Madi, here. On my end of the universe, I've started college. So, yes. Don't worry, I'll still find time to write.

~ THEMESONGS ~

Pale Blue Eyes ~ The Kills

Roll with the Punches ~ Lenka

.M.I.W.

12. The Newest Paradox

There really wasn't much for me to do after the fight at the Church of Talto. The fight itself wasn't as entertaining as I'd hoped. Clary had taken the demon down – all I had to do was wave my shiny, glowy swords at the monster to distract it.

I hadn't even gotten a scratch.

And yes, I've just made 'glowy' a word.

I guess it was just because whatever the Mortal Instruments girls seemed to do, I couldn't find much interest in it.

So, remembering that Simon and Jace might currently be doing something more exciting and useful with their time, I decided to see what they were up to.

I pushed through the doors that led into an adjoining circular stone room known as the Sanctuary. The room was dim, only a few flickering lights kept the room lighted. The room was surrounded by pillars. Attached to one of them, wrapped in silver chains, was a woman with yellow hair and pale skin, looking a little more than ragged.

"What the hell is this?" I asked to no one in particular as I looked around the room.

At that, I caught the gaze of an ever-disapproving Maryse, who looked like she was about to give me a whole spiel about how I shouldn't be in the room. Except… I didn't get it. Instead, she merely inclined her head, and I gave a cool 'sup nod' in return. Oh yes, never underestimate the power of a 'sup nod.'

"We'll have to send him a fire message." Maryse continued saying to a large, burly man standing next to her. Her eyes stayed on mine. "Madi, you've returned from… Scotland, was it?"

I shrugged. "More or less. I heard you guys were having some issues. I thought I'd drop by."

"It's a pleasure to have you." She said tersely, looking anxious to get going wherever she had to. "I must go, but you will be briefed –"

"Don't even worry about it, Mrs. Lightwood." I replied politely. "Everything on my end is taken care of."

Without a goodbye, she and the man beside her were making their way out of the Sanctuary.

It was then that I found Jace and Simon hanging back near the other end of the room. I walked towards them, sticking my hands in the pockets of my Shadowhunter jacket. "Well you guys certainly had an eventful evening." I noted as I stepped into their group.

"We did all right." Jace said just as shortly as his adopted mother, making me arch an eyebrow. He was only looking at Simon, though. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure they're going to wind up summoning Magnus back here. Maryse wants information, and she wants it bad. She knows Camille wasn't killing those Shadowhunters just for blood. There are easier ways to get blood."

"Doesn't that sound delicious." I muttered darkly as I saw Simon's cringe.

"Well," the other boy said, trying to be optimistic. "I guess that means Alec will be back. So that's good, right?"

"I know I've missed him." I replied.

"Sure." Jace said tonelessly. When looking at him closely, I realized that he seemed quite a bit more exhausted than before, and I had the sudden urge to reach out and give him a comforting pat on the shoulder.

But me? The fail at comforting people? Yeah right.

"At least your plan worked." Simon said. "It was a good idea."

I was about to offer up some lame joke about how Simon should be careful with giving Jace compliments, but from the look on the Shadowhunter's face, I didn't think I would need to.

Plus, I was beginning to feel like I was being watched. A familiar paranoid feeling crept over me and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end – a trait learned from fighting or what, I wasn't sure – and my desire for reaching for one of my seraph blades grow.

But instead of doing the latter, I turned towards a stone pillar.

There, I found myself locked in a haze of jade green, practically glaring at me. Well, not practically, she was glaring at me. Pearl white fangs sprouted from her full lips as blonde hair fell limply in her face.

Vampire.

Compelled by something I didn't even know, I stepped towards her, abandoning Simon's lame attempts at conversation.

I stood in front of the strange woman, now held back in chains. I suddenly realized I remembered her. She was the vampire I'd seen in the street. Same blonde hair (now disheveled), same mischievous gaze (now looking a little tired), same Victorian era outfit (once again disheveled). Looking her over, there was no mistaking it.

