Lacie: Don't Shoot! *holds hands up defensively*
Clary: You've been gone for almost two weeks!
Chris: That's not cool.
Lacie: I know, I know, *puts head in hands* but I've been so busy! School!
Clary: No excuses!
Chris: Are we still doing that whole open studio thing?
Lacie: yes! And we've had some pretty interesting requests….
Clary: As long as they make Chris mad ;)
Chris: How cruel. Are you sure red-haired Clary has no demon blood in her.
Clary: I'm not demonic !
Chris: Well you're not angelic either. Nor are you a mundane, or a warlock.
Clary: Then what am I? Huh? huh!
Hagrid: You're a wizard Clary
Lacie: O-O
Chris: o.O who is this fat guy with a beard?
Clary: XD Take me to Hogwarts!
Lacie: Um…
*Harry Potter rushes in*
Harry: Hagrid! You thick headed lug, you're in the wrong studio!
Lacie: OO?
Hagrid: What? Clary, Harry, you're names rhyme and you're both the main character? So what? Besides, she looks like Ginny.
Harry: She looks nothing like Ginny! Now quite fooling and hurry on! Voldemort is doing something weird in this other fanfiction!*they leave*
Lacie:…..umm… I don't own TMI. Or Harry Potter…
Enjoy!
Alec POV
Alec groaned.
For about the tenth day straight, he'd woken up about two minutes before his alarm went off. He'd been trained to wake up every day at seven a.m, no exceptions, doesn't matter if he's had a hangover, though he hardly touched any alcoholic drinks, doesn't matter if he spent the whole night up and went to bed at five in the morning, his mind would automatically awaken at seven on the dot. He didn't know why he still had his clock in the room, a habit he guessed.
But recently he's been waking up several minutes before his alarm went off and it irritated him to no end. Logically, two minutes weren't actually going to help him at all, but he couldn't help but be annoyed, like his own mind was nettling with him.
Even though his alarm would sound again, he refused to let these two minutes go to waste. His eyes were shut before his head hit the pillow once more, and he was already feeling his mind slip away again…..
"Alec! Are you up yet? I need to talk to you!" Izzy's persistent knocking felt like a jackhammer to his brain. Not opening his eyes, he called out in a peeved voice, "What do you want?"
"It's about Jace, I haven't seen him since yesterday. Mom doesn't think he slept here last night." Isabelle stayed on the other side of the door, which was strange, because knowing her, it was her norm to just barge into his room no matter what was going on.
"So? Jace is always missing." Alec knew he had to be a little more sensitive, especially towards his parabatai, but it wasn't uncommon for Jace to just disappear from time to time.
"Mom's worried either way, with what's going on and everything, we're already up and changed and in the library. Are you changed yet? What have you been doing?"
Sleeping. Like all of you should be doing.
"Give me a minute, I'll be there soon." He called out. The sound of Isabelle's boots clanked down the hallway, soon out of hearing range, and when she was gone, he settled back into bed.
Just one more minute…
RIIIIIIINNNNGGGG
That morning, Alec's poor alarm clock was magically replaced by dented metal and broken glass.
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Walking down the cold hallways of the Institute, Alec ran a hand through his disheveled hair. He hadn't bothered to do anything other than run some water over his face and change into dark jeans and a gray sweater. The thick tapestry that decorated the high windows of the cathedral like edifice looked dark and ubiquitous, as if Raziel popped out of the Lake with a sword and chalice just to hunt Alec down no matter where he went.
At the corner of his eye, he saw something move, and for a split second, he expected to see Raziel charge at him, the ethereal form using the mortal sword to take his life. But when he turned his head, all he saw was Church, lazing around and arching his back as he awoke from a nap.
Extending his hand to the cat, he called, crouching on the ground, "Come here Church."
The blue Persian strolled over to him, purring under Alec's touch. "You're definitely not an avenging angel, right?"
Church made a weird sound that was between a hiss and like he was hacking up a hairball. The cat's yellow eyes caused Alec's heart to almost skip a beat, reminding him of Magnus. Shaking his head, he tried to cancel out those thoughts. He had other things to worry about.
"We've never really gotten along, have we Church? Then again, you don't seem to get along with anyone. Except if they give you food."
"Hey, I give him food, and he still doesn't like me." Isabelle rounded a corner, and came strutting down toward him and Church. Upon seeing her, Church fled, quickly disappearing in that smoky way that belonged only to the feline species.
Straightening up to his full height, Alec muttered, "If everyone judged you by your cooking I can assure you you'd have less friends than a dolphin has gills."
"I heard that, and by the way, dolphins don't have gills. They're mammals."
Alec looked at her through lowered eyelashes, "I know that."
"Why yo-!"
"Weren't we meeting in the library?" he quickly asked, getting off of the topic of his sister's cooking. In fact, he'd rather his sister's cooking not even be a topic.
Izzy looked like the matter was far from settled, but moved on. "Mom's busy. She got this call from the Clave and she got all fussy. Kicked me out and told me she'd talk to us later, but in the meantime, we should go look for Jace."
"What was the call about?" Lately, calls from the Clave, or anything from the Clave in this case, caused his mother to internally groan. It was starting to affect him too. Maybe if he asked her in private she would tell him.
"How should I know?" Isabelle asked defensively, "My ass got kicked out before I even noticed the door was being shut in my face." She was pouting, and making that look when she didn't think something was fair. The look was so childlike that anyone would think that Izzy was making it on purpose. But Alec knew her better, and deep down inside his older brother instincts, Izzy would always be the little girl in a braid who wanted nothing more but to follow him and Jace to hunt demons.
