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City of Bones
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Calling All Shadowhunters (TMI Roleplay)
Carter ClearwaterCarter frantically tries calling Cassie's cellphone, but she doesn't pick it up. He's trying to be positive that, Cassie might've just run away and hid herself, just like she did when she got scared of her life. But that didn't explain her torn ruby necklace. Carter knew that Cassie would never do that on her own. That necklace meant to her more than anything. Carter strutted through the gloomy streets in the afternoon chilled weather, trying to find his sister.
After hours of searching, he sat on the front steps of the Clave. His head was in his hands, trying to process everything that had happened. He was trained throughout his life to keep Cassie safe from the hands of Valentine, and here he is. He lost her. All his training, all his efforts to protect in vain. A tear trickled down his face. She was the only person he lives for, and now he doesn't know where she is.
Suddenly the buzz of his cellphone awoke him. He saw London's number on the screen. "Yeah?", he answered, wiping his tears. "You have to come back now!", she literally shouted. Carter got up, knowing something wasn't right. "I'll be there in a minute", he shut his cellphone, and started back towards the Clave.
Mod
Heather was on her way back to the Institute when she got a text message. Feeling uneasy, she opened it...and read what was written, smiling a little as she recognised the writing style:
Dear Miss Lovelace,
I see you and your merry band of Shadowhunters have been caught up in a spot of trouble. Rather than risk you all stampeding over to my doorstep and pleading with me on bended knee to save the day, I thought - as your mutual friend - I might extend some help and information to you at your earliest convenience.
Indeed, things are not what they seem anymore, Miss Lovelace. Be careful and be sure to trust no one. We will also talk more about your condition, as such, when you arrive. Tomorrow, noon perhaps?
Best wishes,
Magnus Bane
Heather pocketed her phone and with a quick running of her fingers through her ponytail to fix it, she entered the Institute.
BenHe was getting worried about Lucy, she wasn't waking up and kept thrashing around on her bed. She smelled off too, her scent kept changing it was fluctuating.
Lucy whimpered in her sleep, she was sweating and shivering. Ben wasn't sure why but he felt protective of her, maybe it was the way she looked in the cell. Her fierceness, even when things looked hopeless. He swept the hair of her forehead and tucked the blankets around her, hoping she would be ok.
Footsteps sounded, coming down the hall and stopping at the door. London poked her head through the opening in the doorway, and looking tired she asked "has anything changed with Lucy?" Ben shook his head and London sighed whiled rubbing her eye. He noticed the dark circle under London's eyes.
"Are you ok?" Ben raised his eyebrow as he questioned her. London's mouth puckered and her eyebrows scrunched, "shouldn't you pat more attention to Lucy than to me?" London snapped, Ben shrugged figuring it probably had something to do with Xavier.
Xavier was a whiz at reading people most of the time, but when it came to London Ben knew Xavier was clueless. He turned he attention back to Lucy who was thrashing on the bed again. It had already been six hours and she hadn't woken up. She said she would be fine, but he wasn't so sure.
Mod
When Heather entered Lucy's room, she saw that Ben was still sitting by her bedside, a tender expression on his face as he watched Lucy thrash around in her 'sleep', though to Heather it seemed more like a kind of demonically-induced coma. He looked up when Heather knocked softly on the wood of the door.
"Hey," he said, giving her a tired smile. "She's still the same."
Heather nodded, not trusting herself to speak of Lucy without a torrent of angry and hurtful memories flooding through her. She gazed at Lucy's pale face and damp hair...but she also saw Liam when she looked at Lucy. Liam lying sprawled on the blood-smattered concrete, his blue eyes staring sightlessly out into the night sky...
"Where is everyone?" Heather asked, turning abruptly away from the sight of Lucy's comatose figure.
"London's out with Jason - she called earlier and asked for Carter to go over there, but he still doesn't know his way around so Sara took him over," Ben replied. Heather raised an eyebrow.
"They left you in charge of the Institute?" she asked.
He chuckled. "I know, right? Desperate times lead to desperate measures. But you're back anyway now." The last part sounded like a question.
Heather sighed, flicking a piece of dirt from under one nail. "Yep. That's me - Avenger by day, Nanny McPhee by night. Saving the world one minute...babysitting the Institute the next."
Ben smiled up at her from where he was sprawled in an antique armchair. "Is it that bad?"
"Worse." Heather gave a last sweeping glance around the room before adding, "I'm going to cook up something for dinner - either that or order takeout, so I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."
Ben saluted with two fingers of his right hand. "Got it."
Heather left him to stare at Lucy and trudged into the kitchen, surveying it's emptiness with her hands on her hips. Silent. The Institute had never been so loud in its silence, making the place seem bigger and lonely than it usually did.
Raiding the fridge, Heather found: a pack of oranges, two apples, a carton of milk, a block of cheddar cheese, two packets of bacon, a packet of instant waffles and an assortment of condiment jars stashed in the back. She sighed as she eyed the motley bunch of food products with dismay.
Perhaps she should've gone to Walmart after all.
She rang up the nearest pizza place and placed orders to be delivered in an hour and a half's time, hoping that the gang would be back by sundown. Then she sat down on one of the barstools and stared at her hands.
Then out the window.
Then at the sink.
Then the fridge, the microwave and the door to the hallway.
"Argh," she groaned, slowly lowering her head to the bench. "I'm so bored!" Heather had never spent more than ten minutes not doing something Shadowhunterish, or dealing with the witty banter of a fellow Shadowhunter. And this...was pure torture.
So she swallowed her pride, picked up her phone and dialled the first person that came to her mind that she wanted to rant at the most.
Jason Penhallow.
She pressed the backspace button and sighed. She couldn't make herself call him...not now. So she called up London instead, hoping to get some inside information on what was really going on.
Cassie ClearwaterCassie woke up to a clattering noise that was coming from behind. She couldn't focus, everything was blurry. Her head ached like anything, and she couldn't move. She shook her head, looking all around the room to find out where she was. She realized that her hand was tied with metal chains, behind her and her mouth was sealed with some kind of a cloth. She whined, but it was of no use. It was very dark, she couldn't see a single thing.
Suddenly there was blast of white light coming from the wall in front of her. The door opened and two men entered.
"Hello Cassandra, how do you feel?", one of them asked politely.
Cassie somehow focused on her sight and managed to ask, "Who are you?", her eyes barely open.
"I am your well wisher", the man said, with a devilish grin.
"Leave me", she said weakly, but it was more of an order. "I am not a fool, my child", he replied.
"Carter will kill you if he finds out", Cassie warned.
"He will, if he is able to find you or me", he said with a smug smile.
"He'll find you!", she screamed.
"You've said enough, you should sleep now", he started moving towards her. He placed a hand on her head, and before she could protest, she passed out.
Mod
The radio was blasting out the notes of "Only Girl in the World" and the pizza boxes had arrived two minutes ago - Heather had placed them in the pre-warmed oven, box and all, to keep warm. London still hadn't picked up her phone - when Heather heard the door slam and familiar voices echoed through the Institute.
"Bullshit!" she heard Jason's voice say with conviction. "It's a load of crap, London, so don't go believing it-"
Carter's voice cut in, urgent. "But it's obvious that he's there, Jason, and he's not being chained to a wall in a dungeon. He's working with the Clave."
"Boys, please!" London interjected, appearing in the doorway to the kitchen, rubbing her temples. "Stop it! Oh, Heather," she added, giving Heather a apologetic smile. "Sorry...we were in an area where I couldn't exactly pick up the phone and chat in case we were overheard."
"No problem," replied Heather, opening the fridge and getting out cans of Coke, Sprite and Creaming Soda. "I ordered pizza and it's staying warm in the oven."
"I smell pepperoni!" Jason appeared, his leather jacket slung over one broad shoulder, his hair wind-mussed and laughter lines showing around his eyes. Most of his ease fled when he saw Heather, and then she noticed his stiff posture return and she turned away, hurt. "Are we opening for business or something?"
Sara walked in a second later, slipping her feet into a pair of ballet flats. "Next time we go out into something like that," she said, coming over to help Heather get out the plates and cutlery, "can you give me some notice so I can at least change shoes?"
"Good to see you know what's important, Sara," replied Jason.
Heather frowned. "Go where?" she asked. London shrugged and grabbed a slice of pizza from a box, but not before Heather caught her hand shaking slightly.
"Nowhere...just to the Silent City," she said, evasively. Heather didn't believe it for a second. Something else was going on.
"That's it? You went to the Silent City, snuck around and came back to eat pizza?"
"That's right," Jason said, before London could reply. "Could you pass the barbeque sauce, Heath?"
"Not before you tell me what really happened," retorted Heather, crossing her arms. No one looked up from their food, not even Sara - Carter was picking at the pineapple pieces on his slice. The silence was stifling, and then Ben walked in his eyes lighting up when he spotted the food.
Heather offered him a plate and he took it with a grateful smile. "Lucy's the same," he informed them. London began questioning him on what had happened whilst they were gone, and the others seemed to be interested in Lucy's health all of a sudden.
It hurt. Like a thorn wedging itself deeper and deeper into Heather's already mistrusting and guarded heart...her own family - these people who she saw as the closest thing she had to a family - were keeping secrets from her. Lying to her. Refusing to trust her but demanding her trust in return.
Heather lifted a slice of meat lover's pizza from its box and took an angry bite. She'd figure it out on her own - she would. She didn't need them, any of them, to help her do it, either. None of them took any notice of her and she left her slice half-finished and slid of her stool and snuck out of the room. She felt sick to her stomach and cold all over. What was this war, this endless fighting, doing to all of them?
Locking her bedroom door behind her, Heather raided her closet.
Heeled black boots. Red fitted top with black lace. Leather jacket. Black jeans. Earrings - the danglier the better. Necklace. Scarf. She finished dressing and spent a few minutes touching up her make-up and carefully braiding her hair into a half-knot at the back of her head.
Staring at her reflection, Heather remembered how her mother had once been fixing Heather's hair before a party, and had said to her,
"What we look like as women, Heather baby, is the most important thing. A woman can be partying on the inside but needs to look solemn - so she put on her nicest black dress and some thick mascara and no one knows the difference. A woman can be breaking apart on the inside, but with a little lipgloss, concealer and a pair of dangly earrings no one can ever tell she is slowly fading before their very eyes. "
And her mother had known about fading. She and Heather's father had, for most of Heather's childhood, the worst of relationships. He'd worked for the Clave. She'd been friends with Downworlders. He'd wanted my brother to live in Idris. She'd wanted him here, in New York. He'd wanted to leave. She'd begged him to stay.
Not that that had worked...he'd left and she'd turned into the wisp of a woman she was until the day she was murdered. Heather knew that she partially blamed her mother for Liam's death. If Jessica Lovelace had been stronger, she would have stopped her son from facing the demon alone. But she let him go.
But Heather couldn't find it in her heart to stay angry at her mother...her dead mother. Blinking, and realising she'd paused in applying her eyeshadow, Heather finished up quickly and quietly exited the room, though not before arming herself with two daggers, a knife and a shuriken.
She was going out to kick some demon ass. It was something she wasn't proud of, but whenever - for the past four or so years that Heather had been living as a member of the Institute - Heather had ever felt caged, alone and afraid, she had gone demon hunting. Purposely seeking out demons for the thrill of it.
