Ch.1

Alec Lightwood was heading back to the Institute after a hard swim practice. He was trying to decide whether to swim for his high school team, but for now he is on a travel club swim team. Alec's mother strongly disliked him on a swim team instead of training at the Institute.

"Swimming is a mundane sport, not for a shadowhunter." His mother, Maryse had practically spat at him.

His father, Robert was the one that convinced Maryse to let him do swimming.

He had started to swim and his mother didn't complain anymore because he was able to get stronger and taller doing swimming. Now eighteen Alec has been swimming for four years, and he loves it not just because he can get away from the institute and the shadow world, but also because it was such a wonderful sport full of friends and friendly competition.

As he stepped through the wards he caught sight of something move at the edge of his vision. Alec pulled from his bag a seraph blade that glowed with the power of 1,000 fireflies. He let his bag drop to the ground and felt lighter and alive. He closed his eyes listening to his surroundings. Crunch, Alec took off towards the sound with speed that was un-human. He tackled the person and held his seraph blade to their throat.

Alec had to squint to see who it was he had brought down. The familiar blonde hair, pale skin, and fire-golden eyes…...

"Jace!" Alec screamed, "You scared me. What are you doing out here anyways?"

Alec stood up and got off Jace. Jace laughed brushing his clothes off and said,

"I came out here to wait for you and to test you." Jace smiled and Alec's heart skipped a beat.

Alec felt his eyes widen, "Well, you did scare me, but why test me?"

"Maryse just wants to make sure that these swim practices aren't distracting you and

I will tell her that you are improving I've never seen you move that fast before."

Alec felt a smile tug at his lips, "Thanks."

Alec and Jace walked the rest of the way talking about future techniques they wanted to learn together being parabatai and all.

They stepped inside and Alec headed to his room and put away his swim stuff, bathing suit, cap, goggles, and towels. He changed into a black shirt, jeans and headed to see his mother in her office.

When Alec walked into his mother's office she was staring at the fire, deep in thought.

"Mom." Alec said, walking over to her. "You ok?"

His mother looked at him her eyes red and puffy from crying probably.

"Alec," she said, drying her face, "I'm fine."

Alec walked over to his mother and gave her a hug, while she cried on his shoulder. When she was finally done Alec gripped her shoulders.

"What's wrong?" Alec asked sternly.

His mother sniffed and said, "Max…...he's"

She started to cry in Alec's arms and that is all the clarification he needed to know that his worst fear had come true.