The training room was unusually quiet. Without the usual background noise of swords clanging and feet slapping against the wooden floor, it felt slightly eerie. It had been the hub of her childhood, sparring with Alec and Jace, learning the way on the path that she was destined to follow, turning into the person she wa...s today. She had often imagined her and Alec training Max here, teaching him all the skills picked up from years of combat, bonding in a way that only shadowhunter siblings can. But now he was gone. The wound, however old, would never heal.
But she, and the room, were not standing idle. Jace was still training Clary rigorously and she had her own challenge. Simon, fresh from his ascension, was a clean slate. His memories were returning slowly, some days he would seem almost normal, some days he felt like a stranger. She hated the distance she felt from him, it pained her to see him so unsure of his surroundings, so wary of the world he had fallen into - again. In a way, she wished it was her who had forgotten everything, she often craved a fresh start to forget all the horrors they had endured. It was not as if she wanted to forget Max, to forget Simon, to forget her shadowhunter life, she just hated the constant feeling of what could have been.
She still remembered those last days with the old Simon so clearly, she had been so weak and he had been so strong. She had thought that she would despise being looked after, she had trained herself over the years to never trust anyone with her weak side out of fear of being broken, forced herself to believe that caring is the ultimate downfall. But she had been wrong. For someone to care for her in that way, truly care for her, she could not find words to describe how it had eased her burden. Life is a burden that we all have to carry but we do not have to carry it alone. Carry it alone and it will eventually be the undoing of you.
She picked up a sword and moved to the centre of the room, feeling the weight of the blade in her hand. She glanced over her shoulder as Simon came in, his hair in its usual messy state, his black training clothes still looking a little awkward on him. He had lost his vampire agility but he still retained some of the gracefulness and speed, he was a born shadowhunter. His looks were not as striking but that didn't matter to her, it had never mattered to her. She did not love lightly. He was looking at the fresh runes on his arms with an expression of wonderment, his eyes alive and dancing. He suddenly stopped dead, a funny expression on his face.
"Isabelle," he said, his tone careful and his words contemplated. "What's a daylighter?"
