Distant Fires of Heaven (The Malevolent Sacrifices #1)

New York

"You have everything? Clothes? Your cello? Durandal?" Emma asked Juliet, for what felt like the 50th time.
Juliet laughed. "Yes, mom! I have everything I need!" Juliet had her things piled by where
the portal had opened up. She could see the tall towers that she remembered as New York City. She could see the breakfast cafe where her and Rose would eat at almost every morning.
She knew the portal was opened right at the gate of the institute, and when she would go through it, she'd be looking at the breakfast cafe, and she'd only have to turn around to stare at the momentous building that she'd be staying at for the summer.
Emma had her hair up in a bun, still in her pajamas, which was just one of Julian's shirts and a pair of leggings.
Julian had come out of the kitchen, holding a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. His hair was a bit tousled, he also still in his pajamas.
Juliet was going to miss her parents, so so much.
"You'll send us pictures, right?" He asked. His shirt stained with paint.
"Of course." Juliet smiled softly. She walked over to her parents and gave them each a hug. Julian kissed the top of her head.
"I can send you pictures from all over New York. Promise you'll paint some?" She asked him.
Julian smiled, they both sharing the same facial expression.
"I will paint whatever you want me to paint." He said to her.
Emma smiled and rested her hand on Juliet's shoulder. "You better go. Magnus said the portal is only open for 20 minutes."
Emma caressed Juliet's cheek in her motherly way, and Juliet smiled softly before walking back over to the portal.
"Wait! Juju! Wait!" Said a small voice.
Juliet turned to see Livia running down the hall. Her blonde hair whipping behind her head like fire.
"Liv!" Juliet said and got down on her knees as Livia came crashing into her arms.
"I was scared I wouldn't get to hug you." Livia whispered to her.
"You just made it." She said to her. Livia pulled away and Juliet cupped her face. "Promise me you'll be good for mom and dad? I won't be here to keep Andy in line. If he does something silly, pull on his hair for me." She smiled.
Livia nodded. The portal reflecting in her little brown eyes.
"I should go." Juliet said and stood back up, gathering her things.
She strapped her cello case onto her back, and picked up her duffel bag in one hand, and held the handle to her suitcase in her other.
She turned back to look at her family one last time, gave them a quick smile and walked through the portal.
It closed behind her, and she saw only darkness for a moment, before she blinked and was standing in front of the institute.
She could see the breakfast cafe across the street, and realized that it wasn't 7:00am in New York, it was actually 10:00am here.
The sun beat down along the traffic as it beeped and waited for pedestrians to cross the street.
The noise was exhilarating, Juliet was so used to hearing the cries of the ocean, she forgot the noises of New York.
She turned around, and stared up at the grand building of the New York institute.
It was golden, and beautiful. It is a tall building, and if Juliet stared at the top, she could see the glass dome that was the rooftop garden.
Juliet reached into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone, texting Rosemary.

J: I'm here! ❣️
R: Be right out! Come through the gates, I'll meet you at the door! 😎

Juliet opened the gate and walked down the long sidewalk to the door, and as Rose said, she met her at the door.

Stephen laughed again. "Look at that! I hit another target! Without even looking! I'm up at 9 now, and you're at 2!"
Ethan Lightwood rolled his eyes. "It's not my fault you have extra angel blood, I think it's normal not to always hit the target."
Ethan got up and took the throwing knife out of the target.
"I think you need to train some more." Stephen said pushing his blonde hair out of his face.
"And I think you should get a hair cut, do we listen to each other? No. Not really." Ethan said and threw the knife, it hit the target. "Hell yeah! Make that three for me!" He laughed.
"My hair is my pride. I won't cut it. Ever." Stephen said and pulled the knife out of the target. "You as my parabatai should honor that." He grinned.
"I think you misunderstood the true honor of parabatai, Steph." Ethan said.
Stephen shrugged and set the dagger down on the table.
Ethan sighed. "What's the matter?"
Stephen just smiled softly. Being parabatai meant being beyond brothers. Ethan could sense when Stephen was upset about something, and vice versa.
Stephen sat down on one of the stools. "I saw my sister yesterday."
"Rose? She lives here." Ethan scrunched his nose in confusion.
"No, not Rose you bimbo. I meant-" he sighed. "I meant Lexa."
Ethan looked down and sighed. "Steph, I know you love her, I know you do. But, you have to accept that-"
Stephen shook his head. "No, no I won't accept that she's dead. She's not dead. By the angel Ethan, I saw her. I. Saw. Her. Alive. She isn't dead." He ran his hand through his hair.
"You should really cut your hair." Ethan said and stood up.
"Where are you going?" Stephen asked and stood up as well.
"Rose's parabatai is coming today? Did you forget? I promised Mason I'd help him make lunch." Ethan said and strolled to the door.
Stephen sighed. "Right."
He followed Ethan out, shutting the door to the training room and the two of them made their way down to the kitchen.
A part of him wished the thought of Lexa didn't make everyone cringe and sad.
He wished Lexa didn't make him sad.
He also wished he could hit Mason with a frying pan, but he respected his younger sister enough not to do that.
He remembered when Rosemary brought Mason back to the institute, and how Stephen had been so fond of Mason, up until they announced they were dating.
Jace and Clary were happy about it, that their daughter was dating Mason Lightwood, the son of Isabelle and Simon.
But Stephen had been annoyed. Mason was 19 at the time, Rose was only 16.
Now they're a year older, it still bothers him. Now, he can't look at Mason without cringing.
He still considers hitting Mason with a frying pan regardless.
Ethan had turned down a corridor awhile ago, Stephen stayed straight, heading towards the front door.
He wasn't looking for any bonding time with Mason, even tho Mason's brother was his parabatai.
He heard a couple of voices coming from the entrance.
"When the hell did you get a tattoo?" That was Rose who spoke.
"A few months ago! My parents are cool with it! They  like expression, and you know my dad is a painter, expressing stuff through art is his thing." Stephen listened to this new voice. It sounded like heaven in his ears.
This couldn't be Juliet. No way this was Juliet.
He remembered this awkward young 13 year old Juliet Blackthorn. Her cello looked to big for her to carry. Her hair was such a mess of curls, and she only wore clothes that had flowers on it.
Stephen felt bad for picking on her when she was younger. Maybe Rose was right, maybe they could patch things up.
He made his way towards the entrance, and he had to stop walking.
No. That could not be Juliet Blackthorn.
Although, it had been 4 years since he last saw her. After his training at the Shadowhunter Academy, he stayed in Idris with his parents until he was 17 and moved back to New York.
He looked at her now. She didn't look awkward, she looked full, and voluminous. She still wore floral clothing, although it was soft clothing. Currently she wore a muted maroon, off the shoulder top. Her shirt had patterns of white flowers printed on it, and she matched the shirt with black shorts. She wore a silver necklace around her neck, a cello pendant that winked at him in the witchlight. 
Her skin was sun-kissed, and her blue eyes were like staring into the ocean itself, he could find himself drowning in them.
Already, he was thinking of ways to describe her on paper.
An angel of water, one strike from her could cause anyone to drown in her beauty.
He took a deep breath, and shook his head lightly. No girls, he told himself. Especially not Rose's parabatai. Whom he was sure hated him.
Human hearts are not made to be trampled on, Rose had said to him.