~Alec~
I watched Jace leave the room, his footsteps echoing through the garden. Biting my lip, I picked up the bags that the tacos had been in and I picked up all the trash around the area Jace and I had sat in, putting the trash in the bag. I stood there for a little while, looking around at the still shining flowers, before I finally left the garden and headed towards my own room.
On the way down the dark hall, I found a trash can and threw the bag inside it. Sighing and still chewing my lip, I continued down the hall. When I finally reached my room, I silently opened the door and slipped inside, not even bothering to turn on a lamp, witchlight, or any other light source as I slipped into bed. I wasn't sure what to make of tonight...when Jace said we would, perhaps, meet in the garden tomorrow night as well, what did he mean? Well, even though I wasn't so sure he meant we'd do that EVERY night then, I, at least, did know that he only meant as friends.
Well... I thought, perhaps...one day... I sighed. Or maybe not, I thought to myself. The last thing I thought as I closed my eyes was, Maybe I could ask that warlock, Bane, for advice...
Maybe. But maybe not... I thought, as I drifted off to sleep.
Light shined harshly through the window, shining in my eyes, as I awoke to the sound of someone knocking heavily on my door. I looked at the clock. UGH. 7:00 AM. Who could it be at this hour? Usually, no one knocked on his door to wake him unless he'd accidentally slept past breakfast, at 8. Why would anyone wake him at 7:00 now?
"What is it?" I asked groggily as I sat up, rubbing my eyes, and stood. Crap... I'd fallen asleep fully clothed...I guess I hadn't been paying attention when I'd slipped into bed last night. Sighing, I slowly walked over to my dresser, grabbed a clean, black shirt, and changed into it, unwilling to change into new pants as well since my current ones, black jeans, had only been worn since yesterday. Oh well.
As another knock came from outside my door, I strode over to the door and, as I jerked it open, said "Who is it?"
I paused, looking at who stood there. I gave an internal sigh as the man, his black hair spiked in the back and his arms crossed, smiled.
"Hello, Lightwood." said Bane. Confused, I rubbed my eyes and said, "Why are you here?"
"Why not?" he asked. When I gave him a glare, he uncrossed his arms and put his hands on his hips. Finally, he said, "I am here because I was called upon by your sister, Isabelle."
"And why would she call upon you?" I asked stubbornly.
"Because, Alexander, apparently there is news that you all must hear..." He re-crossed his arms. "But before you hear it, Isabelle has instructed me to wake you all up." He smiled. "You are the last one. Everyone else is on the first floor, in the main welcoming room or whatever you call it."
"You mean the room where people walk in at?"
"Yes, that is what I mean." He said, nonchalantly studying his nails. "So, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to get whatever this is over with so I may return to my home and tend to my earlier activities."
I rolled my eyes, but followed Bane to the elevator. He pushed the down button and we stepped inside. I pushed the button that said "ground floor" and the elevator doors shut, leaving me alone with Bane. Biting my lip, I stared at the wall as the elevator took us down a few floors. When we stopped going down, and the elevator doors opened, I headed out the doors before Bane could even moves. When the two of us reached the main hall, I saw everyone standing there, looking confused, worried, and curious.
Jace stood beside Clary, talking quietly to her. Clary's face was pale and she had a grave look of fright on her face. She said something to Jace, and he shrugged, saying something back at her.
Isabelle was pacing, looking as if she was ready to crawl out of her skin with worry. Beside where Izzy was pacing, Hodge stood, a solemn, yet serious, look painted on his face. I didn't even feel like taking the time to ask Hodge why he was not at lunch, or, even, down for dinner, because 1, I didn't care, 2, because I, myself, was not even at dinner, because I was with Jace in the garden, and 3, because I saw the pained looks in everyone's eyes and decided this was not the time.
"What's going on...?" I asked as Bane and I stopped walking so we stood beside Clary and Jace. Then I noticed someone was...missing...
"Clary?" I asked. "Jace?" I looked at each of them. Jace's eyes showed curiosity, wonder, worry, and confusion deep in them where Alec had always been able to see, but if one looked on the surface, he just looked...well, he just looked bored.
Clary, however, looked frantic. Her eyes, unlike Jace's, showed worry, confusion, fright, and panic.
Hesitating, I looked around, then back, slowly, at them. "Where's Simon?" I asked.
At that, Isabelle stopped pacing, Hodge looked up, Jace stood still, Clary bit her lip, looking like she was biting back tears, and Magnus Bane pointed to the middle of the room.
"Look." he said. Everyone looked where the warlock was pointed, to see a vampire projected in the middle of the room. Raphael, to be exact, looked at them all.
"I have news." he said. "I've already informed Isabelle that I would be showing up..." he looked around, then at himself."Well, not really showing up, but...you get it."
"Just tell us the news, Raphael." Hodge said, impatient. The vampire smoothed the sleeves of his shirt and then looked forward once more.
"Your friend, I'm sorry to say," he began. "Is to be a Vampire."
Silence. Silence took over the room, and after even that there was more silence. After several moments, everyone reacted in different ways.
Hodge took a step back. Isabelle swallowed and stared, blankly, before a stressed look of worry took over her face. Jace stared at Raphael, then at Clary, then at no one in particular and he seemed to look more taken aback than I'd ever seen him. When Clary took several steps back, looking as if she'd fall, he reached out and steadied her, whispering something that sounded like, "Damnit." then, as he let her go, sure she wouldn't fall, he mumbled something that sounded like, "Mundanes are always getting into trouble."
Magnus Bane stood up straight as I tried to clear my head. "Now I know why I was called upon." Bane said aloud. Raphael nodded.
"I instructed Isabelle to call upon you after I buried him in the dark hours of the morning, because there's one difficulty that will need taken care of after he has risen..."
"And what is that?" Clary asked, shaken, worried for her friend. Before Raphael could answer, Magnus did so for him, looking at Clary, then to Isabelle.
"I must enchant the Institute and the vampire; otherwise your friend may not enter the Institute ever again."
Jace smirked. "Why is that a bad thing?"
"Shut up!" Clary shot him a hard glance, looking as though she was ready to pound him, even though she would, obviously, fail at that. Magnus sighed.
"I will do what I can." he said. "I'll see you tonight, when he will rise." Then he gave a swift, elegant bow and left the Institute.
We all watched him leave, then turned back to Raphael.
"I've already buried him." he said. "And we must meet at the nearest graveyard, where he is buried, tonight before midnight, so we can meet him when he rises."
We all nodded. Looks like the meeting with Jace in the garden tonight has abruptly been cancelled, I thought to myself. We were all silent for another moment, before Izzy spoke.
"Well..." She said. "We'll see you there..."
"I will be sure to bring blood." Raphael said. Clary's eyes widened a little and she stared at the vampire.
"What?" he asked. "New vampires need blood immediately. I will bring animal blood, although he'd probably appreciate fresh blood." he raised an eyebrow. "I doubt any of you want him after your blood, now." he said. No one spoke. "Exactly." at that, the projection of the vampire Raphael vanished, and the room was quiet.
"I gotta go..." Clary said, starting to walk away.
"Wait." Jace grabbed her arm, a stern look on his face. "Where are you going?" Clary shrugged him off of her and walked away.
"Why does it matter? I'm going to my room." then she was gone.