Distractions - Chapter 5: Chapter 5
You are reading Distractions, Chapter 5: Chapter 5. Read more chapters of Distractions.
Everest watched as the blonde boy fought and killed the strange man who had come from the bushes. 'That must have been what I heard,' she thought bitterly. 'I shoulda thrown them harder.'
She had no idea why the man called Clary, 'Fairchild', or why he only addressed her, as if Everest didn't exist. As Clary ran towards the blonde yelling "Jace", Everest stared at the body, hand at her hip, reaching for the weapon that wasn't there. Everest tuned out the first part of the conversation, tuning in when Simon stated the obvious.
"And here I thought that you became immortal after having your spleen, kidneys, and stomach all destroyed." She shook her head. "Of course that's a dead body, Rat Boy."
The blonde boy, presumably Jace, chuckled, but Simon ignored her comment. The boys argued, trying to get Clary to trust and follow them, but Clary just looked at her.
She put her hands up, shaking her head in denial. "Don't look at me. I'm not gonna get involved in this. I'll just follow you." There was no way Everest was going to make this choice for her older sister.
"Clary. Clary, come one. We have to go," Simon pleaded.
"Simon," Clary started, and Everest knew which boy she had chosen. "I think Jace can help us."
Clary ignored Simon's protests. "Come on."
The other three started walking towards the church, but Everest stopped.
"Uh, Ritz?" Clary turned around, brow raised. Everest pointed towards the van. "Can I?"
At Clary's nod, Everest darted towards the passenger seat, ignoring the curious glances thrown her way. She grabbed her backpack before opening the glove compartment. She tucked her gun into her waistband and clipped the extra magazine next to it. She walked back to the group, though she stopped again by the dead body.
She pointed at it, but before she could even open her mouth, Clary cut her off. "No. Absolutely not."
Everest pouted, but followed the three into the church. She disregarded Simon's comments as she gazed around at the sight in front of her. There were people milling around, screens and technology filling the front room. To one side, there were training rooms and to the other there were countless hallways and doors that led who knows where. As she stared, she barely noticed Jace take her and Simon's hands until Simon started protesting.
"Buddy, what's going on, man? I'm not your type, man. I don't even..." Everest snickered lightly at his panic. Had she not known Simon was straight as a sewing pin, she would have assumed he was panicking for a different reason.
"Woah, where the hell are we? Clary is there a war I don't know about?" It's almost like Simon could only now see the building, Everest thought with a slight frown.
"There is now." Jace started towards one of the screens.
"And I think our mother's at the center of it." Clary followed after him.
"Wow. What a way to announce a war. I might borrow that one," Everest mumbled as she pulled Simon after the two. What Clary said wouldn't fully register in her mind until much later.
Everest ignored her friend's constant questions as she leaned against a table. She took out her notebook and tried to find a blank page. The purple haired girl sighed as she saw there was only one more page left. She'd really have to get another soon.
"Your thing? You guys have a thing?" Everest facepalmed at how jealous Simon sounded.
"He means a Shadowhunter thing. That's what they do, protecting humans from demons." Clary watched something on the screen that Everest couldn't see.
"Demons, right. Because there's demons running around New York," Simon scoffed.
"That's the first correct thing you've said all day," Jace told him mockingly.
"Demons are fun," Everest commented.
Jace stared at the girl in bewilderment. "Not when they're trying to kill you."
Everest hummed in agreement. "No, probably not then."
Clary asked something, but Everest had already pulled out her phone and was playing Angry Birds. A new voice chimed in, but Everest didn't look up. She was too involved in trying to destroy the piggies to care at the moment. The sound of Simon and Clary stuttering and Clary friend-zoning Simon, however, piqued her interest. She paused her game but didn't look up yet.
"He's not my—"
"I'm not like—We're uh, just friends."
"Best friends."
"Yeah, and I'm tough. I can handle runes. So, uh, bring on the runes. What exactly are runes?" Everest snorted at Simon's feeble attempt at seeming tough.
"They give Shadowhunters our demon fighting powers," a very familiar voice spoke up. Everest's head shot up.
