Chasing Death (TMI FanFiction) // UNEDITED

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Jonathan was stunned. He had no idea how she had found out about the missing page in the book or how she knew what it said. He was certain that no one else was around when the demon had told him. Then again, it wasn't as if the demon said they were alone, he just launched straight into the topic of the missing pages without checking to see if anyone was listening in. The thought never even crossed his mind. After all, he was in Edom and the possibility of any human or demon listening in just sounded stupid.

He was silent for a long time, contemplating what to say in response. Did he ask her how she knew? Did he ask her whether she was still going through with the original plan? There were so many things he felt like he needed to know but was unsure to ask them. It seemed logical to him that she may lie and tell him that they were changing the plan, that she found out because she tore the page from the book. All manner of different stories could be concocted in this scenario. The only person who knows the truth to one of the questions was the demon. The rest, he had to hope Beth would tell him the truth. 

"How?" he asked, getting to the point as soon as he could. Jonathan realised that there was no point dragging out the question if all he was going to get back a simple answer that may be further from the truth than he realises. 

"It was a dream. You were talking to the same demon I spoke to the other day. I heard everything," Beth confessed, fiddling with her hands so she didn't have to look him in the eye.

"So you know that if we go through with the plan you might not make it?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah. Despite that, I still want to do it," she replied. Jonathan sucked in a mouthful of air and tried to process what she had just said. 

"Are you nuts?" 

"Probably, but I have my reasons, even if some sound more stupid than others."

"Enlighten me. I'm curious as to why you put your own life in danger and whether these points actually mean anything."

"Fine. First of, I want to stop the senseless killings of Shadowhunters, just like you do. We've been through this before when you raised the Endarkened and so many Shadowhunters were lost. It's bad enough that many have turned evil and will probably die with Lilith. We can't risk anyone else dying because you're scared of what might happen to me. Secondly, if we don't do this, we risk Lilith becoming far more powerful and she may even find a way to infiltrate the Mundane world, exposing our secret and killing thousands more.

"Thirdly, I want to prove myself. Not to you or even to Charlie, but to Jocelyn, Elizabeth, all those who think that because I'm part demon I'm going to try to take over the world. They need to know that I'm on their side and sacrificing myself to protect them seems to be the only logical way to go about things. You have to admit Jonathan, it might just work."

"But at what cost? Your life? No. We can find another way around it, a way that doesn't involve you dying because you want to prove yourself. You can't leave me, not now."

Beth looked at her friend and noticed a small trace of a tear on his cheek, something she had never seen him do. No one had ever seen Jonathan cry before and she never expected the first time to be because of her. Despite how upset it would make him, Beth knew there was no away around the plan. People had tried killing Lilith with brute force before and it never ended well as she had an abundance of demons at her disposal. 

Whether they liked it or not, they had to come with a plan but neither of them could agree. Beth was set on the original as it seemed to be the easiest way to go about things without risking the lives of anyone else. Jonathan, however, was so set on a secondary plan that he, himself, would rather still have the demon blood running through his veins. It was almost impossible for them to figure out what to do and both knew they couldn't ask anyone else about it in case they tried to stop it.