Hi guys! It's me, Annie. I just want to say, you guys are the best. I have gotten an uncountable number of reviews. Please do give reviews that offer suggestions. I have gotten some, but most reviews just ask for me to update. Look! I am updating. DISCLAIMER: I don't own any Mortal Instruments characters. Cassandra Clare does. NOOO! I want to tell you guys my pass through TMI. First I read the books, then I read Tales from Shadowhunter Academy because it had Simon and I needed more from those characters. Then I read basically every TMI fanfic that wasn't in an AU. Then I decided to go as Clary for Halloween. Now here I am, writing and reading fanfiction! It's official- I'm addicted!
Clary's POV
Izzy, Alexa and I walked down the stairs. We had just gotten ready to go to Stratosphere, and the three of us were beyond excited to see how Brad, Johnathan, Simon, Jace, Alec and Magnus would react. We linked arms, laughing together. When we reached the bend in the stairs, and the guys came in view. They were waiting at the bottom of the stairs for us, talking among each other. When they saw us, though, the conversation gradually stopped as each guy turned to stare. Only Alec and Magnus continued conversing softly, although Alec turned an approving eye on us. The three of us stop on a stair halfway down, looking down at the boys with accepting views. They all are dressed in similar suits, and Jace looks so good I have to avert my eyes. Magnus makes me hide a laugh, because his suit has gotten the Magnus treatment. It's covered with glitter and sparkles. Instead, I let a small smile grow on my lips, meeting the eyes of all the guys before my gaze goes to my boyfriend.
I turn to the girls, and when I'm not facing the boys I can let out my pleased smile at the reaction of the guys. They both return it, and when we turn back we descend down the rest of the stairs. All the couples turn to each other, and Jace looks lost. Finally, we break gazes and Magnus cracks the wall of silence. "Clary, you look nice, biscuit."
"Thanks, Magnus." I respond, a curious smile on my face at the reactions of the others. They looked like fish with their mouths hanging open, Alexa says in my head. I hide my giggle. I agree. We look amazing, incredible, badass… Everything they just can't handle, I mock jokingly. Now it's Alexa who has to hide her chuckles. Soon enough, though, I turn to the boys, or more specifically, my boyfriend, and passionately kiss him. Brad responds enthusiastically, and Alexa has to break us apart.
"Quit sucking face, it's gross." she orders. "You do know I can feel it, and it's like I'm kissing my brother." She shudders.
"Oh relax, you know you want to do it too." I retort. She shrugs.
"You're kinda right. Johnathan! Come hither." Alexa orders. He comes over uncertainly. Isabelle just has to look at Simon, and he hastens to join us. I look at Alexa and she raises an eyebrow. Whenever you're ready. I take her up on the offer, kissing Brad again. Alexa and Johnathan go at it too, and Simon and Isabelle do so as well. Not to be left out, Magnus grabs Alec's face and kisses him, hard. Jace looks on sadly. When the four couples break away, he looks angry and practically yanks us out the door.
"How do you plan on getting us to Stratosphere?" he questions. In response, Alexa whips a tarp off of three gleaming motorcycles.
"Whoah." Izzy breathes. "Whose are those?" They are mine, Alexa's, and Brad's. For our 18th birthday, we all got one. Mine is green, Brad's is blue, and Alexa's is a shade of purple that matches her eyes perfectly.
"Ours." I say out loud in response to Isabelle's question. All of the gang seem suitably impressed. "Alec and Magnus will Portal there, and Brad, Alexa and I will each take another rider on ours. Johnathan can run with his werewolf speed." Everyone nods, satisfied with the explanation.
"I'll ride with Alexa." Isabelle volunteers. Simon starts towards my cycle, which I have already jumped on. Suddenly he stops with a surprised expression directed past my right shoulder. I turn, and Jace is standing there. He swings his leg over the back of the bike, and I sigh frustratedly. What did I do to get stuck with this guy? I question Alexa silently. She shrugs at me.
