Alec and Isabelle lied together on Isabelle's bed in her room. Golden light streamed into the room, a beam of light shined in his eye. He leaned over to Isabelle.

"Do you think that Magnus will forgive me?" Alec said, hope gleamed in his eyes.

"I don't know." Isabelle responded. To Alec, she seemed far away. "You're still meeting with Camille right?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Honestly, I don't think that that is the smartest thing to do. 'Oh, I'm Alec. I'm going to do the exact thing that made my boyfriend break up with me in order to win him back'. Seriously, are you sure you should be doing that?"

"Well I could do without the mocking tone. And, I guess you're right. She seemed different somehow." Isabelle sat up in suspicion.

"Different how?"

"When I saw her, she had this transparency to her. She seemed unnaturally taut, as if she had been recorded."

"Did you use a sight rune? If you were in the woods that could've been a hologram you hadn't noticed."

"It's very possible I guess." Alec sat up and leaned against the wooden bed post. "If that's the truth then do you think Camille's dead?" Isabelle went stiff and blanched.

"No", she responded hastily. Alec slid his feet off of the bed and stretched as he stood. Isabelle noted his T-shirt raise slightly above his body, revealing his pale back.

"I think I'm going to take a nap." Alec said as he yawned.

"Yeah." Isabelle said; her voice shook. "I think I will too…" Alec left the room and Isabelle immediately reached for her cell phone and called Simon.

"Hello?" He said. "What's up?"

"I can't keep lying to Alec. I think we should tell him that Camille's dead."

Simon and Clary walked down the street on their from Luke's house. The air was cool, but it wasn't too cold for Clary. She wore a sweater and a jacket over top of the small tank-top that she threw on when she left Luke's house. Simon didn't need a coat but he wanted one in case anyone ever gave him suspicious glares.

"Do you think we'll be okay?" Simon asked.

"Sure, why not?" Clary asked. She turned her head in suspicion. "I mean, I know that there is some things going on with us, but that's nothing to worry about, right?"

"Right." Simon responded. He slowly raised his hand to his forehead. He didn't tell anyone that one week after the angel Raziel took the Mark of Cain off of him, it returned. And it burned him every time he slept, heavenly white fire invaded his dreams every night. Simon wore his hair long to disguise it again; he called it "self-discovering his natural look". Hiding this was hardest from Isabelle and Clary, seeing as though they are the closest to them physically.

Clary looked at him. "What's wrong? Do you have a headache? Can vampires get headaches?" Simon couldn't blanch so his shock was disguised by everything except for his eyes.

"No." He responded. "I just felt this unnatural compulsion to touch where the Mark of Cain was."

"It's almost like it is still there. Can I see your forehead? I want to know if there were any marks left."

"There are none." Simon said. Clary didn't push. "How is Jace? Being in the Silent City must be pretty lonely, huh?"

"He seems fine. He doesn't have to stay in a cell. The Clave, and Jia Penhallow, convinced the Silent Brothers to create rooms where visitors/patients could say. Like the extra rooms in the Institute for travelers. "

"That's cool. Has he got it done up the way he likes? Any pictures of his favorite bands and hot topless chicks anywhere?" Clary punched Simon's arm lightly.

"No! You know Jace is a little neat freak. And I better be the only girl in his life."

"You never know…It's always the beautiful angels that commit the adultery…" Simon laughed.

"Shut up! He's not even like that. He gets plenty of visits from his family, so I doubt he'd risk putting up inappropriate pictures."

"True."

Clary and Simon walked in peace as they made their way to the Silent City. They walked up to the angel statue and looked at each other for a moment.

"Well!" Simon started. "Do your Shadowhunter magic!" He said smiling.

"Alright," Clary said a little apprehensively. She took the kindjal that she "borrowed" from Luke and slit her wrists, spilling her blood into the stone cup of the angel. Its eyes flew open and Simon took a step back, caught off guard by the haphazard gust. The ground opened and the staircase that was usually uneven was now paved easily with large slabs of stone. There were small candles at the end of each step that illuminated a dim green; it was the middle of the day. Clary took out the new stele she had been given by the Iron Sisters and carved an iratze on her arm. She looked at Simon

"Here we go!" Clary said.

