Chapter 5
Fin led Ayne down the sets of stairs slowly, and down the ornately decorated hall, until they were back in front of the big wooden doors. Fin looked at Ayne and smiled, for she looked nervous as her eyes flickered around her.
"Go ahead in, I'm going to go check on Madeleine." Clary said, and disappeared down another hallway.
Ayne's eyes furrowed in confusion, "Madeleine? Isn't that the woman I look like?" Ayne asked and laughed.
"No, that's my sister, my mother named her after the woman you look like though." Fin said, and pushed open the doors. Ayne hesitated before entering the room, and then hurried in, coming to a sudden stop when she saw both her parents and a young boy sitting clearly annoyed t being there. His presence confused him. Fin noticed that Jace looked slightly distressed, and suddenly releaved when he saw his son come in.
"Fin, Ayne why don't you sit down?" Jace asked, and gestured to the open seats around them.
"Ayne! I'm so glad you are okay I was worried, when I heard you had fainted—" Ayne's mother exclaimed and smiled tensely at her daughter.
Fin was shocked at the similarities in the way they sounded, their voices would have sounded identical if it weren't for his trained ear. They looked noting alike, but Fin had been expecting this, as Ayne had explained that she was adopted. Fin examined Ayne's father and noticed immediately, that his eyes were bright blue, and he was much taller then his own father. Maybe 6'5 or 6'7.
"Mom, what is going on?" Ayne interrupted, and went to stand infront of her parents, clearly not planning on sitting down.
The boy, Fin hadn't noticed looked at Ayne and nodded before looking back to Ayne's mother. "Yeah, what's going on Mom?"
Mom? Fin was confused, this was Ayne's brother….
"Ayne, maybe you should sit down." Boomed a deep but gentle voice. Fin looked over a realized it was Ayne's father speaking. He was broad shouldered, and his deep brown hair fell curly to his chin. He seemed fierce, and yet compassionate as he looked to his daughter. He seemed like the pinnacle idea of what a Shadowhunter should be.
"No, I think I will stand." Ayne snapped, and crossed her arms, just like what Fin's mother did when she was angry.
"Rohen, maybe I should explain, since I knew her the best, " Ayne's mother said to her husband. Rohen seemed to deliberate this and then nodded, leaning back in his seat.
"If that's what you think is best Sara," Rohen said.
"Ayne," Sara said, and then looked to her son, "Vince, there is you should know about our family. I know, it may come as a shock, and you may not believe us, but it is the honest truth, and we never meant it to hurt you."
Vince's eyes opened wide, and Ayne simply waited, to hear something she clearly already knew. "When your father and I got married, we didn't live in New Jersey like we told you two and Cornellia, we lived in a country in a hidden dimension, called Idris. We were very young, and we worked for a secret governement called the Clave, which is almost like a military government that runs these people called Shadowhunters that make up the country of Idris. Now, I know this may be hard to understand but, Shadowhunters are a part of an ancient world that most people believe to be myths, and simply a story, but it is not a made up world, it is very very real." Sara stopped, and looked at Rohen who nodded her in encouragement. "This world is a world of demons, angels, heaven and hell, along with warlocks, faeries, even werewolves and vampires. Our family the Roseleaf family and the Bellefleur family, which is our real last names" Fin almost gaped at the realization that Ayne's mother must have been related to the infamous Madeleine Bellefleur, "came from a long line of something called a Shadowhunter. Shadowhunters, are humans given the power from angels to fight and kill demons."
Sara paused, letting Vince and Ayne absorb this. Ayne already knew most of this, but Fin noticed she was still shocked, and Vince was frozen.
"You may not believe me, but it is true. I swear to God it is." Sara said, and frowned as if she expected what Ayne was about to say.
"Believe you? Mom, you have lied to us for our whole lives. You kept the truth about ourselves from us!" Ayne almost shouted. "How am I to trust what you are saying now? How can I trust anything you say!"
"Because she is your mother, Ayne," Rohen said firmly.
"Not my real mother," Ayne mumbled, and Fin flinched as he heard a painful gasp come from Sara, and watched as tears rolled down her cheeks.
There was a tense silence, while Rohen gripped his wife hand, and a door banged as Clary entered the room.
