Taki's
Simon took Rebecca through the doors. He could see that Clary and Jace were already there, and Maia too. Isabelle was just sitting down. Clary looked up and smiled, waving them over. Time for Rebecca to meet the others, he thought. They had met with Clary and her mom the night before, and Simon had explained the whole incident. He remembered how well that had went.
"Oh, Simon, I wasn't expecting you." Jocelyn had opened the door expecting Clary. She wasn't home yet. Luke sat behind them, watching the news on the old TV in the apartment above the bookstore. When he saw Simon, he switched it off. He had told them to come over today, asked them to explain things to Jocelyn, so she wasn't caught by off guard one day. Rebecca stepped into her line of view. Suprise crossed her face. "Oh, Rebecca, I'm so sorry." "Sorry?" She asked. "Sorry for what?" Rebecca asked. Jocelyn gasped and put her hands to her temples, walking in a quick circle. "This isn't possible." Luke jumped up and walked to Jocelyn's side. "This isn't your fault. It can't be." He told her. She just shook her head. Rebecca squinted a bit at Jocelyn, then gasped. "When I was attacked... I thought it was a dog, and their owner pulled it off." Jocelyn nodded. "I thought it's head was on fire." Rebecca finished. "Even though I'm not technically a shadowhunter anymore, I'd never let a rogue werewolf attack an innocent person." She looked Rebecca up and down, settling on her eyes. Rebecca hadn't looked in a mirror since she first changed. Not really looked, so she didn't know what Jocelyn was so fixated on. "I never thought the innocent person was you." Luke fixed Jocelyn with a questioning stare. Instead of asking why or being upset that she hadn't told him, he said "Did you recognize him? The werewolf, I mean?" Jocelyn shook her head. "It was no one from your pack... I'd never seen them before." Luke nodded. He looked relieved. "Wait- What happened?" Clary was climbing the stairs behind Rebecca and Simon. "Rebecca?"
Clary had gotten used to the idea, though. She didn't have a problem with it in the first place, actually. Simon slid into a seat beside Isabelle, Rebecca sat beside him. "So." Jace shot a sideways glance at Rebecca. "You're Simon's sister." Rebecca just nodded. "And a werewolf." She nodded tersely. Isabelle took one look at the way Rebecca was looking at the rest of them; like they might jump out and kill her in a second, and laughed. "We haven't killed Simon yet, and I think you're a lot less annoying than him." She glanced at her in suprise. Isabelle chuckled again. "There are shadowhunters in the world" Alec said seriously "That think downworlders are scum. As you can see, we aren't like that really." He spread his arms, indicating the rest of the group around him. As he finished, the doors to Taki's swung open. Maia and Jordan. Jordan wasted no time. He slid into the booth beisde Alec, across from Rebecca. "Rebecca" he started. Simon had called him beforehand and told him about his sister. "I'm one of the Praetor Lupus." He started "Latin for 'wolf'" Rebecca interupted. His eyes widened. "And the entire purpose is to make sure newly created downworlders know what they are and to keep them from destroying the world." He gave a light half-laugh at the end, but his eyes stayed serious. "Like a pack?" She asked. "Not exactly. It's more permanent and stable. There is only one Praetor Lupus." She nodded. "There is a place there for you, if you want it." Rebecca just bit her lip. "I figured I'd just join Luke's pack... but I'll think about it." Jordan nodded. "Luke's pack is a good option too." Jordan said. His voice was calm and level. "it is honestly the most civil one I've ever seen. Luke will be pack leader for a long time yet." Rebecca nodded. "So, Rebbecca, main rule of being a werewolf: No silver earings." Maia said, laughter under her voice. "No seriously. Bad, bad idea." As the conversation turned to different, inconsequitial matters, such as whether Isabelle's whip/bracelet would look better as a necklace, Simon's thoughts wandered. He wanted his sister to stay with Luke's pack. Even though she was a good bit older than him, he still wanted to look out for her. Luke's pack was safer than the Praetor Lupus, and closer to home. Besides, he trusted Luke. The sun was starting to set, and everyone got up to leave.
Rebecca lay twisting and turning in her bed. The moon shone through her window, but she didn't feel the need to change. Uncomfortable, she got up for a glass of water. Barefoot, she padded to the kitchen. The clock on the stove said 1:54, but it felt later than that, somehow. Sipping at her glass, she tried calm her whirring thoughts. Luke's pack or Praetor Lupus? It was an impossible decision. Would Luke feel betrayed if she went with Jordan? But what would Luke's pack give her? With the Praetor, she figured, she would have a purpose and something to do. It seemed structured. She glanced at the number that Jordan had scrawled on her arm. "Call me anytime." He had said. Did nearly 2 in the morning count as anytime? It didn't matter, she supposed. She picked up the phone and dialed his number before she could change her mind. "Jordan? Hi." She waited as he spoke. "yes, I've decided." She took a breath. "yes, that sounds good. I'll see you in the morning." She hung up the phone. Now, with her decision made, she thought that she would finally be able to sleep.
"Yes, Simon. I know. Yes, yes, no." She tapped the end button and sighed. Jordan sat beside her in the truck. They bumped over a road heading towards, Jordan said, the Praetor headquarters. Simon had been calling her on and off for an hour. He wasn't happy with her choice. Neither was their mother, to be exact. As she hung up on Simon, her phone rang again. It was Luke. Gritting her teeth, she hit answer. "Hello, Rebecca." He said. His voice was level and calm. It was his 'Luke' voice. "Simon told me your choice." "I hope you're not disapointed." She said. "Oh, no. I'm glad you made your own choice. I expected that you would choose the Praetor." Rebecca raised her eyebrows. "I hope that you enjoy your time there. And Rebecca" He paused "Don't ever try to hide what you are. The more you do, the more you become it. And always remember that you have a place in the pack, where ever you might wander."
