Chapter Two - The Nightmare begins
Elaine Lewis went rigid at the sight of her son. For days she'd wondered when he'd be home, and for days there had been a nagging sense that his disappearance had been by her own hand. Her memories, however, had betrayed her, and she couldn't find any specific point in time where she'd argued with Simon about anything other than his incessant need to break his curfew - always claiming that band practice had gone longer than intended. As far as she could remember, Simon had been away on a trip, but he hadn't taken his usual suitcase with him, and there was also the hollow feeling that he'd been lying to her about something important. She'd spent so much time trying to recall the events of the past few days, it had left little time for sleep. She feared that something might have happened to Simon, and her mind had been playing tricks on her about the real reason he had disappeared. Then, of course, the nightmares had set in.
She was standing in the middle of Central Park, surrounded by the sounds of the city, of passing taxi cabs, and the roar of the wind as it sailed through the trees. Her green cardigan hung limply from her shoulders, and she pulled it tighter around herself to block out the crisp Autumn air. She had no idea how she'd arrived at this particular topiary, but she had a faint inkling that she wasn't supposed to be here. Something was off about this place. It sent shivers down her spine and caused the hair on the back of her neck to prickle with caution. She tried to take a step forward - any step that would lead her away from the grim outline of the trees - but her feet would not move. She was frozen in place among the thorny bushes that seemingly had trapped her in the park. There was something moving around her, sending waves of shrill laughter bouncing off the adjacent trees. It sounded like a small child, or a dying cat, she couldn't be sure. She only knew that it was growing closer, and that it intended to kill her.
You dare to walk among the dead as if you are one of us, a girlish voice echoed around her. It came from nowhere, and everywhere, at the same time. But you are not one of us Simon Lewis, you are one of them. You will never be as we are. She tried once again to run, but her feet were bolted to the grass beneath her, tethering her body tightly to the ground. She couldn't understand why the voice was calling out for Simon, her son, her precious baby boy.
"What do you want with Simon!" She called out.
"How dare you speak to me mortal!"
Suddenly the skies erupted in a violent red flame that seemed to cascade down from Heaven itself, surrounding her in a flame of intense heat. She was burning amongst the flames, but try as she might, she could not move. She could not speak. In fact, there were no sounds at all anymore; save for the crackles of the fire as it swirled around her. There was only pain - such immense pain. She could feel the flames licking at her skin, scalding her body in the most sickening way. Then, out of the darkness came a brilliant, white light that tore through the fire as if it had been born to do so.
She fought through the tears that were stinging her face as the pain receded, and concentrated on the luminescent figure approaching her in the distance. She could tell from the way the figure moved that it was a woman - a very slender woman with thick, brown curls that looked like they'd been carved from tree bark. The woman's face came into view, and it stole the breath from Elaine's lungs. As she fixed her gaze on the beautiful stranger, she saw that her eyes glowed a strange blue color, and the hair she had once thought resembled tree bark was actually an intricate pattern of Autumn leaves that drifted perfectly down her back.
"Who-Who are you?" She asked, finding her voice once again.
The stranger simply smiled a thin line and vanished into the darkness once again, leaving a small crystal-like object in her place. No longer bound by the flames, Elaine bent down to retrieve the stunning piece of jewelry near her feet. You may summon me once Elaine Lewis, but I will ask for a favor in return. Use it wisely.
Simon took a step back as he watched his mother with a detached interest. She seemed to be staring right through him, almost as if she were lost in some sort of memory, rather than actually here in this very room. Simon silently cursed himself. He must have done something terrible to her mind before he'd left home. He should have never left her alone. He had no idea what his so called power would do to his mother. He'd never even tried it before. Come to think of it, he didn't even know he could alter someone's memory. Some vampire he'd turned out to be.
"Mom?" He spoke softly so as not to frighten her. He had no idea what state she was in, or if she even remembered anything that had passed between them. "It's me, Simon."