It was Izzy, and she was back to her long, black hair. She pulled out a silver stick (a stele' her mind whispered) and ran it over one of her runes. It glowed red, and Everest winced. That looked like it hurt.
"So hot," Simon whispered, practically drooling. Jace, the black haired boy who had been at Pandemonium, and Everest all glared at the mousy haired boy. Jace cleared his throat. The curious looks from the others went right over the purple haired girl's head. "The rune," Simon tried to correct himself, but the damage was already done.
"Don't worry Clary. I'll watch over the best friend. In fact, I was about to make breakfast," Izzy smiled.
Jace and Everest both sucked in a breath, though Everest was the one that spoke. "You know what? I know absolutely nothing about runes, but I do know your cooking. So I'm going to go 'head and say that the mysterious runes might be less lethal than eating the food." Jace and the unknown boy chuckled.
Izzy scoffed. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Please excuse my brother's lack of manners." She gestured at the black haired boy. "This is Alec. And I'm Isabelle." Isabelle stuck her hand out with a smile.
Everest knew that smile, and she knew it well. That smile meant she was interested in Simon, and that interest could either end in something great, or something that would crush every fiber of Simon's being. Especially since, despite Clary obviously still holding his heart, the boy was interested in Izzy as well, even if it was just a little bit.
Simon shook her hand and Everest's expression twisted into one of complete and utter shock and disappointment. "Lewis. Simon, Simon Lewis. Two first names, am I still talking?"
"Yes, yes you are. I'd shut up now," Everest told him, rising to stand next to her friend.
"See, best friends are safe and sound here," Jace assured her twin, though Everest could tell that he was also shocked at the interaction between Izzy and Simon.
"Jace," Clary warned. "If anything happens to them..."
"Go on, I'll be fine. I think," Simon told the redhead, smiling at Izzy.
"Where're we going?" Clary asked Jace, changing the subject.
"Training room." Jace turned to Simon. "Hey, don't eat the food. Dangerous."
"Jace, coming?" Clary was already halfway to the training rooms.
"Yeah I'm coming." Jace turned and went after Everest's twin.
Izzy turned towards Everest, her flirty smile changing to one of complete happiness—one that Everest returned. The two hugged each other as tightly as they could, swaying side to side a bit. It had been too long since they saw each other in person, almost 3 years.
"It's been too long," Izzy muttered into the shorter girl's ear.
"Way too long. I missed you," Everest muttered back.
"Phone calls aren't the same as seeing you," Izzy whispered, breathing in the smell of coffee and ink that surrounded the girl, even 3 years later.
"Not at all. Is this why you..." the purple haired girl trailed off, not knowing how to put what happened into words. Thankfully, her friend knew exactly what she meant.
"Yeah, it is. If I could have avoided it, I would have, but it was impossible," Izzy buried her face in Everest's hair. She was probably getting glitter all over her face, but she didn't care at that moment, too overwhelmed with being able to hold her best friend in her arms again.
"Hey, it's alright. I understand. I don't blame you, never did." Everest pulled away just enough to look at the taller girl. She didn't look her in the eye, but Izzy got the point.
They smiled at each other, both their eyes filling with happy tears.
"I really missed you Dusk."
"I missed you more Sunny."
They untangled themselves from each other's arms, turning away from the boys to wipe their tears away. When they were both tear-free, they turned back to the boys with smiles on their faces.
"I'll watch them big brother," Izzy told Alec. He didn't say anything, just walked away.
"Come on," Izzy pulled the two of them in a different direction than her brother went. Neither protested even once. Everest was too happy to protest even if she wanted to and Simon was following Everest's friend with an expression similar to the one he gave Clary; one of complete infatuation that meant he'd follow Izzy like a love-sick puppy for a while.
"Oh, Simon? You were supposed to kiss her hand, not shake it," Everest told the boy.
"What?"
The girls just laughed, pulling him along faster.
...
Simon sat on the end of the bed and Everest laid on the floor waiting for Izzy to come back. The door opened and Izzy walked in with a tray of food that for the most part, looked inedible. However, there was a coffee and a bag of Skittles that piqued the purple haired girl's interest.
