Shadowhunter

The Institute

"What is this place?" Camille walked over to a statue that was placed in the middle of the room. It was a beautiful, stone angel. In the hand of the towering statue was a chalice and in the other was a large book with the words 'The Clave' inscribed on the spine. Jace walked up behind her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"This," He gestured to the whole room with an open hand. "is where passing Shadowhunter come and stay for shelter." She looked all around the room. Most of it was in shadows with only tiny glows of distant lamp light. Other than it being dark, it was magnificent. The ceiling was so high, it was impossible for Camille to see the end of it. There was a single staircase leading to the second floor, where she saw many doorways that lead into more darkness.

"So it's like a boarding house?" She asked as she walked over to a little table beside the towering front doors. There was a fine layer of dust coating the surface of the polished, stained cedar. There was a framed picture of two adults and three children. Jace silently walked behind her and scoffed.

"I guess you could say that." He said. Camille jumped slightly as his presence behind her startled her. Jace buried his hands deep into his pockets as she examined the picture.

"Who are they?" She pointed at the dust covered portrait. His gaze fell on her curious one.

"The Lightwoods," He said as if she was supposed to understand. "They own this place. This is Maryse Lightwood," He pointed to the women of the two adults. "That's Robert Lightwood," His finger traced a line of dust over to the man. "And those are Alec and Isabelle Lightwood, and Max, their children." He circled the three children. There was now a line connecting the mother to the father and the father and mother to the children, captured in an oval. Camille nodded as she replaced the photo in its right place.

"Do they live here?" She asked. Turning to face Jace for the answer. He nodded with as a strand of his golden hair fell into his eyes. He swept it back with a flick of a rune-covered hand.

"They all do, along with me and Hodge."

"Hodge?" She cocked her head to the side in confusion. He grinned.

"Hodge is our tutor. He teaches us everything we need to know so that we don't have to go to a real school." He hesitated for a moment, as if he were holding his breath. "I'm sure, the Lightwoods would certainly let you stay. They are very welcoming people. I'll take you to them." He left without giving any indication. Camille had to jog to keep up with his wide strides. They walked up the staircase and turned into a large library. The sight was breathtaking. The walls were wallpapered with shelves from the floor all the way to the ceiling that were filled with books. There wasn't a single empty space that didn't have a book in it. Camille's eyes flickered to try and see every book, but it was almost impossible. She looked around to see that Jace had continued walking without her. She took off at a fast pace to walk by his side. They walked to the middle of the room, where a couple, a man and a women, sat in reading chairs with their noses buried in books. Jace cleared his throat as he tried to gain their attention. The women, Camille assumed to be Maryse, looked up at Jace with a kind smile.

Then her gaze fell on Camille, her smile faded almost instantly. When the man beside Mayrse, obviously Robert, looked up, his expression was the same as his partners. Jace smirked at himself.

"I have brought another Shadowhunter to the Institute." He said and instantly their expressions changed from surprised to relieved.

"You know what to do," Robert said with a wave of his hand. "Go find her a room and find her something to eat." Jace looked confused.