Man oh man this is a good chapter. Really long (nearly 9K words) but good. Also, thank you to @ink_and_fables_4_u for booting my ego and making my day yesterday. They're the reason why this chapter was posted today because I was going to wait until Friday so I could sleep in late today, but my ego has been boosted so here you go. Enjoy!
Everest stared at Meliorn with wide eyes. "The fucker shit?"
That had been twenty minutes ago, when the four had still been in the alleyway behind the Hotel Dumort. Now they were walking through a forest that was very familiar to Everest, one connected to the clearing where Everest and her friends met when they were having a bad day.
"Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore," Clary breathed out as she took in the fantastical sight.
Everest had always compared the forest to one from a tale about the Fey Folk, and now she knew why Gino had always snickered when she said that. It was quite literally what she had always compared it to.
"Shove it Dorothy," Everest muttered halfheartedly.
"What are you, British?"
"Maybe I am," Everest shot back at Jace.
"Welcome to the Seelie Glade, Clary Fairchild. The remotest edges of it." Meliorn smirked at the wondrous look on the older girl's face. "I'd say welcome, Everest, but I believe you've already been here before."
Jace gave her an incredulous look. "What is he talking about?"
Everest smiled sheepishly at her sister when she too gave her an incredulous look. "So my friend Gino is a Seelie and we and Roslyn hang out in the clearing just outside the Seelie Glade. Sometimes Gino will bring us past the tree line and we'll explore." She held her hands up in surrender when Clary raised her eyebrows. "Hey! In my defense I didn't know I was running around the Seelie Glade!"
Jace facepalmed.
"How did we get here?" Clary asked Meliorn, who had been watching the interaction with an amused smirk.
"There are entrances all through the mundane world," Jace answered.
"You just have to know where to look," the Seelie added.
"Why did we have to come here to find our father?" Clary asked. Everest blinked. She had forgotten that's what they were doing. She blamed her lack of meds.
"Because of your necklace. It's a Portal shard." Meliorn spoke as if he were in a nature documentary.
"You're talking like you're on a documentary," she told the man. Jace facepalmed again and Clary sighed. Meliorn smirked again.
"Tell us something we don't know," Jace muttered, referring to what Meliorn had said.
"How does it work again?" Everest asked. "The necklace Portal thing, I mean."
"When I touch the crystal and I think of someone, I can see where they are."
"I'm curious, Shadowhunter, who knows so much about Portals, did you ever wonder why this Portal shard doesn't behave the way normal Portals do?" Meliorn's words were mocking Clary. Jace snorted and shook his head in disbelief.
"Translation please?" Everest asked the boy.
"Normal Portals can only take you places you've been. I guess I never really thought about it," Jace explained.
"I see Isabelle is the smart one in the family." Clary and Everest laughed. "Your Portal shard works the way it does because it's a piece of a Portal from another dimension."
Everest stopped dead in her tracks. Jace grabbed her arm, steadying her. "There's more than one dimension?!" She wasn't sure if she was hysterically excited about that, or just hysterical.
"Another dimension?"
Jace crossed his arms. His lips quirked as he spoke. "You're saying there's a Portal in some other universe that can take us to anyone if we just think of them?"
"If you can find the only Portal still standing in that dimension, it will take you to your father."
Everest stopped bouncing on her toes as she realized that she would probably have to face her father soon. A small, smooth hand gripped hers. She looked down; it was Clary's. She met her sister's eyes and nodded. She could do this. Of course she could do this.
...
"These trees are where the alternate dimensions intersect the Seelie realm," Meliorn said as Everest allowed a branch to snap back and wack Jace in the face. He glared at her.
"How is it possible that the Clave doesn't know about your dimensional doorways?" Jace asked, somewhat sarcastically.
"Because they're busy doing nothing and letting others do their dirty work?" Everest suggested, tilting her head. Beside her, Clary and Meliorn snickered.
"They are our most guarded secret. We are their protectors. Only Seelies know of their existence."
Everest frowned. No wonder Gino always had an odd look when she questioned the possibility of alternate universes out loud.
"Then why are you telling us?"
"I owe you a life debt. And I don't like being indebted to anyone," said Meliorn, annoyed.
"Fair." Everest nodded her head in agreement.
"What would happen if—" Clary was cut off by the Seelie.
"If the Seelie Queen finds out I've shared this with you?" The man's expression turned slightly bitter. "I could be executed."
"Please don't," Everest said. "I don't want to have to deal with Gino's kicked puppy face if you die."
"Well, we'll be extra careful then," Jace said, rather quickly and awkwardly.
"There is no 'we' in this scenario." Meliorn frowned. "Only the twins go in the Portal. My debt is to them."
"That is a 'we'." Everest couldn't help but correct Meliorn.
"You've given us no reason to trust you, Seelie," Jace snapped.
"He led us here," said Clary gently, as if afraid of hurting Jace's feelings.
"He's Gino's brother," added Everest. Again her sister and Jace gave her odd looks.
"You know what Purple? When we get back to the Institute I want you to give me a full explanation of how on Earth you are so connected to the Shadow World and yet had no idea it existed. PowerPoint and all," Jace told her, running his fingers through his hair. He didn't look so much like an eleven year old Draco Malfoy now at least.
"Alright." She shrugged, already planning the layout of the PowerPoint.
