Hello,
I have been really glad that so many people have reviewed my previous Infernal Devices story Midnight Encounters that I have decided that I would like to have a go at writing a longer story as a sort of continuation. I will keep Midnight Encounters as a one-shot because I didn't want to risk messing up the characters. If you are starting to read this but haven't read Midnight Encounters, you can if you want to but I only really mention it once during this chapter. So it's not a big deal. This will be an M rated story but I'm going to start off slow so I can build up a plot of what I think might happen in Clockwork Princess (which I was really annoyed with when I found out it was coming out September 2013). This chapter is also quite short but I just wanted to get it all started.
I have been looking at a few of the teasers on The Mortal Instruments Source so during this story I will flag up the teasers I will use at the beginning of the chapter. Not sure how this will go but we'll have to see, won't we? I'm also not sure as to when I'll be able to update either because I haven't got a laptop that will continually be at my fingertips, and I am also in the middle of writing coursework, a Narnia fic and various other personal projects but I will try my best.
In this chapter I have written in Cecily in a way that I could see her being in Clockwork Princess. Obviously with only 'her sharp tongue' and quite a few other descriptions Will has made of her that I cannot remember at this precise time, I have tried my best to characterise her. I hope you like her this way.
Please leave a review. I'd like to know what you think so far and also any ideas of how you think Clockwork Princess will go when it finally gets published.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Infernal Devices or the spoilers used in this alternative plot. I am only borrowing the characters.
Enjoy!
08/02/13 - I've decided that I'm going to change this to a oneshot and rename this. The plot that I had for this story has escaped me so I'm just going to leave this as this is. I like it anyway. This is still going to be a sequel shot of sorts to Midnight Encounters. So sorry for all this. :L Just ignore above.
An Infernal Devices story
Second Thoughts
Tessa couldn't sleep. No matter how much she tried she just couldn't find rest for nervousness of tomorrow morning. Once again she lit a candle on her bedside table and got up out of her bed, walked over to her wardrobe and opened the door revealing a long golden wedding dress. She stared at it and bit her lip anxiously without even realising she was doing it. She had spoken to Charlotte about why her dress was golden instead of the traditional white and she had replied it was traditional.
"Shadowhunter weddings are not like mundane weddings where the dress symbolises purity." She had replied as she wrote another wedding invitation to another relative who lived in Idris, the homeland of the Shadowhunters. "We wear white when there is a funeral so as to remind ourselves of divine purity lost in a fellow Shadowhunter."
Tessa had often thought, when she was back in New York, that her wedding would be quiet and traditional and ordinary. But a lot of things have changed since then, Tessa thought morosely as she brushed her fingers down the silk skirt of the dress. She thought of Nate and the night she lost him. His shocked pale and bloody face slowly losing life like a tap leaks water. She thought of the other deaths she had experienced since she had come here to England. Thomas and Agatha. She would've liked to have seen them at her wedding. If she had known she was going to have a wedding then.
Tessa heard a sharp knock at her door. Tessa jumped and wondered who would be at her door at this time of the night. She opened her bedroom door and was met with the sight of Will. Or to be exact, Will's double.
Cecily cleared her throat and stared up at Tessa with a careful gaze. "Sorry to bother you, may I come in?"
"O-Of course." Tessa stepped aside and invited Cecily in to her bedroom. Cecily silently stepped into the room and walked until she was stood beside Tessa's wardrobe. The young girl glanced at the dress in the wardrobe with her bright blue eyes, so much like Will's that if Tessa didn't know any better she would've thought they were identical twins. Tessa felt uncomfortable as she closed her chambers door and hustled over to close her wardrobe.
"Having second thoughts?" Cecily spoke curiously as her eyes followed Tessa's tense movements. Tessa thought she could hear a lilt of a welsh accent in Cecily's voice, that she had often thought she could hear in Will's, despite the elocution lessons Charlotte had insisted on being taught to everyone in the Institute.
"No, of course not. I'm just a little nervous is all," Tessa replied as she offered the armchair for Cecily to sit in as Tessa sat back down on the edge of her bed.
"I'm sure fiancé's always get a little nervous at this time of the engagement. Just this time tomorrow you'll be a married woman and you'll be consummating your marriage." Cecily sat herself down in the armchair smoothing out her dressing gown, not noticing how pale Tessa's face had grown.
"Was there anything you wanted to speak to me about?" Tessa said tensely. Cecily looked up at Tessa and then a thoughtful look appeared on her face. Tessa noticed that Cecily's hair was the same dark shade as Will's hair, even darker now in the moonlight and it was plaited and lying neatly on her shoulder. There wasn't even a hair out of place and it made Tessa think whether Cecily actually went to bed at all.
