Detained [2] 《SHADOWHUNTERS》

Chapter Twenty-Four

Andina wasn't always a rational person. Despite being raised as a super soldier and taught to cloak her emotions, she found herself fueling her decisions with feelings quite often. And that night, as she lay in bed and stared up at her dark ceiling, she made a stupid decision.

She wasn't a master thief by any means. She really only knew how to steal from her friends, which she avoided doing in fear of breaching their trust. She used to steal weapons from Jace and snoop through his room to no end, but that was only because she highly doubted he would leave her if he found out. She didn't do it anymore; she wanted her family to respect her privacy and figured she owed them all the same favor.

All of those values swept away from her in the moment she heard Alec's door shut. He must've been training. She pulled herself out of bed and grabbed a pair of boots and an old fleece to counter the cold. She slipped out into the hallway and glanced at the bottom of every doorway. Jace and Izzy's rooms were dark, as well as the room Clary had been staying in. Alec's was lit up vibrantly.

Her schemes were too tempting to turn back now.

She used her knowledge of Alec's habits to her advantage, sneaking into his bedroom about three minutes after his light went out and she heard his shower start. She didn't have a soundless rune on, so she made sure to be extra careful with her footing as she eyed the light that trailed from the crease of the bathroom door.

She let out a sigh of relief when she saw his stele perched neatly on the top of his dresser, glad he didn't take it into the bathroom with him. Lacking forethought and breezing through the expectations of being caught in the act, she snatched it up and left the room quickly.

She made her way to the elevator, the sliding doors spilling light onto the carpet runner in hallway. She used the Lightwood stele to unlock access to the lowest level of the Institute's basement. The car shifted slightly and she felt her heart lurch with it, thinking that maybe she should have run her idea past Alec before jumping into action.

She took a deep breath in and counted to three as the elevator dinged and slowed to a stop. She let it out quickly before the doors could open. She didn't want to show any weakness. No, she was here right now to prove a point.

The metal doors separated with the hiss of pressure being released. She tucked the stele into her back pocket and stepped out onto the concrete floor.

The room was dark, the only light coming from the glass cell that sat at the other end, a good twenty feet away from her. She could see the figure bound to a chair from here, and she watched him look up as soon as she began to walk forward. There was a box on a chair along the wall, holding a brand new set of cameras that had yet to be connected. The Institute's security system was old and getting an overhaul with the Clave's largest traitor under their watch.

Her footsteps echoed through the empty room. They were slow and unwavering. She had the upper hand here, and she had all the time in the world.

Valentine watched her the entire time, a glint of pride in his eyes. She stalked up to him like a lioness hunting her prey. He had raised a warrior.

Andy kept her arms by her sides and her head high. In her attempt at showing no weakness, she revealed an entirely different one. When she was just in front of the reinforced glass that formed his prison, she stood and stared at him with narrowed eyes.

"I hate you," she said calmly. Valentine's eyebrows raised slightly, as if shocked by her statement.

He didn't respond right away. He knew exactly when to jump into a conversation, and he was curious to see where his eldest daughter was going with this.