The Institute - Main Room
Clary, Jace and Alec were all standing around the ops center. Alec was standing near the monitors, staring at the screens, scanning for any threats. Jace was leaning against a table with his arms crossed over his chest, watching Clary who stood in front of him with the Mortal Cup in her hand, staring at and studying it.
"It just looks like a wine glass." She said, with a smile which made Jace smile back at her.
"That wine glass saved your life from a horde of Shax demons that had been ordered to bring you and the Cup back to Valentine." They heard Alyssa say as she walked into the room.
"You okay?" Jace asked her.
"Yeah, just…nothing. I'm fine." She replied.
"What if…what if I hadn't gotten the Cup out in time?" Clary asked. "That demon…"
"Which one? The Shax demons or the Ravener demon? Because either of them could have gotten to you. And let's be honest, if their intent had been to kill or in the case of the Shax demon, breed you, then you wouldn't be standing here right now." Alyssa said, giving her sister a sarcastic smile.
"Breed?" Clary asked.
"Yeah, you don't wanna know. But if you do, you're free to read up on them in the library. I won't stop you. Fair warning though, it's super gross and you might lose your stomach."
"Point taken." Clary said.
"The point is, you did get the Cup out in time and that's what really matters." Jace said, nudging Alyssa with a smile. "First rule of Shadowhunting…when something explodes, just keep walking. Never think twice. Never look away." Alyssa rolled her eyes.
"And what is the second rule, O great sensei?" She asked in a mock respectful tone which had Clary giggling. Just then, Izzy's whip snatched the Cup from Clary's hand and into hers.
"There's nothing a Shadowhunter can't do in heels." She said, walking down the steps and walking over, giving the Cup to Alyssa.
"Somehow I doubt many Shadowhunters would agree with you on that rule. There's a reason most of the female Shadowhunters wear boots most of the time. Not all of them have the same grace you do when fighting while wearing 7-inch heels." Alyssa said.
"As if you don't have that same grace." Izzy retorted playfully.
"Yes, but not as much as you. You own it." Izzy just smirked at her. "Where's the card?" Alyssa asked Clary. Clary took out the card the Cup had been in before and gave it to her sister.
"Here." Alyssa took it and held the Cup over it. "I don't think it…"
Before she could complete her sentence, a portal opened up in the card just like it had when Clary first pulled out the Cup, and Alyssa placed the cup inside the card then withdrew her hand, making the portal close. She looked up to see Jace, Clary and Izzy staring at her in disbelief. Even Alec looked away from the screens to look at her.
"I thought you said you didn't remember how to do it." Izzy said.
"Yeah, I lied. I've been using this gift to hid things from people, Magnus and my dad for years. "
"Why? Why would you lie? Do you realize how selfish that was? Do you realize I could have died if I hadn't been able to pull the cup out? We could have gotten to the Institute a lot earlier, had you not lied. Instead, we got chased by demons that could have been ordered away by the Cup if you had not lied. How could you be so…"
"Clary!" Izzy exclaimed, cutting the girl off from her rant.
"Are you done?" Alyssa asked. unimpressed. "Good, my turn. In case you'd forgotten, we were right outside the NYPD, a place that was crawling with demons and Downworlders who would have come after us if I had pulled the Cup out at the time. We'd have had to fight our way through them to get back to the Institute and we could have even probably lost the stupid Cup in the process.
The Cup in the hands of a Downworlder is just as dangerous as it would be in Valentine's hands due to the resentment they feel towards the Clave. Not to mention what would have happened if it had been the demons, who by the way were working for Valentine. Inside the card it was safer because, no one else could pull it out to use it but us. For anyone else, it would have been just a normal tarot card."
"Ok but…"
"Secondly, Clarissa, if I hadn't lied about not being able to pull the Cup out, you'd have never been able to learn how to. Our gift isn't something that can be taught. It's supposed to comes naturally. I wasn't lying when I said you'd need some kind of emotion to trigger it.
The reason why you were able to the first time was because you were in shock from what Dad had told you. The second time was triggered by the fear and panic you were feeling from being chased by the Shax demons.
I hardly ever lie, Clary. And when I do, it's for a reason that I find would benefit someone in the end. Here." Alyssa said, giving the card back to her younger sister. "I'll be right back. I'm gonna get some water." And with that she walked away. Clary huffed and looked down at the card. Jace walked over to stand by Alec who had gone back to staring at the monitors.