A streak of silver and purple passed through Everest's peripheral vision. Her jade eyes tracked it until it stopped, landing on a tree trunk. It was a butterfly with silver and purple swirls on its wings. She walked quietly to the insect and held out her hand. It left the tree, settling itself on her middle finger. She stared at it in wonder. Everest gasped as the butterfly flew up to her hair, perching at the front of her head where a tiara would sit. She giggled slightly as it's large wings moved her baby hairs away from her face.
"Everest! C'mere!" her sister called.
Everest walked back to the three, careful not to dislodge the butterfly. "What?"
"Meliorn was just telling us about the other dimension." Jace pointed to the man who was creating the Portal.
"As I was saying, Shadowhunters no longer exist and Downworlders have conformed to mundane life to avoid detection. Once you arrive in the alternate dimension, you will assume the bodies of the Everest and Clary in that world. You will think and feel just like them."
Everest frowned. It couldn't be that easy, there had to be a catch. "What's the catch? Where does it go wrong?"
"Your alternate self could consume you," answered Meliorn as if it were a casual everyday occurrence. For all Everest knew, it could be.
"Can we stop that?" she asked her best friend's brother.
"Focus on the differences between that world and ours. Find something or someone to keep you grounded."
"Easy enough." Meliorn and Everest shared a disgusted look as Clary made lovey-dovey eyes at Jace.
Everest thought about what could keep her grounded. She raked through her memories—at least the ones she had—and tried to find something that she cared enough about to keep her grounded to her dimension. Finally, she found it.
It was a memory of her, Roslyn, Gino, Brad, Jay, Harper, Clary, and Simon in the Karter family's backyard having a summer get-together. She smiled at the memory and nodded to herself. She had her grounding point.
"It will be a lot more difficult than you think," Meliorn chided. "If you don't hurry, you two could cease to be this world's Clary and Everest Fairchild."
"And be stuck in that world forever." Meliorn nodded solemnly at Clary's words.
...
Everest stood beside the blue haired Seelie while Jace and Clary spoke.
"You're not allowed to get stuck in the alternate dimension," Meliorn said softly. "Gino would kill me."
Everest smiled. "And you're not allowed to get arrested again. Gino would kill me."
The two shared a smile as the Portal was ready.
"It's time."
Clary and Jace shared one last meaningful look before they joined the two with colorful hair.
"Meliorn, I appreciate the risk you're taking, but a life debt requires that you ensure our safety," said Clary in a rather powerful voice. Everest wondered if she had been practicing that voice. Either way she was proud of her sister for seeing the loophole Meliorn had left for himself. (Gino did the same thing which was why Everest caught it.)
Meliorn smiled.
"Everest and I will go through without Jace, but if we find this alternate Portal, we won't be able to face Valentine on our own." The redhead had a small smirk on her face and Everest clapped silently in approval. She was ignored.
"They'll need backup," Jace added.
Meliorn sighed resignedly. "If you find the Portal, you may come back for him. Shadowhunters need Seelie permission to go through. Only demons can pass through unaided." Everest felt a bad feeling settle in her stomach at Meliorn's words. She really hoped no demons would attack or go through. She really didn't want to deal with that.
The man began to chant in an unfamiliar language and the doors to the Portal opened, revealing a mass of blue and orange. Meliorn nodded to the twins and Everest handed Jace her bag.
"Hold my bag," she said, forcing a mischievous look on her face. (It was the same one she used when she told Raphael to hold her bag when she wanted to scare Roslyn.)
She ignored Jace's furrowed brows as she took Clary's hand. They nodded to each other and stepped through the Portal.
...
"Wake up Forest! C'mon on! Dad made breakfast!" someone shouted outside her door. Apparently this world's Everest liked to sleep.
She grumbled something loudly, but apparently it was enough for whoever was shouting to go away. Everest pulled the covers up over her head again, but Not Dead Yet blared through the room. She groaned and blindly reached for the noise.
"Hello?" she grumbled.
"Everest!" It was Clary. Apparently her ringtones were the same in both dimensions. "Where are you?"
"Uhh..."
Everest rolled over and faced the open window. She knew that yard, and knew it well. She had spent many summers out there with the fire blazing or the grill going. It was the Karter family's backyard.
"At the Karter's," she mumbled, voice thick with sleep still.
"Why're you there?" her sister demanded.
"Dunno." She shrugged and finally got out of the bed. "Just am."
There was a pause and Clary seemed to be talking to someone. "Can you pick me up at Brooklyn Academy in like thirty minutes?" she asked Everest.
"Sure. See you then."
"See you Ev."
Everest stared around the room, trying to figure out why she was at the Karter's house and why it looked like the bedroom was hers. There was a fuzzy cream rug on the floor with clothes scattered across it and soft pillows tossed haphazardly on top of the clothes, creating an odd nest-like sight. Her computer was half buried under notebooks and pens on the desk. A bookshelf sat next to the bed with trinkets taking up more space than the books were. Posters were taped up and pictures were framed on the light grey walls. She gaped at three pictures in particular.
One was a group picture of Clary, Simon, Izzy, Jace, Magnus, Alec, and her. Except, Jace had his arms around Clary, Simon and Izzy were hugging, and Magnus and Alec had their arms around her, each pressing a kiss to her cheek.
The second picture that made her pause was another group photo, but this time she was surrounded by six guys in similar outfits. Each of them wore dark jeans, a white t-shirt, and some kind of jacket. Everest only recognized five of them: Jace, Simon, Raphael, Gino, and Meliorn. The sixth was a boy—or rather a young man—with silver blonde hair and dark green eyes that looked almost black. He was rather tall and shared the same pale skin that Everest and Clary had, though, like Everest's, his skin was slightly tanned. Each of the boys had their arms crossed and were glaring at the camera as they stood around Everest in what looked like a protective manner. Above the group's heads, in neat typewriter handwriting that she didn't recognize, were the words "Everest's Big Brothers."
