Alicante, Idris. September 2007.

I was sat in the Penhallow's house in the first-floor living room with my parabatai Aline, with a drink in my hand, although the glass was nearly empty. Aline's own glass was full, but her brown eyes were bright and alert which showed that this wasn't her first drink of the evening. Her parents, Patrick and Jia had left us alone some time before to attend a meeting at the Accords Hall. There had been many more urgent meetings occurring now due to the return of Valentine Morgenstern, and luckily because we were both seventeen, we did not have to attend. This was a long line of evenings that Aline and I had been left to watch the large house, and that we had raided Jia's alcohol cupboard. I glanced over at Aline and saw she was staring intently at her glass, the red liquid transfixing her gaze. I watched as she lifted the drink up and swallowed it in one, finishing with only a small grimace.

"Everything's going to start changing Hallie" she muttered and finally looked up at me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, although I already knew.

We were both halfway through the bottle of wine that had been left out on the cabinet that was normally for the Penhallow's guests, and after a few glasses was when Aline became chatty. It was one of the many things I had learned about her after twelve years of friendship. She wasn't an open person to strangers and kept herself reserved to outsiders, but she opened up to me and for that I was grateful. It had been the best day of my life when I realised that she trusted me enough to be her parabatai.

"Shadowhunter's from all over the world are coming for sanctuary in Alicante. The wards are going to be stronger and everything is going to be more intense. There is going to be more rules to follow; the guards won't be letting us wander around Brocelind Plains anymore Hallie" Aline replied and stood up. She walked towards the window and stood in front of it, gazing out on to Alicante. The Penhallow's house was in the middle of Alicante and was one of the richer houses in the city; this was apparent in all the expensive furniture that decorated the room, half Idrisian and half Chinese artefacts.

Aline's slim frame didn't block the large window and I could see the sky was a deep blue mixed with orange from the setting sun. Soon it would be night and the stars would shine over our city. But Alicante never truly became dark, the demon towers prevented that.

"Maybe it will be nice to have more Shadowhunter's in Alicante. More cute boys for me to admire" I said and laughed as Aline turned around and frowned at me. I wasn't blind. I saw how Aline looked more favourably at girls than she did boys, but I would never say anything until Aline was ready. Aline snorted in response.

"As if. Shadowhunter's are all stuck up and old. Aside's from our lovely selves and your other half" she replied and gestured down her body. "I'm hot and young. I need young Shadowhunter's." I seized a deep green pillow from the sofa and threw it at her but her expert reflexes kicked in and she caught it.

"He is not my other half!" I exclaimed, and felt my cheeks heating up. Aline smirked at me and I knew that my cheeks were red. One problem with having a pale complexion.

"Then what is he?" Aline asked as she walked back over to me and gestured at my glass. I took the last sip and handed it to her. She strolled across the room to the cabinet and poured more of the wine into our glasses. I greatly appreciated her letting me come to her house whenever I liked. It was calm and peaceful here even when her parents were home, which was the opposite to my house where three siblings awaited me.

"I don't know Aline. We are not a couple and I don't think that he is seeing anyone else. I sure as hell am not" I replied and took the now full glass from her outstretched hand. Aline leaned down and grinned widely at me. She tugged a strand of my pale blonde hair with one of her fingers.

"That is what I call friends with benefits" she teased. I frowned at her and pulled my hair away. I had been seeing Jett Trueblood for almost a year now and he was everything the perfect Shadowhunter should be. He was tall, handsome, a good fighter and an active participant in the Nephilim community. There was only one problem; he was my brother Ronan's parabatai and Ronan did not know anything about our relationship. Jett and I had talked many times about going public, but it never seemed to be the right time. I didn't want to hurt Ronan and couldn't help but worry that he would be upset if he were to find out. But that still didn't change the fact that Jett and I couldn't stay a secret forever.

"You know it isn't like that. Jett and I love each other but we don't want to hurt Ronan" I replied. Aline sat down next to me with a sigh and I could see her feelings clear on her face. She felt sorry for me.

"I know Hallie, I'm just kidding. I know that you love each other and I'm sure he isn't seeing anyone else. I just don't want you getting hurt" she replied kindly. I smiled in return at her. She quickly changed the subject. "Did I tell you that my cousin Sebastian is coming to stay with us?"

"You never mentioned it. It's a strange time to visit" I commented and sipped the bitter wine. Aline mimicked me and I glanced at the deep black voyance rune on her hand.