"Fine." I mutter. Then, more directed towards Jace, "Get ready for a bumpy ride. No helmets." I warn. He raises his eyebrow, and I again mirror his motion. He shakes his head and turns away, muttering something about creepy motions and something that rhymes suspiciously with mother ducking. I start the motorcycle, and Alec and Magnus go to the side of the Institute to create a Portal. I rev it up, and then I take off. The motorcycle zooms down the street, eating up ground at an impossible pace. I take the lead of our group, directing us onto a side road. Although it's hard to hear anything over the wind in my ears, I think Alexa and Brad laugh at my choice of direction. I grin, then becoming uncomfortably aware of Jace's arms wrapping around my waist.
I involuntarily relax, the familiarness of the gesture calming my mind. Then I see the takeoff, and I laugh. Jace sees the sign that states the bridge is broken, and warns of the collapse, and shouts in my ear, "What are you doing?!" I don't care to respond, leading the group off the bridge. Jace screams, which is immensely satisfying. Then the motorcycles begin flying.
"Oh, did I forget to mention? These are special motorcycles." I smirk at him. Then I speak to Alexa. Remind me to tease him about this. Jace actually screamed. I don't think he has ever screamed. This is going to be the most fun memory of this visit ever. I hear her response. I'm telling Izzy, was the immediate sentence. I laugh. "Alexa is telling Izzy how you screamed. We are never going to let you forget this." I speak, using a normal voice, letting the wind carry my words back to him. He groans.
The motorcycles soon touch down outside of Stratosphere, a fun ride coming to an end. We meet up with Alec, Magnus, and Johnathan and head in, skipping the long lines of mundanes. Ignoring the dirty looks we receive, we walk in, the bouncers whispering that there are 8 demons tonight, all male. The three girls of the group walk to the demons. They all look something like a combination of Brad Pitt and Zac Efron to the demons, but to our Shadowhunter eyes they are ugly as hell. Thank the angel they always stick together in groups. Izzy, Alexa and I start dancing provocatively, in such a way as that no straight male could resist.
I notice 3 demons behind me, and I enthusiastically grind into them. Their friends have descended onto Alexa and Isabelle, but suddenly they stop and gravitate to me. I find myself surrounded by eight demons, Alexa and Iz forgotten. Through the gaps in between the demons, I see the other girls, looking lost and confused, but mostly worried for me. I raise my chin and smile confidently at them. Alexa relaxes, because she knows the full extent of my abilities. Isabelle still seems a little worried, but Alexa whispers in her ear and she calms down. Returning my focus to the demons, I continue to grind into them, inviting them into a supply closet that Alexa, Brad and I always use for demon killing.
"Shouldn't we take this somewhere a little more… private?" I request, smiling sexily at the leader of the demons. As I had hoped, he nods, leading his followers with me to the closet. Once in there, I drop the facade.
"I swear, you demons get dumber every time I kill you." I say, shaking my head in mock disappointment.
"Nephilim." one of them hisses. I raise my eyebrows and lean in close to his face.
"Yeah." I nod tauntingly. Then I begin my attack. The demon I am leaning close to disintigrates when I open my seraph blade into it. Then I leap up inhumanly high, flipping and twisting just as I would do with the Levitate rune, only I don't have a single rune on me. I sense, rather than see, the rest of the gang come in, Brad and Alec restraining Jace from immediately intervening. When I come down, my seraph blade plunges into one demon's back, and the instant before it disappears, I use it's body as a springboard, carrying me to the next demon, who I make quick work of. I hit the ground and sense two demons coming up behind me on either side. I take out my other seraph blade, plunging them into the ribs of the demons.
This leaves me with three demons to face, the leader and his two lackeys. They circle me cautiously, but I will have none of that. I lunge out and kill the lackeys, looking the demon in the eyes. "I didn't become the best shadowhunter ever for no reason." I tell him patronizingly, before plunging my blades into his lungs. He dies instantly. I hook the blades into my two thigh sheaths casually, moving with a fluid grace. Glancing over at the others, I see their mouths literally open. All but Alexa and Brad, who are looking at me with a critical eye. Alexa speaks first.