Sometimes she reckoned she did it to relive that night Liam died - to try and flip the odds in her mind, in her memory. Everytime she'd slay a demon, she'd think "I lived. But Liam died."
And she'd continue thinking that for as long as she had life in her veins.
London WaylandAfter she had finished speaking to Ben, she left the kitchen feeling hollow and empty. All answers pointed to Kyle being a traitor and she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. Noticing that Heather was missing when she left, she headed towards her room. Heather was the smart one, she would tell her everything. She would know what to do.
She knocked once, twice but nothing. She tries the handle and finds it unlocked. Strange. When she peers inside, she room is empty. She closed the door and turns around to find Jason staring at her.
"She's not there" she says quietly "She is upset with us for keeping secrets. Go and find her, before she does anything she may regret"
He nodded and ran off. She stood in the empty hallway for awhile until she had decided that she didn't want to be here. This place reeked of memories with Kyle. She couldn't handle that right now.
* * * *
As she walked up towards Xavier's house, she wondered if she was making a mistake by coming here. She shook her head softly. She needed an old friend, and she could be strong. Standing just outside, she listened carefully for her voice, but heard nothing. Good. She approached the door and knocked.
"London. What are you doing here? What's wrong?"
Just hearing his voice made her burst into tears.
Lucy MorgensternThe nightmares were horrific, flashes of everything cruel thing imaginable. Lucy saw people she had never met being murdered, by their wives or husbands, by their neighbors and friends. It was terrible, but those were the easier visions to bear, the worst ones were of the people she did know.
She saw Heather standing over corpses, emotionless her lips mouthing one word over and over and over again. She saw Jason on the ground covered in blood and Sara a few feet away from him. London and Meghan trapped in a room slowly suffocating to death while Kyle watched impassively.
She also saw her grandparents, Clary and Jace surrounded by demons desperately trying to protect..... something. Everything came in flashes, scenes of death or torture. Lucy wasn't sure how much she could take without going mad.
She saw Valentine and Jonathan Christopher sitting in a room, laughing at something. They were laughing at someone in shackles, chained to a wall. It was Liam.
Her final vision was that of an angel, for their was no other way to describe the being that came to her. He talked to her without making a sound, and she felt a tingling on her arm where her star-shaped birthmark was. "Lucinda Morgenstern all of the things that you have seen either will happen, could happen, or would have happened."
"You don't mean that Valentine and Jonathan are still alive?" the angel looked at her and started to fade, "they may not be alive now, but they could be later. Keep that in mind."
Mod
Jikininki - ghoulish demons that feeds on human corpses, that were orignally found in Japan, they were the terrors of graveyards and morgues. And Heather was lucky enough to find one at the local cemetery, snoring gently as it curled its bloated, ghastly form around a crumbling gravestone.
Heather patted her seraph blade and narrowed her eyes. The hunt was on. She'd heard that jikininki's put up a hell of a fight - this was the time to test that theory out.
Mod
Heather Lovelace
Heather looked down at the carcass of the demon she had killed...her body almost tingling with the afterbuzz of the hunt, and yet her head felt hazy and the ground seemed to be shaking like crazy. She was probably just tired, she reasoned. But looking at the goo dripping off the end of her seraph blade onto the ground made her feel sick to her stomach.
She'd lost it...again.
Heather hated this part of her - this savagery that emerged when everything was too much and she felt as if she was being suffocated slowly. The logical step to her always seemed to be to run or to fight. This time, it had been both that kicked in. The demon never stood a chance. She'd leapt into action, slitting it in various places, before stabbing it's 'heart' and decapitating it before it could strike it's sharp needle like pincers into her flesh.
Normally, had this been a legit hunt with other Shadowhunters, she would have been the first to say that a celebration was in order and a night out would have been arranged - it was a Shadowhunter thing. But now...like this...it wasn't right.
Heather sunk to her knees, staring at the corpse of the demon, tears welling in her eyes. Sobs clawed their way out of her throat and she truly cried as she knelt there in the slick dirt...slick with the demon's life, a life that was once Liam's...everything linked to Liam. Heather swiped at her eyes, breathing in the night air in large gulps.
She was about to rise and clean the goo off her blade when she heard a quiet voice. "Heather? Is that you?"
She didn't turn. She knew who it was.
"Damn you, Jason." Her voice was choked, harsh. Almost automatically she made sure it was colder than the ninth circle of hell when she spoke next. "Go away."
She didn't hear him leave. He was so stubborn. "I said," she intoned slowly, her resolve cracking, her sorrow coming to the surface again, "Go. Away. Now ."
She heard him draw in a breath, and she kept her back to him so he wouldn't see her face. "London asked me to come check on you." The leaves rustled as he took a step towards her. "If this is about what went down today when we left-"
"This has nothing to do with anything to do with you lot," Heather barked. "Now leave me alone."
"Is that a demon?" Jason sounded surprised and at the same time, angry. "Did it attack you?"
Heather let a humourless laugh escape her lips. "On the contrary. I attacked it . On purpose."
Jason came into view...she could glimpse his steadfast figure standing beside her, a foot away from her but even from here she could feel the heat that radiated off him. She sucked in a weak breath. "Why?" he asked, calmly. No accusations. No flippancy. Just a calm, steady 'why?' Heather closed her eyes and tried to put together an answer... did she even know the answer herself?
"I couldn't take it...any of it...anymore." She swallowed. "I felt angry. Hurt. So I did the first thing that came to my mind, and now you can go ahead and gloat and carry on like you always do," she finished, wiping her seraph blade and getting out a pouch of warlock substance which she sprinkled on the dead corpse..causing it to turn to some kind of smoke - like dust, that dissolved so fine she could hardly see it anymore.
Like her old life.
Jason didn't say anything. When she turned to leave, he shot out an arm and touched her shoulder. "I don't judge you, Heath," he murmured, his eyes glowing in the night when she looked up. She saw there sympathy. Something she hated. Something that threatened to undo her.
She looked away and then involuntarily shivered from the cold. She felt sick. Jason shrugged off his jacket and draped it across her shoulders. She tried it give it back, but he glared back at her.
"You need it more than I do," he answered. She sighed and said, "Thanks." It was grudging. But she meant it. Tentatively, he put an arm around her and she flinched but he held on. They left the cemetery together and Heather was dimly aware of the tonnes of dead around her.
The thought made her tremble. Jason must have felt it, because he turned his head and gently pressed his lips to the top of her head, murmuring, "It's ok. It's ok."
Heather turned her head away and swallowed a sob as he lead her back home. Wait...to the Institute. Home was long gone now. And Jason's words were empty, meaningless.
Nothing was ok. This was as far away from ok as one could get.
Lucy MorgensternLucy slowly opened her eyes using a tremendous amount of effort. She hurt everywhere, her very blood was in turmoil and moving even the tiniest millimeter set off a new bout of searing pain. After what felt like an eternity though the pain eased somewhat and Lucy felt like she could move.
She gingerly sat up and realized two things almost simultaneously, one she was in a bed wearing clothes she had never seen before and two Ben was slumped in a chair next to her bed asleep.
She looked at Ben for awhile, just starring at his face and taking in the dark circles and "worry lines" as her mother used to call them. She also took in his strong jaw and straight nose, his full lips and the scar she hadn't noticed before on his jaw line.
"Well looks like someone is awake." Lucy felt blood rush to her face at being caught starring and turned to look at the person who had just walked in the door. "And I came all this way to make sure you were ok."
Lucy broke into a smile, "I can't believe you're here!" Meghan slowly walked towards her, looking relieved. "Yeah, me either. I'm not here for long though Dad said I could come check on you but I have to catch a plane back home tomorrow." Lucy tried not to feel too disappointed, it was so good to see Meghan she didn't want to ruin the short time they had together by pouting.
Ben was still sleeping, and Lucy thought that he looked like he needed it so she didn't wake him. "I'm so happy to see you, but could you get London for me I need to tell her something." Meghan looked reluctant to leave so Lucy added "it's urgent" and Meghan finally nodded and left.
Lucy fought off a yawn, she needed to tell London about her dream. Her eyes drooped, she still felt very weak and was very tired. Lucy shook her head, trying to stay awake at least until Meghan brought London but it was no use. Within a few minutes Lucy had sunken against her pillows and fallen asleep.
Mod
"Oh, Heather!" London's arms came around Heather, holding her tightly as London sighed in relief and her eyes scanned Heather as if checking to make sure she was real. Heather's eyes filled with tears in response to London's own tears, and she hurriedly swiped at them.
"Go up and shower, honey," London soothed, releasing her. London turned to Jason and gave him a big hug. "Thanks Jason, for finding her."
"No prob," replied Jason quietly. Heather caught his eye and they stared at each other for a heartbeat, before Heather broke the connection and slipped past London and into the hallway, hearing London begin to interrogate Jason. She was too tired to bother listening in.
And then Heather received the shock of her life...Meghan Morgenstern was walking down the hallway. She was six years older than Heather and the rest of the younger generation of Shadowhunters, and Heather flushed in anger when she remembered Meghan's stance on the Lucy-Liam situation. She blamed Meghan as much as Lucy for what had happened.
"Heather?" Meghan looked surprised, but not shocked. She was always composed, her hair pulled back in a simple braid, her expression polite but distanced. "Look at you," Meghan added, giving a distasteful smile. "You look so much like Liam...more so every day."
Heather felt like someone had stabbed her. Hard. "You haven't changed," she whispered. "You're still the same cold bitch you were when we last met."
Meghan laughed coldly. "You remember? How...refreshing." Meghan took a step forward, her eyes narrowing. "I meant what I said then, Heather - I still mean it. Liam was nothing but trash and it was his own fault he ended up dead-"
Heather couldn't take much more of it. She flung herself at Meghan with a strangled cry, and Meghan retaliated in kind, slapping Heather across the face. World whirling, Heather pinned Meghan to the ground, but she was weak from the fight with the demon earlier. Meghan flipped her over and held a blade to her throat, breathing hard.
"This...is...all..your...fault," gasped Meghan, her teeth gritted, pressing the cold blade against Heather's collarbone. Heather squirmed, but Meghan had her in an iron grip. "Maybe I should exact my revenge on you...seeing Liam is unavailable." Heather could hear subtle footsteps. "I love seeing you squirm," breathed Meghan. "I wish I could have had the pleasure of killing Liam too, after what he did to Lucy-"
Meghan cried out and flew across the room, hitting the ground hard. She scrambled to her feet, gasping for breath. "What...what...?"
"Payback's a bitch," snarled a furious Jason, who was standing before where Heather lay, trying to catch her breath. He held his blade pointing at Meghan, his hand steady, his expression deadly calm. "Speaking of bitches - what the hell were you doing? Cat fights weren't like this back in the old days, now - ever heard of conversing first before doing someone in?"
Meghan spat a mix of blood and saliva on the ground, fingering her jaw. It looked swollen...probably Jason's handiwork. "You know nothing, little Shadowhunter. Nothing! So don't go snapping at me all because you can't handle a little conflict-"
"You were trying to kill her!" retorted Jason, taking a step towards her. "Why?!"
Meghan laughed, which turned into a coughed. "Because I never had the pleasure of killing Liam myself...shame though," she added, looking at Heather. "I hear he went down with a struggle, the life rushing from him even as he struggled for his last breath-"
Heather jumped to her feet, screaming - about to cut Meghan into little pieces, sobbing, when Jason put his arms around her, trying to hold her back. Heather struggled, seething, sobbing incoherently.
