Haha I feel so evil. The same cliffhanger thing that I hate getting so much is in my writing. Muahahaha. I know how you feel! I started writing this chapter the day after I posted Chapter 5, and I already have 5 reviews. For me that is crazy. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters in this story except for my OCs. I wish I did, cuz if I did I would go and write a ton more books.
Isabelle's POV
Previously on When He Cheats…
I tell them what I've decided. "Okay guys, I decided that I…"
"... will become your guy's parabatai!" I beam at them. Clary's hands fly to her mouth. Alexa visibly steps back, the weight of my decision staggering her. Then they surround me with hugs. Clary fumbles in her pocket for her stele, then pauses.
"Do you want to do it now, or find some way to get the Clave to approve it so we can have some official ceremony?" she questions.
I shake my head. "Who cares about official when there are best friends to worry about?" Clary pulls out the stele, smiling.
"Okay, now we all need to hold each other's left hand." she directs. I do as she says, holding her left wrist with my left hand. She holds Alexa's wrist, and Alexa holds mine. Our hands form a triangle in the middle. Clary inks a black rune on my upper left arm, and I can feel Alexa's power surging through our bond. My eyes involuntarily close, and I can tell it happened to all of us. My wrist and arm sting like nothing I've ever felt as the power of the other girls flows into me, there to stay. When I open my eyes, the rune is on my arm, and when I look, the rune is on Clary's and Alexa's arms too, in the space that the parabatai rune previously occupied. I feel stronger. Tentatively, I reach out with my mind.
Clary? Alexa? I am beyond worried that it won't work, and all of our efforts will be for nothing. Then I feel something in my head, and my heart leaps. Yeah. It worked. It's Clary's voice, somehow conveying warmth and reassurance. Alexa chimes in. I thought that would drain my strength, but now I feel like I have new strength. More power. I look at my best friends, and pure happiness flows through me. I link arms with them, and we head back into the club. I come up with a plan to reveal our newfound bond, and I silently convey it to them. We don't tell anyone about it, or our bond, not even Alec, when he asks. We dance for the rest of the night, then get back to the Institute, very drunk. We stagger into bed, but thanks to a new rune Clary came up with, we don't wake up with monster hangovers.
Clary's POV
I fall into bed, exhilarated and tired as can be. I fall asleep before I can even change out of my dress. And I dream. It's Magnus' voice in the dream. I see Brad, me, and us together. Remember, Magnus whispers. You know what he is. Remember what he did. I can't help but wonder what he means, and suddenly a memory flies into my head. But it's one I don't remember. Brad is whipping me with a switch. I cry out each time. He keeps asking me a question.
"Where is she? WHERE IS SHE?!" he bellows, spit flying past his lips. I keep crying out that I don't know, that she is dead. He apparently doesn't believe me, because he keeps whipping me.
"What are you?" I yell, tears streaming down my face.
"I'm an ifrit. An ifrit with magic. You will never remember this." he growls. The memory ends.
I sit up in bed, sweating and breathing hard at my horrible dream. Then I remember that Izzy and Alexa can feel me, and I hastily slow my breathing so they don't wake. It seems to work. I slip out of bed into the shower, putting on pajamas after so I can sleep well. I fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Isabelle's POV
After downing a quick breakfast, I change into training clothes, taking a page out of Alexa's book and wearing double sports bras. We all get to the training room on time, all except Jace. When the clock turns to 8:00, Clary gets a wicked look on her face and begins to leave the room.
"Where are you going?" I question. Magnus, Alec and Simon look similarly confused. But Alexa and Brad look like Clary; maniacally pleased. Clary turns back.
"I did mean it when I said that if anyone was late to training I would drag them there personally. I'm gonna get Jace. Wanna come?" she asks. I grin. I love telling Jace what to do.
"Sure."
"Alexa?" Clary asks.
"I'll stay here. I want some extra time to stretch." Alexa intones, running up the wall into a double backflip. I look at Clary incredulously, and she shrugs.
"She is a Fairfox. They are known for agility." We head out of the training room towards Jace's room. I assume he slept in and that was why he missed breakfast. Clary reaches his door first, opening it. As she processed what was inside, her stare hardened and I swear she could have turned something to stone. Her lips compressed into a thin line. I jog up next to her, turning to the room and having a more shocked glare. Inside are Jace and some other girls on his bed, making out. Thankfully they are both clothed.
"You're late." Clary snaps, and I wince at the ice in her voice. You okay? I ask. No, what do you think? I rub her back where Jace and the other girl can't see.
Clary's POV
I hadn't realized how much it would hurt me, to see Jace kissing another girl. Then she turns in response to my voice, and my heart contracts another notch. I try to calm down, focusing on Izzy's soothing rubbing my back. It's Bianca. She is my nemesis from the Tampa Institute. "We are a little busy, bear. Run along and have someone else cuddle you." Ouch.
