•the turn•
"YOU NEED TO eat something, Blythe," the High Warlock of Brooklyn tries to urge her. He places a plate loaded with delicious waffles before her. Usually she would have attacked them by now, but this time she pushes them away. "I am not hungry." Magnus sighs and sits by the chair closest to her. "It is a hard decision that Clary needs to make, I am aware of that, but she will choose what is right."
In response, Blythe slams her hands on the table. "Then why do I not get a say in this? Simon is as good my friend as he's hers!" Tears stream down her face, but they were no longer of sadness. Those have dried up a while ago. These tears were of hopelessness. Magnus lays his hand on top of hers and glances into her eyes with his cat-shaped ones. "Clary is one of the Nephilim. It is their call since the body is now in the Institute's possession. Unfortunately, a Mundane with the Sight who happens to know the victim in question has no authority there."
Blythe wipes her new tears away and sniffles. Her cheeks were red from rubbing the tears from them and her eyes were red and swollen. "It's so unfair." The warlock stands up from his seat and squats by the side of her chair. His hand, adorned with many rings, runs softly through her hair. "I know. But.. I am certain Clary will let you hear as soon as the decision is made." The girl nods slowly and turns her head to meet Magnus' face. "Thank you, Magnus."
•••
"SO.. YOU DECIDED to let him resurrect," Blythe whispers slowly. She had the phone pressed between her shoulder and her ear, listening intently to Clary as she explains through gasps and hiccups the difficult decision she made. "Yes.. Oh, Blythe, it was awful to decide. Just.. just awful, but I had no other choice. Eventually, I thought Simon might be better off a vampire than a dead body. What.. What do you think?"
Blythe sighs as she shifts her phone from one ear to the other. "To be honest.. I don't know. I mean, we aren't exactly of the age to be talking about our will and that sort of thing. And, typically, a will doesn't include a part that says 'after my death I want to be a vampire or not' section." She was interrupted in her call when someone knocks on the door of her bedroom. Magnus walks in with a tray of dinner in his arms, but halts in the entrance when he sees her on the phone.
"You can come tonight, if you want? I know we haven't really been able to include you in the decision, but maybe, well, I don't know-" Clary stutters. She was obviously very tired, emotionally drained and conflicted. She would need all the support she could get and someone who was as close to Simon as she was might be able to relate more than a figure like Jace, who had constantly been annoyed by their geeky friend, or Raphael, who didn't care about Simon nor what happened to him if it didn't impact his clan. "I'm coming. W-what about that Jewish graveyard that's close to our high school? Y-You know, for him.." Blythe's voice breaks. She swallows away the tears that threaten to escape her eyes.
Clary let a sob escape and responds with a tight voice that it was a good idea. They end their call and Blythe turns to Magnus with her tear stained face. The warlock places the tray in his hands on her side table and sits down on the mattress besides her. "Clary's made the decision to let him resurrect?" Blythe nods while her face scrunches up with new tears in her shimmering eyes. She buries her head in his chest, wraps her arms tightly around his torso and let herself go. Sobs rake through her, shaking her body with each heave. Magnus wraps his arms around her too and shushes her gently. "Shh, it's alright. Let it all out."
"Magnus, they are going to resurrect him tonight." The warlock nods slowly and continues to rock the sobbing girl in his arms. "I know, I know." Blythe clutches onto him tighter and releases a shuddering breath. "How do I stand there as they bury one of my best friends and wait for him to rise again like-like a totally different person that wears the face of my Simon?" Magnus rubs circles on her back and nods again. "I know it's tough. But remember that he will always be Simon. It might take him a while to get adjusted, but Simon will always be under his skin."
Blythe hiccups and sighs. "Thank you, Magnus." "No problem. Now, you will eat something or I will force feed you. It is better not to watch things like these on an empty stomach." The brown haired girl let out a strangled laugh, but picks up the knife and fork and digs into the plate of spaghetti. Magnus watches her with a slight hint of satisfaction on his face.
•••
WHEN IT WAS almost midnight Blythe made herself ready to leave, as far as she could be ready for Simon's resurrection. Magnus offered to bring her there, but she wanted to do this on her own. So, she went with the subway and walked the last bit to the graveyard. Raphael, Clary and Jace were already there, standing besides a freshly dug grave. Blythe takes a deep breath. You can do this, Blythe. Just remember that, when everything is done, you'll have a great reward. You'll have Simon back.
That last thought gave her the power to push through. She releases the breath she was holding and rolls her shoulders to ease the tension that overrides her body. It was difficult, but she was able to bring her feet to action. The grass flattens beneath her sneakers as she crosses the graveyard and stands besides Clary. Blythe didn't say anything to them and they said nothing back. However, the brown haired girl feels fingertips ghost against the outside of her hand. Without looking she knew it was Clary, searching for every bit of support she could. The fact that they were standing there and waiting for Simon to rise was her decision and it was a heavy load to bear.