"I think he is coming to represent the Paris Institute. Our Aunt Elodie has to stay with the Institute so Sebastian will represent them in some of the meetings, even though he is our age. Aunt Elodie always tells my dad that Sebastian needs to go out and make more friends, so he wants me to be a dutiful host while Sebastian is here. Maybe we could introduce him to your brother and Jett" Aline said but posed the last part as a question. I sipped my drink again before speaking.

"You just want to pile your cousin off on my brother so that you don't have to be a tour guide Aline" I laughed into my glass. Aline didn't deny it and grinned.

"So what if I do? I like it being just us two, we don't need more people spoiling the simple life we lead" Aline countered. I watched as she drained her glass again but didn't say anything. It was her mistake to make when she wakes up tomorrow. "On top of that, my parent's old friends Maryse and Robert Lightwood are bringing their kids to stay in Alicante. I haven't seen them in years, but I would call them my good friends. I write to Isabelle sometimes."

"I know all about the Lightwood's Aline. You always get a massive smile on your face when you talk about the famous Jace Wayland – or Morgenstern. I can't believe that you've met him, he's practically famous. Will he be coming with the others?" I asked, trying not to seem too eager but I couldn't help it. Jace Morgenstern was a mystery to our world as everyone had thought he was Michael Wayland's son but was actually Valentine Morgenstern's child. But even before all of the scandal, Jace had been known as the best Shadowhunter of our generation and for his angelic looks. Whichever girl ended up with him was going to be lucky, although I had heard he wasn't the relationship type. I knew that I was smiling but Aline wasn't looking at me.

"I believe all of the children are coming, including Jace. And his sister Clarissa" Aline confirmed. I knew that Aline was just as excited as I was although it was for different reasons and she would never show it. She had told me the story of the time she and Jace had gotten lost in the Brocelind Forest and Jace had guided them home. I knew that my parabatai hated having to rely on others, but she had respected Jace ever since that incident and taken to yelling at anyone that spoke poorly of Jace because of his father. "I believe that the Lightwood's are meant to be coming in a couple of weeks although Sebastian will be arriving later tonight."

I personally would enjoy having more teenagers around to talk to; not that I minded it being just me and Aline on most days. We could spend all of our free time together and never run out of things to say but there were some things we couldn't do. Training together was pointless because we already knew each other's moves and we had already hung out at every available place in Alicante – no in all of Idris.

"You want new people, don't you?" Aline questioned and I nodded at her sheepishly. She continued speaking. "You're too nice."

Aline and I differed in all aspects of looks and personality. Aline was all dark, short midnight hair, deep brown eyes and always in dark clothes. I on the other hand contrasted greatly with my light blonde hair and very different style of clothing. I preferred skirts to her trousers, although we could both agree that Shadowhunter gear was the best clothes we could wear.

"Why wouldn't I want new people? I would never change us, but some new faces could be fun. And besides it isn't forever, and this is your cousin and childhood friends. You should be excited" I retaliated.

"I like it being the two of us, or Jett, or one of your many siblings."

"I only have three siblings!" I exclaimed back at her and she laughed.

"You're talking to an only child Hallie, to me that sounds like a small army" Aline replied and laughed harder. "I guess now Sebastian and I can gang up on you."

"I'd like to see you try" I chuckled as Aline continued laughing. I could tell the wine was hitting her now.

I heard the door creak open behind us and suddenly a deep male voice was speaking.

"I'm sure that we will be an even match."

I spun around in my seat and Aline did the same. Standing in the doorway was a teenage boy, with extremely pale skin that contrasted greatly with his jet-black hair. He looked to be around 6'0 or 6'1. I couldn't but stare at him. It was clear who he was; he shared the same skin tone and hair colour as Aline but his eyes were nothing like hers. Even from where I was sitting I could see that his eyes were ink black. He stepped into the room and I noticed that he was dressed formally in a blazer with a tie and a scarf. Definitely French.

"Sebastian?" Aline asked and I almost slapped my forehead. Who else would it be?

"Has it really been that long little cousin?" Do you not recognise me?" he asked. His voice was extremely deep and very masculine, although lacking a French accent.

"It's been years Sebastian" Aline replied and walked over to him. He towered over her frame, but she wrapped her arms around him, and he reciprocated. I couldn't help but smile at the two of them. I'm sure the wine in Aline's system was giving her the boost to be friendly but it was always good to see my parabatai get on with other people our own age. I placed my drink on the table and stood up, smoothing my red skirt down.

When Sebastian pulled away, he looked up and smiled at me, showing perfect white teeth. His gaze was open and friendly although the colour of his eyes was startling. It looked like he had no pupils.

