A/N: FIRST OFF: THE NEW CATCHING FIRE TRAILER AHHH!
Please, continue.
Tessa hummed quietly, swinging around the ring of keys in her hand. She was in a bit of a happier mood, since she didn't have a shift to take over. There were a new set of guards that had come in, courtesy of Alexei de Quincey. And bless him for that. Tessa was beyond exhausted; she had been working harder in that week than in a whole month, constantly having to take over Bridget and Lucy's shifts. Why they needed the time off, nobody knew, or really cared.
Nobody really liked Bridget and Lucy. The two were inseparable, practically sisters, and they were both extremely nosy and incredibly rude. They had to stick their faces into everyone's business and it was really annoying. Tessa didn't hate them, but she didn't like them either.
But they were taking some time off. Presumably to visit a family or something, but Tessa honestly didn't care about them, so she went off, faintly whistling as she stepped into her room.
She shut the door behind her and swiftly undid her hair which was up in a bun, letting the curls fall down and just barely touching her arms. She changed out of her uniform into a tank top and some sweatpants and noticed something on top of her bed. It was a letter.
She flopped down on the side of her bed and picked it up, and stared at the front of the envelope and its messy cursive writing.
Axel Mortmain.
Tessa froze in place and a million things ran through her head. What could he want? Why did he send me a letter? Did something bad happen? Am I getting fired? She felt sick all of a sudden and didn't even want to look at her letter. Axel Mortmain was the head of this place who could decide whether she stays or can live in the streets in under a second.
But she had to open it. So gingerly, she did. She pulled the paper out of the envelope and Tessa cringed. It wasn't even typed. He took the time to write it out by hand. Tessa gulped. This couldn't be good. She took in a deep breath, and read what he had to say to her.
Dearest Theresa Gray:
You have been doing a fantastic job here. You seem to be doing well with all the patients here. And I must say: I feel quite obligated to give you a promotion.
That was unexpected. Tessa was leaping with joy.
There is an opening at the left wing of the asylum. Would you like to take it? I feel you could help them as much as you did to your wing. Please write back as soon as you can.
Sincerely,
Axel Mortmain.
Tessa wanted to scream with joy, but it was all ruined when her eyes fell on 'the left wing of the asylum.' No. No, she would most certainly not take it. The patients which she took over where the least crazy ones. But the left wing was where all the psychos were. The murderous psychos who actually on occasion kill each other there, and sometimes the guards. No. Most certainly not.
But could she say no? Nobody said that to Mortmain, of all people. He could start your life, or ruin it. And he did not take no for an answer.
Tessa was conflicted. Maybe he'd be understanding. Hopefully he would be.
Quickly, she took a piece of paper and pen, and started writing in as elegant as script can be:
Mr. Axel Mortmain:
I do appreciate your offer, sir, but I feel that I cannot take it. I am grateful, but I don't think it's the right position for me. Where I am currently is a good place for me, and I intend to stay there. Thank you, sir, but I can't.
She scribbled down her signature at the bottom and took both letters in her hands.
Not caring about her current attire, she nearly ran out of her room and into Gideon and Gabriel's (they shared a room), not even knocking on their doors. They had a key card for each other's room in case of an emergency, and to Tessa, this was one of them.
"Gideon! Gabriel!" she gasped out and held up the letters. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Mortmain offered me a promotion."
Gabriel brightened. "That's great!"
Tessa shook her head fervently. "No, it isn't. Guess where I might be working now? The left wing."
Gideon stood up. "The one with the major psychos?"
"Yes, that one."
Gabriel no longer looked happy for her and his mouth dropped. "He can't do that!"
Gideon sent him a pointed look. "Of course he can. Our lives might as well depend on him." Tessa had been making a pouty face and she hadn't even realized it. She wiped it off immediately.
"I don't want to go there," Tessa sighed out, sitting between the two brothers. "I'll do anything else, but the left wing?"
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather work in the infirmary?"
Tessa gave him a look and grabbed the nearest pillow and hit him on the head with it. "Of course I would, Lightwood. Idiot." He rose his hands up in surrender. "Anyway," she said, "I just wrote a letter but I don't know if I should send it. What if I get fired? You've heard that he never takes no for an answer."
Gideon shrugged. "Read it."
She sighed and took the paper out, and read what she wrote. When she finished, Gideon said, "Well, I think that's good. And if he does fire you, we'll quit." Gabriel nodded in agreement, and they both had solemn looks on their faces.