"Alec, what are you doing? You can stare at this monitor all you want, they need angel blood to get past the wards. You know that." Jace said. Alec didn't turn to look at him. "No Downworlder can come into the Institute."
"Not without an invite by a Shadowhunter." Izzy answered.
"Last I checked, Valentine is a Shadowhunter." Alec said to both of them, turning to face them. Alyssa came back with a bottle of water and sat on the table next to where Izzy was. "The Cup is not safe here. We have to give it back to the Clave."
"Give it back to the Clave?" No!" Clary said, her eyes widening in alarm at what he said. "Not after everything we went through to get it." Alyssa rolled her eyes knowing this was only going to end one way no matter what anyone said. Izzy sighed.
"My brother is right. The Cup is extremely important." She said, surprising her brothers.
"Are you agreeing with me?" Alec asked.
"I'm full of surprises." Izzy said with a smirk.
"This Cup is the one chance I have at getting my mom back." Clary said.
"I agree with Clary. We can't give the Cup to the Clave, not now. We need it. It's our only bargaining chip." Jace said.
"Look, I know how powerful this Cup is. It has the power to create new Shadowhunters, control demons and even kill a mundane if they drank from it. But I promise you, I will not let that monster get his hands on it." Clary said. Alyssa gave a very unladylike snort that sounded like a mix between a scoff and a laugh.
"There you go. You have her word." Jace said. Alec turned to look at Alyssa who was just looking on with an amused look.
"What about you, Alyssa? What do you think?" He asked.
"I don't think I need her opinion, considering how biased it could be. I mean she could care less if I got my mom back or not." Clary said, throwing a look of spite towards Alyssa. The older girl just gave her a bored look.
"Am I supposed to be offended by that remark? Well, sorry to disappoint but I'm not. At this point, I've learned not to take accusations like that to heart. But you're right. I could care less what happens to Jocelyn. What I do care about is you, which is why when I was told you were looking for her, I came out of seclusion from the Shadowhunters to help you find her."
"Yeah, well you're a little too late to start caring about me, 12 years too late."
"Mmm…and whose fault is it that you feel that way? Mine or your mother's?"
"How can you even sit there and say that? She's your mother too."
"I'm only going to give this warning once. Don't ever call that woman my mother." Alyssa warned, her eyes hard and her tone cold. "The next time you do that, you won't like me so much and you will definitely regret it. That woman could never be my mother, not after she abandoned and left me to fend for myself with no prior training whatsoever."
"I don't believe any of that. Mom would never do something like that. How do I even know you're not lying? That you didn't run away and…"
"Clary, I am not doing this with you. If you don't believe, ask Jace if I'm telling the truth, since you trust him so much and you hang onto his every word like a thirsty man after a drink of water. He's seen all my memories past and present. Bottom line is, I never want to hear you refer to Jocelyn as my mother. Capice?
The only reason why I'm even carrying her name is because I can't use my dad's since he was disowned from his family, the Graymarks. If I had it my way, I would have never taken her name but Dad is the one who convinced me to take it." Alyssa then turned to Alec.
"Alec, since she's not ready to give up the Cup for reasons that we all know of and mostly disagree with, why don't you just help her keep it somewhere safe? That way, she can stop whining about it and not attempt to do something stupid, like steal it before it gets to Idris and take it to Valentine herself."
"I'm not going to do that. I'm not an idiot." Clary protested.
"Previous actions tell me otherwise. Your brain shuts off whenever it comes to your mundane friend or your mother."
"So what, I should become cold and distant like you, void of emotions?"
"Sure, if you want to become a sociopath like your father. No one is saying you should be without emotions. What we're saying, is stop letting them rule and control your thinking and actions. But thanks a lot, for saying that the rest of us are complete sociopaths like your father for choosing to not let our emotions rule over us."
"I didn't say…"
"You implied it and you didn't have to say it, Clarissa. The message was clear." The others remained silent as the sisters argued back and forth. "Alec, would you please…" Alec sighed and looked to Clary.
"Follow me." He said, turning around and walking away with Clary following. Alyssa pushed her hair behind her ear and listened in to Clary and Alec.
"Alec, I realize I couldn't have done any of this without your help. I wanna thank you."
"Don't misread this as friendship, Clary. Since you've arrived, our whole world has been turned upside down. Not to mention, how much you seem to always want to find something to accuse your sister of, even when all she's doing is looking out for you."
