Not Just a Mundane//An Alec Lightwood Story

- 5 -

Selena's POV

When we reached the Ops Center, I spotted Jace and Clary standing with Simon. Without thinking, I broke away from the group and sprinted toward Simon, tackling him into a hug.

"Simon!" I exclaimed, feeling a surge of relief as his arms wrapped around me.

"Hey, Sel. What are you doing here?" he asked, clearly surprised.

"I've been here with Clary," I explained.

"Did you know about all of this?" Simon asked, eyes wide as he gestured around.

"I do now. I'll explain everything later, when we have a moment," I replied, moving to stand beside Alec.

Alec's voice cut through the room, his tone sharp. "Okay, what is going on here? Why is there another mundane in the Institute?"

Jace answered, his expression serious. "A Circle member followed him to get to Clary." The words sent a chill through me, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around myself.

"What exactly is a Circle member, and why are they trying to kill us?" Simon asked, looking bewildered.

"All we know is... a long time ago, the Circle led a revolt. A lot of Shadowhunters were killed, including my father," Jace explained, his voice taking on a somber tone.

I shivered again, and before I knew it, a jacket was draped over my shoulders. Glancing back, I saw Alec without his jacket, offering me a weak smile. I nodded my thanks and slipped my arms through the sleeves, feeling warmer.

" And since the revolt, we've been forbidden to even hear about the Circle" Alec continued, his voice low and tense.

" But how is that even possible? It's your history," Clary spoke up, confused.

" Says the girl who didn't even know she was a Shadowhunter," Jace shot back with a smirk.

Clary sighed, acknowledging his point. " Yeah,  yeah you're right. And now the only person who knows the truth is missing so I don't care about your rules or what's forbidden, I'm... There's got to be someone out there who can tell us why they've taken my mother." 

As Clary spoke, Jace and Alec moved toward Izzy, who was busy at the monitor.

" There is. You coming?" Jace asked, already heading toward the training room.

Clary and Simon followed, but Jace quickly stopped Simon in his tracks.

" Whoa whoa whoa. Where do you think you're going? You stay here," Jace said firmly.

" Hey, we're a package deal," Clary countered, standing her ground.

" Yeah." Simon agreed, puffing out his chest in solidarity.

Jace scoffed. " There are runes all over the training room floor that would kill your mundie boyfriend."

" Not her boyfriend," I muttered under my breath, catching a smile from Izzy.

 "He's not my—" Clary started to protest.

"I'm not—" Simon blurted at the same time, flustered.

I couldn't help but laugh at the pair of them.

"We're, uh, just friends," Simon clarified awkwardly.

"Best friends," Clary corrected, glancing at him.

"Yeah. And I'm tough. I can handle runes. So, uh, bring on the runes. What exactly are runes?" Simon rambled.

"They give Shadowhunters our demon-fighting powers," Izzy explained patiently, and Simon turned to her with wide eyes.