Infinite | Magnus Bane

Of Men and Angels Part 3

Charlotte splashed water on her face, staring into the mirror at her wet reflection. The water dripped down her eyebrows and went into her eyes yet she did not flinch. Charlotte peered closer, seeing the bags under her eyes were more prominent than ever. Her cheeks were slightly more gaunt, and an odd paleness struck her. She was surprised she hadn't broken into a sweat yet.

She had excused herself from the room after Clary agreed to learn more about her family history that was entwined with the history of shadowhunters and the downworld. To Charlotte, it was fantasy. For it to be written history for others was maddening. She was going mad, surely. She left the room so she didn't have to be overwhelmed with the information that was flooding Clary's brain at the moment. Or she just needed a break from everything and everyone. It wasn't her first time leaving a room to recharge, but this was different.

Charlotte takes a small black towel from the rack, taking a deep breath and scrubbing the water from her face. Perhaps if she scrubbed hard enough, she would also wring dry the flaming desire to run. She places the now damp towel down and places her glasses back on her face. Not even a second seeing clearly, and a figure is standing behind her. It wasn't menacing, yet it filled Charlotte with fear all the same. "Raphael-"

Charlotte cuts herself off in a frightened squeak as his figure disappears. The only replacement was the feeling of impending darkness. Such a large bathroom, almost a suite, and yet she was claustrophobic. This figure was too close to her. It was too close to be fake, yet it was gone within the time it appeared so easily. She curls into herself by the counter. She held her head in her hands, shaking her head.

"It's not real," she muttered to herself. A moment passes without a sound except for the muffled conversation between Clary and Magnus. Charlotte stood up once again, disregarding the mirror. She paced the room, hoping her delirious state was due to her lack of sleep. Yet Clary must have slept the same amount and yet she is doing as well as she can. She was learning her history and saving Luke. Charlotte was on the toilet lid.

She sat with her elbows on her knees, not noticing her shaking legs getting worse. Charlotte pulls out her phone and goes through her messages. Her mom had messaged her once again, not placated by any of her texts. A weight lifted from her as she began texting, talking about the mundane things her mom expected of her. She was busy reading and going out with Clary and Simon. The next message she saw was from their sister, Rebecca. The text read, "Why did I have to learn from Mom that you got some boyfriend?"

Then another read, "Ok, but is he cute tho".

Simon, Charlotte cursed his name. Of course, he said that, and of course, her family was the opposite of calm so the news of a boyfriend was bigger than anything. Not big enough to overshadow the downworld, but enough to ease her heaviness. Charlotte grew calm, even chuckling at what to say to her sister. Would she be lying? Yes. Would she have had to do damage control if she told the truth? Also yes. So she kept it short with Rebecca.

"It's pretty new, just getting to know each other. It's not serious at all."

She could hear Clary and Magnus more clearly in the living room and finally, the air settled. Charlotte picks herself up, bouncing towards the door with a newfound energy. She tugs at the handle when she feels something by her. She clenches her jaw, feeling her throat close up. She swings open the door, slamming it behind her.

From the other room, Clary whips her head at the direction the noise came from. Then the yelp made her stop drawing completely. "Charlie, are you okay?" Clary asks loudly so Charlotte can hear her. Magnus stood, frozen from the noise and concern putting him on the edge of forgetting his responsibility. He did not forget the way that Charlotte simultaneously left the room calmly and in a frenzy simultaneously.