"What has she got to do with anything?"
"Your sister cares about you. She has issues with your mother but she's putting them aside to help you find her. And yet all you do snub and accuse her of things without getting an explanation first. You've heard her story from Magnus and from your sister herself, what more proof do you need? Try to remember the reason why she's like this towards your mother is because of your mother."
Alyssa stopped listening then. A moment later, Alec walked in just as the alarms began to blare loudly. All their attention went to the monitors as a red dot appeared on it.
"What the-" Alec began to say, watching as the red dot appeared to be heading towards the Institute. Jace, Alec, Izzy and Alyssa stood together, looking at the monitor.
"There's something outside the perimeter." Jace said.
I told you…" Alec began to say, shaking his head but Jace cut him off.
"Don't say it."
"What's happening?" Clary asked, walking over.
"Looks like someone's trying to break in." Izzy said. Jace, Izzy, Alec and Alyssa began to walk away.
"Could be the Circle." Jace said.
"Told you so." Alec muttered.
"Too soon." Jace said with a sigh.
"And a little bit immature, Alec." Alyssa remarked, earning a sarcastic look from the tall dark-haired Shadowhunter. Clary joined them as they walked towards the main doors and went outside.
Once outside, they held out their weapons, scanning the grounds, looking for the threat or intruder. They spotted a figure walking towards the Institute, carrying something in their arms, facing away.
"Don't move." Jace ordered, making the figure stop moving and turn towards them.
"Raph?" Alyssa said in a confused tone, dropping her guard and stepping toward the figure but was stopped by Jace. "Raph, what are you doing here?" The figure turned out to be Raphael Santiago, a vampire of the New York Vampire Clan.
"Drop what you're holding. Put your hands up." Alec ordered. Raphael turned around to reveal himself carry a body, a dead one.
"Raph, what…?" Alyssa trailed off when she recognized the body. "Oh no." Jace, Alec, Izzy and Clary recognized the body too. It was Simon.
"Oh my God, Simon." Clary said, horrified and heartbroken.
Basement - Inside
Jace helped Raphael lay Simon's body gently on a table. Clary stood next to the body, looking heartbroken with tears in her eyes.
"People will be wondering what we found outside the perimeter." Jace said, staring at Simon's body then looking up at Izzy and Alec
.
"I'll go." Alec said, clearing his throat. "I'll tell 'em we didn't find anything. Nobody will come down here." He said then turned around and left up the stairs.
"I might be a vampire but I was raised a good Catholic." Raphael said, turning to face the Shadowhunters, his eyes landing on Alyssa. "Hermana." He said with a smile, which confused the others besides Alyssa.
"Don't 'hermana' me, hermano. You don't visit for almost a year and I find out you've been involved in acts that would have me killing you if you weren't my brother." Alyssa said, despite the slight smile on her lips.
"I'm sorry, how do you two know each other?" Izzy asked, pointing at the two of them.
"I met him when I was younger. He used to come by Magnus' place, having being sort of raised by him, and he became a big brother in all but blood to me as I was growing up. But that aside, Raph, what's going on?"
"The vampires breached the Accords." Izzy said, glaring at Raphael. "Killing Simon is grounds for war."
"Izzy, chill, I'm sure…"
"The vampires were not behind this. Just Camille. She attacked Simon on her own." Raphael defended, glaring at Izzy.
"Speaking of Camille, that reminds me…" Alyssa said, then out of nowhere, punched Raphael across the jaw. "What did I tell you about listening to that bitch and doing everything she says? You kidnapped a mundane under her orders for that stupid Mortal Cup and look where it's landed you."
"And how do we even know you're telling the truth?" Jace asked.
"Oh believe me, he is. If not, he'd be ash right now, big brother or not and he knows that." Alyssa said, glaring at Raphael.
"I could have gotten rid of him, but instead I brought him here. I don't want trouble with the Shadowhunters. Or with mi hermana for that matter. She is a force to be reckoned with." Raphael said.
"Smart decision." Izzy spat out, with a glare.
"I warned the mundane to say away…but Camille gave him a taste of her own blood and like an addict…he came back wanting more."
