Scars of her Blood • Shadowhunters

Chapter 2: Sometimes they need blood

Celia made her way to her office. She did not greet anyone else in the command center, which no one found unusual and was just happy when she could close the door behind her. She opened the clasp that kept the sheath on her shoulders and hung it over the back of her chair. This way she always had her swords in arms reach. Then Celia plopped down in her soft desk chair and logged into the laptop. Álvaro had requested a complete file about Clary, so this would be the first thing she would have to work on.

"Let's check her social media accounts first...", Celia mumbled to herself. Her research had become so much easier now that most people living in the mundane world had half their life online.

An hour later, Celia had gained access to everything she could possibly want to know about the girl. She had also gained a headache, but that was happening more and more often during the last weeks anyway. Celia finished the documents and made them accessible to the rest of her task force, leaned back into her chair and sighed.

A notification popped up at the bottom of her screen:

Miss Velázquez,

We are requesting the support of the Hybrid forces for possible conflicts with the Circle, since they seem to be active again. Get permission from your commander and await our further instructions.

Celia just rolled her eyes and forwarded the message to Álvaro, quietly swearing about the bad manners of whoever had sent it:

"Not even a please... Or a hello, or a goodbye... Or a title!"

She had never had a good relationship with the Clave, not even when she lived in the Institute as a child. In her opinion they were holding their nose way too high up for the small amount of good they actually did to the Shadowworld.

Her headache was getting worse by the minute. Celia started feeling the overwhelming exhaustion again that had been her second shadow for the past weeks. Why does all this shit have to happen in such a short span of time?Valentine was alive and apparently getting creative, the Clave had not fully gotten the message yet and Celia was in no condition to take on her most favorite enemy. She had personal history with Valentine and reason to be concerned about him targeting her. But voicing that concern with the Clave would not lead to anything, Celia knew that. Maybe I should have stayed in Mexico... At the headquarters of the special force, which had been her home for the past five years, she always felt safe. But here, she was separated from the rest of the team.

Celia was ripped out of her thoughts when she realized that her vision got blurry. Not again! Her body started to shake and Celia didn't have to look into a mirror to know that her face was pale. Shit... I need blood! Celia panicked. If she would black out right here, they would start asking questions.

She pushed herself up from her chair, leaning on the desk. She rarely needed the blood she had as backup in her office in the Institute. The miniature fridge was still build into one of the drawers closest to Celia's chair. It was a simple precaution she had to take as a part-vampire.

Celia took the few steps towards the wall unit to her left and pulled open one of the lower cupboards. She took one of the blood bags out and simply bit into it. As she drank, she slid down to the floor, leaning against the cupboards.

She remained in that position even after the blood bag was empty. Before she could grab a second one, Celia passed out.

It was a knock on the door that brought her back to full consciousness. Quickly she got up and threw the bag she was still holding into the trashcan under her desk:

"Yes?"

Izzy opened the door:

"Hey, you have a minute?", she looked at Celia and frowned, "are you okay?".

Celia felt the blood that was still sticking to her lips just then. She rubbed it off with the sleeve of her shirt, fully aware of what would come next.

"Yes, I am okay... I just needed some blood. You know...", Celia couldn't think of a valid excuse. But Izzy nodded understandingly:

"I know. Even you guys need some from time to time.", her smile was a relief to Celia. Izzy sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the desk:

"So, what have you been up to while we were gone?"

"Just some of that pesky paperwork.", Celia sat down at the desk again as well and shut the laptop. She was pretty sure that Izzy would not like to hear that Celia just gave a full report on Clary to her colleagues, so she changed the subject:

"Did everything go well for you guys?",

"Yes, everything worked out fine. Clary is sleeping right now and Simon is in the infirmary."

"But no one important is injured, yes? No dead people?"

"Well, at few dead vamps but nothing else, no."

"Was the Mundane bitten?"

"Not as far as I know. There were no wounds on his neck."

Celia nodded slowly but didn't answer. Izzy's expression became worried again:

"Are you sure that you are okay?", she knew Celia too well, "is there anything going on in Mexico?"

Celia smiled lightly. She just has a real talent for finding sore spots...

"Well, work is pretty stressful once again, but what am I supposed to do."

Izzy shrugged:

"Stand up to that stupid boss of yours! What was his name again?"

"César Rodriguez. And you know that I can't complain about him too much, in the end I am the one that needs him."

Izzy's face lit up:

"Oh, by the way, I wanted to ask if you have any books on the Mortal Cup? I know that most of the information in the archives is restricted by the Clave."

Celia shrugged:

"I maybe still have that brick over here somewhere, about magical artifacts", she got up from her chair and walked over to the bookshelf, sliding her fingers over the backs of the books, "it had a whole section on the Mortal Instruments, if I remember right. But I don't know how much restricted knowledge is in there."

Izzy had gotten up as well and followed Celia. But then she spotted the book in the highest row:

"There it is!", Celia said and reached up. But Izzy moved closer and grabbed the book instead of Celia, who gave her an irritated look.

"Oh, sorry...", Izzy answered, sounding genuine, "I just thought, because of your arm..."

"It's only the left side, Izzy. And it doesn't mean I'm made from glass.", Celia was not mad, the topic just annoyed her slightly. Her left shoulder had been permanently injured when she had only been an infant. Therefore she was not able to move her arm upwards or lift as much weight with it as with the right arm.

Izzy looked genuinely sorry:

"I didn't mean to be overprotective... I just – I don't know."

"Izzy, it's alright!", Celia answered.

Izzy nodded slowly:

"Thanks for the book, though."

A/N  Oops... what is going on with Celia? Any guesses from you guys?