Disowned by her parents due to a blessing that may turn out to be a curse, witty, cynical Melissa Ryder finds work in the heart of Alicante as a professional club dancer. When she finally decides to persue her lifelong dream of becoming the Shadowhunter she was born to be, she meets someone that finally seems to understand her, and may convince her that she doesn't always have to be alone. Slightly AU, OC pairing, set in the time of the Circle.
First chapter of my new fanfic, in the Mortal Instruments fandom! I haven't finished City of Glass yet, so I apologize for any wrong infortmation, but I'm almost certain there isn't any. This fic is going to be pretty short, I think, around 15 or so chapters, so I know I'll be able to finish it. I have lots of ideas for a sequel, but we'll just see how you guys like it! Central pairing is... why don't you find out for yourself? You may be able to guess by looking at the character it's put under. Or not. On with the story!
Disclaimer: Although there are no characters that are not my own in this chapter, I do not own the ideas and refrences of the Mortal Instruments series. They belong to Cassandra Clare.
As always, reviews are much appreciated! :)
Idris Countryside: 1981
Prologue: Deal with a Demon
"I will not tell you again, Melissa. You will not become a Nephilim, and that is my final word. No questions asked."
She felt the fury building up inside of her once again. How could you deny your only child what they want most in the world? It was cruel. Melissa wanted so badly to join the ranks of the others that had the blood of the Angel in their veins. They had been training for that life in the Glass City Alicante, central home city of the Nephilim, or Shadowhunters, since their childhood. While she, Melissa Ryder, had been kept in her home, away from that life, by her parents for all of her twenty-three years.
"I am an adult now, mother. I am fairly certain that the choice is now mine."
"We will not allow it. That is a life of pain, suffering, and ultimately death, and we do not want that for our child. Do you wish to die?"
"Yes, because obviously the God-given powers that we possess become dormant at the exact moment we step up and fight our first demon."
"Do not be smart with me, Melissa!"
"Then what am I supposed to do with them?"
Her mother's voice warmed slightly. "You've been able to figure that one out up until now. Continue with your dancing. When you move, it's beautiful. You're amazing at it."
"Oh, won't that be helpful? A Shadowhunter that can dance. Lovely. I'm sure the Clave will be absolutely begging me to help fight in the next war," she spat, turning on her heel and stalking out the front door. It slammed with a bang behind her.
As she ran across the grassy front lawn, trying to put as much distance as possible between her and her mother, Melissa spared her house a backwards glance. It was big, that much was undeniable, and pretty too, in the way a massive house can become quaint if you construct it correctly. It was also her prison, and had been for every year of her life. She lived with her parents a day's journey from Alicante, on a sprawling acreage with no real limits. A forest bordered their house on one side; that was where Melissa was directing her feet for now. Thoughts of escape had crossed her mind more than once, but really, where would she run to? She did not have any knowledge of the real outside world; the only things she knew were things her parents had taught her. And she didn't know a soul. So what was the point?
Melissa reached the edge of the dark forest and slowed to a walk, jumping lightly over fallen tree branches. Dancing did aid your grace and sense of balance. Her feet made no noise against the soft forest floor, dappled with afternoon sunlight. Here, the world seemed flawless, perfect. It was where she always found herself when she needed solitude, which was often. With only your parents for company, you learned to live with yourself... most of the time, by yourself.
She easily found her favourite tree, a mighty oak that reached to the heavens. Seating herself at its base, the young woman leaned her head back against the trunk and let the coolness seep into her head, numbing and relaxing her thoughts. Her midnight black, wavy, past-shoulder-length hair, peculiar for the few perfect ringlets that were scattered throughout it, fell around her shoulders and framed her face, making her skin seem even paler than it already was. Melissa closed her eyes and sighed.
She had never even felt a Mark on her skin before, never felt the inhuman power it was supposed to give you. Never had been able to hold a stele or Nephilim sword in her hands. She imagined she'd have a pleasant relationship with her parents, if only they hadn't put this crushing restriction on her. If they actually understood her, if only for a moment. If only...