"The only reason Simon tasted Camille's blood is because of you. You kidnapped him. You dragged him to Hotel Dumort. You delivered him to Camille." Clary snapped, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I never meant for this to happen." Raphael said honestly. Clary began to sob into Simon's body. Jace and Izzy looked at her sadly. Raphael took a seat on a bench.
"There is a way." He said. Alyssa snapped her head at her and narrowed her eyes in realization.
"Raphael, no." She warned.
"'A way' what?" Jace gritted out.
"A way to bring Simon back." Raphael replied. This caught Clary's attention and she turned to the vampire.
"You can do that? How? How?" She asked.
"Raphael…" Alyssa said in a warning tone but she was ignored.
"He's a fledgling. It's a state of transition. Your friend can be resurrected." Realizing what he was trying to say, Jace began to shake his head.
"No."
"Clary, no." Izzy also said.
"So I could have Simon back?" Clary asked, ignoring both Jace and Izzy. "Alive and breathing."
"Minus the alive or breathing part." Alyssa said, speaking to Clary for the first time since they entered the basement. "He'd be a vampire."
"And not the sexed up, romantic kind. The ugly, bloodsucking coffin dwelling kind." Jace said, looking at Raphael with disdain.
"That's offensive." Raphael said, raising an eyebrow. "Coffin implies wooden box. We have caskets now. They're made of 14-karat gold."
"My bad." Jace replied sarcastically.
"Jace, mind how you talk to my brother or I'll do it for you." Alyssa warned. "Raph, stop annoying him."
"It's almost sunrise." Raphael said, looking at Clary and standing up. "Simon must be turned into a vampire tonight or staked through the heart."
"And if I do neither?" Clary asked.
"His soul will be trapped for eternity. You have till sunset to decide- the clock is ticking." Raphael said.
Institute – Hallway
Alyssa had just walked out of the room, freshly showered and changed and yawning from a lack of rest.
"Hey, you okay?" Alec asked, walking up beside her and going down the hall with her. She looked up at him with a smile.
"Yeah, just tired. Nothing a cup of coffee and a boost from my stamina rune can't fix till I can get some proper rest." She said, looking up at him with a smile. Alec nodded and looked her over, as if trying to spot something and she noticed. "What?"
"Are you okay?" Alec asked again.
"What? Alec, I just told you…"
"No, I mean, with what happened between you and Clary last night. Your argument. Are you okay?"
"Yes, Alec. Why wouldn't I be?" Alyssa replied rolling her eyes.
"Alyssa, come on, it's me you're talking to."
"Yeah, and?" She asked. "Look, Alec, my sister and I have never gotten along, not when we were kids. And we've gotten along less since I came back into her life. She's always trying to find something to accuse me off, to try and prove that I was lying about her mother abandoning me.
I mean, yes, it hurts but it also doesn't surprise me anymore. I could tell her that Jocelyn almost killed me and she'd still find some way to defend her mother and have me to blame for it. I may not hate Clary but she definitely despises me for reasons that her mother filled her head with."
"Then why do you still help her?"
"Because my dad asked me to. If he hadn't, I wouldn't be here. I'm doing this for my dad, to help him keep his promise to Jocelyn. Believe me, if we ever find and save Jocelyn, Clary's on her own for my part. If I remain here, it'd be because of you, Izzy and Jace, not because of her." Just then Izzy approached the two.
"Hey, Lyssa. Alec, mom and dad want to see us, now." Alec nodded and the siblings bid Alyssa goodbye before walking away.
Basement - Inside
Alyssa walked in to find Clary still by Simon's body and listening to a voicemail he had sent. She cried, apologizing to Simon's body.
"This is all my fault." Clay said, covering her mouth.
"Clary, this isn't your…" Jace tried to reassure her.
"No, it is. If it weren't for me, Simon would have never even known about the Shadow World." Alyssa resisted the urge to roll her eyes. 'Oh so now you see reason.' She thought, making Jace shoot her a look with she returned with a glare. "He would have never been kidnapped by the vampires- he wouldn't have met Camille. He would- he wouldn't be dead."
"A fledgling." Raphael corrected. "He's in transition." Alyssa did roll her eyes this time and glared at her pseudo brother.
"Raph, not the time." She scolded.
"And now I am left with two—two reprehensible choices. And I can't figure out which one is worse." Clary continued. She then looked at Raphael. "If I, uh—if I bury Simon, what are the risks?"
"Clary, no. Absolutely not." Jace protested.
