"Calli, are you okay?"
"Hm?" She looked up from her latte snapping out of her trance. Calliope Fray blinked her eyes back to awareness, staring into her mom's green eyes who showed evident worry for her. "Yeah, I'm okay," she shakes her head before giving her mom a small smile.
"You were looking at your cereal, I thought you saw a fly," her mom chuckled, kissing her head before standing across from her on the kitchen island. "What's got your mind all fuzzy? It's your birthday, sweetheart."
"Nothing really," Calliope shakes her head, taking a spoon full of cereal, ignoring the soggy state of it and smiling at her mom awkwardly. "I have a lot on my mind," she explained to her mom as soon as she swallowed the cereal.
"You can tell mom, I'm here," her mom thoughtfully tells her, holding her free hand with a kind smile, one that made Calliope feel a little better. "Is it your classes? If you're loaded we can try to manage your schedule."
"There's no need, mom," Calli politely shakes her head, "I'm just a little worried for Clary, her interview is today. I hope they like her work," she finally admits to her mom. The thought of her sister not getting into her dream school would crush her, especially when she herself was admitted in her own preferred school last. It was stressful that she went up two grades and was now studying in Brooklyn College pursuing psychology, while Clary was just entering her own chosen course.
"You don't have to worry about your sister, she's got this," her mom comforts her, taking away the soggy cereal from in front of her and replacing it with chocolate milk. "Now drink up, and get ready for school."
Calliope rolled her eyes at her mom playfully before drinking her fill, "thanks mom."
"Anytime, sweetie," her mom smiles at her before she hurries to her room to get ready for her class. Unfortunately she had an almost full schedule of classes, from 9am to 2pm and from 3pm to 8. Not the most ideal schedule but she wasn't at all complaining since she enjoyed it very much. The busy-ness of course kept her mind off of other things, such as the weird symbols that she manages to draw all over her notes when she dozes off. She of course never told her mom, otherwise her mom would make her take a gap year putting it all on stress, even Luke, her father figure can't say no to her mom once she's made a demand.
Wasting no time, Calliope forced herself into the shower that morning to finally get rid of the drowsiness left in her system. Finding her way into picking her better clothes since it was her birthday, a simple floral dress that she saw online which arrived a few days before her birthday. Pairing it with her white converse that Clary painted pastel flowers on, something her sister gave her for her graduation the year before.
"Calliope, are done getting ready?" She hears her mom call out.
"Almost," she answered, fixing her hair with a hair clamp, letting a few strands fall to frame her face before she grabbed her bag and text books.
"Oh look at you!" Her mom awed, "you look beautiful."
"Mom," Calliope groaned, a little embarrassed that her mom noticed her small effort in clothes. Not that she thinks it was a big deal, but her mom always made it a point to point out differences in her usual manners.
"Okay, I'm sorry," her mom raised her hands in defeat, "come here, I have a present for you," she beckoned for her to come closer which she did. "Happy birthday, Calliope," Her mom was holding a maroon box, no bow, no card, just a box. Excited, she opened it herself, revealing a pen-like object inside, with engravings and vines, a white crystal at the tip.
"Mom, you know I'm too old for magic wands," Calliope jokes, lifting the pen-like object from the box, ignoring how the symbols on it looked like the ones she scribbled on her notebooks for a while now.
"It's not a magic wand," Her mom shakes her head, "it's called a stele, a family heirloom."
Calliope raised a brow at her, "really? Do we actually have a family heirloom? When?"
"Clary has one too," her mom clarified, ignoring the question of 'when.'
"So it's a bookmark? Or a paper weight?" She asked a little confused, not having a single idea on what this 'stele' is exactly.
"It's not what you think," her mom sighed, Calliope could tell that it was a topic her mom was not entirely ready to tell, not yet at least. "I'll explain it to you when you and Clary are home, okay?"
"Okay mom," she smiled at her mother, "I'll text when my class ends, okay?"
"Okay, sweetie," her mom nodded, "I love you, and be careful."
"I love you too, mom," Calliope smiled, hugging and kissing her mom on both cheeks before she left the loft. Without knowing that it would be the last time that she was ever going to see her mom for a while.
"Hey Claire! Did you get in?" Was the first thing Calliope asked once her phone rang after her class ended that afternoon. One more class before she got to go home to her mom and some birthday lasagna with her sister Clary and Luke.
"Yes! I got in!" She heard her sister's excited squeal from the other end of the call.
"Yes! I am so proud of you!" Calliope cheered for her as well, hurrying her steps to get out of the building halls knowing that she could bother the people inside with her excitement. "Did they like your assigned work? Did they ask you to do another one? Tell me the details!"
