Colliding Hearts #Wattys2017

Chapter 12- Is It A Curse

"Why did you come here?" Alec spoke in a horse voice.

His body ached and he wanted nothing more than shower and sleep. He hadn't felt this drained since the war, and he was left feeling confused as to why he felt this way. He had woken to see Emerson leaving the infirmary and almost as if it was second nature he had moved, jumping from the bed and following her, ignoring the questions of his family. He wasn't certain why he had focused solely on her or why he suddenly felt this urge to, he wasn't certain what the urge was but it was there.

Emerson, who sat at a decent sized round table, looked up from her bowl of cereal Alec had surprisingly fixed for her. She had watched him, making sure he didn't do anything to it and the second he set it down she had jumped onto the kitchen chair and started eating.

She wasn't certain why she was hungry all the time, normally she only used food as a distraction, a reason to fill in gaps of time or silence, but the last few hours she felt as if she couldn't eat enough. Her eyes flickered across the table to his, watching as he wiped sweat from his forehead, causing his hair to stick up even more. Emerson wrinkled her nose, she hated sweaty people.

"You should shower." She said as she drank the rest of the milk and placed the bowl back on the table.

She wasn't as hungry as before but even she was curious about why she was eating so much. Another thing she had grown curious about was why she was here, why she had cared so much if he was in pain or not. She was finding that the longer she spent around Magnus and Shadowhunters, the more curious she was becoming and she wasn't certain if she liked that newly developing aspect of herself.

"I will after you answer my question. You shouldn't be here." Alec spoke, clearing his throat and wiping the sheen of sweat on his jeans. His blue eyes widened slightly as he processed his words. He hadn't meant to say that out loud but the look from Emerson told him she didn't care about what he had said. He wondered if she cared about anything anyone had to say.

"Magnus wanted to follow you, you have the same mark. It looks painful." She commented tapping her spoon against the glass bowl.

"It was." He replied firmly. He was afraid of what came with the burn mark, it had came out of nowhere and if he still didn't feel the stinging he wouldn't believe it had really happened.

"I was passed out when I got mine. It happened the night my mom was killed. Do you know if Shadowhunter souls go to heaven?" Her question was innocent and caught him off guard. Her eyes shone with unshed tears and a sadness that caused Alec to feel immense pity for the girl. She had lost the woman who raised her only three days ago; she probably hasn't even realized the fact just yet.

"Yes, they go to heaven." Alec spoke in a certain tone, he knew their bodes were burned and the ashes used to better strength institutes all across the world but he had never been told what happened to the souls.

For Emerson's sake he settled with telling the girl yes and smiled slightly at the thankful look that passed through her green eyes. Emerson began to look around the kitchen, allowing him to study her eyes. Alec settled on the color being a grass color, bright and pure.

The freckles that spread out along her button nose and cheeks weren't dark but they were visible from where he sat. Her hair seemed brighter with more orange hues than Clary's. Her skin was smooth and he wondered if it was as soft as it appeared. It was that last thought that had him shaking his head slightly and looking away.

"Who is The Anahera?" Emerson's question caught him off guard. He turned to see that she had stood and was digging in the cabinets, searching for junk food if he had to guess. He wondered why she was eating so much.