Missing You: The Infernal Devices Wessa Fanfiction

Chapter 1

Charlotte was sitting in her study, looking down at a piece of paper in her hand, seemingly dazed. She did not cry, no, for she was too entranced with disbelief at such being true. Documents, still scattered about her desk, only seemed to multiply ever since Will's disappearance a couple days prior. Tessa and Henry entered her room, having been summoned. They knew something must be up, something having to do with Will's being gone for two days. Charlotte had already told them the details the day after Will had left, and that this was a normal occurrence of his. Charlotte assured Tessa that day that Will would be back soon, no doubt, already having been on dozens of missions before. However, Charlotte wasn't so sure anymore.
"Charlotte, my dear, I am currently making a device," Henry, having barged into the room, wearing his ridiculous, scientist outfit that he had 'perfected' (meaning it was fireproof, which was actually very significant for him to have acquired, due to his earlier experiments), said, "I call it the Electroculocation. It will allow one to find those of close relation or ties in any way with the press of a button. Perhaps we could use it to find Will. If I work fast enough, I may be able to finish it by tomorrow." Henry smiled brightly, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
Charlotte buried her face in her hands and groaned. The "Electroculocation" didn't sound very pleasant at all.
"Charlotte," Tessa began, ignoring Henry's statement, "so you're saying that Will had this...this Emerald Etching?" Tessa did not want to pry for every detail that they had covered the day before, yet she wanted to make sure she got every little detail. Will was gone, and sure, it was only a couple days, but Tessa's heart broke a little more each hour of his disappearance. Tessa was sure she was not the only one feeling that way.
"Yes," Charlotte looked up, "An Emerald Etching. The type of print got a bad name, for aught I've heard. There was a Downworlder cult called the Sable Rose, who knows how many years ago. They were very secretive, and sent special notes to one another, they would. Those notes had an emerald imprint planted upon them. Those cults got quite a horrid name ever since..." Charlotte shook her head in disgust.
"So, Will managed to find such cult... And he decided to go--all by himself--to this infamous gathering?" Tessa responded with utter shock.
"Yes, I am afraid so..." Charlotte bit her lip, "I should never have allowed him."
"It's not your fault, darling," Henry pat her shoulder, smiling kindly, "And we all know he would have gone either way."
"I should have at least gone with him," Charlotte sighed, shaking her head in disbelief.
"If you had been caught too, then we would only have had thin air to grasp," Tessa replied reassuringly, "and what's done is done. What matters now is we find him. Now, do you remember the address?"
"As a matter of fact, I do remember, indeed," Charlotte answered, "but...there is something you must know." She dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief, unknowing of how to begin.
"Charlotte," with one word, Tessa conveyed a great amount of emotion. In order to move on and help Will, they needed to know all they could.
"You both know that he has been working for the case regarding Scarlet Blacklock, the girl who had disappeared a few nights before the Sable Rose cult was known for recruiting what they would call, 'Innocent Souls'. Their idea of recruiting is a lot different than ours, I can assure you. Anyways, unlike other missing people, who, perhaps, had joined the Sable Rose, or were forced to, we have evidence that points to Scarlet's being taken for sure...and by taken, I mean to say by force. We have been searching for years about the cult, trying to figure out ways to stop such creatures from doing more than just destroying the lives of people....The problem is, we have gotten no where. We believe that there is some higher being in control of the cult, perhaps cloaking it in some way. We don't know, for sure, their motives, but ever since Scarlet, we have found a trail, led by such a clever girl, leading to the cult. Will, the other night, the night of the annual recruiting, had received a note from the cult regarding Scarlet. Eventually, they had found out about her sneaking us trails to the cult, and had said in the note that they had "taken care" of her. The note was sent from a specific address... Naturally, Will was demanding to find out where it would lead. I told Will to be careful, and to only scout from afar...But..." Charlotte looked away, "He is capable of such missions, even ones of high risk...Though, how could I forget that Jem usually came along with him." Charlotte held a pained expression, yet she was not the only one reliving past memories.
"It's okay, Charlotte," Tessa finally answered, shaking off the bittersweet daze, "Will is capable. Whenever we find it impossible to find him, he usually finds a way out himself. And who knows, perhaps he met a duck on the way back and ran into hiding." Somehow, Tessa felt as if something worse had occurred, but did not feel the courage to say so.
"That's not all, Tessa," Charlotte rubbed her eyes warily, her hands tightly gripping a letter. She held the letter out to Tessa, her hand shaking uncontrollably. Henry stood by Charlotte's side, wrapping his arm around her comfortingly.
"What's this?" Tessa snatched the letter, gasping at the Emerald Etching on the front.
"I just got this letter," Charlotte replied unsteadily, taking a deep, shaky breath.
Tessa read the letter once, then twice, her eyes widening in realization. Henry looked from Tessa to Charlotte curiously.
"Oh my..." Tessa covered her mouth, tears pouring out of her eyes.
"What is it? What is this?" Henry looked at Charlotte, who buried her head in her hands. Then, snatching the note from Tessa, Henry began to read.
"Why didn't you tell us until now?" Tessa demanded, panicked by the news. She began to walk back and forth in frustration.
"It's only been a few minutes since I got the letter...And, I...I still can't process," Charlotte heaved a sigh, unable to look at either of her companions, "I apologize, Tessa. I just was trying to help you understand that..."
"No," Tessa replied fiercely, turning on Charlotte, "Don't you dare say it."
"Tessa..." Charlotte began, shocked at Tessa's behavior.
"Stop it, Charlotte, just stop it. We have to find him before...before it's too late," Tessa's eyes pled with Charlotte's, begging her to say something along the lines of, 'It's okay, we'll find him.'
But instead, Charlotte answered with, "It is too late."
Henry looked up from the letter, frowning. "I believe she is right, Tessa."
Tessa looked from Charlotte to Henry, mouth gaping. "How dare you give up on him at all, let alone so quickly!" Tessa shouted, rushing out of the room.
"Tessa, that's not what we--" The door shut behind her.
Immediately when Tessa got past the doors, standing in the hall, she broke down in heart wrenching sobs, using the wall as support as she slowly sunk to the ground in defeat.
"Poor dear," Charlotte shook her head, wiping her tears, "we've all had a hard time."
"It's part of the job, Lottie," Henry replied, putting his hand on top of Charlotte's.
Charlotte remembered when Will had put his hand on her's the night of his disappearance and what he had said. "Tessa must know that I would never give up on finding Will. Yet, he wouldn't want us to put ourselves at risk without hard evidence of his whereabouts."
"Give her time. She will come to her senses, dear. We will stop at nothing to find Will," Henry kissed Charlotte's forehead. "Now, I should probably continue working on the Electroculocation. It could come in need." Charlotte let out a small laugh as Henry left the room.
Charlotte looked back down at the letter, reading it over one last time:

London Institute,
Thanks to Scarlet, we were able to lure one of your kind to our location. He would make just a lovely recruit, don't you think? After all, we've been waiting for a Shadowhunter among the cult. I believe that it is best to say he will find a pleasant time here as our own samurai. Ever heard the phrase, "Not having achieved one's goal, yet seeking to live is cowardice. To die without gaining one's aim is the better alternative"? Let's just say, you'll meet your friend again at your doomed date, or as he makes his way to Death's door.
Until our paths cross,
Phoenix

P.S.
It gives me pleasure to tell you that we have relocated. Seems as though our building has...burnt to the ground recently.