HUGE AN AHEAD! Hello again! There are many reasons why I've been gone so long, but don't worry it's because my life has been fantastic not awful. But it's Zoe's birthday weekend and she told me that it was simply evil to have left it with Jace collapsing like that, so I thought I'd remedy it.
Just one thing I'd like to say; THANK YOU so much to all of you who have been reading this since the beginning- this is my first fanfic and I'm so proud of the way it's grown thanks to you guys giving your feedback, you've been amazing. On a very sentimental note, when I think back to the start of this I was a stressed out 16 year old using writing as a break from exam revision, now it's nearly at the end and I'm almost 17 and in college and so happy with how everything's going, so thanks all of you, dw I'm working on something else for after this has finished. Much love.
If you read all of that, I couldn't adore you more.
OH! And I recommend you read this from the start if you have time, to prevent confusion.
Izzy gazed at her brother. He lay, tucked into the sheets of an Infirmary bed, still and silent as folded laundry- nothing had changed since he had collapsed in Magnus' care. That was two days ago.
The early morning light had just started creeping through the windows, licking over Jace's face and hair, painting them a pretty matte gold; he looked like an ornamental statue, or Snow White waiting for true love's kiss.
Isabelle snorted. Stupid fairytales, giving people a false hope for the real world, a world where people didn't, couldn't come back from the dead no matter who wanted them to, or what they would give to make it so. She had watched her family fall apart, shattered by the death of Max; her father fled to Idris, burying his head in the sand of 'Clave matters', her mother- when she wasn't hovering about the Institute like a lonely ghost- in Idris too but concerned in separate affairs, Alec spending less and less time at home, Jace occupied with Sebastian and Clary.
And now Jace had been targeted.
Magnus had assured them that Jace would be fine, that his mind was in recovery mode, but for how long until someone else tried to kill him? It was like the Universe had it in for the Lightwoods. Still, everyone was strangely chipper, as though if they were happy, nothing else bad could happen.
Simon was in the Sanctuary, and Alec and Magnus had gone to get fridge magnet letters at Magnus' insistence- Izzy suspected he was trying to keep Alec's mind off Jace- and she was feeling very lonely, despite Clary's company. Clary glanced at her, as though she had sensed the thought.
"Izzy, Jace will be fine. Magnus promised, and I don't know about you but I trust him, so relax, he'll be better in no time. Anyway, there's something I want to talk to you about."
"What?" The word sounded painfully harsh, but Clary's eyes were full of understanding.
"Simon." The girl gave an awkward smile when Izzy didn't answer immediately. "You know, skinny, brown hair, vampire, you got him turned into a rat-" Izzy smiled reflexively at that.
"That was an accident! I didn't force that faerie drink down his stupid throat-"
"Anyway." Clary smiled, glad to have the old Isabelle back. "You don't have to answer this, Iz, because I guess it's not my business really, but… how do you feel about him?"
"I…"
A sudden crash of door hinges and the sound of giggling echoed through the building- Alec and Magnus were back. Izzy turned away from Clary, grateful for an excuse to avoid the question, and yelled a greeting down to them.
"He really likes you, Izzy," Clary whispered as they clambered down the stairs, leaving Jace. "And he doesn't deserve to get hurt." The implications of the whisper terrified Izzy so much that she pretended she hadn't heard.
Isabelle had hoped to have a serious Team Good meeting to plot against Camille, but Magnus' distract-Alec-from-Jace-at-any-cost tactics were indeed magnificent. Alec's blue eyes were light and crystalline, his cheeks flushed a delicate pink from chasing Magnus all the way down the street. Apparently he'd said he really fancied a flapjack, so Magnus had promptly conjured one up, taken a bite, and run away. Childish bastard.
"Hello, everyone." He chimed airily, sticking a flapjack-covered tongue out at Alec, who wrinkled his nose.
"Can we please decide what we're going to do about-" Izzy began, but Magnus had sensed her serious tone and decided to run away, dragging Alec with him. She shook her head in exasperation, rolling her eyes at Clary.
"Come on Iz, we can talk to Simon about Camille and The Queen. You know, sometimes his ideas aren't so bad." Isabelle grinned in spite of herself as they traipsed down to the Sanctuary, where a bored-looking Simon lay stretched across a couch like he'd been smeared there, tapping away at an old Game Boy Advance.
"Hey," he smiled but didn't look up "Not to blow my own trumpet, but I am the Mariokart grand master. Baby Peach can suck a cock."
"Isn't Baby Peach a baby though? Ew." Clary replied, shoving his feet over to make space.
"So literal, Fray. I didn't mean an actual cock, obviously. Merely that I'm about to overtake her- just did, in fact."
Izzy slapped them both on the knees, lost at 'Mariokart'. She wasn't one for idle chatter when there was revenge to be planned.
"By the Angel, you lot are infuriating! Have you forgotten about Jace? Alec? Camille and the Seelie Queen's plans? We barely know anything yet, what with you two chattering on about cocks and Magnus distracting Alec so that he can't think about Jace-"
"Oh, that's why he was so-"
"Yes!" She cut Clary off.
"That rat! Oh, no offence Simon!"
Izzy started to giggle, but the image of a laughing Jace tackled her mind like a rugby player. He would've chuckled lowly at that, she thought, with a cold but fond glint of amusement in his eyes.
Camille's letter had arrived just before sundown: a delicate, perfumed scrap of parchment with neat, curling letters poured fluidly across the surface.
Greetings, Miss Tostavin.
I hear you are taking care of the Manhattan Clan after the death of Raphael Santiago, in which case my congratulations are in order. As I am sure you are aware, the Clan's true leader has been away for a while, not having abdicated her place, and I am that leader. We have things to discuss, so I would greatly appreciate you coming to my quarters in the old subway station as soon as the sun is down.
Sincerely, Lady Camille Belcourt.
April Tostavin, Raphael's successor, was now in pieces- strewn across Camille's floor like chunks of raw meat.
There. Done. This would've been longer but this is ancient and I needed to get it up for my own sanity! Please let me know what you think! Love China.