𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝒊.𝒊𝒙. 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞
━━ 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈

The only sound that could be heard through the Institute were their running steps as they rushed to the Infirmary. Soon, Alec had been put in a white-sheeted bed and Hodge was already bent over him, doing everything in his power to get the boy to wake up. Isabelle and Aria remained with him, getting the man everything he could possibly need, but Jace preferred to stay outside. Aia had to fight the urge to go and join him, to make sure that he was okay, but she knew better than that. She had loved enough fights to know that Jace preferred to be alone, even though she knew he was probably blaming himself for every single scratch they had received. She had barely noticed it herself before, probably due to the adrenaline, but her own arm was bleeding profusely.

Hodge was just as nervous as they were. Nothing of what he was doing was working and they knew that what had happened to Alec was outside of their possibilities. There was only a group of people that could help them.

Aria nodded when Hodge asked her to go tell Jace what was happening. She opened the doors to the Infirmary and had to clear her throat to get the attention of the boy. He was standing there, with Clary, close enough for them to kiss (or have kissed already). In normal circumstances, she would either send them a retort or let herself feel angry at the sight but, at that moment, her mind was only on Alec.

"Is he okay?" Jace approached her, his voice soft.

"Nothing of what Hodge is doing works. He's going to contact the Silent brothers, although we don't know when they will get here."

"I know they come at their own discretion but for this— he might die otherwise."

"He might," Aria answered, her voice breaking in the process. It was gut-wrenching having to pronounce such words but that was their life. They could die at any moment, irrespective of their age, and they had learnt to accept it, some way or another.

Hodge got out of the Infirmary and walked to the Library, Jace and Clary following behind. Aria, on the other hand, walked back into the room. Isabelle was sitting on her brother's bed, his hand on hers and her eyes closed. As soon as she heard the doors open, however, she looked back up.

"He'll be okay," Aria whispered, hugging her. "The Silent Brothers can cure anything."

"I just— What was he thinking? Why would he do that? He's never done that before," Isabelle spoke. She was trying hard not to cry but she did not accomplish it. She broke out in sobs as Aria stroked her hair.

"Do you remember what Alec told us when we were younger and we were crying over a game?"

Isabelle let out a choked laugh, "that crying was wasting all the milkshakes we had drunk that day."

"Don't let the milkshakes go to waste, he would have an aneurysm. Especially because he pays them all," Aria tried to cheer her up. Both girls stayed there, Isabelle's hand still gripping Alec's as they waited for Hodge to return and tell them that the Silent Brothers were on their way.

━━━━━━━━

While they waited for someone to come and update them, both girls had fallen asleep, one on top of the other in Alec's bed. When Aria opened her eyes, it was already dark outside and her neck was killing her from the awful position she had ended up in. She took a look out the window and, letting Isabelle sleep a bit more, got out of the Infirmary.

The Institute was silent, almost eerily so, but she did not mind it. The building was so big that it was almost impossible to hear if anyone was there at all. She walked to the Library, but found it completely deserted. That set her on edge, since Hodge rarely left it, let alone left it in such a state. She called for him but the only thing she heard in return was her own voice echoing along the walls.