A high pitched scream cut through the still air like a knife. Melissa started and opened her eyes wide, jumping up as fast as she could. Should I help? It had sounded like a child's scream. Her first thought was to always stay out of things, let others deal with it on their own... but a child...
"I'm coming!" she yelled at the exact same time as another scream rang though the forest. She used her inhuman speed to jump high over fallen trees, darting this way and that through the maze of trunks. The only problem was her lack of weapon. And even if she did happen to have one on her, her lack of knowledge on how to use it properly. Shit, even if I am not too late, I'll hardly be of any help!
Melissa burst into the clearing, hardly out of breath, to find a girl no older than eight caught in a web of thorns attached to a huge maple. Thorns on a maple tree? she wondered, but was focused much more on the helpless girl than on the tree's abnormal growth. Casting her gaze around the clearing, she spied a sharp rock and snatched it off the ground, holding the pointy end forward. She knelt down beside the thrashing girl, stating "It's pretty hard to help when you're wiggling around like an eel." Soft, calming words had never been her strong point.
The fair-haired child suddenly went limp and Melissa hoped it was due to her suggestion. She brought the rock up to the first thorny vine she saw and made short work of it, the makeshift knife working better than she had expected. It only took a few moments for the young adult, using her nimble, dexterous hands, to cut the child free. The little girl was staring at her with wide, sky blue eyes the whole time.
When she was free, she stood up and smoothed the front of her white dress down, which had become smudged with dirt. Melissa started to say something to her, but whipped around to face the vines as they suddenly disintegrated, leaving only a pile of fine dust on the forest floor. Not completely sure, but almost positive that vines aren't supposed to do that. She spun around again, starting to get dizzy, when she felt an ice-cold presence directly behind her. Melissa was staring straight into a pair of amber eyes, with the pupils of a cat's.
She screamed and fell backwards, whacking her head hard on the tree trunk. A demon was before her, a body of smoke levitating above the ground with two eyes that stared out from the smoke, straight at her. The little girl's body had vanished, but all the demon seemed to want to do was hover there and stare at her.
"What did you do with the girl?" Melissa demanded, trying as hard as she could to steady her voice. She hadn't met any new people yet, let alone a demon.
The otherworldly being chuckled darkly. "I was the little girl. See the resemblance?"
She wouldn't tolerate fear from herself, so she wove a thin shield of cockiness and attitude around herself instead. "Nope, not exactly. Care to tell me why you're not eating me alive as we speak?"
"You really don't know anything. You saved me. I am in your debt."
So the vines were a prison, and the girl glamour was a disguise. And I fell for it. "Must have a pretty bad enemy to tie you up like that. What did you do, steal their lollipop?" Melissa quipped, a little less afraid. I don't think you usually go around killing people who are held in your debt.
The demon fixed her with a stare that was far from amused. "We have our problems that we do not have to share with Nephilim."
"Yeah, speaking of Nephilim, you probably shouldn't even be here. Right? But whatever. What exactly does you "being in my debt" entail?"
She was looked at as if she had lost her mind. "If we were not in Idris, I would be certain that you are a mundane. There is no possible way that you cannot know things such as these."
"Let's just say that I've been under house arrest for the past twenty years, alright?"
The demon made a sound that made Melissa certain that she was being laughed at. She narrowed her eyes.
"If it really must be explained to you, it means that I am now your servant. Unfortunately."
Melissa's eyes widened. "I have a demon servant now?"
The demon sighed. "That is what I said, yes."
The image that immediately popped into Melissa's head was that of a little demon following her around everywhere and picking up the clothes that littered her bedroom floor. She stifled a laugh. But really... a demon servant? And her parents didn't even want her becoming a Shadowhunter. They might have a few problems with their daughter having a servant that was coincidently the very thing that they were worried was going to "hurt her." When Melissa actually thought about it, she realized that she didn't want a demon servant at all.