"I don't believe we have had the pleasure of meeting. I'm Sebastian Verlac" he said and walked over to me; my hand was in his before I knew it. He raised my hand up and kissed it. Aline laughed but not so subtly covered it with a cough. Sebastian glanced at her whilst still wearing that wicked grin.

"I was raised by a French woman Aline; this is a regular greeting for me" he laughed. He turned back to me.

"I'm Halston Farrose, but everyone calls me Hallie. I'm Aline's parabatai" I said and inwardly cursed myself once again for having pale skin. Sebastian was attractive and having him kiss my hand was making me blush more than I wanted it to, although the whole time I was picturing Jett and his reaction if he was in the room. One more reason for us to go public.

I pulled my hand away and returned to the sofa, watching Sebastian as he stood still with his large bag in his hand.

"I think that my mother cleared out the room opposite of mine for you" Aline said. Sebastian stayed standing where he was in the middle of the room.

"Do you not remember where my room is?" she questioned, and I couldn't help but smile at how her delicate eyebrows scrunched into an angry frown.

"Unfortunately, I do not. I have not been here in many years Aline and this is a rather large house" Sebastian responded. Aline stomped over to him and snatched the bag from his hand.

"Hallie, please pour my forgetful cousin a drink and he can get to know us through the wonders of wine and conversation. I'll go and put his bag in his room like the helpful butler that I am" Aline said loudly. Sebastian shrugged off his blazer and unwrapped his scarf from his neck and then held them both out to her. Aline's expression was furious and now I really couldn't help but laugh loudly.

"Mind taking this for me as well?" he said with his smile never faltering. It was clear that he was joking but Aline still snatched them both and sped out of the room whilst muttering angrily under her breath. Sebastian turned and sat on the light blue armchair that was opposite the sofa I was on.

"You do not want to annoy her, she has an awful temper and knows how to hold a grudge" I commented, choosing to finish my drink. I walked over to the cabinet to get Sebastian a glass and to refill my own. I looked at the back of his head as I poured them. He really was a shocking contrast of pale skin and dark hair, it almost looked unnatural. His head turned to look at me, so I quickly focused on the glasses again. I walked back over to the sofa, handing him a glass on the way.

He took a sip as I looked at him again. Now that his blazer was off, he was left in only a t-shirt which showed a body that seemed to be devoid of any fat and arms that were littered with marks both old and new. As with Aline, the marks made his skin seem even lighter.

"I can assure you that my temper is worse" he replied and smirked. I met his eyes and returned the smile. Aline came back into the room and flung herself onto the sofa next to me. She picked her glass up again and drained the red liquid. Sebastian's dark eyebrows went up as he watched her. She put her glass down before grinning at the both of us.

"Mum and Dad won't be back until late" she stated. "We have the whole place to ourselves. What shall we do?"

I glanced at her slightly inebriated expression before looking at Sebastian. He raised his glass and spoke before taking a large sip. "I can think of many things."

We all came to the agreement that the best thing to do was keep drinking to avoid Aline having a tantrum. The bottle was nearly empty and the stars were shining brightly at us through the large windows. Sebastian and Aline were chatting endlessly whilst I listened. Aline was slowly becoming less coherent and admittedly I was feeling the effects of the wine as well.

"Sebastian used to claim that he was going to be the best Shadowhunter of our generation!" Aline exclaimed and I laughed as Sebastian held his drink up mockingly.

"I would say that I have achieved that goal" he replied. I sat up straighter and I knew that Aline knew what I was going to say.

"Clearly you haven't heard of Jace Wayland" I stated. I could have sworn that Sebastian's grin faltered slightly, but if it did, it was only for a second.

"I have heard of him, but I do not choose to believe all of the stories until I have seen him with my own eyes" he said and now his voice sounded harsher than before.

"All the stories are true" Aline muttered into her glass.

"I heard that he escaped a malachi configuration that was placed by Inquisitor Herondale by jumping thirty feet into the air. He also helped fight Valentine Morgenstern last month, not to mention he's his son. That counts for something all by itself."

I hadn't meant to start a debate with him but suddenly Sebastian was very interested and leaned forwards with his elbows on his knees and his glass being swirling in his hand. The grin he was giving me was not comforting although his eyes only conveyed that he was amused.

"Why would being Valentine Morgenstern's son mean anything?" he asked. Aline stood up.