She smiled softly at the picture and went to change into clean clothes (hers were covered in dark blue, purple, and pink splatters) but a third picture made her pause.
She was lying across Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane's laps with a teasing smile. Alec was mid-laugh as he leaned forward near her face and Magnus was smiling as he tickled Everest. They looked so happy. It made Everest's heart hurt a little, especially when she saw "Relationship Goals" written in dark pink ink above their heads in the loopy scrawl she associated with Izzy. That just cemented the idea that it was an alternate dimension. She, Alec, and Magnus couldn't be together in any way in her dimension for so many reasons. But apparently here they could be together and were.
She shook off the heavy feelings and changed into jean shorts and a lightweight pale blue hoodie. As she changed, her hair fell into her face. She stared down at it in shock. It wasn't purple. Instead it was dark blue, dark purple, and dark pink all blended together to look like a galaxy.
She allowed herself to gape for a moment more before she put her hair up in a messy bun, sticking two pens, one black and the other blue, into her bun. She packed her bag (only mildly shocked that there was no gun in the bottom) and headed downstairs, following the smell of coffee.
"Morning Forest," Brad greeted the confused girl from the breakfast nook.
She waved at him and snatched a waffle from the man's plate as she made her way to the kitchen for coffee.
"Hey!" he protested. "There's the communal plate right there!"
Everest just gave him a cheeky smile and Harper giggled.
Brad raised his eyebrows as he properly saw the eighteen year old's outfit. "I better not be able to see your ass if you turn around," he said jokingly, though with an edge of seriousness.
"Why would you be staring at my ass?" she shot back with a grin.
"Language you two," chided Jay as he walked into the kitchen. Harper giggled louder as the two pouted.
"Language," the girl mimicked.
"Be nice," Jay chided lightly.
"Be nice," Brad and Everest mimicked.
Jay sighed. "Why do I even try?"
He pressed a kiss to the girls' heads and pecked Brad's cheek before serving himself breakfast. He sat down beside his husband and handed Everest a pill container.
"Take your meds."
The apparently now galaxy haired girl sighed but did as she was told, knowing that it was better in the long run if she took her meds.
Her phone chimed. It was Clary telling her that she was heading to Brooklyn Academy.
"Clary?" Harper guessed.
Everest nodded. She stood up and gave the men a hug and held her arms out as a silent question for Harper. The girl shook her head and Everest smiled. She nodded in understanding and tapped the back of her wrist three times. Harper returned the gesture.
"I'll see you guys later!" she called over her shoulder as she left with her coffee in a travel mug and a waffle wrapped in a napkin.
"Bye!" Brad and Harper called.
"You can take the truck!" Jay yelled.
"Kay!"
It wasn't hard for Everest to find the truck Jay was talking about—it was the only truck by the house. It was a black Ford with a metallic sheen that was parked by the curb. She hummed in appreciation as the truck started without issue.
As Everest drove to Brooklyn Academy, she mulled over why she might have a room at her father figures' house and who the stranger in the photograph was. She had no theories whatsoever.
Clary wasn't there when Everest parked. So, like the curious and bored person that she was, Everest decided to snoop through this world's Everest's phone.
She immediately clicked out of the photo albums when half of what she saw was pictures of her, Magnus, and Alec. She didn't think her heart could handle that. She stifled laughter when she saw how Wattpad had over two hundred notifications and decided to let those be; the other Everest could deal with those. Finally, she found the texts.
There were a lot of group chats—like, more than Everest had in her dimension—and they were all labelled with rather...interesting names. Kiddie's Big Brothers, Fucked up Life Squad, Ship Name tbd, Actually Siblings, and Shippers and Fangirls unite being just a few. She was almost scared to open them. So she opened the least intimidating sounding one: Fucked up Life Squad.
"Oh," she laughed. "Just Lyn, G, and me. Not that bad. Right, let's do...Ship Name tbd now."
She stared down at her phone for a while, reading through the messages that had been sent between this world's Everest, Magnus, and Alec. They seemed so happy together—it made Everest's heart swell.
She opened Instagram and found her latest post. Tears welled in her eyes but she scrubbed them away roughly. She couldn't believe it. Her parents had kicked her out because she came out to them. She scoffed. 'Well fuck them then.'
She saw her sister running up to the truck and put away her phone. Everest smiled at her sister as the redhead got settled.
"So how crazy was your morning?" she asked, somewhat sarcastically.
Clary rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't believe the conversation I had."
She scoffed again. "You won't believe what I just found out."
Clary nodded at her. "You go first then."
Everest didn't say anything, instead she showed Clary the post she saw. Clary gasped and launched herself across the seats. Her arms wrapped around Everest's neck and after a moment, Everest hugged her sister back.
"I'm so sorry," the girl whispered shakily. "I am so, so sorry."
"Don't be. Not your fault."
The girls pulled away and shared slightly watery smiles.
"Now what about this conversation that you had, Ritz?"
Clary sighed. "It makes more sense now. But basically Valentine and Mom are happily married and Valentine seems nice which is weird. But then I asked where you were and they avoided the question." Her face lit up. "Oh, but Magnus Bane is here in New York and remember what Meliorn said? Downworlders still exist, they just hide that they're Downworlders."
