5

Clary was ready. She just wanted all this crap to be over with so she could continue with her dream life in London.

So, Clary just nodded, grabbing another drink and then following Alec back into the room. Groaning, Clary approached Isabelle and Maia, who had passed out curled around each other in a way that Clary founds irritatingly adorable, and shook both awake letting them know what was happening. Alec pushed his computer further towards where the three girls now sat, and Clary grabbed it, considering the screen.

Confusion hit her like a blow when she saw the location, reading it a couple times to make sure she wasn't just going crazy.

"Are you sure this is right?" Isabelle pushed, and Alec nodded, looking slightly offended at the question.

"I know it doesn't make any sense at all, but I guarantee, this is exactly where the number led to." Clary shook her head, and Maia grabbed the computer to get a closer look. Jace appeared behind where Clary was seated and squatted in between her and Alec, his knees brushing her back and he leaned forward, looking at the location as well.

"Victoria?" Maia questioned, her eyes scrunching together, and Clary could practically see the wires in her head heating up. "Victoria, Canada." She added, stating it louder this time, turning her head to look at Clary, who had her knees pulled to her chest and arms wrapped around them. "As in, your home?" Maia finished. Clary nodded, rubbing her eyes with her sleeves.

"How could Sebastian send this message from Canada when he was here tonight? Is he working with someone in Victoria?" Isabelle interrogated, shooting her head towards Jace and Alec. "Come on, you guys are the specialists." Isabelle pushed, and Maia placed a hand on her shoulder, obviously trying to calm her down.

"Well, logically, he didn't," Jace started, and Clary couldn't help but scoff at that, earning a smile from Alec. "There's only a few options we're looking at here. He either has a person in Victoria he hired to send this message, or-"

"He had the message sent from Victoria any time ago and just let it go through now." Alec finished for him, and Jace nodded, not even seeming to be bothered that Alec totally cut him off.

"How the hell does that work?" Isabelle asked, flicking Maia's hand off her shoulder and coming over to Clary to stroke her hair, a comforting move Isabelle had realized quickly was one of the only things that calmed Clary down.

"It's simple tech really," Alec started, almost looking in awe. "It's clever, but you send it from the location, save it, and then send it again when needed. I used to do it for Jace as a kid all the time whenever he snuck out so his parents thought he was still at home." Isabelle looked to Alec in awe, and Maia came over to the two girls, resting her head on Isabelle's shoulder.

"Okay, not needed." Jace said, but Clary didn't miss the glance he sent her way. "So, he had it sent after tonight, but it was written in Victoria. The question is, did he go to Victoria himself for it or have someone else write it for him?" He asked, looking at the three girls.

"I've never seen him before today. Plus, I don't think there's anyone in Victoria who would want me dead or would help him with this, but I really don't know anything anymore." Clary said, getting up and grabbing her beer from the couch where she had placed it, sitting down on the couch and taking a sip. There was an eerie silence, and Clary knew everyone was thinking the same thing but none of them saying it.

Suddenly, Jace received a phone call, causing Clary to jump. Jace immediately picked up the phone, placing it against his ear.

"Hello, Jace Herondale here. Yeah, I'm with them right now. Yup, alright, sounds good, see you in a few. Thanks." He hung up, and then stood up abruptly, causing Clary to jump a second time. "It was Aline. She wants us all to go to her firm. She says she has news." Jace shrugged, beckoning Clary and the others to follow him. Clary stood, sighed, and pulled her shoes and jacket on, readying herself for the next life changing news she would be hit with.

Clary slammed the car door closed, following Maia and Isabelle to the door to the firm. She had insisted that they take the Tube, but Jace had ended up winning the argument and they called a cab instead. Clary approached the door, taking a couple deep breathes and closing her eyes. When she opened them again, she realized everyone had gone inside except Jace, who was standing at the doorway, waiting for her. Clary advanced to him until she was right in front of him, and he opened the door for her.

"You'll get through this, I promise." Jace said quietly into Clary's ear, causing a shiver up her spine. He ushered her inside, and she stood towards the back of the exact room she had been in not three hours ago. From the looks of it, Aline had barely moved, if she even had.

"Ah, Clary," She started, looking up, and Clary prepped herself for the worst, "I need you to call your mom right now. We need to know if she's ever met or seen Sebastian before." She finished, looking back up from her computer when Clary didn't make a move. "Well, get to it." Aline finished, looking back up at Clary and nodding her head towards her.

Clary pulled out her phone, and looked up at her friends, earning a nod from Maia to continue and a pat on the shoulder from Isabelle. Clary dialed her mom's number, already knowing how irritated her mom was going to be when she found out Clary was spending money on overseas calls. Clary took a deep breath, already dreading how she would explain this to her mom.

The phone dialing stopped, and Clary looked to her phone in surprise. She couldn't remember the last time her mom didn't answer her calls. She looked up again as her mom's voicemail rang out, and Clary rapidly dialed her mom's number again, trying not to panic. Her mom was busy with work, that was it. This time, the phone was picked up on the fourth ring, causing Clary to let out a breath in relief.

"Mom? Hey, I need to talk to you about something." Clary said, taking a few steps closer and sitting down on the couch she had sat on earlier. Her mom didn't say anything, and Clary heard some sort of static whooshing through the phone. She looked at it in confusion. "Mom? Are you there?" Clary knit her brows as the static became louder.

"Cla..ar..ry?" A soft voice tremored, and Clary started shaking at her mom's quiet voice.

"Hey, mom, what's wrong, are you okay?" Clary asked, her voice getting louder and faster. Both Jace and Alec approached where Clary was sitting, Jace taking a seat right next to her.

"Clary… wha..what's happen..ing?" Her mom's voice a barely, audible, and she sounded as if she had been crying.

"Mom? Where are you? What do you mean? Mom?!" Clary practically yelled at her phone, looking up at Jace with an open face of anguish, who stared back at her with a face of calm she wished she could achieve in moments of stress. Suddenly, a different voice rang out over the phone.

"Hello Clary. Funny to catch you twice in one night." Clary froze, hand trembling, as she realized whose voice was on the other end of the phone, and what that implied. She practically jumped out of her frozen haze when a warm hand clasped her shoulder, giving her some attempt at comfort.

"Who… who is this?" Clary asked, although she already knew and dreaded the answer. Aline had stood up and drifted over to Clary, and Clary realized that Aline had been recording the whole conversation. Looking down at Clary, Aline took the phone from Clary's hand and retreated over to her desk with it, the call still holding. Without thinking, Clary leaned herself back into Jace's arm, craving comfort from another body, but Jace really didn't seem to mind.

Finally, after 2 minutes of Clary stressing over what the answer may be, a reply rang out through the phone sitting on Aline's desk.

"Why, Clary Fray, I have a feeling you know exactly who I am." The voice rang, deep and terrifying, every word pronounced and dark. "We do share the same father, after all."