Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing this story! It really means a lot! I apologize for the lack of Janna (Thanks for this ship name, Thalia ;)) Hope you like this chapter!
Also for those who are curious, I posted a picture of what I think Anna would look like on my profile. Check it out! :)
As always please leave a review, they help me out a lot! :)
Tatiana Blackthorn was not a very attractive women. Especially when she was angry. Peter watched from his bonds as Victor and Tatiana quarreled vigorously. It had been two weeks since he was captured by the dreadful man, two weeks since he had seen his sister. A feeling of disembodiment came over him as he felt himself sink into a feeling of despair. This feeling often occurred whenever he thought about Anna. His poor sister. Brave, soft-hearted, kind, lovable girl who would do anything to protect the people she cared about. She could be dead for all Peter knew.
Peter shook out of his stupor as he heard Tatiana mention the name 'Herondale' and tried to listen to their conversation.
"…Everything would've went smoothly if the Clave hadn't shown up. Someone must've escaped and told them. I am certain the Herondale children were there and if they were there, Anna would've been there as well." Victor mumbled angrily as he paced back and forth.
Tatiana rolled her eyes from her spot on the couch. "Yes but you are forgetting that they were not the only Shadowhunters there. Did you already forget the bargain we made? I will help you get that Ring but you must kill those Shadowhunters."
"I know! That was my initial plan. Set loose several of my pets at the party to capture Anna and kill anything that gets in their way." Victor snapped, facing Tatiana with an aggressive look.
Tatiana gave him a look so cold that it made Peter shiver. "Did you honestly expect this idiotic plan to work? Some of the best, most well-trained Shadowhunters were at that party. Of course they were going to fight back and win."
"I just need to get Anna and then we can take care of those Shadowhunters you so badly want dead."
"Well the only way to get Anna is to kill them. The Herondales are protecting her are they not? They are a skilled Shadowhunting family. If you want Anna, you will have to get rid of them." Tatiana reasoned.
"Not necessarily. If we can lure her away from them, we can capture her easily." Victor walked away from her and looked out the window. It was yet another gloomy day in London.
"You are forgetting that I want them dead! Not just the Herondale children but the Carstairs children and that blasted Fairchild, Matthew, must die as well. The party was the perfect place to get them all and you barely managed to injure one."
Victor sighed and closed his eyes. Peter could tell he wanted nothing more than to strike Tatiana down on the spot. "I realize that, thank you. I did not anticipate that they would be so prepared."
"Or you could just be better at attacking people. What do you suggest we do now?"
Victor sat down in his chair, holding his head in his hands. He hadn't slept or eaten in days and was extremely exhausted. Why did he have to go through so much work for a blasted ring? Why couldn't he just kill everyone right now and take the ring off that stupid girl's finger? "You know what I think?" Victor whispered to Tatiana. Peter had strain himself to hear what they were saying. "I think we should first capture Anna, get the ring, save your son, and then kill everyone."
There was a pause. Then Tatiana asked, "Everyone?"
Victor smirked. "Everyone."
Anna felt like she got hit by a train.
Her entire body was weak and sore and she had no idea where she was or what happened. She very slowly opened her eyes and saw the white ceiling above her. She sighed softly and stared at it, allowing her vision to clear. She moaned as she felt a sharp pain in her thigh and the memories from the attack came rushing back. Her and James dancing, their almost kiss, the demons storming in and attacking her, trying to save Cordelia and failing miserably. She remembered it all. Well, at least I didn't get amnesia again. She looked to her right and saw, to her surprise, Tessa was sitting in a chair next to the bed, sleeping.
"Um Mrs. Herondale…Tessa?" Anna said softly, not sure if she should wake her up or not.
Before Anna could decide, Tessa opened her eyes and looked around sleepily. When she noticed that Anna was awake, she quickly sat up straighter, staring at Anna as if she was afraid she'd disappear. "Anna! How are you feeling?"
"I'm alright I think. My leg…"
"Yes. You suffered from quite a nasty scratch. But the Silent Brothers said that you will be alright."
"Are we at the Institute?" Anna looked around, vaguely remembering that this was the infirmary.
