5+ Comments/Votes for the next part!
Thank you for the lovely feedback on the last chapter! I hope it wasn't too predictable! :)
I'm not too happy with this chapter but I wanted to explore a little of how Adelaide's disappearance influenced Alec behind closed doors. :)
Clary felt as though she couldn't breathe.
She had spent her entire life thinking that she was an only child when in reality she had siblings that she didn't even know about. Twin siblings; a brother and a sister. What was more, her sister was standing right in front of her and had been for awhile, they'd probably crossed paths once or twice and Clary had been oblivious. Why hadn't she questioned her mother sooner about the box. Maybe everything would be different, she thought as her breathing slowly evened out again. Adelaide is my sister.
'Clary?' Jace's voice pulled her out of her shocked state. She looked into his eyes and saw her disbelief and shock echoed in his own expression. None of them had seen this coming.
Adelaide stayed very still, unsure of what to do after the bomb she and Luke had just dropped on the four shadowhunters in the room.
'Siblings, I have siblings and my Mum never told me.' Clary's face was still ashen, her hands trembling slightly.
'She was trying to protect you, Clary.' Luke started gently.
'Protect me? How is this protecting me?'
'It would have been dangerous for you to know anything about the shadow world, including the existence of your siblings Clary Fairchild.' Magnus spoke for the first time since the revelation.
Clary looked at Adelaide, noting how the older girl wouldn't meet her eyes. 'We're sisters.' She whispered.
Adelaide nodded her head slowly. 'We are.'
'Our brother...'
Adelaide swallowed. 'I don't remember him much. Most of what I remember comes from pictures.'
'We don't even look alike.' Clary laughed slightly hysterically.
At her words Adelaide, laughed softly. 'No, we don't, not really anyway. You take after our mother, while I take after dear old Dad's side of the family.' Adelaide's tone was cynical.
'How - How long have you known about all of this? About me, our family?' Clary questioned, though everyone else in the room listened carefully for her answer.
'I learnt the truth about everything just over a year ago.'
Alec couldn't believe what he was hearing. Adelaide Renhallow, the girl he'd grown up with, whom he cared for more than nearly anyone, was a Morgenstern. Valentine Morgenstern's daughter. How is this possible? Was she ever going to tell me? Is she working for him?
Alec was pulled from his thoughts by Isabelle's stifled gasp. 'A year? Is that why you left?'
Everyone was intently waiting for Adelaide's answer. Magnus raised his eyebrows at her wondering if she would come clean to the oblivious shadowhunters in the room.
'It's part of it.' Is all she said in reply, avoiding too much eye contact.
Alec scoffed. 'That's it? That's all your going to say?'
Her vague answer set Alec's barely controlled temper off. Bitter rage and betrayal flooded his body as he stood. Isabelle reached for her brother, trying to stop him doing something stupid but he just shook her off, his lips pulled into a thin line as he stalked towards where Adelaide stood.
'No. No you don't get to evade and withhold information this time Adelaide.' Alec stood chest to chest with Adelaide now, looking down at the girl who stared defiantly back at him.
'I don't have to tell you anything.'
Alec laughed, though there was no humour in it. 'Oh yes you do. No more lying Adelaide. You better have a good reason for putting us all through so much bullshit, and for being so damn selfish. We're all waiting to know what excuse you'll use this time.'
'Everything I did, I did for you.' Adelaide poked Alec in the chest with her finger. 'For all of you. Did you think I wanted to leave? To run from the only home I've ever known? To fake my death, knowing I would never get to see the people I care about again? This wasn't me being selfish, Alexander Lightwood, this was me protecting the people that I care about from an evil far greater than any of you realise.'
Isabelle came up behind Alec as he opened his mouth to reply and tugged him away from Adelaide, forcing him to sit beside her once more.
'Can you please explain everything to us, Addy?' Isabelle's accented voice was soft. Alec was pointedly looking away from the exchange, his hands still in tight fists.
Adelaide thought for a second. 'Another day perhaps, there has been enough truth spilled for today as it is.' Isabelle nodded at Adelaide's words.