Izzy smiled at the girl on the floor as she handed her her sugar and caffeine. If there was one thing she knew about Everest Fray, it was that the fastest way to her heart was through coffee and sugar, specifically Skittles. Izzy sat the rest of the tray down and sat next to Simon.
"So, um...what happens to humans if they're," he pointed to his neck. "Runed?"
Izzy frowned sadly. "They usually die. Sometimes they go crazy. When that happens, we call them Forsaken. Then we kill them."
"Right. So the rune on Clary's neck?"
"A healing rune. Jace used it to save her life," Izzy waved her hand in the air twice to calm Everest's slight panic; one of the motions/signs that the two used amongst themselves.
"So Jace knew Clary was a Shadowhunter?" Everest wondered if she was also a Shadowhunter since Clary was a shadowhunter and the two were twins.
"He was almost certain," Izzy confirmed.
Simon stood up suddenly attempting to get to the door, but Izzy pushed him back onto the bed.
"Where could you possibly be going?" Izzy raised an eyebrow.
"To get Clary, to protect her from Jace." It was almost laughable how devoted Simon was to the redhead.
"And why would she need protection from Jace? He did just save her life not even an hour ago," Everest asked.
"He's the ultimate protector," Izzy added.
"What makes Jace so special?" Simon scoffed.
"Fastest, strongest, fiercest. And hello. Have you seen the guy?" Everest could tell her friend was amused with how Simon wanted to protect Clary from the guy who was protecting her. Everest was too, if she was being honest.
"Yeah, uh, sorry I asked," Simon mumbled, playing with the food in the bowl. "So the Circle...if they're as bad as you say they are, it's not good for Clary is it?"
"It's not good for any of us." The room turned somber as the girl spoke.
...
"Is this the least revealing thing you have?" Clary scrunched her nose up as she looked in the mirror.
The girls were getting ready to go find Dot. Supposedly she could help get back Clary's memories that had apparently been stolen. Jace and Alec hadn't figured out that Everest was Clary's twin sister, or even sister, yet, and they—mostly Izzy and Everest—wanted to see how long it'd take for them to figure it out. And, since they hadn't figured it out yet, Jace didn't know that Everest's memories had probably been stolen too. They were twins after all.
"What? All the naughty bits are covered. A little too much in my opinion." Izzy frowned at the dress in mock disappointment.
"Where's Simon?" Clary asked, crossing her arms.
"Who?" Clary glared. "Kidding. He's in good hands with the boys."
Everest chuckled as Izzy handed her a pile of clothes to change into. She had changed into the jeans and was changing into the top when she realized it was cropped.
"Dusk! I can't wear this!" she yelled from the bathroom, cutting off Clary asking if Jace and Izzy are dating.
The door opened slightly and her friend slipped in. Everest removed her arms from around her waist when the door clicked shut and Izzy immediately saw the issue. Izzy nodded and slipped back out. Everest heard her sister ask what the problem was, but Izzy never responded. Instead she just reentered the bathroom, making sure the older girl couldn't see in, and handed the purple haired girl a new top. Izzy turned around to face the door while Everest changed.
The new top was a black body suit that went perfectly with the black jeans and blue leather jacket she had already been given. Everest tapped her friend on the back to let her know she was done and Izzy nodded approvingly. The girl was pulled into a hug and she could feel the regret and apologies that radiated from the brown eyed girl.
"Hey. Dusk. It's alright. There's nothing for you to be sorry or regretful about alright? It's been 3 years, you were bound to forget the little things like that." Everest looked the bridge of her friend's nose—as close to looking someone in the eye as she could get—trying to get her friend to stop apologizing for things like that.
"But that's not a little thing. It's a big thing, and I should have remembered!" Izzy exclaimed quietly, not wanting the redhead to hear.
"It is too a little thing. A big thing would be getting me decaf."
Izzy laughed a little bit, and the mood noticeably lightened. The two left the room, Izzy holding the offending piece of fabric in her hands like it held some kind of disease.
"What happened? What was wrong?" Clary asked almost immediately.
The two friends smiled at each other. "Nothing important. The shirt just didn't fit right."