"Yes, after the attack, the Clave brought you, James, and Lucie here. Matthew went with his parents and Cordelia stayed in Yorkshire."
"Cordelia! Is she alright?" Anna sat up in full concern. Tessa's expression grew grave.
"She suffered terrible wounds from the demon that attacked her. The Silent Brothers said that she will live but will take a while to recover from the damage." She looked down sadly. "She is with her parents and brother in Yorkshire. We are planning on seeing her as soon as everyone has recovered."
Anna nodded, feeling only a little relieved. At least Cordelia was alive and was going to live. That made Anna feel a little better. "It's my fault." She whispered, feeling her vision begin to blur. "I missed my shot. If I had not have missed, the demon would not have been able to do as much damage. It's my fault she's suffering." Unable to stop herself, Anna began to cry in earnest.
Tessa wrapped her arms around the distraught girl. "Shh, listen to me. It is not your fault. You could not have guessed that this was going to happen anymore than anybody else could have. You are not to blame. If anything, you saved Cordelia's life."
Anna pulled away and stared at Tessa in confusion. "But…how? I didn't do anything…"
Tessa smiled. "Oh no you didn't do anything. Just jumped on top of a demon to save a friend was all. No big deal." She chuckled softly and hugged Anna again. "Everyone saw what you did. It was extremely brave Anna. You acted as a true Shadowhunter."
Anna tried to blink away the tears. "But Cordelia…"
"Is alive because of you." Tessa finished.
Anna sniffed and Tessa handed her a tissue. "Is everyone else alright?"
"Yes. You and Cordelia suffered the most injuries. You're very lucky to be alive. The demon's claws were poisoned and when it scratched you, its poison got into your blood. The Silent Brothers managed to get it out but you are very lucky."
Anna nodded understandingly and played with the ring on her finger. "What happened? How did those demons get in?"
Tessa's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure. The Clave believes someone sent them."
"Were they after me?"
Tessa shrugged and took Anna's hand. "We have no way of knowing that they were after you. We can only prepare ourselves so that it doesn't happen again."
Anna looked down, lost in thought. If someone sent those demons after her, surely they would try again. What if whoever sent those demons knew where her brother was?
"Anna? Are you alright?" Tessa was asking.
"Yes. I'm just thinking. I just wish I could remember everything. I hate not knowing. I hate putting everyone around me in danger. You're taking a great risk in allowing me to stay here."
Tessa gave her a small smile. "I know. I am concerned for what's to come but my husband and I would never turn you away. We are not that type of people. We will help you as much as we can and we will work together to figure this out."
Anna couldn't help but grin in return. "I am grateful. I really am." She looked down at her hands and continued. "I think we need to find my brother. If anyone has answers, it would be him."
"I agree. We will find him. I can assure you, Anna, we will do everything we can. But you should get some rest."
Anna nodded. "Where's James?"
"I do believe he is in the library right now. Don't worry, I sure he'll stop by later to see how you're doing." Tessa stood up and with a friendly smile, she walked out of the infirmary.
Anna laid back down feeling even more exhausted than ever and quickly fell asleep.
Anna was hearing voices. She slowly crept out of her room and down the stairs. The voices grew louder and more clear. They were decidedly male and very familiar. Although Anna couldn't see them, she could tell they were coming from the kitchen. She stopped outside the kitchen door and listened silently.
"I'm sure you're just overreacting." The first man said. "He is a reliable kid and will send us word when he has information."
"It's been two weeks and we haven't heard anything from him. What if he's already found it and has decided to keep it for himself? What if he wants to use it on his parents?" The second man had a more panicked voice and seemed a lot less calm.
"Will you relax? Peter knows his parents are dead. He's not going to do something so foolish. Besides, he would never do anything without his loving sister. No, he will come back for her. We made a deal after all."
There was a pause and then the panicky man said, "Well I hope your right. We need that Ring."
"I know we do and we will get it. I just hope he gets back here soon. I'm sick and tired of training Anna. She has got to be the worst Shadowhunter to train in the history of Shadowhunters. Raziel must be disappointed in such a sorry excuse for a Shadowhunter. Once Peter gets back, he can deal with training his sister."
Anna's heart was pounding vigorously.
