Halestorm: A Shadowhunters Fanfiction

3.

Isabelle
•••
"Really, Jace? Inviting these two total strangers to-" My brother Alec rubbed his temples. Jace had just told us we were expecting two more Shadowhunters to live with us here in the institute. A mass majority of Shadowhunters had made their way back to Alicante in search of a more safe place to live, leaving the New York Institute quite bare these days. I walked to Alec and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Give it a chance. They could be a good asset to our team. We won't know until we-"

"Try. I know. Where did you say you met her?" Alec looked back at Jace. Jace rubbed the back of his neck and leaned against the bookshelf of the library.

"We may have met at a social gathering during the late night hours." He said. I let out my breath and marched over to Jace. I knocked him gently, but hard enough for him to look at me bewildered.

"Did you sleep with her?" I asked. Jace averted his eyes and looked past me out the window.

"Johnathan Christopher! You cannot just go around inviting everyone you sleep with to live here!" I raised my voice. Jace shushed me. We heard heels clicking on the tile. A burst of flaming red hair walked through the door. She smirked and leaned against the doorframe.

"I'm here, am I not?" Clary said.

"I'm pretty sure that was after you moved in. Look, we don't know these people. They could—" Alec began. Jace threw back his head and crossed his arms, raising his voice to the ceiling.

"They aren't bad people! I have a great feeling about her and her brother. They deserve a fair chance Alec." Jace said. I looked from Clary to Alec to Jace. I lowered myself down to sit on a tabletop and sighed. I captured a strand of my hair in my fingers and began to fidget with it as I spoke.

"Look. Bottom line, we could use more members on our team. If Jace is confident that these people can be it...the least we can do is meet them. Train with them. See what their made of. Alec, please." I said, looking only at Alec. He was leaned over a desk staring at nothing. He shook his head.

"It's risky." He said flatly. Clary walked over to the table I sat on and perched next to me, shrugging.

"You took a chance on me, didn't you? They deserve the same." She said. Jace walked to the desk that Alec leaned over.

"Trust me. I think this will be a good thing. I've gotten to know her a bit and she would make an excellent member. I'm just as certain her brother would be too." He said. I watched as my brother looked up at Jace. He looked tired and ready to admit defeat.

"This isn't just because you slept with her?" He asked. I groaned quietly. Clary rolled her eyes.

"No. I truly believe she'll be good for us." Jace said and straightened up. After a moment, Alec nodded his head.

"Fine. But, if for any reason they don't work out or something happens, they're gone."

Archer
•••
"Absolutely not." I said and took another sip of coffee. It was too early in the morning for me to even attempt to entertain her ideas. This one was the craziest yet.

"Archer come on! You were the one who said we needed to get out there and meet more people! This is what I want. I want to be apart of this world. The right way." Alyssa sat down at the breakfast nook with me. I looked at her, her eyes sparkling. She was biting her lip, her hands messing with the tablecloth.

"Alyssa you met this guy at a bar last night. You can't just go skipping into his home and live with him." I shook my head. She rolled her eyes and grabbed my arm.

"Arch, listen. He's a nice guy. This is our chance to finally prove ourselves. Think of everyone whos ever doubted us. When we...you know. This is our comeback. Give it a chance. Please?" She begged. I looked at her. Her messy hair tied up into a bun, her oversized shirt hanging off of her shoulder and her shorts scrunched up in rhythm with her body movements. I thought over the past few months and what occurred. Maybe she had a point. I took another sip of coffee and sighed.

"I'll meet them. Let's take it from there." I said. She clapped her hands and threw her arms around me.

"Have I ever told you that you're my favorite twin?" She asked. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm your only twin. There's not much competition." I said. She huffed at me and grabbed her mug of coffee. She got up from the table and walked out of the kitchen. My phone buzzed and I picked it up. My older sisters name flashed across my screen.

"Hey Alex, how's it goin?" I asked.

"It's goin good. Hey, is Lyss around? I've been trying to call her for awhile now and she hasn't picked up." Alexandra said, a worried tone could be detected.

"Yeah she's here, she just got home. She's been..busy. Is everything ok?" I asked. Alex paused before she spoke again.

"Mom wants to-"

"No. Absolutely not. Whatever mom wants to do is her own business. I don't want her near me, or Alyssa for that matter." I cut her off. Alexandra sighed on the other end.

"Arch let me finish. Mom wants to meet with you guys and talk about everything. She doesn't like how it happened. How it made you seem." She said. I stirred my coffee absentmindedly, lost in thought. We hadn't spoken in detail about the turn of events since we moved to New York, Alyssa and I. It was an unspoken rule. Pretend it didn't happen and only reference it vaguely. The thought of discussing it with anyone made my skin crawl.

"Tell her no. Alyssa and I are starting over here. She's meeting people. She's happy, I'm happy. Alex I love you, but I can't let her back in. I know that puts you in a tough position." I apologized. Alex was silent on the other end.

"I understand. I'll try to make it there to visit sometime, okay? I miss you both." She said quietly. I could tell she was hurting and it killed me, but I had to do what was best for me and Alyssa.

"We'll work something out. I miss you too." I said before hanging up.

"Who was that?" Alyssa came back into the kitchen and dropped her mug in the sink. She had changed her clothes but her hair remained in the same bun.

"Alex. Mom apparently wants to talk about-"

"You told her no, right?" She stopped me abruptly. I nodded my head.

"Of course, Lyss. I promise." Alyssa let out a breath. Her phone rang and she quickly answered it, her face promptly lighting up. She was on the phone for a few short moments before hanging up and looking at me.

"Go get dressed, we're going to the Institute!"