W/M:
Another quick update,

Okay, guess what! Well, I'll tell you what. Yesterday I had "the honour" of putting the chairs out (with the help of my tutor group) and one was covered in gold glitter! I know, most people would have been like 'What? It's just gold glitter.' But, I started freaking out because who has glitter? MAGNUS!

On the other hand, today we got a new seating plan in French and I got the worst luck, Yrah sits in front of me and AlDi is next to me (I codded their names). Did I mention they're favourite thing to do is pick on me? And I have them the next lesson in maths! That's two whole hours! Urgh! So Thursdays are now my worst days (same Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays)

This chapter's thing:
'The only way you could raise enough money to hire Magnus by selling lemonade, is if you put meth in it' – Alec –The Mortal Instrument 5: City of Lost Souls – Cassandra Clare
Because it makes me laugh, and is pretty much true.

Chapter 20

'So he has been cursed to hate everyone he loves?' Tessa furrowed her mousy brown eyebrows as she poured the tea.

'Well, that's what he's told us.' Jace said.

'But he only hates Magnus?' They were sat in Tessa's little cottage, it was hidden at the edge of the menacing forest, but surprisingly this home was very cosy. It was warm and decorated in a cute way. Probably because, everything was hand-made.

'Pretty much.' Magnus sighed, gloomily thinking of his love again.

'So why not anyone else?' Tessa asked. 'Why does the curse only work on Magnus?'

'It doesn't, he can just control himself around us.' Isabelle added

'Okay, I'll rephrase. Why can he not control himself around Magnus?'

'We don't know, before Magnus was Alec's whole world, without him he was constantly day-dreaming or extremely grumpy. Alec was only really focused and happy when Magus was mentioned or if they were together.' Izzy smiled, a look of love in her eyes, as she looked at Magnus. 'It's adorable really. Alec has changed so much, he's happy now. And that all thanks to you.'

They were quiet for a moment before, Tessa got up and disappeared. She returned moments later holding a huge leather-bound book. She smiled at it like someone would an old friend, she gently opened the ancient book, flipping the pages as she tried to find the right one.

'I'm hoping that, this will have some answers.' Tessa informed the others, 'I've dealt with something like this before, except it was death not hatred. And it was all in his head. Not real life. Hey, you think it's all in his head do you?'

'No.' Izzy said her voice conveying how helpless she felt. Tessa didn't respond again because she was concentrating. Clary and Jace were talking in hushed tones, whilst Magnus and Izzy were trying not to fall apart. They could hear the horses outside, as they ate and drank and rested.

'Do you know where he is?' Tessa asked, still not looking up from the pages she was reading.

'No.' Magnus replied this time, 'Tessa, I'm going to cook some food.' He got up and left the small living room quickly, Izzy rushing up to follow was stopped.

'Leave him, he just needs to be along right now.' This time Tessa did look at Izzy with an expression begging her to understand.

'And, Izzy your cooking is so atrocious, I'm sure even Tessa, who lives out here, has heard how you should never be allowed anywhere near kitchens.' Jace mocked.

'I'm sure Izzy's cooking is lovely.' Tessa answered smiling at Jace.

'Yup, it is lovely. As poison.' He quipped back. They laughed as Tessa got up to get other books, she gave them to Izzy, Jace and Clary asking them to help her. And resumed flicking through the huge leather book.

Magnus bolted upright, in the sleeping bag he was wrapped in. He waited for his erratic breathing to calm down. Once it did he finally let himself wonder what had woken him, his tanned hand had immediately gone to his knives still hidden by his clothing. He got his answer: loud crash from downstairs. The first crash was followed by two more, Magnus noted Jace had also woken up. They shared a worried look as they slowly got up creping soundlessly out of the room. Tessa had given them the spare room, only it hadn't had any bedding so Tessa had given them all sleeping bags. The boys tiptoed along the hall and down the rickety stairs following their ears to find the source of the noises, Magnus opened the kitchen door slightly, hearing the smashing sounds of plates and grunts. He barged into the room, Jace hot on his heels. They both froze at what they saw.

Two window panes were shattered whilst Tessa was perched on a counter throwing plates at many strange lizard creatures, in her arms was tooked the huge leather book. Her slender leg had a long gash all the way down her leg, from the talons on the lizards and was oozing scarlet red blood, she gasped as she saw the two males and they instantly jumped into action, whilst she distracted the lizards.