"Jace, stop. She needs to know." Alyssa said. Clary shot her a slight grateful look then looked back at Raphael.
"If Simon is buried and he doesn't emerge…he would be trapped under the earth…starving for eternity." Raphael answered. Clary gasped and sobbed.
"Oh my God. And, uh-if I stake him?"
"He'll die a human death. It's painless, as far as I know." Raphael replied. Clary covered her mouth and began to sob again. Alyssa sighed and beckoned Jace to come over.
"Take her to the mundane's home. She needs to tell his family what happened."
"What? Alyssa, that's a bad idea. She can't…"
"Jace, whether or not she chooses to resurrect Simon or not, she still needs to talk to his family. If only to help her make her decision." Jace studied her for a minute then sighed.
"You already know what she's going to decide, don't you?"
"It doesn't matter. Just go with her." Jace sighed and nodded at her. Alyssa nodded and went back upstairs and out.
Main Room - Ops Center
Alec walked down the stairs with a little boy beside him, his brother, Max. The two walked to the center of the room. Alyssa walked over to the two.
"Hey. And who is this?" She asked, smiling at Max.
"This is my little brother, Max. Max, this is Alyssa Fairchild." Alec introduced.
"But I thought there was only one Fairchild girl according to mom and dad."
"Yes, well, I've been in hiding all this time. Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Max."
"Yeah, nice meeting you too." Max said then turned to his big brother. "Alec, you think you could get my stele back?"
"They took it away because you nearly burnt down the Mumbai Institute." Alec said with a sigh. Alyssa's eyes widened in surprise.
"How many times do I have to say it was an accident?" Max said.
"Well, then I'd say for an accident, you must have done a pretty good job." Alyssa said, mischief swimming in her eyes. Max looked up at her. She smirked and winked at him. "If I'm right, the place must have needed a remodeling anyway. When I studied at the Paris Institute, I also almost burnt it down."
"Whoa, really?" Max asked, his eyes, widening in awe.
"Don't encourage him, Lyssa." Alec said.
"Oh please, as if you didn't get into trouble when you were his age." Alyssa teased. Alec sighed and kneeled down to Max's height.
"Look, Max. Somebody very important is coming to visit."
"Someone important?" Alyssa asked, tilting her head to ask for more clarification.
"Yeah, envoy from the Clave." Alec replied.
"Of course." Alyssa said, rolling her eyes then looking at Max. "Tell you what Max. To keep your brother from stressing all of his hair out and getting very old…" Max giggled at this. "You think you can stay out of trouble for as long as this important person is around? If you do, I'll make sure big brother gets you your stele back." Alec shoot her a disbelieving look and she just smirked at him.
"You promise?" Max asked.
"I promise." Alyssa said.
"I like her." Max said.
"I'm sure you do." Alec said. Alyssa just smiled mischievously at him.
Just then the doors to the Institute flew open, drawing the attention of Alec and Alyssa. Valentine walked inside, startling everyone. Alec pulled Max behind him, deglamoring his bow and arrows, then taking a shoot at the bald man.
Alyssa drew two of her spikes and threw them at the same time as Alec shot his arrow. Valentine caught the arrow and one of the spikes but couldn't stop the second one which embedded itself into his shoulder. He tossed the arrow and spike in his hands to the side and pulled out his stele. He waved it over his wrist over the Shapeshifting rune, causing his form to change into a blonde woman. She took out the second spike in her shoulder and ran the stele over her Iratze rune. She tilted her head and stared at everyone who were all staring back at her.
"The reaction time was abysmal." She said, walking over to Alec and Alyssa. "Except for you two. I'm Lydia Branwell, envoy from the Clave." Izzy and Maryse walked down and over to them. The woman walked past Alyssa and Alec, looking at Maryse. "Maryse." She said, by way of greeting. "The Clave has ordered me to take temporary control of this Institute."
"Wait a minute. Nobody informed us."
"The Clave doesn't need to. And to repeat myself, it's temporary. Nothing's been decided yet. But I do need full clearance in order to assess how this Institute is running."
"I'm sure, you do." Alyssa said, smiling at her sarcastically then handed her a vial of clear liquid. "Here, drink up."
"And what is this?" Lydia said, looking at the vial skeptically.
"An antidote for the poison coursing through your veins right now." Alyssa said, her tone indifferent while Maryse, Izzy and Alec looked at her in surprise.