Isabelle walked past him, going toward the elevator doors. Pressing the button going down, the sound of moving cables and shuttering metal approached, until the doors opened with a ding. Stepping inside, Alec followed her, riding the elevator down in silence.
"Have you tried calling his cellphone?" Alec asked to break the silence.
"Yeah, a couple times, but he won't pick up."
"He probably just wants some time alone." Alec knew Jace, more than Jace could ever comprehend, but when his parabatai needed some solo time, he knew well enough to step back and let him have it. But then follow him behind his back because Jace was Jace and he tended to get into meaningless fights and be stupid.
When the doors opened, both siblings stepped out, going towards the front door, past the pews.
"I'm sure Jace will be just fine-"Alec said, trying to comfort his sister, but also to convince himself.
"It's not just that, last night, Jace called Mom. He said he got a text from," Izzy coughed like she had something in her throat, but Alec found it a little too sudden. "From, someone, saying that they saw Sebastian in Canada."
"What? Why are you just telling me now?" Alec was hurt. He should be informed of these things.
"Does it matter?" Her hand was positioned to open the door, but she paused for a second to look at him. "We know about as much about that message now than we did then, even if we told you, would it have changed anything?"
"Still would've been nice to know," Alec scowled.
Izzy tugged the door open, and almost ran straight into Jace's outstretched hand, positioned as if he were just about to grasp the handle to open it. He subtly lowered his hand.
"Jace!" Izzy exclaimed, "Where have you been? Mom is really worri-"
"Where is Maryse?" Jace's eyes looked angry, yet determined, as if his own safety could wait. Of course, it was Jace, according to him, his safety never mattered.
"She's up in the library," Alec answered him, and Jace brushed right past him. Catching up to him, Alec added, "She's kind of busy right now. She's on the phone with the Clave."
Jace jammed his thumb onto the elevator button, turning around to face him and Isabelle, who had slowly walked towards them instead of immediately catching up. "Forget the Clave! This is something important, in fact, damn the Clave! All the good they've done me and now they want respect?"
"I hate to admit it, but Jace is right." Alec stepped back bewildered, as a sudden static voice resonated throughout the room.
Isabelle spoke up as Jace revealed his phone in his hand. "Simon?"
"The one and only. Like Jace said, well he didn't say it but he implied it, we've got other things to worry about. We need to talk, have a meeting or something, and since I can't come into the Institute on account of my macho vampireness, having Jace's phone on speaker will have to do." The Daylighter sounded as if he were walking, his voice sometimes snatching up and lost to a sound like the rustling of a plastic bag, but they heard him pretty well.
"Simon where are you?" Isabelle asked. Alec knew his sister had the unhealthy habit of choosing guys just to get attention from their parents, but even he could sense that something was different about Simon. He used to be a mundane, and stilled retained some of his mundaness, but something about him made Alec feel like he would be good for Isaballe. And if not, it wouldn't take much to decapitate him.
Hey, he was an older brother. He had responsibilities. The elevator doors opened and the three of them stepped in, riding the metal box back up.
"I'm trying to find a place with good reception, give me a minute, shouldn't take long. But I'm serious about that meeting. Isabelle, call Jocelyn, she deserves to know about this." The sound of a door opening and closing sounded from the phone, and Alec heard what sounded like Simon saying 'hey' to someone.
"Who's there with you?" he asked.
"I'm at my place, Jordan's here."
"Hey guys," the werewolf said.
The elevator doors opened, and they all stepped out, Jace in the lead, holding his phone out in front of him, and marched into the library.
Maryse looked up, shocked. The phone was still to her ear, and she looked at them all in surprise and relief, before masking it behind a motherly look of disapproval. Turning her attention back to the phone, she said into the mouth piece, "I'll have to call you back." Sounds of protests came from the other end as she hung up.
Standing up from Hodge's desk, she strode over to them, her black hair now tinged with gray, scooped into a high ponytail.
"By the Angel Jace! Where have you been?" An emotion crossed his mother's face, as if she couldn't decide whether to hug Jace, smack him, or a combination of both.
"I'll explain everything, but it's better if we wait. Simon says we should have a meeting, and I sort of agree with him." Jace walked over to the old map that was on the table, tracing his hands over the recently drawn in circles that showed where Clary had been in the past week or so.
"Since when do we obey the needs of a Downworlder?" Maryse demanded.
A cough came from Jace's phone, and Simon spoke through it, "Good morning to you too Mrs. Lightwood. And just to inform you, this meeting isn't for me, it's for Clary. Isabelle, have you called Jocelyn over yet?"
"Is this about the message you informed me you received? What have you done?" Maryse looked agitated, a bit embarrassed from Simon having heard her, yet she recovered her character.
"All shall be explained in due time Maryse," Jace talked as if they had time. In fact, by tomorrow evening, they either had Sebastian and Clary or they didn't. Not that anyone was worried, but having the Clave over, some nasty things could be rooted up. Or made up.
Isabelle's voice chimed up, her phone to her ear, "Hello Jocelyn, yeah, we need you to come over to the Institute right away. Trouble?" she looked at Jace, who was now reclining in a chair as if he were fine, but Alec knew it was just a cover to hide his nerves and temper. Izzy placed her attention back to Jocelyn, "Well I'm not sure if it's trouble yet, but you should come over and find out. Now." After a few more words, she hung up.