"They loved my assigned work, but they went nuts on the graphic novel drawings I made for Simon," she hears her sister explain, "I'm celebrating at Java Jones with Simon, do you want to join us? Or do you have a class?"
Calliope checks her watch, her class ended a little early, and it would be an hour before her next one. She had time, and it was perfect too, she had Clary's present around that street near Java Jones. "Sure I'll be there in ten minutes, I have to drop a paper at my professor's office."
"Such a college girl," Clary teased her.
"You will be too, future college girl," Calliope grinned, "see you in a bit."
"See you in a bit, Cal!" Clary said goodbye, ending the call there just in time for Calli to call a cab.
The present she had for Clary was simple, jewelry and expensive, but simple all the same. Wrapped inside a paper bag, in a box was a cartier bracelet that she knew Clary would definitely love considering that she has been mentioning it since she first saw it at the store. Java Jones was not that far from the store, just a short walk to the corner that she could already smell the coffee. Entranced with the smell until she accidentally bumps into someone hard that she almost fell onto her butt if not for the arms that caught her waist.
"Can you watch where you're going?" She frowned at the person she bumped into, "you could seriously hurt someone!" The person she bumped into turned out to be a man, he was tall, had blue eyes, he looked like he jumped out of Clary's fictional books and took life.
"You can see me?" The guy looked at her confused, "you're not supposed to see me," he mumbled under his breath.
"Oh, so you're a creep?" She frowned, pulling away from him before straightening her dress, checking if the paperbag she was holding was damaged in any way. Thankfully it wasn't. "You should be watching where you're going," she huffed, pushing past him before entering Java Jones.
"Calli! Over here!" A familiar voice called to her, the sour mood of hers brightened when she realized who it was that called her.
"Clary!" She called back, hurrying her steps to hug her sister, "Happy birthday, Claire-bear!"
"Happy birthday Calli-lily!" Clary greeted back. Breaking up their hug as both of them sat down on the table where Simon looked at the girls with large smiles on their faces.
"Hi Simon," Calliope greeted her sister's best friend with a smile, grateful when he slid a glass of chocolate smoothie towards her. "Happy birthday to you too, Cal," Simon greeted her.
"Thanks," Calliope smiled at him before turning to Clary with another grin. "Before I forget! Here," she hands Clary the paper bag causing Clary's eyes to widen to the size of a small saucer.
"Calliope, you didn't!" Clary gasped when she saw the logo.
"But I did!" Calliope grinned, urging her to open it which Clary did, revealing a square box. Inside was a bangle bracelet dotted with small zirconias causing it to sparkle some more, Calliope could clearly see the awe on Clary's face when she lifted it from the box. "It doubles as a Congratulations gift too," Calliope clarified, knowing that Clary would think that it was too much.
"Thank you, Calli! It's so pretty," Clary awed still, admiring the bracelet.
"And the zirconias are actually pretty," Simon marveled, as he looked at the bracelet, "there's an engraving inside."
"Let me see?" Clary checked, glancing at Calliope who's smile grew wider. In a delicate font, she tried to read what was inside, "forte geminos, fato sorores."
"What does that mean?" Simon asked, confused.
"Twins by chance, sisters by fate," Clary translated, "it's something our mom always said to us when we were kids," she explained, turning to Calliope and hugging her again this time a little tighter. "Now I feel bad that I didn't get you anything."
"You don't have to Claire," Calliope shakes her head, "you deserve it! You got into your dream school!" Calliope boasted with a really proud smile on her face, "my twin sister is going to be the best artist known in Brooklyn!"
"And to that we should make a toast!" Simon suggested, the sisters agreeing. Raising their mugs and milkshake glass, happily enjoying that moment, Calliope wished she froze time then and there.
It was nearly 9pm when Calliope managed to get home to the loft, she received a text from Clary that she went to Simon's gig for the night and that she left her gift on her bed. Though Clary didn't have to get her anything, Calliope loved giving Clary gifts, though not as often as she would've liked, at least she would give her cookies from their favorite bakery, or new charcoal pencils. It was her love language, gift giving was her love language, and most of the time Clary would try to reciprocate it with words of affirmation which Calliope appreciated just as much.
"I'm home," she announced herself once she got into the apartment. Unfortunately, Dot already went home so she didn't get to see her that day. "Mom?"
"In the kitchen, sweetie," she hears her mom call out. Walking into the kitchen she sees her mom already sliding a dish with what she would assume was the birthday lasagna, a tradition the Frays had since they could remember.