"What?!" The three Lightwoods exclaimed.
"Poison?" Lydia asked, shocked.
"Yes. A slow but fast acting one depending on what you do after it gets into your system. If you're fairly inactive after poisoning, it acts slowly. Doing something that exerts energy on the other hand speeds it up. The spikes I threw at you or should I say Valentine, were coated and infused with this poison so if I were you, I'd drink that antidote right now." Alyssa warned. Lydia uncapped the vial and quickly drank the antidote.
"Alyssa, why would you throw a poisoned spike at an envoy of the Clave?" Maryse asked, alarmed.
"I didn't throw it at her. I threw it at Valentine, whom she just so happened to be disguised as. Can't really blame me now, can you?" Alyssa said. Izzy folded her lips, trying not to smile. Lydia nodded her head at the girl in thanks then moved to the computers, drawing a rune on them to give her access to the information she needed. She paused and then faced them once again.
"Where is Clary Fairchild?" She looked at Alec and Izzy. "I would hope someone here knows." She said, when she received no answer.
"And why would you need to know that, Lydia?" Alyssa asked.
"As envoy from the Clave and temporary head of the Institute, I need to know the whereabouts of Shadowhunters currently living in this Institute. Speaking of which, you never told me who you were." Lydia said.
"That's because you didn't ask, Miss Envoy. But to keep Maryse and the other Lightwoods from getting into trouble, I'll play your game. My name is Alyssa Fairchild. I'm Clarissa's older sister."
"Another Fairchild?" Lydia asked then looked at the Lightwoods. "And why wasn't the Clave informed of her existence before?"
"That's because they only got to know about me just recently when I appeared to help my sister with a little problem of hers."
"I see. And where is your sister?"
"She's out in the field training." Alec answered this time, drawing Lydia's attention.
"You're telling me she's just out there and about in the streets of New York?" Lydia said, stepping closer to Alec and Alyssa. "One of Valentine's daughters?"
"Let me correct you right there, sweetheart. That sociopathic monster could never be my father. Now might I suggest you take a step back before I get testy? I can get really mean when I'm testy." Alyssa said, glaring at the blond.
"Isn't she also your cousin?" Izzy asked, referring to Clary.
"Distant cousin." Lydia said, stepping back.
"She's with Jace." Alec spoke up.
"The same Jace Wayland who decided to lead an unsanctioned raid against the vampires?" Lydia confronted. "I've read the reports." She said, as a way to explain how she knew.
"Meaning, you don't know the full story. So why don't you save the judgy face and tone for when you have more information on that supposed raid?" Alyssa said.
"Jace might be unconventional but he's our best soldier." Maryse said, defending Jace. "If he's with Clary, then she's in good hands."
"I hope so. And for your sake, all of New York. All of your jurisdiction better be well protected." Lydia said. Alyssa just gave her a sarcastic smile then walked away with Izzy and Alec following.
Maryse and Lydia were talking on one side of the room and Alec, Izzy and Alyssa were walking over.
"I'm not a fan." Izzy said, looking at Lydia.
"I second that. She makes me want to throw her against a wall and then snap her neck." Alyssa said.
"Whoa, you only get homicidal when you're in a mood. Are you okay?" Izzy said.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Just then, Alec's phone rang. He pulled it out and looked at it. He walked over to Maryse and Lydia quickly, with Izzy and Alyssa following.
"I have something you need to see, something attacked the Jade Wolf." Alec informed. Alyssa's eyes widened.
"The werewolves' headquarters?" Maryse asked. Alec brought some photos onto the monitor in front of them for all of them to see.
Where did you…"
"Where did you get these?" Lydia asked, cutting Maryse off.
"Leader of the New York wolf pack." Alec answered.
"You're friends with Lucian Graymark? An ex-Circle member?" Lydia asked with a scoff.
"Do you have a problem with that?" Alyssa asked, crossing her arms and glaring at the blond. Maryse, sensing the tension between the two, cleared her throat.
"How about we send Izzy and Alec to investigate? I'm sure this is linked to-"
"Valentine." Lydia cut Maryse off again. "I need to see for myself." She said. Alyssa turned and began to walk away. Lydia moved and caught her arm, stopping her. "Excuse me, where do you think you're going? You're not coming along. Your orders are to stay here and…"
"Get your hands off me. I do not take orders from anyone, least of all, you or the Clave. So unless you want me to snap your arm like a twig and render it useless, I suggest you get your hand off me, now." Alyssa all but growled, struggling to not lose control. Seeing the dangerous look in her eyes, Lydia realized that she would actually go through with her threat if pushed. She let go of her and watched the dark-skinned girl walk away. She then sighed and looked to Alec.