Clary looked doubtful, but let it go. "You know, a few days ago, all I had to worry about was getting into art school. And now..." the girl sighed.
"Is this the part where I give you the pep talk about harnessing your inner Shadowhunter and accepting your true destiny?" Izzy placed her hand on Clary's shoulder in reassurance.
"Was that they pep talk?" Everest knew how Izzy's pep talks usually went.
"Pretty much," the girl shrugged. "But Clary, remember. You were born to do this. No matter what happened, this is who you are."
"Not really feeling it," Clary frowned.
"Yet." Everest rested her hand on her twin's other shoulder.
Clary looked at the two girls through the mirror. "Okay, but now we have to find Dot."
"And track down and kill one of the most dangerous rogue Shadowhunters in history before he kills us all."
Everest snorted, looking towards her friend. "You sure know how to ruin a pep talk, don't you?"
"Come on, let's go." Izzy paused in the door. "Oh, and Simon's kinda nerd hot."
The twins looked at each other, mouths open, before running after the Lightwood girl.
...
Simon and Clary were standing off to the side, talking in hushed tones, neither looked the happiest. Everest's guess was that Simon wanted to leave, but Clary refused. Meanwhile, Jace, Izzy, and Everest were standing by a table, seemingly doing nothing. Then Izzy pressed a button. Everest narrowed her eyes at the action, but her jaw dropped when a shelf full of weapons appeared.
"Woah," the twins said as the pair made their way to the table.
Izzy reached out to grab a sword, but Jace hit her hand away. "No, Izzy."
Izzy sighed and looked behind her where Alec was approaching. "50 bucks says he doesn't approve the mission."
Everest smirked. "60." At Jace's startled face, she elaborated. "What? I can read his expression." The girls both knew it was also because she had listened to years of Izzy complaining about Alec, but Jace didn't need to know that.
"I don't approve of this mission." Izzy handed $60 to the purple haired girl with a pout. Alec shook his head. "I spoke to the Clave. They're sending Seelie scouts to search for Valentine, but they made it clear; the little girls don't leave the premises."
"Hey, my name is not "little girl" alright? I don't care what that Clave thing or you want, I'm going to find Dot," Clary snarled at Alec.
"I'm not that short," Everest whispered to Izzy. The taller girl smirked.
"You kinda are."
"Alec, this warlock could have the answers we need. With Valentine's people out there searching for Clary, she's not safe outside alone," Jace defended the redhead.
"Jace has a point," Izzy told her brother.
"Et tu Izzy?" Alec looked mildly offended, but Everest had a feeling it was at least a little exaggerated. He turned to Clary. "Alright, since you have all the answers, where do you suggest we search?"
Clary started listing off places Dot might be, but suddenly she gasped. She was holding onto a necklace that Everest had never seen before, and it was glowing slightly.
"What's wrong? What is it?" Jace demanded, obviously concerned.
Clary frowned. "Um...weirdly I think I know where Dot is."
"Great, I'll drive." Everyone looked at Simon weirdly. "What? Unless you have a Shadowhunter-Mobile or something."
"That'd be really fun," Everest whispered excitedly, causing Izzy's shoulders to shake in suppressed laughter.
"You were kidding about the runes on the floor killing me...right?" Simon suddenly looked very worried.
Everest watched Jace look at Alec, who smiled. "Possibly." The Lightwoods, Jace, and the Frays all made their way out of the Institute, in varying degrees of amusement, as Simon ran after them.
...
It didn't occur to Everest, Clary, or even Simon that the van only had 5 seats. At least, not until they were trying to seat 6 people in the van. Clary and Simon were in the front seats, so they were fine, but the other four had to figure out how to sit in 3 small van seats.
"Why doesn't Everest just sit in someone's lap?" Clary suggested, adjusting the passenger seat so it was upright.
"Yeah, why doesn't Purple sit in Izzy's lap? You two are obviously close," Jace smirked, settling down in a window seat.
"Did you just? Did he?" Everest blinked at the blonde boy. "Did you just nickname me off my hair color?"
"That's what you're asking about? Not the fact that he just told you to sit in Izzy's lap?" Clary asked incredulously.