Simon saw the flicker of recognition in his mother's weary eyes. She looked so tired, and her face was whiter than he remembered - long, drawn out, and almost ghostly in appearance with dark gray blemishes just under her eyes. Her hair was neatly tucked back behind her ears, though it didn't look as if she'd combed it for at least a day or two. Her haggard complexion startled Simon, but he dared not make a move towards her. "Mom?"
"Your clothes," she answered him, almost like a drone. There was no tenderness in her voice. It was completely monotone. Simon winced, and suddenly remembered he'd had no time to change since the battle against Lilith. His clothes were torn, and splattered in black ichor and blood - mainly Sebastian's blood. Though he had no wounds of his own, the terror that rose within him was more painful than anything he'd witnessed earlier in the day. How could he have been so stupid? He should have changed before coming here. This was not going to help his situation.
"I'm alright. Somebody tried to beat up Clary's boyfriend, but I handled it. I'm not hurt." Simon exaggerated the truth. He was still trying to judge his mother's state of mind. She didn't seem to remember.
"Well for heavens sakes!" Elaine jumped off the couch, spilling her microwave dinner onto the floor, and flung her arms around Simon. "You didn't even tell me you were back!"
Simon's eyes closed involuntarily as he held onto his mother tightly. Just the comfort of having her near, having her feel something other than hatred, was utterly consuming him. He needed her to be his mother. He missed her so badly. "Sorry Mom. I was on my way back when it happened. Mugger in an alley just north of town, and yes.." He added for her benefit, "The Police were called, and they caught the guy."
So okay, it wasn't a complete lie. Jace had been beaten up pretty bad by Lilith, and Simon was okay - for now. Simon thought the Clave were like the Police of the Shadowhunter world, so he didn't feel as bad about bending the truth to his mother. But isn't that what he'd been trying to avoid? He wanted to tell her about what he was, just to try it again. He hated lying to her. He wanted her to be all right with everything, but he'd been witness to what happened last time, and he couldn't bear it if it happened again.
"Are you sure you aren't hurt?" She asked Simon, pulling away from him and walking off to get him a fresh towel from the linen closet.
"Yes, I'm sure. And you…" Simon hesitated in the doorway, "Are you…okay?"
"Of course I'm okay." Elaine turned to smile at her son, but Simon could see a small glimmer of doubt in her eyes. She looked so tired. He knew that was because of him. The gray streak that had mysteriously appeared in her hair a few days ago was now spreading across her head like wildfire. He knew that was his fault as well.
"You don't look okay, Mom."
"Don't be silly, Simon. I look the way I always do. Now hurry along, and get cleaned up. I want to hear all about your trip."
Simon did what he was asked. The water from the shower felt warm on his skin, which Simon thought was strange. He no longer felt the sensations of warmth or chill. Maybe it was just being back here - back home - that made him feel more alive than he had in days. In the back of his mind, he knew it wasn't going to last. Magnus hadn't really had a chance to explain how these false memories worked, but if it was anything like Clary's mind manipulation, he knew it would wear off eventually; Simon wasn't sure what he would do when that happened.
He dried off quickly, grateful for the ordinary mundane clothes his mother had laid out on the bed for him. He felt normal here, more like himself. Everything in his room was just how he'd left it, except for the empty fridge near the wall. He remembered the bottles his mother had found, and how he'd tossed them all into the garbage to protect his mother and the heinous deed he'd accomplished - removing his last chance of a meal in the process. If his mother could remember the gory details, would she still want to cater to him as she was now?
No. The answer was no. He'd already seen her response.
In the kitchen, Elaine Lewis was doing everything she could to keep busy. Simon could hear her rattling pans and slamming drawers as she went about trying to find something for him to eat. He rose to his feet, not wanting his mother to go through the effort when he couldn't even consume human food anymore. Of course, she didn't know that - not at the moment. His glamour had seen to that.
Simon entered the kitchen and just watched his mother for a moment. It was good to be back here, even under false pretenses. She was the same old Elaine at the moment; the caring mother he'd always known with the good sense to discard the broccoli she was now holding. Simon had always hated broccoli.