"She's on her way," Izzy directed her voice over to Jace's phone.
"Cool. Now we wait." Simon said casually.
Maryse stood by the table, leaning her hands on it, "Explain to me Daylighter, why we are under your orders. I understand how Clary is very close to you, but why are you in charge, and moreover," she glanced at Jace, "Why are you letting him?"
Alec was caught between an awkward silent battle of the glares between his mother and Isabelle. Jace sat coolly, as if her words barely brushed past him. As Jace was about to answer, Simon spoke up.
"Mrs. Lightwood, with all due respect, let's stop it with the superiorities. I know that technically you're a Jedi, and I'm just a Stormtrooper, but would it kill you, to treat me with a little more respect, I don't like to play the high and mighty card, but if it weren't for my gluteus maximus risking itself to face the big guy Raziel, we wouldn't have freed Jace from Sebastian, and our whole situation would be a hell of a lot more messed up than it is now. If you can't accept it that I'm just trying to step up and help my friend because you Nephilim look like you're running in circles with all this crap, so be it. I'm not one to push people around, or demand things from anyone, but let me tell you this: If I want something done, you can bet everything you've got that I'll get it done, and then some."
Silence. Alec could've heard a pin drop from a mile away. Simon said one more thing, "And my names not Daylighter, its Simon." For some reason, Alec noted, Simon appeared to be angrier at the proper use of his name rather than the fact that his mother was judging him for being a vampire.
Yep. He was definitely going to be a good match for Isabelle.
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"I almost had him," Jace said, his face displaying his anger and disappointment. "I was this close. If I had reacted even a second sooner, I could have grabbed the door handle!"
Alec could easily imagine Jace's anger. If his worst enemy had escaped right beneath his fingertips, he'd be pretty enraged as well. He had been following Jace's story, Simon every once in a while piping in with a detail here and there that Jace missed out on, like how Sebastian had seemed to come out of the shadows, as if he had already expected someone to be watching him. There was just one thing that Alec couldn't fit together….
"Wait a minute," Isabelle interrupted Jace's monologue on how he would use Sebastian's intestines as a jump rope in the training room before they went through complete atrophy. "How the hell did you get to Japan?"
Maryse shot her daughter a look at her use of language, but before his sister could get caught, which he would usually allow, he made sure the conversation would move along quicker by saying, "Yeah, I'd like to know that too."
Jace's eyes shifted a bit, and Alec knew him well enough to know that Jace was now relying on his verbal skills to carefully craft his explanation so that no harm was done. But harm from what?
"As I said before, I got a text reading that Sebastian was seen in Canada. I didn't know who the number was from, at first." Jace paused, looking at Alec, something hidden under his eyes. Pity? An apology? "It was from Magnus."
Oh. Oh.
He was trying to make no harm done. Though he hadn't said anything bad, the High Warlock's name brought a pit into Alec's stomach, and an ache that almost caused him to double over in a heartbroken agony. He felt his back stiffen, and the air around him went stale. Memories rushed through him, his own emotions tossing and turning through his head. Regrets for stupid decisions and choices he wished he could take back.
Was it getting hot? Or cold? Alec felt his body change temperatures, rising and falling. How was it that love, an emotion that's only an illusion of the human brain, could cause you to feel so sick, to replicate the sensation that you're drowning, dying, an emotion that's supposed to cause happiness, and completion, only left you coughing in your own tears?
Because Love isn't a freaking illusion, it's a barking fist. And it decides whether to hold and caress your heart, or to mangle and squeeze it and punch it until it shatters into a million pieces.
It causes time to stop, and perspectives to change. It either hits you from the side, so that you don't notice that what you feel is love, or straight on, so that the moment it hits, you know what it is. It slowly creeps into your heart, so that you can't tell, or immediately takes possession of it, so fast you don't understand what just happened.
Alec noticed he had gone pale, and that everyone was watching him. He felt an awkwardness surround him, and a blush fought its way to his cheeks, feeling the need to run out, he suppressed it standing his ground. He wasn't going to let this take over him. He wouldn't let the fist destroy him.
He never thought the sound of Simon's voice would cause him relief, but when the Daylighter continued, Alec was more than happy to let everyone focus on him.
"After Jace found out who it was from, Jace came to find me. After about half a night, we contacted Magnus, because he thought it was funny to not answer our calls. We got a hold of him, and well." He quickly and summarily explained there little trip to Japan, and how they got back. Through another Portal opened by Magnus.
"Wait," Jocelyn spoke, the first thing she'd said the whole time. She was standing at the desk, leaning against it. She was wearing jeans, knee high boots, and a black cotton sweater. Her hair was up in a high ponytail, pulling back and revealing her slim features. Her green eyes had been fastened on the map, but she looked towards Jace. "If Magnus can locate Clary, why can't we do it now?" She looked very worn out, as if between her daughter and Luke she was tearing herself apart. Luke was better now, of course, but having nothing to do, she fretted over him. Luke was a lucky man, he got breakfast in bed and everything. Alec wished he could get breakfast in bed…
"We can't, not now at least. Magnus says that because of the magic Sebastian practically bombarded the house with, it takes a few hours for the magic to settle, and ground itself, as well as the spell he put on it, so it's hard to get a good read on it," Jace clarified, "He said he'd contact me as soon as he could figure out when he could get a location."
