Magnus

Alec's eyes darted around wildly, probably to see if anyone was watching. But he didn't see Magnus. He felt kinda bad for eavesdropping, but oh well. Isabelle's words surprised him, alot.

That would probably be an understatement. This wasn't what he'd expected.

But Alec just broke up with Aline.

He kissed Camille.

But he had been upset when Camille kissed him.

He had said he didn't care about Aline all that much.

It made sense, in a way. But why was Alec doing that to himself? Why date Aline? Kiss Camille?

Alec

Alec knew tears were falling down his cheeks, but he didn't care. Isabelle was going to hate him too. She was going to tell Jace and then he was going to hate Alec. Why did he have to be like this?

"Alec, it's okay." Isabelle said, but she couldn't have meant it.

"no. no it isn't okay." He answered, getting up from his seat, tears falling rapidly down his cheeks. He probably looked like an idiot. More things to beat him up about.

"Alec why are you crying?" Isabelle asked, but he didn't answer.

He was crying, now, crying about Jace, about Isabelle, even about the father he had lost. No he was about to lose his sister. Would she hit him?

Isabelle

Isabelle though this wold be easier. The look he gave her, like he was bracing himself.

"Alec, it's okay." She said, her voice even.

He blinked at her, causing more tears to fall from his eyes.

"Your- your not going to hit me?" Her heart shattered into tiny little pieces, breaking for him. She shook her head.

"why?" He said. She wanted to hug him like the world was ending.

"I love you Alec." She said, and her lip started to quiver. Damn it, she thought. She hated to cry. He looked broken, shattered. She couldn't believe she didn't see though the cracks in his armor, always acting indifferent about most things. She had ignored the sighs. Her brother was destroyed. She had never hated their father more in her life. She took a step towards Alec, and when he didn't move away, she pulled him into a hug.

Tessa

It was dark, like it had been for the last few nights. Tessa hadn't expected the cold, though she probably should have. All she had brought was a flimsy gray jacket, that was worn. But she had to see the stars, it was the last night. The only other place she would see the stars was in pictures, until the next time she went camping. She was sure that wasn't going to be soon. Ever since her parents had died, she had lived with her aunt, who had just recently gotten agoraphobia. She hadn't left the house in the last 7 months. Tessa wished she would go outside, experience the world with her. But her aunt was scared. Tessa had to learn to drive as soon as possible, and went grocery shopping for the two of them because her aunt couldn't. Her adoptive brother left for London a few years back, and he had only been 19. He wrote every so often, but not more than once a month.

She had brought a lantern with her, but it provided little illumination. She sensed it was almost out of power. She sat down on a tree stump, right by the water. Tessa saw the stars reflected in the water. She must have been there quite awhile thinking. When she looked up, she saw no stars. It was still dark out, there must have been clouds in the sky. She shivered when she felt the raindrops on her neck. The rain wasn't so hard at first, but it gradually grew worse. She wanted to wait until it stopped pouring, but she had to get back before anyone noticed she was gone. She had worn flip flops, which she now regretted. The rain had turned the dirt to mud, and her feet kept sinking in and her shoes kept falling off. She felt cold, and dirty. In the dim light, she could tell her skin was paler. She tripped over what was probably a tree root. She prayed the trail ended soon, and she could get back to the camp. She heard a crunch, and suddenly her right foot was burning, and she cried out, pulling herself into a siting position. Damn tree root, she thought, clutching her foot with her numb fingers.

She started to shake, uncontrollably. The world was a blur around her, and she fell into the mud, her nails digging in. Her eyes were clouded with tears. She felt the pain in her foot distantly, as she tired to stand. This was a failed attempt. Her knees buckled, dizziness washing over her. She tried to remember how to breathe. She grabbed frantically for her lantern, but when she touched it, the light flickered, and died. She was screwed. She wasn't giving in. She started to pull herself along, and she felt the mud underneath her, and the pain in her foot. She was still shaking. She could no longer think clearly. She stopped where the ground was harder, shielded from the rain, and curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth. She pulled her knees up to her chest, and hoped she survived until morning.

Alec

Alec had been awake since his conversation with Isabelle. He had equipped himself with a heavy jacket, and was going for a walk. That was how he liked to think about things, things were clearer when he was moving. He heard thunder in the distance, but continued down the trail anyway. He had brought a bright flashlight with him, he just replaced the batteries. He thought he might have been hallucinating when he heard soft whimpers, coming from nearby. He turned in a circle slowly, using the flashlight to see. It had begun to rain. Alec wasn't too cold though, his coat was doing a good job of keeping him warm. He almost fell when his foot caught on a tree root, that he hadn't seen. If he had tripped, he would be in trouble. He heard the whispering fainter now, and the rain had picked up, if that was even possible. He narrowed his eyes and saw a crumpled shape a few yards in the distance. He hoped it wasn't anything dangerous. But he didn't care too much about safety at this point. He neared the shape, and it looked like a person, tall. Definitely a girl.

"hello?" He called, and his voice sounded like a gun shot.

When there was no reply, he found himself running. He was at the girl's side in a matter of moments. He shined the flashlight down, and saw a vaguely familiar face. He had seen her the day before, with the group from Magnus's old school. She had a thin gray jacket on, that was soaked with rain and mud. There were also darker spots, that he hoped wasn't blood. Holding his flashlight in one hand, he felt her neck for a pulse. Thank god she wasn't dead. She whimpered, and looked up. She might have been crying, but it was hard to tell, because it was raining. She looked awful, and he could see a cut and bruise on her cheek, mud and rain dampening her hair. She looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn't. He wondered if hypothermia was in the question.

Gently, he scooped her up in his arms. luckily, she didn't weigh much, even if she was tall.

He half ran half walked down the trail, shouting for help.

Clary woke up, panting. She had had another nightmare, the same horrible nightmare. Jace had said he loved her, than she was attending his funeral. She heard screams, but she had to strain her ears. It sound like "help, help." The voice was male, mostly drowned out from the rain. She heard the sound of rain hitting the top of the tent, and sighed. She picked up her heavy coat, and slipped her tennis shoes on. She had to find out what was going on. Who knows? She could be hallucinating. Especially after the dreams. She tried to be quiet as she unzipped the tent and stepped outside. She saw nothing at first, then saw a dark shape approaching. She walked fast, trying to reach the person who had been screaming. She had brought her lantern, and it worked well enough for her to see.

She saw Alec, carrying a limp figure in his arms.

With a jolt, she realized it was Tessa.