"I'm not here for you, Bianca." I say stiffly. "Actually, get out of here. You aren't welcome." She sneered at me.
"You can't do that, bear. Sorry." She doesn't sound sorry at all. Then, another voice that sounds furious chimes in.
"But I can." It's Alexa. She steps up. It is obvious she knows what was happening. "I am the head of this Institute. Therefore, since you are not a Shadowhunter in need of refuge, you live at the Tampa Institute, I very well have authority to kick you out. Leave." she orders, and I hide my surprise at her newfound attitude. Bianca looks like a wet cat- pissed off and ugly. Just like a cat, she stalks past the three of us, throwing me a furious glare. I return it.
Jace still hasn't said a word. He is looking from Alexa's furious glare to my stone-hard gaze. "You are late for training." I inform him stiffly.
Alexa's POV
"Clary, I…" He trails off. That's when Clary, already at the end of her tether, snaps.
"No, Jace, you don't get to do that! You don't get to 'Clary, I' me. You've already proven what I meant to you, 2 years ago. In fact, I don't care what you were just doing with Bianca. You two deserve each other. Now come with us, you are late for training. You'll train for an extra hour today, and you can't come to Stratosphere with us. And I would suggest hurrying so you have time to stretch, because we are kicking off training today with our fight. Get ready, because when I win, you get to choose between backing off me entirely or watching Brad and I make out." she sneers at him. He blinks several times.
I understand his reaction, and I have a similar one. I've only seen Clary like this one other time. Jace silently walks out, without a snappy retort for once. We follow him down to the training room. Alec, Magnus, and Simon are waiting for us. When the weight of Clary's glare, which seriously could turn something to rock, hits them, they seem surprised. Magnus then looks inquisitive, and it is clear to all of us that he is browsing through Clary's head.
When he finds what he is looking for, he raises his eyebrows and swears under his breath. "You didn't! Herondale, you are an idiot."
"What's going on?" Alec asks his boyfriend. Simon nods along. Magnus manages to summarize what just happened much better than any of us could.
"Jace was late to training because he was making out with Bianca, who lives in the Tampa Institute and is Clary's archnemesis." he says succinctly. Alec glares at his parabatai, shaking his head. I hear Isabelle's voice in my head. Let's do what we discussed, she suggests. I look at her and give a barely perceptible nod. On my other side, Clary nods as well.
"Okay!" she announces. "So, before I have my individual fight with Jace, I want to try a parabatai fight. That's when Alec and Jace will fight against me and my parabatai." I laugh, then decide to play the part all the way.
"You are going down." I say, trying to turn my laugh into an evil one.
"No chance." Jace snaps, his first words after Clary yelled at him. "We'll fight, and we'll win." I grin. Little do they know it will be two against three. Before anyone gets a chance to prepare, Magnus, who must have seen what was coming in Clary's memories, yells.
"3 2 1 GO! Fight! Fight! Fight!" he cheers. I hop off the mats I was sitting on, and walk towards the center of the room, my stance relaxed. Clary is in front, and by looking at the boys' expressions, I know that Izzy is following.
"Isabelle, this is a parabatai fight." Jace says patronizingly. Izzy just laughs.
"Oh, did we forget to tell you? Clary came up with another new rune. It means that now, we are a three way parabatai group." Alec grins. He must have guessed what was going on, but that didn't stop him. Without turning, Clary begins talking to me and Iz.
"Let's make this my individual fight as well. Alexa and Isabelle, take care of Alec. Then don't intervene. I will be fighting Jace."
"With pleasure." I respond. "Just so you guys know, whenever someone touches the mats, they become out. So whichever parabatai group has the last person standing wins!" Everyone agrees. Then I go on the attack. I leap into a twisting kick, catching Alec across the face. He stumbles back, disoriented. Before he can regain his senses, Izzy comes in and uses her leg to sweep his feet out from under him. I hold Izzy back for a second, letting him find his footing and get his wits about him.
"What are you doing?" Iz asks.
"Oh, you'll see. I have a… unique fighting style." I respond. Once Alec is prepared, I back up and get a running start. I hurdle into an aerial right in Alec's face. I kick him hard. Letting my training kick in, instead of losing my balance on Alec, I push off him the other way, changing my aerial into a backflip. I land it perfectly. "Was that a good demonstration of my abilities?" I ask innocently. Iz giggles, grabbing Alec under his arms to pull him onto the mats and eliminate him. But once she gets him on, his hand shoots up and grabs hers, pulling her next to him on the mat and successfully eliminating the both of them.
"Nice." I compliment Alec. It's a great move. Then I turn to Jace and Clary. Clary is unscathed, while Jace has a bloody nose and is holding himself. She clearly kicked him.