"How was school, Calliope?" Her mom asked, opening her arms for Calliope to walk in and hug her.
"It was okay, course load is the same but nothing I couldn't handle," Calliope answered.
"Why don't you go take a shower, the lasagna will be ready in a bit," her mom suggested, pushing her into her room. Knowing well that Calliope would fuss and help her mom instead of resting.
It didn't take long for Calliope to get herself out of the clothes she wore the whole day, showering once more to feel less sticky with sweat and New York smog. Clamping her wet hair behind her head, before putting on a pair of shorts and her university sweatshirt. For some reason she turned to the gift her mom gave her that sat on the desk, the crystal illuminated by the lamp light. She shrugs it off turning to her bed where she found Clary's gift, she opens it and laughs. Inside the paper bag was a small ring box, she opened it to see a ring inside, fashioned to look like entwined leaves around her finger.
Just as she puts the ring on to admire it, it was pretty, subtle, just how she liked it. Thinking about texting Clary as a thank you, her phone rang and smiled. Just in time, it was Clary calling.
"Claire-bear! I got your gift—"
"Calli, where are you?" Clary's frantic voice rang into her ear causing Calliope's smile to drop into a worried frown.
"I'm at home. Clary what's wrong? Are you okay?" She started to ask, her heart starting to pound that her ears started to hear it.
"I-I saw a guy get killed," her sister's voice barely came out as a whisper but it was audible enough for Calliope to hear, causing the latter's heart to drop to her stomach.
"Clarissa, where are you? I'm coming to get you," Calliope asked all worried, grabbing her wallet from her desk.
"I'm in a cab on the way home. Cal, I'm scared!" Clary started to cry, something Calliope never thought she wanted to head in her life.
"Okay, I'll stay on the phone. Tell me what street you're on, I'll tell mom what's happening, okay?"
"Please don't hang up!" Clary sobbed.
"I promise I won't," Calliope assured her as she opened the door of her room to face her mom who just got the lasagna out from the oven. What used to be the happy look on her mom's face was replaced with worry once she saw Calliope's pale one. "Mom, Clary's in trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" Her mom asked in a low, serious voice.
"I-I don't know, she called me and told me she was in a cab on her way home. She said she saw someone get killed," Calliope's thoughts ran faster before she could say anything right, her phone still positioned on her ear so that Clary could hear what was happening.
"Calli, I'm at the front door," She could hear Clary frantically say, hearing a door knob flick on the other end.
"Clary's here," Calliope informed her mom. She has never seen her mom this serious before, a stark contrast to the woman who would always make her chocolate milk in the morning before class, who would make her pesto pasta when she studied too much, who would always pull her and Clary into a shopping spree every friday even if they never get anything.
"Go in your room, get your stele. Put on your shoes, anything you think is important."
"What? What's happening?" Calliope asked, her heart pounding much faster that she was scared that she was going into cardiac arrest. Instead of answers, her mom pulled her into a hug, it felt like a goodbye, she didn't want it to be a goodbye.
"Do as I say, take what you need. Never forget your stele, grab anything that Clary would need in her room. Hurry," her mom instructed, this time forcing Calliope towards her room. Not a moment too soon, the apartment door opens, she could only guess it was Clary but she couldn't feel the least bit relieved. She needed to do what her mom told her to do.
Grabbing a back from her rack, she filled it with her birth certificates and passport, school documents and IDs not bothering with changing her shorts and just pulled on a pair of cargo pants before grabbing her sneakers. Grabbing any available change and cash she had laying around her room that she could see, it was until she thought she got everything that her eyes landed on the gift her mom gave her. She grabs it and shoves it in the many pockets of her pants before she runs to Clary's room. Opting to take the same documents she knew they needed, until she paused when she saw her sister's drawings. The same ones on the stele, the ones she's been drawing on her notes.
"Calliope!" Her mother's voice rang, snapping her out of her confusion, bringing her back into a state of urgency. She ran out of Clary's room with her jacket in hand, relieved to see Clary without injury that she couldn't help but pull her twin sister into an embrace.
"I'm so glad that you're okay," Calliope hugged Clary just as tightly, trying to soothe her sobbing sister.
"Jocelyn!" The girls broke their hug and turned to Dot who handed their mom a large bottle of this weird liquid. "Only when you need it."
"Mom, what's that?" Calliope couldn't help but ask, the bad feeling she couldn't at all shake away even if she tried to see a logical reason but couldn't find any. "Mommy?"
"Everything is going to be okay, Calliope," Jocelyn comforted her, kissing Calliope on the forehead before doing the same to Clary who was just as confused as Calliope. "I love you both so much, remember that," Jocelyn repeated for them.
