The Infernal Devices Rewritten

Chapter 2 - Reparations

Chapter 2

Reparations

As soon as everyone was safely back at the Institute, Evan was racing to change and was in the Great Library (which she has come to love) in jeans, a purple crewneck sweatshirt and converse; her hair pulled out of the knot and into a messy bun on the top of her head. She met everyone else just in time to see the Silent Brothers as they dropped off mountains of papers of their archives. Evan hardly looked fazed as the voice of Brother Enoch echoed through all of their heads to explain what was from which time.

"You know, Evan," Charlotte said as they sat down. "This is not your duty. You needn't help if you don't want."

"I only won't help if you don't want me to, Mrs. Branwell." Evan replied.

Charlotte exhaled, clearly relieved. "Very well, could you look through these?" Charlotte pushed a considerably small stack of papers Evan's way but Evan didn't complain. In fact, she brought will her a fresh notebook that she'd found with her things. Things she needed tended to pop out, not that she was complaining. Although, no one seemed to notice as she wrote and did math in the margins of the notebook.

No one spoke for several hours. Jessamine read her thick book with a such sluggishness that Evan was almost ready to take it from her herself, at least Evan knew what they needed - even if no one else did.

Eventually, Evan's head rested on her folded arm as she read through each paper and made her notes. She hardly paid attention to Jessamine, Charlotte and Will as they spoke irritably.

Until...

"If you think I don't have the experience to help, then why are they here?" Evan looked over to Jessamine as she jabbed her thumb at Tessa and her. "I don't mean to be rude, but do you think they could tell a binding spell from a summoning one? Well can you?"

Evan interrupted her before she could turn to Will and make everyone more irritated. "At least when we help, we don't complain, Jessamine." Her words surprised everyone.

"Were you even reading?" Jessamine snapped back, her face flushed.

"Yes. And taking notes. You forget, my father made me do things like this for punishment. Which is pretty dumb considering that I enjoy things like this. At least this time, I'm not going to be kicked out the the library." Evan shot her a sour smile. She held up the notebook which was already very full with notes. "Mortmain and his father look exactly alike, by the way. And his father never had any record of being married. In fact, Mortmain-senior claimed that Axel was adopted. Fishy, isn't it?"

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Will asked bitterly.

"Because I just read it, twpsyn." Evan rolled her eyes, handing over the article.

"How does this discovery have any relation to food?" Jem asked, his silver eyes sparkling with the jest.

"You'll have to wait a century to know," Evan said, tapping Henry. She slid the article from Will to Henry, "Look."

Henry read it, standing up to show Charlotte before noticing that she was gone. After that, Evan zoned out, flicking through her notes and pulling details from each page to fit together. She looked up to see Will walk out but didn't look up again until Jem snapped his fingers next to her ear.

"Bed, Evan," Jem instructed.

Evan sighed, getting up. "Fine, good morning!" She chirped, beating Tessa and Jem to the door to go to the opposite end of the Institute.  

*unedited*