'Yes, that's enough tension for today I think.' Magnus stood to his full height, cat eyes glowing.
'Jace, Alec, you should take Jocelyn's keepsakes back to the institute and see if you can figure out any clues. Do not argue with me, as Luke said, you are being watched and a little bird tells me that an envoy from the clave is being chosen as we speak. You need to be one step ahead.'
Alec nodded stiffly at Magnus as he stood and walked to the door without a backwards glance, Jace followed him hesitantly, glancing back at Clary as he left.
'I have to meet with the pack, Clary, Adelaide, please call me if you need anything.' He squeezed the two girl's shoulders as Magnus walked him to the door.
Isabelle, Clary and Adelaide sat quietly in the sitting room, the tension having left the room with Alec's departure.
'I really don't know what to say, or how to feel.' Clary sighed, her shoulders slumping.
Isabelle wrapped her arm around Clary's waist, laying her head on Clary's shoulder. 'I can't even imagine how you feel.'
Adelaide got the sense that she was interrupting something between the two friends so she quietly began to walk away.
'Where are you going?' Clary called and she froze.
'I figured you'd want some time to process.' She shrugged lightly.
'I do, but if there's anything being a shadowhunter has taught me it's that you never know how much time you have left with someone. Stay, please.'
Adelaide gingerly sat down next to Isabelle who automatically wrapped her other arm around Adelaide.
'I'm really glad your back Adelaide.'
'I'm glad I can see you again Izzy, and I'm glad I finally got to meet you Clary. I owe you both explanations and apologies but I'm so tired, please just give me a day or so to figure out how I'm going to say what I need to say.'
The two girls nodded, their minds still spinning with the onslaught of information that had been given to them.
'Adelaide, while you were... gone, did you ever go back to the institute, just to check up on everyone?' Clary asked curiously. She'd wanted to know the answer to that question since Adelaide had revealed her identity to her what seemed like forever ago.
Adelaide sighed. 'I went back once, and I shouldn't have even done that.'
'What did you see? When you came back?' Isabelle questioned both curious and wary.
The air was cold and the sky was dark, two dark eyes watched the lights in the shop fronts near her flicker and dim. A storm was brewing and the air was becoming colder with each passing second. She shouldn't be here, she knew it was dangerous and yet here she was. She just had to see them once, she promised herself, just once and she'd never come back.
Adelaide checked her appearance in her phone one final time, making sure the heavy invisibility glamour's were still in place. Her runes worked well enough but she had to be sure she wasn't seen. If anyone saw her, it could ruin everything.
Adelaide strolled through the doors of the institute behind the familiar blonde as he entered, his distinguishable cockiness radiating off of him. It had only been a month since she'd disappeared in the dead of night but somehow everything already seemed different; both familiar and foreign at the same time.
Adelaide followed Jace as he made his way towards Isabelle who was standing near the training room, waiting.
'Jace.' Isabelle acknowledged, as he got closer to her.
'Everything go smoothly?'
'Just some faerie's tormenting Mundanes, they were easily dealt with. Where's Alec?'
'That's what I want to talk to you about. He hasn't come out of his room all day.'
Jace sighed. 'You know what today is, right?'
'I know.' Isabelle confirmed her voice thick with unshared emotion. 'I'm trying to keep busy so I don't think about her too much.'
'Alec's still hoping she'll come home. He's hurting, I can literally feel how much he misses her through the bond.' Jace crossed his arms; unaware the topic of conversation was standing quietly beside him.
'I tried talking to him but he won't let me in. Try getting him to come out, even if it's just to go and order take out.' Isabelle's expression showed defeat, she'd tried on and off all day to get Alec out of his room but he hadn't given in to her pleading.
Jace nodded and began walking away, Adelaide turned to follow him. As she walked away she heard Izzy whisper something indecipherable to herself quietly.
'I was praying for you to come home.' Isabelle spoke quietly. 'Everything fell apart without you.'
Adelaide smiled at the girl sadly.
Jace knocked on Alec's door.
'Go away Isabelle. I'm sick.'
Jace scoffed. 'If by sick you mean upset, sure, you're sick.'
