Hello readers! :) How have the first 2 chapters been so far?

millisiana: I haven't taken too long to update this one! Yes, I'm hoping they'll get longer. Once the story gets rolling, it should be easier to make longer chapters.

SilverCarstairs (Guest): You changed your name, didn't you?! I'm actually sad! I have gone nearly two weeks without any LTT update! :( is everything going okay?! Also, I ask because I haven't gotten any BTT reviews from you... :/ and that makes me sad. Unless, of course, you have decided you no longer wish to be Immortal Fandom Princess! If that's the case, just say so!
And you think Jaws theme song suits this? Hmm... I guess I can kind of see why it would suit this chapter.
As for that sentence, yes, that was put in there for you! I figured that would catch your Jagnus attention seekers. But honestly, I was going to make this a Jessa-Wessa FanFic considering my other 2 are plain Wessa. So yes, I was already going to do as you suggested, Tessa seeing Jem at the Institute. Good prediction!
Now, as for what Jace, Will, and Jules did... they aren't exactly "dark Shadowhunters". Well, not yet. But Valentine HAS done something to them. You know, kind of like what Sebastian/Jonathan did to Jace in CoLS? It's kind of like that. But.. ah! You'll see. I can't give any more away. I guess you'll just have to stay posted!
And yes, Jem and Alec are still parabatai for the Herondales. Jace is mostly Lightwood (I guess...) but also some Herondale blood is in him (I'll explain farther in this chapter). I won't leave updating too long. :P

charmedwizard: Wow! I didn't know that stories on here were shitty. But I'm glad you think this is cool. :) Oh, and the major characters like Isabelle and Alec and Magnus and Simon and Jem... Don't worry! They are major figures. They will definitely make their appearances. You'll see! I wouldn't leave them out!

combatbootchic12: Helllooo! I recognize you from BTT :P and I haven't decided if Mortmain will make an appearance yet. Would you like him to? I was considering having him and Valentine team up. What do you think?

Anyway! R&R! And enjoy. As always. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!


"The key to life is accepting challenges.

Once someone stops doing this, he's dead."

~Bette Davis


Tessa's alarm went off on her phone. She sat upright, turning off the alarm, and leaping out of bed. She bounded across the room, flicked on the lights, and pulled on her Shadowhunter gear in a matter of seconds.

She looked to the mirror hanging on her door. Her long brown hair was a mess around her head. She reached for her brush, yanking it quickly through her hair. Once it was tangle-free, she twirled her hair up into a bun, pinning it tightly in place.

Then she grabbed her weapons belt off the hangar by the door, clasping it around her waist, and exited her room to the dark hallway before her. She raced to Emma's room first, knowing she was hardest to wake up. She skipped into her friend's room, turning on the lights and jumping on the bed.

A tuft of blonde hair splattered against the pillow from under the covers, and a guttural groan sounded through the room.

"Wake up, Emma! We have to leave for the Institute soon!" Tessa cried cheerfully.

Emma moaned again. "Tessa, get off me. I'm tired."

"I'm tired too, but we have a job to do! You know, the one where we catch those insanely cute Shadowhunter boys and get our rent paid for for the next three months!"

When there was no response from Emma, Tessa pulled the blankets away from the other girl's face. Her big, sky blue eyes blinked in the sudden brightness. "Come on, Blondie, it's time to wake up."

Tessa was prepared for the reaction from Emma. Emma untangled herself from the blankets and lunged for Tessa, but Tessa, who had already drawn a Heightened Speed rune and an Agility rune on her collarbones, jumped away from Emma before she could be reached. She bolted out the door and to Clary's room, throwing open the door and slamming it behind her.

"Tessa! You better get out here right now!" Emma screamed through the door, pounding her fists against the wood.

Tessa just laughed, reaching behind her back to lock the door. She flipped on the light and strolled casually over to Clary's bed, who was now sitting up and blinking her green eyes.

"Tessa? What's going on?"

"Unlock the damn door, Clary!" Emma yelled.

"Ignore her," Tessa said. "She's angry because I referred to her as 'Blondie.'"

Clary sucked in a breath, running her fingers through the tangled mass of red curls atop her head. "I'm afraid I can't help you with this one, Tessa."

Tessa smiled. "Don't you see you already are? Your room has provided me with a safe haven from Emma's wrath."

"And that's about as bad a punishment one can get."

The struggling on the other side of the door suddenly went silent. Tessa assumed her friend had gone to get her stele.

