Chasing Ghosts (under construction)

Four

Kit woke up to a bright white ceiling that resembled the mundane hospitals he had been in. His entire body felt stiff, like he had been lying in the same position for years. He tried to move but found none of his muscles reacting to his needs. A tonne of bricks had replaced his skull. There was a quiet ringing in his ears, the only sound he could hear. Maybe he had gone deaf. He wished he had some sort of bell to ring to summon someone, but his limbs still weren't cooperating with him. He lay in bed and tried to remember what had happened prior to being here, but all he could think about was that really nice dream he had had where Ty kissed him.

The sound of a door clicking open and closed pushed him back into the real world, and padded footsteps walked over to his bed. He couldn't turn his head to see the person but caught a flash of long brown hair.

"Christopher?" A woman's voice said softly. Kit grunted in reply, it was all he could do. He felt the woman take his limp hand and squeeze it.

"It's Tessa. You're in the LA Institute. The battle was a victory on our part, but not without injuries." Panic lanced through Kit and he grimaced.

"Oh! Are you alright?" Tessa asked, patting him gently.

"N-no," he said, garbled, his tongue heavy. The tips of his fingers and toes had begun to tingle with life. Tessa sat back in her seat with a sigh of relief.

"The drugs will be wearing off now. We had to use some mundane pain relief as your body rejected the runes. Everyone is alright if that is what you're worried about. Emma and Julian went through quite the wringer, but they are no longer parabatai, which I'm sure will make things much easier for them now.

"Kieran, Mark, and Cristina are perfectly alright, sustaining mere scratches. Drusilla and Octavian stayed well away from the fighting, as they were supposed to," Tessa poked him in the side in jest, and Kit felt the corners of his mouth lift up. "And Tiberius is doing well. He hasn't stopped worrying about you, however. He slept outside the door for two days before Julian found him, and even then he put up such a fuss." Kit heard the smile in her voice. He had now gained all feeling back in his body and pushed, with some effort, himself into a sitting position. He turned to look at Tessa fully now. Despite being over a hundred years old, she still only looked a few years older than Kit. It still tripped him out.

"Where is he now?" Kit's voice was quiet, his throat scratchy and dry.

"I would imagine he's asleep in his room. It is three in the morning, after all. Do not worry, he doesn't leave your side when he's awake. It's quite wonderful to see such young people feel so deeply for one another." She smiled, but it wavered slightly.

"I had planned to ask you if you wanted to join Jem and I in Devon, after you've recovered of course. The offer is still on the table, but I have a feeling I know what the answer will be."

Warmth spread through Kit like honey; Ty wouldn't do that if he didn't care. It was like when Kit had first arrived at the Institute, and Ty slept outside his door for a week. Kit touched his lips absent-mindedly, flushing hot.

"Did I–were you there when he–I mean I don't–" Kit stopped himself, dizzy with embarrassment. Tessa smiled warmly and put her hand over his.

"What you did was quite incredible. I have never heard of anything like it. But it completely drained your energy, almost your entire life force. It was a feat for a young boy to do and survive, even though you had no control. But, yes, when Ty ran out of the forest with you, it was Jem and I who took you. And we are not ones to begrudge an intimate moment in the heat of battle. We gave you your privacy, Drusilla however, did not." Kit gaped.

"Dru saw–ah, crap," Kit hung his head, mortified.

"It's alright, she was very happy for her brother. The rest of the Blackthorns are aware, of course, as Drusilla could not keep it to herself for very long... I am not sure what Tiberius thinks of it all, but I suppose you can ask him in the morning. Oh, he will be so happy to know you're awake, Christopher," Tessa beamed. Kit cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Just Kit, actually."

"Kit, he was ever so upset, he hardly ate. When Emma and Julian awoke yesterday, they tried to talk to him but it didn't work. And my, you gave us all a fright the first night, the Silent brothers weren't sure if you would make it through the night. No iratzes were working on you, and Ty panicked and spent hours placing rune after rune until he was forcibly removed." Tessa raved on and on for a while afterwards. Kit asked her what her proposition was.

"Well, Jem and I wondered if perhaps you would consider coming with us back to England to stay with us. As you now know, you have faerie blood, and now that your powers have manifested, that makes you a target for both Seelie and Unseelie. We could keep you safe, hidden," Tessa explained.

"But why? Why do they want me?"

"Your mother was a descendant of the first heir of Faerie, which means that, by blood, you are in line to the throne of Seelie, which neither the Queen nor the King want to see."

"But I don't want anything to do with the fae. You told me Kieran was to be King of Faerie, and I would have to kill him. I don't want to do that."

"You don't really have a choice, I'm afraid. It's faerie law, and you have powers beyond even my comprehension. You won't be safe here, it's too out in the open." her face turned grave. Kit looked to the ceiling, trying to comprehend everything being piled onto him: He was part-fae. He was a descendant of the last heir, whatever that meant. He was in line to a throne he didn't want. He had uncontrollable powers that, even now, he could feel simmering beneath the surface. And apparently, they manifested with his anger. He had been angry before, why hadn't they shown themselves then? Why did it have to be in front of Ty? He had murdered an entire clan of elite fae warriors. The Riders of Mannan were extinct now, because of him. Albeit, they were terrible people who had tried to kill him and Ty.

"Mark and Helen both have faerie blood and they're still allowed to stay," Kit said.

"Yes, but Mark and Helen are not descendants of the most powerful fae alive. They don't have a bounty on their head." Tessa tried to reason with him.

"Faeries aren't my people. I only found out I was a Shadowhunter less than a year ago, and now I'm not only a Shadowhunter but also a Faerie. But oh no, not just any fae, but the asshole, bloodthirsty King and Queen," Kit could feel himself losing composure. That heat returned to his stomach. He was a dormant volcano. Tessa looked at him, a little afraid, and the boiling heat dissipated to cold sadness. He was out of control. He didn't understand his powers at all, and now Tessa was afraid of him.

"Sorry. You should go, I-I'm tired, and my...powers–I don't want to hurt anyone," Kit said, exhausted. Tessa took his hand again.

"I'm not afraid of you, Kit. I know you're scared and confused. If you choose to come back with us, we can help you learn more about yourself. We can help you take control of yourself." She stood up and smiled at him.

"Think about it. I don't need an answer right away. Get some sleep, I'm sure Ty will be here when you wake up." She left the room, so quietly that Kit barely heard the door shut behind her. Kit collapsed back onto the pillows, twisting painfully until he faced the wall. He clutched the pillow to himself like it was a person, and fell back into a dreamless sleep.