She quickly took in the rooms atmosphere, and quickly ran over to sit by Jace. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I thought I should be here."
Rohen nodded, and looked at Jace, almost like he was trying to communicate. Jace straightened and looked to Clary.
"I know it may be hard to believe, I know, it was so difficult to wrap my head around a new world that I didn't think existed, and it was even worse to know what to believe, but it is the honest truth what your mother is saying, I promise." Clary said, and nodded in reassurance.
Fin saw Ayne look at Clary and almost seemed to read her thoughts. His mother, who Ayne had never met before, who had never lied to her before, was telling her something that she couldn't help but believe. Clary was easy to read even for a stranger, and Fin knew Ayne would believe her.
"Then why did you leave?" Ayne asked, turning back to her mother.
Sara looked to Clary and said, "I know, I left because I was scared, but they should know what happened."
Clary nodded, and looked to Fin's father. Jace straightened up again and began to explain what had happened so many years ago here in New York and in Idris. Fin knew the story well, for it was in their history books now, and he had heard his parents resight it more then once to friends and family. He sat down on the love seat across from his parents, and patted the seat next to him where after a moment, Ayne came and sat.
There were moments when Vince seemed to relax into a sleepy stupor and moments when he tensed up again at some realization at the reality of this story. Ayne simply sat and listened, her arms still crossed. After many minutes of Jace and Clary exchanging information back and forth, they finally went silent and waited for one of them to speak.
"So this is true? We are Shadowhunters? Or we have Shadowhunter blood in us?" Vince asked and smiled hugely.
Sara looked at her son, astonished. "Yes, does that make you happy or something?"
"This is by far the coolest thing I have ever heard in my life," Vince grinned and looked at Ayne, "don't you think?"
"No, this is ridiculous. I can't understand why you couldn't have told us." Ayne muttered, glaring at her parents, and Vince.
Fin could help but admire how she held her anger up so long, thought he could tell it was beginning to recede.
"C'mon Ayne, it's pretty cool. I mean yeah, they lied to us, but who gives a shit when it makes up for it in power and appeal?" he winked at Clary and she laughed to herself. Jace looked shocked.
"How do I know I have Shadowhunter blood in me if I don't even know who parents are?" Ayne said, ignoring her brother.
"Well I think that's something we should discuss." Jace spoke up.
"Oh, so you know Madeleine was her mother?" Sara asked, and Ayne froze.
"Yes, Clary and I figured that out for ourselves. But we don't understand where she got eyes like that if she is only Shadowhunter, they are quite a gift don't you think?" Jace asked, and looked at curiously.
"They are gorgeous yes. But we don't know where she got her eyes. Madeleine died only a few weeks after she gave birth to Ayne. She never told me who the father was." Sara said and then looked at Ayne curiously like Jace did.
"How did you know my mother?" Ayne asked, her tone near accusive.
"I was her cousin, when I finished school and moved further into Idris, we became very close."
Ayne just recrossed her arms.
"And Madeleine went to the Seelie Court to work there for a few years didn't she?" Clary asked.
"Yes, she was dispatched there to work on an alliance with the Seelie Queen, but it didn't really work out. When her time there was up she came home, but left almost instantly saying she couldn't let the Clave know she was pregnant," Sara who Fin thought seemed confident in what Madeleine had told her seemed strange to her now, "Now that I think about it, that seemed very out of Madeleine's character…" Sara's eyes glazed over and then she gasped, "You don't think she got pregnant with a Seelie child do you?"
"Clary pointed out her eyes to me, and I know that the Seelie Court don't traditionally have eyes like that… the only faerie I have even seen with lavender eyes was of the Unseelie Court." Jace spoke with caution. He seemed worried about what Sara and Rohen would say.
There was another tense moment, but it was different this time. Fin thought of what this could have meant, and realized that the Unseelie were viciously cruel, and mischievous far worse then the Seelie. Fin looked at Ayne who looked worried, as she must have noticed how her parents and Jace and Clary were looking at her. Even Vince was watching her reluctantly.
"What? What's wrong with the Unseelie?" Ayne whispered, her lavender eyes fluttering from person to person anxiously.