"Clary, we need to leave soon to go to the Institute."

Clary stood up, stretching and yawning. "It feels so early. What time is it?"

"A little before five," Tessa said, flinching as the doorknob starting spinning. The door opened, revealing an angry, red-faced Emma.

"In the morning?" Clary demanded.

Tessa hid behind Clary. "Yes! Maryse said we had to be there at six o'clock sharp! And we have to be ready to go!"

"Tessa! Take it back!" Emma squealed.

"Fine! I take it back. Just don't hurt me," Tessa pleaded.

Emma smile maliciously. "That's better. Now when do we leave?"


The three girls stumbled up the steps of the Institute tiredly, arriving just before six. They were all clad in Shadowhunter black leather gear, the tough material hugging their curves. Weapons were shoved into their belts, and their hair was secured behind their head.

Clary reached up to knock, then realized how silly this was and touched the doors of the Institute. It swung open at her touch. She glanced back at her friends, who shrugged and motioned for her to go inside.

When they stepped inside, they saw the pews from yesterday, witchlight tapers set at intervals. They blazed brightly, illuminating four figures at the front of the room. One was Maryse, one was Isabelle, one was Alec Lightwood, and the other was unfamiliar to all three girls.

They all seemed to be debating something, and didn't even notice the opening and closing of the large Institute doors.

"I don't understand why I can't go look for my own parabatai," the boy said. Clary could make out the features of him in the light. His hair was dark, a shade of ebony, nearly black but tinted brown in the light. There were some streaks of silver in his hair, and his slanted eyes hinted at an Asian heritage.

"Jem, it's just not safe for you," Maryse responded exasperatedly.

"Oh, but it's safe for three girls we hardly know?" Alec cut in.

"It's not safe for anyone. But considering that you two are my children-" she motioned at Isabelle and Alec, "-and you are a guest of from and Institute-" she indicated the boy, Jem, "-I cannot allow any of you to go. Especially you, James. Your health-"

"Is getting better," Jem interrupted.

Ah, Clary thought, so this is James Carstairs.

"We still can't take any risks, Jem-" Maryse said.

"Mother! We are very well trained Shadowhunters. I don't understand what the issue would be in allowing us to help aid in this search," Isabelle protested.

"You will be helping. By sorting through the boys' things and trying to figure out where they could be. Try and use tracking runes."

Finally, Tessa cleared her throat, announcing their presence. The four people at the front jumped, obviously too deep in their conversation to notice them standing there. They all turned in surprise.

Maryse looked relieved. "Ladies, I'm so glad to see you here. Come on up here and we will discuss everything."

They did as they were told. As Tessa ascended the steps to the alter, her eyes locked with Jem's, silvery-brown ones. He smiled softly at her. For such a stranger, the expression was friendly. Tessa smiled warmly in return.

"So, please tell me everything you know about these boys," Maryse said.

Tessa and Clary looked over at Emma, and soon the other four followed suit, looking at her expectantly. With a sigh, Emma launched into her story of how she knew Julian, but leaving out the part about her being in love with him, instead saying she needed an escape from the death of her parents.

When she finished, Alec spoke. "Jace and Will are cousins. I can't remember where their bloodlines connect, but they do. I think it has to do with Jace's deceased father, Stephen Herondale. I think that was Will's uncle."

"Alexander, I don't see why that matters here," Maryse said.

"It doesn't, not really. But they may as well know as much as they can about them before they set out on this extremely dangerous journey," Alec explained. "Jem is Will's parabatai, and I'm Jace's. We have both come to the conclusion that something feels wrong."

Isabelle frowned. "What do you mean?"

Jem hesitated. "He's right. Normally, when everything is fine with your parabatai, you feel normal. But this doesn't feel normal. No, they're still alive. We can certainly feel that. But something is off. There isn't something quite right about it."

"It's magic of sorts," Alec said. "I can tell that much."

Maryse swore. "This is not good. That means a tracking rune may not work, but we can still try."

"You know, we'd be more likely to find them if you let people who know them search for them," Isabelle said nonchalantly examining her fingernails.

"Isabelle, stop asking. You're not going."

"But Mother!"

"If you ask again, I swear I will get the Silent Brothers to come and bind you with those fire handcuffs."

Isabelle made a face at her mother but said nothing more. Maryse turned back to the three girls.