"What I don't get," Simon spoke, "Was that if they live in a separate, moving house, how come it was able to fit into that Chinese shop?" he told them how Sebastian snuck into a pottery store, through the open doorway they saw lights that were on, thought they didn't get a good look inside. When Jace had opened the door again, ready to punch Sebastian in the jaw, there was nothing. Just a dark and bleak pottery store.
Jocelyn spoke again, "Multi-Existence." Pushing herself off of the table, she walked towards Maryse, sitting in the chair right next to her. "Do you remember when we were sixteen, and we came upon a warlock just outside of Alicante? His home from the outside was just a rundown shack, but upon entering it, it was a grand ballroom, with multiple levels of balconies and tall, Greek columns."
Maryse nodded her head, "I remember. We were running a sweep of the perimeter of the city. It's like a glamour, making you think you see something, like mundanes think they see a hideous cathedral in place of the Institute, but this is different. Once inside, anyone can see what's actually there."
Isabelle gasped, "Just like that gremlin's shop!" Her eyes were wide and she looked as if everything made sense now.
"What the," Simon was barely heard, "What is this.."
"What's going on Simon?" Jocelyn asked.
There was a bit of shuffling going on in the other end of the line, before he answered, "Um, I'm gonna have to call you guys back later. Someone's trying to call me."
"Is it Magnus?" Jocelyn asked eagerly.
"No," his voice didn't conceal his disappointment, "But I'm gonna answer it anyway, if it's just a wrong number I'll get back to you guys. Later." He hung up.
"By the way Jace," Jocelyn asked as soon as Simon was gone, "Did you see Clary? Was she there? How did she look?"
Alec noticed how Jace's eyes lost some luster, and his fist clenched. His shoulders went ridged, and that's all Alec needed to know. He hadn't seen her.
"I, I didn't see her." He finally said, hiding whatever he felt inside, "I only managed to see Sebastian. I don't even know if she was with him."
Jocelyn's face looked down, before coming up with a new hope, "What about Magnus, you said he saw Sebastian, was Clary with him, did he say anything about her, how she looked, her health, anything?"
Could it have been Alec's imagination, or had Jace hesitated before answering?
Giving a small smile, he spoke, "He saw her, he didn't say anything about her looking unhealthy. He didn't have her in chains or anything. Clary's holding on strong."
Jocelyn's shoulders lost only a small, but slightly noticeable, fraction of tension that she's held there for days.
Alec's Mom stood up, and spoke as she strode over to the map, "Unfortunately, since they weren't in Japan long enough, it's hard to tell if Clary was actually in Japan when Jace and the Day-," Maryse caught herself, and Alec saw Izzy grin, "Simon. It's hard to tell if she was there when they were. However, the night before that, she was in Canada, just as Magnus stated."
"So I guess we can assume that Magnus's spell is working." Izzy stated.
Maryse nodded, "And until he can report to us, which will be in, what? A few hours?" she directed the question to Jace, raising an eyebrow.
"Well," Jace began, getting a sharp glance from Jocelyn, Alec noted. "Magnus said it would take a few hours, but depending on the place, it might take longer for the spell to settle and for him to actually locate them."
Jocelyn took in a deep breath, "Well, if it takes long, we'll just wait until Clary's golden dot appears on the map this evening."
A silence stretched upon them.
Alec knew this was stupid, but since they were all thinking it, he might as well say it, "Couldn't we have done that a long time ago?"
Daggers were shot at him from Isabelle, Maryse, Jace and Jocelyn, yet she softened a bit.
Her lips pursed, she spoke, "Actually, I had tried to contact Magnus, since the very beginning, but he wouldn't answer. I, I thought it was his way of saying I had pestered him enough for an eternity."
"That didn't mean he could just disappear like that!" Izzy exclaimed, then cringed. Alec felt like ice had settled in his heart.
He couldn't help but feel guilty in this. If he hadn't drove Magnus away, perhaps this whole situation could have been dealt with long ago. He felt like he had to do something, anything, to fix this. In fact, everyone felt like this was their fault. Jace thought it was his because he should have been able to stop Sebastian, or convince Clary to not have made her decision. Jocelyn blamed herself for allowing Clary to set out that day she first encountered Sebastian. But in reality, no one was more to blame than Alec. Had he not meddled in the life of Magnus, had he not attempted to make a decision that wasn't his to make, Magnus would still be here, instead of running off and refusing to help them.
In his sudden desire to want to do something, he had an idea, "No today, we shouldn't find her today."
"What are you talking about? The sooner we find her the better!" Jace retorted.
"Yeah, but," he didn't know where he was heading, but the more he spoke, the more he felt like it made sense. "Sebastian, as of this moment, is probably wondering what you and Simon were doing in Japan, not to mention how you got there. If he thinks we can locate him again, he'll be on the lookout for you."
"So if not today? When?" Jace said, slightly enraged, "When do you deem to be a time when he's not going to be on the watch? And of course he's going to be looking for me."
"I'm just saying, not today." Alec tried to explain, something was telling him that today was not good. Not only because he wanted to delay seeing or coming in any sort of contact with Magnus, but something in his gut was telling him that they had to wait. "We should prepare today though. We can't rush in blindly, in order to beat Sebastian, we have to think like him, whether or not we like it. At least come up with some sort of plan. And even though we're no mentioning it, there's the Clave to deal with. Even though we'd like to find them before the Clave, I don't think it would be smart to let them out on this one."