"Or that he suggested that you two are dating?" Simon added, eyes wide.
Izzy and Everest's minds seemed to be one in the same as they turned to the boy with faux pouts and mildly insulted expressions on their faces.
"What makes you think we aren't?" Izzy asked.
Simon started stuttering, but then the girls burst out laughing. They had to lean against each other to stop from collapsing.
"We're messing with you Simon. Dusk and I aren't dating," Everest grinned at him.
Sometime while they were messing with Simon, Alec had slid into the other window seat, leaving the middle for the girls. They glared at him lightly, but eventually just sat down, Everest perched on Izzy's lap as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Which for the most part, was for them. From the time they met to when they were unable to meet in person anymore, Everest would sit in the taller girl's lap, mostly to avoid having to sit in chairs or benches—especially after she turned 14.
Simon stuck his tongue out at the purple haired girl through the rearview mirror before driving away towards Pandemonium where Dot supposedly was. Not even five minutes into the ride, and Simon almost killed everyone by turning too sharply. Everest had been in the process of trying to dig her stash of Skittles out from the emergency kit in the van since she left hers back in Izzy's room, so she wasn't holding onto anything properly. And so she went flying across the back of the van, landing on someone's lap that certainly wasn't Izzy's.
"That's why you wear a seatbelt," the person told her, shifting so that she was properly on their lap and wasn't going to go flying at the next turn.
"There's not exactly enough seatbelts for all four of us," she grumbled, recognizing the voice as Alec's.
He didn't respond, just wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her from moving as Simon cut across traffic. Everest stuck her tongue out at Izzy and Jace when they smirked, which just caused them to smirk more. It was gonna be a long ride, she thought bitterly.
And it was. Although, sitting in Alec's lap wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as she thought it'd be. She'd never say that out loud though, much less to his face. Eventually Everest had gotten bored and pulled out her phone, resuming her game of Angry Birds. The sounds of squealing pigs and shouting birds filled the car, causing some to cringe and some to laugh.
By the time they made it to the club, Simon and Clary were ready to bolt while Jace, Izzy, and Alec left the van calmer. Everest suspected they were the only able to stand the sounds because they could watch her play the game.
...
They were walking down the street when Clary touched her necklace again. She froze before dashing off screaming for the woman who was like their older sister. Everest groaned, but followed with the rest of their group, her gun rubbing irritatingly against her hip.
"Clary! Clary stop! Where are you going?" Jace shouted and Clary paused.
"Two men, Circle members...the same ones who came to my house, who took our mom. They have Dot. They're gonna hurt her or kill her. We have to stop them!" She ran off again. Everest tried not to dwell on the fact that her mother was missing and no one bothered to properly tell her. There had been other things going on.
They ran into the empty club, Dot nowhere in sight. Clary looked around in despair.
"No. She was just trying to help me." She grabbed at her necklace, but nothing happened. "Now she's gone."
Simon gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry Clary."
"You don't understand. Dot's like our big sister," she cried, and once more, Jace and Alec missed her use of 'our'.
Alec cast a suspicious look at their surroundings. "It's not safe here. We have to get back to the Institute right now."
"So what now? Valentine has our mom and Dot, and we're just going to give up? What about my memories? They can't just be gone," Clary cast a hopeful glance at Jace.
'Oh yeah,' Everest thought with a grin. 'They definitely like each other.' A quick glance at her friend told her Izzy thought the same thing.
"There is another option." The Lightwoods started immediately protesting, which Everest took as a sign that this option wasn't exactly Jace's best idea.
"Don't even—"
"Absolutely not."
"I'm not afraid of the Silent Brothers," Jace protested.
"Who're the Silent Brothers?" Everest was almost certain she didn't want to know.
"They're Shadowhunters with superior powers." Jace wasn't telling the whole truth, Everest could tell.
"Who possess the power to recover memories," Izzy frowned at her adoptive brother, her disapproval obvious.
"A process that can also kill you, so there's that," Alec told the redhead.
"I might pass on that, thank you." Everest inched closer to Izzy, missing the small smile Alec shot her way.
