14
Trust
"You swear not a word about this will be spoken to anyone else but Jace and me?" Leigh-Ann asked Isabelle.
Isabelle nodded her head vigorously. "I won't even tell my brother."
"I wouldn't allow you to. He's on the Council and I can't risk that."
"Tell me, Leigh-Ann."
She looked away from her and took a deep breath before starting from the beginning of what she'd heard from Jonathan all the way to her summoning encounter with the Angel Gabriel. By the time she'd finished her story, they were standing in front of a clothing store in Idris.
"So, you're an Angel?" Isabelle asked. Leigh-Ann nodded. "Well, that explains what happened with those millions of demons."
"Wait…what millions of demons?" Leigh-Ann looked at her.
"Don't you remember?"
"No…And I do believe Magnus nearly let this slip but Jace wouldn't let him."
"…Why would people not want you to know that?"
Leigh-Ann knit her eyebrows and looked to the right. "That's an excellent question."
"Well, we were in the middle of battle when Valentine Morgenstern released a large heap of demons and summoned Raziel. Of course, he failed, but the demons had broken down all of the pillars that wielded them off. I believe we were fourteen. When things were getting at its worst, you just walked out into the middle of them all and they all stopped what they were doing as if you were their Queen. After they stopped, you began glowing and an immense amount of light exploded out of you. All of the demons shrieked and disintegrated and when you came back into view, you were sprawled across the ground unconscious."
"…Did you ever see me again after that?"
"No. You were concealed. Everyone was absolutely forbidden from seeing you. And then they set you on assignment all across the United States and continued living as you had and continued your missions as if nothing had happened."
"So…I have no memory of it then."
"I suppose not."
She looked to her right, knitting her eyebrows, and gnawing on her lower lip.
"Leigh-Ann, are you alright?"
"Yes, Isabelle. Let's get our shopping done so we can go home."
"Are you sure?"
"Come on, Isabelle." She walked into the store, not wanting to discuss it any further. Something was terribly wrong with this.
"Alright, now that we're done, how about we go find us someone to make a portal?" Isabelle said, with all her bags in arms. It had to be around three due to the sun's angle is what Leigh-Ann thought. They were standing on the sidewalk outside.
"I have a much faster way of getting home," Leigh-Ann told her.
"How do you suppose?"
She looked side-to-side before muttering, "Follow me," and began quickly walking down the sidewalk. She noticed an empty alley way and ran into it. She went to the darkest part when Isabelle ran into her.
"What are you doing? We need to go back to the Institute."
"That's exactly where we're going." Isabelle looked at her, utterly confused. Leigh-Ann pulled her stele out of her belt.
"What's that going to do?"
"I've learned that being an Angel has its own advantages." She smirked at Isabelle before beginning her drawing of the rune for a portal. When it formed, Isabelle gasped.
"How…?"
"I guess Angels can create new runes."
"But this isn't even legal; forming a portal on your own without it being supervised by the Clave."
"That's just it; they've never traced it; another Angelic quality. Now go before someone sees us."
Isabelle did as she was told and Leigh-Ann followed after her. When she was standing there in Isabelle's room of the Institute, Isabelle was bouncing up and down.
"Holy crap; I didn't know Angels could do that!"
Leigh-Ann couldn't help but giggle. "I actually discovered that I could create new runes a couple years back. I never told anyone; not even my Aunt. I was scared of getting in trouble or something. I mean has anyone ever heard of another Shadowhunter that had such a quality?"
"You do have a point." She nodded. "Well, let's get our stuff put away then." Leigh-Ann helped Isabelle load her things into her own divine wardrobe before Isabelle walked down with her to her own room to put her things away.
"Isabelle, thank you. I really couldn't thank you enough."
"Don't even thank me. It's so nice to have a girl other than my mother with me. I love Jace and Alec, but eventually, a girl needs to come along. And…thank you…for trusting me, Leigh-Ann. It means a great deal."
Leigh-Ann smiled at her. She thought about hugging her, but Isabelle must have read her expression and reached out and hugged Leigh-Ann herself. Leigh-Ann couldn't resist the comfortable sensation of somebody embracing her.
"I'm going to do whatever I can to help you, Leigh-Ann Grace," Isabelle told her.
It was like having a sister she'd never had before. "Thank you."
14