Disclaimer: I don't own TMI.
"This is such shit!" Isabelle exasperated for the third time in minutes. Clary watched her from a chair in the small room they were being kept in until a portal was opened back to New York. She couldn't stop pacing back and forth, occasionally kicking her bags in frustration. Isabelle was the most dishevelled Clary had seen her in a very long time. Her hair was wild, coming out messily from her single plait and her shirt was partially unbuttoned from their hasty afternoon.
Alec kept pulling out his cell phone—but for what reason Clary wasn't sure. They were all aware of the lack of technology in Idris, and that a cell phone would never gain reception. She figured maybe it was a nervous habit, checking the time constantly until something happened. He had every reason to be nervous; they were being unceremoniously dumped back in New York this afternoon. The Clave had made their statement very clear, branding them as young adults who didn't like outsiders. Rebels.
None of them liked having to sit still for long. Even after two short years, Clary had acquired the restless state that most Shadowhunters seemed stuck in. She couldn't help but shake her foot in anticipation, waiting for anything to happen. They had been in this room only an hour, but they had no idea when they would be leaving. Clary had been escorted back to Amatis's house, hoping to find her mother and Luke, but they were not there. She did, however, finally see Amatis again.
Clary had quickly explained what had happened at the trial while she packed her things. Amatis stood and listened, her mouth set in a grave line. "Well," she said after Clary had finally stopped talking, "Luke and Jocelyn had to leave this morning. There was an upset in New York with the werewolves and Luke had to be there. Your mother wanted to stay, but the Clave insisted she went back with Luke."
"Where were you all day?" Clary wanted to know.
"I was visiting some friends down the lane."
"Did you see Jace at all?" She hadn't forgotten about his disappearance. "He wasn't at the trial."
"Maybe he was called back to New York too," Amatis offered. "The Clave works in odd ways sometimes."
"That's for sure," Clary agreed. "They appointed Sebastian Verlac's aunt as the new Inquisitor and she is just as insane as Aldertree and Herondale." She couldn't keep the venom out of her voice.
"Elodie? She's Sebastian's aunt?" Amatis had seemed sincerely surprised. Clary couldn't understand how Amatis didn't know; she lived in the city, she must have heard everything.
"Your time is up for packing Miss Fray." Her escort had been waiting for her in the entrance way, making his appearance very abrupt. She hadn't finished putting everything in her bag and had to cram it in quickly. The last thing she wanted to do was annoy anyone else in the Guard.
Clary had been shuffled out of Amatis's house with a very brief farewell, and she had been sitting in the waiting room ever since she had been brought back into the Guard. Not knowing what to do, she continued to watch Isabelle pace across the room. "And where is Jace?" Isabelle yelled at no one in particular. She kicked her booted foot at the wall this time, cracking the moulding at the bottom. Alec flinched at the noise she was creating. It didn't help to cool her temper. "Here we were, under direct fire of the council, and he's nowhere to be seen. That bastard probably thought he didn't even need to be here—"
"Jace is not arrogant enough to skip a trial this important," Alec interrupted his sister. "You're just lashing out at anyone now because you're angry."
Clary noted that his cheeks didn't flush red when he supported his parabati. It was nice see him confident enough to talk about him without a blush anymore. "I think something happened that none of us are aware of. None of this feels right. Magnus wasn't here either," Clary pointed out to Isabelle.
Their points seemed to finally settle into Isabelle's mind. She flopped down dramatically on the floor, sitting on one of her bags. After that, they all sat in silence.
Finally, someone came into the room. It was no one familiar, just another guard. "The portal will be opening in two minutes," he announced. Clary noticed how he avoided all of their evident stares.
The three of them quickly assembled in front of the designated spot, holing their bags. Alec had to help his sister, grabbing one of her bags in his free hand. Clary managed with hers and stood on the spot until the portal opened. When the guard nodded his head, Alec went first, followed by Isabelle and Clary last. She sent one fleeting look back at the guard. He looked at her, smiling, and pulled out his stele. She watched as he drew a Rune on his wrist, entranced by it. The guard was changing appearances quickly, his bland features morphing into one she immediately recognized. His face had that same lop-sided grin and nose that was too big for his face. Sebastian Verlac stood before her. "Miss me angel?"
Clary took a decisive step back, putting a little distance between them. A tugging sensation took over her body and she was hurtled through the portal before she could utter anything back.
This time, Clary landed on her feet, stabling herself on her own. She looked around to find her back in front of the Institute. Magnus was already closing the portal to Alicante and she didn't have time to stop him. Alec was deep in conversation with Magnus, clad in his usual decor of sparkly and tight clothing. Isabelle was nowhere in sight.
"You've got to open the portal again!" she cried out. "The guard—he's... he's Sebastian!"
Both men stopped to look at her, shock clearly written on their faces. Magnus was first to recover, shaking his head. "I can't Clary, even if it was him. Once it's closed I need permission from the Clave to open it again."