'Did Izzy put you up to this?' Alec questioned from behind the closed door.
'Yes and no. She's worried, and so am I.'
'I'll be fine.' Alec's voice had a hard edge in it that Jace didn't like.
'You and I both know that's not true. I can feel your pain Alec, you promised not to lie to me when we took our vow. Don't start doing it now.'
Alec sighed heavily.
The door clicked as it unlocked and a messy haired Alec Lightwood appeared in the doorway clad in grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt, his runes peaking out the top.
Adelaide felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. Oh Alec, She thought to herself, I'm so sorry.
'What?' Alec questioned harshly.
'I know you miss her, Alec. We all miss her, but this, this wallowing and pining, it's gotta stop.'
'I just lost my best friend, and we have no idea if she's even alive. I'm allowed to miss her.' Alec snapped back.
'Of course you are, but you have to remember you have other responsibilities too. You're head of the institute while your parents aren't here, you can't just flake out on us, the institute needs you, Isabelle needs you, I need you to be here Alec.'
Alec didn't say anything, though he knew deep down that Jace was right.
'Look, I'll give you an hour more and then we'll go and get take out and do something to get our minds off of Adelaide, okay?'
Alec visibly flinched at her name but Jace pretended not to notice. 'Fine, an hour.'
Jace nodded, clapping Alec on the shoulder. 'You don't have to go through this alone, Alec. She was-is- practically my sister, I'd give anything to find her.'
Alec nodded.
While Alec and Jace were talking, Adelaide carefully manoeuvred her body around Alec's so she was standing in his room.
Alec shut the door, unaware of the second presence now trapped in the room with him.
The second Jace disappeared Alec's shoulders slumped as he leaned heavily against the door.
From her position in the middle of the room Adelaide could see details she hadn't noticed just a few moments ago. Alec's eyes were glassy and bloodshot, dark circles standing out against his pale skin and his clothes hung loosely on his frame. He looked sick, Adelaide noted to herself, maybe he hadn't been lying to Jace. The thought was unlikely.
Adelaide backed away from Alec as he moved further into the room. As she moved, Adelaide accidently bumped into Alec's dresser, causing some paperwork to fall.
'What the hell.' Alec was slightly confused as the papers abruptly scattered.
Alec picked up the paperwork, freezing in place as a once hidden picture came into view.
It was Adelaide, glaring broodingly at him as he took a picture of her covered in ichor after a successful hunt.
Alec laughed to himself. 'It's almost like you're here Addy. You always said you'd enjoy tormenting me if you were a ghost, maybe that's exactly what you're doing.' The humour slipped out of Alec's voice as the implications of his own words hit him. He sat down heavily on his bedroom floor, the forgotten paperwork crunching underneath him.
Alec seemed to be having trouble breathing; his breaths were coming uneven and shaky.
'Jesus Adelaide.' He mumbled. 'Please, please don't be dead. I don't know what I'll do without you around here to kick my ass when I need it. Please don't be dead, please don't be dead, oh god please don't be dead.' Fat tears were sliding down Alec's cheeks, falling carelessly onto the photograph. No one was there to witness his vulnerability, the grief at losing Adelaide, so he let himself cry as he clutched the photograph with shaking fingers knowing that in under an hour he'd be blank faced as he walked out of the institute with Jace and Isabelle, all traces of his weakness washed away, for Alec was good at pretending, he'd been doing it for most of his life.
Unbeknownst to him, Adelaide was choking back tears of her own as she crouched beside him. Her chest ached and her hands were trembling. Her thoughts whirled violently around in her mind as if screaming at her to say or do something to ease his obvious pain.
But she knew she couldn't. So instead she repeated words over and over in her head. It was something she'd never truly get to say to him now. It wasn't a possibility anymore, if it had ever been. Perhaps if she thought it enough, Alec would somehow hear her and know it was going to be okay, and maybe she would eventually be okay too. As long as they were safe. If he was safe. Adelaide wiped her tears with a shaky hand, preparing herself to leave him for the last time.
'I love you, I love you and I'm so sorry.'