CHAPTER 7 HAS ARRIVED. I know, you're all so excited. What will happen now?! Yes, we all know that Jem got into a fit of rage in the last chapter-SO WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW? Are you angry? Sad? MWAHAHAHAHAHA, oh the power of being a writer! I love it! This is a fantastic chapter…and you probably want to read it, so I should find Henry to do the disclaimer…
Me: "Henry?"
Henry: "Mmmm?"
Me: "I need someone to do the disclaimer for me."
Henry: "I am a bit busy…"
Me: "But you'll do it anyway, because you're a sweet man, right?"
Henry: *blushes* "Well, *coughs* I suppose so. Baneswoman does not own the Infernal Devices or any of Cassandra Clare's characters. How was that?"
Me: "Perfect! Thank you, Henry."
And now….my masterpiece:
Tessa's POV
I awoke to a gentle touch on my arm. My eyes fluttered open and I saw Henry looking down at me. He had a cool cloth in his hand, and a bowl of water was sitting on the side table. The water looked red.
"Henry?"
"Tessa- how do you feel?" Henry's face looked concerned. It was sweet, I thought, that he would care so much when he had more important things to worry about.
"Alright, I suppose." I tried to sit up, but Henry pushed me back down.
"It's best if you remain lying down- you've lost a lot of blood." I thought back to what had happened. Oh God, Jem and Will- "What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I…" What could I tell him? What if Jem and Will had told everyone the truth…? "I fell." That wasn't technically a lie- I did fall.
"Oh Tessa…," Henry said, shaking his head. "Sometimes I see myself in you- we both can be uncoordinated at times."
I smiled, and reached to touch my forehead. A cool cloth sat there. "How bad is it?"
Henry shrugged. "You might have some scars. Your hand got the worst of it." I wiggled my fingers, and pain shot up my arm. I cried out. "Now why on earth would you do a thing like that?!"
"I-I'm not quite sure, Henry…"
He shook his head and smiled at me. "You're just a curious girl, aren't you?"
I smiled back weakly. Sometimes too curious for my own good. "Where are Jem and Will?"
"I believe they are being scolded somewhere in the corridor. Charlotte wasn't very happy."
I sighed. "I could tell. I feel as if my being here has added more stress to her life."
Henry looked surprised and stopped dabbing at my arm so he could meet my eyes. "Charlotte loves you, Tessa, don't you know that? She cares about you very much- about all of you."
Part of me felt surprised, and part of me already knew that Charlotte loved me. She was so kind and good. She deserved to be happy, and yet she was in the center of my dangerous situation. She was with child- what if Mortmain captured her? What could he do to Charlotte or the baby?!
"Tessa! Are you alright?"
I looked at Henry. Again, he looked concerned. "I- yes, I think so."
"You look as if you might vomit."
"That may be very possible…," I mumbled.
Henry looked alarmed at this. "Perhaps I'm not the right person to be doing this…"
"No, no, it's alright- I'll be fine." Not really. I was far from fine, emotionally, at least. Oh, what had I done? I caused so much pain- for both of the boys I loved. I couldn't do that to them anymore- I just couldn't. They each deserved someone who could love them with all their heart, someone who wouldn't hurt them the way I had.
"There," Henry said. "All finished." He looked up at me with a satisfied smile, and then gaped at me with widened eyes. "Tessa! Did I hurt you? You're crying!"
I touched my face with my uninjured hand…and indeed I found my face to be wet. I hadn't realized… "No, Henry, you didn't hurt me…there's been a lot going on lately…it's all just so overwhelming…"
"There, there," the red haired man replied, patting my shoulder awkwardly. I suppose he never really handled upset women, other than Charlotte. This was not something he was familiar with.
I smiled up at him. "Thank you, Henry." I felt sleep pulling at me slightly, and the escape seemed so welcoming that I let it take me away. The last thing I saw was Henry's kind face, and I felt a gentle squeeze on my hand.
"Oh my Tessa…," a voice whispered in the darkness. The voice was sad, sounding near tears. "Why…why…"
My eyes fluttered open. The room was dark, but a figure was slightly visible sitting on the bed next to mine. The moon that shined through the window highlighted the silver of Jem's light hair. I turned towards him.
"Jem…"
"Tessa, hush," he whispered. "I came… I came to apologize for my earlier behavior. That was uncharacteristic of me, and to know that I harmed you…"
"James, don't. You had every right to be angry. You still do." I looked away. "It is I who has harmed you. I have broken the bond between you and Will…and I have broken the bond between you and I."
Jem looked pained. "Nothing can break the bond between Will and I. He is my brother, and always shall be. Am I angry? Perhaps. Despondent? Yes. But it does not stop how I feel about you…and I want you to be happy. And being with Will is required for you to be happy…then so be it."
"Jem, no, I can't be happy if you are miserable."
"I'm not Tessa. Well…at least not for long. But I see it now…I never had identified it before as love, but I see the way you two look at each other. It's hard to admit that someone could love you more than I, but…" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It was odd seeing a movement I had associated with Will performed by Jem. "I have accepted your love for him Tessa. I forgive you, if that is what you fear so much."
"But do you forgive Will?"
Jem looked down. "I…I will. Eventually. But it will take time, something I unfortunately don't have a lot of."
I began to silently cry. "I'm so sorry, Jem, I'm so sorry…"
There was a sad silence between us for a few moments, before Jem said, "I suppose we should tell everyone that the engagement is off, then."
My heart ached. "With what explanation?"
"The truth. It is time we are honest with them about such things."
I grimaced. "Such things as our personal lives?"
Jem nodded. "I shall tell them…in the morning." He stood. "As to what happens with your relationship with Will…that is up to you Tessa." That was the last thing he said before leaving me alone in the darkness of the Sanctuary.
I wouldn't do it anymore…I wouldn't hurt them. And I would do whatever it took to abide by that. Clutching my cloak around myself, I stepped off the Institute's steps and into the dark, cold night.
I know, I know, it was slightly stupid for her to leave, considering all the reason she should have stayed (like oh, I don't know, because an evil crazy obsessive clockwork army maker is trying to marry her), but don't worry, all will be revealed in the next chapter! Sorry that this chapter isn't that great…I kind of just wanted to write some adorable Henriness because he's well adorable…and I guess you could say this chapter is kind of a fill in for more important parts of the plot that will soon be released…so sorry if it sucked. But R&R anyway? Good or bad, don't care, I have my William to help me through the criticism… "Stop it, Jamie; nobody needs to know about our secret love affair!" Ooops! ^ ^ See you in the next chapter!