It was now her turn to stare intently at the demon. "Do you have to become my servant?"
"Yes, there is no way around it. Believe me, if there was I would have pointed it out by now."
"Good point." Melissa focused on a patch of sky past the demon, trying to figure out just how she'd explain this to her parents.
The demon suddenly became still, and what could only be described as a thoughtful expression crossed its face. "Actually... there is a way."
Melissa's gaze snapped back to the demon.
"If you really do not want me as a vassal... I will have to bestow a gift upon you."
She raised her eyebrows. This better not be a demon trick, cause that sounds too good to be true. "Really? Anything my heart could possibly desire?"
"It's not as great as it sounds... there's one catch. When people ask for demonic gifts, we usually require their souls in return. You saved me, so I will not require your soul... but that does not mean I won't require something."
Something. That sounds bad. Melissa thought... she was basically being asked what she wanted most in the world, and required to think of it in the next few seconds. It should be something that she would not be able to physically acquire in life. Thinking along those lines, what was better to ask for than... life itself?
"I've made my choice, demon. What would be the price of... immortality?"
The demon possessed no visible mouth, but if it had Melissa had a feeling it would have been smirking. "Wise choice, Nephilim. Or some might say... not. But no matter, because it is yours. The price? I think it would be fair to trade more life for the inability to make life. So, if I turn you immortal, you will no longer be able to have children."
No longer be able to have children. Melissa knew that many people would be absolutely horrified at that statement. No heir, no person to carry on their bloodline. She had heard that it was a huge deal to some people, particularly men. But it wasn't exactly like her bloodline was a hugely "important" one. She wasn't taken care of like a valued "heir" should be... unless being a valued heir means not being allowed to pursue her born purpose in life and, instead, being kept in the house for all of her life. So really, what was the point of having children? So they can be born into, and live, the life that she so bitterly resented? Melissa wasn't the best person to consult when it came to feelings, but she knew that she wouldn't wish that upon anyone.
"Okay. Fine. You have yourself a deal, demon."
It raised its smoky eyebrows. "Are you completely and utterly sure about that, Nephilim? Many would be having second thoughts right now."
"I'm not someone most would classify as "normal." And stop calling me a Nephilim, because I'm not."
"Then what exactly are you?"
Melissa faltered. "I'm... I'm not completely sure myself."
The demon smiled knowingly. "I see. Stand before me, then." The young woman took a few paces from the tree that she had been leaning on, coming to a halt right in front of the otherworldly creature. From here, she could feel the cold air radiating off of its form. It started to float even closer towards her.
She squeezed her eyes shut, out of reflex more than anything else, a split second before the demon's body rushed through her own. Her very blood felt like it was turning to ice, and she could swear she felt icicles form in her hair. When she opened her eyes, though, it was like nothing at all had transpired, and her body was once again at its regular temperature. There was no trace of the demon.
"The insolence! He didn't even say goodbye," she muttered to herself as she held her hand in front of her face to inspect it. There was no notable difference. Of course there wouldn't be, she mentally laughed at herself. But... I'm immortal! I'll live forever!
That was the thought that overshadowed all others in her mind as she ran quickly back to the safety of her own house.
Melissa pushed at it cautiously, almost as if it was alive, and the door creaked open. The house was silent and dark, due to the approaching night and it seemed that no witchlight had been lit yet. Her foot made a louder than expected noise on the floorboard, and she jumped, cursing when she realized it was only her own movements unsettling her. It must have been the aftermath of seeing a demon, she thought, though, he hadn't been all that bad. She made her way down the long, straight hall to the kitchen. The portraits that adorned the walls seemed to watch her as she walked, and she shivered. Many of them had skin that was covered in black, inky Marks. Shadowhunters. To put pictures like these up in the halls was teasing and cruel, Melissa had thought before. She tried to pay them no mind now.