"Next time, try and get your second blade out faster. You fumbled it for a second." I nod, agreeing with her.
"Pity there wasn't more." I add.
"More?" Jace says incredulously. "What do you mean more? You just had to fight off 8 demons by yourself, and you want more?"
"Yes, you understand!" I smile cheerfully. "I've fought off 50 demons before with just Alexa and Brad. As I told the demon… I'm not the best shadowhunter ever by sitting on my ass. Now that you understand that, we can go dance! Great!" I push past him, grabbing Brad's hand and pulling him out of the closet and onto the dance floor. After a few romantic dances, I go over to Alexa, who has by now emerged from the closet with everyone else. Grabbing her and Izzy, we begin dancing together. This is nothing like the dance we danced when we were attracting the demons. This is a dance between best friends who are rocking out. Suddenly, Here's To Never Growing Up by Avril Lavigne comes on. (A/N This is one of my favorite songs. It is perfect to dance to and you guys should listen to it.)
Singing Radiohead at the top of our lungs
With the boom box blaring as we're falling in love
I got a bottle of whatever, but it's getting us drunk
Singing here's to never growing up
Call up all our friends
Go hard this weekend
For no damn reason,
I don't think we'll ever change
Meet you at the spot,
Half past ten o'clock
We don't ever stop,
And we're never gonna change
Say, won't you say forever
Stay, if you stay forever
Hey, we can stay forever young
Singing radiohead at the top of our lungs
With the boom box blaring as we're falling in love…
I keep singing the song, dancing my heart out. This song is the best song to dance to. Beside me, my two best girlfriends in the world dance like crazies, and I laugh at them, then realize that I'm dancing the same way. Suddenly, a rune comes into my brain and, knowing what it means, I silently ask Alexa what she thought of it. She responds enthusiastically, urging me to go on. I take a deep breath and talk out loud this time.
"Isabelle, Alexa!" I shout in their ears over the music. "Will you come outside with me? I need to talk to you guys." Izzy nods, a little confused. Alexa looks at me and takes a deep breath. I hope she says yes. I nod almost unconsciously. Me too.
Once outside I tell Izzy. "Isabelle, I just thought of a rune. I know what it means, and basically, it means…" I hesitate.
"What?" Iz asks, the gold flecks in her dark eyes sparkling with a hint of worry. I sigh, getting my thoughts in order.
"It means that we could be a three-way parabatai group. You would receive a little of my rune creating power, and some of Alexa's rune strengthening power. We could communicate in our heads, just like Alexa and I are. I know if I hadn't left, we would eventually become parabatai. But it's totally up to you. If you want some time to decide, that's fine." I add hurriedly. I'm so nervous that she will say no. I missed Izzy more than I thought. She hesitates, and I think the worst.
Isabelle's POV
I am so surprised by what Clary is telling me. But I am more shocked by the look in her eyes. She really wants me to say yes. I thought that when she left, she was shedding Jace like a snake skin, but also shedding me and everyone in her previous life that my idiot brother had ruined. Alexa looks nervous too. I didn't realize that I meant this much to the other girls. It feels good, but I'm still unsure. I don't want to say yes and then find out that they were just pitying me and didn't really mean it. I realize Clary and Alexa are staring at me expectantly, and shake my thoughts off.
"Um… could you give me until the end of the night to decide?" I ask uncertainly, and Clary is practically falling over herself to agree. I hide a laugh, then turn more serious. "But it means a lot that you would offer, Clary. And Alexa! You could've just kept Clary for yourself."
"No chance." Alexa laughs, but tears are forming in her eyes. A rare side of Alexa I've never seen is appearing.
