Act 2 – Scene 11 - Listen
"Does anyone have any objections that these two shouldn't be joined in holy matrimony? If so speak now or forever hold your peace."
Silence fell on the room before they heard some footsteps, a familiar voice spoke: "I do. I object."
Magnus whirled around at the familiar voice, it was too good to be true. But sure enough, there, in the middle of the aisle stood Alec. He was breathing heavily, shaking and looked messy but he was there. Magnus glanced at Camille, who stood frozen muttering to herself, before he raced down the aisle to Alec. Magnus grabbed the shorter in his arms and hugged him tightly.
That was when everyone erupted into noise, Izzy and Jace were running over to them, trying to see their brother, the guest were outraged and arguing, Tessa was rushing to them, Ragnor was watching them like a movie and Camille, Camille was stood breathing heavily, fighting her anger. It was too much, she let it go.
She spun around to face Alec and Magnus, her green eyes had gone dark again. Alec knew what was to come. "No!" she shouted, everyone stopped. "How?"
"Ropes burn, Camille." Alec replied, he had pushed Magnus behind him, in attempt to protect his lover from Camille.
"Alec, what happened?" Magnus asked.
"Are you going to tell them, or am I?" Alec asked Camille.
"I will." Camille replied, slowly. She waited a moment before saying, in a small voice, "Alec abducted me." She paused, as the audience gasped and Alec stared at her incredulous, though he did admire she was truly a great actress. "He's jealous I'm marrying Magnus because he's in love with him. He took me to an old industrial warehouse and we fought, I acted in self-defence but then I knocked an old lamp and the warehouse caught fire, I barely got out with my life." By now Camille had turned on the tears, Alec could see the audience pitied her and in turn hated him.
"That's not the truth." Izzy spoke up, he was face was flushed with anger. "Alec is my brother and he would never do that! Ever! He's a good guy and he would never harm anyone!" Alec saw as Izzy tried to step forward to Camille, but Jace grabbed her back and restrained her. He shot them both looks full of gratitude.
"Alec, what happened?" Magnus asked, he did not believe Camille one bit.
"Well, Camille stole your phone, Magnus, she sent a message saying that we would run away and to at a warehouse." Alec started, "I stupidly, believed it and went, the warehouse was mostly empty and dark apart from a circle in the middle so I went to it, Camille knocked me out with a frying pan, then whilst I was unconscious she tied me to a chair. When I regained consciousness she told me how she didn't really love Magnus, she was being forced to marry him and then she set the warehouse on fire and left. I managed to burn the ropes binding me." He held his hands out and showed everyone the ugly mess of blistering and burnt skin his wrists had become.
The guests were confused about who to believe, Izzy and Jace saw Alec's wrists and immediately tried to make their way to Camille to yell or hurt her, fortunately Tessa and Clary stopped them, Ragnor had moved away from the crowd and was on his phone.
Camille laughed. A sickening laugh that was pure evil, she clapped and wiped a tear from her eye, "Oh Alexander. No one will believe that, it's too far-fetched! I bet it's make up." Magnus suddenly grabbed Alec's hand and squeezed it, to let the shorter know Magnus believe him. "You don't have proof, anyway."
"I do, actually." Alec told her.
"Oh go on then, amuse us with this 'proof'." Camille cackled.
Alec took out his voice recorder, "Because I'm a journalist, I take a voice recorder with me almost everywhere. Let's find it… Here."
They waited a second before Alec's recording started.
"Why am I tied up?" Alec asked.
"To restrain you. Don't even try to get out of it, sweetie." Camille chuckled. "I know about your little affair, that's why I used Magnus' phone to get you out here. I knew it would work."
Alec skipped it on.
"I can see why he likes you. So beautiful and so stuck here. This is perfect. I could do what I want with you and you couldn't move." Camille said.
Alec replied, "I'll get out of this rope."
"It's not meant to be permanent. It's just to keep you out of the way while the wedding in going on." Camille retorted.
Alec skipped on.
"I bet you think you're so clever. Planning to sabotage the wedding so I'd have a diva fit and storm out or something. You think you can stop it but you can't. I can't stop it, Magnus can't stop it. Now Isabelle and Jace can't stop it either. No one can stop it." Camille exclaimed.
"S-shouldn't you be getting ready?" Alec asked.
"Hair and makeup is done. I just have to get my dress, everyone probably thinks its nerves. I couldn't care less about that stuff though, it's just important I stop you, that I marry Magnus, for me to say my vows, to say I do."
"Why?" Alec asked, "Why do you have to?"
"As if I'd tell you." She snapped, "You think you can help if you know, well you can't! No one can help!"
"Camille, if you tell me I can try."
"You can't, they'll kill you and me."
"Camille, who are 'they'?"
"Orders follow orders, Camille." She talked to herself
"Camille…"
"You don't know why I have to do this but I have to. You could never understand Alec, you're the pure earth and my mind is Pandora's Box. You couldn't understand. You wouldn't."
He skipped it on a bit.
"Camille! You can't!" Alec shouted.
"Bye Alexander."
The rest of the recording was the crackle of the flames and the sounds of Alec's struggle. Alec shut it off. Camille's face was expressionless. She was silent. The guests were staring at her in shock and were talking amongst themselves. The vicar was blabbering on behind them. Magnus moved and stood in front of Alec. The taller pulled the shorter in a hug before pulling back, Magnus looked into Alec's face, checking he was okay. Before he lifted his hands carefully. The burns and blisters were fully formed now, they would probably scar but Magnus pulled him into another bone-crushing hug, his tears falling freely.
"I can't believe you Camille!" Magnus withdrew from the hug and turned and shouted at her, blocking her view of Alec.
"Believe me? I can't believe you!" She shouted. "When were you going to tell me you were cheating on me? Were you going to let us get married and then carry on your little affair with him?"
"I was going to pull out of this!"
"When? When we were married?"
"No, just now."
Camille scoffed and turned to Alec. "And, you. Alexander, when were you going to tell Magnus you and your siblings were planning to ruin his wedding?"
Magnus stood in front of Alec, blocking Camille's view of him. Magnus' eyes were narrowed and he was more defiant than Camille had ever seen him before, the sight took her back a little and she felt a pain go through her heart. He never protected her like that, she had a multitude of dark thoughts. "Don't ever say a word to him again." He growled.
Camille had paled, her eyes still full of darkness she stepped backwards slightly, stuttering. Ragnor gripped her arm to prevent her from fleeing, her smaller body was being held against Ragnor's and he was talking to her, though she kept shaking her head, her eyes filled with tears. Magnus turned his back to her and focused on Alec.
'Thank God you're alive! Are you okay?' Magnus kept repeating, Alec laughed a little. Behind them Ragnor was still restraining Camille, the vicar was organizing people and Izzy, Jace and Clary were rushing to Alec and Magnus.
"Alec!" Izzy threw her arms around him, pushing Magnus slightly out of the way, Alec winced. Even Jace joined in the hug as Cat told them an ambulance and the police were on their ways. Magnus stepped away from the reunion and turned to Camille.
She looked as if she was fighting herself and she was screaming and thrashing against Ragnor. Suddenly she looked up and her eyes met Magnus', her emotions changed as soon as a new one resurfaced, her eyes were full of conflicting emotions, accompanied by her messy hair it gave her a wild look.
"Magnus." She spoke, her eyes were apologetic and guilty, and she looked devastated. "I'm sorry!"
But too soon she changed and reverted back to screaming and thrashing, fighting herself. It was odd, Magnus though later when he looked back on the ordeal, in those words he felt like that had been the closest Camille had been to her true self then he had ever seen before. The police came and took her away, the paramedics helped Alec as best they could. Everyone went home. They were questioned and held the trial. Camille was locked up and…"
"I'm sat in front of her." He answered. He brushed his hair out of his eyes.
'What?' Panic flooded through me.
'You know it's true. You're Camille." He said matter-of-factly. Then it dawned on him. "Alec is my brother…" His mouth fell open at the realization. I sat frozen whereas he jumped up from his seat, despite. 'His scars, they were your fault! You tried to kill my brother!' The look he gave me was so full of hatred and disgust it felt like a stab wound.
'You don't understand, i-'
'No. Camille, if that is your real name, I do understand.' He cut me off.
'The names were true, Max.' I sighed. ''Listen, I need you to understa-'
'You knew who I was when I came here.' He blurted.
'I did, you ne-'
'I can't believe you! You tell me a story and I thought it wasn't about anyone I would know and then it turns out it's my brother!' He clenched his fists. 'Not to mention Izzy and Jace were in there too. And, so was I.'
'Yes, you were. You need to listen to me tel—' I tried to get him to listen but he kept shaking his head. He looked so ill, the dark marks shadows under his eyes made the blackness of his iris stand out.
'No. Camille, no.' He looked at me, his dark eyes full of hatred. The buzzer went off, I looked at the door knowing the woman would come through any minute.
'Max!' I shouted to him, I jumped up and stood against the glass, he began collecting his things, ignoring me. I hit the glass. And then did it again and again. I heard the woman enter and she ran over, I felt her trying to pry me away from the glass. 'You need to listen! Tell them it's not safe. The voices! Max listen!' I kept hitting the glass, ignoring the woman 'They're getting stronger! Tell them I'm not safe, you're not safe, no one is safe, I need help! Max!' I watched him leave through the door so similar to mine. 'Max! Max!'
I felt something cold on my neck and then I blacked out…