"I'm going to start sending you out one day at a time, looking for clues, and I expect you to check in with me at the end of each day. If, for some reason, this investigation leads you out of the city, state, or even country-yes, it's entirely possible-I need phone calls and updates to know that you're okay. Got it?"

They all nodded.

"Great," Maryse sighed. "Now, make sure you wear gloves and bring Ziploc bags to put any evidence into. Try your best to not obscure anything. Fingerprints, fluids, et cetera. Also, before you three leave, I had these backpacks prepared for you. They have snacks and water and the gloves and Ziploc bags. I included an extra stele for each of you and some weapons."

"By the Angel, you're taking better care of them than you have for us in a long time," Alec muttered.

Maryse shot him a warning glare.

Clary could tell by the stress lines in her face that this was no ordinary investigation. It was personal. "This is important to you, isn't it? You care for them like sons."

Maryse looked taken aback but didn't deny it. Instead, she leaned down and picked up backpacks, made of the same black leather as their gear, and handed one to each of the girls. They slid them onto their backs and started to turn away-

"Wait. Maybe we should get they phone numbers," Jem said. "Just in case they need to contact us."

Maryse nodded in agreement. They all exchanged phone numbers.

When Tessa got to Jem, her hand brushed his as they switched phones momentarily. She didn't know why, but the brief contact brought a flush to her cheeks. When she handed his phone back, he glanced down at it.

"Tessa, is it?" he asked. He had a British accent with a slight undertone of another accent.

She nodded. "Yes. You must be James Carstairs."

He dimpled. "Indeed. But you can call me Jem. Everyone does."

"I'll make sure to do so," Tessa said, then added, "Jem."

He tilted his head to the side. "Tessa. I'll see you around, okay? Please work hard to find my parabatai."

"You needn't worry," she said, a bit breathlessly at hearing her name on his lips. "I'll find him. And the others as well."

Jem laughed. "Good. Be careful out there."

"I will," she said with a smile.

Then the girls turned away for the last time and left the Institute. The sun had risen now and beat down on their black gear.

"Well," Emma said, "that was eventful."

"To say the least," Clary muttered.

"I don't even know where to start," Tessa said, sighing.

"Well, Maryse did say Isabelle last saw him when he left the Institute. I think we need to start searching around the general area of the Institute," Clary suggested.

Emma nodded. "That's a good idea, Clary."


No one came or went the entire time the girls spent examining the area near the Institute. After a few hours, they had rounded the corner nearest the Institute and were searching the sidewalks, the gutters, and the alleys.

Tessa was getting agitated, and her head hurt. She had refrained from drinking too much of the water Maryse had packed them, and the sun beating down on them, fully dressed in gear, was overheating her quickly. This was the end of summer, when they sun was hot and the air was thick.

Tessa was about to call it a day; her hair was falling from its bun, she was sweating uncomfortable everywhere, and her body ached.

"Uh, guys," Emma called from the alleyway she had been searching. They were still close to the Institute, just a little ways around the corner.

"What?" Clary said sharply. She, too, looked agitated. She wiped the back of her rubber-gloved hand across her forehead.

"You might want to come look at this."

Tessa sighed and went to see what Emma was talking about, Clary on her heels. Suddenly she stopped short. Emma was holding three items: a bloody syringe, a stele, and a dirty, unused seraph blade.

"Emma," Tessa gasped. "Where did you find these?"

Emma motioned with her elbow. "In the crook by the wall and the ground. They look like they were kicked over here. But if this isn't any indication of Shadowhunters being here, I don't know what is."

Clary pulled off her backpack, opening it and pulling out three individual sealable plastic bags. She also pulled out a few paper towels. "Hand me the syringe and the knife."

With Tessa's help, Clary wrapped the syringe and the knife in separate paper towels and placed them into individual bags. Then Emma placed the stele in the last bag. They dropped all three things into Clary's backpack.

"Should we head back now?" Tessa asked.

Emma shrugged. "We could. It's only noon, but we could keep searching. Unless you want to see if they can track the boys using one of those objects."

"I think we should try that. If Maryse wants us to come out and keep searching, she will," Clary said.

Tessa patted Emma's shoulder fondly. "Good work, Carstairs."

Then Tessa froze. "Are you by any chance related to Jem Carstairs? The boy we met earlier?"

Emma laughed. "Yes, but I had never met him before today. His uncle, Elias, is my uncle as well. We are cousins. I suppose I forgot to introduce myself."

"Why didn't you say so yesterday?"