"Whatever I do decide… You guys are the best friends ever. Group hug!" I squeal, my nervous brain reverting to happy Isabelle, silly Izzy. I immediately regret it, but Clary and Alexa just laugh and pull me in for a group hug. It feels so good. I pull away first, smiling at them and going into Stratosphere. I know who I need to talk to, and push through the crowd, finally finding them and interrupting their passionate kiss.
"Alec, I need to talk to you. Come on." I drag him away, ignoring his protests and attempts to go back to Magnus. Once we are outside and alone, or as alone as we can be outside a nightclub, I turn to him and talk.
"Alexa and Clary offered for me to be parabatai with them." I blurt. Instantly his protests stop.
"Iz, you can't have a three way parabatai group." His blue eyes are dark with worry.
"Yeah, unless you have Clary and her rune power, creating a rune, plus Alexa's strengthening rune power to make it strong enough to recreate the parabatai bond." I grin at him, my everything-is-possible attitude coming out. For a minute he looks shocked, then he wraps his brain around it. "I need help deciding what to say. I told them I would give a decision by the end of the night. Two years ago, I would have said yes instantly, but…"
"But you're worried she has changed." Alec finishes.
"Exactly! She's so much better of a shadowhunter now, and she has had at least a year with a parabatai, and…" I trail off, picking up my sentence with what I really want to ask. "What do I do?" My voice is soft and desperate, a tone I don't think I have ever used. Alec thinks for a minute. Finally, he answers, but it isn't the answer I wanted.
"I can't help you decide. Sure, I have an opinion, but I wouldn't feel right influencing you to one decision. It's completely up to you. But, can I tell Magnus why you pulled me away?" I am disappointed, but I realize the sense in what he is saying.
"No, don't tell Magnus just yet. I want to figure this out first." He nods, giving me a look of brotherly concern and encouragement. Then he heads inside. I stay out there, thinking hard. Then I realize I know what has to happen, what I have to decide. The thought of knowing what to do makes it feel like a giant weight has been raised off my shoulders, and, decisions no longer hanging above my head, I go inside to keep dancing, lighter than air after my choice has been made. Alec spots me coming in and breaks away from his sparkly warlock.
"What did you decide?" he asks. "And can I tell Magnus?" I whisper my revelation in his ear, and he nods.
"Please don't tell Magnus. I feel like Alexa and Clary deserve to know first." With an understanding look, he whispers to me.
"That's what I would've done." We share a conspiratorial look, and I head off to find Clary and Alexa.
"I decided." I tell them. Instantly they spin around, looking at me anxiously. I school my face, making it so they can't see my choice on my face. "Let's go outside." I suggest. They obediently follow me out. I stop my careful facade as soon as we are outside, and their reaction is clear. I pause dramatically, drawing out the moment as long as possible. Their expressions are clearly expectant of an answer. I don't talk, crossing my arms, waiting for one of them to talk first. I raise my eyes to the sky, showing an immense amount of patience. I'm seriously prepared to wait all night for one of them to speak first. Finally, Alexa breaks the silence.
"Oh, stop preening and just tell us your decision!" she snaps, and I can't hold back my surprised laughter at her outburst. Clary starts giggling too. Alexa joins our laughter, seemingly surprised by herself. I look down at her, eyebrows raised with my breathless laughter rocking my tall frame.
"Thank you, Alexa. I needed that." I finally gasp. Once we have all settled, little outbursts of giggles still coming out as we think back on what just happened, I tell them what I've decided. "Okay guys, I decided that I…"
CLIFFHANGER! What has happened to me? I hate reading cliffhangers! But they are way more fun to write cuz you know what happens but no one else does. I must be driving you guys crazy! Also, I just wanted to say, just because I am posting early this week doesn't mean that I am posting again this weekend. I might! But I might not. I haven't gotten any new reviews that are anything other than for me to update so… But I have gotten some new favorites and followers. I'm hoping that I will with this cliffhanger, so to everyone who already did favorite and/or follow this story… I'm sorry to torture you! I feel like I already know what Isabelle will choose, but if you have an opinion, please comment!