"Mom, can we talk?" He didn't know why he'd said it. He'd sworn he wasn't going to bring it up, but just seeing her there, fussing over him like he was just a child and not the vampire who'd been witness to more death and destruction over the past few months than anyone should ever have to endure, sent his silent heart into a frenzy. He couldn't lie to her. He would tell her the truth. He would tell her of the glamour, and leave the rest up to her.
She turned towards him then, and leaned back against the kitchen sink with a smile. "Of course, Simon. What is it?"
Simon took a deep breath. "Mom, I'm a-" Suddenly his phone rang in his pocket, and he nervously fumbled for it. Elaine gave him a dismissive wave as if to say they could talk later, and started putting things back into the refrigerator. Simon stepped out into the hallway, and answered the call.
"Simon!" Isabelle's voice was a welcome reprieve, but Simon let out a sigh. "Jeez, you scared me half to death! Are you okay? You just left!"
"Look Iz, now isn't a good time. I'm here with my -"
She cut him off abruptly. "You can't just leave me like that. I've been worried sick. You could have called, or told me, or something!"
"I know, I know." Simon raked his hand through his hair, and peered over his shoulder at his mother. She was wiping down the countertop. "I had to go.. somewhere."
Simon wasn't sure why he wasn't telling Isabelle where he'd gone. He only knew he didn't want his mother to overhear the conversation.
"Is Jace with you?" She asked quickly, dismissing his earlier statement.
Simon grumbled. "No, I didn't leave with Jace. We're not attached at the hip, you know. I thought he was with Clary, Why?"
"No reason, and no need to get snotty, Lewis," Isabelle hummed, but there was something she was hiding from Simon. He didn't have to be in front of her to know she was lying.
"Give it up, Iz. What's going on?"
"Nothing," Isabelle groaned, and Simon thought he could hear Maryse Lightwood in the background shouting something in Latin. "Ugh, okay. So Jace is missing.. Again. He probably went off somewhere to sulk about Clary."
"Wasn't Jace with Sebastian?"
There was silence for a few minutes, and Simon realized he'd asked the wrong question. Isabelle hated Sebastian, and with good reason too. He was instantly sorry for even mentioning his name. Before he had a chance to apologize, Isabelle's voice echoed in the phone once more. "Will you just meet me at Taki's? I could use a friend."
Isabelle's voice sounded so fragile. It called out to him, begging him to run to her. It was the first time really that he'd ever heard Isabelle utter anything that delicate, other than the moment they'd shared after the fight - the moment she'd told him that she'd come after him. Simon couldn't refuse her. "Be right there."
He snapped his phone shut, and shoved it into the pocket of his jeans before walking back over to his mother. Elaine was staring back at him now with a hint of speculation behind her exhaustion. Did she know? Was she okay? Simon was staring back at her with questions in his eyes - Questions that hadn't gone unnoticed by Elaine Lewis. "Mom, rain check? A friend of mine needs some help."
Elaine nodded, and lowered her gaze. "It sounded like a girl."
"Yeah." Simon flushed slightly. Speaking with his mother about girls wasn't something that he had much practice with. He was glad for the sense of normalcy. "Her name is Isabelle."
"Is she your girlfriend? Does she go to school with you? Who are her parents?"
"Mom!" Simon's voice raised of its own accord, and he instantly backed down. "What's with the third degree?"
He knew he shouldn't have said it, but it was too late to take it back now. Elaine turned on him then; her eyes like daggers. "You think I don't what you're up to?"
Simon stopped breathing. Well, he didn't really need to breathe, but he held his breath none the less. She knew. A sudden sick sensation washed over him, making his stomach churn like it had done on the porch steps after smelling the tasteless microwave meal his mother had been preparing. He took a step back. "Mom, let me explain."
"If you're afraid to let me meet your girlfriend, just say so," she replied, flashing him a wink.
Simon released the breath he'd been holding, and relaxed as a laugh escaped his lips. She didn't know after all. She was talking about Isabelle. "I promise you Mom, if I ever get a real girlfriend, I will bring her by to see you."
With a wave of his hand, he departed the house he'd been ostracized from a few days prior, and for the first time in a long time, he felt like everything was going to be okay.