"Are you coming or not?" She asked. Alec sighed and walked after her.
Jade Wolf – Inside
Lydia was kneeling next to the body of the creature, looking it over.
"It's got some characteristics of a Forsaken. It was human. It was runed." She said.
"Maybe. But this one seems different, evolved somehow." Alyssa said, standing by Luke.
"She's right. It was more focused, more determined. It attacked like it had a plan. Plus a normal Forsaken wouldn't have been so hard to kill. It took five wolves to take that thing down. Never seen anything like it."
"Valentine must have made them evolved somehow. The man is crazy but he's a genius, a strategic one." Alyssa said then looked over at her father. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine, Lyss."
"We'll take the body back to the Institute. Do a full autopsy." Lydia announced, standing up.
"Whoa, hold up." Luke interjected. "I get that I called you…Actually, I called Alec. But what I didn't want is someone to come down here and just take over."
"Yeah, that's kind of her thing." Alec said. Luke looked to Alyssa with a raised eyebrow and she nodded. Lydia rolled her eyes at this.
"Look, I know I can come across…abrasive. But we're all on the same side here. Can we agree on that? The Institute had the resources to find out what this thing is." She said.
"We have an expert forensic pathologist. Highly trained in all the creatures of the Shadow World." Alec added then knelt down to examine the body himself. Lydia gave Luke a pointed look.
"Do you have one here? In this, uh, Chinese restaurant?" She asked condescendingly, making Alyssa begin to bristle.
"Lydia, drop the condescending attitude or we're gonna have even bigger problems than the Forsaken here. Understand?" The dark-skinned girl warned. Luke placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her then spoke to Lydia.
"Fine. You win. Just let me know what you find." He said.
"You think Valentine was behind this?" Alec asked.
"I believe I said as much earlier when I said he'd somehow evolved them, Alec." Alyssa said.
"Lyssa's right. It's definitely his handiwork." Luke said.
"What do you think he's after?" Alec asked.
"Honestly? Me." Luke answered.
"So you think Valentine's going after ex-Circle members?" Lydia asked.
"I don't know. It might be kind of personal. We have a complicated past." Luke replied. Alec stood up.
"Not sure complicated is the word to use to describe your past with the psychopath. It's too…tame" Alyssa said, almost teasingly, earning a nudge from Luke. She smiled back at him and stuck out her tongue briefly, making him shake his head at her with a smile.
The interaction did not go unnoticed by Lydia, who wondered what kind of relationship the two had. Luke's face turned serious again once he turned back to Lydia and Alec.
"But of course, he could be going after the old crew. I'm sure Valentine has a grudge against anybody who turned against him."
"We'll put extra wards on the Institute." Lydia said.
"Right, for Hodge." Alec agreed. Lydia nodded with a confused look, as if he'd forgotten to say something.
"And your parents." This confused Alec as he couldn't tell what she was implying. Lydia noticed this and realized he didn't know. "Did they conceal that from you?" She asked. Alec was in shock. He couldn't believe that his parents, his high-strung, by-the-book parents were once Circle members.
Institute – The Morgue
The forsaken's body had been brought back to the Institute and was lying on a table while Lydia, Alec and Alyssa, all stood in front of it.
"We need to make sure no magic was used to make this. I'm calling the nearest High Warlock to come in to consult." Lydia said.
"Magnus Bane? To come here to the Institute?" Alec asked, almost nervously making Alyssa want to laugh.
"Yes, is there a problem?" Lydia asked.
"Other than the fact that he has an issue with the Clave and has a dislike towards most Shadowhunters with the exception of a select few, no. Not at all." Alyssa said sarcastically. Lydia eyed her for a moment then tilted her head.
"Did you know that my great ancestor, Henry Branwell, who was the last of the Branwells to run an Institute, and Magnus Bane invented the portal?" Lydia said excitedly with a chuckle. Alec shook his head.
"No. Just add that to the list of things I didn't know." Alec said, then turned to walk away.
"Oh, here we go." Alyssa said. Lydia followed and called for him.
