Jinxed - An Alec Lightwood LS

Chapter 5: Raven Boy

Luke had given her a crash course on the Shadow World and the Clave- from a completely different point of view. It felt like things were very dissimilar from what Valentine had described. He drove her in his police car, and also informed Ethel on how he would take care of her legal problem. The plan was, she would claim to have gone out of the class to the bathroom, heard the crashing and ran out a window. Because her stuff was left at the Academy, and she was in shock, she was unable to call the police. Also, she didn't witness anything, other than sounds of struggle. In other words, Ethel would have to deny ever having been kidnapped. He would write the statement, she would sign it, and he would make sure to back up anything with evidence. It seemed a little extreme, and completely illegal, but according to Luke this was often necessary when the Shadow World was involved. 

Anyhow, he presented her to Victor Aldertree, apparently the new boss- or Head of the Institute, as they called it. He had convinced Luke that he was no longer needed here, and that he had to go to resolve the legal problem with her missing status. Luke had expected that, and had actually warned her about how strict this man would be. In fact, since her stuff was in evidence, he had given Ethel a burner phone with his number. This would be in the event that she needed more help, or simply to get updated with the case.

"I understand you're probably very overwhelmed. But don't worry, if everything Detective Garroway has said was true, you'll be safe here." He spoke to her with a serious tone. All around him were other Shadowhunters walking by, Ethel noticed. But unlike those from the cargo ship, they lacked a certain circular, red rune at the nape of their necks. This didn't change things too much for her, as Ethel still chose to keep her guard up. Everyone was a stranger to her, even the werewolf cop- although she felt he could be trusted.

Before anything else could be said, a raven haired man about her age rushed up to them. His eyes darted between Aldertree and Ethel, before pointing at her. "This is the mundane that was taken by Valentine?"

"Yes, Alec. But-"

"Great." The Lightwood interrupted, and turned straight to Ethel. "Did you see Jace while you were with the Circle? He wouldn't have a circle rune, and-"

Having recognized the name almost immediately, she finished the description for him. "Is blonde with heterochromia? About this tall?" She gestured to a few inches above her own head, but still shorter than the other two men. That reminded her to look up at the raven haired guy, Alec. Ethel was certain she could feel the back of her neck beginning to hurt at the exaggerated inclination she required to meet his eyes. The man was a freaking skyscraper. Not to mention, kind of hot. But now it wasn't time to think about how attractive a random stranger was.

"Yes. Yes! You've seen him. Is he okay? What did you see?"

She recalled the last sighting of the blonde with pity. "They locked him up bellow deck, at the cargo ship, after he killed two fake Valentines. Its also where they keep a lot of Downworlders in cages. I was there for a while too."

Confused, Alec shook his head. "Fake Valentines?"

"Like, people who used a rune to glamourize themselves, or something, to look like him."

"See?" Alec immediately gestured to the girl, as he turned to Aldertree. "Jace is not a traitor. Also, Hodge did mention Valentine was in a cargo ship. We have to look for them in the rivers."

But the new Head of the Institute wasn't all that trusting of this information. "That is assuming that she's telling the truth, and understood what she saw."

"How many ways can you interpret seeing someone drive a glowing sword through the chests of two people?" Ethel murmured rhetorically, but no one heard her words as her head was angled towards the ground. At the same time, she tried not to think of the two individuals she had killed herself in her first hour after the kidnapping. The woman that had pretended to be Amanda, and the man she threw overboard, only for an invisible forcefield to disintegrate him. Honestly, she was thankful to not have jumped on her own accord before that. Otherwise, she would be dead too. Was it wrong to think that? It felt like so.