Everest's face lit up in understanding. "And you want us to go talk to him about finding the Portal?"
"Yeah, but first we need to go to Java Jones, Simon keeps texting me to meet there."
Everest handed her phone to her sister so she could plug in the address and drove off. As she reached a stoplight, she looked at Clary from the corner of her eye.
"Hey Ritz?"
"Yeah?"
"Apparently I'm dating some people."
Her sister's green eyes widened and she looked at Everest eagerly. "Who?"
"Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane."
The redhead let out a shrill shriek that made Everest wince and reach for her bag as Clary began to talk excitedly—and loudly. She pulled out her noise cancelling earbuds (something she'd have to get in her dimension) and put them in. It was a few minutes until Clary noticed.
"Was I too loud?" She looked guilty at Everest's nod. "I'm sorry."
Everest shrugged and took one earbud out. "Maybe tone it down a bit while we're in the car?"
Clary nodded, and her excited look returned. "You're dating Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood! How cool is that?"
Everest grinned widely, allowing her excitement over the situation to override her negative emotions. "Really cool!"
"How do you know you're dating them? Did you wake up with them?" Clary wiggled her eyebrows and Everest blushed.
"No! I woke up at the Karter's like I told you! But I looked through this Everest's phone. I stalked her Instagram, read her texts, and looked through her photos a bit." She gave Clary an exasperated look. "Why did your mind automatically go there?"
The girl laughed. "I've spent the last week and a half in the Shadow World with Jace and Izzy. I was bound to pick something up."
Everest huffed and focused on not crashing on the way to the coffee shop. She parked, but hesitated to get out. She breathed deeply, ignoring Clary's concerned look.
"Okay, let's do this," she said quietly.
"Are you alright?" Clary asked gently.
"I need coffee."
Clary laughed and led her towards Izzy, Simon, and Alec who Everest was apparently dating. Yeah, she still hadn't fully comprehended that. Something touched her elbow and she whirled with a shriek. It was only Simon—well, Simon who looked nerdier than usual. She let out a puff of air indignantly and pouted at the boy.
"Don't sneak up on me!" she said. She was fully aware that she sounded like a petulant child. The boy grinned at her.
Clary shoved Simon back with a panicked look. "What are you doing? Get out of the sun!"
"Hey, what the hell?"
Everest studied her sister's expression and it dawned on her. In their dimension, Simon was a vampire. She smiled to herself. 'I love an accidental pun. No. Not the time.'
"...Caffeine deprivation. Come on girls," she heard Simon say. She blinked back to reality and stared blankly at the boy.
"Huh?"
The boy gave her a concerned look. "You really need coffee," he muttered. He grabbed her hand gently and led her to the table with the Lightwood siblings. "Let's get you coffee now."
"Please do," she said quietly.
Everest had to stop herself from hiding behind her twin and screeching like a teenage fangirl when she saw the Lightwood siblings. As it was, Everest was fairly certain she stopped breathing for a moment. Izzy was in a Star Wars shirt with her hair braided to the side and she had teal glasses on, one earbud in and the other dangling. Alec was in khaki pants and a light blue button up.
'What the hell?' she thought to herself. 'This is weird. I don't know how I feel about it.'
Alec smiled brightly at her and stood up. He pulled her into a hug and she couldn't stop herself from melting into it. 'This is nice. If only it was like this in my world.'
Everest smiled softly at the feeling of his soft shirt on her face. It was a nice fabric, she liked it a lot. Alec sat back down, pulling her into his lap. She let out a quiet squeak of surprise and blushed slightly. Alec chuckled and his chest vibrated with the action.
"A year and a half later and you still get surprised when he does that," Izzy laughed.
A year and a half? She had been dating Alec for a year and a half?!
Even Clary, who was more confused about this dimension than Everest was, looked amused.
"Is that new?" Izzy demanded, peering intently at Clary's necklace with the Portal shard.
Clary panicked for a moment. "Yes, I got it a couple days ago."
"Oh, it goes with your dress? Because you're getting ready at my place tonight, right? You too, Everest?"
The girl looked up from where she was tracing designs on Alec's hand. "What?" Her meds had not kicked in yet and it showed.
"You and Clary are coming over to my place tonight to get ready, yeah?" Everest vaguely recalled reading texts about some event and nodded.
"Ready for what?" Clary asked, looking panicked again. Everest facepalmed. Her sister needed to learn how to lie. Or at the very least learn how to snoop through phones to get information.
"That is not even a little bit funny," Alec snapped. Izzy and Everest gave each other 'she's so dead' looks. "I have poured my heart and soul into planning this anniversary party for the Institute. And the theme is amazing."
Everest nearly fell off Alec's lap as she suppressed laughter at the sight of Clary's obviously fake agreement.
"You good?" Clary asked.
Everest nodded and returned to tracing designs on Alec's hand. She smiled contently as she soaked in the feeling of being close to Alec. She knew she probably shouldn't, but she couldn't help it. Alec was cute, she couldn't date him in her dimension, this Everest could, and she was currently this world's Everest. Was she taking advantage of the situation? Probably. Did she really care all that much? Not as much as she probably should.
"Like Clary's dad would ever go for me." Everest let out a distressed noise as she tuned back into the conversation to hear that.
Alec looked down at the noise and saw her panicked expression that was tinged with hurt.
"Hand me your phone," he whispered. She suppressed a blush as best she could. "I'll type an explanation for you."
She did as she was told and handed Alec her phone, a blank note pulled up.
