A Shadowed Romance

Chapter 2: Parabatai

Chelsea:

Months pass by and finally I get to go home. They couldn't cure me, but they managed to find a rune that would stop the yin-fen from disabling my runes. "Thank you so much." I tell the sisters as I stand outside the citadel waiting for Brother Enoch. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me." I have Malachi with me. A blade that the sisters made, named Michael, they made for me to take with me back to Chicago. He was designed to help with the rune the brothers put on me to counteract the yin-fen.

Miss Carstairs, Brother Enoch comes to the gate and I go to meet him. I turn back to the sisters who are already going back to the safety of the citadel. As you know you cannot speak of what went on behind the walls of the citadel. I nod and follow him to the waiting car.

~.~.~

"Entreat me not to leave thee,
Or return from following after thee—
For whither thou goest, I will go,

And where thou lodgest, I will lodge.

Thy people shall be my people and thy God my God.

Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried.

The Angel do so to me, and more also,

If aught but death part thee and me."

We both complete the ceremony and are bound together by drawing the rune. Andrew, my ex-boyfriend, of now half a year, smiles with a nod as it finishes. We manage to make the friends after breakup work. He's one of my closest friends, which is good since there aren't many shadowhunters left after the Mortal War and the Chicago institute is especially short on shadowhunters.

"Happy Birthday, and welcome home." Theo says after the ceremony ends and we both leave the circles. He embraces me in hug after putting his shirt back on. Some of our friends from Idris come to congratulate us, and the council congratulates us. I watch as the silent brothers leave none looking back, except one.

"Thanks Theo." I tell him, "This is the best birthday present anyone could give me." I tell him putting my hand over my parabatai rune, on my left, just above my heart.

"Congrats Chelsea." Andrew says.

"Thanks Andrew." I tell him.

"Hi," A boy with dark brown hair greets me, "Congratulations."

"Chels, this is Harrison, James, and Bethany. The new members of the Chicago Institute, they got here the day you left." Theo points each of them out to me.

"Hi," I greet them.

"CHELSEA!!" Sasha and Olivia run over and squish me into a hug.

"Hi guys." I greet them. "I'm glad to see I was missed."

"Of course, you were missed you'd be crazy if you thought you wouldn't be. They've got us outnumbered without you!" Olivia says. She and Sasha both pull back and grin at me.

"And only you can keep Theo in line." Sasha says giving her brother a playful glare.

"Is that the only reason you keep me around?" I joke back.

"Oh, and your amazing cooking skills!" Olivia adds with a grin.

"That's going to be a while." I admit smiling at being back with my friends my cane still in hand, but I can draw on some of Theo's strength already.

"Vanessa wants us to patrol the lake tonight, which is in like fifteen minutes. Are you up to it?" Theo asks me. I look at him for a minute wondering who Vanessa is, but remember that Helen was called back to Idris, and I didn't get a chance to say goodbye before Vanessa Blackthorn began heading up the Chicago Institute.