in good time, Lewis."
Laney nodded, and Will turned on his heel and walked into the depths of the library, disappearing into a forgotten forest, becoming one of the books, fading into the only place where he belonged. He turned his head.
"Coming?" Laney picked up her backpack and hurried after him, barely having time to take in her surroundings. She wasn't paying attention, just following Will's blond head bobbing through the library. She barely even noticed when the floor turned to stone beneath her feet. She had to run to keep up with Will, so she only had time to stare at the floor in wonder as she continued running. Her head was still down when she ran into something hard and unmoving, something that laughed at her. Something that was... Will.
"Surprised, Lewis?"
Laney stared back up at him.
"Follow me."
Will kept walking. Laney followed, looking up this time, and marveled at what the library had become. The books on the walls were not all in English, and those that were had the strangest titles. Dark Magic, Basic Cures, 10 easy ways to kill a Ravener, and Lycanthropy in Stages. Dark magic? Were they kidding her? What was a Ravener? Everyone knew that werewolves didn't exist. What was this? Some sort of ridiculous joke? Was someone going to pop out at her and yell "Boo!"? Laney certainly hoped not. Will stopped abruptly, and Laney was careful not to run into him again. Laney saw James sitting in an armchair reading a book, probably about something ridiculous or impossible. He stood up and walked towards them silently.
"Hello Laney. Will. Do you have the book?" Though James's remark had been fairly commonplace, he radiated a kind of friendliness and security that made Laney feel like the whole thing was less of a terrible joke.
Laney pulled the book out of her backpack, and handed it to Will. Which was what her mother told her to do. Will promptly handed it to James, and Laney concluded that though her mother had named Will, she was firmly working with both of them.
"Ahhh... I see." James handed the book back to Laney, "You'll need this."
"What's going on?" Laney asked, confused. James and Will looked at each other, and Laney noticed Will nod slightly at James. James began to speak.
"Have you ever heard of Shadowhunters?"
"Of course. In the stories my mom told me when I was little. Everyone has, right?"
"First of all, no, and please don't tell them. Second of all, the stories are true. Shadowhunters exist, and you are one. You don't have any marks, but you'll just be able to start using them, I suspect. Or, at least, that's what your mother told us. We are also Shadowhunters. Everyone in our families are, but only some are trusted with the knowledge and responsibility. You see, it's much harder to be a shadowhunter than it used to be. We are fighting a corrupt government. We don't worry about demons anymore, there are others who do that. In recent years, the Clave was infiltrated by the Circle from the inside. It is our promise and duty to fix this. It is dangerous, but you will be trained well. Secrecy is of the utmost importance, as I communicated to you earlier. You must not tell anyone at all, except us and your mother. We have ways of communicating with each other, and you will learn them. There will be lots of spying involved, and retrieval of information. Are you in?"
Laney nodded.
James continued, "I will be training you in codes information, and William will be training you in combat and self-defense. He will also work with you on runes."
"Prepare yourself," William said, "This is going to be difficult. It may not be completed in our lifetime, but Morgenstern must be stopped. As soon as possible."
"Alright," Laney began, "When do I start?"
James smiled, and William laughed. "Now." he said, "Though we appear small in number, we aren't, and from now on, all seraphically allied shadowhunters are your brothers and sisters, and you their sister. We need to protect each other, or we'll all die. Understood?"
Laney nodded. She liked the idea of having many people to back her up, and she dind't mind standing up for her shadowhunter buddies at all.
"And," James began, "All Downworlders."
"What's a Downworlder?" Laney asked confused. Ugh, more made up words...
Will laughed. "Lycanthropes, Faeries..."
Laney scoffed. "What next, vampires too?"
"Yes, actually," James said. "All the stories are true."
"Better watch out for Dracula..." Laney muttered.
"What was that?" Will asked kindly. Just then, someone else walked into the room. She was a girl, who appeared eighteen or nineteen, in a pair of jeans and a red tank top with a black angel on it. Her skin was pale, too pale. She wasn't shivering at all, though it was not warm out.
"That was offensive is what that was." She said, her red hair swinging behind her, all the way down to her waist. She was beautiful, and sounded older than she looked.
"Laney," Will began, "Meet Dorothy. Dorothy, Laney Lewis." Will leaned close enough to Laney for her to feel his breath stir the hair at the base of her neck, "She's a vampire." Laney nodded. This was a lot to take in, but she had always had an active imagination. Something told her this wasn't a dream though. It was far too... perfect. All the details on Will's face, the way she could feel the warmth of the fire from across the room, and she just knew.
"Nice to meet you, Laney. New recruit?" She asked Will. He just nodded.
"Oh," James seemed to remember something. "And also, if you ever need us, if someone confronts you, if you get lost, for whatever reason, here's a rune our mother created." He walked forward and drew it on her forearm. It looked like the sun, in that it had a central shape, and some outreaching rays that seemed to call for others. A few seconds after it was completed, similar ones appeared on Will's and James's arms.
"It will call us. We'll come."
"Here's a stele." Will handed her a long glassy object that James had used to draw on her arm.
"But I don't know how-"
Will cut her off. "You would if you needed to. Trust me."
"And it's time to go. Don't want your brothers to be suspicious." James said, eyeing the clock on the wall. Laney started walking back the way she had come, but realized that where the library had been, now there was a solid brick wall, not covered by bookcases or anything. Will, who had followed her, pulled out his stele and drew a rune on the brick, and it melted away. Open it seemed to say to Laney. So that's what that rune was for.
"Are you going to teach me to do that?" Laney asked.
"No, we're just going to keep you in that room forever." Will said sarcastically, then laughed at her expression, "Of course we'll teach you. There isn't much James and I won't teach you, Laney Lewis. Trust us." Will smiled at her. Laney found herself smiling back.
Gabriel parked the car outside the house, and the three Lewis kids walked into their house. Gabriel and Ben were gone in an instant, off to play some video game, so Laney found herself searching the house for her mother. She finally found Isabelle in her study, where she was writing a letter in an odd code that she needed to flip through a book for.
"Mom?" Laney asked.
"Mmmm?"
"Thank you."
Isabelle smiled and nodded, a knowing look on her face.