"So, how was it?" Isabelle asked as we drove away from Magnus's place in a taxi. It was just the two of us; Jace, Layla, and Max had taken a different car. Apparently our taxi driver was one who'd kicked Jace out before and banned him from his taxi. "Was he nice?"

"Yeah," I told her. "He didn't press me. He just told me to be careful."

"What were your powers? He said he didn't mine."

"I'm not supposed to tell." I looked out the window, staring out at the city. I didn't know if I should tell Isabelle about Magnus. She'd been pressing me to tell her if I had a crush on anyone, boy girl, whatever. I liked that she didn't care, but I was uncomfortable telling her if I liked anyone. She wanted me to be happy, but I couldn't muscle the courage to tell her.

"Magnus is actually kind of cute," Isabelle admitted. "I just love him in blue."

"Yeah, he is," I replied. Isabelle scooted closer to me, leaning forward so she wouldn't miss a word. I took a deep breath. "He kissed me, when he was talking to me."

Isabelle tried to be silent as I recapped what had happened, without divulging the fact I had fire powers that could kill someone. She was smiling like crazy by the end of it.

"That's so cute," she pointed out. "I knew when I saw you look at him; I totally knew you were into him. Just the way your eyes met. You have real chemistry."

"Thanks?" I guessed. "Look, I don't know what other people will think, so don't tell anyone. I don't want anyone judging me."

"I'll keep your secret," Isabelle promised. "You do you, Alec. We just have to figure out this world, and then we can deal with you and Magnus. Or should I say . . . Malec?"

"Don't even try and ship us, sister," I told her. "I don't even know exactly what it is."

"You poor thing," she said, but punched me in the arm.

When we got back to the Institute, all the adults were waiting for us. Except for Jace's father.

"Oh no," Jace said, stepping out of the car. "Dad's having one of his bad days today, isn't he?"

"No," Celine replied. "He just had a non-werewolf-related headache."

"That's what you always say!" Jace yelled. "I am so sick of your excuses! Ugh, Mom, you know I can tell if he's having one of his bad days." Jace angrily stomped up the steps, and slammed the heavy doors shut.

"I'll go after him," Layla said, sighing. She walked into the Institute, running after Jace.

Celine raked a hand through her hair. "Poor Jace."

"What's going on with Jace's father?" Max asked. Celine sighed.

"He was attacked by a werewolf a long time ago," she explained. "He really got banged up, and now, he's just floating in some weird limbo between werewolf, Shadowhunter, and mundane. He has his bad days and good days. I love him to death, but I don't know if there is a cure for this. We keep trying. Magnus Bane helps us a lot, and I thank him for that."

"So why did Jace act like he didn't know Magnus?" I asked.

"They don't get along," was all Celine said. It made sense to me.

Isabelle smilied. "You'll get to see Magnus more than you thought," she whispered into my ear. I blushed profusely, trying to cover my face.

"Shut up," I said. "Let's just go back into the Institute. I need to sit down and process stuff. Um, I'm not going to talk to you, but I need time to think."

Unfortunately, I didn't get that time to think. Almost immediately after I walked into the Institute, Layla came up to me, a goofy smile on her face.

"I really want to get to know you, Alec," Layla said. "You seem like such a nice person. Well, I guess I could ask you something." She took a deep breath. "What did you think of Magnus?"

"He's nice enough, I guess," I said. I didn't want to go into specifics, because that would lead to some awkward questions about Magnus, about my sexuality. "Everything's strange. I have powers, but I can't tell anyone about them. But if I do anything that a normal Shadowhunter can't do, call Magnus."

"You told me about your powers," Layla pointed out.

"Not specifically. Not like Magnus did. But he made me feel better. Maybe I can get my parents back from Valentine, too."

"I hope so, too," Layla replied. I tried to walk away from her, but she just followed me. "You know, you're kind of cute. Has anyone told you that before?"

"Umm . . . " I thought of Magnus, leaning closer to me, kissing me, how gentle he was, saying my name like it mattered. Him, saying I was sexy, that I turned him on. Yeah, someone had said I was "cute" before, but that was when I was younger. Not like Magnus. And Layla, right now, wasn't going to compare to him. "Kinda. When I was young."

"Well, you are cute!" Layla said. She blushed a little, twirling a strand of hair. "Um, look, I've never done this before, but-"

"Layla!" Jace yelled. "Get over here! Dad wants you!"

She sighed, and stamped her foot down on the ground. "Well, bye, Alec."

Wait-was Layla planning on asking me out? Oh, God, she had to be kidding me. Well, I hoped I could see Magnus again soon, because that would get me out of anything with Layla. And I really wanted to see him again, because I was feeling things for him. I wasn't sure what they were, but they were something.

I laid down on the cot in our room. There was a painting of an angel, but not like all the other ones. He was holding a flaming sword, ready to kill a super-freaky demon. It seemed familiar, but I couldn't place it. I didn't want to look at it, so I closed my eyes, but I could still see it behind my eyes. That thing was going to give me a lot of nightmares. Well, everything in this place was going to give me nightmares.

I thought of Magnus, and I knew I wasn't going to have nightmares. I was going to dream about Magnus, and-

"Stop thinking about sex," I told myself. But, well, Magnus made me think about sex. I'd never, ever thought about having sex, except for a bit of a logic issue when I first realized I liked boys. But if it was with Magnus, I wouldn't exactly mind.

I still had to work out exactly what I felt about Magnus. He was nice, and all, but since he was my first kiss and I'd never been a relationship before, I had to decide. Maybe if I got some sleep, it would help me.

I closed my eyes, and tried to fall asleep.

I hope you liked this chapter. As always, please review!