"I didn't think it mattered," Emma admitted, shrugging, then looking at Tessa skeptically. "Why?"

"No reason," Tessa said quickly.

"Oh my God, Tessa, you think he's cute, don't you?"

Tessa looked away to hide her flush, but Emma saw through it. "No, Em, I don't. I was just wondering. I was trying to make more connections-"

"Don't you dare try and lie to us," Clary said, giggling. "We both know you think he's cute."

Tessa's face was on fire. She spun on her hair and walked back toward the Institute, hearing her friends behind her laughing.


Julian sat in his small cell, the one in between Jace and Will. He stared down at his hands. He knew something was wrong, yet he couldn't quite place what it was.

Suddenly, an image of a young girl, fair-haired with large blue eyes, flashed across his vision. It was gone in an instant, and Julian couldn't conjure the image again. It frustrated him.

Who was she?

"Ah, don't even bother trying to remember," a cold voice said from above him, as if reading his thoughts. "It won't work."

Julian glanced up, surprised, to see Valentine there, a box in his hand. "I wasn't-"

"You can't lie to me, Julian. Now come here."

Julian stood and walked over to the barred wall.

"Give me your arm," Valentine demanded impatiently.

Julian held his arm through the bars, and Valentine drew a syringe from the box he was holding. "What are you doing?"

"Hush, young one. You will see soon enough."

He was right. In a few moments, Julian felt a blind rage coursing through his veins. It was a murderous kind of anger, and Julian demanded to be let out, but Valentine had moved to Will's cell. He heard the yelling of him and his two friends.

And then he was free, the barred door opening. Julian walked through it, examining Valentine expectantly. Despite his anger, the sight of Valentine calmed him, as did the others.

"I need you to do something for me. I need you to execute this plan of mine, and to do so carefully. Do you understand?" Valentine asked, speaking slowly, ever so calmly.

They must have all nodded, because he continued speaking.

"I need you to retrieve for me the Mortal Instruments. Do you know what those are?"

"Yes," Jace answered first. "The Mortal Cup, the Mortal Sword, and the Mortal Mirror."

"Do you know where any of these objects are?"

"The Mortal Sword is in the Silent City," Will responded. "No one has known the whereabouts of the Mortal Cup for over two decades, and no one has ever known where the Mortal Mirror is. Not since Jonathan Shadowhunter."

Valentine grinned a vicious grin. "Well, that shall change. We will go down in history. What do you boys think of that?"


Sometime later, Valentine had drawn a plan of how to enter the Silent City quietly and carefully without arousing suspicion, explaining to the drugged boys how to do so. They all nodded, staring at him blankly. He seemed please, and leaned back in his chair.

An abrupt knock sounded on the door that led to the basement of the building. Valentine leaned forward, the two front legs of his chair slamming into the ground, startling the boys. He pushed back from the table, standing up, and climbing the stairs quickly.

The boys stood as well, curiosity leaking through the drug, and they stood at the bottom of the stairs as Valentine opened the door. A small man stood there with dark hair, greying, and bright grey eyes.

"Valentine Morgenstern. I must say I didn't believe you were alive," the man said.

"Who the hell are you?" Valentine snarled.

The chuckled and held out his hand. "I am Axel Mortmain. I came to join your alliance."

"You are nothing but a mundane. A human. What use could you be to me?"

"Oh, but haven't you heard? I was the one who broke into the London Institute using clockwork creatures."

Valentine was quiet for a moment. A memory rose up in Will's mind, the memory of blood staining Jem's shirtfront, and then, not long later, automatons roaming the halls of the Institute when he and Jem returned...

And then it was gone, leaving a cold feeling of dread in its wake.

"That was you?"

"Indeed," Mortmain said, sounding giddy. "I am the Magister, the head of The Pandemonium Club. If you do not believe me, I have all the proof you need." He snapped his fingers then, and a flash of metal appeared behind him. Will realized these were his clockwork creatures.

Valentine stepped aside, motioning them in. "Come in, then, and explain your intentions." He shut the door and locked it tight behind them, a sinister smile spreading across his severe features.


Hello! So I updated pretty quickly, yes? It was only a day!

Well, let me know what you think so far!

Playlist (again, doesn't pertain to the chapter):
1) What Now-Rihanna
2) The Way-Ariana Grande
3) Problem-Ariana Grande
4) Walks Like Rihanna-The Wanted

So! Please R&R! :)

XOXO!
Until next time 3
~Caitlyn