"No!" Tessa's eyes widened. "No, no. No you won't. We have a contract, remember? You're stuck here. And please promise me that you'd never do that. Ever. I'm not worth it."
Gideon rolled his green eyes. "Of course you are."
"Yeah, right. Like you'd leave Sophie," Tessa pointed out. Gideon fell silent and Tessa struggled to breathe. "Should I send it?"
There was an uncomfortable silence that none of them could handle. "Sure," Gabriel said finally. "He likes you. I mean, not in a creepy way, but he likes you."
Tessa scratched the back of her head. "I guess." She groaned. "I feel lightheaded."
"I'll make you tea," Gideon reassured and went into the small kitchen.
"Erm, English Breakfast please?" Tessa called out and he pointed a finger at her in acknowledgement, looking straight ahead and disappearing.
Gabriel sat back and his chair and grabbed the remote, turning on the TV before him on. "It's good to be off."
"Yeah," Tessa agreed. "It really is."
The thing was, all the usual guards were all off, and new ones were working. The very idea of it kind of concerned Tessa, but she tried not to think too much of it. Jem was off too, though he was probably asleep or something.
But it just didn't feel right.
She wondered how everyone was holding up, whether they were being treated nicely (or at least somewhat) or not. After all, they were expected to be disciplined.
Tessa looked over at the clock by the door. By this time, people would be out for showers, and really quick ones too. Sometimes they'd get beaten if they aren't quick enough, and they'd have to be careful to. She once heard of someone nearly getting pneumonia in the winter.
About ten minutes later, Gideon came in with her tea and Tessa smiled at him, mouthing a "thank you."
He took a seat next to her and they continued watching TV until Tessa told them she was tired, and she went to her room. But before she went to sleep, she sent the letter.
The next morning she woke up with a frown on her face and she grumbled, "Work. Great."
She got ready by putting on her uniform, a tight bun and hat over her head. She put on her black leather combat boots, tying them to the top. She grabbed her Taser just in case, and whistled a tune as she left her room, locking it.
She saw Jem leave his as well, and he smiled at her once and they left together out, but then someone Tessa hadn't seen before stopped them.
"Miss Gray," he said gruffly. "Mortmain has requested your presence."
Tessa was filled with fear at that moment, and all she could do was nod and give a weak salute before she walked off. Jem gave her a sympathetic look and she smiled feebly.
All thoughts had evaded her head as each new step brought her closer to his office. She gulped when she found herself in front of his door.
Tessa jerked and just barely shrieked as someone lightly tapped her shoulder.
And there he stood.
Will looked pretty casual as he leaned against the door to Mortmain's office, but that was only adding to her nerves. "Don't do that!" she exclaimed, jumping.
Will bounced off immediately, looking alert. "What? What did I do? What's wrong?"
She lowered her voice, "I have a meeting with one of the most powerful men ever and you're leaning on his door as if everything's okay and you know I personally think it would be better to work at the infirmary despite what Gabriel says and I don't know, I just don't want to go to the left wing!" Tessa said in one breath and was then panting for air.
Will was quiet for a second but was looking at her with a barely there, but puzzled look. "The left wing," he repeated slowly. "Oh, I know what that is. Isn't that where they put the bloodthirsty ones?" Tessa shot him a glare and he took a step back.
Tessa sighed. "Yes. And I have to be at a meeting."
He stepped aside. "I'll be waiting, you know."
Tessa turned the doorknob as she said, "Oh, I know." He stood aside as Tessa entered his office. She caught Will smiling reassuringly at her and she shakily returned it. And then he was gone.
Mortmain, like most antagonists in cheesy movies, was sitting in his chair facing the wall behind his desk. The chair, being a swivel one, spun around and he was face to face with Tessa, who swallowed anxiously. He had these dark, yet piercing, green eyes that stared right through her coolly.
"Good morning, sir. It's good to see you," Tessa told him, keeping her voice steady and clear.
Mortmain smiled at her, one that was disgustingly sweet. "I believe this is the first time we've met in person."
Tessa only said quietly, "I believe so."
"So you've received my letter. I must say, Miss Gray, that I was surprised that you didn't accept my offer." Here we go, Tessa thought. "But it is of no matter. Perhaps I could offer you something else, darling."