"They are very naughty faeries. They are merciless, and very coldhearted, you see they are the offspring of Unseel demons and angels. Unseel demons are very evil creatures that are far worse then the Seel demons that make up the Seelie faeries. Unseelie faeries are dangerous." Jace said, and Ayne shivered.
"You mean, I have demon blood inside me?" Ayne asked, looking down at her hands in shock and disgust. "That would explain my raging fits, why I need something to physically calm me before I go beserk…"
Sara looked at Rohen and he frowned. "How could Madeleine not tell us?"
"Maybe she was ashamed.." Rohen said, and dropped his head in doubt, but he almost seemed like he was telling something true.
"Ashamed because she was carrying a monster inside her." Fin heard Ayne whisper, and watched as she stood abruptly, tears pooling in her eyes, and bolted for the door.
"No! Ayne that's not what I meant!" Rohen shouted, but he was too late, his words had took affect and Ayne had begun to feel them.
Fin couldn't resist the urge that compelled him to follow her, as she ran down the halls. He raced after her silently, and noticed at once, her speed. He could barely keep up with her. Fast just like a faerie… he thought.
Ayne wasn't sure if she was going the right way, as she sprinted toward the elevator, but felt as if she were going the right way when she noticed the light was fading in the expensive looking halls. She almost smiled when she saw the elevator, and quickly jumped in and pressed the button that would lead her to fresh air and some solid ground.
She started running right when the bell rang and the doors opened. She shoved the church doors open happily, and nearly sighed as she raked in the dirty Brooklyn air into her lungs. And then she remembered what her father had said.
Ashamed.. she thought. Because she was having a baby that would be evil. Ayne nearly choked on her breath at the thought. Despite not knowing her birth mother, she couldn't help but feel a pang of pain at the thought of her mother not wanting her. Ayne dropped down to sit on the steps, and began to cry. She didn't even care when she heard the church doors creep open and someone walk up beside her.
"Ayne, are you okay?" Fin's melodic voice came from behind her, and she blushed at the idea of him seeing her cry. She had blushed a lot since he had picked her up that day. Especially when he grabbed her off the bed….
"Not really, no." She laughed humorlessly, and turned to see Fin frowning in front of her. She couldn't believe anyone could look unhappy and possibly be so beautiful.
"I figured." He agreed, and came to sit next to her. "My mother took this very like you did, as far as I know."
"Your mother has been through a lot," Ayne said and thought of the story she had been told, and was surprised someone coming from humble beginnings had ended up in such a good place.
"But she hadn't been through anything near what she went through before all of that happened. She basically walked into a society that was plagued with terrible corruption and very death threatening rules. Everyday for a Shadowhunter is surrounded by death, and my mother entered that world with a blindfold on."
"But at least she is part angel and not part demon." Ayne whispered, she felt her tears spill over her eyelids, and felt as a warm hand wiped them away.
"Ayne, you aren't part demon, you are part faerie. You still have angel blood inside you, just like me. Just with faeries the demon blood has more of a dominant isn't anything wrong with that. Unseelie's maybe be cruel, but they are still beautiful, and fierce, and they can be extremely loyal. Having demon blood is only a bad thing when it is in a Greater demon," Ayne looked at Fin in confusion, "They are hard to explain, but they are what they sound like. In any case, all faerie's have demon blood, as well as vampires, and werewolves, even warlocks. They all come from some sort of demon kind, whether it's a virus or they are a parent, they still have demon blood. Not all of them are bad." Fin reassured her, his hand still on her cheek. He hadn't realized that it must have seemed inappropriate for him to do that, in the light of the moment, and also because they hardly knew each other. Fin snatched his hand away, and Ayne felt the warmth leave her face. Her face flushed when she realized how much she wanted him to keep his hard there.
"How do you know so much?" Ayne asked, trying to stop thinking about what she felt about this boy and more about the task at hand.
"My parents run the Institute, my family is filled with werewolves, vampires and warlocks, and I am also a very skilled Shadowhunter," he bragged and winked.
Ayne ignored his gloating, "Wouldn't that make you have demon blood?"