Iz looks up to Valentine and we tease her about it as you know. However since what happened, and you stopped verbally referring to him and Jocelyn as your parents, we all have too. That's why Iz said 'Clary's dad' instead of 'Everest and Clary's dad.'
Everest hummed as she read the short explanation and smiled at Izzy a little. The girl smiled back. Everest returned her phone to her bag and leaned back against Alec's chest. His arms wrapped around her waist and he rested his chin on her head. She smiled. If only it were like this in reality.
Simon returned with a normal sized latte for Clary and a very large coffee for Everest. She made grabby hands for the coffee and the boy laughed. He handed her the drink and she made a happy noise as she drank.
"You're such a little kid sometimes, I swear," Izzy laughed. Everest stuck her tongue out. "Point proven."
Everest rolled her eyes and settled back against Alec again. She closed her eyes and was content to just exist in the moment and drink her coffee. She listened to Simon and Izzy's quiet conversation and focused on the way Alec was now the one tracing designs on her knee.
"Did you have a good movie night?" he asked quietly. She recalled the messages she had read.
"Mhm. Did you?"
Alec chuckled. "I did. I'm sure our movie nights were very different though."
"Most definitely." She laughed. "Magnus said you fell asleep and trapped him so he couldn't get the musical to turn off."
"So that's why he told me we're never watching A Very Potter Musical?"
Everest snorted. "Of course that's the one that was on. But yeah, it played all night and Mags got sick of it after a while."
Alec laughed and Everest felt her heart flutter. She adored that sound.
"Come on Everest." Clary's urgent voice broke her from her happy daze.
"What?" She frowned.
"We have to go run an errand." The older twin gave her no time to think about her words before she was pulled off Alec's lap.
"See you later Darling!" Alec called after her. "Love you!"
"Love you too!"
"Where are we going?" Everest demanded as she got in the truck.
"To Magnus's," Clary said slowly.
"Why are we going to my boyfriend's place?"
Clary stared at her in horror. "Everest...you do remember what's happened right?"
Everest gave her sister an unimpressed look. "Well yeah. I was kicked out a while ago so I'm staying with the Karters. You called me this morning and asked me to come pick you up."
Clary's eyes widened further. "So you don't remember why we're here?" Everest stared blankly. "What about the Shadow World? Vampires, werewolves, Seelies, warlocks, Shadowhunters?"
The redhead thought for a moment before she spoke again. "What about Lydia Branwell taking over the Institute and trying to kill Meliorn?"
Everest blinked away a haze she hadn't noticed before. "That bitch," she snarled.
Clary sighed in relief. "Oh thank God. I thought I lost you."
Everest smiled grimly. "Almost. So, off to Magnus's?"
...
Everest sighed from where she was lying on Magnus's couch. She really needed to stop getting "lost" in this dimension. When they had reached Magnus's apartment Everest had been greeted by a kiss from Magnus and again she had nearly got lost.
A cat launched itself onto the table where Magnus was giving Clary a tarot reading. The girl gasped and Everest decided it was a good time to be at least somewhat involved in the situation.
"You don't have a cat," Clary said, looking rather discombobulated.
'Discombobulated. I'm writing that one down.'
She scanned the room for a pen but didn't find one. Her hands made a motion like she was writing and she felt a hand grabbing something from the base of her bun. She frowned, not knowing what was happening, but then a pen being pressed into her hand. She looked up and met Magnus's eyes. He winked.
"Thanks," she said, scribbling the word onto her hand.
'No? That's not how it's spelled. Is it? Am I wrong? Is that how it's spelled? Am I stupid? I'm a writer, I should know this. I failed the high school spelling bee but I'm a writer. Ha! There! I win. That's how it's spelled.' She danced in place for a moment, savoring her victory.
"I'm a Shadowhunter," she heard Clary say as she paid attention to the conversation again.
Magnus began to laugh. "There are no more Shadowhunters. Haven't been for hundreds of years."
"I can prove it." Clary turned around, forgetting that there were no runes in this dimension.
"No runes," Everest muttered, petting the angry Persian cat that was apparently named Church. She was pretty sure there was a great backstory for the cat and she really wanted it. Especially because she had a feeling that the cat had seen a lot. And for some reason she kind of had a feeling that the cat had seen some creepy rituals and crazy things that Everest could only dream of writing about. (Basically everything she wanted in a cat.)
Clary realized the same thing. She grabbed a random sketchbook from the coffee table and began to draw with a pencil she found somewhere. "I'm from an alternate reality."
Magnus looked hesitant. "If that were true...without an anchor, you'd be assimilating into this world."
"Believe me we are trying to fight it," Clary muttered.
"We?" Magnus questioned.
"Everest isn't your Everest," Clary explained. The girl in question looked away from Magnus's gaze guiltily. She didn't want to have to explain, even to herself, why she had let herself be selfish and let herself play the part of this world's Everest.
Clary held up a page of very accurate drawings of demons. Magnus's eyes widened in recognition and Everest wondered how her sister had drawn such detailed drawings in less than five minutes. "In our dimension, Shadowhunters still battle demons. And now there is something so much worse. We need your magic to help stop it."
Magnus shook his head, looking defeated. "I can't help you. My magic's gone dormant."
He stood up and walked to the window, avoiding the conversation.
"Then wake it up!" Clary cried out unhelpfully.
"I don't think that's how it works Ritz," Everest said softly. The cat purred as she scratched behind its ears and she smiled softly as it jumped into her arms. Now she wanted a cat. Specifically Church who seemed like the kind of cat that would terrorize Jace and people she didn't like.