"Here we go," Simon said a little less enthusiastically.

Jace sat in his quadrant—that is what the Silent Brothers called it—rearranging his clothes on his bed before he placed them in his dresser. He knew that he was a neat freak, so he wanted to get this done before anyone came to visit him. He placed his clothes in the first few drawers of his dresser and then sat down on his bed with a sigh. How long are you going to be here? He thought. The voice in his head sounded oddly different from his own. He turned and noticed Simon and Clary in the doorway that led out to the pavilion where Clary's first examination was.

"Well?" Simon said. "How long are you going to be here?"

"Uhh…" Jace started. "I honestly don't know know. I guess until they figure out how to deal with the Heavenly Fire. Hopefully not forever."

"Yeah," Clary said as she stepped further into the room. "You'll never remember what the true light of day looks like!" Clary stepped closer.

"You're the only light I need." Jace said and placed his arms around Clary, gently resting his hands at her waist.

"And that's my cue!" Simon exclaims. "I'm supposed to meet Isabelle in an hour, but…" he took a step back. "I don't mind being a little early."

"Thanks, Simon." Clary said.

"Looks like you can take a hint!" Jace chuckled.

"Shut it!" Clary said. "I'll see you later, Simon!"

"Bye!" Simon said. He walked out of the room and sauntered down the stone path that he and Clary used to get to Jace's room. He climbed a few steps and was back to the pavilion that he marveled at on his first trip this way. He looked at the large arch that cast an odd silhouette on his person. It reminded him of the St. Louis arch; the only reason he remembered that was because his last name was "Lewis". He walked over and touched the side of the arch.

Don't touch that! An urgent voice spoke in his head. Simon whirled around to see a Silent Brother—Brother Zachariah to be specific—staring at him with the blank eye holes in his head. Don't touch the arch, unholy being.

"I'm sorry…" Simon said. This, coming from a Silent Brother who helped him, hurt the most. "I didn't mean to taint anything…" As if sensing the hurt in his tone, Brother Zachariah responded more gently.

That arch is made from the ashes of the nephilim. If you were to have touched that, you may have burned. Burned unless you have a rune on you that protects you… I do sense the Mark of Cain on your forehead…

"It left…momentarily. The angel Raziel said it was gone! I don't know what happened! I didn't ask Clary to put it on my again without the angel's permission!"

Calm yourself, Daylighter. I wasn't accusing you of such acts. What I do want to know is why it came back. Do you think the angel made a mistake? Simon heard a mixture of sarcasm and genuine curiosity in his mental tone.

"I don't know…"

Did you not think to summon the angel again and have him marvel at the Mark once more?

"No," Simon started. He looked away from Brother Zachariah, wishing to leave. "I didn't. What are you going to do?"

The angel didn't smite you because of the Mark. It doesn't add up that the Mark would return if he took it away the way you said he did…Simon finally understood where this was going.

"Do you think I lied? If so, Alec, Isabelle, and Magnus saw my forehead without the Mark. It was taken away and came back. I didn't ask Clary to put it there again or anything."

Hm. Brother Zachariah soundlessly walked away from Simon.

Simon only stared at him in disbelief. Does he not trust me? Does he think we're responsible for the things that have been going on somehow? I thought he was on our side! Simon thought to himself. He walked hastily to the entrance. Now Brother Zachariah knows about the Mark and if he doesn't believe our innocence he'll tell everyone about it. Everyone will hate me for lying to them. Simon came above the stairs and reached the opening to the graveyard. The wind was blowing fiercely and Simon reached for a hat in the pocket of his jacket, afraid that people would see his Mark. He was right to be afraid.

The wind picked up and he could feel his hair lift up and the cold wind hit the slight burn of the Mark. He heard the crunch of leaves like bones and looked up to see Isabelle and Maryse looking at him in shock.

"What," Isabelle started. "Is that on your forehead!?"