"I WASN'T SURE I'D GET TO SEE YOU AGAIN.” Gerard grinned upon seeing Lyla step through the doors of the bar at which he worked. Clary and Isabelle looked around noting the other workers who had started setting up though it wasn't close to opening hours as yet.
"Well I'm quite unpredictable." Lyla smiled coyly tilting her head to side. The blonde stood at the same height the strawberry blonde did, his blue eyes twinkling. In truth after the girl had left him, he never thought she'd consider seeing him again.
"As you are... Can't say I'm complaining about it."
Lyla admitted the man was a fairly good kisser but that was as far as it went. He had served his temporary purpose and if it wasn't for the clue he had etched on his body she wouldn't have been back.
"We're here on business." Isabelle stepped forward. Gerard raised an eyebrow at the brunette before returning his gaze to Lyla who nodded in agreement.
"Where did you get the tattoo?"
"Which one?" Gerard asked, a smirk playing on his lips.
"The only one I was interested in." Lyla replied firmly, folding her hands across her chest. "Stop being difficult."
Gerard shrugged his shoulders "What is it to you?"
The strawberry blonde released a breath stepping closer to the man before her hands grabbed at the collar of his shirt. "I might not look it but you don't want to get me angry."
The man bared his fangs threateningly. "You don't want to get me angry." He emphasized. Clary and Isabelle stepped forward but the strawberry blonde waved them back.
Instead of quivering in fear the girl laughed softly. "Compared to what I've seen, you're like a care bear. If I scream at the right decibel level, I know it'll do damage. It could be small, a little blood from the ear or it could be worse, you ending up dead."
"The clave wouldn't risk breaking the accords."
"I'm not a shadowhunter. I can do as I please." Lyla wore a sweet smile but her eyes were dark and dared the vampire to try her. "Where'd you get the tattoo?"
Gerard stayed silent before shaking himself free from the girl's grasp. "The tattoo parlor a few blocks over." He glared at the three girls.
"Why did you get the tattoo?" Clary spoke up for the first time since thy had arrived.
"I already told the banshee. I was drunk, I saw it and I thought it was cool. Now get out."
Lyla pouted feigning sadness. "Kicking us out already?"
Gerard licked his lips, glare hardening "I don't take threats lightly."
Lyla shrugged her shoulders. "I guess we do have something in common." The girl backed away before turning to the girls and proceeded to leave. Once they were on the outside Lyla inhaled deeply turning to meet the eyes of Clary and Isabelle, but her eyes shifted to something behind the two girls.
"Do you smell that?" She asked cringing at the taste of smoke on her tongue. "I can smell and taste smoke." Her eyes shifted to a cloud of black wafting in the distance and as if on queue a lone scream echoed inside her head.
The others looked in the direction of which she had before turning to meet each other's gaze. It was an unspoken agreement so without wasting anytime the trio ran off in the direction. The closer they got the louder the crackle of the fire grew. Lyla stopped to catch her breath as her lung felt as if it was running out of oxygen though she was still a distance away from the burning building.
"Lyla?" Clary called me ea darting worriedly from the girl to Isabelle who too had stopped to ensure the girl was okay.
"We don't have much time, someone is inside." Lyla suppressed a cough before shaking her head slightly. The experience of feeling what the victim was, was foreign to the strawberry blonde. She was even more scared as she didn't know what it meant. Lyla took off once more, pushing her legs harder as the blare of sirens became audible, and the many people forming a circle to watched the enflame building became visible.
"Ma'am you're not allowed to go any further." An officer who was keeping the anxious crowd at bay brought the frantic girls to an halt.
"No, no you don't understand. Someone's trapped inside." Lyla rushed out, eyes darting to the building.
"I assure you the fire department are doing their job and all civilians have been removed from the building." The officer stood like a boulder his brown eyes not showing an ounce of understanding and Lyla could accept that he was doing his job. He thought he was protecting people and maybe he was but she knew deep down someone was still inside and if she could she wanted to save them.
"You're wrong."