Her mother looked up from the heavy-looking leather bound book as Melissa appeared in the doorway. The candlelight danced on Vivienne Ryder's skin, throwing the many faint, raised scars that dotted her skin into sharp relief. Even her mother had once been a Shadowhunter. She had given up that way of life along with Cole Ryder, Melissa's father, after a terrible event had taken place. Melissa was not sure what that event had been to this day.
"Ah, Melissa, you've come back. It's getting dark out, you know."
"Oh no, I just thought that there was an unscheduled solar eclipse," she said, but a smile ghosted across her face as she took a seat across from her mother. "No, that's why I came back."
Vivienne returned her smile. Smirking, they looked remarkably similar, with their dark hair and bright eyes. "You really need to learn to control that mouth of yours. It will get you in trouble some day."
"With who, the wildlife?"
"Very funny, Melissa. But you must have some pressing reason to grace me with your presence. Unless you're hungry, I guess."
"Food?" Melissa's father asked brightly as he strode into the room. He wasn't all that tall for a man, but the small room gave the illusion that he was larger than he really was. "Did you just say dinner?"
Both females raised their eyebrows at him. "No, not food, but something much more important," Melissa stated. "I have just had something happen to me today. Something life-altering."
"Let me guess," said Cole, "You beheld the fish mating in the pond!" Vivienne kicked him under the table. "Be quiet, she's being serious for once."
"Mother, father... I'm immortal."
"You're what?" her mother asked with a slightly confused expression on her face. Her father just furrowed his eyebrows.
"Immortal! Like, you know, live-forever sort of stuff?"
The room suddenly became deathly quiet and still. Melissa could have sworn that both of them weren't even breathing. Her father broke the silence first.
"And how... did you go about receiving that ability?" He asked in a whisper, as if he didn't really want anyone to hear him, to answer him.
"Well... I was in sitting in the forest, and I heard this scream. I ran to help, and found a little girl entangled in some thorns. When I released her... she turned out to be a demon. As a result, it claimed to be in my debt and therefore had to become my servant or bestow a gift upon me. I chose the latter... and that was what I picked," Melissa related in a soft voice. What if telling them wasn't the best idea after all?
It was a long time before anyone spoke. Her mother lifted her head slowly, as if it was weighed down by a ton of bricks. Her eyes glistened with moisture. "Melissa... please tell me that you did not make a deal with a demon. Please." It was obvious that she was near tears.
By the Angel... they're really upset. What have I done? "I'm sorry, but... yes, I did. It was the only thing to do!"
Her father leapt from his seat at the table, so forcefully that his chair fell on its back behind him with a bang. His voice was so loud; it reverberated throughout the entire house. "No, it was not. There were many other things that you could have done, Melissa! Do you realise that this makes you no better than a filthy Downworlder? You have associated with a demon, and therefore still possess their taint-"
Vivienne's voice cut through her husband's. It was so quiet; you could barely hear what she was saying. And for Melissa that was ten times as worse.
"Cole... Please. And Melissa..." she fixed her daughter with a long stare that was full of emotion. Longing, pain, pity... and a cold determination that made Melissa's breath catch in her throat.
"It would be best if you left. You are not our daughter anymore, you are one of them. An outsider. So leave, please," her steady voice caught then, the only show of emotion in her tone. "It would be better for all of us."
"Mother! You cannot mean that!" Melissa screamed. "I'm your only child!" The complete consequences of her actions were crashing down upon her, hard. But, in her place, who would have done any differently? The only world she had ever known was quickly disappearing.
Her father's eyes hardened as well. "You heard Vivienne. Leave. I do not want to see you cross our front door from now on."
Tears spilled out of Melissa's bright green eyes as she bolted for the door, not taking a single belonging with her. How could these strangers even call themselves my parents? No parent would ever, ever do this. She almost crashed into the front door, blinded by emotion and tears. Throwing herself out of the last connection she had to her childhood, Melissa ran down the long, stone paved path leading down to the main road. She didn't have a clue where she was going right now or where she was wanted in this world, only that she was hated by the two people she had ever known, let alone loved.