"Who cares about permission? It was Sebastian, he was right there." Clary grabbed onto his arm like she could force the magic out of him. She was desperate.
"Clary," it was Alec speaking to her this time. He put a hand on her shoulder. "He's allowed to go free. Even if Magnus broke the law and opened up the portal again, Sebastian's name has been cleared. You'd just get us all thrown in the dungeons." He had a sad look to his face. It was hard for him too, not knowing where Jace had gone.
Clary let go of Magnus's arm, completely defeated. She sat down on the cement, unsure of what to do next. Ignoring their pitying glance she put her head in her hands. There was no way she was going to let herself cry, she was tougher than that.
Alec and Magnus moved closer to the entrance of the Institute, their voices a bit quieter when Alec spoke up. "Where have you been?" Alec questioned Magnus. Clary glanced up to look at them conversing. As much as Alec wanted to display a serious and professional Shadowhunter image his body language was giving off a gentle vibe with Magnus in front of him. Alec hand one hand on Magnus's arm, much where Clary had held onto him, but it was an affectionate touch.
"I was asked to come back to New York to help out with a werewolf problem. Luke and Jocelyn came back with me. It was nothing really," he must have added for Alec's sake. "And when I requested to come back for the trial, I was told it was unnecessary and was told to wait until now to open up a new portal. As if," he said haughtily, jutting his chin out a bit, "I am not the High Warlock of Brooklyn. I do have a schedule to maintain and a reputation to upkeep."
"Where's Jace?" she interrupted Alec as he hastily explained the horrendous trial.
Magnus looked at her with a blank expression. His eyes were the only indication of worry on his face. "I don't know. There hasn't been any other portal activity since I've been back. But I'll monitor it." He walked back over to her and crouched down to place a hand on her shoulder. It was slightly comforting. "He'll show up, he always seems to come at the most opportune moment."
Two days passed. Two days of the most antagonizing game of wait-and-see. Clary had paced the spot in front of Jace's room so frequently over the two days that some of the finish on the floor had actually begun to chip off. She was restless without him, desperate to find some sort of answer. Twice, she tried to go into his room, only to find it too painful to turn the knob and find that his room looked exactly as is always did. Clary didn't think she could keep it together if she actually went into his room.
She had gone to talk to her mother on the second morning. Jocelyn was obviously upset by the news, but hadn't been much for comfort. "I don't know Clary," she had answered when Clary had told her about seeing Sebastian at the portal. "Maybe that wasn't Sebastian you saw. I think that you're so hell-bent on pinning it all on him that you're imagination is going a little wild."
"It was not my imagination mother," Clary had gritted through her teeth. The last thing she wanted was for her own mother to think she was making things up.
"Maybe not, but you need to wait. Start by contacting Maryse and Robert, for starters. Let them know how the trial went," her mother suggested. She was in the middle of painting a portrait of the mountains in Idris. Ever since her mother had been woken up she had been obsessed with painting the country. Her overalls were completely covered in different shades of green and blue.
"Alec already spoke to them over the phone. They'll be back in a few days to see what they can do." Clary was tired of her mother not being of any help.
"Have you tried a tracking spell?"
"Magnus couldn't see anything," Clary explained. "All he saw was black."
Luke had walked into the conversation at that point. Jocelyn quickly filled him in on the details Clary had told her, only she didn't stress his disappearance as much as Clary thought she could.
"He's been gone since the day of the trial Luke," Clary emphasized.
"I'll get some of the pack to look over the city, okay? If they hear anything suspicious I'll let you know immediately." He pulled her into a hug that used to drown all her worries, but now it couldn't do anything to dull the painful ache in her chest.
She had gone back to the Institute after talking to them, unable to sit still and do nothing.
While the Lightwoods busied themselves for the better part of the morning with training, Clary couldn't bring herself to walk into the room. Too many times had she been in there with Jace to train, and the memories unsettled her. He was too good of a fighter to just disappear out of thin air. There was no way they he could have just been captured.
Isabelle was in a similar state of worry by dinner, constantly checking her own phone for any kind of message. At first Clary assumed it was purely over Jace, but when she asked, Isabelle had another boy on her mind.
Simon.
"Just because he's gone across the country, doesn't mean he can't pick up his phone," she pointed out over lunch on the second day.
Clary had been idly picking away at her soup, unable to eat much of her dinner. She muttered some sort of sound that could be passed off as a reply and kept looking at her food. It was the most edible thing Isabelle had ever conjured up. Canned soup was the first thing she didn't burn or set fire to.
"Do you think he's just ignoring me?" Isabelle's voice made its way into Clary's head.
Clary looked at her soup with a studious gaze. "Simon doesn't just ignore people for no reason."
"But there is a reason, I think," Isabelle said so sadly that Clary had to look up.
She could see that the older girl had dark circles under her eyes that hadn't been there two days ago. Isabelle's whole demeanour was off.