"Lyla," Isabelle called the Spade girl pulling her back slightly. The three walked out of earshot the officer watching them curiously. "You and Clary create a diversion, I'll go inside."
Lyla and Clary was fast to protest. "Absolutely not." They spoke simultaneously.
"It's too dangerous even for you." Clary tried reasoning. "None of us can go inside."
"So what? We let whoever is inside die?" Lyla asked incredulously, eyes wide as she openly gaped at the girl.
"If we go inside we die, what good does that do? We aren't mundanes but that doesn't mean we're invincible." Clary argued not wanting any of them to put themselves at risk for a complete stranger.
"I know I'm not invincible and I certainly know that being burnt alive isn't a pleasant way to go." Her green eyes were wide as she glanced back at the burning building, her heart thudding oddly fast in her chest. "For some reason I can feel whatever whoever is feeling in there and I'm here breathing fresh air but it is still painful. All my life I've only found dead bodies, but now I have a chance to save someone close to dying and that's all I've ever wanted."
Isabelle was first to speak up. "I'm coming with you."
The strawberry blonde shook her head "No, you stay here and call the others, distract them long enough for me to get inside."
"There's no changing your mind is there?" Clary smiled sadly watching as the girl shrugged with a small smile of her own.
"I guess I'm on a roll today."
"Be careful." Izzy and Clary spoke in sync
Lyla smiled and tilted her head to the side. "Have a little faith." With one last smile, Lyla watched as the girls moved to getting their plan into action. Pursing her lips she pulled her hair up into a topknot before pulling the flaps of her unbuttoned coat to her body. The clack of heels were a dull hum, a mere background noise to the utter chaos of the crowd. The closer she got to the entrance, the more she felt the heat. The firefighters were busy trying to out the blade to notice the girl stepping through the doorway and into the building. The smoke wasn't bad on the ground floor as the fire was still on the top floors of the building but the walls had started showing signs of their soon crumbling. Various objects were scattered across the floor, from the people who previously scampered to the exit, a lone dolly one of them. Lyla bent slightly lifting the plastic toy, smiling slightly at the missing arm and leg. Her heart clenched at the realization that kids were present in the building.
The strawberry blonde for some reason unknown to her felt the need to keep the toy. She wordlessly placed it in her pocket before making her way to to the flight of stairs. The sound of the fire alarm was loud against the furious crackling of the flames above, all the more urging her to move faster. She was nervous and scared. She didn't wish to fail, she wanted her so called abilities to be of good use and not for the bad. As she scanned the first floor the building rumbled, the ground beneath her shaking. It was the first sign that the building was crumbling and she had to move fast.
"Hello?" She called loudly her walk turning to a sprint as she checked the rooms, doors left ajar making her task far more easier than she had thought. Her calls continued with each floor she climbed and the further she went the harder it became to breathe. She rubbed at her burning nose, as the smoke wafted down from the floor above. Her eyes watered but she ignored it pushing herself to go further.
"Please if you can hear me, say something!" Her voice was scratched and croaking from the excessive amount of smoke she had inhaled. Her once snow white coat was doted with the black residue that lingered from the burnt wood and furniture. Her steps came to a halt as she stared at the door at the far end. Her eyes narrowed at the block of concrete that had fallen from the roof almost completely blocking the passage.
"Okay, you can do this." Lyla whispered softly before stepping forward a surprised scream leaving her lips when the ground vibrated once more, dust from the breaking concrete falling from above and down on her.
Coughing loudly she pulled the coat over her mouth and nose trying to ward off the scent of the smoke the further she went. Grunts left her lips as she pushed herself between the small space of the passage. She rushed towards the door turning the knob, frowning once it didn't budge.
"Hey!" She yelled, using her fist to beat against the door. "The building is going down, we need to get out now."
Once there was no answer, the strawberry blonde stepped back before raising her foot to kick against the hardwood. She winced at the pain that shot throughout her ankle, the heel breaking. "Gosh that hurts." She mumbled furiously before repeating her actions repeatedly until the door swung open, slapping against the wall behind it.
