— HERE WE GO AGAIN —
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I gasped a little as a hard fist found its way to my face. I glared at the man that punched me and spat, the sweet taste of metallic in my mouth and the crimson liquid on his face showed me i had spat blood. His fault, to be fair.
"Stupid bitch." Valentine growled as he whiped his face. I glared, not saying anything. I couldn't. A wire had recently been wrapped around my neck as i hadn't been speaking, but the little extra motivation hadn't exactly warmed me up to speaking to him. "You're lucky i need you."
"Yeah?" I croaked out, my throat felt sore and dry and i grimaced through it. "What the fuck do you need of me?" I watched as a sinister grin warped onto Valentine's face, his eyes seemed to darken as an idea came to his mind. Somehow, it wasn't to do with what he needed of me...it felt like it was an idea of what he was going to do to me.
"Ohh....you aren't going to know what i need of you...not even on your last breaths." I rolled my eyes at the derranged man's bullshit, and when i connected my eyes with him once more, i saw an even more mad look in his eyes.
"Yeah...that's bullshit." I spat and Valentine stormed up to me. I backed away a little, but in my cage, that meant i couldn't back away far. Valentine kept stepping towards me, and i yelped when he grabbed my arm. His calloused hands were cold. "Fuck off." I ripped my arm from him grip and unfurled my wings from my back. Using them as a defence mechanism, i managed to smack Valentine outside of the cage. I stepped out, and towards him. I was close. So close to grabbing and snapping that man's neck...
"Stop, Rea!" I turned my head to the side, seeing Jace with a crossbow. It reminded me a little of Alec...oh how i wished i could hug him right now...
"Why?" I called back, but before he could give me a response, something was jabbed into my neck. The feeling of my insides boiling made me grunt as i bit back my scream. I stumbled backwards, my eyes straining due to tears that were bound to fall at some point due to the pain.
"Get back in the cage." Valentine spat, as though i were an animal. I grunted and went to take a step forward, but he just grabbed my shoulder and violently pushed me back. I seemed to fly backwards, because my back hit the cage and i fell to my knees. My hands had slapped the floor to keep me from face-planting it, but it didn't exactly work too well as my arms felt weak from how much it burned.
"The fuck...did you do...to me?!" I coughed out, only receiving a dark chuckled as the cage door slammed shut and the sound of the key turning and locking it echoed throughout the large room. I breathed heavily, trying to keep a little bit calm as the burning felt like it was getting worse.
"A stronger dose of Demon blood...let's see if you fight it...or let it consume you."
"Fuck...you!" I yelled standing and running to the cage door. I used my powers to force Valentine backwards, him hitting a pillar of the ship. I smirked tiredly before i felt my whole body collapse.
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I kept punching and punching. Eat punch was a regret i recently hand on loop. Losing my brother...my wife...Clary's Mom not giving to shits about the fact Rena was gone..although it makes sense that heartless bitch didn't care. Rena wasn't her kid after all.
But Magnus? I hope he doesn't arrive in this institute anytime soon. Not when Rena isn't here. Growling to myself, i punched the bag a little harder. It's my fault. I couldn't-
"Alec, are you okay?" And this preppy bitch won't fuck off.
I sighed and rested my head and hands against the punching bag. My knuckles felt sore, as though the skin had split, but i wasn't too worried. Everytime i saw Clary, i saw Rena, and it was going to kill me. I know Jace is my parabatai, my brother...but Rena was my wife. She was a part of me that did truly make me feel irrational and angry all the time without her.
She managed to keep me calm and sane, and i felt the opposite without her. But she was much more than that. That beautiful, loving girl who had lost so much had so much love to give me...and Izzy...and Magnus, and everyone else who made it on her good side.
She was the smart girl with witty responses.
She was the badass with an angel father.
She was the girl that wouldn't back down.
She was the determined girl she had always been, and it had only been ignited more as she had made new friends - me included - along the way.
And then that came crashing down on her, when her real mother shows up...when she finds that Jocelyn was nothing but an Aunt to her...and when her father-figure isn't allowed into the thing she now calls home?
I can see Rena moving out and living with Magnus, and it scared me...would i even be able to go with her if she did?
However, as i turned my head to look to the side, i remembered why i had lost the thing i loved and treasured the most. I remembered why i had lost the one person i had ever fallen so deeply in love with. And all that anger hit me at once.
"Pretty bold of you to show your face here." I spat, not looking at her properly. My arm slightly shielded me from seeing that ugly mug that was Clary.
"I can explain." Clary said quickly and desperately. I ducked my head and sighed inaudibly, before standing and looking at her properly.
"Unless your explanation can bring Jace and my Rena back, save it." I scowled at her, and she scoffed quietly, as though her little plan hadn't gone to plan. I rolled my eyes and punched the bag once more.
"Alec, Jace is my brother, too." I sighed and stood, breathing heavily as i stepped towards the stupid redhead.
"You barely know him. I grew up with him. I fought by his side. He's my brother, he's my best friend." I began.
"Alec..." Clary trailed off, trying to touch my arm, but i didn't let her. I had to continue.
"As for Rena...well..you won't even fucking think about her, will you? 'Cause you are a preppy bitch who cares only about herself and those that pay more attention to you. You are just like your fucking mother." I argued loudly, my temper getting the best of me. But, when i saw the hurt in Clary's eyes, a certain amount of satisfaction filled me inside.