"Anna?"
She could hear someone saying her name and she jumped up and ran for the door.
"Anna?"
She needed to escape, she needed to find her brother…
"Anna!"
Anna jolted awake, her heart pounding in her chest. She realized she was still in the infirmary and was covered in sweat. The sheets on the bed were a mangled mess.
"Oh good! You're awake!"
Anna turned to see Lucie Herondale standing next to her bed.
"How are you feeling?"
Anna took a deep breath. "I'm alright. Just a bad dream…" She didn't feel like explaining to Lucie that she just had another flashback, so she changed the subject. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm good. I'm worried about Cordelia but other than that, I'm alright. I came to see if you were hungry?"
Anna nodded, feeling her stomach growl. "Starved."
Lucie smiled charmingly. "Well, my mother wanted me to escort you to dinner. If you're feeling up for it?"
Anna grinned in return, slowly getting out of bed. "I could definitely get out of this room for a little while."
Anna and Lucie made their way to the dining hall and with every step she took, Anna felt more and more nervous. It wasn't because of the flashback she just had (although it did make her uneasy) and it wasn't because she was worried about Cordelia. It was because she knew she would see James and that made her nervous. Last time she was with James they had almost kissed and she could already feel the heat in her cheeks just by thinking about it. She still felt confused whenever she thought of James. He was an attractive guy who could no doubt win the heart of any young lady, so why would he choose her? Why would James Herondale want a girl like Anna, whose not anything particularly special, really awkward, and probably the worst Shadowhunter in existence. Of course, she wouldn't mind if James declared his love for her and kissed her, but the likeliness of anything of that sort happening is one in a million.
When they entered the dining hall, Anna's heart dropped a little when she realized that James was absent. In fact, it seemed like Anna, Lucie, Will, and Tessa were the only ones who were eating tonight. Anna tried to hide her disappointment as she sat down next to Lucie and began eating her potatoes.
"Anna, I'm glad to see you are feeling better. How is your leg?" Will asked from across the table.
"It's fine. Doesn't hurt as much as it did before surprisingly."
"Yes, well the Silent Brothers are impeccable at healing. Just give it a few more days and it should feel as good as new." He flashed her a smile before turning to Tessa. "Where's James?"
Tessa sighed. "He claims he doesn't feel good and insists on staying in his room. He refuses to allow in any visitors. I had a hard time convincing him to let me in."
Will immediately looked concerned. "Does he need the Silent Brothers to look at him?"
Tessa shook her head. "No, he isn't sick. I think he's just worried about Cordelia, as we all are. Not to mention he hasn't gotten much sleep. I'm sure he's just tired."
They ate in silence for a little while before Lucie spoke up. "Speaking of Cordelia, are we going to visit her?"
"We were thinking we could go see her tomorrow, if that's alright with you girls?" Tessa gave them a questioning glance and they both nodded vigorously.
"Of course we should see her." Anna said.
"I need to be with her. Parabatai are stronger when they are together you know." Lucie pointed out, her mouth full of food.
Will chuckled, his eyes sparkling with amusement at his youngest child. "How right you are."
Will and Tessa shared one of those "married couple" looks and Anna had to glance away in fear that she was intruding in on a private moment. It was moments like this that made Anna wonder what it felt like to be in love.
After they were excused from dinner, Lucie went up to her room saying that she was going to prepare a get-well card for Cordelia. Anna, having no where to go, walked around the Institute for a while before unconsciously ending up in front of James' door. She felt nervous again; her heart was pounding and her stomach was in knots. She had never been this nervous around James before and she couldn't figure out why she was now. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.
"James? It's Anna. I was just wondering if you were alright?" After a moment of silence, Anna knocked again. "James, please respond or else I'm going to think you're dead."
No response.
"I will break down this door. I swear I'll do it!"
After a moment, the door opened and Anna breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of James, alive and well. "Thank goodness you're not dead. Are you alright James? Your mother said-"
"Yes, I'm fine. I don't want you to worry about me Anna." He stared at the floor, refusing to make eye contact. He looked exhausted, with deep purple bags under his bloodshot eyes. His hair a mangled mess and his clothes were wrinkled. Anna looked at him in concern.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yes. I think you should go Anna." He said coldly, still not looking at her. Before she could respond, he shut the door, leaving Anna standing there, dumbfounded. She blinked in confusion before silently making her way back to her room. When she got there, she closed the door and sat on the bed, still shocked and confused from what had just occurred.