"As a matter of fact there is. It's about William." Cecily sighed and sat up straighter in her chair. "Ever since I arrived here at the Institute I've been trying to...reconnect with him I suppose." Tessa watched as a small flicker of sadness appeared flash in her eyes. Tessa had never really spoken to the young girl much before but from what Will had told her Cecily had always been a highly spirited girl, if a little headstrong. But watching her now, Tessa thought that she seemed a little vulnerable. "We used to be so close. Our whole family were close, at least until Ella died. Then Will disappeared and it felt like my whole world was crumbling around me." Cecily gave a little sniff as she took a deep breath. "I had lost two siblings that day. But when I found out Will was still alive I needed to find him. I mean he's my brother."
"Will and Jem told me that when Shadowhunters join the Clave they must have no contact with their families or risk putting them in danger. Will was protecting you." Tessa said soothingly.
Cecily scoffed. "A fat lot of good that did." Tessa flinched with the fierce tone in Cecily's voice. "What was he protecting us from? From Father gambling away our house? From Ella's death? Save us from the constant arguments and heartache that was left behind when Will left?"
"From demons and other terrible creatures that would've used you to get to Will." Tessa said defensively shuffling forward until she was perched on the edge of her bed. Tessa wondered for a second why she was defending Will but then the answer was so obvious that she didn't even need to think about why. Cecily stared down at her hands almost like a petulant child but then she straightened once more and looked up at Tessa with a hard look.
"Mr and Mrs Branwell both told me that if I wanted to know why Will left, I would have to talk to him. But since he isn't speaking to me unless it's through training, I deduced I would have to talk to you." Cecily spoke with such conviction that Tessa felt as if she were talking to Sherlock Holmes instead of Cecily Herondale. It left her feeling quite breathless.
"Why me?"
"I read through William's journal." There was a slight smugness to Cecily's tone as she spoke as if she was proud of what she had accomplished. "He writes a lot about you. Of course he writes about his – his...oh what is Mr Carstairs to him again?"
"His Parabatai." Tessa confirmed.
"Ah yes, his Pa-ra-ba-tie."Cecily slowly spelt out the pronunciation slowly so that her accent can get around the vowels. "But I assumed that Mr Carstairs would take Will's side and protect my brother's privacy. But then I got curious. Why would he talk about you?"
"I beg your pardon. I'm not quite sure what you mean." Tessa bristled uncomfortably. "And I do believe that looking through your brother's personal journal is really quite rude." Tessa suddenly had a guilty thought as she remembered when she had looked through his journal and found her letter to her own brother Nate stuck inside.
"Will can't keep secrets from me. I make sure of that." Cecily stood up abruptly and began to pace back and forth in front of Tessa. "Now if William talked a lot about you then there must have been some kind of strong bond between the two of you." Cecily paused and gave a quick curious glance at Tessa. "I used to read all of his old journals back at home just to remember him and from what he wrote, he was always so happy. But now he seems like a whole different person. What happened to him?"
"It's not my place to say I'm afraid." Tessa politely declined.
"Come on please! He's my brother. Can't you see that I just want to get to know him again?" Cecily spoke desperately, her bright circadian blue eyes wide and pleading Tessa to consider helping her. "He's the only family I have now."
Tessa felt like she should at least try and help Cecily because after all, she knew what it was like to lose family members. She had already lost her parents although she couldn't really remember them to start with because they died when she was so young, she had lost her Aunt Harriet and just recently she had lost her brother. So she understood Cecily's position perfectly. Tessa sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry Cecily I really can't. It is up to Will whether he wants to tell you or not, not me or anyone else."
She looked up to see the young girl stood fiercely in front of her, almost like a lioness ready to attack an opponent who threatened her or her kin. After what seemed like hours Cecily let out a huff and tightened her dressing gown around her. "Fine, I can see how it is. You know I thought you would've helped me but I guess I was wrong. I can understand why Mr Carstairs would defend my brother but not you. You should have no connection to him whatsoever." Cecily paused at the door to Tessa's chambers and looked back at her over her shoulder. "Funny that isn't it?"
And with that she was gone and an almost inaudible click filled the silence in the room. Tessa let out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding in, feeling her heart racing against her chest. As she got ready for bed once more, her mind turned to the night three weeks ago where Will had visited her whilst she was watching over Jem. She could remember his desperate voice as clear as day as he whispered to her.
"It's just one kiss Tessie. One kiss and I'll leave you and Jem alone. I swear."
"If only you would leave me alone." Tessa murmured to herself as she laid down and blew out the long forgotten candle she had lit when she was looking at her dress. As she fell asleep she didn't dream of Jem's happy face that he would wear tomorrow when they were both finally married. But instead she dreamt of Will's face, cold as stone as he watched with betrayal written all over his face.
"What am I going to do?" Tessa whispered to herself, rolling on to her side and listening to the soft ticking of her clockwork angel, lying against her collarbone. The ticking reminding Tessa almost of wedding bells.