Chapter 2- Simon
"Oh my god, will someone pick up their phone!" I frustratedly hung up my phone again when Clary's phone went to voicemail again. I was worried, beyond worried. Like the purge actually happens and I'm unprepared outside with just the shirt on my back worried. Not to mention that I also couldn't get into contact with Imver and Opal. It wasn't like them to just not pick up, except Imver, she just hates calling people back.
I was just about to call Clary again for maybe the 47th time when Opal's contact popped up. I was quick to answer.
"Finally you answered." I said exasperated. "I was so worried because you and Imver weren't picking up and neither was Clary and usually she picks up and-"
"Calm down Si. Take a deep breath." I did as she said before she continued talking. "What's going on with Clary?"
"She's not picking up and I checked find my friend and it said she was in some abandoned church on Deighton but that doesn't even sound real or like Clary but that's all I got. Can y'all come with me just in case?"
I heard shuffling on the other side and whispering before hearing Opal say "We'll meet you there. Just don't do anything stupid while you wait." The call ended and I was left waiting for my friends. I tried Clarys phone just one more time.
BRNNG, BRNNG, Click!
"Clary, come on." Jace urged.
"Clary, please?" Simon pleaded.
And who was it to walk up at that moment but Imver and Opal. They had heard a bit of the back and forth but seeing the two boys with their hands held out for Clay was different. Jace heard them coming and drew his seraph blade while also moving to stand in front of Clary. Instead of circle members who seemed to always dress in suits the two girls. One looked like they belonged to the warlocks and the other to the humans.
The warlock looking one, she had dark purple hair that was in loose curls, stood in front of the other with her hands up in surrender. "Eh, let's calm down."
It was Clary who recognized the voices first and came from behind Jace. "Opal?"
"And Imver." The girl behind her said and came to stand beside her. "I know I'm short but like, it's insulting not even to be noticed at some point."
A smile came across Clarys face at Imver's usual joking voice. She always had to make a joke, they just got worse the more awkward a situation became. Clary ran at the girls and enveloped them in a tight hug that poured all her emotions into. Clary felt like she could cry. Losing her mother, Dot and finding out about Luke's betrayal had left her feeling alone and dejected. With her friends coming to her, even if they hadn't been on her mind, meant more than they would ever know.
"Not that I'm trying to interrupt a beautiful moment but…" Imver pulled away from the hug and looked at the two men staring at them and a very realistic corpse. But more so she wished it were the corpse that had given her pause and not the glowing blade. Everybody could see something unknown pass in her eyes, but it was soon enough gone. "Glowing swords and a dead body do not scream ok. Especially when you aren't answering your phone." Imver's voice raised slightly at the end and Clary knew she was being serious.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry… things just happened." Clary swept a hand through her head, trying to collect her thoughts. "I can explain, but not out here, not in the open. And i think he," She said looking back at Jace before turning back to the girls "Can help me explain."
Opal looked at Imver, who gave a short nod, before looking at Simon, who was shaking his head vigorously, and finally the mystery man who had the same serious but cocky look on his face he's had since they got there. "Yo blondie, you got a name or should I just call you the guy with the glowing stick."
He raised an annoyed eyebrow and sucked on his teeth. "It's Jace."
"And I promise you guys, all three of you, I think he can help us." Clary gave one final pleading look before following after Jace who had walked off. The three friends sighed before following after her as well. They could tell the situation was only getting more complicated and knew Clary needed them.
They all walked into the abandoned church and saw what the three of them were expecting, nothing. Just wreckage and forgottenness. Imver and Opal rent nearly as confused as Simon, more anticipatory in what's to come. Jace pulled out his stele, which just looked like a fancy stick with a crystal on the end to the others and began to draw a rune on his arm. The smell of burning flesh and seeing his skin heat up, blister, then quickly heal was enough to make Opal squeamish. She was good with gore but burning flesh? Nah, she good on that one.
Jace took Simon's and Opal's hands, who were standing at his sides. He looked at Imver expectantly who rolled her eyes and reached over her girlfriend to grab his forearm.
In a matter of seconds, the room in front of them transformed from ruin to some mix of gothic architecture and a high-tech building. They had officially entered the shadow world and Imver and Opal knew that someone would not be happy about this.
Opal's POV
Knowing about another world and experiencing it were two different things. I only got told once by Imver's guardians and the people with runes on their bodies and white glowing swords in their hands. I had asked her once if they were dangerous, but she never answered. All she did was look angrily off into space and that was enough for me to never ask her again. All i knew was that Imver knew more than me and I couldn't pry that information out of her. She was loyal to her guardian, and I respected that, even if it killed me to not know why Imver was apprehensive about Shadowhunter's and why she took her guardian's words to heart.
We stayed in our couple bubble as we overhead Clary and Jace explain some things to Simon. Then some new dude, a real emo looking fella, came over and asked why mundane's were in the institute. You could just tell from his voice he was a boy scout and, in my opinion, the most annoying of people. Fucking rule followers.
I only tuned back in briefly to hear Clary say, "hey were a package deal."
"Yeah." Of course, Simon would agree, the cutey.
"There are runes all over the training room floor that would kill your mundane boyfriend." Now, personally to me, it sounded like Jace was feeling a little… jealous? Maybe not quite there yet but he def was getting there.
"He's not my-"
"I'm not her-" Clary and Simon said at the same time.
"We're uh, just friends." Simon said with no small amount of disappointment that only Clary, our oblivious best friend, couldn't hear.