"Alec. I'm sorry." Alec stopped and turned to face her. "You shouldn't have had to find out your parents were ex-Circle members. Not like that."
"You mean from you? You shouldn't have been the one I found out from." Alec countered.
"You know there's been a ban about talking about the Circle till now." Lydia said.
"Yeah, how convenient for my parents." Alec said sarcastically, drawing Alyssa's attention to the resentment in his tone.
"This doesn't change how I feel about the Lightwoods. Your family has always had a strong alliance with mine. They've been a powerful force in the Shadow World and praised for their devotion."
"Devotion?" Alec asked incredulously. "My parents were in league with Valentine."
"So what?" Alyssa said, drawing the attention of the two to her. She walked over to them. "They used to be in league with the world's sociopathic monster, key phrase being, 'used to'. Your parents were young at the time and must have taken Valentine's words for what they were at the surface. They made a mistake, as did mine. They thought they were doing the right thing."
"Alec, she's right. People make mistakes." Lydia agreed.
"Yeah but this one…" Alec shook his head. "It's unforgivable." He said then turned around to walk away, leaving the two women behind.
Hallway
Alyssa was on the phone with Jace who was with Clary and Raphael, preparing to bury Simon.
"So she's made her decision." Alyssa said.
'Yeah, she's going to turn the mundane.'
"Why did I think she wouldn't chose to do that after what I've seen?" Alyssa mused mostly to herself but Jace heard.
'What do you mean? What are you talking about?'
"You have met Clary, remember? She tends to shut off her brain where her friend is concerned."
'Yes, but I also know that's not what you meant.' Alyssa groaned and winced.
"Okay. Truth is I may have known that she was definitely going to choose to turn the mundane into a vampire."
'How?'
"Hard to explain without showing you but…"
'Babe, are you saying you knew that Simon was going to die?'
"Not really…kinda. Except by the time I found out it was already too late. Next thing I knew Raff was showing up with his body."
'Lys, you're not making sense right now.'
"Ok, so last night after you got me the charcoal and sketch book, I started to draw and I fell into a trance of sorts. When I came out it, I saw that I had drawn up events that would lead to the mundane becoming a vampire. From him going to the hotel to him emerging as a vampire."
'Why didn't you tell Clary before or after Raphael had brought the body?"'
"First, I couldn't tell her before because I was still processing things and wondering how and why I drew those images. Second, I didn't tell her after because there's no point to it. She would have accused me of being responsible for this, for not telling her in time. That I'd probably known all along that it was going to happen and because I could care less about her friend, I decided to keep mum about it."
'You don't know that.'
"Jace, the argument we had last night says otherwise. That same argument is the same reason why I'm in here and not out there with you, despite how much I really want to be with you right now. Clary doesn't want me there and frankly I've had enough of her accusing me."
'Come on, babe…'
Just then, Alyssa got distracted by the sounds of fighting coming from the training room. She made her way there to see Hodge being thrown to the ground by a Forsaken, just like the one that had attacked the Jade Wolf, and Alec beginning to shoot him with arrows.
"Jace, I'm gonna call you back." Alyssa said then hung up on him. She saw the Forsaken knock Alec down with his mace. She suddenly felt fury rise within her.
"Hey, big guy." She shouted, getting the attention of the Forsaken and the other people in the room. The Forsaken moved away from Alec. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" She taunted then ran at the creature, kicking it far away from Alec.
She looked up at it with glowing eyes, not caring who saw. She caught the mace as the Forsaken swung it at her and wrenched it from his grasp. With a growl, she used her excessive strength to snap it over her knee then threw the pieces to the side. Alec and Hodge watched her in shock and surprise.
Taking out her seraph blade, she ran at the creature and began to slash at it. Hodge pulled out his chakrams and helped her slash at it, to distract the creature. Ducking to avoid the swinging arms of the Forsaken, Alyssa struck her leg out in a sweep kick and swept its feet from under, sending it crashing to the ground. She then quickly stabbed it in the heart from the back, to prevent it from getting up again then for good measure, snapped its neck as well.
Izzy ran in at that moment and went to Alec's side. Finally feeling the pain from his arm where the Forsaken struck him, Alec groaned and held his arm.
"Oh my God. Alec are you okay?" She asked. Alyssa got off the Forsaken's body and went to Alec's side like Izzy. The three of them, as well as Hodge, just stared at the Forsaken's body.