"Alec, are you insane!" Isabelle exclaimed, "You want the Clave to get a hold of Clary!"
"I'm not saying that. I'm saying that all of shouldn't head out as a team before alerting the Clave of what we're doing. That one of us should go there, an hour before we tell the Clave. That person would scout out where they're hiding, get a better idea of our surroundings, we have to know where we'll be playing before we start the game."
Maryse nodded, "And if possible, that person should try to locate Clary, separate her from Sebastian, so that when the Clave does arrive, they'll only find him."
"What if Sebastian's got his Demon Shadowhunters like roaches in the dark?" Isabelle asked.
"I didn't see any when I went to Japan," Jace supplied, "But whoever goes there first should find that out."
"Now the question is," Jocelyn said, "Who's going first? Who's going to scout wherever it is they are?"
"I'll go." Jace immediately offered, no insisted, but Maryse gave him a look.
"Jace, I don't doubt your capabilities, but I don't think it would be right if you went."
Jace stared at her coolly, "You don't think I can handle it."
Alec's mom shook her head, "I don't think you'd be able to control your emotion enough to think straight. Likewise, I shouldn't go either." She looked at Jocelyn, "As well as yourself." Jocelyn looked angry, but didn't argue.
"Then that means I can't either, I'll be too busy thinking of how to chop off Sebastian's testicles," Isabelle looked pretty pissed too, but she resigned herself.
Suddenly, Alec realized what he had set himself up in. Slowly, everyone turned their visages towards him, awaiting something.
He exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, "I'll go." He looked at Jocelyn, then Jace, "I'll do the best that I can."
That being said, Maryse looked like she was done with this. "I have a call to return." She looked at Jocelyn, "You're welcome to stay and help me on some matters."
Noticing that this was their unannounced time to exit, Alec, Jace and Isabelle went out through the library, not a clue as to what to do next.
Might as well get ready….. He started to head towards the training room, ready to gather weapons and anything he might need tomorrow. Seraph blades, he needed plenty, not to mention any ordinary blades and such. He would require steles, and his bow and a full notch of arrows. Izzy followed behind him, probably thinking the same as him. Jace was just three steps behind, also lost in thought.
Alec tried to think to think of this as just any other thing that him, Jace and Izzy have done before. It was just them, looking for mischievous demons out on the loose, and after they were done they'd head on to Taki's, laughing about how Jace gave a speech on how he was the embodiment of glory as he decapitated the demon, while Isabelle would groan about how she hated being bait for all the demons, saying that 'she knew her looks were great but did she really have to look like a prostitute?' And Alec would just nod, agreeing to what they said, holding the defense. It was just another one of those types of things, and as he repeated this to himself, he could feel his footsteps get lighter. His shoulders relax, and his intense eyes lessen. They had reached the training room and he had headed right for several weapons that were just lying on the ground next to a wall. Isabelle had followed suit, taking out her whip from around her waist and headed over to some practice dummies.
Jace had stayed by the door, leaning against it. His face was unreadable, but Alec could feel in his parabatai rune that a million thoughts were running through Jace's golden head this very second.
Alec sighed, "Jace." His slow reaction, the almost too calm way that he looked at Alec's eyes proved to him that Jace was troubled with something. "What's wrong? Something's bothering you?" he stated it as a question, but the way he said it was more like a statement.
Jace took some time in answering, the sound of Izzy's electrum whip snapping in the air.
Snap. Snap. Snap.
"Actually, yes." He finally said, "And I should probably tell you." He walked over to Alec, "If I can't trust my parabatai, then who?"
He came to a stop in front of Alec, and the look in his eyes somewhat startled Alec. They were pleading, pleading to understand, and to help. Two things that Jace never asked of people he didn't care about it. "You can trust me, you always have been able to."
Snap. "Am I just supposed to stand here and pretend like I can't here you guys while you two have a bromantic parabatai moment, or can I come over and join the conversation?" Isabelle had her hands on her hips, her whip trailing behind her like a molten snake.
Jace gestured her forward, and she came up to them, the three of them forming a sort of triangle, their shoulders touching, as if they had their own little world in there, as if they really were just on a mission, and Jace was going to tell them their strategy plan.
"Back in the library, I sort of lied, well, no, I hid something you guys," Jace began.
"What? Did you talk with Sebastian or something? Don't tell me you guys made some sort of deal!" Isabelle remarked.
"No, nothing like that. I'd sell my arm to Church before I make a pact with the devil. Besides, it wasn't that I was hiding it from you guys, it was more like I was hiding it from Jocelyn, and Maryse."
"Why would you hide it from them? No, what is it that you're hiding in the first place?" Alec questioned.
"I lied about what Magnus said about Clary," he stated blankly, "He told Simon and I that he saw Clary, with Sebastian, in Canada, but she had whitish hair, I don't understand how he described her, more confident, almost stronger looking. But what really concerns me, is that he said she had black eyes."
Alec's pulse had increased when Jace said Magnus, but upon hearing the rest, Magnus was pulled out of his mind. Clary, with black eyes? But, then that would mean?
"No.." Isabelle whispered, her hand tightening on her whip, "That bastard, he made her drink from it…"
"Magnus said that there was something weird about it though, that though she had black eyes, she acted nothing like the Demon Shadowhunters that were created previously by Sebastian. It could just be a copy, a look alike," Jace's tone sounded more like he was trying to convince himself of that reality.