"Heather!" Jason said, his voice firm. "No - don't -"
"If ANYONE ," Heather shouted at Meghan, "is to blame it is your shit of a sister - if she hadn't turned up Liam would be alive and he would kick your Ice Queen arse for what you just did! SHE is the reason he lies dead so I'll be DAMNED if you pin everything on me! How DARE you - how dare you even turn up to his funeral and give your little speech about him - HOW DARE YOU!!! " Heather slumped, tears streaming down her cheeks...Jason's arms coming around her as she cried.
Meghan's face was pale and she was breathing heavily. "I had every right!" she said. "And how is Liam going to kick my arse when he's too busy in Limbo to do anything?" Heather let out another scream and Jason called out over the top of her for London, who had already come running at the sound of Heather shouting.
"Meghan...Heather - enough!" London pointed her dagger at Meghan and motioned to the door. "Meghan Morgenstern.." Jason's eyes widened at this. "I will see you out. NOW."
"My pleasure," spat Meghan, shoving Jason aside and making for the entrance. London came over and kissed Heather's tear-streaked cheek gently and said "Take her up to her room, ok Jason? I'll be up soon." And she left to see Meghan out, seething. Heather knew London would have something to say to Meghan about all this.
But Heather felt empty...sore...like she'd been thrown into an ocean of pure sorrow, her scabs picked and left raw to bleed, the pain renewed. Meghan and cut her deep with her words. And Heather could not forget the way she'd come to Liam's funeral, speaking loudly about how he'd led Lucy on, how he'd had no honour and how he had had a fitting end. Heather had reacted much the same way she had now.
And she didn't regret it. No one spoke of her Liam like that.
Jason lifted her into his arms, even when she weakly protested, and carried her to her bedroom, kicking the door closed behind them...laying on her on her bed. She closed her eyes as more tears threatened to fall. Jason sat on the edge of the bed beside her, his hand coming up to wipe her cheeks.
"Want to talk about it?" he asked softly. She shook her head mutely and he nodded. "Ok. But if you ever want to, I'm here for you-"
"She spoke badly of Liam," Heather whispered. Jason waited for her to continue. She took a deep breath and added, "My brother."
Jason's eyes widened and he said, "But - but I didn't know-"
Heather drew in a sharp, shuddering breath. "He...he...he's dead. He's...was...Lucy's parabati. She fell for him." Heather rested her hand across her eyes, the memories burning behind her eyelids, igniting to life. "But parabati-"
"Can't be together," finished Jason, his tone thoughtful and sad.
Heather nodded. "He tried to prove himself to the Clave, to my father. So he went after one of the deadliest demons around and Lucy went after him. The demon aimed for her and he was distracted, so it...it...it..." She slapped her hand over her mouth to stop the sobs from tearing her apart.
Jason lay down beside her and she stared into his beautiful eyes, eyes that were teary, filled with empathy for her, sadness for her. He carefully wrapped his arms around her and drew her to his chest, where she broke down, sobbing harder than she'd ever thought possible, her eyes closed...enveloped in the warmth that was Jason, his smell, his essence - what made him him - assaulting her senses. He simply held her tightly as she cried herself out, steadfast and strong beside her.
And Heather saw a different side to him she never knew existed. A comforting side that drew her like a moth toward a flame. Everything hurt, so she let the pain carry her off into a dreamless sleep, her head resting against Jason's chest...lulled to sleep by the steady beating of his heart.
Lucy MorgensternLucy watched as Meghan was led away looking shaken up and as Jason pulled Heather away. No one was aware that Lucy had gotten up and seen almost everything, she had walked in on Heather with a murderous look on her face as she stared at Meghan. It hurt Lucy, knowing how Meghan acted around other people, knowing that her former parabatai's sister hated her so much.
Lucy started shivering and ventured back to her room. She gently shook Ben to wake him up and he smiled at her crookedly looking so very relieved, "Hey sleeping beauty, how ya feeling.?"
"I was wondering if you would come with me..." she trailed off, not exactly sure of what she was going to do. Ben nodded looking uneasy, "Ok but you need to rest, you look like death warmed over." Lucy nodded absently and turnedto the door, Ben trailed after her as she made her way to Heather's room.
Lucy swallowe and knocked quietly. Jason opened the door, his face which had looked so gentle changed abruptly to open hostility "What do you want?" He practically snarled, Lucy flinched "I need to talk to Heather" Lucy looked at the floor as she spoke, feeling very weak. "Heather has had a rough day, no thanks to your bitch sister." Lucy felt a hollowness inside she had never felt before "I need to talk to Heather" she repeated again, softer this time. Jason made a disgusted noise but let her into the room.
Heather was sleeping on the bed of the bare room and Jason gently woke her, "Hey Heath? Lucy said she needs to talk to you." Heather's face went emotionless and she said in a voice void of my feeling "did you come to mock me like Meghan did?" Lucy shook her head and swallowed.
"I just wanted to let you know that I'm done" Jason looked confused but Heather's face was still emotionless. "I'm done letting you blame me for what happened to Liam, you want to know what really happened? I went after him to beg him to stop before he got hurt but by the time I got to the demon's lair Liam was half dead, he was bleeding too much he wouldn't have survived. The demon was just toying with him, dragging out the kill. When I got there the demon went after me and Liam managed to fattaly wound it, but he took a hit for me that I didn't see coming which killed him. I made up the story of me distracting him so he would be honored and people could blame me, I just didn't think I could handle it if people started saying terrible things about him. But I'm done letting you hate me for something neither of us had control over," Lucy said all of this very quietly in a small voice. "If you don't think that I suffered enough letting everyone think that I got in the way and let Liam die then this may change your mind" She slowly raised her shirt up until her stomach showed.
Lucy heard Ben and Jason gasp, Heather just stared. On her stomach was a huge scar, it covered the entire front of her abdomen, the puckered scar tissue marring the smooth skin. "A parting gift from the demon that killed Liam."
Mod
Heather sat up, staring at Lucy's scar. She was quiet for a moment before saying calmly, "Jason?"
Jason hurried to her side, looking anxious. "Yeah?"
"Shut the door."
Jason went over to the door and shut it. Heather exhaled slowly and stared back at the three of them and then looked solely at Lucy. "That scar," Heather's voice quivered, "Is nothing. Alright, maybe my anger towards you was unjust, but I have suffered every day after Liam died. You want to know why?"
"Why?" whispered Lucy.
"Because of this."
And Heather - glad that she was wearing a cami underneath her top - took off her top and laid it beside her, exposing her right upperarm and the thin snaking design that marked it permanently. A rune that had caused her Hell. A rune that made her unnatural. And a rune that Liam had bestowed upon her.
The trio gasped - even Ben - and Jason knelt by her side, tentatively reaching out to trace the rune with his fingers. "What is this, Heather?" Jason asked. And after taking a deep breath, Heather told them everything. About Liam coming to her with the mysterious rune. About the ritual they'd undergone. About his death. And about how this rune affected her in so many ways.
At the end of all of it, when she fell silent, Jason wrapped his arms around her middle and held her to him, silently not saying a word, but he didn't need to. Lucy was staring at her with tears in her eyes and she gave Lucy a small sad smile. Poor Ben was looking shocked, his eyes almost jumping out of their sockets.
"I'm...sorry, Lucy." Lucy gave Heather a watery smile in return.
"Me too, Feather...me too." And both Lucy and Heather started to cry, united by their undying love for a boy who, due to his unerring bravery and stubbornness, was no more. Jason pulled Heather down onto the floor so she was sitting in front of him, his arms cradling her. It felt almost comfortable, easy, like they were meant to be there. Lucy and Ben both sat on the floor too and the four of them all looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
"Something's going on, guys," Lucy said, lowering her voice. She sniffed and Ben produced a tissue out of his jacket pocket, which looked fairly clean. Lucy smiled at him and blew her nose, before saying,
"The Clave is behind everything. My capture, Ben's capture, Liam...Liam's mission, Kyle's disappearance and as for that rune-" Lucy gestured at Heather and Jason brought his hand up Heather's arm to gently trace her shoulder through her shirt. "Only one person was ever able to create runes out of nowhere."
"Clary Morgenstern," Heather whispered. Lucy nodded, and the room felt suddenly cold. Dangerous. There was so much they didn't know, and it was overwhelming. "But she's-"
"Dead - died ages ago," supplied Lucy. "Way before Liam was even born."
"Unless someone else had, or has, the ability," said Jason. Heather liked how his face looked devoid of all smirks and masks...open and inviting, and young in its eagerness to please. "We could always check the Accords - they're bound to have documents. I mean, the Clave knows about every 'interesting' Shadowhunter that pops up. They're bound to know something."
Lucy got to her feet, looking tired but determined. "I'm going to visit the Seelie Court." She put up a hand to stop their protests. "The Seelie Queen knows things before they happen, and she knows alot more than she tells. If I can find out something that can aid us, it'll be worth our while."
"I'll come with you," offered Ben. Lucy gave him a thankful smile.
"I've got a meeting with Magnus Bane," said Heather. The others looked at her, surprised. "I went to him a few times about my...condition, and he was really helpful. And he messaged me lately about knowing some info about what's going on."
"I"m coming with you," whispered Jason next to her ear, making her shiver as his lips touched her neck. So she nudged him in the ribs and he winced.
"Stop it!" she hissed.
"What?! What did I do?"
Lucy grinned at them and Ben got to his feet. "How about we meet up somewhere to confer?"
"Gloria Jeans," piped up Heather quickly. They all looked at her questioningly and she shrugged. "Warm. Excellent desserts. Best coffee. We may be Team Save The World, but can we at least do it in comfort?"
Jason chuckled and helped her to her feet. "Whatever you say, Heath." Ben opened the door and checked the hall, signalling for Lucy to follow. Before she did, Heather gave her a fierce hug, whispering in her ear, "I know you loved him too, Luce. I'm sorry." Lucy gave her a small smile and hugged her back, before leaving with Ben.
Heather made for the door, but Jason leaned against it, one arm outstretched. He smiled lazily down at her and she propped her hands on her hips, stifling a yawn.
"And where are you going, beautiful?" he asked, his head coming within a hands-breadth of her own. She frowned.
"Out. To Magnus'..."
"Uh uh uh!" Jason waggled his finger in front of her face. "You need to stay in bed. Doctor's orders."
She pouted, crossing her arms. "I have to - Jason!"
Jason sighed and moved his head closer, his gaze switching to her lips. "Your never listen, do you?"
"I try not to make a habit of it," she breathed, her heart thudding. He grinned at her and gave her a quick kiss on the lips that left her breathless and buzzing like she'd overloaded on coffee. He drew back, and gave her a sincere and beautiful smile.
"You're so beautiful when you're stubborn," he said, pulling on a lock of her hair. She slapped his hand away and he winced, shaking it fast. "Ouch!"
"Love ya too, pretty boy," she teased, laughing as he tried to pull her hair again. They walked out into the hallway, Jason shutting her bedroom door behind them. "Time to go to the warlock's house!"
"Joy." Jason raised an eyebrow. "A tea party with Magnus Bane? The world really must be coming to an end!"
London WaylandAfter she had escorted Meghan out, she headed towards Heather's room to see if she was okay. So much was happening and she wasn't sure if she could handle it all. Not alone. She certainly didn't have Kyle anymore, no matter what Jason thought. We she got to the room, the door was closed and she could hear muffled voices. She decided to leave it for now.