Blythe twists her wrist and allow her fingers to lace with those of her friend. They gently squeeze each other's hands, trying to find comfort in each other. "Camille came here before you arrived. She told us to give Simon to her, that he was her property. That-that he meant nothing," Clary tells her. Her voice was shaking and breaking down. The tears slip from her eyes and Blythe couldn't help but join her. "But Simon is still here. What happened?" A ghost of a smile plays on her face. "I slapped her across the face."
Clary's hand slips out of Blythe's and she turns her head sideways to look at her friend. "I'm so very glad I don't have to do this on my own. That I have you, Blythe, to always stay by my side. You and Simon." The brown haired girl feels a grin tug at the corner of her lip when she thinks of a good memory. "Well, I did swear once to you that I would be there for Simon and you through thick and thin. I may not have been your friend as long as Simon, but I love you two like family."
The redhead's thoughts trail off and she scoffs. "Some days I look at you and at Simon and blame myself for dragging you into this mess with me." Blythe pushes against the other girl's shoulder. "Hey, we chose to be dragged." She let out a humorless laugh. "Look at it this way. Without you I would still have inexplainable migraines and the thought that my parents were douchebags. Well, at least one of them is cleared." Clary lowers her head and smiles sadly. "I'm going to talk to Jace for a little, if that's alright?" Blythe nods silently and keeps her eyes on the grave while Clary goes to sit by the freshly digged dirt and talk with Jace.
Not long later the ground was suddenly shaking as if there was an earthquake. Blythe thinks it sounds like a buried giant trying to finds its way back to the world above. Then, like a horror movie scene, a hand breaks through the dirt and rises into the air. The rest of Simon's body quickly follows as he crawls and writhes his way up. Blythe takes a horrified step back. Her dark eyes widen painfully and her mouth falls open. When he attacks on the bloodbags that Raphael throws at him, a hand flies to her mouth and she gasps.
She had expected something bad for his rise as a vampire, but never this brutal yet helpless individual that bears the face of Simon.
Once the first wave of angry thirst was over and Simon had calmed down a little, he seems to realise that something happened to him. "Clary.. Blythe.. what's happening?" Simon was shivering and his words come out stuttering. Clary looks down at Simon, who was still kneeling on the ground, and didn't quite know how to tell him. "You, um, you died." "I what? What's this?" Simon looks at the bag on the ground and staggers back with a gasp, his look utterly terrified. "That's blood!" He reaches for his upper canine teeth, that were now long and sharp. "Oh my G-, Oh my G- Why can't I say G-" Simon tried so badly to utter the word, but he was physically unable to. "-God. It'll take time to regain the ability. There's a lot you'll need to learn."
"Oh my G- Damn it!" Simon slams his fists into the dirt that was now sticky with the blood that spilled during his hungry rampage of the bloodbags. He looked utterly defeated and it broke Blythe's heart to see him like that. "Am I- Am I a vampire?" Clary mumbles a quiet 'yeah'. "Girls, tell me.. tell me this isn't real. Tell me this is not really happening!" He eyes both his friends. Maybe he was hoping that one of them would pop off and say something along the likes of 'April Fools'. Clary tells him contineously how sorry she is. "I'm.. I'm.. I'm repulsive!"
Jace has to keep Clary from approaching Simon. "No, please don't say that, okay? You're still the same, Simon. You're the same Simon I've known my whole life, the same Simon that is our best friend. The same guy who.. loves sci-fi. And who can recite every line from.. from every Nicolas Cage movie. The same Simon who carried me over the Brooklyn Bridge when I lost my shoe, okay?" Simon was on the point of losing it. He screams that he is not, but the redhead retorts that he is. "Yes, you are Simon! You are the same Simon! You are our best friend!" Simon begs them to stay away and rushes off into the cold night.
"N-no, don't go! Simon, please," Blythe yells. She set in a sprint, but was caught in a tight grip before she could leave the graveyard. It was Raphael. "He needs time. Besides, I wouldn't let a newborn vampire that does not have his thirst under control anywhere around a Mundane." He turns to look at the two Shadowhunters and nods his head. "I'll look after Simon. You have my word." Then Raphael chases after him with vampiric speed.
"We follow them, right," Clary asks and she tugs on Jace's sleeve. He nods solemnly. "Yeah, they can't be too far ahead of us." They make a move towards the exit of the graveyard, but Blythe's voice halts them. "Hey, I want to come along!" Her friend looks ready to let her tag along, but Jace cuts her off before she could say a word. "Raphael is right in that it is not a good idea. Simon is a hungry, newborn vampire. When he sees you, he won't think about you as anything but a delicious midnight snack. So, for everyone's sake.. go back to Magnus."
Blythe clenches her jaw tightly. Why did these guys always want her to give her the idea she was the worthless plus-one of the group. Of course, she was not some angelic warrior and she did not have sparkly magic fingers, but she could do at least something, right? Clary lowers her gaze and sighs. "I'm sorry Blythe. Can I call you later?" The brown haired girl looks away and mumbles a soft 'yes'. She marches past them, her shoulder harshly brushing that of Jace. Clary watches her friend leave and bites her lip. Jace had been stunned for a second, but pulls the redhaired girl on her arm. "Come on, we have to get to Simon. This.. can be done later."