Alec put his hand on Jace's shoulder, looking him straight in the eye, "Copy or no copy, I'll make sure to find her. I'll do everything I can."
Jace nodded, his cellphone ringing as he did so. He quickly pulled it out, a mad look in his eyes. Looking at the caller ID, his excited frenzy died out. Alec noticed that his pulse had accelerated again. They'd both thought it was Magnus, and though Jace's heart might start beating faster for other reasons, the thought that Alec could have heard Magnus's voice felt sweet and sour, sweet because he wanted to hear him, but sour because of the heavy pit it left in his chest.
Answering the phone, Jace scowled, "What do you want Simon?"
Izzy seemed happy though. That made one of them,
"Wait, what?" Jace frowned, putting the phone on speaker, "Say that again, so that everyone can hear."
The vampire's voice sounded excited, no more like shocked, yet, not upset. Surprised was more the term. "You'll never guess who I just got off the phone with."
"Your nutritionist. Let me guess, she said that she'll meet you on Thursday to provide you another 'special favor'" Jace grunted as Izzy elbowed him in the stomach.
"Who did you talk to Simon?" Alec asked instead.
"A vampire, major vampire, like, A league, he's like the Cobra Commander, only less evil and not so terrorist. But that's not the point, he's the leader of practically all of the vampires in EUROPE." Alec needed a dictionary. Mundane slang was beyond him.
"Oooh! I know this one!" Isabelle said happily, "Cobra Commander is the guy from G.I Joe!"
Jace rolled his eyes, "Why is a major vampire like that calling you? Did you drink from his special stock or something? Does he like imported mudanes? I bet he's involved in mundane trafficking to get his quality blood."
"Jace that's not the point! Anyway, he called me because he heard news that I've been looking for support from practically any vampire that'll help. Most are avoiding me because I'm a daylighter, they think something's wrong with me-"
"And I agree."
"But this guy says that he's willing to offer me help. I've already told him our situation, and he's got vampires under his command all over Europe right now, scouring for any signs of Clary and Sebastian. Anything he gets, I get called immediately about it."
"Simon," Izzy started out suspiciously, "What does this guy want in return? I don't think a vampire like that would just help you, without any benefits to him."
"Oh, about that, that's not a problem. I've already agreed to what he asked of me." Simon sounded like he wanted off of the topic.
"What is it?" Izzy persisted.
"Nothing that'll hurt me, just some favor he needs."
"Spill it Daylighter." Jace threatened.
Simon sighed, "This vampire dude has a daughter, well, not his daughter, but a girl who he sired when she was like, thirteen. And, apparently, she has a crush on me. How, I don't know. She's never seen me, but the vampire says that she wants to meet the 'Daylighter.'"
Alec and Jace burst out laughing. They were red in the face, leaning over and steadying themselves with each other.
"You're practically getting paid to meet her!" Jace laughed. Isabelle stomped out of the room, furious, muttering insults towards all males, both straight and gay.
Simon groaned, having heard Isabelle's remarks, "This is why I can't tell you guys anything…"
Clary POV
They'd spent the whole day training. For hours, nonstop, it was just Clary, Sebastian, and two actual lit seraph blades.
She was quite proud of herself, it felt like she had finally settled into her Shadowhunter nature. All those times in the training room in the Institute, she had felt about as graceful and quick as a duck on skates. She felt like something was missing, like she had put on a sock but it felt funny on her foot.
Everything made sense now. She relied purely on her instinct and muscle memory as she clashed with Sebastian again and again, sometimes managing to get a scratch on him, sometimes he on her, revealing long strips of her black blood. But she didn't care, she left it to dry on her skin, she let her sweat wash it away, too caught up in the rush of action to really care.
Sebastian, since they were training, was constantly pouring out advice on her form, even though she felt like she was practically imitating his every move.
"Bend your knees more, move with your elbow, not your whole arm, spread your stance farther apart." All the while taking hits at her. Thought she did listen to his advice though, and forty percent of the time, his advice saved her from an incoming attack from his lit blade.
She even practiced with the emerald dagger that she had grown accustomed to in the Caribbean, slashing at practice dummies, and in close combat with Sebastian. Her muscles felt more flexible, her movements fluid, one thought melting into another as she glided across the wooden training floor.
It was nearly evening when they called it quits, only a couple of hours before her rune would move from the ten to the eleven. Clary left the training turret, looking at how fast the day went by, glancing at the high windows that showed the clear Switzerland sky.
Chris had stayed, saying that he wanted to sharpen some of the blades on the walls. She watched him pull out an old fashioned sharpening wheel, a contraption that worked almost like a bicycle. You sat in a seat, and in front of you was the wheel, your feet were laid on top of pedals that would spin the wheel, and from there you sharpened the dullest of blades into hacking killing machines.
His look of concentration stayed on Clary's mind as she went back to the house to take a shower. He looked lost in thought, like his excuse to sharpen blades was just to distract himself, to think. She couldn't help but notice that he had been somewhat distracted, not noticeably, because he was really focused when they were training, but more like, she felt that something was on his mind. It had started out when they left Japan, and she knew that he was hiding something from him, and she was very tempted to ask him, but let him be. He would tell her when the time was right.
Stepping into the warm water coming from her bathroom shower, she sighed in pleasure as the heat rolled off of her back, carrying with it all the sweat that had accumulated.
He'll tell me when the time is right… Clary was somewhat shocked that she trusted in Chris this much now, to the point that she knew he was hiding something, but was going to let him tell her when he wanted. Did she even to that with Jace?