"Madison Verdantia." The woman said breathlessly. "We meet again."

"Right." I agreed slowly. "The street. I distinctly remember you trying to make a pass at me, and I refused. The statement still stands, but I'm flattered, really."

She cracked a small smile at that. "And just as arrogant as before. How time does you wonders, child."

Time? My brows furrowed at that. "Who are you?"

"Oh, you tease." She scoffed quietly. "But you were before as well. I suppose I'm not surprised – it was a long time ago. What saddens me though is the lack of impression I seemed to have made on you, and the excess of one you've made on me."

"Yeah, well, I have that effect on people." I answered dryly. "How long ago is 'a long time ago' for you?"

Her eyes twinkled merrily. "You truly have no idea, do you?" She inquired.

I was beginning to get annoyed. "No idea about what? I swear, if you don't start giving me straight answers here, bloodsucker –"

"What's all this about yanking poor Magnus and Alec back from their vacation?" Isabelle demanded, breaking the suddenly thick air transpiring between me and the strange vampire in front of me. "They have opera tickets!"

I glanced over to see Isabelle trouncing down the stairs towards Jace and Simon, Claire trailing behind. I looked back at the vampire to see her still smiling.

"Camille Belcourt." She said quietly. "That is my name. Maybe that shall remind you."

What scared me was that there were bells ringing in the back of my mind, chiming that I should know her.

I narrowed my eyes, but stepped back towards the rapidly growing group as Jace was explaining to Isabelle why Magnus and Alec were being 'yanked from their vacation.' I continued to look at the vampire as she smirked back. Then Claire took to stand next to me.

"Are you okay?" She asked, bringing my attention back to reality. I looked at her. "You look seriously out of it. Did you get brain damage from that fight?"

"No." I replied. "I was just thinking… We should start training or something after this, if you want to fight in the end, and all."

A huge smile lit up her features immediately after I suggested it.

"Fine." Isabelle sighed, bringing everyone (which I'm sure includes you, audience) back to the A-plot of this story. "But the whole thing's ridiculous. She's just stalling for time. What could she possibly have to say to Magnus?" She glanced over my head to probably look at Camille, who I was not going to look at for the rest of the night if my life depended on it. "Is that blessed metal?"

Jace nodded. "The manacles are lined to protect her wrists, but if she moves too much…" He made a sizzling sound at the end, and I noticed the dim spark of indignation behind Simon's eyes at the move. I reached out and punched Jace's arm, effectively cutting him off.

"We get it." I snapped when he looked down at me in annoyance.

"Well, while you were off trapping vampires, we were uptown fighting off a Hydra demon," Isabelle said casually. "With Clary."

Jace snapped to attention then, glaring from Isabelle, and then to me. "With Clary? You took her demon hunting with you? Isabelle –"

"Of course not." Isabelle responded. "She was already well into the fight by the time we got there."

"A hell of it too." I agreed, finding myself smirk. "I've really missed killing brainless demons. All brute strength, killer jaws –"

This time I got elbowed by Claire. When I glared at her, she glared back. "We get it." She said.

"How did you know –?"

"Magical devices called cellphones, Jace." I answered. "She texted us."

"So we went." Isabelle finished, just beginning to examine her nails.

"She texted you?" He demanded. "Is she all right, did she get hurt?"

"Yes, she's bleeding to death." Isabelle drawled, tone all sarcasm. "But I thought I'd avoid telling you right away, because I like to draw the suspense out."

Oh, Isabelle, the fangirl side of me thought, how you had me at hello.

"She's here?" Jace asked.

I rolled my eyes. "No, Jace, of course not. We didn't want to stain the carpets. Maryse is a stickler for those, remember? No, she's in an abandoned alley."

He glared at me, and I shrugged. "If you ask stupid questions, I'm going to give you stupid answers."