"Your bedside manner is abysmal," Simon commented unhelpfully.
The others kept debating amongst themselves, but Everest tuned it out. She wandered over to the door leading back where they came from. She leaned on the frame, watching the alley cats and cars go by. She smiled softly as she watched a stray dog help a few kittens out of a box and make their way to two tom cats. If only humans were so good to one another. She snorted softly at that thought. Once people get to a certain age, they kind of stop wanting to help others and only want to look after themselves.
"Damn, Everest. Getting a little pessimistic are we," she muttered so quietly she could barely hear it.
She jumped when someone put a hand on her shoulder. Her hand reached for her gun, but she put it down when she saw it was Alec. His gaze was curious as he watched her reaction, and she could practically see the question waiting to be asked. But he didn't ask, instead he just nodded towards the others who had already made it halfway back to the van without her noticing. Everest nodded and started walking, her boots making a soft clicking sound as she crossed the filthy road.
"What were you looking at?" the boy besides her asked.
"The cats."
From the corner of her eye, she could see him become confused at her answer. "What cats? There were no cats."
"Yes there were. They were behind the trash bins and boxes." Everest could tell he didn't hundred percent believe her, but that was okay. She had seen the cats and that was what mattered.
"What took you so long?" Jace smirked as the duo got settled in the van, Everest on Alec's lap once more.
"Apparently, she was watching the alley cats."
Izzy laughed loudly. "Of course she was. How many were there?"
Everest smiled remembering the animals. "There were two tom cats and 3 kittens. Oh, and there was a dog too. It helped the kittens."
"How can you tell it's a tom cat?" Clary asked from the front.
"A) they just carried themselves like tom cats, and B) they sat down and unfortunately flashed." Everest's nose wrinkled as everyone laughed.
...
"Yeah, this place isn't creepy. Not at all," Simon muttered as he pulled the cemetery where the City of Bones was supposed to be.
"Don't tell me you're afraid," Izzy teased.
"Are you kidding? I was born afraid...which sounded much better in my head." Everest laughed at Simon's dorkiness.
"I bet it did Rat Boy," she told him, digging out some Skittles from the van while the others got out.
Clary and Simon started forward, but Jace stopped them. "Wait here a minute, I wanna make sure it's safe."
Everest's eyes darted between the Shadowhunters and her sister and Simon. Her mind was going 100 miles an hour, trying to process the last day and failing. So, the purple haired girl shoved all her negative emotions in a little box tucked away into the back of her mind, allowing her positive emotions to overshadow them. She knew she would have an emotional overload at some point, but she also knew that she couldn't deal with having one now or even anytime soon; too much was going on for that to happen.
"Sunny! You coming with us?" Everest snapped back to reality at the sound of Isabelle's voice. She hadn't realized the group had gone on without her. She looked at the raven haired siblings in front of her.
"Not this time. I'm just going to eat my Skittles and wander around in peace." She did her best to look perfectly alright, but she knew she wasn't as being convincing as she normally was. Her right hand tapping obsessively on her thigh probably didn't help any. But, after a moment, they nodded and Everest was left alone with her Skittles and thoughts.
Everest didn't stick around the van long. She walked around the graveyard, munching on all the Skittles except the purple ones, as ironic as it seemed. Her hair was purple and it was one of her favorite colors, but she hated the purple Skittles, which were her favorite candy. She snorted softly at the thought as she sat on a large boulder. She laid back and stared at the stars with a faint smile. 'Bob says hello,' she whispered in her mind.
She froze when there was suddenly a shadow cast over her. She had barely a moment to process it before something hit her temple and her head exploded in pain. She squeezed her eyes shut and heard her Skittles scatter. She felt her body being picked up, and suddenly the sound of wind filled her ears. She winced in pain as the noise stopped as suddenly as it began. She vaguely felt her body being set on a cold surface, but it just made her head hurt more. The last thing she heard before she fell completely unconscious was a shocked whisper.
"Escritora?"
She had no idea why the man called Clary, 'Fairchild', or why he only addressed her, as if Everest didn't exist. As Clary ran towards the blonde yelling "Jace", Everest stared at the body, hand at her hip, reaching for the weapon that wasn't there. Everest tuned out the first part of the conversation, tuning in when Simon stated the obvious.