The thought of Jace pulled a deep chord within her. A topic she tried not to think about. It's not that she wanted to forget him, or never see him again, it was that she was scared of what would happen when she did. How would she react, would he be angry at her? What if he found out about everything that happened here? Would he ever forgive her? The twist in her stomach told her the answer was no.
The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that she didn't want the Clave to find them, and though she hated herself for being so torn between decisions, she wanted to stall the moment when she had to face her family for as long as possible. The two weeks that she had been gone placed an enormous bridge between the Clary she was then, and the Clary she was now.
Not only that, but she'd been getting strange dreams again. After they got back from Japan, they had slept, Chris and she, for a few hours on the couch. Her head had rested on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her, and they had been peaceful. But she had a nightmare, it was her white haired version of herself. In the dream, she had seized Clary by the hand, and she forced her to follow as she led her through a horrid forest, the tree's bark looked like it had some sort of disease, the way they peeled off of the tree, the branches looking like crooked fingers, the roots breaking through the Earth like it threatened to wrap around her and pull her down, down, down.
The white haired version of her kept glancing back, a crooked smile on her face, telling her that they were almost there. When she stopped, they were at a fork on the road, both direction leading deeper into the forest. Clary had been released, and the white haired girl had chosen the road on the left, taking a few steps inward.
In her dream, the white haired girl said, "This is where you choose, take this road, or that one. Go with me, or go alone. The journey is the same, but the way you go will be different. Choose."
Clary could remember feeling helpless. She didn't like the white haired version of herself, but the thought of going through the woods alone terrified her. But if she went with the white haired girl, she would probably be killed by her along the way.
That's when she woke up, without having been able to choose what she was going to do, and that thought panicked Clary. In fact, she was the one who offered that the train in the first place. She needed to release all her helplessness in good old fashioned fighting.
A choice, a choice, one must be made… she thought to herself.
Stepping out of the shower, she dried herself off with a white towel, wrapped it around her chest, and peeked at herself in the newly repaired mirror.
Her hair was still in that in between stage, where it looked like she just dipped it in bleach to make it look white. Her black eyes still overruled anything that might look remotely green, though she could feel that behind the surface they were different.
She stopped caring about her appearance, when hers changes about every day, it starts to get tedious to worry about it.
Looking into her wardrobe, she picked out a black skirt that had elastic at the top so it hugged her waist and stopped halfway down her to her knees. Underneath the black was white lace that peaked out from underneath, covering an extra two inches of her legs. She tucked in an emerald green knit shirt underneath the skirt, and wore long black socks that went all the way to her thighs. Completing the ensemble, she put on some black moccasins.
Exiting her room, she was about to go to the kitchen for a snack, when she spotted Chris's room, the door slightly ajar. Curious, she tiptoed over on her silent feet, and when she was certain that Chris wasn't in, she entered the room.
The room was almost identical to hers, with the exception that hers now resembled an art studio, but the same four poster bed with curtains surrounding the bed still dominated the room, with a mirror, desk, and wardrobe closet to match. Clary could hardly remember Chris ever actually being in his room, other than when he said he was going to bed, she hadn't even actually seen him doing anything in his room.
Curiosity killed the cat, Clary thought to herself as she was drawn the drawers in Chris's room, opening the first one. Good things cats have nine lives.
Sifting through the things in his drawer, she found the contents to be mostly clothes, and a hidden stele and blade here and there, though that didn't surprise her. The looked under the desk, in the bathroom, under the sink. Nothing. She didn't know what she was looking for, but until she did…..
Propping the mattress of the bed on one knee, she peeked in between the frame. There a manila folder laying plainly in sight, and reaching for it, she put the mattress down, and sat on the floor, her ear trained on any sounds coming from the outside. Straining her hearing, she thought she could detect the sound of grinding metal, indicating that Chris was still at it in the training room.
What happened to trust Clary?
Aww shut up. I would have done this had it been anyone, even Simon.
Admitting to herself that she was a nosy person, she opened the folder, examining the contents inside.
Her eyes locked on the many papers that were inside.
The first paper was written on normal notebook paper, the title heading, 'My vanished treasure' in neat handwriting. Clary's mind clicked as she recognized the handwriting as Chris's, having seen one of his other writings in the other house, a letter addressed to 'My beautiful one.' Reading through the paper, her eyes caught at a line.
They say if you love something set it free, if it comes back then it is yours. But what if I set it free, and someone else stole it. Never giving me chance to claim it as my own….
There were several other papers like this too, all random, but what really caught her attention, was an envelope. The place where you would write where to letter was going to was filled in, and Clary's breath caught as she recognized the address as hers. Her old home in New York. The envelope hadn't been sealed, and there was no stamp, so she opened it, and peeked inside.
It was a drawing. Of her. Done with fountain pen, and filled in with markers, yet the artwork was so beautiful that a small part of her felt jealous, but the majority of her was filled in awe at the detail captured in the drawing. She was walking down the street, outside, just about to cross a light. The people around her were also drawn in with fountain pen, but she was the only one with color. She wore an old ripped pair of jeans, her green sneakers, and a black concert T-shirt. Her hair was up in a ponytail, and she had her backpack on her back. Something about that picture sparked her memory, and she tried to figure out where it came from as she looked at the bottom corner of the drawing. It was dated, and she realized why something about the picture looked familiar.