She felt hurt and embarrassed and annoyed at the same time. James had never acted so coldly towards her. He was always so kind and charming whenever she was around. The more she thought about it, the more upset she got. Was he mad at her? Perhaps he blames her for what happened to Cordelia. Perhaps he saw that she missed when she threw the dagger and now believes that it was her fault that Cordelia was hurt. Anna couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. He must hate me now. She thought. Not only was she already drowning in guilt from what happened to Cordelia, but now every time she looked at James she would see the way he turned away from her. She would hear the cold, bitterness of his voice when he spoke to her. And she would feel the heat that spread through her body whenever she thought about their almost kiss, that would never happen.
Anna cried herself to sleep that night.
The next morning, Anna was awakened by Bridget, who opened up the curtains to reveal the gloomy, gray sky. Anna sighed as she grudgingly got out of bed and began getting ready for the trip to Yorkshire.
"We are still visiting Cordelia today, right?"
Bridget nodded, holding out a pretty golden dress. "Yes, you are to leave in an hour. How are you feeling?"
Anna smiled as the maid helped her into her dress. "Much better, thank you."
She sat down in front of the mirror as Bridget did her hair and Anna stared at her reflection in shock. Her face was red and blotchy from crying and her hair was disarray on her head. Bridget did her hair as Anna tried not to think about James, which she was finding particularly hard not to do. Instead she focused more on the flashback she had yesterday, and how she was confused and uncertain about it. Were her parents really dead or was it just her unconscious mind playing tricks on her? She hoped to whatever power there was out there that they weren't dead and that the flashback was wrong. However, she couldn't help but feel that a part of it was true. And the voices she heard in the dream sounded very familiar and gave her an uneasy sense of déjà vu. Once again, Anna found herself wishing more than ever that she could just remember everything.
When Bridget was finished, Anna thanked her and made her way down to the dining hall where everyone, including James, was already eating. Careful not to make eye contact with James, she chose a seat next to Lucie which, she noticed, was the seat farthest away from James. Instead of dwelling on the incident they had last night, she focused on eating her breakfast, determined not to look his way.
Breakfast was uneventful and quiet. Tessa and Will talked about minor things that had to do with the Clave and stuff, so Anna tuned them out and finished eating. When everyone was finished, Tessa announced that they should be heading for King's Cross soon and that everyone was to get their things ready for the trip.
As Anna was walking to her chambers, she was stopped by Lucie, who looked at her with a hint of worry in her light gray eyes. "Anna, I was wondering if I might ask you something?"
Anna looked at her in surprise and curiosity. "Of course, Lucie. You may ask me anything."
Lucie looked down and played with the sleeve of her dress. "Have you noticed James' strange behavior?"
Anna wasn't sure what to say. She didn't want Lucie to know about their conversation last night and how cold and distant he was with her. "He does seem a bit distant of late…"
"Yes-I have noticed this as well. I am concerned about him. Has he spoken to you at all?" Lucie furrowed her eyebrows as she regarded Anna.
Anna shook her head, hoping the conversation would end there. She was already feeling more and more guilty by each minute and she didn't want Lucie to know how much Anna cared about James. She wasn't sure how she was feeling about James but it was definitely more then just friends. She didn't want Lucie to find out since James obviously quelled his feelings for her (if he had any at all) because of what happened to Cordelia.
Fortunately Lucie just nodded and walked to her bedroom, leaving Anna standing outside her bedroom door, feeling the weight of what was to come weigh heavily on her heart.
Anna slept throughout most of the ride to Yorkshire. Lucie spent most of it trying to get her brother in a lighter mood and James just brooded silently in the corner of the compartment, not listening to anyone. Will and Tessa noticed their son's strange behavior but said nothing of it and instead, Will told Lucie a story of how he and Tessa once went on a trip to Paris for their anniversary.