"Both of you, trust your instincts. You are more powerful than you know," their mom tells them, staring into each of their eyes.
Nothing was clicking in Calliope's mind, nothing was sinking in. But the next thing she knew was that Dot held out her hand, her hand started glowing a light shade of blue before a purple hole against the kitchen door appeared.
"Mom—" she couldn't get any words out, her mom dragged her and Clary to the purple hole.
"Remember, everything I've done, every mistake I've made was because I love you more than words," Jocelyn tells them.
"Mom what are you doing—"
"Luke will explain everything," Jocelyn cuts Clary off, "He'll hide both of you."
"Hide us?" Calliope gasped in disbelief, what had her mom done that she needed to hide them?
"From the circle. He's the only one you can trust. Trust no one else."
"Mom—"
"Where's Luke now?"
"At the police station!" Both Clary and Calliope cried out, both in fear for what was going to happen to them.
"Remember, I love you both, so so much," her mom reminded them as if it was going to be the last time. And before Calliope could comprehend it, something sucked both her and Clary into the purple hole.
"Mom!" Calliope screamed before everything she knew vanished.
Appearing at the police station, head bumping against the wall causing Calliope to feel a thump against the back of her head. Beside her she felt Clary frantically look around as if she was lost, unsure if what they experienced was real or not.
"Calli, are you okay?" Clary asked, holding onto Calliope's arms to steady her before cupping her face.
"I'm okay," Calliope nodded, even if she felt like she wasn't saying the whole truth.
"Calliope? Clary?" A voice called to them, causing them to turn towards the source in fright until they recognized who it was.
"Captain Vargas," Clary responded, helping Calliope up from the floor.
"It's 2:00 in the morning. What are you two doing here so late?" The woman asked, staring down at the girls, as if she was taking notes on the state the girls were in.
"Uh, um—"
"Luke said he'd drive us home if he was still here," it was Calliope who answered seeing how Clary struggled to collect her thoughts. "We went out to celebrate, and we didn't know time could fly so fast," Calliope added, attempting to act as normal as she could.
"Still don't trust those cabbies, huh?" Captain Vargas jokes, trying to ease them up which in all honesty failed. "Well, he's in the middle of an interview. It could take a while."
"Cool, we'll wait in the cafeteria," Clary nodded, clutching onto Calliope's arm making an attempt to escape the captain.
"Hey, uh… is there some sort of problem? Guy trouble?" Vargas asked with genuine concern.
"Yeah, it's guy trouble," Calliope answered, "it's a bit tough," she added to be more convincing, hoping that Vargas doesn't ask anymore questions. Fortunately she didn't and walked away understandingly.
It didn't take long to find where Luke was, rather, it seemed like it wasn't that much of an important interview at all. Both Calliope and Clary peered over the ledge where they could see Luke talking to a man and a woman who sat on Luke's desk.
"The minute we found out Jocelyn Fairchild was alive, you were easy to track. Turns out you two were never far apart," the man stated menacingly.
His tone caused bumps to run up Calliope's skin, her eyes stared intensely at his arms that were littered with symbols that she saw Clary and her drew without knowing.
"Fairchild?" Clary mumbled, loud enough for Calliope to hear.
"The circle has her now."
The circle? Her mother mentioned that before they were sucked in by that portal thing. What was the circle? What did they want with their mom?
"It's just a matter of time until we catch the daughters."
Both Calliope and Clary froze, Calliope swallowed the lump in her throat, heart still pounding that she felt her adrenaline run.
"You can have both if you give up the mortal cup," the woman offered to Luke it seemed like. Luke adjusted himself to his seat and stared at the both intensely.
"I don't care about either of them. They mean nothing to me," Luke stated. At this Calliope's heart shattered, the man whom she saw as her dad didn't care about them. Calliope felt a tear on her hand, then she realized that Clary had been clutching onto her hand, her nails dug into Calliope's palms.
"My people want the cup. Why do you think I've been hanging around here all these years?" Luke stood up, alarming both the man and woman who sat across from him, and when I found the cup, I'm gonna keep it."
"Clary, let's go," Calliope pulled Clary away, forcing herself to move, forcing the hurt that they both felt into the back of her mind. Something finally clicked, these people wanted a cup that their mother hid, now they have their mom, they were next.
"W-where are we going?" Clary sobbed. Calliope pulled her into a hug, knowing how much Clary needed comfort as much as she did. "I don't know," Calliope admitted as she let Clary cry on her shoulder. But unfortunately she could only comfort her sister in this crisis, she can't afford to break down now. "Mom," Clary cried even harder.
