Shout-outs from Claire:

I love you all immensely for putting up with me and my absences. And I swear on my soul (which I admittedly already sold to the theater), that I will be prompt from now on. School starting, you know how it is. I think. Also, we got a new choir director this year and he decided to baptize us through fire in one week of ten hours a day rehearsing. Things are back into a routine now, though. So everything is good.

Thank you again.

~ THEMESONGS ~

It's Time ~ Imagine Dragons

.C.I.W.

11. Alright?

"I just can't believe Simon," Isabelle said for about the tenth time that day. She, Madi, and I were lounging on a couch at the Institute, blalala line. Isabelle had been bitching about Simon on and off for the past few hours. "We weren't exclusive to me but we should have been to him. That's how these things work. And living with the guy who bit Maia? Seriously, he needs to get his act together."

I let my head fall onto my hands as Isabelle ranted on an on, staring pointedly at Madi until her eyes met mine. I let out an almost inaudible sigh, and Madi slowly nodded her head in an "I feel ya, bro" manner.

"Oh – hold on." Isabelle said, suddenly stopping her tirade. "Clary just texted me. 2-3-2 RIVERSIDE DRIVE. YOU NEED TO MEET ME THERE RIGHT AWAY." Isabelle read. "IT'S IMPORTANT."

She looked around at me and Madi, and both of us had perked up as she read aloud the text.

"I think I just found something to take out my anger on."

.C.I.W.

232 Riverside Drive (or the Church of Talto, if memory serves) was one of the ugliest buildings I'd ever seen. It was grey, square, and a slight point at the top. It was a sad excuse for a church.

Then again, a demon worshipping cult probably wouldn't have the same adornments as, say, the Vatican.

Madi tugged on the metal door handle, which opened easily with a slight hissing noise. Inside, we heard the sounds of a screaming… something. I really couldn't describe as any animal I'd ever heard before. Isabelle grinned, uncoiling the whip from her wrist and charging right on in. Madi wasn't far behind, unsheathing her seraph blades. I followed as I uncoiled my own whip.

The first thing I saw was a demon's ass. Then I saw Clary behind that demon's ass, frantically drawing something with her stele on a dagger in her hands.

"Copy-cat." Isabelle said, looking at the whip in my hands.

I shrugged. "Isn't copying the most sincere form of flattery?" I tried, and Isabelle smiled. Taking that as approval, I joined her in raising my whip and flicking it around the left neck of the demon, while Isabelle took the right.

The demon screamed more as our whips cut into its flesh, but that ceased immediately as we pulled tighter and the heads slid off with a thunk.

Leaping over to Clary, Madi started facing off with the middle head. Clary, after the surprise of our grand entrance, rejoined us as she finished drawing the runes on the dagger. With a small grunt, she hurled the knife at the last head. Hitting square in the skull. The demon sunk to the floor, dead.

"Damn girl," said Isabelle, surveying the scene before her. "What have you got yourself into now?"

.C.I.W.

"Okay," Isabelle said, shutting the first aid kit with a click. "You're pretty well iratz'ed up, but it'll take a little while for some of the bruises to fade. And these," she said, gesturing to where demon blood had spattered Clary, "probably won't go away until tomorrow. They'll heal better if you rest, though."

"That's fine. Thanks, Isabelle." Said Clary. Clary, Isabelle and I were sitting in one of the spare bedrooms at the Institute. Madi had run off somewhere that had more plot development while I chose to stay back. "Oh, and thank you all for coming and, you know, saving my life from whatever that was –"

"A Hydra demon, I told you. They have a lot of heads, but they're pretty dumb. And I liked what you did with that athame. Good thinking under pressure. That's just as a part of being a Shadowhunter as learning to punch holes in things." Isabelle flopped down on the bed next to Clary, sighing. "I should probably look up what I can find about the Church of Talto before the Conclave gets back. Maybe it'll help us figure out what's going on. The hospital, the babies – I don't like it."

"I think they were trying to make another baby like – like my brother," Clary said. "I think they experimented on some poor mundane woman. But she couldn't take it when the baby was born, and she lost her mind. It's just – who would do something like that? Someone like Valentine? One of his followers that never got caught, trying to carry on what he was doing?"

"Maybe," Isabelle sighed. "Or maybe just some demon-worshipping cult. There are plenty of those. Although I can't imagine why anyone would want to make more creatures like Sebastian."

"His real name is Jonathon –" Clary tried, but Isabelle cut her off.

"Jonathon is Jace's name. I won't call that monster by the same name my brother has," she insisted. "He'll always be Sebastian to me."

There was a pause, where neither of them knew what to say. I didn't feel like interrupting, so I also kept my mouth shut.

"Anyway," Isabelle finally continued. "I'm glad you texted me when you did. I could tell from your message that something weird was going on, and frankly I was bored –"

You were bored?

"Everyone's off doing something secret with the Conclave, and I didn't want to go because Simon's going to be there, and I hate him now."

"Simon is with the Conclave? I talked with him this morning and he didn't say anything about being with them."

"It's something to do with vampire politics. That's all I know."

"Do you think he's alright?" Clary asked nervously.

"He doesn't need you to protect him anymore, Clary," Isabelle sighed, sounding exasperated. "He could get blown up, shot at, and stabbed and he'd be just fine." She looked sideways at Clary. "I notice you didn't ask me why I hate Simon. I assume you knew about the two-timing thing?"

"I knew," Clary replied sheepishly. "Sorry."

Isabelle waved a hand absently. "You're his best friend, it would've been weird if you didn't."

I basically tuned out at that point. I really didn't need to hear them talk about boy problems I already knew the solutions to. Though I had to admit, being actually in the book made everything about the characters seem so real. Every aspect became so three-dimensional, instead inside a story and inside the author's words. They could actually be people.

"You'd think that the angel would be foresighted enough to give us a birth-control rune, but no dice." Isabelle finished. I had evidently come back into the conversation at an interesting time. Clary was beet-red.

"O-of course I'd be careful." She spluttered. "Enough, this is awkward."

"This is girl-talk. You only think it's awkward because you've spent your whole life with Simon as your only friend. Claire probably talks about this with her friends all the time in Ireland or wherever the hell you're from, don't you?"

"Uh, yeah…" I agreed, surprised at being drawn into the conversation. "All the time. It's completely normal."

"See? You just can't talk about it to Simon because that would be awkward. To every other girl, totally normal."

"And Jace really hasn't said anything to you about what's bothering him?" Clary prompted, still a bit embarrassed.

"He didn't have to," said Isabelle, getting up off the bed and looking in the mirror over the dresser. "With the way you've been acting, and Jace going around acting like someone's just died, it's not like I wouldn't have noticed sooner or later." She turned back to Clary with her hands on her hips. "You should have come and talked to me sooner."

"Is he at least alright?" Clary asked, voice like a mouse.

"No." Isabelle declared. "He is very much not alright. Are you?"

Clary lowered her eyes to her bandaged hands, and shook her head slowly.

"I didn't think so." Isabelle said.