CHAPTER 4 – Mandate from Heaven

"Look, I'm sorry if I scared you before."

Joanna barely heard him as they walked down the halls of the Institute. You are one of the Nephilim, an ancient race descended from one man who mixed his blood with the blood of the Angel, Raziel. All Shadowhunters have the blood of the Angel in them.

"I just didn't believe you didn't know what you were, considering your mom's high standing in the Clave."

We fight to rid the Earth of demons that crawl into our world from other dimensions. That is our mandate from Heaven. The runes give us our power, and can only be drawn on the skin of a Shadowhunter.

Remington had told her so much that her head spun. Now Asher was taking her to her room – the one she'd be staying in so they could train her. Remington was merciful about one thing, though. He took one look at her face and said, "Let's wait until you're settled in to go through the details of why you're here."

Why was she here? Why hadn't her mother ever told her about this? Her mother, who went on frequent business trips. Her mother, who didn't like to talk about her work. Joanna had thought they'd had a good relationship despite the time apart, despite the death of Jo's dad when Jo was very young. But no, Patricia Devereau was a Shadowhunter. And a very important Shadowhunter at that.

We fight.

That is our mandate from Heaven.

You are one of the Nephilim.

Joanna still wasn't sure she believed any of this. It was too much. She shuffled along blindly behind Asher, following him down the halls of the Institute. Is this what shock feels like? She felt numb, like none of this was actually happening to her.

"Here's your room," Asher said, stopping in front of a door. He pulled out a key and unlocked the door before handing it to her. His fingers were warm when they brushed hers. She took the key in a daze and he pushed open the door, stepping back so she could go inside.

The room was very plain and very beige, spotlessly clean. It had a bed with the sheets pulled tight, a lamp sitting atop a nightstand, and a bare dresser with five drawers. There was another door that led to a bathroom and a window on the far wall.

"I'll be right back," Asher said, and Joanna stood there for a moment, listening to his retreating footsteps. Then she made her way over to the window and pulled back the curtain.

She gasped.

Joanna stared out at the Pacific Ocean, glittering in the sun. The Institute seemed to be perched on the very tip of the island, and waves crashed against the tumble of rocks below. The land curved out of sight on both sides, but Joanna could see where the rocks turned to sand and where the trees – tall hemlocks and pines – sprung up, as ancient as the stone of the windowsill beneath her fingers. Civilization was nowhere in sight.

"Nice view, huh?"

She turned quickly to see Asher standing in the doorway again. He was holding something by a strap, something black and familiar.

"My bag!" she exclaimed, reaching forward to snatch it out of his hands. He watched as she hugged it to her chest, feeling the comforting weight of her books inside. Then she remembered all at once and gasped again, scrambling to open the side pocket. Her phone tumbled out, and she dropped her bag as she scooped it up off the floor frantically.

A warm, scarred hand closed around her wrist.

"I wouldn't call anyone, if I were you." Fear burst inside her again and she jerked away from Asher.

"They won't believe you, and besides, you wouldn't want your mundane friends involved with Shadowhunter business. It can be dangerous," he went on as he pulled away from her, frowning as he muttered quietly, "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Dangerous?" she questioned, apprehension and dread sitting like a stone in the pit of her stomach.

"Demons," he replied casually, as if that explained everything. Joanna looked down at her phone again. One new text. The little words blinked on the screen. Glancing up guardedly, she opened the text. It was from Kirsten.

Where are you?

She swallowed hard and texted back, I'll be away for a few days. That was it. She hit send. She still wasn't sure what she believed, or more importantly, what was the truth, so she didn't write anything else.

"I just told them I'll be away for a while," she said, feeling the need to explain herself as Asher looked on darkly.

"Okay," he said, lightening up. "Would you like a tour of the Institute?"

"How long will I be here?" she asked, answering his question with a question.

"A few weeks," he replied.

"Weeks?" She couldn't seem to breathe right. She would be here for a few weeks? Weeks with people she didn't know, who kidnapped her, who believed in crazy things like demons?

"Patricia should be back in the next week," he added. Mom, JOanna thought. Mom will know what to do. But right now, Joanna didn't want to think about that. She didn't want to think about her mother, about her best friend or her boyfriend, about angels and demons and runes and fighting. She didn't want to think about the lies.

"No thank you," she said quietly, suddenly feeling very weary. She sat down abruptly on the bed. "No, I don't want a tour." I want to go home.

Asher nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him.

HEY EVERYBODY!

I'm sorry it's been so long since I last updated... my computer/Internet wasn't working right, but hopefully now everything is fixed. In the meantime I was writing, so I have the next 6 chapters for you! Hope that makes up for it! Thanks for reading & reviewing! You guys rock!

- Cat