"She's upstairs." Isabelle said. "Resting –"

But Jace was already gone, running through the doors of the Sanctuary, and to Clary. I sighed.

"You can't really have thought he was going to do anything else." Simon said.

.M.I.W.

Claire flew at me with everything she had, her fists poised for attack. I already saw the move coming, and ducked under her fist. I then hooked my ankle around one of hers, and forced her to do a faceplant on the hard gym floor.

"Come on, Claire, you said you wanted to fight in the end." I said dryly as I walked around her. "This half-assed punching isn't giving me much reassurance."

"Because we've been at this for three hours." She growled, pulling herself to her feet. "Three hours and I just killed a demon."

"I'm teaching you endurance." I informed her. "You're never going to just fight one opponent – that's wishful thinking, rookie."

"I told you to quit calling me that." She snapped, whipping around and flinging herself towards me.

"I'll stop after you stop acting like one." I sidestepped her, feeling slight remorse kicking in when she stumbled past me.

Maybe I was being too hard on her, and maybe I wasn't. Maybe I was taking my anger out on her from everything that was spiraling into some black hole I couldn't see the end of, and maybe I wasn't. Maybe I was just trying to make sure she would be safe after I was gone, and maybe I wasn't. Maybe I was really training my replacement, the next Verdantia.

And maybe I wasn't.

Watching Claire pull herself to her feet again, my thoughts were already years ahead of where I was standing. Seeing her in my hand-me-down gear (or maybe she wouldn't be as sentimental and have her own), pulling herself up from being pushed down, a silver whip in hand glinting in sunlight.

She could be amazing.

But would I let her? That was the real question. She would want to continue, but I don't think I could let her. Let her deal with seeing death stacked on death, probably get shot up with gene enhancers where she would throw up blood, be staked, stabbed, and whatever else this life would throw at her…

It was enough to make my legs give out on me on the spot. And that was the honest to… to the universe's truth. Enough to make me beg – yes, beg – Claire not to go on. Leave now while she still had the chance. I couldn't force this life on anyone, no one deserved it. Hell, maybe I didn't even deserve it. But I was leaving it soon enough, and maybe I should get started to accepting it.

But that didn't mean I was going to sit around and do nothing. Rookies still needed training, and I still had a couple of questions that needed answers.

"So… Camille Belcourt…" I started off casually as Claire flew at me with one – two jabs that I dodged with relative ease. She reached out to punch again, and I deflected it, jabbing her in the stomach.

She took a few steps back, grabbing her stomach as she wheezed for air. "What about her?"

"Did you find something… familiar about her?" I asked just as Claire ran towards me again.

I ducked under her first fist, and out from under her flailing limbs. She'd lost balance on her own accord with that one.

"Also, try not to think of only moving your fists." I suggested. "Right then you could've kneed me in the ribs. Think with your whole body."

She nodded as she regained her footing, turning around to face me again, pulling her fists in front of her defensively. "Camille is in the Infernal Devices. With Jem, Will, and Tessa. She's Magnus' ex or something."

The Infernal Devices? That book took place one hundred…

Of course.

I immediately straightened up from my mock fighting stance, dropping my arms to my sides. "I think that's enough for tonight." I said.

The other girl sighed in relief, and we both made our way towards the other end of the gym. I reached the bench a few seconds before Claire, already picking up a towel to dry my face that was damp from sweat.

When I put the towel down, I saw her already looking at my critically.

"You're sure you're okay?" She asked.

"Positive. Get some sleep, you're going to need it for tomorrow's training." I smirked, which made her groan in frustration.

"You're not going to bed?"

I glanced towards the door leading out, and shook my head. "I think I'm going to do a bit of practice myself." I admitted.

.M.I.W.

More musings of a dying Madi. Just because I feel like we've had far too few of them. If you were in Madi's shoes, would you let Claire take your place as the next Verdantian?