...
Everest was playing on her phone while Magnus tried to kick start his magic. For some reason her ADHD decided that she was had to focus on the stupid wood turning game otherwise she'd be unable to do anything. And because of this, she didn't notice Clary's rather dramatic hand motions or Magnus getting his magic back. She did however notice when Clary yanked her up and told her Izzy needed them.
"Everest!" Magnus shouted after her. "Give me my cat back!"
Everest looked down and saw that Church was still in her arms. Her mouth formed silent words as she let the cat down. She waved goodbye as she ran after Clary.
"Oh Izzy," Everest breathed out as she ran into her friend's room twenty minutes later. The girl had a huge black eye and looked ready to smother herself with a pillow. "What happened?"
"Kickboxing class. I thought why not? Quick class after work. And boom! Home in time to see you," Izzy exclaimed. Everest made her sit down.
"Well, you got the boom part right," Clary muttered.
"Andrea's foot right in my face. She has to pick today to land her roundhouse?" the raven haired girl cried.
"It's okay," Everest soothed, motioning for Clary to get out makeup. "We'll fix it."
"Oh my God. What are people going to think? And then Alec worked so hard to plan this. I cannot not go to the party. And what am I supposed to do? I worked so hard," Izzy rambled.
"Hey. Hey, we're gonna fix it," Clary told her.
"Okay." Izzy still looked nervous. "But then we have to fix you and Jace, Clary. The two of you not talking really messes with my chi."
Everest snorted as she began to apply makeup to Izzy's face. Luckily for everyone involved, Clary was an art student and knew how colors worked so all Everest had to do was put all of her years of practice doing makeup (for things like Pride, dances, holiday parties, and her friends' plays) into hiding her friend's black eye.
"Are you sure those are the colors?"
"We'll make it work."
"Iz, you've got me and Everest helping you. I know colors and Everest can do really good makeup when she wants to. It'll all work out." Clary smiled at Everest as she praised her and Everest blushed slightly. She wasn't the greatest at accepting praise.
...
Everest hid in the corner of the room dressed in a flowy royal blue dress and black flats while others danced and talked around her. Valentine and her mother were dancing in one corner while Jace and Clary were by the teacups. Izzy was making funny faces in a mirror with Simon, and Alec and Magnus were nowhere to be found. She had a glass of water in one hand and was fiddling with her earrings—all star/space themed, even her ear cuff had little silver stars dangling from it—with her other hand.
"Boo!" a low voice whispered in her ear. The girl jumped back with a shriek and stared indignantly at Alec.
"That was mean," she whined.
Alec just smiled and pulled her into a kiss. She melted into it but just as fangirl screams began to play on repeat in her mind, her phone rang.
She pulled away and saw that Alec looked annoyed at the interruption. She blinked away a haze that had clouded her vision as she answered the call.
"Hey Brad," she greeted. "What's up?"
"Just wanted to check in on you, see how you were doing. Give you a chance to escape if you were forced to interact with the Morgensterns." Everest laughed at her father figure's not so subtle way of telling her that she was more than welcome to fake an emergency and leave the party her boyfriend had worked so hard on if her mom and Valentine spoke to her.
"Thanks, but I think I'm good for the moment. I'm with Alec right now."
"Did I interrupt something?" There was a teasing edge to Brad's words and Everest stayed quiet. There was a squeal from Brad's side of the call and she quirked her head.
"Was that you, Jay, or Harper that squealed? I couldn't tell." Alec stifled a laugh behind her.
"...Go make out with your boyfriends or something," the man grumbled and hung up.
Everest broke out into a grin. She turned to Alec who was watching her with a smile. "I think Brad was the one who squealed."
"Come on, let's dance."
Alec pulled her to the dance floor, far away from her parents. He leaned down a little and wrapped his arms around her waist while hers looped around his neck. They weren't properly dancing as the technopop robot music played, weren't really paying attention to much really. But that changed very quickly. Someone had gotten hold of the aux cord and had started to play a song Everest loved dearly.
The girl gasped with delight and clapped her hands together excitedly as she bounced. "I love this song!"
Alec smiled. "I know you do, that's why I had Simon hack the aux cord." Everest grinned broadly at him as the song began.
She grinned widely as she and Alec danced to the music, many others (who weren't 'proper' adults at least) began to dance too.
Some legends are told
Some turn to dust or to gold
But you will remember me
Remember me for centuries
She laughed as she saw Valentine's bewildered look.
And just one mistake
Is all it will take
We'll go down in history
Remember me for centuries
(Hey yeah, oh hey, hey yeah)
Remember me for centuries
Alec laughed as Everest sang along with a half-serious, half-sassy expression.
Mummified my teenage dreams
No, it's nothing wrong with me
The kids are all wrong
The stories are off
Heavy metal broke my heart
It seemed that Magnus had forgiven any earlier misleading enough to join the two in dancing. Alec and Everest both blushed as their boyfriend smirked at them.
Come on, come on and let me in
The bruises on your thighs like my fingerprints
And this is supposed to match
The darkness that you felt
I never meant for you to fix yourself
Alec sang along louder than the other two this time and pulled Everest into his arms and spun her around.
Some legends are told
Some turn to dust or to gold
But you will remember me
Remember me for centuries
And just one mistake
Is all it will take
We'll go down in history
Everest was passed to Magnus as she laughed. Magnus caught her and twirled her around.
