Not Just a Mundane//An Alec Lightwood Story

- 6 -

Selena's POV

"Is this the least revealing thing you have?" Clary asks Isabelle, staring at herself in the mirror in Izzy's room.

I sit on Izzy's bed, already dressed in a gray sweater, black leather pants, and lace-up boots, my brown hair pulled into a ponytail.

"What? All the naughty bits are covered. A little too much, in my opinion," Izzy says with a smirk, and Clary sighs.

"Where's Simon?" Clary asks, clearly distracted.

"Who?" Izzy replies, feigning confusion.

"Come on, Izzy," I chime in, laughing.

"Kidding. He's in good hands with the boys," Izzy reassures us, walking over to sit beside me on the bed.

"So, you, Alec, and Jace are... What, like family?" Clary asks, curious.

I already know the story since Izzy filled me in earlier. She sighs and crosses her legs, her gaze steady on Clary.

"Translation: you want to know if Jace and I are a thing?" Izzy teases.

"Why would I care?" Clary retorts quickly.

"Yeah, right," I scoff, laughing.

"Because you do," Izzy says, raising an eyebrow.

"He's like her brother, Clary," I explain. "Her parents took him in when he was 10. They trained together, learned to fight side by side."

Izzy nods in agreement as Clary processes the information.

"A few days ago, all I had to worry about was getting into art school. And now..." Clary trails off, looking overwhelmed.

"Is this where I give you the pep talk about harnessing your inner Shadowhunter and accepting your true destiny?" Izzy asks, her tone light.

"Was that the pep talk?" Clary asks, not fully convinced.

"Basically," Izzy chuckles, standing up and walking over to her. "Clary, remember, you were meant to do this. No matter what's happened, this is who you are. Who you both are," she adds, glancing at me.

I smile at her and get up to stand beside them.

"Not exactly feeling that," Clary admits, her voice soft.

"Not yet," Izzy reassures her.

"Okay, but first, we have to find Dot," Clary says, shifting focus.

"And we will," I say, crossing my arms confidently.

"But also tracking down the most dangerous rogue Shadowhunter in history before he kills us all?" Izzy adds, raising an eyebrow.

"You really know how to ruin a pep talk, don't you?" Clary quips.

"Come on, let's go. Oh, and Simon—he's kind of nerd-hot," Izzy says with a laugh, heading for the door.

Clary sighs, giving me a look. I grab her hand, squeezing it gently before pulling her along towards the Ops Center. We spot Simon, who's pulling on his jacket, and he heads over to meet us.

"Let's get out of here, just the three of us. We can find Dot ourselves," Simon says confidently.

"Simon, there are demons out there. Actual demons with tentacles that want to murder us. Do you know how to fight them?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm an internet search away," he replies, grinning.

"Simon, I really don't think it's that simple," Clary chimes in as Izzy presses a button on the wall, revealing a rack of weapons.