She wandered into the kitchen, grabbed a soda and sat at the breakfast bar. There was so much happening, but all she could think about was her visit to see Xavier. When he opened the door, she just burst into tears. He had wrapped his muscular arms around her and held her until she stopped. She was so confused. Was she really still in love with Xavier or was she just hurt because of Kyle? She shook her head, mentally reprimanding herself. 'I am such an idiot' she thought to herself.
Mod
"Penny for your thoughts," teased Jason as they left the Institute. Heather glanced sideways at him as they walked and she couldn't but feel a small thrill as he casually weaved his fingers through hers, clasping her hand between them as they walked.
Heather sighed, biting her lip - a nervous habit. "I just hope Lucy and Ben will be ok. The Seelie Queen..."
"Is a nasty piece of work," was Jason's tactless and yet fitting reply. He smiled down at her. "But they'll be fine."
"How do you know that?" Heather's voice was taunt. She was so sick of being scared for everyone - when had life gotten to complicated? "You can't know that! What if...what if she decides to trap them down there forever?! Or...or if she then takes out her wrath on them and demands they be subjected to-"
"Heather - stop." Jason's tone was stern. "They. Will. Be. Fine. We're talking about a well-trained demon hybrid Shadowhunter and a bad ass werewolf Downworlder who managed to bust their way out of the Silent City."
"They had help!" replied Heather, miffed. Jason grinned, squeezing her hand and helping her over a puddle. It must have rained a bit whilst they had been cooped up in the Institute.
"With the help of the flawless Heather Lovelace and her sidekick Carter Stoppable," he drawled.
"Thank you," she replied, smiling at him. "And I can't help but worry."
"I'm more worried for us," Jason said. They stopped at a crossing, waiting for the light. He lowered his voice. "I hear Magnus turns people into rats when he's angry."
Heather raised an eyebrow. "Then...we better pray he isn't angry."
"And often into gnats when he's drunk."
"Don't pass him the decanter, then."
"Sometimes he turns them into cats when his own gets lonely."
"Bring a ball of string for it to play with."
"Mice on Tuesdays."
"Today's Thursday."
"Owls at the witching hour."
"Remove the clocks and borrow his watch."
"And I even heard he turned a guy into a duck for asking for another cup of tea!" Jason finished. Heather shrugged.
"Then ask for coffee."
Jason laughed and shook his head, his shoulders shaking. He brought his arm around Heather and pulled her in for a side hug. "See? You think of everything. We'll be fine, as will Lucy and Ben."
"But they don't have me with them!" protested Heather.
"No." Jason gave her a special look from under his eyelashes and her heart beat a little faster. He smirked as she blushed. "I do. Lucky me, eh?"
Heather glared at him, trying to compose herself. "Yeah yeah, pretty boy. Keep walking."
"I was trying to be romantic!" He held his free hand to his heart, theatrically. She snorted.
"Nice. Those feet aren't going to walk themselves to Magnus' you know."
Jason made a thoughtful 'hmm' sound. "Actually, did I tell you about this story a Downworlder at the cafe down at the station told me about him? It has to do with a pair of enchanted feet that were cursed to dance the conga forever in Mexico City..."
Heather shook her head in amazement. Boys.
London WaylandI looked at my watch and then headed out to the front of the Institute where I found Xavier waiting. Right on time.
"Where is everyone?" he asked. I shrugged. "So much is happening. As far as I know, they are all inside. But, I think I mother them too much. They don't tell me everything or I'd spoil it. Plus Meghan Morganstern was here earlier. That was interesting"
He nodded with understanding.
I stepped closer towards him "Did you find something?"
He sighed, sat on the steps and gestured me to follow "I am not sure. Everyone seems to know something is happening, but no-one really knows what"
I nodded "Thanks for trying"
He wrapped his arm around my shoulder "Anytime" and I rested my head on his shoulder, unsure of what to do next.
Mod
"This is it?" Jason pulled a face as he looked at the ordinary looking townhouse. "I expected it to be more-"
"Medieval chic?" Heather offered, nodding. "I know. I actually told him once that he ought to at least work a charm on the place - add a bit of mystery."
"Or a drawbridge," added Jason. "Or even one of those fortified walls with spikes. That would be sick!"
Heather shook her head at him, and opened the stark white gate - swinging it on its perfectly oiled hinges and smiling at Jason as he held it open for her to go first. "Such a gentleman!" she teased and he rolled his eyes. They walked up the cobbled path together, Heather drinking in Magnus' odd front garden.
If a passerby was not already aware of whom resided there, the glittering charms hanging in the windows, the curly, wild, out-of-control garden with its interestingly-shaped hedges and the way it sat - like a reprimanded child - all hunched and boxed in with a bright blue door, just may have given it away. That, and the curling sign that Heather had a sneaking suspicion was charmed to be invisible to mundanes.
It read, "Magnus Bane, High Warlock." Underneath that announcement there was a smaller sign which read, "Please do not disturb unless imminent death is upon you or the world is ending." Jason smothered a grin and I shook my head. The male species was beyond redemption.
Lucy MorgensternLucy and Ben walked out of Heather's room, and Lucy promptly collapsed. Ben quickly caught her before she hit the ground. "I was wondering when that would happen," Ben asked slightly amused he scooped her up and she lay her head against his chest on the way back to her room. "You looked about ready to faint back in Heather's room," he looked at her almost ruefully. Lucy smiled weakly, "so did that conversation blow you mind or what?" Ben snorted, "yes, my mind is officially blown". Lucy giggled "silly boy."
Ben got a funny look on his face,"are we really going to the seelie court?" Lucy nodded somberly, "their queen knows a lot, more than she will be willing to share but we still have to try. Plus she owes my family some favors so we'll probably come back in the shapes we go in.... you know relatively."
"Relatively, huh? Oh I'm so reassured," he said in a mocking tone. "Oh shut up," Lucy stuck her tongue out at him. When they got back to Lucy's room Ben gently deposited her on the bed. "So now what?" Ben asked her
"Do you need to check in with Xavier? If not I we can just go after I change and grab some weapons." Ben shook his head, " Xavier will be fine, let's just go now." Lucy nodded, grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom to change and brush her teeth.
****
"Here's a holy dagger, just in case we run into anything nasty." Lucy handed Ben the dagger and he took it reluctantly. Lucy was dressed in typical shadowhunter clothes, and she had strapped some weapons to her person for just in case. Lucy and Ben were currently riding in the back of a cab on their way to central park to the entrance of the seelie court.
"Are you feeling ok?" Ben asked with a concerned look on his face that he seeme to be trying to hide, Lucy rolled her eyes "I'm fine mom". "Sure mock me now but earlier I doubt you could have fought your way out of a paper bag." Lucy narrowed her eyes, "I could have so fought my way out of a paper bag, now a plastic bag that would have given me trouble." Ben cracked a smile and laughed.
They paid the cabbie and got out at central park. Lucy took a breath to steady herself, then made made her way to the pond with Ben following close behind. Lucy picked up a rock roughly the size of a fist and chucked it into the pond "Hey! Sorrel! I need to talk to your queen, in calling in a favor!" the pond's surface started to ripple and a willowy fae poked her head out of the pond and regarded them coldly.
"Lucinda Morgenstern have I not already told you that you are not welcome in my court?" Lucy winced, she hadn't thought Sorrel would still be keeping a grudge. "C'mon this is strictly business, I promise." Lucy smiled sweetly Sorrel's face was impassive, "we need some information about what the Clave is up to, then we will leave you have my word." Sorrel finally nodded.
"Follow me," the water shimmered and Lucy sighed, "you may want to hold your breath. Oh and make sure you don't eat or drink anything." She whispered to Ben before sucking in some air and jumping into the pond and swimming towards the bottom
Mod
"You knock," Jason hissed.
Heather gave him that 'please don't tell me you're that much of a chicken' look that she always saved especially for such circumstances.
"Please?" Jason pouted. "I'm a afraid of the big bad warlock who will probably eat my innards for dinner!"
Heather rolled her eyes. "So are you Red Riding Hood all of a sudden? Fine!" She groaned and pushed past him. "You are such a baby!"
"Am not!" Jason protested. "I'm just very, very into self-preservation."
Heather ignored him and rapped twice on the door. She turned to face Jason, smirking. "See? Easy as pie. Does this mean I'm braver than you are?"
Jason snorted. "As if. I'm just saving all my bravery for something worth the effort."
"Like what?"
Jason bit his lip. "A pixie invasion?" he offered. Heather shook her head at him, feeling as if she was babysitting a five year old werewolf cub.
"Pixies don't invade places." The pair whirled to see a figure leaning in the doorway, smoke trailing out like a river from the antique pipe it held in one hand to its lips. A shock of blue hair, the sparkle of rings on slim fingers and the narrowed glowing eyes of a cat...this was none other than Magnus Bane.
"Pixies are harmless!" Magnus continued conversationally, as if he spoke to the two of them about pixies everyday whilst standing on his front porch. He inhaled from his pipe before blowing out a billow of smoke that was oddly duck shaped. Jason watched the ducks with something like apprehension. "What you really want to worry about are nasty house demons. More your sort of thing, my boy. Being a dashing Shadowhunter and all that jazz."
"Ah...hello Magnus," greeted Heather smiling uneasily. "How are you?"
Magnus grinned at her, his iris' almost seeming to swirl. "My dear dear Heather Lovelace! So good to see you - last time you were here I recall you set my rug on fire. Nevermind." He waved a hand. "It was a nasty old thing anyhow. Got it back when I was in London from a werewolf by the name of-"
"We're here to talk about the Clave," Jason cut in.
Magnus' eyes narrowed. Then he laughed. "Oh!" He smiled at Heather, who was looking as if she wanted to sink into the welcome mat there and then. "He's a funny one! Just like a Shadowhunter, always getting to the crux of the matter. I'm glad you brought him along, Heather. He's quite the amusing toy!"
Jason opened his mouth to object but Heather elbowed him hard. Magnus saw and said, "I must also congratulate you on having him so well trained. How do you do it, my dear?"
Heather rolled her eyes at this. "No one controls Jason."
Jason seemed to gather his wits. "I'm Jason Penhallow. I'm Heather's-"
"Fellow Shadowhunter?" Magnus' lips twitched with mirth. He gave Jason a knowing look. "How...sweet. Well, do come in the both of you - if we are to do business, I shall need to do it someplace else."
He opened the door for them to enter and they did so...entering the lion's den, the door clicking shut behind them.
Mod
"Tea? Coffee?" Magnus asked, throwing himself into a velvet upholstered armchair - propping his feet up on a pudgy looking ottoman.
"We're fine," was Heather's hasty reply. She'd heard alot about Magnus' beverages, including one story about a mundane and a drink that turned people into rats. "So - about the information...?"
Magnus sighed, running his fingers through his oddly coloured hair. "I discovered some interesting pieces of information on your...issues that you Shadowhunters have been facing of late. Stuff you wouldn't hear from normal places, or normal beings."
Jason was strangely quiet, his gaze fixed on Magnus. Heather leaned forward, her voice urgent. "What did you learn?"
Magnus smiled sadly at her. "I'm sorry to say this, darling - but you lot have a traitor in your midst."