Remember me for centuries
(Hey yeah, oh hey, hey yeah)
Remember me for centuries
Once she stopped spinning, Everest pointed to her boyfriends (and she still mentally freaked out when she thought that) with a teasing smile.
And I can't stop 'til the whole world knows my name
'Cause I was only born inside my dreams
Until you die for me, as long as there's a light
My shadow's over you 'cause I am the opposite of amnesia
And you're a cherry blossom
You're about to bloom
You look so pretty, but you're gone so soon
Magnus spun Alec around as Everest sang loudly.
Some legends are told
Some turn to dust or to gold
But you will remember me
Remember me for centuries
And just one mistake
Is all it will take
We'll go down in history
Remember me for centuries
(Hey yeah, oh hey, hey yeah)
Remember me for centuries
Alec swapped his and Magnus's positions so that he was the one spinning Magnus. He dipped the other man and Everest applauded loudly.
We've been here forever
And here's the frozen proof
I could scream forever
We are the poisoned youth
The three joined together once more, singing in unison, though maybe not perfectly in tune. Magnus and Alec each had an arm around Everest, who had her arms around their waists, and an arm around each other.
Some legends are told
Some turn to dust or to gold
But you will remember me
Remember me for centuries
And just one mistake
Is all it will take
We'll go down in history
Remember me for centuries
(Hey yeah, oh hey)
We'll go down in history (hey yeah)
Remember me for centuries
Everest laughed in pure delight, even as the music stopped and was replaced with more technopop. Her face hurt from smiling so much, but she wouldn't change it for the world.
Magnus whispered something to Alec, who nodded and left after pressing a kiss to Everest's cheek and Magnus's temple. Magnus grabbed Everest's hand and pulled her to where Clary was waiting.
"Let's go," Clary told them with a raised eyebrow in her twin's direction once she saw her slightly red face and hair that was messy from spinning around. Everest stuck her tongue out at Clary but the just older girl smirked as she led them through the door.
Everest stared at the carefully wrapped statues and boxes. She wanted to know what was in them, but knowing her luck it'd just be a bunch of spiders or rats.
"So what are we looking for?" she asked lightly. She decided to ignore how there was a scuttling noise in the corner. No rats today thank you very much.
Magnus wasn't looking at the boxes or artifacts. He was looking at the cement walls as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. "I'll know it when I see it," he said quietly.
The door to the basement opened and heavy footsteps resonated through the basement. Clary and Magnus didn't seem to notice.
"What if this doesn't work?" Clary fretted.
"It will Biscuit. I can feel it." Magnus gave Clary a reassuring look. He gave Everest one too, but she was too busy peering into a box of ugly plates to notice.
Everest looked up when she felt a hand tug at her elbow. It was Magnus and he had a somewhat amused look as he pulled her away from where Jace and Clary were arguing over something or another. When had he gotten there? She let him lead her a few feet away and she stood beside him as he looked for the Portal.
"Tell me, are we together in your reality? You and me, Alec and me, you and Alec, all three of us? Any way at all?" Magnus asked softly.
Everest's shoulders slumped. "No," she said quietly. "Alec's marrying some Clave lady to "save his family honor", and the both of us are stubborn idiots who haven't seen each other in years. And we've, you and I, only just met Alec so there's that."
"Do you want us, you, Alec, and I, to be together in some way? Romantically?" Magnus gazed at her curiously.
Everest nodded. "Yeah. Yeah I do."
The man's face lit up in realization. "So that's why it's so hard for you to stay anchored to your world. Because this one has something that you want."
"Someones," she corrected as a demon burst into the basement. "No! Fuck this! This isn't allowed! I forbid it!"
Clary knocked Jace away and Everest ran forwards. She kicked the demon in a spot that nobody wanted to be kicked, but it was a demon so she really couldn't have cared less.
"What the hell is that thing?" Jace shouted, looking more distressed than Everest had upon learning that she would be partaking in summoning a demon in Magnus Bane's apartment.
"Stupid idiocy that almost got us killed! That's what it is!" Everest yelled, pulling Magnus along and away from the demon.
Jace was trembling violently while Clary tried to comfort him. 'It's okay. It's okay," the girl repeated quietly.
"No it's really not," Everest said bitterly. Of course a demon got through and ruined any chance of a peaceful Portal search party. Of course.
"Jace?" Clary asked hesitantly. Everest turned to him, slightly suspicious that he might not be Jace. (She had every right to be. After all, she watched a lot of movies, read a lot of books, and had just been introduced to the Shadow World where apparently people could turn into other people.)
"Yeah?" The blonde looked incredibly confused, but not in the same way that he had been moments before. He gave the twins a concerned look. "You two okay?"
"Thank God, it's you," said Clary, relieved.
"You better not be some kind of imposter Jace," Everest said with a lightness to her voice that she couldn't make sound real for the life of her. "I'd hate to have to use Fudge's bad decision on you."
A laugh tumbled from Clary's lips. She looked as though she couldn't decide whether to lecture Everest on appropriate timing or applaud her for keeping her humor in the situation.
"What?" Jace had a highly amusing bewildered look on his face. "Who's Fudge? What'd he do?"
The twins shared a look. "Muggles," they muttered, rolling their eyes in sync.
Jace shook his head and looked down at his clothes, then at Everest's. "Mind filling me in? Purple doesn't wear real dresses so this is weird."
"That's the only weird thing?" Everest asked sarcastically. She was ignored.
Everest screamed as the incredibly fugly demon—that just got fuglier every time it showed up—snuck up on her favorite blonde Shadowhunter. Where that title came from, she didn't know, but there were more pressing matters than figuring out when Jace became her favorite blonde Shadowhunter.
