I'm sitting in the medical room with Alec. Now, you must be wondering, how did we end up here? Well, there was a Forsaken attack in the Institute and while Alec, Hodge and I were trying to kill it, both Alec and I got hit. Right now, Dad was patching up Alec. Izzy already patched me up a while ago.
After Alec got patched up, Dad, Alec and I walked to Magnus, who we just learned was here. Apparently, he was here to put back up the wards because it was down. Which was weird considering the wards have never been down in years.
Anyways, as Magnus was doing his magic thing, he turned to us.
"Even my magic has limits" he walked to another part of the Institute. "The wards won't hold off that Forsaken attack. But my protections will slow it down."
"Extra time is priceless" Dad looked at him.
"No. . . say that after you get my bill."
"Lydia will take care of that" Dad then walked off. Alec nodded at us and then walked off as well. Magnus turned to me.
"A Forsaken wound often needs a little warlock TLC. May I? Uh, free of charge" he put his hand above my wound that was below my neck, but I stepped back.
"It's fine, Magnus. I'm fine, I don't need it."
"If anything were to happen to you-" I cut him off.
"Magnus" I said harshly. My eyes soften as I see him a little sad. "I'm okay. Alright? I've just got to-"
"Go? Of course. You're a busy women. And I should find this Lydia person. Payment up front is just smart business. Where might I find her?"
"Probably in her office, but I'm probably wrong since I haven't seen her in a while" I looked at him. We locked eyes for a while until I looked away. I nodded at him as a gesture of thanks and then walked away.
I walk into my room and sit on my bed, sighing. I thought about everything that has happened. From meeting Valentine's daughter to the Forsaken attack on the Institute, which should of been impossible. My life has been a total disaster since Clary Fairchild arrived. I had to admit, though, this has been quite an adventure that I've had been yearning for since finding out about the shadow world.
I was knocked out of my thoughts when Jace entered my room.
"Follow me, I have something important to share" he demanded. I immediately nodded and followed Jace.
He walked inside the training area with me following behind him.
"Hey. You all right?" Jace asked Alec and Izzy, who were already here.
"Im fine" Alec said.
"I just spoke to Robert and Maryse. They're being sent back to Indris" Jace told us. I widened my eyes.
"What!?" Izzy and I said. Jace nodded. Izzy looked at Alec.
"Another "order" from Lydia?"
"Who's Lydia?" Jace asked us.
"She is in charge of the Institute" Izzy told him.
"She's what?"
"Temporarily" Alec and I said.
"And now she's convinced the Clave that Mom and Dad aren't doing their job?" Izzy said, looking at Alec and sometimes me.
"Well, maybe they aren't" my older brother told her.
"I agree with Alec, maybe Mom and Dad aren't doing their job correctly" I added. Izzy glared at me, which I ignored.
"The Institute was under their control when the Forsaken got in."
Jace shook his head "What are you talking about?"
"Geez Jace, Mom and Dad were members of the fucking Circle!" I yelled. Izzy and Jace looks at me with shock.
"What? They don't have Circle runes" Izzy furrowed her eyebrows at us. Alec sighed as I rolled my eyes.
"That's because they made a deal with the Clave prior to the Uprising. In exchanged for their cooperation, they were pardoned" Alec explained.
"You're both questioning their loyalty?" Izzy looked at Alec and I.
"Valentine is back. The Circle is rising. They're under suspicion."
Jace shook his head. "Robert and Maryse took me in. They raised me as one of their own. I know what kind of people they are."
"Well, maybe you don't know them as well as you think you do, Jace" I finally said.
"They lied to us. For years, they've been telling us how to act. That we have to uphold the Lightwood name. Well, they're the ones who tarnished it. They're hypocrites" Alec added.
"And if that somehow still didn't convince you, think back to how they treated us. Maybe that'll show you at least a little bit of what they've done" I told them before we were cut off. I look behind Jace to see Lydia. She walked up to us until she stood right next to me.
"Jace Wayland, Lydia Brandwell. You're quite the legend back in Indris." Lydia looked at him up and down, assessing him.
Jace shrugged. "Don't believe everything you hear."
Lydia then looked at me. "Did you tell them?"
"Tell us what?" Izzy and Alec demanded. I sighed and looked at all three of my siblings.
"Lydia and I are. . . engaged." Izzy widened her eyes as Alec looked at me in disbelief. Jace held an emotion I couldn't quite process.
