Chasing Death (TMI FanFiction) // UNEDITED

Chapter Ten

The room fell into a stunned silence. Beth looked at her uncle and then back at her parents. None of them were looking at her, they were either looking at the ground or a spot on the wall above her head. Jocelyn stood by the window, her face pale and her hands gripping the windowsill tightly. Beth knew she was having flashbacks. Back to the time she found out what Jonathan really was, how he acted, how he behaved. 

Very slowly, Jocelyn turned away from the window. She took a deep breath as she faced Beth and began to speak. "I want you out," she said. Charlie looked up with a shocked expression. His eyes looked bloodshot, as though he'd been crying or something. 

"Mom, you can't be serious," Clary spoke up. She hadn't said anything since I entered the room so hearing her speak out was a little odd. 

"I am serious. You saw what happened to Jonothan. I will not be under the same roof as someone who may turn out just like him." The tone in her voice was definite. She had made up her mind, Beth was going to have to leave. Not that that was a bad thing, she had wanted to come home ever since she arrived and this was the perfect opportunity. 

"Jocelyn, you can't. She's already been attacked twice, one at home and once here. If you send her back, who know what'll happen. She's not like Jonathan," Charlie butted in. 

"And how would you know?"

"I raised her! I know what she's like. Jonathan was evil from day one. Beth was scared to kill a spider when she was eight. Does that sound like something a demon would do? The only thing that's slightly similar is her fighting ability. Other than that, she's a big softy."

"I don't care. I want her gone by the end of the end of the day and that's final." Jocelyn walked away from the window and out the door. Luke followed her, calling her name as she stalked down the hallway. Luke's voice faded away and so did Jocelyn's footsteps. No one said a word for several minutes. It was as if no one knew exactly how to react.

"You lied to me. Again!" Beth yelled. Charlie looked from the wall to her. Her parents looked up in surprise, both of them had bloodshot eyes, just like Charlie. "Making me believe my parents were dead is one thing, but not telling me I'm part demon is something on a completely different scale!"

"Beth, please. None of this was my idea. It was all your parents. They thought it would be easier to lie to you than tell you the truth. At least this way, you had the chance to be a normal kid. Well, as normal as a Shadowhunter," Charlie said. 

Beth was overloaded with new information. There was way too much for one person to comprehend. First, she was told her parents were alive, then she finds out she's being targeted by Rouges, and then she finds out she's part demon. It was way too much for anyone to cope with. Let alone a teenager who's filled with adolescent angst. 

"I need some air." That was all she said before she left the room. No one dared to come after her, they decided it was best to leave her alone with her thoughts rather than try and explain everything to her. 

Once outside, Beth felt calmer. She was away from her uncle and away from her parents. She was finally able to think about the information she had been told. The one question that hadn't been fully answered was why they lied. She didn't believe the idea that they did it to protect her. That had been used too many times to make it believable. The fact of the matter was, they lied to her and won't even tell her why. It wasn't so much the information that made her head spin, it was the lack of knowledge as to why they lied. 

Beth had been walking for what felt like ages before she decided it was time to turn back. She had had enough time to think and cool off. She had to face her parents head on. It was that simple. "I have to confront them," She said to herself. So, on the walk back to the Institute, she began to think up ways to call them and ways to respond without showing too much emotion. She also figured out ways to tell them how she felt.