"Jace!"
Somehow her sister and Jace fought the demon with literal broomsticks and didn't get hurt.
'I take that back,' Everest thought in a panic. 'Jace was an idiot and got hurt cause he looked away from the demon. So fun and smart.'
"Idiot!" she seethed quietly as she hovered unhelpfully and in a panic beside Jace.
"Where's my stele?" Jace panted.
"You're gonna need more than a stele for that," said Magnus grimly.
"If we take him back to our dimension will that cure him?" Everest looked up hopefully, but she saw the look in Magnus's eyes and her expression fell.
"No. Blood travels with you." The man shook his head. "That's why your angelic powers still work here. The demon venom is in his blood."
"Then we have to get him back to the Institute in our dimension."
"No we've got to find Valentine," the blonde insisted. Everest stared. He was hardly able to stand, much less deal with a crazy blood supremacist.
'Wrong world. Err—is it?' Everest's head tilted in thought. Does wanting Downworlders dead because of their blood, blood supremacy? Is it racism? General assholeness? A combination? She had no idea.
"I found it!" Magnus shouted from somewhere in the basement.
Everest helped her sister haul Jace up and over to the warlock. Magnus was staring at a wall that was glowing faintly purple. Clary handed him her Portal shard and Everest watched in fascination as Magnus created the Portal that would take them back to their dimension—back to the world where Everest had no idea if she could ever, or would ever, act on her feelings.
"You'll have to destroy the Portal once we go through," Jace grunted.
"Why?"
"To secure your dimension."
Everest frowned as she followed Jace's train of thought. "If you leave it open you're practically asking for demons to come through and destroy your world."
"I'll take care of it...along with that malodorous monstrosity on the table."
Everest hummed. "I will be using that phrase."
"Everest," Magnus said softly. Jace and Clary paused, not bothering to hide the fact that they were eavesdropping. "I hope it all works out in your favor."
She smiled. "Same to you Magnus."
Jace cleared his throat. "Think of your father," he told the girls. Everest didn't want to, but she did.
Everest flew out of the Portal much less gracefully than she had when her Magnus had Portaled her to The Jade Wolf. Jace fell to the ground with a groan. Clary rushed to his side; Everest stared in horror at the sight around her.
"Jace. Jace, it's okay. It's okay. I'm here, it's okay."
Everest turned away as Jace's healing rune didn't work. She had a bad feeling about this place and she didn't like that one bit. She felt for the near-constant presence of her gun and nearly sighed in relief as she felt both of them there. She moved her ankle slightly and felt the dagger that Izzy had insisted she keep with her. Thank hell for Isabelle Lightwood everyone.
"What is all this?" Clary asked, disgusted as she saw the potions and vials on the tables.
Everest answered before Jace could. "The makings of an army. One that's not human at all."
"There's no one here," Jace bit out.
"Did Meliorn lie to us? He said the Portal would take us to our father." Clary looked bewildered.
"Meliorn didn't lie, he doesn't lie. He can't." Everest drew the dagger as she saw the light streaming through a locker shift in a way that was not caused by natural lighting.
The locker she was looking at rocked slightly as someone, or something, banged on the inside of the door.
"Get behind me," Jace snapped. Clary did as she was told, but Everest stood firmly beside the blonde as he cautiously opened the locker.
There was a man inside with bruises and blood staining his skin. His hands shook and his eyes were glossy, but not with any kind of fear or hesitation. Everest didn't know what they were shining with and that scared her. She had taken psychology courses and studied people and emotions for years. When she wanted to and tried hard enough she was usually able to figure out what someone's expression meant. But she couldn't decipher this man's expression, meaning he was either really overwhelmed with a lot of emotions at once or he was really good at hiding his emotions. She didn't like either option; the former made him unpredictable, but the latter was worse.
Jace and Clary lowered their seraph blades, but Everest kept her dagger raised. She didn't trust this man one bit, especially not when Meliorn said the Portal would take them to Valentine. Meliorn couldn't lie, he was a Seelie. Everest knew Meliorn, and trusted him a lot. So if he said that the Portal would take them to Valentine, then it probably did.
"It can't be. It can't be. You died. I saw it." Everest looked at Jace as his voice wavered slightly. His eyes were glossy with tears and Clary was looking at him with a concerned confusion.
"Jace?" Clary was ignored.
"Jace? Is that really you?" the man asked in a voice that was not one of someone who had been kept prisoner like the man looked like he had. It was too smooth, not rough like it would be if he was kept prisoner and not allowed to speak like most prisoners were.
"How do you know this man Jace?" Everest demanded in the same voice she used when Clary was hiding something important. Jace didn't say anything. "Jace you need to answer me. I'm not going to lower my dagger until I know exactly who this man is, how you know him, why you said that he died, and how he is alive if you saw him die."
Jace swallowed audibly. Everest cringed at the sound. "He's my father."
He hadn't answered the rest of Everest's questions, so she didn't lower her dagger all the way, but she did stop pointing it directly at the man's face. Everest furrowed her brows and gave the man a look of strong suspicion as she stepped back to stand next to her sister.
"This isn't normal," she muttered. "I don't like this. This isn't how this works, not how it's supposed to work at all."
AN: Can anyone guess who the guy Everest doesn't recognize is? And aren't the Karters great?
The song used in this chapter is Centuries by Fall Out Boy.
Everest's outfit:
The IG post Everest was talking about: