REALLY SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING OVER THE WEEKEND. IT WAS LABOR DAY AND I WAS AT A FEW BBQ. ANYWAYS HERE IT IS!
~TILIGER
Gray clouds filled the sky. Everything and everyone was still except for Alec Lightwood, who was running down a street in London. He didn't know where he was, he just knew that he had to find the Institute before it was too late. He rounded the corner and looked behind him. There was no one. He ended up on top of the Tower Bridge. He had no clue how he had gotten up there. He pulled out his phone and stared at it, debating on whether or not he should call Isabelle for help.
Just then his phone rang. He looked at caller id and it was Isabelle…
"Hey, Iz."
"Hey," she said. "Have you found him yet?"
"No, I'm having trouble finding the Institute."
"Where did you say you were, again?"
"I didn't. I'm in London."
"Alec," Isabelle said with a suspicious tone. "You've been gone for 3 days. How are you in London already when you told me you were going to check every Institute?"
He said nothing and started climbing down the bridge.
"Is there something you're not telling us?"
"No," Alec said, felling guilty. "I would never lie to you."
"You just did!"
He rolled his eyes. "Just tell me where the Institute is."
He heard her make an annoyed sound. "Fine, let me ask Jace—"
"No! No, don't ask Jace!"
"Why not?"
"Because I don't need another lecture, that's why."
"I know where it is," Clary said.
Great, Alec thought, just what I need.
"Where, Clary?"
"It's on—"
"Give me the phone, Clary," Alec heard Jace yell.
A few seconds later he heard bickering on the other side of the phone. He heard Isabelle say how it was her phone and now she was the one who called him. He heard Clary say how nobody is actually helping him. And then he heard Jace grab the phone and the girls pouting.
"London," he asked.
"Were you guys all in the same room when Isabelle called?"
"As a matter of fact, yes, we were."
Alec rolled his eyes and started walking down the street. It looked like it was going to rain. "Jace, just tell me where the Institute is and I'll be home by tomorrow night."
"You never told us that Magnus called you." He heard a door close. "Or that you knew where Simon was."
He sighed. "I didn't want anyone to—"
"To what? Hear good news for once? Alec, do you realize how upset Isabelle and Clary were? Your parents are missing and Isabelle was crushed that we didn't know where Simon was. Clary's parents are dead and she thought her best friend was too."
"You're not going to tell them, are you?"
He heard Jace huff. "No. The Institute is right near the Tower Bridge. It's a church."
"Thanks, Jace."
"We're not done talking about this," was all he said before hanging up.
Alec walked up to the gates of the Institute in London. He opened them and walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell.
A boy, no older than 9, answered the door. "Who are you," he asked.
"My names Alec, I'm looking for Magnus Bane. Do you know where he is?"
The boy stared at him before yelling. "Mom, some guy is here!"
A minute later a young woman with red hair came to the door. "Blake, how many times have I told you not to yell for me when there's someone standing in front of you?"
Blake shrugged and went back inside. The mother stayed there. "Hi, I'm Shannon, sorry about Blake. He's always doing that."
Alec smiled. "It's fine. I'm just looking for Magnus Bane; do you know where he is?"
"He should be in the Library, follow me."
He followed Shannon down the long hall that looked a lot like the Institute back in New York. The only thing that was different was the walls. They were filled with pictures of people in clothes from the 1800's.
"So what's your last name?"
"Lightwood.
"Oh, I know your mom, I've been trying to get a hold of her but—"
"She's missing," he said quickly. "So is my dad."
"Oh, I heard a lot of people either disappeared or died after that battle."
"Yeah, a lot."
"So how's your sister, Isabelle right?"
"She's fine. Her boyfriend was missing for a while but we found him."
"And Max?"
Alec looked at his feet. "He died last year."
"Oh," she said. "I'm so sorry to hear that."
"Yeah, it was hard on all of us, Isabelle more than anyone."
He looked at the pictures on the walls. One picture had a girl in a gold dress. She had no runes.
"Shannon, who's that?"
She looked at the picture Alec pointed to. "Oh that's Tessa Gray."
"Who's that in that picture," he asked, pointing to the one next to Tessa's portrait.
"William Herondale, I don't know much about him either."
"Herondale," he asked. "MY best friend's name is Herondale."
"Really," she asked with an excited tone. "Which one? William?"
"Nope."
"James?"
He shook his head.
"Oh, I know. Stephan."
"No, his name is Jace. So what do you know about the Herondales?"
"Nothing really, I just know stuff from stories but Magnus could probably tell you more than I could," she said opening the door next to the picture.
They walked into the room and found Magnus looking at a book.
"Magnus," Shannon said. "Some is here to see you."
He turned. "Alec, what are you doing here?"
"Looking for you."
"I'll leave you 2 alone," Shannon said, walking out of the room.
Magnus looked at Alec. "Did Steven make it back alright?"
"It's Simon, and yes he did."
"How's that Highscar girl?"
"She's fine but she got attacked about a week ago. Why haven't you called since then? I've called you and you've never called back."
Magnus rolled his eyes. "Alexander, I've been busy."
"Busy? Busy with what?"
"I've just been busy with some stuff."
"Busy as in you have things to do here and people to talk to or busy," he said, adding air quotations around the word 'busy.' "as in you didn't want to see me?"
He said nothing and turned away.
"Everyone keeps on telling me to talk to you. 'Talk to Magnus!' 'You need to talk to him, Alec' 'Either call him or put the phone away' 'Just call him already.'" He mimicked Isabelle's, Clary's, and Jace's voice perfectly. "So here I am. Trying to talk to you and I'm getting the cold shoulder."
"It's been hard for me, too."
"Then why haven't you returned my calls?"
Magnus shrugged and looked at Alec again. "Because I didn't know what to say. I might be very old, Alexander, but I still struggle over finding the right words."
"You and me both," Alec said. "Can you please come back?"
"I don't know—"
"We need," he began. "I need you."
AGAIN SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! i DONT KNOW WHEN THE NEXT UPDATE WILL BE BUT I WILL LET YOU KNOW IF ITS GOING TO BE A WHILE! TILL NEXT TIME MY LOVELIES
~TILIGER