Who I am

The Truth Comes Out

"Ari." A voice calls from the dark. I open my eyes and I don't see gold, but hazel green.

"Jared? What are you doing here? What time is it?" I ask, not wanting to sit up. I see the clock. 2:30.

"How long was I out?" I ask again.

"You've been out since 1:15." He answers. I sigh.

"Great. I passed out again." I mutter.

"Again? What do you mean again?" I wave my hand, signaling to forget it.

"What are you doing here?" I truthfully am curious.

"I wanted to make sure you're ok." He shrugs.

My eyes snap open. He's the only person I don't see, or hear. "Jace!" I gasp, sitting up. Well, kind of. I try and sit up, but land back down, a wave of initial dizziness washing over me.

"Who's that?" He asks. I turn red, and blush.

"I-I, I thought a friend would be here." I mutter. I lay back down, heat in my cheeks.

"And he is." Another voice calls.

Jared starts. He didn't see the boy dressed in black, with golden hair reaching his ears, and golden eyes to match. "Jace!" I say, actually being able to sit up. He walks over and puts his arms around me. I guess he was worried.

"How you feeling?" He asks, swinging a chair around. I nod.

"Better. How long have you been there?" I ask, another blush rising to my cheeks.

"Since I sensed you were in trouble." He answers.

"The two of you mind explaining what's going on? You know each other?" Jared demands, looking between the two.

"Yes. This is-" He cuts me off.

"Jace. I heard. You muttered it more than once when you were out." He says, with a mildly strained voice.

"Yeah, well, he's my best friend, and um..." I trail off, unsure what to say.

"I'll be back. I still have to explain this whole thing with Alec and Iz." He kicks the chair back and strolls from the room.

"So what were you going to say? About saying I'd think you were insane if you said this?" My throat freezes. I have to tell him, no going back.

"I am a Shadowhunter."

"A what? Are you sure you didn't hit your head?"

"Let me finish. I am human, but I'm also half angel. I can see things others can't. Demons, monsters, angels, though I've never actually seen an angel. I can also see things you see, but just don't know it's there. Vampires, lycanthropes, warlocks, faeries. They have glamours, something that allows you not to see anything that mundanes cannot understand." I start to talk again, but Jared holds a hand up.

"What the hell is a mundane? And what does this have to do with you and the scratches?"

"I said let me finish. Mundanes are human, you guys that aren't Shadowhunters. The reason for the scratches and gashes, not just on my cheek and arm, is that was a demon. A Greater Demon. It almost killed me. It injected some of my venom into me, and so that's why I passed out. The last time I had a cut on the cheek, that was an Oni, not the Greater Demon.

"The black Marks, those are runes, they can be used for anything, sight, healing, anything. Just not food. This," I pull out my stele. "Is a stele. This is what my runes are written with. I also have weapons in my belt. Concentrate. The glamour will peel off." His brow furrows and I feel like I'm being stripped of camouflage.

"What? You've had daggers and those things with you every day?" I nod.

"You cannot tell anyone. Technically I'm breaking the Law. I'm not supposed to tell mundanes about the Shadow Realm."

"I promise. I won't."

"Swear on the Angel."

"I swear on the Angel. But what about the bad dreams? What were they from?"

"I told you. I saw you dead. You, Jace, Alec, and Izzy. It was dreams of me watching you die, or I killed you, which I did in the last one. I'd wake up screaming, with a cold sweat, and crying. I couldn't eat, or sleep much." I meet his gaze.

"I didn't know that's what you saw." He murmurs. "I'm sorry I brushed it off as nothing." He can't meet my gaze.

"It's ok." He looks at me.

"So, this Jace guy, he's a Shadowhunter too?" I give a curt nod.

"Yes. He trains me when I get home, to the Institute. That's where I live. Not at home. That is my home though." I brighten up.

"So what about this Alec and Isabelle?" I swing my legs over the side of the cot.

"What are you doing?" He stands with me.

"Come on, let's meet the crew." I walk toward the door.

*Jace POV*

"So what happened? You can feel her?" Alec paces across from Jace.

"Sort of. I just felt a heat wave, dizziness, then my vision blanked out. Then it went away, like a connection was cut off. That's when I knew when she was in trouble. I can't describe it." Jace explains.

"Then you came here and she was there passed out." Isabelle affirms. He nods.

"I told you, I can't explain it. I just sense her. I don't know why. I'm not related to her. But it's like the parabatai connection."

"You only have one rune, though." Alec points out. Jace checks.

"Right. I only have one rune, and it's yours." Isabelle gasps.

"I've read about this. Hodge didn't tell us. But I was reading in the library when I read about those kind of connections. It's telekinetic. You can connect with each other using either strong emotions, or with your minds."

"So you think we have that connection? That would explain some things." He mutters, putting a hand to his chin.

"What?" Isabelle peers closer, getting up from her chair.

"I sensed that there was something bothering her when she was having those nightmares, I felt it and knew something was wrong before the screaming." Her eyes widen.

"I didn't think it was true. I thought the only connections were from parabatai. I guess not." She says.