The Infernal Devices Rewritten

Chapter 2 - Sixty Days Until Hope

Chapter 2

Sixty Days Until Hope

The Institute fell into a pattern; Charlotte spent most of the day in the drawing room and the evening with Henry in the crypt. Gideon read in the corner of the library, occasionally looking up at the two girls at the tables. Jem and Will trained with themselves in the morning before Will went with Evan and Jem went to Tessa. Evan spent the mornings with Cecily in the library, pouring over volumes and maps. Tessa read in her room until the afternoon when she and Jem went to Hyde park. Will trained Evan and Cecily, with Gideon's help every afternoon before the boys would go to get cleaned up for the evening and the girls worked by themselves, getting stronger against each other; Cecily with her knives and Evan progressed to a bow and arrow.

In the evenings, after dinner, Cecily, Will, and Evan were back in the library. Fact by fact; piece by piece, each word that they wrote in the notebooks Evan provided gave them hope and an idea as to what they were looking for. Cecily didn't help as much in the evenings; perhaps only an hour or so until dinner before she went on her own. Gideon, surprisingly, helped on occasion; passing books to them from their chosen sections without a comment. Once or twice a week, Evan disappeared to the crypt with Henry for a few hours with a renewed energy.

They were asked several times by Charlotte, Jem, Tessa and Henry what they were doing.... But they really didn't have an answer. It came down to saying that it was just a mass-research project to pass time. In a way, it was, but with a goal. Magnus Bane wrote to them from Rome, letting them know that he'd be back within 10 days of their sixty-day deadline. Which was perfect, Evan had beamed, absolutely perfect.

Sometimes, Will and Evan stayed up much later than planned to finish a lead. Several times, Evan remarked that she wished that they had sticky-notes (whatever they were, Will had no idea and didn't ask her for fear that he'd interrupt her) but kept a careful log of each book they used and next to each fact, gave the title and page number, if it had one.

Wearing leggings and a sweater and fuzzy socks, three weeks into the the research, Evan was biting the end of the ball-point pen she found with her things. "This doesn't make any sense," She said, making Will look up. "It contradicts everything we've read so far."

"What do you mean?" Cecily asked, frowning.

Evan flipped the page carefully, quickly scanning the pages. She kept her voice low as she said "That it is impossible to imprison a host of Heaven because they are pure - divine." Then she kept reading and sighed, relieved, "Nevermind." But her eyebrows furrowed. Will came up on her shoulder, reading over her shoulder.

The hosts of Heaven cannot be summoned, save Raziel who can only be summoned by the Mortal Instruments.

"I do not think," Will said carefully, "This volume is accurate."

"Agreed." Evan sighed, carefully closing it and walking to put it back on the shelf and grab another. Gideon was in his favorite window seat, not paying attention to anything around him.

"Miss Evan?" Sophie came in with an envelope on a try. "A letter for you, miss."

Evan looked up startled. "A letter? For me?" They met halfway and Evan took the letter, "Thank you, Sophie." Evan smiled anyway and opened it, reading it over. Sophie gave a polite nod before leaving. She handed it to Will almost immediately after.

Miss DeLuca,

I write to you asking to perhaps meet for lunch with Will Herondale to discuss your research thus far. Woolsey and I's trip to Rome had been cut short, and he has happily agreed to allow us to attend to business at his home. Perhaps next Tuesday at noon? Payment is also not necessary; I only ask that you give the Branwells a good word of me for the future - I intend to ask Mr. Branwell to allow me to aid him with a few inventions I hear he had managed to come up with.