Once they arrived in Yorkshire, the Carstairs, who were expecting a visit from them, had sent a carriage to pick them up. They rode silently to the Carstairs' manor. Anna stared out the window glumly, really hating that fact that she couldn't talk to James. She missed talking to him. She missed his jokes and his light-hearted sense of humor. Hopefully seeing Cordelia will cheer him up and bring him back to his old self.
Ten minutes later, they were hopping down from the carriage and walking through the gates of the Carstairs' manor. At the door, they were greeted by the same doorman who greeted Anna when she first got to the party.
The man grinned kindly at them. "Welcome. I assume Mr. and Mrs. Carstairs know you are here?"
Will nodded. "Yes. We are here at their request. Also because we would like to see Cordelia."
"Of course." The man bowed his head before leading them into the manor. As they walked through the main hall, Anna noticed a large tarp covered the hole in the wall where the demon broke in. She felt a sense of dread and sadness as she looked at it and only reminded her of the reason they were here.
The man led them upstairs and into a room where a big, stocky man with light hair and a short woman with dark brown hair sat next to a bed where the slender frame of Cordelia could be seen. Anna guessed that the man and woman were Cordelia's parents and she gave them a small smile.
"Elias. Colette. How are you faring?" Will asked, charismatic as usual. The man, Elias, grinned upon seeing them.
"We are alright. Exhausted. We haven't slept much lately." He stood in front of Will and Anna could see a small scar marred his cheek. "We are glad you are here in this trying time. Cordelia has just woken a few minutes ago."
Everyone looked at Cordelia and upon seeing her awake, Lucie ran over and hugged the girl. "I was so worried!" Lucie was saying to her in hushed tones.
Tessa and Will were smiling and even James looked happier upon seeing Cordelia.
"How are you feeling?" Tessa asked when Lucie finally let go of her.
Cordelia grinned slyly. "I'm alright. Brother Zachariah has been very kind. I think he is spoiling me."
Will's eyes lit up at the mention of Brother Zachariah. "Yes, that does sound like something he'd do."
Cordelia smiled and looked at James. "Thank you for the flowers James."
James smiled back, the first sign of happiness Anna has seen from him all day. "Anything for you."
Anna felt her heart drop to her stomach as she noticed the vase of roses next to Cordelia's bed. She bit back a surge of irrational jealousy and focused on being happy. As long as Cordelia is happy, I should be happy. Although Anna found it hard to be happy for Cordelia because of the overwhelming feeling of guilt floating in her chest.
Cordelia looked at Will and Tessa and asked, "Do you have any idea what could've caused the attack?"
Tessa frowned and shook her head. "Unfortunately no. But we are doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again."
Cordelia nodded but furrowed her eyebrows. "I just don't understand how they got in."
"We believe someone might have sent them." Will added. "Greater Demons like those don't just attack a party of shadow hunters for no reason. They were after something."
"Or someone." James muttered. Anna glanced at him but he refused to look at her.
Cordelia was staring at Anna in what looked like curiosity and then, to Anna's surprise, she said, "Is it alright if I speak to Anna alone for a moment?"
Tessa, who seemed to understand Cordelia's reasons better than anyone else, nodded. "Of course. We will leave you two. Where is Alistair? We must congratulate him since we did not get to speak to him the other night."
Elias and Colette led everyone out of the room and shut the door behind them. Anna stood there very awkwardly, unsure what to do. After a moment of awkward silence, Cordelia gestured to the chair next to the bed. "You may sit if you'd like."
Anna swallowed and sat down, looking at her hands. She could feel the beginning of tears in her eyes and tried to swallow past the lump in her throat.
"Thank you."
Anna looked at her in shock, not quiet sure she heard her correctly. "Come again?"
"Thank you for saving my life."
Anna stared at her for a while. Was she messing with her? "I…I didn't do anything."
Cordelia laughed softly. "Don't be so modest. You saved me. I am in your debt."
Anna, however, was shaking her head. "You don't owe me anything, really. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even be in this bed."
"You're right." Cordelia nodded. "If it wasn't for you, I would most likely be in a coffin instead."