"Alec, i want Jace back as much as you do. I-I am not my mother." She said and i laughed like a mad-man.
"My point! You won't even think about Rena!" I shouted, and Clary sighed as she looked of to the side.
"That is not fair."
"No, what's not fair is that your stupid bitch of a mother had to go and fuck up everything." I sighed and hardened my gaze on her. "How well do i even know you? I mean, you show up out of nowhere, you convince my brother, you convince me to search for your mother...and the next thing i know, my wife and Jace is gone. And your mother is the one trying to kill him, and Rena is trying to save him from that."
"I had nothing to do with that, Alec!" Clary desperately said as she walked up a little closer to me. "I would never hurt Jace."
"Since you've arrived, you've caused nothing but problems. And your cousin tried to fix them. My family lost their birthright. Izzy was almost deruned. And now Valentine has my parabatai and wife. And it's all because of you."
"My cousin?"
"Verena, Clary. You were right when you said she wasn't your proper sister." However, i scoffed and took a step towards her. "Just stick to being the heartless bitch-"
"Alec." Izzy called and i huffed, glaring at Clary.
"I'm sorry." Clary whispered out and i clenched my jaw. Stupid bitch couldn't even say it loudly and confidently. Or like she meant it at all.
"Alec, this isn't her fault." Izzy said sternly and i chuckled in disbelief.
"You know, Iz, Rena is your parabatai. Why aren't you defending her?" I asked and Izzy seemed like she had an inner dilemma, so i took the chance to turn and face Clary once more. "When are you gonna realize you don't belong here? You never have."
"Alec..." Izzy trailed off as i walked away. I couldn't stand to be around Clary any longer. I couldn't.
~ THIRD PERSON POV ~
As Izzy watched her brother walk away, leaving behind a hurt Clary, the raven haired girl sighed deeply. She knew her brother most definitely had a point with everything he said, which is why Izzy couldn't bring it upon herself to assure Clary that the girl did, indeed, belong in the Institute. Because she felt as though she didn't.
~
Inside the institute, Lydia Brandwell had called a meeting to converse about the recent mundane disappearances. All the Shadowhunters were there, looking up at her. She felt a little judged - which was kind of to be expected - but she didn't let it get to her.
"There's a clear pattern." Her voice was loud, of which authority boomed. She lept her head high and she stood straight. "Young, strong, highly-skilled fighters, all abducted from boxing clubs, dojos and gyms. Valentine must've realized that even with the Cup, creating Shadowhunters isn't easy."
Izzy looked to the side a little as Clary found her way next to her.
"He needs mundanes who are more likely to survive the conversion."
"When did the briefing start? Nobody told me." Clary spoke quietly to Izzy, who grimaced.
"That wasn't an accident." She said as Lydia continued once more.
"Your job is to stake out the potential targets, and catch the Circle members when they try to abduct them. We capture a Circle member, we have a shot at Valentine. You have your orders. Dismissed."
After Clary had a few words with Lydia and Aldertree, the redhead helplessly searched the crowd of Shadowhunters that were quickly dispersing from the room.
"Izzy..." She called out. "Izzy, please." The raven haired girl turned and faced the redhead, a slight amount of annoyance on her face. Izzy knew she couldn't do anything to help to Clary's case, nor did she particularly want to. "You wouldn't want to be benched on this. Let me come with you."
"Did you not hear what i said before?" Alec asked, a certain amound of fury within his eyes. He was almost boiling with rage everytime he looked at Clary. "There's no place for you here." The grieving husband - although the wife didn't die - turned to his sister. "Let's go, Izzy." The siblings walked away from Clary, not once looking back.
~
It was a little bit later, and Izzy walked into Clary's room. She saw the redhead moping about and she rolled her eyes subtly.
"Hey, Clary." Izzy began. She didn't particularly want to be stood there, about to give the words she was going to, but she had to do it. She felt cruel if she hadn't. "All those things Alec said about you...you know i don't feel that way."
"You have every right to."
"None of this is your fault." Izzy said, although a little voice in her mind told her otherwise." Alec..." Izzy shook her head a little, the thought of her brother's current state of mind slightly pained her. "He's stressed out. With his parabatai and wife gone, he's like a different person. Rea was like...was like his anchor. Kept him calm and kept him going when it was just Jace that was missing...but now she's gone? It's like a Tsunami of emotions, mostly rage, is hitting him at once."
"Alec's right." Clary said, looking up at the girl she once called friend. "I'm not one of you. I'm just some girl from Brooklyn who went out to celebrate her birthday with her..." Clary trailed off. She wanted to say sister and friends, but Verana Lightwood wasn't her sister. "With her cousin and came back with a present she never wanted." Clary then inhaled sharply, tears brimming her eyes. "And can't return."
"You don't want to return that present." Izzy assured whilst she crouched down beside the redhead and rested her hand on Clary's. "It's a blessing."
"Not for me. I just...I want to feel normal again, Isabelle. I-I want my old life back."
"I'm sure." Izzy said, pausing for a little bit. "But don't you get it? You have a target on your back. The institute is the safest place for you. You have a new life now. You have me. And that's not gonna change." Clary smiled sadly at Izzy, who then stood and left without another word.
heyy, how was it?