Once Will had readied himself for nightime, he threw himself onto his bed. Wincing slightly as he landed on the sharp edge of a book, he rolled over, pulling it out from beneath him. Normally he would have lit a candle and read a few chapters, but today he was awfully tired, thus falling asleep quickly.

"Cecily?" Will ran over to his sister, wrapping his arms around her. The tall grasses around them billowed in the wind, hugging their sides. The sky was covered in clouds, small rays of sunlight peering through all the gaps. Will buried his face in the crook of his sisters neck, inhaling her familiar lilac perfume.

"Will, you must come back home." She murmured, pulling away from him. Her face was the splitting image of her mothers, with their deep blue eyes and high angles.

"I know, cariad. I want to go home too." said Will, smiling slightly at the sight of his sister. For a moment, he thought of nothing but the way she always followed him in their house in Yorkshire. He thought of the ways she would run her fastest to try to keep up with him, and how she would insist upon everything with the look of determination lighting up her eyes.

"William?" A soft voice spoke from behind the grasses. A girl stepped out, about Will's height. She looked just as she did the last time Will had seen her. Her hair was ragged, an ugly bruise on her eye. Her skin hung loosely on her tall frame but even so, she was still recognizable.

"Ella? I..." Will looked at her in horror, shrinking away. "I thought you were dead."

"I am dead, silly." She laughed hoarsely, her mouth dark with rot. "You killed me, remember?"

"I never meant to." Will pleaded, his eyes round with worry. "It was the curse. I couldn't stop it."

"All because you decided to open the Pyxis." Ella's laugh had turned into a mocking cackle, her lip curled in a sneer. "First, Charlotte's going to die and then follows your dear sister, Cecily. Then goes Henry. Then goes Jessamine. And finally, guess who is going to die last?"

"Ella, please. Stop!"

"Your dear parabatai. He's dying already, so you will never know if it was the illness or you that killed him."

"No. He's not going to die." Will backed away from her, tripping over the grasses. She walked over to him, smirking.

"But, if the person who carries the curse dies, then the curse won't be there anymore." Ella pulled away, disappearing into the mass of plants. Cecily looked at Will in horror, her eyes rolling up. She collapsed to the ground, blood leaking out from her mouth.

Will snapped his eyes open. He was panting, the blankets twisted around him. Pushing himself off the bed, he stumbled to stay upright. Slipping on regular clothes, he opened the door silently, creeping out into the night.

~~ooo~~

Something was wrong, Jem could feel it. There was a tightness in his chest that was only there when Will was in trouble. Forcing himself up from his studies, he blew out the candle.

When he reached Will's room, the bed sheets were thrown open and Will was no where to be seen. Grabbing one of Will's favorite books, he slipped a stele out of Will's dresser and burned a tracking rune into his hand. Images flashed in Jem's mind. He could see Will heading down the London streets, his hands shoved into his pockets, looking behind him to make sure no one was following him.

Grabbing a hat, Jem started after Will.

~~ooo~~

It would be so easy. Almost too easy to save everyone if he jumped.

The waves underneath the Blackfriers Bridge crashed against the pillars with bone crushing force. They were churning and mixing with the silt, turning them a deep black in the pale light of the moon. Rain misted from the heavy skies, making the bridge slippery.

Will sat precariously on the edge of the railing, his legs dangling above the water. His mind was still flooded with thoughts of his sister and everyone around him dying.

First, Charlotte's going to die and then follows your dear sister, Cecily. Then goes Henry. Then goes Jessamine.

"Shut up!" He yelled, throwing a rock into the sea below him. His fingers were white, trying to grip onto the slick railing of the bridge.

And finally, guess who is going to die last? Your dear parabatai. He's dying already, so you will never know if it was the illness or you that killed him.

No one would ever find him if he jumped. He would instantly be swallowed up by the water, sinking to the bottom as if he never existed. Closing his eyes with the image of Cecily still stuck in his mind, he loosened his grip and pushed himself off.

Something hard slammed into his side, fingernails digging into his arm. He looked up to see Jem holding on with one hand on the railing, and the other hand hanging onto Will's wrist. Struggling to pull himself up, Jem heaved them both over the railing onto the bridge. Taking one glance at Jem, Will scrambled to his feet with the intent of running back to the Institute. He forced himself forward as the rain started to pelt downwards, stinging his face.

Jem bolted after him, his silver hair dark with water. Leaping, he tackled Will to the ground before he could get out of sight. He pressed his hand down on Will's shoulder, his elbow resting on his throat. Will tried to struggle out of his grip, but with Jem on top of him and the cold rain numbing his arms and legs, all efforts were in vain.

Jem's eyes were glowing in the dark, yet they had no anger in them. "Don't you ever do something like that again." He said, his voice low with intensity.

"Let me go." Will snarled, his chest rising and falling rapidly under Jem's weight. Jem tightened his grip, pushing his elbow down on his throat.

"I'm not going to ask why you did that. I'm not going to tell Charlotte. But I will not tolerate you trying to hurt yourself. I already lost my parents...I don't want to lose you as well."

"Why does it matter if I die?" Will yelled, clawing at the ground. "Why should you care?"

Jem recoiled back, a look off hurt flashing across his face. "I love you as if you were my brother. Why do you think I helped train you? Why do you think I wanted deep inside to be your parabatai? I didn't do it because it was the Law or because it was right. Losing you would be like losing another member of my family." Pulling Will to his feet, he kept his fingers tightly wound on the back of Will's waistcoat to grab him if he tried to run off again.

They started off back to the Institute, ignoring the cold rain that blew into their faces and wind that whipped their hair around. Jem had saved Will and that was all that mattered.