Angelic

Alec ~ 25

"Alec!"

I looked over, relieved to find Izzy walking in my direction, her long black hair flying behind her. There was a big smile on her face, her eyes wild. It made me forget about Ev for the moment.

I was thankful she was interrupting Magnus and I. Once Ev had left, we hadn't done much talking. More like we stood on opposite sides of the circular table, awkwardly looking anywhere in the room except at each other. The tension was beginning to make me claustrophobic.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's a party, Alec." Izzy said, stopping by my side. "You're supposed to have fun and not be brooding." She turned then, looking at Magnus. "Hey, Magnus. I didn't know Ev knew you."

"We've met once or twice." He said, forcing a friendly smile onto his face. "I was dropping by--wanted to say hello to Ev, but now that I have, I have other business to do concerning a comfortable leather couch and a juicy soap opera back at my place."

Neither one of us stopped him from leaving, but we did watch him walk away, nearly running into one of the people Ev had called stilt walkers.

I turned back to Izzy. "Why are you here again?"

Izzy scowled, putting her hands on her hips. "I was going to take some pictures with my brothers, but seeing as how you're already busy sulking..." She turned around, beginning to walk away, but I grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Wait." I told her.

"You could at least sound a bit enthusiastic about my invitation." She retorted.

I sighed. Then, it the most fake voice I could muster, said, "Why, Izzy, I've been waiting all night for you to talk to me. Of course I would want to take a picture with you. Can I get your autograph after, too?"

She rolled her eyes, but only said, "Follow me," before walking into the crowd.

While following her, I was surprised to find how many people Ev knew that were from New York, considering that she had only been here about two weeks and had been kidnapped for half the time.

Finally, I caught sight of Izzy's black hair again, blending into the darkness while the golden-hairs boy who stood next to her was like a spotlight against the shadows.

"Why do you want a picture with us again?" Jace asked, standing next to Izzy.

"Ev told me about this thing mundanes use called a photo booth. It's really interesting." Izzy explained.

She motioned us towards a big box that was at least six feet tall. There was an opening in the side of it, covered by a curtain. Izzy pulled us into the booth. It was a tight fit. Somehow, we managed to all find some room on the bench inside before a screen in front of us began to flash over and over. By the time it stopped, I was seeing flashes of white in my vision.

"Why do mundanes like these again?" I asked as we came out of the booth. I began to run my eyes, trying to get my vision back.

"No wonder they go blind by age forty." Jace added. "So how does Ev know so much this mundane stuff, Alec?"

I opened my eyes, surprised to see both of them staring curiously at me. "Why are you asking me?"

"Because despite hating her so much, you spend more time with her than either of us." Jace said.

I sighed, rubbing my eyes. The flash from the camera was giving me a headache. "Her best friend is a mundane." I finally explained.

I heard them both gasp.

"What?" Izzy sounded like she didn't believe me. "But when she came here... She told me Elites are more biased about other species than normal Shadowhunters. She doesn't even talk to warlocks unless it's completely necessary. She hates Downworlders. Why would she choose to spend her time with a mundane?"