Heather ducked her head. "We knew that. Kyle's gone missing and we think he may have been in on some kind of random-"
Magnus tutted, sitting up. "Kyle? Random? Where in the name of demon pox have you heard such a thing?!"
Jason and Heather shared startled looks. "But..." Heather trailed off. She took a deep breath. "But Kyle..."
Magnus waved a hand. "Kyle is being held by the Clave. They think he can, with his talents, lead them to the source of their problems. Your traitor is not who you think it is."
Heather stood up and began to pace. "No! Kyle must-"
"He isn't." Magnus' voice was firm. Jason glared at the warlock.
"How do we know your word can be trusted?" Jason asked.
Magnus spread his hands. "Believe what you will, young Shadowhunter. The truth will out itself in the end."
Heather looked back at Magnus. "Do you know who it is?" A part of her didn't want to know, but she quelled it. This was not the time to be trying to safeguard her own feelings.
"I'm afraid not." Magnus's lips twisted in disgust. "But whomever they are...they are in league with something worse than demons. I only got word of its return recently, from an Iron Sister who specialises in-"
"What is it?" Jason interrupted. He seemed to be a moment away from doing something drastic. "Just say it!"
Heather's eyes pleaded with the warlock. "Please, Magnus - don't play with us."
Magnus sighed and a shadow crossed his face. "Your traitor is not here for petty reasons. They are most likely working for the most evil being there is - one who was thought not to exist until now. What this...thing wants, I cannot tell. But I would guess it would have something to do with the increase in demon attacks and the amount of chaos ensuing lately."
"What I speak of," Magnus said, his voice cold, "is none other than Jonathan Morgenstern."
Lucy MorgensternIt only took a moment to swim through the pond and reach the entrance to the Seelie Court. "You know Sorrel you would get so many more visitors if they didn't have to swim to get here." Lucy teased the faery. Sorrel glowered at her and Lucy smiled back sweetly. Ben finally reached them and started shaking water off,and Lucy put her hands up to block a little of the water. "Hey I thought you were a wolf, not a dog!" Ben stopped and glared at her, but couldn't quite pull it off because of the smile tugging at his lips. "And what about you? I thought you were a shadowhunter yet you're practically purring."
"Hurry up" Sorrel told them testily. "The Queen is waiting for you." Lucy stuck her tongue out at Sorrel when she wasn't looking. Sorrel turned around again, "She will give you whatever you want but," Sorrel smiled unpleasantly "you must be willing to pay the price." Lucy felt shivers down her spine, she knew a little of what Faeries would ask her to pay.
Mod
"Heather, slow down." Jason was following quickly at her heels, but Heather was in no mood to talk. She was in no mood to slow down. How could this be happening?!
"I can't believe this!" she exclaimed. "Kyle is in trouble - we're all in trouble and God only knows how we're meant to trust each other-"
"Should we tell Lucy and Ben?" Jason asked, coming up beside her. They were blocks away from Magnus' now and Heather came to a stop outside an odd looking bakery. The blinds were closed - the shop was obviously not open - and Heather stared blankly at the curling script that was painted onto the glass of the shop'd window.
"I..." Heather took a deep breath. "I just don't know what to do. What can I do?! I...I'm not cut out for this! We've got a freaking traitor for crying out loud-"
"On Magnus' word," added Jason.
"-and they're working for the notorious Jona-"
"On Magnus' word," repeated Jason this time more forcibly. "All we have is Magnus' word, with no knowledge of his contacts. We can't believe everything he tells us!"
Heather stared at Jason. "You think he's lying? To us?"
"To two Shadowhunters, Heath." Jason's face was angry, and his beautiful eyes were clouded. "I refuse to believe the word of a warlock I barely know over the people I have grown up knowing."
"It could be someone outside of us...like Ben-"
"Maybe." Jason seemed unconvinced.
"But," Heather added as an afterthought. "Magnus said 'one of us'. That means-"
"Nothing. Let's just go to Gloria Jeans, ok? Text Lucy."
Jason walked a little bit ahead of her, giving her a quick flash of his smile as he left her to send Lucy the message in private. Heather smiled back. "You'll be fine, Heath. I promise," he said.
And her smile slipped when he turned his back to her.
She had been thinking hard when they'd left Magnus'. Thinking of how to pit all the pieces together to see if Magnus' information was true. And a couple of things didn't add up. In every situation, there was always one person either there or not there (and therefore able to sneak away).
Jason. She could easily imagine him finding the chances to do such things, but she found it hard - very, very, hard - to imagine him as the kind of guy to betray his family and friends. To betray his own kind to a monster like Jonathan Morgenstern. To betray HER, seeing that she had opened up to him, and was even considering going out with him officially.
He wouldn't. She knew that. But the thought kept crossing her mind as she sent a 'where are you?' text to Lucy, staring at the back of the boy who she loved and thought she also knew.
But did she?
Mod
Heather sent off the text to Lucy, and then sent off a brief one to Sara:
Sara,
Had to run off to catch a minor demon with Jason - tell London not to worry about Lucy and Ben, 'cause they went out as well. Stay safe, and be sure not to let Carter eat all the food in the house, ok?!
Love ya,
Heaths
Heather pocketed her phone and fell into step beside Jason, who took up her hand in his. Like they did this everyday. Like he wanted her closer to him. She bit her lip and looked away, at the brownstones and the houses littering the sidewalks of the city.
"Lucy text you back yet?" Jason asked, his dark hair falling into his eyes. Heather shook her head.
"I'll give her a few more minutes before I call to check on them."
Jason nodded, swinging their joined hands a little as they walked. "How about we go somewhere else first...before we head over to 'Caffeine 'R' Us'?"
Heather laughed at his silliness, elbowing him in the side. "It's Gloria Jeans, you idiot, and shouldn't we wait there for the others?"
Jason gave her a look from under his long lashes, making her heart stutter. "We'll be back in time. I promise."
She frowned, narrowing her eyes. "Where are you taking me?"
He just grinned. "You'll see."
****************************************
"A Downworlder club?" Heather asked in disbelief. She stared at the dark towering building, whose neons flashing lights were invisible to the mundanes passing it. "You have got to be kidding me!"
Jason laughed, tugging on her hand. "You've never been to club like this one, trust me."
"For a good reason, too."
"Where's your sense of adventure, Heath?"
"I left it back at the Institute," she deadpanned. "Along with my Dora the Explorer backpack."
The music was deafening, the ground and walls pounding and shaking...it was almost like being inside a beating heart, the beat consistent and the energy high - the movement almost infinite. You could never imagine such a thing. Downworlders of all sorts (vamps, weres, fey, half-halfs, warlocks) littered the place and Heather suddenly felt like this wasn't Jason's brightest idea.
"Are you sure we're allowed to be here?" she asked Jason loudly over the sound of the music as he brought her onto the dance floor. The lights swirled and reflected bright patterns across his face, his eyes glowing in the darkness.
"No!" he replied, grinning. "But that's half the fun!"
Hetaher shook her head at him, but he just laughed and grabbed her by the hand. They danced amid the couples and the spinning lights, Jason twirling her so fast she felt dizzy...she started to forget where they were and focused more on him. On his eyes. His smile. His touch. Jason pulled her close, resting his cheek atop her head and the pace slowed as the song changed. She recognised this song and closed her eyes as the music washed over her:
I know that there's no turning back.
If we put too much light on this we'll see through all the cracks.
Let's stay in the dark one more night.
Don't want to know I'm OK with the silence.
It's truth that I don't want to hear.
So lie to me and tell me that it's gonna be alright
So lie to me and tell me that we'll make it through the night
I don't mind if you wait before you tear me apart
So look me in the eye,
And lie, lie, lie.
Don't want to believe in this ending
Let the cameras roll on,
Keep pretending
Tomorrow's all wrong if you walk away
Just stay (David Cook, 'Lie')
"Heather ," Jason breathed. She lifted her head, gazing into his green eyes...getting lost in them. Heather leaned into him, feeling a little part of herself, a part she'd thought she'd lost, come back to her. "Heather," he repeated, lowering his head so their foreheads touched. He closed his eyes as if in agony. "I love you," he continued and her breath caught.
He opened his eyes and really looked at her...the dancers and crowds fading in comparison to the look in his eyes. It was as if the music had wrapped itself around them and they were in a cocoon, hidden from the world.
"I love you." He'd said it again.
Heather blinked back tears and slid her arms around his neck, resting her cheek on his shoulder. "Me too," she whispered. Jason kissed her hair and they returned to their slow dancing.
After a few minutes Heather felt her pocket buzz. She lifted her head and reached for it. Jason seemed to suddenly become alert as well. "Is it Lucy?" he asked.
She glanced at the caller ID. "Yes." She made to answer it, but Jason stopped her.
"One more minute?" he pleaded, drawing her closer. Heather smiled at his pout and reluctantly pocketed her phone.
"Alright." She settled back into his embrace. "Just one more."
Jason then gently disentangled himself and grabbed her hand, leading her off the dancefloor. Heather followed, confused. "Where are we going?" she asked, tucking a stray strand of her blonde hair behind one ear.
Jason pulled her aside, into a small arbour - away from the crowds and only faintly ringing of the music that had, a second ago, been blasting through the speakers. "I wanted," he murmured, using a finger to trace her lips softly, "for it to be just you..." He trailed off and planted a light kiss on her jaw. "And me."
"Well." Heather was a little breathless. "We certainly have different ideas as to where Gloria Jeans is!"
But Jason didn't laugh. Instead, his expression turned sorrowful and he clung to her, holding her tight. "I love you, Heather," he said, almost desperately. "You have to believe me - no matter what."
"Jason..." Heather stopped him as he tried to kiss her. "You're...you're scaring me. What's wrong?"
"I'm so so sorry, Heather."
"For what?"
"For this," came a deep voice behind her, and the last thing Heather felt before the world went black was Jason's traitorous embrace.
*********************************
Heather awoke, head aching like crazy, on what appeared to be a marble floor. She groaned and struggled to rise...and was suddenly overcome by a wave of grief. Jason...he....he...
"Ah!" A melodious voice, cultured and refined, sounded close by. She heard slow footsteps. "The girl is awake at last. Guards, see to it that she's at least standing - I don't like having to talk down to people, even if they are lower than me."
Heather's vision cleared a little, as men in obsidian-looking armour grabbed her roughly by the arms and forced her to stand. She shook her hair out of her face, and her first thought was to strike. To fight. She was more powerful than any of these men. But as soon as she tried to summon her strength, it was as if it was snatched from her. Her breathing quickened and she almost fainted from the loss of energy.
"That's right." The voice was closer and Heather looked up to see a pale man, dressed completely in black. His almost black eyes bored into her with a look that was part distaste, part predatory. "I may have gotten one of my guards to draw a rune on you whilst you were out. You're speed and stamina have been sufficiently decreased."
As if aware of her panic, he added, "It isn't permanent. But it's enough." He frowned and then sighed, turning to the corner of the room. "Boy - would you please refrain from sulking in the shadows and come out and greet our guest?"
"Who are you?" I choked out, struggling against the guards' iron grip.
The man raised an eyebrow...an eyebrow that was just as pale and golden as his reddish-gold halo of hair. "Me? Oh, I'm nobody, dear."
He stepped closer to me. "I am, dear child, Jonathan Morgenstern." Before my fear could settle in, he waved an arm to the young man who had come over to stand beside him. "And this..." Jonathan grinned a feral smile. "...is my beloved son."