Jace successfully behead two of them whilst Magnus stabbed three in the hearts. Tessa threw knives from a drawer, as she had run out of plates. She screamed as one clawed her other leg, Magnus killed it instantly. However her cry of pain had alerted the two girls upstairs and they charged downstairs. Clary screamed at the horrendous mess Tessa's once adorable kitchen had been. It was covered with lizard monsters – both alive and dead – blood and scaled limbs. Izzy however stepped in front of the red head and began defend Clary from the lizards that had turned on them thanks to the useless girl's screams. Jace – a golden whirlwind – was massacring the reptilian beasts rapidly as was Magnus in his glitter storm.

Izzy sliced through the lizards, decapitating them, silently she thanked her parent for insisting that they learn to protect themselves, clearly Clary's hadn't. The red-head just threw whatever she could find – much like Tessa – whilst Magnus, Jace and Izzy killed them all. Just like the wolfish beasts their bodies disintegrated, leaving a mess of blood behind.

Panting they stopped, all the monsters were dead.

Magnus rushed to Tessa's side, her pale face turning ashen. She was dying. 'M-Magnus… t-the book.' She pushed the heavy book into Magnus' strong arms, she smiled.

'Tessa, tell me how I can heal you?'

'Y-y-you can't…. Will and Jem, I'm coming.' She sighed, smiling. Magnus knew she wanted to die and finally be reunited with her loves.

'Tell them I miss them. I hope you'll be happy.' Magnus smiled. Tessa's eyes lit in realisation.

'Magnus!' her eyes glazed over with tears, her vision blurred.

'Yes, dear?'

'P-page…' Magnus looked at his friend for the rest of her statement, but only found her stilled form looking back at him. He felt tears run down his cheeks, but he held her closer. Thanking her for being such a wonderful friend and for helping him, he also prayed that she would be together with Will and Jem again. He pulled away and closed her eyes. He kissed her forehead lightly saying his goodbyes.

'Magnus?' He turned to his three companions. 'Shall we give her a burial?'

Magnus nodded slightly, 'The tools are in the stable. I'll be out in a moment.'

'Would you like us to dress her? In something not ripped?' Clary asked Magnus he nodded and the girls disappeared to find some of Tessa's pretty dresses.

Magnus turned to his friend, smiling sadly, 'Goodbye Tessa, thank you for everything. You are a wonderful person, so kind hearted and wise. I promise I'll never forget you.'

It was early the next morning, the group had left Tessa's after her funeral. It was short and sweet. They hadn't wanted to stay long, so they left pretty quickly, Magnus made a promise to go back and sort through his beloved friend's things, the only thing they had taken was the leather book. Every stop they took they tried to find the page, but nothing seemed right. Over three quarters through the book they weren't very hopeful.

'We don't even know where he is.' Clary sighed as she sat on a fallen tree trunk. They were stopping, briefly to let the horse rest some more.

'Well, if I were Alec where would I go?' Izzy asked.

'I'd go somewhere quiet, and peaceful. But also far away from anyone so I couldn't hurt anyone.' Jace suggested.

'I think I'd go, somewhere pretty so I could draw.' Clary inputted.

'I think…. I'd go somewhere where no one else had ever gone before.' Izzy said.

'I'd go to the one place I felt truly happy.' Magnus sighed.

'Wait, what about Camille's castle?' Jace asked excitement leaking into his voice, 'It's abandoned, and it's far away.'

'No, too many bad memories for him.' Clary looked away distantly, pain filling her emerald green eyes as she remembered Alec's scars. 'Well, he couldn't get far away, so that rule put Jace's idea. He never expressed interest in drawing, he wouldn't go anywhere no else has ever been because he wants to still be close to his family so he can check up on them. That leaves somewhere he was truly happy.' Clary turned to Magnus. 'Can you think of that?'

Magnus sighed closing his eyes, he saw their whole journey from Camille's castle flash by, meeting Chairman, the place they had the fire and their first kiss, the clearing where they said 'I love you' to each other, then the castle, their secret dates all the meeting spots - these were all too close to home. Magnus began thinking about Clary's words. Far but not too far, a place he was happy, far but not too far, a place he was happy. The words flashed around his mind like a possessed carousel and flashes of their kiss, their declaration of love, it blurred around and around. That was it! He opened his eyes and smiled.

'Come on, kiddies. I know where we're going.'

W/M: What did you think? I'm curious, as to where people think Alec is, I don't think I'm too obvious…
Oh, and I'm sorry about Tessa. I just didn't know what to do with her.

I'm also apologising for the length of the message at the top, whoops!

And, I have no clue how the reverse the curse…. Google really isn't helpful –Where are they going to get a cauldron from in the middle of nowhere?