Theresa Gray absolutely hated the great city of London.
It wasn't that she hated the many tourist sights, or the weather no matter how dreary. No, Theresa Gray hated the fact that in a city that was exactly 1.12 square miles she couldn't find her missing brother anywhere. It had been one year. It had been exactly one year since her brother had seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth, and his last known location was here. Here in 1.12 square mile London her brother had last been seen wandering into an abandoned building on Queen Victory St. He could be anywhere by now considering her lead was six months ago.
She'd been in this country six months wasting away her savings to find a brother who left her and her dead aunt to rot in a decaying apartment. Why, may you ask, was she spending her aunts life insurance money on a worthless brother? Well that question was more complicated than she would like to admit, but it all started with a stupid letter, better described as a death threat.
Dear Theresa Gray,
Your beloved brother Nathaniel has found himself in quite the bind. Due to recent gambling and interference with a notorious incorporation, Mr. Gray is being held until the money he owes us is paid in full. His well beingis of no concern to us, and one way or another this debt will be paid. You can cooperate willingly or unwillingly, and if you don't come to us we will come to you. The latter result will not be kind.
Sincerely,
The Shadowhunters
That was it, no clues, no location, nothing. She had vague results to an unfulfilled debt, and the burning image of the things they could be doing to her brother. Nate was an idiot, but she loved him. After their parents unsolved murder and their aunts short and failed battle with cancer, Nate was all she had left, and as much frustration and anger that he caused her she still loved him. That was why she had spent the last six months in the city she had grown to hate looking for leads on Nate.
She had found Shadowhunter Inc. when she first came into the city, and with naive indifference marched right into the tall crystal building and demanded to talk to the man in charge. That got her laughed at and rudely escorted out by security. Then she went to the law enforcement a bit more calm with her accusations, and yet again got laughed at. "The Shadowhunters are where they are because of the illegal things they do. They're feared, and they're respected because of it. Your brother is as good as dead." the words of the bobbies were extremely encouraging.
All out of options, Theresa spent the last month spying on the abandoned building from her rented apartment across the street during the day, and walked its crumbling halls at night just hoping for some clue. Surely the Shadowhunters knew that she was in town. Would they come to her? Were they baiting her with her own thoughts and their endless silence? It was agonizing, this wait. Her imagination was torturing her.
Tonight was no different than the last month. She was wandering the halls aimlessly, searching but not expecting. She'd long ago stopped expecting to find things, and she'd started months ago to give up. Tonight, she told herself, tonight would be the last night she would search this place. "Let the Shadowhunters come," she said aloud defiantly. "Let them come and give to me what they threatened because I've searched and searched and they're threats have been nothing but a haunting nightmare." She wasn't done. She was on a rampage storming through every room shouting profanities and cursing them all to hell. "What do you want from me!" she screeched into the empty air. "I just want my brother back you worthless cowards! Give him back!" she slammed her fist through the weak plaster over and over again. All her pent up anger finally coming to a head.
It was over. Nate was dead or worse, and she was wasting away in her own mind. She was driving herself insane. Through hitting the wall and screaming at the top of her lungs, her sleeplessness had finally caught up with her. She found the edges of her vision darkening and she started to slide down the wall. When her tear stained cheeks hit the cold stone of the floor she knew she would either die tonight or leave tomorrow. Her will to live had been vanquished long ago, only now did she allow herself to truly give up.