She stared at him. "What?" She shook her head. "Mr. Mortmain, I told you in my letter that I wish to not be in a different position. I prefer mine. I believe it to be a good one."
"That it may, but I could ask you to guard, say, me?"
Tessa cringed.
"Now, don't be like that," Mortmain said with a tsk. "I've taken a particular interest in you over the cameras. And besides—you'd get a higher pay! And… some other delightful things that may occur—"
"Stop," Tessa said, cutting him off. She was absolutely disgusted with him. "I don't mean to be rude, sir, but when I say I like where I am now, I mean it. Thank you, but no thank you."
For a moment, she saw a spark of anger flicker in his eyes, but it was gone as fast as it came and he covered it with a smile. "I see," Axel Mortmain said quietly. "Well, I suppose not. Good day, Miss Gray. You are dismissed."
Tessa let out a breath and walked as quickly as she could without seeming rude and she opened the door, remembering what fresh air was. It was quite stuffy in there, all the more reason why Tessa wanted to throw up.
She looked over for Will, and saw him standing not too far away from the door, and he looked absolutely horrified. "This—this Mortmain guy? How dare he? How sickening!"
Tessa nodded and gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Bosses," she muttered under her breath.
"It's disgusting," Will continued. "You have a Taser. Why didn't you use it?"
Tessa gave him a look. "Will, sometimes, tasing people isn't the answer."
"Sometimes," Will grumbled, "it is."
"Yeah, well, he's my boss," Tessa said. "And the head of everything. He has his own company, you know. 'Mortmain & Co.' or whatever." She sighed. "If I did, I'd get fired. Do you want me to get fired?" She took off her hat and took off the hair tie and her hair fell down and she briefly combed her fingers through it. She figured that if she'd be talking to Will, it could possibly be a long discussion and let all the seriousness away.
Will looked down at her. "Of course not. And the new guards are absolutely horrible. Nobody dares to even speak out in their presence."
Tessa gave him a look of silent inquiry, and he explained. As it turns out, they were strict like most guards, but the problem was that they had a tendency for beating at random and once, pointed a gun at someone's head.
She gasped. "That is horrible! Will, did you get hurt?"
He shook his head with a smug smile. "Of course not. Anyone who even tries to ends up thrown across the table."
She knew it was wrong, but she laughed anyway. "I'm not encouraging it, though."
"Whatever. It already happened, though, and twice."
Tessa sighed but said nothing.
Will then looked over at her, and scowled. "By the way, if you ever plan on taking another vacation with your little 'security buddies' again—"
Tessa grinned. "Aw, did you miss me, Herondale?"
He rolled his eyes. "That wretched nickname again. I'm getting sick of it. And it's my name."
She giggled. "Sorry, Herondale, but I didn't hear you denying missing my presence." She said it again only to make him more irritated.
Will beamed instead. "I did miss your lovely presence, in fact." She smiled and then looked down.
"It's weird," Tessa then said. "I shouldn't be telling you this…but you've already noticed that I, Gideon, Gabriel, Jem, and everyone's been off at the same time, right?" Will nodded, tilting his head to the side. "It's weird. We've never all been off at the same time. And the new guards, they've been like replacements, practically, for that amount of time. I feel like something's going on, but what exactly, I don't know. And I've tried not to depend on it too much since it's probably nothing. Anyway, I'm getting kind of paranoid with that, and Mortmain and all…"
"I'd tell you that we should just go out for a nice relaxing evening or something, but it's kind of hard to considering where we are."
"How are you here anyway?" Tessa asked. "I mean, not pry or anything. I know some things. But you're pretty normal."
He was quiet at first, that sort of quiet that Tessa felt wary to be near him. For a moment, she decided he wasn't going to answer and that she should just ignore it. But he did, surprisingly, answer. "Well, because my insane parents—they have a record too, just so you know—had enough of me and twisted the truth to the police. My sisters and I sometimes get in fights, as siblings usually do."
Tessa nodded, frowning at a memory of her and her brother having an argument.
"Sometimes things could get a little violent. Especially when we were kids and thought it would be a good idea to fight? Anyway. My beloved mother caught us one day, and was very disturbed by our previous behavior. And so she ignored like she ignores the rest of the family.
