Distractions

Four: Who is She?

Alec POV:

Everest. The little redhead's friend that was so odd. It wasn't just her purple hair or how the redhead and mundane were so protective of her either. It was the way she and Izzy practically attacked each other with hugs, how they seemed to be closer than close. It was how she zoned out and ignored what was going on and how she made silly comments that surprisingly didn't make him annoyed. Instead, they made him smile and even laugh. Alec had seen the way she tried to make everything seem okay, but he had also seen how she had been near tears so many times that evening, how Everest had looked so upset when it had been revealed that Jocelyn had been taken. It made Alec wonder if the girl had been told anything. That was what made her odd.

He didn't know her last name, but he saw the glances she and his sister gave him and Jace whenever Clary would say something about her mother. It had taken him a while, but he finally understood; Clary Fray was saying 'our mother'. It made him wonder who the other person she was talking about was, made him wonder if it was Everest. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Whenever Clary and the mundane weren't busy shouting or doing anything that required all of their attention, they would cast worried glances at the purple haired girl whether she noticed or not. She obviously wasn't a child, she looked the same age as the redhead and his sister, so that couldn't be why. Everest also had the same eye color as Clary, though hers was more of a jade, and both of the strange new girls had the same smattering of freckles and pale skin, though Everest's was more tanned. Both of them had the same height, however, as far as Alec could tell, that was pretty much where the similarities ended. Clary was reckless, stubborn, and disrespectful of the Shadowhunters' rules and procedures. Everest on the other hand was inattentive, obviously protective of Izzy, and had a sense of humor, as childish as it could be.

Alec frowned as he and his sister walked away from the girl. She obviously wasn't alright, and yet Izzy was pulling him away from her. He dug his heels in and Izzy turned to face him, an annoyed expression already taking over her face.

"What is it?"

"Why are we leaving? She's obviously not alright." Izzy's expression softened and she cast a sorrowful glance at the van.

"No, she's not alright. Not at all. But I know Sunny. And, us trying to comfort her now will only make it worse and cause her to have an EO." Izzy sighed and continued walking.

"EO?"

"It's what we call an Emotional Overload. It's when everything that she's tucked away in a little box to deal with later comes to bite her in the ass." Izzy gave him a hard stare. "And don't you dare say anything about it to her. Dealing with emotions isn't exactly her strong suit, and she's always been embarrassed about her EOs."

Alec nodded, though he still had multiple questions burning to be asked. So, he asked the least loaded one. "How do you two know each other?"

Izzy smiled fondly, lost in a memory. "We were probably about 7. I was playing at Central Park while you and Jace were training. She was jumping down from a tree and almost hit me. Somehow we started playing in the trees and became friends. We decided to meet up every day we could, and we did. We met up almost daily for 8 years. And then Mom and Dad became stricter and didn't allow me to go out just to play in the mundane world. So we stopped seeing each other in person. But we exchanged phone numbers and we've been phone buddies ever since."

Alec looked at his sister in shock. He had no idea she had kept such a big secret from him and everyone they knew for 11 years. It was impressive. "Did anyone know about your friendship?"

"Only her two friends Roslyn and Gino had ever met me, but her sister, Simon, and I think another one of her friends knew Sunny was meeting up with someone constantly, but I don't think they know it's me." Izzy's head tilted in thought. "Oh, and Gino's a Seelie."