Clary's POV
I think I've successfully taken care of Jace, and I grab him to pull him off and eliminate him. When he is about a foot away from the mats, he grabs me and attempts to throw me onto the mat. His hands are in an unfortunate position, grabbing my hips. I freeze, memories spiraling through my brain of the lake in Edom. Jace seems to realize what he is doing at the same time as I do, and he immediately lets go.
"Sorry." he whispers. I shrug my shoulders, using the distraction as an opportunity to pull him onto the mats.
"I win." I respond finally. The awkward silence is broken with Magnus cheering. Everyone has seen what happened, but Magnus, bless his sparkles, is taking the focus off me so I can have a moment to get it together.
"New parabatai are the winners!" he hoots. I turn away from Jace.
"Okay! Jace, now you get to pick. Back off me, or watch me make out with Brad." He stands up quickly, some of his swagger back.
"Hm. I pick or."
I am not amused. "Jace, just pick one."
"Ugh, fine." he sighs exaggeratedly. "Make out." I smile, beckoning Brad over. He comes quickly.
"Thanks for giving me an excuse to." I respond before my lips come crashing onto Brad's. We kiss, and it is amazing, but I can't help thinking it doesn't compare to Jace. Last night's dream comes back to me, but I push it away. When we finally break apart, Jace is breathing hard. Before I say anything, he runs to me and kisses me. I am shocked, unconsciously reciprocating his move. Then I get my wits back, and I knee him in the balls. He immediately breaks away from me, bending over and holding himself as I look on coldly.
"You're an idiot." I mutter, turning away, eyes narrowed. Alexa comes up to me and starts to open her mouth to say something, but when she looks in my eyes, she stops, closing her mouth wordlessly. I do my best to convey my message to her through my eyes. I don't feel like telepathy right now. I can tell when she sees that I want to tell her something, and I do end up whispering it through our mind link. Make him pay, is my message. She nods, moving out of my path. I walk to the punching bag, all eyes on me. I break the silence.
"Hrah!" I grunt, throwing powerful punches. I spin into a flying kick, and the 200 lb punching bag is swinging like crazy. Jace's eyes widen in panic as I start towards him again. I laugh a cold, humorless laugh, pushing past him to the wall. I run at it at full speed, running 25 feet up the wall and pushing off into a triple layout, kicking the air. Alexa is prepared, because this is a move we have been practicing. She steadies my landing, and we turn back to back, drawing weapons from hidden sheaths. Breathing hard, we turn to the others.
"I think now is the time to prepare for Stratosphere." Isabelle says. I agree. Alexa and I go up to Iz, linking arms with her and turning our backs on the boys.
"Just remember, Jace. You can't come. Keep training. Everyone else, start getting ready. Johnathan will be here in an hour." I say without turning around. The girls and I walk out of the training room, ready to prepare.
Izzy does all of our makeup, this time making me look more exotic. My perfectly tan skin and toned muscles accent the makeup. I have a little bit of eyeshadow, Isabelle's makeup skills coming in handy for a perfect smoky eye. I also have some tinted lip gloss, keeping in the timeless and gorgeous style. I wear a green dress, with black lace. It has small sleeves and a different shade of emerald for the belt. It is perfect. It matches my eyes brilliantly. It looks amazing. Isabelle has a simple deep blue strapless dress and knee high black boots. Alexa puts on a red sleeveless dress, also an uncomplicated style. We all have the same sort of style tonight, simple but perfectly amazing. When we go down the stairs, the boys look amazed. I walk to them, but before Brad can grab me for a kiss, I turn to Magnus.
"Magnus, can I talk to you? Alone? There's just something that has been bugging me." I ask politely. The rest of the guys seem confused, but Magnus' expression shows an understanding of what I want to ask, agreeing immediately and drawing me off to the side. I cut straight to the chase. "Magnus, did you send the dream I had last night?" His eyes sparkle with pride.
"Pardon?" he asks, his voice completely different than the message his eyes convey. I nod, understanding how he wants me to ask this.
"I meant to say, hypothetically, could a very strong warlock send a dream? Maybe a High Warlock?"
"Well, hypothetically speaking of course, yes, they could." he replies. I get to my next question.
"Could this warlock possibly dredge up lost memories? Or could they just play a scenario in one's head?"
"Actually, a warlock, hypothetically, could bring back lost memories in the form of a dream, and they could have a sort of voiceover through this memory, but they could not create a scenario." His eyes are hypnotizing, the cat shape and yellow-green color spinning through my brain. Suddenly, as I realize what is going on, and the truth of my dream, I slump forwards, so shocked I cannot function properly. He catches me expertly, like he is used to woman fainting. I don't want to think about the implications of that, so instead I focus on what I just figured out. Brad is an ifrit who has magic, who is hurting me for information and taking away my memories of it.
Well! I hope you guys like this chapter. Just to remind you, an ifrit is basically a warlock with no magic. I love you guys sooo much that I decided to post again today, and my new thing will be, every time I get a review, I will go and work on the next chapter for a bit. Bye!