"One day at school I'd gotten into a fight with some person at school for some reason? It was stupid, and the boy's mum called mine. I've no idea how she got her number, neither do I care. She was very upset, and because I hated her and my father for lacking attention to me and my sisters, I got into more fights just to make them angry. You know, the whole teenage-rebellion thing.
"They eventually decided that it was enough called the police instead of talking to their son like most parents would. They told them everything and that I was always fighting with my sisters—which I wasn't, by the way; I love my sisters—and that I was very abusive, blah, blah, blah. Police took me away. Filed me as crazy or whatever. My parents thought that jail wasn't enough, so here I am. I still genuinely hate people in general. This Mortmain person gives me more reason. And that Ethan Peterson guy. Him too. Not you, though, if that's what you're wondering. But yeah, most stuff is just an act."
She couldn't believe that he told her that much, but she remembered Gabriel saying that he pulled his file, and that he had a rough childhood. His parents didn't really care for him or his sisters. Lots of fights.
"I—"
"If you say you're sorry, I will never speak to you again," Will promised.
Tessa rolled her eyes. "I wasn't going to say that. I was going to say that I know what you mean. About the parents thing. Mine are dead now, but they shared little interest in me and my brother. He's kind of a jerk now and an alcoholic who stays at clubs or whatever."
"Guess we're both kind of screwed up, huh?" Will asked with a grin.
Tessa shrugged. "Kind of. I had my Aunt Harriet. But she's dead, too, so…"
They walked along until they reached outside. Nobody else was there except her and Will. Everyone was in their cells. They both sat down on the ground, Tessa pulling at grass and just barely humming.
"Tessa?" Will asked after a while.
She turned her head to look at him. "Yeah?"
His voice was brought down to a whisper when he told her, "I like when your hair's down."
She smiled at him. "Thank you."
"And there's something else."
"What is it?"
"I really want to kiss you right now," he told her seriously.
Tessa arched an eyebrow. "Really," she said. He nodded once. Tessa gave him a shy smile. "Well, what're you waiting for?"
He grinned and Tessa found herself not even a second later on the ground, Will lowering himself down on Tessa and his arms on both sides of her and her hair splayed about her. There was a loud boom in the sky and Tessa tore her gaze from Will's to look up at the cloudy gray sky. She could only register it as thunder. It was hard to focus when Will was right above her like this.
He laughed softly as lightning crackled in the sky. Tessa closed her eyes as he bent down and their lips brushed lightly. She couldn't focus on anything only Will Will Will. The scent of him, his hair, his eyes, and his lips. He pressed them more firmly this time against hers, and slowly, their mouths began moving with each other's.
They sat up, still kissing, and Will's fingers found her hair and he played with it, twirling it, almost unconsciously. Tessa licked on his bottom lip playfully and he made a noise from the back of his throat. She started loving the fact that she caused the reaction.
His hands slid up and down Tessa's shoulders and her back as if he didn't know where to put them. She pulled him closer to her and reached up to his hair, entangling her fingers in his inky black locks. "Tess," he groaned.
Lightning flashed all around them, the sound of thunder echoing loud enough to cross the whole country only seconds later. Will's lips moved from hers to the corner of her mouth, and started planting little butterfly kisses across her jawline to her throat and to her neck. Tessa moaned faintly as he nipped slightly at the skin.
He pulled away and Tessa loosened her grip on his hair and laid her hands on his chest. "We should get inside."
"We should…" Will sighed. "And we have that Mortmain watching you." Then he cursed. "Did he see that?"
Tessa shook her head. "I brought us here to be alone, you idiot. I'm not stupid."
"I never said you were." He stood up and outstretched her hand for her to grab. She took her hat in one hand and his hand in the other. She got up and quickly wrapped in her hair in a bun, pulling the hat on top of her head.
He looked disappointed at her actions. "Regulations," she told him shortly. He rolled his eyes and they walked back inside, the backs of the hands just barely touching.
A/N: Okay, so first I'd like to say how sorry I am for not updating in almost a month, but I've been working on The New Girl and I really need to finish it, so please forgive me.
Also, I realize that the kissing came a bit quickly. I mean, this is like the fourth chapter. But you know, they just had some heart-to-heart and who would turn down William Herondale? Honestly.
I'd ALSO like to mention that in this story, each chapter's events don't follow immediately after each other. Who knows, this could be days or weeks since the last chapter.
Review and you each get a giant cookie :3
Disclaimer: I do not own The Infernal Devices or anything else mentioned in this story.