She didn't have to go further inside to see the person. Her heart falling to her feet at the young girl passed out on the floor, face smeared with ash as was her dress.
Lyla was quick to rush forward pulling off her coat as she kneeled beside the young girl who looked to be no older than seven. "Hey," her voice cracked as she shook the girl slightly. A teary laugh left her lips at the crinkling of the child's nose. She brushed auburn hair from the unconscious girl's face, hands touching the freckles that dusted her chubby cheeks. "You're gonna be okay."
Lyla wrapped the coat around the girl lifting her from the ground just as another rumble sounded. Getting herself and the girl pass the boulder like concrete was a difficult task but her determination made it somewhat easy. Her steps were slow due to the dull throb of her ankle and broken stiletto heel.
The smoke had become too thick for her to see and it became harder for her to breathe. She ensured the little girl nose and lips were covered so she wouldn't have to endure the burning sensation that came with inhaling excessive smoke. Her lungs rattled in protest as she coughed steps wavering as her vision became blurry.
"No," She whispered slightly as her knees buckled. "No, you can do this. She cannot die."
She kept mumbling words of encouragement to herself, ass tears tumbled down her cheeks. The pain in her ankle was nothing compared to what she knew she would feel if the tiny girl in her arms died.
The ceiling in her path had crumbled slightly but not completely, allowing her enough space to duck and go through. The white walls were now becoming a dark brown as the fire spread like wildfire, moving faster as it got the oxygen it needed.
At the first sign of sunlight peaking through the doorless doorway, Lyla stumbled slightly a gasp of disbelief leaving her lips. As she stepped outside she inhaled deeply, the people gasping at the sight of the strawberry blonde and the girl she cradled in her arms.
"She's out!" Clary exclaimed, all eyes turning to look at the girl who was standing, body and clothes smeared with ash. The officers, paramedics and firefighters were quick to rush towards the girl, hiding her from view. All were focused on her but her eyes remained on the girl, heart clenching painfully at the two words that left the child's lips.
"Thank you."
And in that moment she didn't care if she had hurt her ankle or broken the heel of her favorite stilettos. What mattered was that she was on time and for the first time ever, she felt warmth and gratitude for her ability.
"Take her, she's been in there longer than I have." Lyla protested as the paramedics pulled her to the ambulance on standby. They wordlessly took the young girl from her hands rushing to tend to her wounds.
Isabelle and Clary had managed to break past the barrier, running towards the girl. The young Lightwood pulled the girl into a tight embrace, muscles relaxing upon seeing that the girl was safe. "We were so worried." The brunette pulled back eyes darting over the strawberry blonde's features.
"I look like shit, don't I?" Lyla asked causing the girls to laugh and her to smile. "Who cares? I feel amazing." And oddly enough she did. She knew sooner or later the effects from the smoke would kick in but she was happy to enjoy the immense pride she felt.
Her smile slowly but surely faltered at the sight of a familiar woman who had tears streaming down her cheeks as she rushed towards the ambulance. It had been years since she had seen her but the bone structure and hair color was unchanging. Admittedly her face looked slightly more mature than the last time she had seen her but there was no doubt in her mind.
"Giselle? Is she okay?" Her voice was frantic, and slightly high pitched as she made no efforts to mask her nervousness. "My daughter, the little girl."
Lyla's lips parted in shock as she watched the paramedics lead the woman to the little girl who was on a stretcher, an oxygen mask strapped on. She had never seen the woman react like that before, she had never reacted that way to her.
"Lyla? Lyla? What's wrong?" Isabelle asked but the girl gave no response. The brunette glanced to Clary who too wore a confused expression.
It was finally revealed in the worst way possible. For as long as Lyla could remember she had blamed her mother's ignorance on not wanting a child but now as she stood and watch the relief that filled the woman's being as she kissed the little girl's forehead repeatedly, she knew that hadn't been the case.
Meredith did want kids she just didn't want her.