My Brother The Crow

Chapter 4

Alec looks at me skeptically. Giving me a strange look trying to make eye contact with me when I say my last is name Ravenwood. Instead I look over to Isabelle, "Your family lives in the Institute right? I mean you brought me over there earlier, but. . ."

She shook her head, "Yeah, we do."

"Cool, so I'll probably stay here for a little longer."

"Great. Well do you want to go now?"

"Yeah that sounds great!" Wow, exclamation much? I never sound that happy.

***

By the time we get to the Institute Charlie still hasn't flown back to me, not that I'm worried, we've gotten into minor arguments before. The others have already gone back I stay back sitting on the steps, I told them I needed some more air.

Suddenly I hear flapping of wings and then there's some weight on my left shoulder. "Thought you left me silly bird." I mutter. Getting up I slip inside the the large building. I try to step quietly figuring everyone must've gone to bed, but instead my footsteps echo loudly as I walk up the stairs and down the hall.

"Where're you going?" A voice breaks the quiet atmosphere startling me. I jump and trip over my feet, Charlie flutters his wings a bit until I regain my balance. I look to my right and see Alec leaning against a pillar. "You scared me."

"So?"

"What?" What was the question? Where am I?" Who am I?" No! Where am I going? That's what it was! "I was gonna go find a room."

His posture straightens and he walks over to me, still keeping his distance. "Izzy went to bed, but she cleaned up a room for you."

"O, okay." He starts walking and I catch up with him, checking my pace to make it even with his.

"So your last name's Ravenwood."

"Yep."

"What are you doing on your own? Like what about your family?"

My family. My family. My family. . . O! he means my Ravenwood family. I know, I know, I say Ravenwood is my name, but in reality I've never actually met anyone from their clan. A little embarrassing to say the least. I don't even remember the last time someone asked me this, what did I even say the last time?

"I'm just traveling around, they're back in Idris."

"You are. They came over here one time to meet us, they never said anything about you."

I am pannn-iccckk-ing, I sing in my head. Shit. Did they really? He must be making it up. Just play along, why would he lie? "Yeah, I remember that. I couldn't come because I was sick."

He stops walking. And I catch myself and stop walking too. Charlie shifts his feet on my shoulder, he must be panicking also.

"I just lied," he stands up straight suddenly making me feel very small, "When I brought you over to Magnus, he called you a Crow, and I've never heard of Crow, as a Shadowhunter name before."

"Yeah, well you see. Uhm. . ." I've gotten into situations like this before. C'mon. "Magnus is an old friend of mine, and . . . He used to call me crow!" I say speedily, quite unsure of myself. I'm not very short, and compared to Alec, we almost see eye to eye. But how he's looking at me now makes me feel very small and insignificant, and makes him look very intimidating.

His stare is burning holes into me I'm sure, but something catches his eye and his eyes look down at my neck. "What is that?"

My left hand flies to my thorn necklace that wraps itself around my neck. "Just a necklace." I say, glad that the subject of my last name was dropped.

"It looks like it's real." He slowly takes his hand and acts like he's going to touch it, but Charlie squawks and nips at his hand.

"You infernal bird, stop it."

"So about your last name?"

"It's Ravenwood."

"Really?" He laughs almost, like I just told him a joke, then nods. And starts walking again. After I catch up with him I ask, "So you're a Lightworm."

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"It was a joke between some of my old friends. The one, his name was Will. Before he became good friends with the Lightwoods, he used to call 'em Lightworms." I laugh a little remembering when Gabriel and Gideon's father actually turned into a worm.

We stop walking as Alec stops at a door. "Here you are."

"Thanks," I open the door and slip in: he turns to walk away, but before he get out of earshot I say, "It is Crow."

I close the door and drop my jacket alongside the bed, before practically collapsing on the mattress. I stop myself though and go to open out up the window. Charlie perches on the window sill and I go to bed. My whole body relaxes, the last time I slept in a real bed was forever ago.

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Sorry for the crappy chapter, I promise after this things will start speeding up and getting better. Can we try to get to maybe 35 views before I update again? Thank you so much! Comment, vote?