"You're not serious" Jace looked at me.
"You were supposed to tell them "no", Tris" Izzy explained.
"You know that I was supposed to do this, to save you from becoming mom and dad's pet. So you could have a normal life that I never got! Why, Tris?!" Alec questioned while looking at me in disappointment. I looked down at the floor.
"None of this matters right now. We need to stop Valentine" I finally say after a few minutes of not talking.
"Fine" Jace said and then walked away while Alec followed. Iz looked at Lydia and I before leaving the room as well.
I looked at Lydia before walking to the main area. I was about to help the others before I saw dad walking towards me.
"I need a word with you. Now" dad said while walking past me. I sighed before following close behind him. He looked around before whispering to me.
"Were you planning on telling us about your engagement before we left for Indris?"
"I'm marrying Lydia. Now you know, dad" I told him. He sighed.
"I think you misunderstood your mother's suggestion that either you or Alec marry. We wanted someone who would help this family, not destroy it." We finally stopped walking and I turned to face father.
"You think Lydia is destroying this family? Not the fact that you and mom were in the fucking Circle!?" I whispered-yelled. Dad looked at me shocked.
"You know?"
"Of course I know!? So does Alec, Iz and Jace. What? Did you think we would never find out? After all these years, you never said a damn thing." Dad shook his head.
"We couldn't."
I scoffed "Is that the best you can do, dad? You drilled into me and Alec's head that we were never good enough."
"It wasn't that. We wanted you both to be better than we were."
"You wanted to sweep history under the rug. You wanted us to save you, to restore the Lightwood name."
"Echo, you're making a mistake." I looked at dad with rage in my eyes.
"No, I'm doing what I know is right because I can't allow Alec to endure anymore pain because of you and mother. I'm doing what is best for my siblings and that is to make sure that they can never get manipulated into you and mom's mind games anymore. And I'm doing what is right by fixing what you broke and I'm going to do it on MY terms." I glared at dad one last time before turning my back on him and walking away.
As I was walking towards the main area where I last was before dad whisked me away, I saw Alec and Jace walking to where Iz was on a computer. I followed them and stood next to Alec. I bumped my shoulder with his and whispered into his ear.
"What's going on?" He looked at me before whispering in my ear.
"Meliorn, Izzy's boy toy or whatever, got arrested by Lydia and the Clave and is now going to be interrogated." I widened my eyes and looked at Izzy to say something before she turned on the computer that showed Meliorn about to be interrogated.
"This is insane! We have to put a stop to this" Iz said while looking at the screen.
"Yeah, well, enjoy portaling back to Indris with mom and dad" Alec joked. I hit his harm and glared at him while Izzy looked at him.
"Meliorn is here because of me."
"Alec's right. There's nothing we can do to stop this interrogation" Jace interrupted. Iz looked at him.
"You're on Alec's side now?"
"We swore to protect each other, of course he's on my side" Alec defended. Iz then looked at me.
"What about you, Tris?" I looked around and pointed at myself. Iz nodded.
"Uh, I'm on my own side, which is 'I don't know and I don't want to get involved because I don't like choosing between my sister and my overprotective, favorite brother.'" I looked at Jace "No offense." He waved it off and then looked at Izzy.
"Let this play off. Meliorn might have some important information." We all didn't say anything and just looked at the screen in front of us.
"Forensics don't lie. Tell me what you know about the blood in the Forsaken." Lydia asked Meliorn. He sighed.
"Have you considered that the blood in the Forsaken came from our scouts? Scouts sent to help you hunt for Valentine. Why do you think we would side with a murderer?"
"Seelies always play both sides."
"You should talk to your own people about playing sides." I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Excuse me?" Lydia questioned.
"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you? If only Shadowhunters had a better relationship with us. . . Downworlders, you'd know that Valentine's daughter has the Cup." I widened my eyes and looked at the others.
"Still think we should let this play out?" Iz asked while still staring at the computer screen.
Moments later, Lydia and some Clave members started to search Clary's room. Jace and Alec followed them while I waited for them outside the room.
After a while, Lydia, Alec and the Clave members came out. Jace, for some odd reason, didn't, but I just shrugged it off and followed Lydia.
She got Meliorn from the room and we are now walking to the entrance of the Institute. While walking down the stairs, I heard Izzy's voice.
"Where are you taking him?"
"To a holding cell and a guard unit will transport him to the Silent Brothers" Lydia told them while the guards took Meliorn into a room.
