Drop of Magic (Malec)

Bonus Chapter (7) Starting Over

Suddenly, after what feels like years, she releases my sore wrists and storms over to the door. My father hasn't moved an inch from his place several feet away. Sadness paints his blank expression but I know that he won't stand up for me. Being on the wrong end of Maryse Lightwood's wrath is not envious, and I almost can't blame him for standing back, but I won't deny that it hurts.

I can feel the cold wind rushing into the house as she rips the door open.

"Get out of this house." Her voice is colder than the bitter January air and I swallow thickly, turning and looking at my mother in disbelief.

"Maryse," my father cautions, but she lifts a hand and shakes her head.

"You will not live under my roof as a disgrace, Alexander! You make this choice right now. Are you going to keep this charade up and leave or are you going to pretend this never happened and let us all carry on with our lives?" My mother's hands grasp my wrists tighter than before, but I can't back down. My father's eyes are far away, his body tense, indecision rolling off of him. Who I am, who I could be, who I always was is on the line, and this time, I won't let myself down.

It feels fake, somehow, like she'll start laughing and hug me and tell me how stupid I was to believe her. But that doesn't happen. Instead, she gestures to the open door, eyes staring at me impatiently, waiting.

Izzy runs forward, tears streaming down her face. She looks in shock as she throws her arms around me, body shaking as she sobs into my shoulder. Instantly, I wrap myself around her, fearing the length of time until I'll see her again. I don't get to hold her long enough.

"What about his things, Maryse?" My father comments with concern. I'm sick to my stomach, but I look back at him anyways.

"Once he figures out where he's going, we'll send him the necessities. Other than that, I don't care." So that's it. My own mother is disowning me, keeping my possessions and leaving me out in the cold. I guess I don't move fast enough, because with a feral growl, she comes toward me, high heels snapping on the hardwood as if they'll break right through.

She winds her hand tightly around my upper arm, ripping me from Izzy's hold and pulling me toward the front door.

The snow glimmers faintly in the moonlight, looking soft as powder. She pushes sharply between my shoulder blades, knocking me off of the doorstep and onto the barely swept pathway, beneath the falling snow.

I feel the crack of my arm hitting the concrete awkwardly beneath me, the sickening sensation threatening to make me pass out. But I push through it, focussing instead on the insane cold surrounding me, the way the soft looking snow cuts into my skin like icy daggers. The click of the door locking signals the end.

I'm not sure how long I lay there. But eventually, I drag myself up from the ground, wet, miserable and frozen. My cell phone and wallet are tucked in the pocket of my black jeans, the thin fabric of my black dress shirt doing nothing to shield me from the cold.

I start walking. There's no destination in mind, maybe a hospital. I'm sure my arms broken, but then again, I don't want to waste what money I was able to get away with on medical bills. It'll heal on its own.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and with my good hand, I pull it out, seeing that Simon, a friend of mine, is calling me.

"Hello?" I croak into the phone, dragging me feet beneath me as I continue to move forward.

Simon starts rambling instantly. "Izzy called me, she told me what happened, where are you? Are you okay? Oh my god, where are you, Alec?" He sounds worried and terrified. I close my eyes briefly to centre myself before answering.

"Just a few blocks from my house."

"I'll be there soon. Hold tight."

I walk slower now, knowing that Simon is on his way. I don't want to inconvenience him, but I need to think about my survival for a second. And at this rate, I won't last long.

His familiar headlights come up the street like a beacon and my shoulders fall in relief as he pulls up beside me.

Throwing open the passenger door, he leans across the console and looks at me incredulously.

"Holy, Alec. What happened to you," He whispers, barely audible over the humming of the engine and the soft music drifting from the radio. "Get in here."

Once I've slid into the seat, I'm shaking. Simon wraps a blanket around my shoulders and hands me another one that I bundle myself up in. He turns the heater on full and begins slowly driving on the snow covered streets back towards his house.

Normally, Simon is full of words. His mouth is constantly open, talking about anything and everything. Now, he's silent.

I don't break that silence, either. I'm aching and freezing and scared. I know I owe him more of an explanation, but I don't have one. I can't make myself say it, or else it might be real.

We pull up to his house, a house I've been in a million times since I was younger. I've known Simon a long time, we grew up together. He slides out of the car and runs over to my side, helping me out and into the house.

Mrs. Lewis is waiting with hot chocolate, blankets and the fireplace rumbling in the living room. Simon disappears to get me dry clothes and she combs my soaked hair back with soft hands.

"You poor thing. Let's take a look at you." I let her sit me at the table and look me over. "You're bruising already, sweetie." She mumbles, drifting fingers over my blue wrists. I have small cuts from the ice littering my skin. When she looks at my arm, she gasps. "I think it's broken, come on, let's get you to the hospital."

I zone out once Mrs. Lewis has ushered us into the car, and a few hours and a cast later, we're back in the warm living room with hot cocoa and some random sitcom playing in the background.

I can faintly hair Simon's sister talking on the phone in her room, and it makes me ache for Izzy and her warmth.

"Alec?" Simon mumbles, nudging me gently. I raise my head to look at him.

"You're more than welcome to stay with us for as long as you need, Alec. You've always been part of the family." Mrs. Lewis smiles warmly and rubs my upper arm in comfort.

Even if I've lost everything, if I've gone from being a prestigious, wealthy young adult to being nothing, something tells me it'll all work out somehow.

The worlds a dark place sometimes, but it's people like this, people with warm hearts and open arms that change it.

And I can only hope there are more of them out there, willing to shed a little light on this dark place and make something a little bit special out of it all.

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A/N: Sad chapter! But I wanted to give you a bit of background. I'm considering doing the same with Magnus, let me know if you'd like to see that!