And she looked straight into the face of Jason Penhallow.
London Wayland (I just realised I keep switching from first to third person - my bad!)I walked into the kitchen, Xavier trailing behind me. We had been sitting outside for hours, after I had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Sara was sitting at the bench, a worried look on her face.
"What's wrong Sara?" I asked. She looked at me for awhile and then sighed.
"I got a text from Heather, saying that she and Jason were out looking for a minor demon and that Lucy and Ben were out as well but okay and not to worry"
I shrugged "So why are you worrying?"
"She sent that text hours and hours ago and I haven't heard back since"
I took in a sharp breath, this wasn't like Heather or Jason. "I have to go find Carter, perhaps he knows something"
I ran out of the room, leaving Xavier and Sara behind.
Mod
"Hey, Feather."
"Liam?"
The grass was slightly scratchy against my cheek as I rolled over, opening my eyes. Sunlight shone over the boy beside me, his blonde hair almost falling into his bright blue eyes...right before he tickled me under the arms making me gasp and try to shove him back.
"No!" I giggled, my stomach hurting. "Stop...it...LIAM!"
Liam stopped, laughing and rolled onto his side, propping his head up on his hand, gazing at me. I smiled, taking deep breaths.
"Gosh, you're such a...a..." I was lost for words but I didn't care. I drank him in, like a flower sitting still whilst drinking in sunlight, slowly warming to its very tips.
"A what?" Liam asked, raising an eyebrow. "A loving brother?"
"Something like that." My eyes went fro his face to his shoulder...where I saw something that looked vaguely familiar. I reached out to touch it, tracing it with my fingers. His skin was warm. A rune. "This..."
"That?" He shrugged and all of a sudden the sky, before a pale blue, seemed to darken a degree. So did his eyes. "Let's not talk about that now, ok Feather?"
I nodded, removing my fingers. Liam was like that - one word from him and I'd go to the ends of the earth to do as he'd asked. "I had the strangest dream," I began, yawning. I let my head fall back into the grass, catching a stem of a flowering weed that waved in the breeze between my fingers and touching the small buds softly.
"Tell me." Liam's eyes were like the ocean.
"You died." It wasn't painful to say...it was only a dream after all. I glanced up at him, but his face was expressionless. "And I went to live with a group of Shadowhunters. Long story short, I fought demons, made a few friends, was angry at Lucy-"
"No surprises." Liam smirked. He knew Lucy and I were very alike - fiery and stubborn. I frowned at him and he laughed. "Go on."
"As I was saying. I..." I wrinkled my nose, something in me falling, sinking. Something didn't feel right. "I met this guy-"
Another smirk. "Don't you dare say anything!" I warned. "I met this guy, he was really cool actually...I think I fell for him too. And then he betrayed me and the world was going to end...and then I woke up." I stared at the sky, watching a wisp of a cloud bob across the expanse of sky. It had seemed to real.
Liam eyed me with an unreadable expression. "Feather." He sighed, and rubbed the side of his face. Even in a plain white t shirt and his old faded jeans, his cheeks showing the faintest hint of stuble, Liam was still beautiful. He always had been - the beautiful, popular older brother who played guitar, was a fierce fighter and a joker. He was the giver of piggybacks, the best hugger ever. He smiled at me, eyes narrowing. "What are you thinking?"
I swallowed a lump in my throat and threw my arms around his middle. "That I love you," I choked, burying my face in his t-shirt and inhaling him. Liam. "So much." Tears streamed and I sobbed, feeling broken but not knowing why. Liam was here. With me. But why was I so sad? He held me tighter and when I looked up, I saw tears shining in his own eyes.
"I love you too, Heather." Memories floated between us, bonding us...going to a mundane school, Liam taking me to pick out a dress for the dance even when our father had forbidden us to go, Liam taking me out for ice-cream sandwiches when we were meant to be training...Liam holding me tight when everything went wrong.
Liam's fingers drifted to my shoulder...falling right where, when I looked, a rune identical to his own sat shining eerily. "You don't understand yet," he said, his voice urgent. "But you will. I promise you, Heather - this will end. Things will turn out. I'm so, so sorry." His voice broke and he touched the side of my face, biting his lip, eyes shining.
I shook my head, confused and very, very sad. "Liam...Liam?!" He was disappearing before my eyes and I fought to grab him, bring him back. "Liam! Liam, come back!" Fog - black, dense fog swooped down upon me, filling my lungs, making me gasp and carrying me away from the field and into a dark chasm, Liam's words echoing in my ears...
"I'm so sorry, Heather..."
"I'm so sorry, Heather."
I sucked in a breath. Cold. Metal. My fingers felt numb resting on the floor...the floor of a room. I rolled onto my side, my head reeling with the effort. My insides shuddered as I forced myself to sit up.
Liam. I had seen Liam.
But Liam wasn't here. With a jolt sorrow filled me as I realised the bitter truth...it had been a dream. Looking around, shivering from the cold, I realised I was in a cell. Yep - bars and everything, bare except for a shelf which, if I was correct, was actually a bed devoid of sheets or pillows or any signs of civilisation.
This was either Big Brother, an episode of Prisonbreak or I was actually locked in a freezing, uncivilised, metallic demon hole in God-only-knows where. Memories, like stringy candyfloss, came to me and I fought to untangle them, despite their transparency and stickiness.
Jason.
Swearing silently, I used a hand to steady me as I pulled myself up to sit leaning against one of the room's walls. My eyes adjusting to the darkness, I peered past my cell, through the bars. And sure enough there sat a dark hunched figure on a stool, gazing at their hands. They weren't aware I was awake, so I took the moment to study them.
He was a traitor - the bastard was a freaking traitor, and right then I felt no love, no compassion towards him. Cold branded itself around my insides and I glared at him hard, cursing myself inwardly for falling for him. I should never have let him in. Confided in him. Loved him. I was such a idiot!
Then his head shot up and his eyes widened...probably at the sight of me sitting up and glaring lasers into his freaking head.
"Heather." His hands came around the bars and he gazed longingly into the darkness, at me.
I smirked, feeling a little less breakable behind my usual facade of tough and unapproachable bitch. I had used it alot, and he had broken through. Never again, I promised myself.
"What's the matter, Jason?" I raised an eyebrow, though displeased at how hoarse my voice sounded. "Wish you were here? Sure is five star accommodation at Hotel 'We're-All-F'd-Up-Trators'!!"
He winced and ducked his head. He was dressed in black pants and a black shirt open at the collar, revealing a series of runes and scars as well as a silver necklace that sat against his collarbone. "Heather..." His green eyes penetrated the dark. "I can't beg you enough. Please, PLEASE, forgive me for what I've done. For what I had to do-"
"Stuff you!" Instead, I didn't say 'stuff'. I said a very unladylike word that started with 'f' and made him flinch. "You didn't have to do a goddamn THING, and you - you bastard, you went and played me and everyone else so you could hand us over to that piece of work, that freaking evil mastermind." I took a breath. "Happy, Jason? Happy now that DADDY got what he WANTED? Did Jason get a pat on the back from DADDY? OH WAIT!!"
I gasped, eyes wide with fake revelation. "Your daddy just so happens to be the biggest freaking evil dude in Shadowhunter HISTORY. Of course! He gave you your very own dungeon and here I am," I gestured to myself, "your little bird in her cage. Would you like me to sing? I can do a mean Avril Lavigne."
Jason let out a harsh breath, silently fuming. "Heather-"
"Don't!" I choked. I was so, so, SO sick of him - him and his lies, his words, his voice, his looks that even now were like a fallen angel. But I knew better. He was really a demon, sorry - the son of the biggest hellion/devil/demon ever. And nothing could change what he had done to me. Lured me. Baited me. Trapped me. Literally.
"Just get lost and leave me the hell alone!" I turned away from him, and faced the wall. That was better. No Jason. Just darkness and cold. Solitude. I closed my eyes and felt hot tears trickle from behind my closed lids. God, I wish Liam was here!
"Heather-" Jason tried, sounding urgent, his voice low. "Please, I want to-"
"GO!" My shout echoed off the walls.
I didn't turn to see if he'd listened. I just sobbed and curled up into a ball, hoping that the darkness would bring me sweeter dreams. Dreams sweeter than my reality.
London WaylandI almost crashed straight into Carter, with Xavier almost crashing into me.
"What's wrong?" Carter asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Do you know where Heather and Jason are? Or Lucy and Ben for that matter?" I asked quickly, my words running into each other.
"They were here last time I knew"
"No, they are all out. Sara said she received a message from Heather but hasn't heard from her in awhile. With all that's going on..." I trailed off.
He grabbed his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number, putting the phone to his ear. He waiting a moment before ending, tried dialing again with the same result. "Neither Heather nor Lucy is answering"
"What about Magnus?" Xavier cut in "He might be able to help us find them, with a spell or such"
I hugged him "Fantastic idea. Let's go now"
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Time passed.
I didn't know where I was or why Jonathan Morgenstern wanted me here. All I could do was replay Jason's betrayal over in mind - it infuriated me, but I couldn't help myself. It was as if a switch had been flicked on in me, a switch that reverted me back to every low point in my life and doubled the pain. I knew I should be planning an escape but I couldn't find the strength.
My eyes, after a few minutes
"Heather." I had learned to shut out the world but Jason's voice always managed to penetrate. After my initial outburst at him when I'd first woken in my cell, I had pledged a vow of silence. Not one word to him passed my lips. Not that he didn't try and make conversation, of course. The bastard. "Here. I got you some lunch."
A tray slid into the cell. I ignored it. He sighed.
It was the standard routine - I refused all offers of conversation, help or assistance from him. I had been weak, I had let him in before. I would not be making the same mistake twice. What was that saying...once bitten, twice shy? It applied perfectly to this situation.
"Please eat something, Heather," Jason begged. From the corner of my eye I could make out his handsome face and the outline of his figure standing outside my cell. More like cage. His voice broke at the end and I smiled cruelly at nothing in particular. Good. I hope he was suffering badly for everything he'd done.
I shook my head and gave the tray a violent shove back toward him. It bumped against his foot, the sound ringing through the loud silence between us.
Now that there was nothing between us, I guess I could understand why silence had become the centre of my world, filling the gaps, the holes and the wounds until the numbness was almost a relief. I barely acknowledged Jason as he sighed...picked up the tray, gave me a last searching look and the walked away.
Now. But he'd be back. I dug my fingers into my palm and choked on a silent bitter laugh. It wasn't like I was going anywhere, anyway.
Lucy Morgenstern Sorrel continued to lead Lucy and Ben to the Queen, showing no more interest in the two Sorrel led them quietly. Lucy swallowed and rubbed her arms as the little hairs on the back of her neck rose. Goosebumbs were raising all over her body, whether from the dip in the pond or from something else Lucy didn't know. Ben too seemed to sense something and kept quiet as they walked.
Sorrel soon led them to a vast room, in which was only a lounge chair occupied by a tall woman who was dressed in what seemed to be a livingrobe.
"Ah, Lucinda Morgenstern. It's been a while." Out of the corner of her eye Lucy saw Ben give her a questioning look. She ignored him and instead focused on the Faerie Queen. "We want answers," Lucy started and the Queen wave her hand dismissively.
"I know what it is that you want little shadowhunter. Now you know that what information I give you comes with a price, but the true question is what is that price? And is it worth it?" She paused and let that sink in before continuing, "Of course for one question I will ask only for the faerie ring in your pocket."
