The Scarlet Letter

Chapter Five

A/N: Hiya guys! I'm sorry this chapter took a while! I had a touch of writer's block. I try to give myself time for inspiration to hit when this happens because I don't want to force out a half-assed chapter for the sake of getting an update out. I feel that slow updates but better quality writing is better than the alternative. I hope you guys agree (:

Disclaimer: I don't own The Mortal Instruments or Shadowhunters.

Chapter Five

The following weekend, Alec managed to avoid the glaring eye of The Letter. Isabelle didn't force him to sit at the front of the crowd so he was able to blend in at the back or even slip out the front for some fresh air occasionally. The freedom made his experience much more enjoyable in comparison to when his sister was breathing down his neck to make sure he was seeing what she wanted him to see.

As usual, the Letter was packed. Saturday was their best night of the weekends and even if what Alec had said about there being lines stretching around corners was a slight exaggeration, there were still plenty of people who had to wait outside until there was a table free. To be honest, this was what Alec believed to be the establishment's flaw. It was always packed full. It was always loud and full. For business, that was great. More than great, amazing. But the Letter was not big enough to accommodate the numbers that visited on a regular basis. It was big but the sheer amount of people that came during the weekend meant that it got packed out way too easily.

Isabelle had mentioned something earlier in the day about Maryse wishing to expand but not having the funds for it just yet. Maybe that's why she was seeking out more investors. They currently had enough sponsors as it was to pay for the Letter in its current state but if they wished to make themselves larger through expansion, they were going to need more funds.

While the live band was playing, Alec decided to slip backstage for a while. He needed to hear himself think and wandering around on his own wasn't exactly desirable. When Jace and Isabelle were busy during the week, he usually spoke to Maia, but on a day like this one there was barely an opportunity to see Maia, let alone try to talk to her. Besides, as boring and nerdy as it sounded, Alec really needed to keep up with his work.

Logic dictated that Alec should just stay at Isabelle's apartment on the nights she must work. He usually left the Letter on weekdays around eight or nine, whereas Isabelle herself never returned until nearly three or four in the morning. He got a lot of work done during that time but Alec was paranoid. Being away from school made him itchy, like there was always something he was missing. He knew the point of this trip was to spend time with his family and get to know his parents again but Alec's paranoia meant that he tried to cram work into spaces it really shouldn't be crammed into. He had to make sure that he wasn't going to fall behind on anything, even though his classes weren't even running right now. It was just the sort of person he was.

Backstage, everyone had their own dressing room. Alec had only ever been in Isabelle's but the size of the room quietly exposed how all the money the Letter earned had to go front and centre where their patrons would notice it, while the performers had to suffer the lack of expense behind the scenes. Due to the atrocious sizing of the dressing rooms, there was a communal room at the very end of the corridor where makeup could be done and performers could hang around and chat before their shows. Isabelle told Alec he was welcome to frequent the communal room if he so wished. So, that's where he decided to go.

On his way to the door that led backstage, Alec passed the table that Maryse had booked for Valentine and his son. The pair didn't seem all too invested in the live band from but Alec could tell from the looks in their dark eyes that they were analysing everything going on around them. In a way, he didn't blame them. They were going to be putting money into an establishment, they had to make sure that it was worth it and they weren't going to lose money because of it.