"You can't do that!"
"It's not our decision, Isabelle. The Clave made the order" Alec said. We all then stopped walking and turned to Ix and Jace.
"That could be a death sentence to a Downworlder" Jace explained.
Iz scoffed "Are you trying to start a war with them? Meliorn's told you everything he knows."
Lydia looks at Iz. "You don't know that. Maybe we haven't asked the right questions. Seelies often skirt the truth. If he had information on another terrorist attack, itis our responsibility to get it."
"Let me talk to him."
"That wasn't exactly helpful in the past."
"But he may not know anything. Alec," Jace looked at me. "Tris, this is going too far."
Alec looked at me before he looked at Jace. "We don't have a choice." Alec then walked off. I looked at Jace and Iz before walking off as well.
I walked to my room to just relax for a bit. When I got there, I looked down at my clothes to realize that I've been wearing it for a while. I went to my closet and grabbed a set of clothes before walking into my bathroom to shower..
After I was done showering, I dried myself and put on the set of clothes I got a while ago. I then looked in the mirror.
Cute, casual and easy to fight in.
I then grabbed a clean towel and started to dry my hair while walking out of the bathroom, sitting on my bed and looking through photos on Pinterest.
After a couple of minutes, I got off my phone, left my hair down, grabbed my jacket with my stele in it and walked out of my room.
I didn't expect to see when I walked out of my room is Magnus.
"All done for today" Magnus chuckled. "Place is secured. Not bad for a day's work." I walked down the hallway while Magus followed. "I thought I'd see how you were doing."
I looked at Magnus. "Um, I meant to thank you for the advice, even though you didn't really say it to me. I kinda overheard. You know, the whole. . . "follow your heart" thing."
"Oh, well, what can I say? I have a deep understanding of the human psyche. At least, that's what Freud always said."
I didn't say anything for a couple of second before I blurted something that I didn't want to say. "I'm getting married."
"Woah. That's a tad sudden, isn't it? I mean, we should at least go to dinner first-"
"No, Magnus, family is everything to me, you know that."
"I get it. You're part of a "don't ask, don't tell" culture. I'm fine with it. You're a traditional girl."
"Yeah, I am." We then looked at each other for a couple second. "That's why I. . . proposed to Lydia." All the happiness drained from Magnus.
"That's. . . interesting."
"It- it makes sense, at least to me. I mean, it's a solid partnership. For both of us."
"Solid partnership" Magnus laughs. "That's hot." I could see the tears in his eyes and it takes everything in me to not hug him and tell him that I want him and not Lydia. "Well, okay, then. Congratulations. Marriage is a wonderful institution. Not that I would know. Goodbye, Echo." He then walks off.
I looked down at the floor and just bursted out crying. I never liked showing my emotions at all, but this just broke me. I covered my mouth so no one could hear me and sat down on the floor while the wall was against my back.
I then suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I quickly looked up to see Alec looking at me with a sad smile. I stood up and just cried in his shoulder while he comforted me.
"It's going to be alright, Tris" Alec reassured. I shook my head.
"Nothing is going to be alright, Alec. I'm marrying someone that I don't even want to be with and the person that I do, hates me" I told him while I looked at him.
"Don't give up hope yet, Tris. Just trust me. And Magnus doesn't hate you, he's just upset." I widened my eyes.
"How did you know it was Magnus?" He chuckled.
"I can see the way you both look at each other. It's very obvious. Now come on. Wipe your tears and stop being sad because then I'll get sad. I also have to go to bring Meliron to the Silent Brothers. You stay here in the Institute. You need the rest." I smiled as Alec wiped my tears. I then hugged him.
"I love you, Alec. Stay safe."
"Love you too, Tris." He gave me a kiss to the top of my head before walking away to the front of the Institute. I walked into my room and laid in my bed before dozing off, not knowing that Alec and I's relationship with Jace is possibly broken. . .
DID YOU GUYS LOVE THE LITTLE (ALEC AHD ECHO) SCENE I ADDED? IT REALLY SHOWS HOW CLOSE THEIR SIBLING RELATIONSHIP IS.
I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN MONTHS. SCHOOL HAS BEEN HORRIBLE AND MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY FAMILY IS NOT WELL. I KNOW IT'S NO EXCUSE, BUT I SWEAR I'LL TRY TO UPDATE FASTER.
SEE Y'ALL IN THE NEXT CHAPTER, LOVELIES 💞