Then she said best friends like that was supposed to make him feel better. God, my oblivious friend and timid one too shy to tell her his feelings. They were such a soap opera sometimes. I tuned back out and focused on my girlfriend who was lost deep in thought. I could probably guess where her mind was. I just stroked her buzzed head in comfort, so she knew I was here for her.
Eventually everyone started to disperse. The Isabelle girl and her good two shoes brother took Simon away and left me and Imver alone. I could still feel their eyes on us but didn't care. We were out of ear shot but i still felt the need to whisper in her ear to keep our conversation private.
"You ok?" I asked. My lips brushed against her ear and as much as I wanted to give it a gentle kiss I knew now wasn't the time.
She shook her head finally focusing on me. "I shouldn't be here, Opy. Shadowhunter's, demons, circle members. This is next level danger, even for us. But… I just- I can't-"
"Abandon Clary." I finished for her. She nodded and groaned as she pushed my purple wig off my shoulder so she could lay her head there.
"I either face the incurring wrath of her, or I stay here and do what I think is right, which is stay here for my friend." I could tell her words weighed heavily on her heart and I was at a loss for how to make it better.
"Whatever you do, know I'm here to support you. I love Clary and Simon, but this is her world and Simon would happily follow her to the end of the earth. Plus, she has that Jace guy who has yet to take his eyes off her. She will be ok even without us." My words may seem heartless, but my main priority would always be Imver. Her life was just becoming easy, I didn't want her to complicate it because she felt so loyal, she couldn't even think about her own self-preservation.
She groaned again and laughed sadly. "The things I do for my friends." I knew then she had made up her mind. We were staying for Clary, I just hoped this didn't come back to bite us on the ass.
Imver's POV-
I was still resting my head on my girlfriend's shoulder when everyone came back into the open area. I felt the guy, Alecs, eyes pass over us as he went to a weapons wall where the others were standing. Me and Opy joined them since I was now fully committed to helping Clary even over common sense saying don't.
I quickly found that I did not like Alec. He was very condescending with the way he casually said mundane and then called Clary a little girl, but I held my tongue. Though just because I didn't verbally adult him doesn't mean I wasn't giving him the stank eye. I can't stand him; I don't think anyone can.
I mostly wanted to just sit-down and talk to my best friend to truly get how much danger she was in and judging by the fact that her overprotective mom, Dot or Luke were at her side, I knew it had to be bad. Bad enough that she got mixed up in this world and didn't seem completely freaked out. I knew the story had to be worse but i also knew that when Clary had time processing and wasn't busy searching for answers we would hear them, and I'd be there to listen with an open ear.
For now though, me and Opy were ok being background actors in this movie, watching to make sure nothing absolutely horrid went wrong. Hopefully.
? POV-
Cities are always the same to me. Bright, crowded and lonely. I used to enjoy them know I would rather watch them burn and I would do it myself but than that would bring me unwanted attention. Instead, I was good to sit in my melancholy and make sure everything was on the up and up. I let out a noise that was somewhere between a coo and whistle to attract my feathery little spy. I kept it up for twenty minutes until I saw her coming to join me in my tree. I didn't smile at the pigeon, but I did give her a few finger rubs on her head as a sign of affection. I even brought out a few seeds from my back pocket to thank her for making the trip. I let her eat a few before starting.
"Now," I crooked my finger at her and watched her wrap her talons securely around my finger, "show me what you saw." It took a moment for the pigeon's eyes to meet mine but when it did the connection was instantaneous.
I soon saw images of Imver and Opy along with the boy Simon and the Clary girl they seemed so fond of. The images for the most part were happy until I saw a moment where they were standing outside of pandemonium, and I'm got spooked. I narrowed my eyes as I continued to watch. She laid in bed for a total of two days before she was gone again. The pigeon didn't have eyes on Imver again until she was at an abandoned church with Opy, Simon and Clary, one I knew well. I glared when I saw a dead boy on the ground and a blonde boy holding one of those insufferable seraph blades. They all talked for a few more before entering the abandoned church. After that there was nothing more to see. I snarled something inhumane, but the pigeon didn't get spooked. She just looked at me curiously, waiting for my command.
"Find her and keep your eyes on her until I find her." The pigeon nodded its head before flying off.
I stood up from my spot on the comfortable branch. I was at the top of the huge tree and had been staring at the stars in envy. How I wished to be able to fly that high and glow brightly, but reality was where I lived.
So, making sure I had enough space, I de-glamoured my wings and spread them out. They were heavy with a wingspan of 12 feet and weighed hundreds of pounds not only due to being so long but their added protection features. To me, they were a beautiful black to brown gradient and in a similar wing shape to a falcon's which was my family name's sake. I stretched them up high and low, watching them move with a mind of their own that has always fascinated me since I was a child. Finally, they felt loose enough to take flight and I made a mental note to buy me a new jacket soon.
"Imver Acutus, you are in major trouble." I said into the night sky before jumping off the high branch I was standing on and taking flight.
I was a shadow.
I was an abomination.
But most of all… I was her guardian.
Mmm, Imver is in deep shit now. Girl should have stayed her ass home. Also, did Jace seem majorly jealous and possessive of Clary when they first met or was it just me? And the way he's just straight up mean to Simon, even if he can be and is a little annoying and super dumb in love, grates on my nerves. Like, be nice my guy. Get your shit together!
I know it's moving slowly, even for me, so I'm about to speed it up soon anyway so the slow beginning doesn't matter to me.
Until Next Time- BigSmallWonder