"No, no, my uncle Simon, he is a vampire, and we aren't related by blood, but he is my cousin Max's father. And my grandfather is a werewolf, you heard about Luke? He is my grandmother's husband. We are also not related by blood. And then my uncle Alec, his partner—my uncle—is Magnus Bane, the High Warlock in Brooklyn. He is my cousin Eaden's father, of sorts. I'm not blood related to any of them."
"Then I don't really see your point." Ayne frowned. Her mind sidetracked suddenly and she thought of Quinn, who must have been pissed beyond words at Ayne for not calling, or telling her she was going to bail.
"Silly mundie," Fin teased, "My point is that none of these people are evil, or monsters. They are my family, and I love them very much. Despite their relation to demons."
Ayne sighed, though Fin's words eased her mind slightly, she still had other worries. "I just can't believe that all of this is happening. Yesterday, I was eating dinner with my ex-boyfriend, worrying about how to let him down easy about not wanting to get back together, and now here I sit in Brooklyn, with the new knowledge that I am part demon killer, part evil faerie."
Ayne sighed and looked at Fin, who seemed preoccupied by something she had said. "What?" Ayne asked.
"Nothing," Fin mumbled, and he looked at her with worry. "Are you feeling any better?"
"No. Just as I feel better about one part of this mess, another thing pops into my head, and I feel terrible again." Ayne shivered and rubbed her goosebumped arms.
Fin shuffled closer to her and slowly took of his jacket she hadn't noticed him wearing and handed it to her lightly. "Here," he smiled. Ayne tried to smile back, but couldn't quite find the power. "What keeps popping into your head?"
"Well now I'm thinking about how everything my parents have ever told me is a lie. When they said they lived in Jersey, they really weren't, when they said my grandparents were dead, I presume that they aren't. When they said my parents had given me up for adoption when I was a month old, my mother was actually dead… All this time, I have thought my life was one way, when really it wasn't completely another. I don't know what's true. I don't know what parts of my life even actually happened," Ayne slipped her hands into Fin's jacket and leaned into her hands, "Everything feels blurry now."
Ayne felt a slight tension in the air as Fin lifted his hand to lay on her shoulder, in comfort. "It will all turn out well, Ayne, I promise."
"How do you know that?" Ayne whispered, and looked up to see Fin, frowning at her. Ayne noticed that even when he was sad his face smoldered brilliantly, and his eyes boar into her hers as she looked at him.
"With the life I live, and from mine and my family's experience, optimism doesn't hurt in the long run." Fin's face was still intense as he said this, but he seemed to almost lighten the mood slightly.
Ayne thought of how they were alike in a way, they were both Shadowhunter blood, but had something else foreign and magical within them as well. Ayne was intrigued by Fin, and leaned forward to him, "What kind of life do you live Fin?"
Fin sighed, and suddenly broke his gaze away from Ayne. "Its complicated and its filled with a lot of violence and death…. But I believe in what I do like a priest believes in his religion. Some people like your parents, didn't believe in what the Shadowhunters do, but that is there decision. The Shadowhunting world is like a religion that people these days chose to or not to believe in. It wasn't like that 20 years ago, but like everything else, the Shadowhunting world changes. But to answer your question, it is a very dangerous life, which is why we have to stay positive, otherwise, we would get nowhere."
Ayne thought about Fin's words but couldn't quite understand how his life would be dangerous, since he has no idea what killing demon's entailed. When she thought about that she could only picture Ghostbusters…
"I can't imagine it," Ayne laughed, still thinking of Ghostbusters.
"I'm not surprised to can't," Fin whispered quietly, and when Ayne looked at him, he realized he was looking at her, almost in admiration.
"What do you mean by that?" Ayne asked. She had meant to sound offended but after catching sight of Fin's nearly entranced face, she could hardly speak. Why is he so gorgeous? And why on earth is he looking at me like that? She wondered to herself.
Fin shook his head, and smiled to himself, still looking intently at Ayne. "I saw you dancing today…" Ayne blushed immediately and looked away quickly.
"That's beyond embarrassing…" Ayne sighed, and put her head back in her hands.
"Why?" Fin exclaimed. Ayne looked up again, and his face was almost angry.
She furrowed her eyebrows, "Because I was off today, and my solo isn't done."