"Let's go find mom," Clary found herself saying after calming down just a bit.
"Clary, we have nothing to go back to. If what we heard is correct, mom is with the circle, we have no means of finding her."
"We can at least try," Clary pleaded. But even with how her instinct told her to stay away from the place she once called home, she found herself following Clary back to it.
Everything felt wrong, aside from the pouring rain, and how soaked she was or how drenched her backpack was. Calliope continued to run behind Clary back to their apartment which was a 10 minute run, maybe more but time was currently a blur.
"Mom!" Clary shouted as soon as they entered the alley to their antique shop, running into the building, Calliope stopped panting. There she spotted the blood soaked pavement, her eyes widened.
"Clary!" She yelled, running into the building after her sister, the shop was a mess. But regardless of the mess, she grabbed the mace from the floor, her adrenaline fueling her that she could ignore the weight of the weapon.
"Mom!" Calliope heard Clary cry as she ran into the back of the shop. Everything was a mess, in shambles, as if they were robbed, sacked. Calliope could do nothing else but to hold her twin sister in her arms, letting her mourn, letting a few tears fall from her own eyes but never fully breaking down. Clary needed her now, more than ever.
"Let's go upstairs," Calliope offered, hoping to check if they were alone. Taking off her back pack to give to Clary knowing that if anything was up there, she'd want Clary to leave with everything she needed. "Grab something, anything," she instructed Clary who tearfully nodded.
The sisters made their way up to the loft, pausing every once in a while when they would hear an odd sound. Until they reached their apartment, both jumped in surprise when they faced a mirror. Both sopping wet from the rain outside, Clary's mascara streaked face smudged from the crying as well as the rain. Calliope who's hair was now out of the hair clamp. It was a miracle that it didn't get lost from all the running they've done.
"Dot," Clary whispered. Calliope turned to where her sister was looking to see their mother's only employee. "Dot!" Clary dropped the ax she picked up earlier, pacing towards Dot while Calliope remained guarded, unsure of what was happening.
"They took Jocelyn," was all Dot said.
"Who took her?" Clary asked as she stopped in the middle of what used to be the living room.
"Rogue shadowhunters searching for the Mortal Cup," Dot continued.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Calliope asked, pacing towards Clary and pulling her behind so that she was in front with a weapon on her side.
"Think," Dot sighed, "did your mother ever talk about a cup? A very important cup. It's gold, almost like a chalice—"
"Didn't you check downstairs? Why are you asking us about a cup?" Calliope couldn't help but snap, ignoring the alarms her brain was sending her when Dot started walking towards them.
"No, no, not those. Think Calliope, think. This could save Jocelyn, your mother."
"Shut up!" Calliope yelled. Dot paused.
"Our mother was kidnapped, our home was ransacked. If you wanted to find a dumb fucking cup, why would you ask us?" Calliope yelled angrily, the mace now in between her and Dot by a mere five feet. Suddenly Dot's eyes changed, the concern left and was replaced with emptiness… Calliope never felt so cold.
"You know more than you think you do, Calliope Fray." Dot's mouth morphed into fangs opened into four corners, in shock Calliope swung the mace at Dot, effectively hitting her. But it wasn't enough.
"Clary run!" Calliope yelled at her sister who froze at the scene. "Clarissa! Go!"
"No! Calli, I can't leave you!"
"Now! Leave!" Calliope yelled again.
With no other choice, Clary ran out, with Calliope's bag on her back and now nowhere in sight.
Backing away from the monster Calliope used to know as Dot, she was not sure what she was going to do. Praying that someone would magically come and save her, except she knew there wouldn't be. Brushing her hand over her pants, she felt something. She takes it in her hand to see that it was the stele her mom gave her, the heirloom her mother gifted her.
A hiss broke her gaze away from the stele, she looked up too late as she felt fangs dig onto her shoulder blade. In instinct she stabbed the stele against the monster, hearing a screech before she pushed it away. Backing away as much as she could, she watched the monster morph before her eyes into a white creature. Her eyes widened, this couldn't be Dot, it can't be.
Before she could process her direction, her back hit a wall, nowhere to escape. Her shoulder burned into a numbing state, her heart clenched, she suddenly couldn't breathe. But before her vision started to blur, she saw the monster hovering over her suddenly disintegrate right in front of her eyes.
"What, no 'thank you' for saving your life?" A voice spoke to her, but she wasn't sure if it was a hallucination or not. Before she blacked out, she felt arms catch her, and Clary called for her name.