It wasn't just a random picture of her that he had made up, that scene had actually happened. The date said that this had happened just days before she came to Alicante. Before she first met Sebastian, who then became Jonathan, then Chris.
Clary remembered this exact day, she had gone shopping, looking for things she could wear when she went to the glass city, and was supposed to meet with Isabelle at Taki's after that.
How did Chris get this? Had he been there? No, had Sebastian been there? Had he been stalking her? Or had he just gotten picture of her, and then left. What was he doing there, in New York, when he was supposedly at the time impersonating Sebastian Verlac in Alicante?
She couldn't decide whether to feel flattered, or a little bit shocked at this.
It's in the past, that was months ago, and that's the only picture, meaning he only did this once….
Well, twice. He'd stalked her again in New York when he offered her their deal of her going away with him.
Clary was so caught up in thoughts, that she barely heard it when it happened, but when it did, she took action, and made a choice.
She noticed that it been a while since she heard the sound of the wheel against metal, and before she knew it, footsteps were coming up the stairs.
Clary stuffed all of the papers, including the drawing, and carefully yet quickly concealed them back under the mattress. Fixing the covers quickly, she tried to make herself look casual, as Chris came into his room, eyeing her.
"What are you doing in my room?" He asked suspiciously.
"Looking in your room for your stash of cocaine," she said innocently. A lie was best when it had some truth to it.
"I don't have cocaine," he told her. "And if I did I wouldn't hide it here."
"Just trying to be a good sister and watch out for her brother to make sure he isn't following any bad influences," she smiled and plopped down on his bed.
She noticed as his eyes carefully watched her, or more likely, the bed. Wondering if she'd looked under it…..
Quickly obscuring his thoughts, he laid down on the bed next to her, fingering her knit shirt. "Don't lie, what were you really doing in here?" His hand poked at her back, trailing lines here and there. Clary suppressed little shivers of tickles and laid down as well. The two were side by side, staring up at the white ceiling.
"I was just curious, never really been in your room, that's why."
"What the sudden need to know how my room looks like?" his face turned toward her, propped up by his elbow, and he was on his side, looking at her. A smirk found its way to his lips.
"Because I never see you in here, it's been two weeks. I was starting to think you had an evil lab in here or something." She joked. He was close to her only about five inches apart, but she didn't mind.
"Sorry to disappoint, but there's no lab. No cocaine," his eyes glossed over, "Only you."
Now does he mean, me-me, or me the drawing that we are currently on top of….
She reached over, running her hand through his hair, and gave it a small yet firm tug.
"What was that for?" he asked, while running his own hand through her still damp hair. His warm hand left burning trails on her neck where they brushed her skin.
She sat up, giving a nod of her head to her room, "Come on, you gave me a training lesson, now to repay you, I'm going to draw you."
"Draw me?" he lips curled up.
"Yes," she said seriously, "remember when I said that one day I was going to do so, well today is that day. And we have to do it now, before my episode happens."
Chris sighed and stood up. Clary took him by the hand and took him to her room, making him sit on the windowsill.
"Paint, pencils, oil pastels, or color pencils?" she asked holding up the options.
"What?" he asked.
"What do you want me to use to draw you?" she asked.
He gave it some thought, but gave up in three seconds, "Whatever you want." He shrugged.
"How about a fountain pen. And I'll fill in your colors with markers." She said casually, turning around to look through the bags of supplies. Her pulse rate had gone up.
Chris had gone silent. And while Clary turned around, he got up, and went behind her. She felt his warm presence like a magnet feeling metal.
Grasping her by the shoulders, her turned her around, looking into her black eyes. Clary held her ground, meeting him with a steady gaze.
They had a silent conversation, their eyes speaking volumes for what neither could say.
She finally spoke up, "It was really pretty you know." She put her head against his chest, and stayed with her hands to her sides. Slowly, Chris placed his hands around her waist, and lifted her up. Carrying her over the windowsill, he sat her down, and then scooted over next to her.
Clary sat with her knees folded and over to the side, mermaid style. She didn't know what else to say, or do for that matter. She leaned away from him, figuring that Chris needed some space.
But he pulled her into him, sitting her on his lap, both of them facing Clary's window, looking out onto a beautiful beach, where the sand and sun and water looked so warm and inviting. But both of them were much more content just sitting there in each other's company.
They sat for hours, and ten minutes before Clary's episode was about to happen, she was starting to feel a bit panicked. She wanted to move, to run, that familiar feeling of having to get away invading her mind again. Thinking about how she was still curled up with Chris, she said, "You can let me go, you know, so that the shocks won't hurt yo-" she had been looking up at him, their position made it so that her head was right underneath his chin, and she had been looking up when she spoke, but before she could finish speaking, he leaned down and kissed her, moving slow and steady.
He was the one who broke the kiss off, saying, "I don't care about those shocks. Besides, it hurts you more than it hurts me." End of discussion.
Clary spent her eleventh revolution in Chris's arms, feeling scared and in pain, but warm and protected. They watched the sun set on the wonderful water, and Clary couldn't help but wish that things could always stay this way.
That the calm could be forever, and the storm never came.
Clary: Why didn't you let me go to Hogwarts!
Lacie: Because you're not a wizard!
Clary: But I can BELIEVE!
Lacie: this ending is going to be a little short because I have to do something. Again sorry about the long wait everyone, and please review! Maybe then I'll update faster….
Clary: Can I at least see platform 9 ¾?
Lacie: NO