"Off day? I can't imagine what you are like on a good day… Because I have never seen anyone move like that…ever."
Ayne's breath caught at Fin's words, and slowly, a smiled spread across her face. "Thank you," she whispered. When Ben used to compliment her she just rejected it and thought he was just saying it. But with Fin, she hardly knew him, and yet he felt the ened to tell her how good she was. It seemed that Fin, a boy she had met yesterday's words meant more then Ben who she has known all of high school.
Fin smiled, "Where did you learn to do all of that?"
"Well," Ayne thought for a moment and smiled, "I guess I have always just had a likeness toward it, that's why my mother, or Sara I guess, I don't really know what to call her, that's why she enrolled me. After 2 years at a small studio in Boston— which is where we lived at the time—Julliard's director of dance saw me perform and said I had talent, and referred us his daughter Lanna, who runs Steps on Broadway. It wasn't going to work out for a while, and then my dad—Robert got transferred to New York, and then I got to train with Lanna. She has known me since I was 9. I can't take credit for my skills, it was all her and her father."
Fin seemed thoughtful for a moment and then looked at her curiously. "You are amazing."
"Thank you, again." She smiled, the night was beginning to chill slowly, and she shivered as a gust of wind blew passed her.
"Are you cold?" He asked, and started to shrug off his tailored leather jacket. Ayne couldn't help but stare at his white shirt that covered his perfectly sculpted chest.
"Um… yes." Ayne said slowly, still staring at the beautiful boy in front of her.
"Here," he said and passed the jacket to her, and she slid her arms in and breathed in deeply, taking in the smell that was like cinnamon and chai tea. It was full of spice and warmth. "Better?"
"Yeah. Thanks." She smiled, and looked back out onto the road.
"So what are you going to do now?" Fin asked. "I mean you are a faerie and a Shadowhunter. You are powerful."
"I don't know anything about this world, I have no desire to be a demon killer, or whatever a faerie does. I have wanted to dance my entire life, I don't want to do anything else of be a part of anything else."
"So will you just forget about all this then?" Fin asked, his tone almost bitter. "You aren't even interested in the glory of being a Shadowhunter, you just want to be a daft mundane?"
"I was raised like a mundane…and I don't exactly consider myself daft. We aren't stupid people, we are just unconsciously ignorant of whats around us." Ayne snapped, and stood up, insulted by Fin's reference to mundanes.
"Well its too bad they are ignorant of something that is so significantly better then what they have.." Fin laughed, and then fell silent.
"You are pretty confident in yourself aren't you?" Ayne asked and turned around to see him watching her critically.
"I was raised like that. I can't exactly help my pigheadedness." Fin shrugged but continued to watch her.
"What?" Ayne snapped, she was suddenly feeling angry, and her body tensed in response.
"You are graceful, even when you're angry." He smiled. "Just like a faerie…and fierce with passion like a Shadowhunter."
"And?" Ayne asked, crossing her arms.
"It's fascinating." He shrugged.
Ayne frowned, her anger suddenly fading. "I'm not a science experiment."
"No, but you are a hybrid of two very powerful beings. Its going to be interesting to see which one comes out the most in your character. I wouldn't be surprised if you were the most mischevious thing alive" He winked and smiled, coming to stand next to Ayne.
"What do you mean its going to be interesting?" She asked, her stomach clenching at the idea she had of what he meant.
"I'm not just going to let someone like you just leave!" He laughed. "You are unique!"
Ayne blushed, but couldn't help but be slightly in awe at the new knowledge of what she was. "So you and I are going to be spending some time together?"
"Yes, I hope so." Fin whispered, and looked down her body and smiled gently.
Ayne almost replied happily but was cut off by a deep rumbling of noise, almost like stomping feet thundering down a path. A sharp buzzing sounded from Fin's jacket pocket, and Ayne looked to Fin curiously, and was shocked to see his face furious and fierce. Before she could as what was happening, Ayne turned as the trumbling approached them, only to see dark bull like figures charging toward them, red eyes glowing from their deadly looking faces.
Here is another chapter! Be ready for some major fun now ;)
I will post another chapter tonight just because I like to write chapter every time I post one, just so I don't run out of material!
Enjoy and review :)
-MW