"What happened between the two of you?" Clary said. It was obvious now that something had gone on that she had been oblivious to.
Isabelle slunk down into the chair next to Clary. "It started when we broke up."
"When did this happen?" Clary had been under the impression that they were still seeing each other.
"The same night we rescued you from Sebastian." Isabelle looked sad. "And he said that it would never work and we were just fighting against something that we couldn't change—which is such crap I think, but totally beside the point. Then he told me he was going across the country or out of New York, at least, and he would be gone for a long while."
Clary knew Simon had left for an important trip. He was the only Daywalker and had offered his help this one time. "He hasn't called me either Isabelle," Clary tried to reason with her, "and I'm his best friend. Why don't you let me try calling him?" She would do anything right now to distract herself from the ever missing presence of Jace.
It took Isabelle awhile to consider Clary's offer before she agreed. Several minutes later Clary was on the phone, waiting as the line rang. On the fifth ring Simon picked up. "Clary?"
"Yeah Simon, it's me."
"Wow, it's really nice to hear your voice. How are you?" his voice sounded hushed.
"Where are you?" Clary cut to the point. "I haven't heard from you in over a month."
Simon let out a low whistle. "Has it been that long? I'm in Florida."
"Florida?"
"Yeah," he said.
"Care to explain?" Clary was more than curious to know why.
There was a silent pause on the other end of the line. "I met someone here," Simon admitted.
"Is that why you haven't called any of us?" Clary hoped that he would get the hint about Isabelle without being overly obvious. She saw Isabelle squirm in her seat, clearly trying to understand what was going on in the conversation. Clary didn't want Isabelle to hear what was coming from Simon's mouth; she knew it would be too upsetting.
"You mean Isabelle? It's over between the two of us and I didn't want to drag her along unnecessarily."
"That seems hardly fair. She's been trying to call you." Clary chanced a glance towards the other girl. Isabelle was watching Clary intently.
Simon let out a quiet whistle. "I know," he admitted. "I just haven't been able to talk to her since... since I met this girl. She's a witch, you know."
Clary was in disbelief. Partly because Simon was openly admitting to being with someone and also because she was a witch. She couldn't wrap her mind around the idea. "That's... nice," she offered dejectedly.
"Is everything okay?" Simon asked. "You sound upset."
"It's... it's Jace," Clary suddenly sobbed out. The emotions that she had been trying to keep at bay had suddenly crashed through her tightly woven guard. Tears were spilling down her cheeks and her chest heaved with the amount of emotions pouring out of her. She could feel two warm arms wrap around her and the phone was pulled from her hand.
"Listen Simon," Isabelle snapped into the phone. "I don't care what you've been doing, but you need to get back to New York now."
Clary couldn't listen too much of what Isabelle was saying anymore. Her body was trembling with the onslaught of tears. She tried to calm herself down, taking deep, shaky breaths. It was something her mother had once taught her when she was little. Isabelle had also kept a tight hold on her while she continued to talk to Simon.
"They treated us like juvenile delinquents," Isabelle explained in a tight voice. "It was as if we were little kids who had fibbed about someone we didn't like. No one believed what actually happened and then we were booted out of the city." Clary stared at her hands while Isabelle listened to whatever Simon was saying. Her sobs had died down enough that she could listen properly. "Well, it's moot point now." Isabelle shook her head. "Okay, we'll see you when you get here." She hung up the phone and handed it back to Clary. "He's going to catch the next flight back to New York today. He might be home for dinner." Isabelle scoffed at her own words.
Just then Alec burst into the room, sweat beading off his forehead, panting. His eyes were wide, searching their faces. Clary thought he looked panicked at first, but when he properly composed himself, he was grinning with excitement. "A portal just opened in the harbour again. Magnus just called me when I was two blocks away. I ran all the way home!" He was the most animated Clary had ever seen him. "I think its Sebastian. There were three Shadowhunters, though." He frowned at his own words, perhaps not too sure if he was relaying the news properly.
"It could be Elodie too. She has to be part of all of this," Isabelle replied. She had already recomposed herself from her talk with Simon. She was fixing her hair, pulling it back into one long braid. Clary was jealous at how fast Isabelle could pull herself together. But she tried to mimic the Lightwoods emotions, standing up and rolling her shoulders back. She took in a long, deep breath. Already she felt better, more focused. Now all she needed was to put on her gear to really get her mind set.
This could be it, she told herself. "Give us five minutes and we'll be ready," she told Alec, while simultaneously grabbing Isabelle's arm. The two of them hurried down the hall to their bedrooms. Clary was quick to pull on her fighting gear; training had really paid off for this moment. She made sure to grab her stele before she left her room.
Isabelle was already in the infirmary, pulling Angel blades off the wall and placing them in her belt; her electrum whip already coiled around her wrist. She passed two blades to Clary, along with a few daggers. Clary wasn't sure that they really needed all the gear, but she was sure that Isabelle had no intention of being caught short-handed. That girl was on a revenge mission.