Lucy sucked in a breath and gripped the small metal band in her pocket, she had brought it in hopes that she could use it as a bargaining chip but she hadn't expected the Queen to know she had it. "So I can ask you any question I want, and the price will be the ring?" Lucy asked uncertainly, it couldn't be that easy.
The Queen nodded, looking as close to unhappy as was possible for a faerie. Lucy's mind raced, she should ask about Valentine or Sebastien but all the possible questions she could ask were racing through her mind.
"Lucy remember why we came here," Ben said his voice warning her. He didn't trust them any more than she did. Lucy finally settled on a question, but didn't feel comfortable saying it aloud. She gulped and walked up to the Queen and whispered her question in the Queen's ear. She whispered so quietly not no one but the Queen could hear her, not even Ben with his werewolf hearing.
Lucy quickly stepped back, she saw the effect her question had taken. True hate was boiling just under the surface of the Queen's eyes. "Put the ring on." Lucy did and she felt the Queen's answer in her head. Lucy quickly took the ring off and gave it to Sorrel. Who disappeared as soon as she had the ring.
"What did you ask her?" Ben asked quietly, Lucy just shook her head. She would tell him later, Lucy thought, if the Queen didn't have them both killed first.
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I have a theory - if you're going to lock someone up, at least provide in-jail entertainment to pass the time. Dominoes. Connect 4. Uno. Monopoly even. At the best, a Playstation or even a Wii, but a NintendoDS would be fine too.
But no. They locked me up in a bare-as-anything cell with nothing to do but count the drops of freezing cold rainwater that dripped from the ceiling above my 'bed'. My last count? 3125.5. The .5 is for the drop that was reluctant to drop at first but eventually did - but even then, it wasn't a full raindrop.
I shook my head and rolled onto my side, sighing deeply. I'm going mad. Talking about Connect 4 and raindrops when my sort-of-not ex boyfriend is the son of the Devil's own spawn and they're planning on taking over the world. And I'm stuck here. In a jail cell.
"You can't stay silent forever, Heather."
Oh. Sorry, everyone, I almost forgot. I'm not alone, nor without entertainment. Jason makes sure to be a constant leech, sticking to the seat outside my cell and trying to coax me to forgive him. Speak. Eat. Admit defeat. Like that's actually going to happen.
It's like watching a show you don't particularly like but will watch anyway just to zone out...and then the ad break comes on and wakes you out of your stupor and annoys you.
Jason...is the ad break.
Name: Charm Age: 16
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A loud thumping noise awoke me from my dreamless slumber. Footsteps ground against the floor and the sound of metal screeching rang out as the door to my cell was thrust open and two guards (I couldn't tell if they were Shadowhunters or some other kind of paranormal entity) strode inside and grabbed me roughly by the arms.
"Master Morgenstern wishes to see you," one of them intoned in a deep voice that rang of authority. I fought to stand by myself, but their grip was firm and tight on my arms. Without another word they both escorted me out of my cell and through a maze of dark and winding corridors.
I was silent, my eyes - though my mind was weary - actively searching and committing to memory the places we passed, in case the need should ever arise where I needed to know my way around. We passed no one and a heavy silence lay thick across this place, like a curse. I closed my eyes briefly against a wave of nausea. I hadn't eaten in days, and my sleep - when it came - was brief. I was slowly falling apart and I didn't know how much longer I could keep this strength up for.
To my surprise the guards deposited me in a room off one of the corridors (they all looked the same - grey walls and white lights that shone harshly in the gloom, with wrought-iron fastenings). They thrust me roughly through the door and whirled to leave, slamming the door behind them.
"Dear, dear me!" I started, rushing to back up against the wall, my heart beating fast. I was not alone. The room - a display of pinks and velvet curtains and trimmings - was extravagant, but nothing in comparison to the lady who sat on the edge of the plush bed, her blue eyes wide in an animated fashion.
"Darling!" she crooned, wriggling off the bed and walking towards me. I flinched; she laughed at this and said, a little more soberly, "There is no need to fear me, honey-dove - the Master would have you a little more...pleasing to the eye, before you go to meet with him." She raised an eyebrow, looking me over, and I felt a silly wave of embarrassment flood me. Who was she to judge? I'd been locked up in a dirty cell for God only knew how long - without any makeup!
"But first a bath is in order I think." The strange woman ushered me over to a bathroom off the bedroom, where a steaming bath sat invitingly. "I'll leave you to clean off - food should arrive soon and then we can get you dressed in something-"
"I don't want anything that is his ," I hissed, crossing my arms. "I don't want that bastard doing me any favours!"
"You haven't got a choice, lovely," she said, smiling at me sympathetically. "Lump it or like it this is it. Enjoy it, dove. Please? I don't want to have to call in those nasty guards again to force you to clean up. You'll have plenty of time to sulk later when you go to speak with the Master. For now-" She gave me a soft shove. "In you go!"
I protested - but she clicked the door shut in my face and I heard the key turn in the lock. Great. Bullied into bathing. I reluctantly stripped down and quickly stepped into the bath, trying to ignore how good the warm water felt on my aching skin. A moan of pleasure escaped my lips as I settled in fully. All my pains and aches blissfully dissolved and I closed my eyes...letting it sink in.
But I opened them quickly, and lifted a hand out of the warm scented water. I glanced over to my left and saw a table with utensils of all kinds - soaps, ointments, razors, tweezers, hairbrushes...I picked up the tweezers and brought my hand closer.
And using the tweezers, wincing in pain, I scratched something on the back of my hand. A feather. A crude feather, to be honest, but a symbol of what I was fighting for. I wasn't a pretty bird to be stuck in some bloody cage.
I was meant to be free and all the baths in the world couldn't change that.
My eyes blinked open, wide as I took in my surroundings. Where was I? I couldn't remember. My head hurt something awful. I raised a hand stiffly to run my chipped fingers through my scruffy chestnut curls. I stared around at my surroundings. A bedroom, with pale winter blues on the walls and the soft bed I was laying upon. I propped myself up on my elbows and pursed my lips at the sparse furniture. If I needed to defend myself I was in serious trouble. I got up slowly and painfully, limping over to the mirror on the opposite wall. The haunted face staring back at me was pale as a ghost's and her grass-green eyes seemed huge. I shook my head and she shook as well, disbelief in her eyes. This was what I looked like? I thought I looked...different, somehow.
I sat back down on the bed, plucking at my plain grey t-shirt and pants. Were these mine? Urgh...my head hurt like hell. I stretched out on the bed and closed my eyes, not sleeping...not quite.
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(Cool. I signed up and edited a pic for Charm. That site's really cool and I'll put the pic up soon :)
Mod
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I love this one the most so far!!
London WaylandAs Xavier banged on Magnus Banes door, I became really jittery. What had happened to Heather, and the others?
The door swung open and a tired looking Magnus yawned. "I figured you would get here eventually" he said, looking at me "Come in then"
We followed him into a parlour, but didn't sit.
"We need a tracking spell. Heather is missing"
Magnus sat, his eyebrows raising slightly "Heather came here earlier, with Jason. They thought Kyle was the traitor" he laughed softly, as if this information amused him.
I sucked in a breath "Wait, he isn't?" I asked. Xavier shifted uncomfortably. We both knew what this meant.
"No, Kyle is being kept somewhere. The traitor is still among you, connected with Jonathon Morgenstern"
"Jason" I whispered.
Magnus nodded "I thought as much, but I couldn't say anything with him there. I thought Heather would have enough time to tell you what I told her, but it seems not. I fear Jason has taken her to Jonathan"
I felt dizzy, the ground was swirling. He promised. Jason had promised. Then everything went black.
Mod
I came out of the lavish bathroom, a furry bathrobe (pink and so NOT my style) wrapped around me and my wet hair wrapped up - turban style - in a towel on my head...only to find that the perky woman with the dramatically made-up eyes was still there.
"Let me see you, hon," she said, getting up and putting down a magazine she had been reading. She wriggled over, and beamed at me like we were long lost sisters vacationing in the Bahamas. "Just look at you, love - clean up nice, don't you?! We'll have to do something about your hair though..." She trailed off, shaking her mane of curls. "But for now - food."
She dragged me over to a table which seemed to be groaning under the weight of - on estimate - twenty silver platters, the lids of which were condensed with steam. She began to open each one, showing me the food inside.
"...and this last one here is a penne ragu that the Master has made by one of the finest Italian chefs in New York City - you wouldn't believe how aromatic it is!" she gushed, finishing with the plates and ushering me into an awaiting chair.
I hated the way I was being treated like a caged pet. Washed. Fed. What's next...shots? Dogtag? My own personalised drinking bowl?
London WaylandWhen I came to, I was lying on the couch, Xavier standing over me.
"How long was I out?" I asked softly.
He touched my cheek softly "Only about 10 minutes"
"We have to find Heather" I said and Xavier nodded. "Magnus, can you track Heather's whereabouts?"
He was silent for a moment, and then nodded "I'll give it a try. Wait here" and he disappeared out the door.
Mod
I picked at my food, whilst the Barbie woman tutted and tsked from her seat opposite me. "You need to fill yourself up, love - otherwise you won't have anything to fill up the clothes we've got for you!" She said the word 'clothes' like I would have said 'knife'. With longing and need. "Wait until you see the-"
"I don't want your clothes," I spat out, flinging my fork so that it shot through the air, whipped past her face - brushing her cheek by a hair - and with a sharp dull sound embedding itself in the wall behind her, quivering with the impact.
Barbie's eyes widened and she hurriedly got to her feet, looking scared. I was smiling. Finally I felt slightly back to my original self. If they'd given me a knife I would have flung that too, along with every piece of silverware Jonathan Freaking Morgenstern owned.
"Hon!" she said reproachfully. "You'll ruin the lavender wallpaper! Now I'll have to get the decorating staff to refurbish the room," she mumbled, throwing herself back into her chair with a sigh.
I stared at her in disbelief. Was this woman freaking serious? She was worried about the WALLPAPER when here I was KIDNAPPED and being held CAPTIVE to the world's biggest PSYCHOPATH?!
"I am NOT eating!" I insisted, crossing my arms over my fuzzy bathrobe. I was not going to be the proverbial lamb being fattened up for the slaughter.
Barbie rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers twice. A door at the far end of the room opened quietly and two immaculately dressed staff walked sedately in, avoiding eye contact, and began loading dishes onto a silver trolley before carting it away.
"Have it your way," she sniffed, walking over to a seven-foot tall and wide wardrobe and flinging open the glided doors. It was filled with...dresses.
Shit. I began to get up when she snapped her fingers again and this time the scarves that had been lying serenely draped around her neck flew at me and tied me to the chair. I gaped openly at her, and struggled to free myself. Damn Jonathan's meddling with my rune! I had always hated the rune Liam had given me but now I longed for its strength and protection. I hoped the one Jonathan had had the guard give me wasn't permanent.
"I'm Viola." Barbie (sorry...Viola) smiled at me and gestured to the scarves. "I'm a witch...sorry, female warlock with a penchant for silk, velvet and Chanel perfume." She frowned when I rolled my eyes. "Do not diss Chanel."
"You're worried about perfume?" I fumed, struggling against the evil scarves. "You have me tied to a freaking old chair with stupid scarves!"
