The story of Hope Herondale

2x14 part 2

In front of the institute

Jace, Clary and the girl were approaching the institute. Suddenly, Clary stopped and looked at Jace.

"I have to go to Simon. To explain to him that ..." Clary didn't know what to say. "I have to go." Then she looked at the girl standing behind them and looking at the church from outside.

"Go." Jace said, and Clary then ran after Simon.

Suddenly Jace was alone with the girl. He looked at her from head to toe, still trying to remember all the pictures he had seen with young Hope and trying to compare them to the girl in front of him. He also tried to see if there could be any similarity between him and her. And it scared him that there were. She had the same golden hair as him. The same blue eyes and even a nose. She was only slightly smaller than him but only a few inches.

The Queen claimed she was Hope Lightwood. It would mean that it was his sister, his twin sister, whom he had only recently learned about, and that she had died ten years ago. It was all crazy.

What a game the fairy queen was playing? What was she talking about when she released her from her services and that her debt was paid off.

Jace didn't understand a thing. The only thing he saw in front of him was a girl who was similar to him, but that didn't mean anything.

Hope's POV

We stood in front of the institute, or rather for everyone around the crumbling church. I was back. I was at home. I still couldn't believe it. I wasn't allowed to get close to this building for so long, and now I'm here. I'm standing here, and I'm only a few steps and one door from the entrance.

It still seemed bad to me like one of the fairies would show up and punish me. I felt like they were watching me and waiting for that last step so they could take me back to the Queen.

"Ahem." My brother cleared his throat to grab my attention.

Yes, I knew Jace was my brother when he showed up in the Fair court, and around his neck I could see a necklace with the same ring I had since I was a kid. Our family ring, actually rings. They were passed down from generation to generation. I didn't know my brother was alive. As a little girl, I was told that he died during mom's childbirth. I didn't want to know more. I found out he was alive a few days ago, and when I saw the ring on him, I recognized him.

"Are you listening to me?" He asked.

Of course I didnt. I was thinking about something completely different, so I didn't hear what he was saying.

"Sorry. What did you say?"

"Your weapons. If I'm going to let you in, you have to give me your weapons."

"Sure. You don't believe who I am and you need to confirm my true identity. All right." I said, and I began to take out all the weapons I had with me on the ground.

The last one I pulled out was a short dagger that I'd had since I was seven years old. My brother, Alec, gave it to me for my seventh birthday. The best gift for a child, right? But from that moment on, I never let it out of my sight.

When I was done, I looked back at Jace. He pulled out a short rope and pointed to my hands.

"Ready for everything I see." I smiled at him and stretched out my hands in front of me.

He tied them, then took all my weapons off the ground and nodded his head to the institute. I looked at the door in front of me, took a deep breath once, twice, and walked toward the main entrance.

As we were walking down the hall, I looked around. It hasn't changed much here as far as I could remember. Everyone we passed by looked at me. But it wasn't anyone who reminded me of anyone.

"Hey, Patrick, take this to the armory and put it in locker 22." Jace said to a guy who was passing by and handed him my weapons.

"Sure." He said, and walked away.

"Stop here." Jace said, and I stopped in front of the elevator.

Then we rode down a couple of floors and when the elevator opened, I knew where we were.

"It hasn't changed much here. Maybe you just painted it."

"Five years ago." Jace replied.

"Oh, that'll be it." As I looked around, I noticed that Jace was looking at me the whole time.

Then he opened the door to one of the glass cells. He took off my handcuffs and I walked in.

"I have to say I have never been here from this side, yet." I said, sitting on the bench that was in the middle of the small room.

Jace was still standing in the doorway looking at me.

"I'll be right back." When I didn't answer, I heard the door shut and then he walked past my glass cell and walked down the hall to the elevator.

He hadn't looked back the whole time, and even when he was in the elevator, he hadn't looked at me. I was now sitting alone in a cell, thinking about the last ten years of my life. Everything will change soon.

I knew Jace was going for the others, and I was starting to get more nervous. I was able to deal with moody, insulting and cocky fairies. I could kill a demon or a vampire or a werewolf. But the fact that I would see my siblings again, I wasn't ready for that. 

I have been observing them often in the last few years. I was watching over them. I was careful that none of them would see me. The closest I came into contact with them was a few days ago in tunnels, where Alec was fighting with a demon and the demon almost killed him. I couldn't just stand by, so I stepped in before the demon got to him again. Then I ran to Alec to check on him to see if he was okay. Being so close to him hasn't happened to me ever in all these years. He didn't recognize me, or so I hoped. But now we'll see each other again. I don't even know what to think or what they're going to think of me. They won't believe me, that's for sure. There is only one way to convince them, and I know I couldnt avoid it.

I waited about an hour for the elevator door to open again and Jace walked into the hallway, followed by Izzy and Alec. The whole time they were approaching me, I watched them and they watched me. They stopped about two meters from my glass cell and we looked at each other. I went from one face to the next until I ended up at Alec's. I smiled at him, but he didn't move.

Well, this is going to be fun. I thought.