Anna shook her head in disbelief. Cordelia was thanking her? Anna thought for sure this was just another weird dream. "I don't understand…"
Cordelia let out a sigh of impatience. "What's not to understand? You saved my life and I am thanking you for it."
Anna blinked a few times, trying to comprehend this new Cordelia. "I thought you didn't like me…"
Cordelia sighed. "No I didn't at first. In fact, I wanted nothing more than for you to be gone. The moment I saw the way James looked at you, I knew that I had lost."
Anna furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Lost what?"
Cordelia let out a bitter laugh. "The long and painful battle of winning his heart. You know how I've felt about him. You know it now. I've had a crush on him since I was ten and ever since then I've made it my mission to get him to like me back. I suppose it was working but then you came along and ruined it."
Anna looked down, perplexed. What was she talking about? "I didn't mean to…"
"Of course you didn't. which was one of the reason why I didn't like you. You were too innocent. I could hate you all I wanted but that would never quell my growing fear that I was losing James to you. I could never stop feeling guilty for being mean to you because you were so innocent. You had no idea…" She breathed a laugh. When Anna remained quiet, she continued. "You showed up out of nowhere and James gave you all the attention I've been waiting for. You captured his heart and you did it effortlessly, and that is why I hated you. I hated you because I was jealous. I worked so hard, buying all the new fashions, doing my hair and redoing it so that it was perfect for him. All for him. Then you come and sweep him off his feet. Do you know how that feels? To try so hard for someone and then have that person be swept away by someone else, who didn't try at all. It's a terrible feeling."
"You don't have to try so hard Cordelia. You're beautiful. And if a man doesn't notice that immediately then he is obviously blind." Anna whispered, unable to look her in the eyes. "And James doesn't care for me that way…"
Cordelia smiled, a vacant smile. "You're wrong you know. About James. You don't see it. You don't see the way he talks about you. The way his eyes light up whenever you walk in the room."
Anna scoffed bitterly. "Well maybe before but he hates me now. After what happened at the party. He won't even look at me."
Cordelia sat up straighter and looked Anna in the eyes. "Listen, I don't understand James as much as I wish I did, but I know he cares for you. You could probably do the most horrible thing on the planet and his heart would still beat for you. That's who he is. He's a Herondale. Everyone knows that when a Herondale falls in love, he loves with everything he's got and for one person only. You are that one person, Anna. Don't ever slight yourself. You're not as bad as you think you are." She smiled at her and Anna felt herself smiling back.
"But I don't even know how I feel about him. I do care for him but I just don't know that anything would ever happen." Anna felt better actually being able to talk to someone about this. "And I could never do that to you. I mean, you just said you've liked him since you were ten. I'd feel too bad."
"Oh I've noticed the way you stare at him too Annabelle Dailey. Don't think you're being sneaky. You're in love with him." Cordelia smirked.
Anna shook her head in denial. "I don't even know what love is. I mean, I've only just met all of you. Falling in love is definitely not my intention."
Cordelia tilted her head to the side, as if thinking deeply about something. "Love springs at the strangest of times doesn't it?" She looked at Anna and grinned. "As for me, don't worry. I'll be fine. I've realized as I have been recovering that I just want James to be happy. Seeing him happy is more than I could ask for. Even if I'm not the one making him happy."
Anna's heart pounded. Just thinking about James made her head hurt. "What are you saying?"
Cordelia gave her a small smile. "Isn't it obvious? I'm giving you my blessing. If you like James then be with him. Make him happy. Don't let anything, especially me, hold you back."
Anna let out a deep breath that she didn't realize she was holding. "I don't know what to say…" It was true that Cordelia was the only thing that stood in her way whenever it came to confronting her feelings for James but if she was giving her her blessing, did anything else stand in her way? Of course, she would have to confront James sooner or later and if everything that happened between them was just one big misunderstanding then maybe it was possible for them to be together. "Are you sure?" She asked.
Cordelia nodded and Anna threw her arms around the older girl in a hug. "I'm honestly so relieved to hear you say that. Thank you Cordelia!"
Cordelia just laughed and returned the hug. "Anytime. Just promise me one thing, alright?"
Anna nodded excitedly. "Anything."
"Just make sure he is happy. He deserves it."