"Not true!" she insisted, folding her arms. "That chair is brand new - imported from Italy just a month ago and cost an arm and a leg...literally. We traded it for a mundane carcass." I blanched as she continued passively, "And those scarves are NEXT season - from France, given to me as a gift from a designer who says he was inspired by me. I am his greatest Muse!"
She giggled and I found myself in shock, wondering how someone so bubbly and fashion-crazed could be a psychopath. "Great," I muttered. "Just great." Viola ignored me and snapped her fingers again and the chair flung across the room, me in it - I had barely time to gasp before it halted before the wardrobe.
"Now," she said, raising an eyebrow. "You will either get into a dress or I will FORCE you into one. Capiche?" I nodded, wishing I could strangle her with a scarf...one from LAST season. That would kill her.
London WaylandI sat up and Xavier knelt down in front of me.
"So Kyle is a good guy after all" he muttered "Guess that means the engagement won't be off anymore..." he trailed off.
I sighed "Not now, please. Heather is our priority"
He nodded and stood.
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Yuck. I looked at myself in the mirror and swallowed down the wave of terror and disgust that threatened to overwhelm me. Never had I been so helpless...so alone.
"You look swell, hon!" Viola gushed, twirling me as if I were her favourite dress up doll that she was playing with before tea time. "I mean, just look at how the red and black bring out your eyes and your hair! I think I did a wonderful job - the Master will be pleased!"
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London WaylandMagnus came back into the room with a strained look on his face and sunk into the couch
"Are you okay?" I asked him softly, rushing to his side.
"She is heavily protected, but I pushed as hard as I could. Seems they are at the old Morgenstern manor"
I gave him a confused look "The one that has been vacant for years and under constant surveillance?"
He nodded "The very same"
I sighed "Well, Jason was the one keeping watch so I suppose it makes sense. Now I have to go back to the Institute and call the Clave for backup. Hopefully they can get some Shadowhunters here fast" I gave Magnus a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you old friend"
He waved me off "Go"
I grabbed Xavier's hand and we were out the door.
"Hopefully Lucy and Ben are okay and back at the Institute now" I said softly and Xavier just squeezed my hand softly.
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"The master," I replied. "Can go-" And I said some very unladylike things which should have made Barbie Viola angry. Instead, she gave a tinkling laugh and gave one of my cheeks a friendly pinch. I winced.
"You're a feisty one, sweetheart - but then again, I knew there was something special about you the minute I heard about you being here. Now - you're all dressed, and unless you want to eat-"
"No."
"-then I guess I'll escort you to the master myself," she finished, snapping her fingers so that I felt drawn to her side, as if an invisible rope was tugging me. "Come along, dear."
Lucy MorgensternThe Queen glanced at Sorrel, "it is time," Sorrel nodded and left. Ben tensed beside Lucy, "time for what?" The Queen smiled cruelly, "Why don't you come out and greet your niece Jonathan?"
Lucy felt herself pale, niece? she could only mean.. A man with pale white hair walked up from the shadows. Lucy's breath went haggard, she recognized this man. He looked just like the pictures of Valentine she had seen, the ones that were hidden away in her families attic.
Ben growled and Lucy grabbed his hand, just to make sure he didn't do anything stupid. "Ah, Lucinda you look just like her." Lucy hadn't thought it possible but she went even colder, she had heard about Sebastian's obsession with Clary.
"Why is he here?" Ben growled, and looked at the faerie queen who had at some uncertain point disappeared. "What's wrong Lucinda? You don't seem at all happy to see your only uncle." Lucy shook herself and straightened up, "What do you want Sebastian?" Sebastian looked slightly amused, "Oh, this and that. I am curious as to what you asked the queen to enrage her so much though."
"Oh, I just asked her what her true name was." The silence that followed was one in which you could hear a pin drop. "Lucy..." Ben trailed off and Lucy tried to smile at him reassuringly. Sebastian on the other hand started cackling, "oh that's rich."
Sebastian collected himself after a moment, "On to what I want, it's simple my dear. I want a little family reunion." Lucy and Ben stared at him in confusion, "a what?" He simply smirked at them before blurring into action. Lucy barely had time to get her seraph blade out before she felt a prick in her neck and heard a thump next her. Telling her that something had happened to Ben. Lucy groaned and collapsed in a heap on the floor.
"Tsk, tsk. Honestly I thought you would put up more of a fight."
Mod
"Here we are!" Viola said, as we stopped before a pair of double doors with an ornate relief design of vines, weaving their way around until they just brushed the doorknob. She snapped her fingers and the invisible pull toward her vanished; I rubbed my arms, trying to get rid of the prickly feeling...but also out of fear.
Beyond this door was everything I had prayed I would never face. Evil. Pain. Betrayal. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths as Viola fussed with my hair - finding kinks where there were none - and smoothing down my dress. I stared at the door, dread filling me. I was so, so alone.
"Now...in you go, and mind your tongue," she warned, her voice turning serious for the first time since we'd met. Her eyes turned purple and she stared hard at me. "Otherwise you'll lose more than your freedom."
London WaylandWe pounded up the Intitute's steps, bursting through the doors. I headed straight for the kitchen, hoping someone would be in there.
Sara was sitting at the bench looking miserable "London!" she jumped up and gave me a hug "What's happening?"
"It's a long story and we'll get to that, but I need to know if Lucy and Ben are back yet?"
Sara shook her head. "Damn" I muttered, turning to Xavier "He must have them too" I turned back to Sara "Go get Carter, and meet me in the library. I have to contact the Clave and then we will talk"
She nodded and ran off. I grabbed Xavier's hand and led us to my office.
Mod
Viola pushed me forward, opening the doors...revealing a room that reminded me of something out of a Lord of the Rings movie, decked in marble, cold and with twin thrones. The pillars formed a path to the dias, and behind the pillars, in lines, were stone statues which I barely glanced at.
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Instead, I focused on the figure sprawled in one of the thrones, his black hair almost an extension of his black gear, the only colour being the gleam of a silver chain at his throat.
Jason.
Lucy MorgensternLucy felt like she was floating in an endless abyss, her body was gone and her consciousness was all that was left. She drifted like that for an insurmountable amount of time before the feeling slowly started to reenter her body.
After all feeling had returned Lucy laid there, waiting and listening trying to sort her surroundings and remember what had happened.
She had been at the Faerie court, with someone? Maybe it was Ben, yes that seems right. She had been at the Faerie court with Ben, they had gone to get information about....? About what? Kyle? No, that didn't seem quite right... About the traitor? No... Closer... Oh, that's right they had gone to get information about someone trying to raise Sebastian/ Valentine. The Queen had given her any question and she had asked the Queen's name, then what? Sorrel had left..... Then someone had come out of the shadows.... Oh! It was Sebastian, and then they had talked about something.... Hadn't they? About a family reunion? Then.......? Lucy thought, trying to repair the gaps in her memory.
There was a groan and Lucy finally opened her eyes, she was lying on a bed in a surprisingly nice room. Lucy made her head turn so she could look around and saw Ben in a heap on an air mattress. He must have been the one groaning, she thought.
Lucy heaved herself into a sitting position and looked around the room. It was mostly bare but had a nice dresser and armoire. She looked down and realized she had been laid on top of the sheets of the bed and chained to one of the posts, presumably with silver. "Ben" She croaked, her throat dry.
He groaned again, "Ben!" louder this time. He slowly opened his eyes, turning his head so he could look at her. "We really need to stop meeting like this." She cracked a smile, forgetting for a moment that they had just been kidnapped, drugged, and were now in the clutches of the most evil shadowhunter even known to have existed, who also happened to be her uncle.
"Are you all right?" Lucy asked, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and fighting the nausea that swept through her. Ben struggled, but finally managed to sit up and he nodded. "Except for the whole, being chained up with silver thing. At least they had the decency to cover it up." Ben too had a shackle around his leg but unlike Lucy's his had a fabric covering, preventing Ben's skin from coming into contact with the silver.
"Any idea where we are?" Ben asked hopefully. Lucy shook her head, "The last thing I remember was talking with Sebastian. He must have drugged us, but where he took us is anyone's guess." Lucy had heard the stories of Valentine's apartment, the one that moved through dimensions and popped up all around the world. She hoped they weren't in anything like that, if they were then there was no hope of getting help. Especially since no one would even know that Sebastian was alive.
"Any idea as to why they put us together, or why I'm on the floor while you get a bed?" Lucy had to suppress her smile, the way he said it reminded her of a little kid. Lucy looked at the length of her chain, then at the length of Ben's. There was no way either of them could reach the door, and even if they could what they would do after reaching the door with both of them being chained in silver was a big question mark.
"I wonder what they're planning." Lucy wondered, Ben gave her a curious look, "They?" Lucy frowned, trying to concentrate. "Well, yeah. Sebastian has never worked alone before, I see no reason he would start now." Ben looked a little sick at that, "I guess your right."
They slipped into an uncomfortable silence that was broken only by the door bursting open and a women who looked like a real life version of Barbie striding into the room. "It's about time you two decided to wake up." She said with a slight southern drawl.
Heather's fast pace slowly sunk into a weary stroll as she neared her favourite thinking spot - a little bridge past the city square and the ever-present traffic and people, which overlooked one of the rivers that passed through the park opposite the Institute. She sat down at the top, her legs swinging off the edge. She'd had to thread them through the railings so that she held the cold steel in her hands and looked through the bars and out at the world which she couldn't even begin to understand.
When she'd first moved into the Institute, this had been her favourite lookout point. Heather grinned as she remembered scaring the wits out of Eloise, London's mother, the first time she'd disappeared. Eloise had had her husband - Jason's father - and some other Clave members out searching the streets for her. It had been Ian, Jason's dad, who had found Heather in the end.
He hadn't spoken a word. He'd simply lifted her bag, full of the clothes she'd thrown hastily in it, and put it over his shoulder and she'd followed him back to the Institute. He'd been like that...silent. Watching. Warmth and comfort all in one, he'd never had to say anything to get his point across. When had had talked, it had been to tell something of importance, for he'd always chosen his words with care.
Until the day he was killed by a demon.
Heather awoke from her trip down memory lane when her cellphone rang. Sighing, she dug it out from her pocket and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Heather," came Carter's voice. He sounded on edge. "Cassie's missing."
Heather sighed, tired of hearing such news. "I'm so sorry, Carter." She blinked, confused. "Wait - how did you have my number?"
"Sara," was Carter's response. "I just thought I'd let you know."
"Is there anything I can do?" asked Heather, a tightening in her chest reminding her of her brother and her worry. Poor Carter.
"No...we're waiting 'till morning, because she won't answer her cell and Cassie-" He broke off, and she heard him sigh. "Cassie's done stuff like this before. Run off. But I'm still worried so if I don't hear from her soon I'll go looking."
"Is London ok?" Heather asked.
"Went off with Jason to find out some more intel on Kyle."
Heather glanced up at the darkening sky. "Umm...I hope they get back before dark."
"Me too." Carter then added, "Are you ok?"
Heather bit her lip. Was she ok? "Uh, I'm fine. Just roaming the city, trying to pretend-"
"-that your life is normal and demon free? I get it, don't worry," finished Carter. She couldn't help but smile at his tone. "Been there, done that. I'd give anything to be with you right now - the Institute is like a cage."
Heather got to her feet, stretching and dusting off her jeans. "I'm heading back anyways."
"Ok...see you then, Supergirl."
She smiled. "See you, Carter."