"Who cares? Everyone knows that Jace is an amazing Shadowhunter and was before anyone knew who his father was" she said and unceremoniously slammed her glass on the table. "Now I am going to bed as I need my beauty sleep. Hallie, you're more than welcome to stay in the other spare room. I will see you bright and early for training. And Sebastian, have fun hunting for your room" she winked and walked out of the room. I waved her off and heard her heavy footsteps on the stairs, heading upwards. When I turned back to Sebastian, he was already looking at me, his glass completely empty.

"I am curious Halston. Do you really feel that being Valentine's son is something that makes Jace great?" he asked. I shrugged. I hadn't meant anything by it and now I could feel the wine affecting my head and I didn't want to keep babbling. Unfortunately, Sebastian's stare made me want to justify my opinion.

"Morgenstern is a name of dark stories and Jace and Clarissa have to live with that name. But despite that, everyone knew who he was before he was a Morgenstern. We'd all heard about the Wayland killing and how Jace went to live with the Lightwood's when he was ten, but he's earned a name for himself since then anyway. So no, I wouldn't say that he is great just because of his father. But the name is something to live up to, don't you think?" I asked. Sebastian seemed to be considering what I was saying, and he stopped looking at me. I took the moment to take another look at him. Every time he blinked; his long eyelashes graced his high cheeks. I couldn't but admire him, he really was unreasonably attractive. His long slender fingers seemed to clench around his glass.

"Perhaps it is not the worst thing to be a Morgenstern" he finally said.

"I have heard that Clarissa is kind and grew up in the mundane world. I can't wait to meet her when she shows up with her brother and the Lightwood's" I replied. Sebastian stood up and took both of our glasses over to the bottle of wine again.

"Clarissa is coming with the Lightwood's?" he asked, leaning casually against the sideboard. I shrugged.

"That's what Aline said."

His expression still hadn't changed, and I couldn't help but feel I had said something to upset him, but what could it have been? I was only teasing him when I said that Jace was better. I had never seen either of them fight or train so how would I know?

"I think I should be heading home soon. My sister might not be home yet and I should help my brother with our younger brother if they're still awake" I said quickly.

"Can your parents not handle them?" he asked, and I swallowed heavily. I would not speak about my parents and I would not get upset in front of him, instead opting to ignore the question.

"It's late" I replied. His eyebrows went up again, but he clearly caught the mood change. Sebastian walked back over to me and handed me my glass, once again full of red liquid.

"That's the bottle finished so you have to stay and have this drink before you go" he said smoothly and sat down again. He seemed so relaxed, so confident already in this house which was ironic as I spent nearly every day here and he hadn't been in this city in years.

"How many siblings do you have?" he asked.

"There is four of us. I'm the second youngest but with all of these mandatory meetings going on, my sister has to attend so I've been helping with our younger brother" I replied. I knew that he didn't have any siblings as Aline had never mentioned anyone else. I sipped my drink again, hoping he would change the subject away from family.

And then my glass was empty. I hadn't realised that I had downed it all in one and looked at the glass in my hand with a shocked expression. Sebastian laughed and my eyes snapped up to meet his.

"After a few glasses, this stuff tastes like juice" he commented. I stood up and swayed ever so slightly on my feet, but Sebastian noticed and rushed over, grabbing my arm.

"Thank you" I said quietly and stepped back quickly. This close to me, I could smell the forest and the night air on him.

"No problem Halston" he said and smiled once again. He was taller than me as I stood at only 5'5.

"It's Hallie" I replied.

"I prefer Halston" he said and left no room for argument. I turned and walked towards the door and started heading down the stairs. I could hear Sebastian following me out.

"Would you like an escort home?" Sebastian offered as I opened the front door. I was only in my skirt and a loose t-shirt, but the air was surprisingly warm for September.

"It's alright, I don't live very far from Aline" I replied. He walked over to stand directly in front of me, and took my hand as he had before, once again raising it to his lips. I couldn't help but laugh at him.

"It's the inner French man in me, I cannot help it" he smirked. I nodded at him and stepped through the open door.

"It was lovely to meet you Sebastian" I said.

"I'm sure that I will see you around" he replied. It almost sounded like he was flirting, but even after my limited time with him, it was clear that this was the main side of his personality.

As I walked down the pathway towards the main street, I didn't hear the door shut behind me until my feet had hit the cobbles. Sebastian did seem nice, although his mood swing about Jace Morgenstern had seemed a little odd. Maybe he was the same as Aline with how he felt about meeting new people.

Not that it mattered. I was excited to get home and spend some time with my siblings, and if I was lucky, Jett would be there too.