"And here I thought that you became immortal after having your spleen, kidneys, and stomach all destroyed." She shook her head. "Of course that's a dead body, Rat Boy."
The blonde boy, presumably Jace, chuckled, but Simon ignored her comment. The boys argued, trying to get Clary to trust and follow them, but Clary just looked at her.
She put her hands up, shaking her head in denial. "Don't look at me. I'm not gonna get involved in this. I'll just follow you." There was no way Everest was going to make this choice for her older sister.
"Clary. Clary, come one. We have to go," Simon pleaded.
"Simon," Clary started, and Everest knew which boy she had chosen. "I think Jace can help us."
Clary ignored Simon's protests. "Come on."
The other three started walking towards the church, but Everest stopped.
"Uh, Ritz?" Clary turned around, brow raised. Everest pointed towards the van. "Can I?"
At Clary's nod, Everest darted towards the passenger seat, ignoring the curious glances thrown her way. She grabbed her backpack before opening the glove compartment. She tucked her gun into her waistband and clipped the extra magazine next to it. She walked back to the group, though she stopped again by the dead body.
She pointed at it, but before she could even open her mouth, Clary cut her off. "No. Absolutely not."
Everest pouted, but followed the three into the church. She disregarded Simon's comments as she gazed around at the sight in front of her. There were people milling around, screens and technology filling the front room. To one side, there were training rooms and to the other there were countless hallways and doors that led who knows where. As she stared, she barely noticed Jace take her and Simon's hands until Simon started protesting.
"Buddy, what's going on, man? I'm not your type, man. I don't even..." Everest snickered lightly at his panic. Had she not known Simon was straight as a sewing pin, she would have assumed he was panicking for a different reason.
"Woah, where the hell are we? Clary is there a war I don't know about?" It's almost like Simon could only now see the building, Everest thought with a slight frown.
"There is now." Jace started towards one of the screens.
"And I think our mother's at the center of it." Clary followed after him.
"Wow. What a way to announce a war. I might borrow that one," Everest mumbled as she pulled Simon after the two. What Clary said wouldn't fully register in her mind until much later.
Everest ignored her friend's constant questions as she leaned against a table. She took out her notebook and tried to find a blank page. The purple haired girl sighed as she saw there was only one more page left. She'd really have to get another soon.
"Your thing? You guys have a thing?" Everest facepalmed at how jealous Simon sounded.
"He means a Shadowhunter thing. That's what they do, protecting humans from demons." Clary watched something on the screen that Everest couldn't see.
"Demons, right. Because there's demons running around New York," Simon scoffed.
"That's the first correct thing you've said all day," Jace told him mockingly.
"Demons are fun," Everest commented.
Jace stared at the girl in bewilderment. "Not when they're trying to kill you."
Everest hummed in agreement. "No, probably not then."
Clary asked something, but Everest had already pulled out her phone and was playing Angry Birds. A new voice chimed in, but Everest didn't look up. She was too involved in trying to destroy the piggies to care at the moment. The sound of Simon and Clary stuttering and Clary friend-zoning Simon, however, piqued her interest. She paused her game but didn't look up yet.
"He's not my—"
"I'm not like—We're uh, just friends."
"Best friends."
"Yeah, and I'm tough. I can handle runes. So, uh, bring on the runes. What exactly are runes?" Everest snorted at Simon's feeble attempt at seeming tough.
"They give Shadowhunters our demon fighting powers," a very familiar voice spoke up. Everest's head shot up.
It was Izzy, and she was back to her long, black hair. She pulled out a silver stick (a stele' her mind whispered) and ran it over one of her runes. It glowed red, and Everest winced. That looked like it hurt.
"So hot," Simon whispered, practically drooling. Jace, the black haired boy who had been at Pandemonium, and Everest all glared at the mousy haired boy. Jace cleared his throat. The curious looks from the others went right over the purple haired girl's head. "The rune," Simon tried to correct himself, but the damage was already done.
"Don't worry Clary. I'll watch over the best friend. In fact, I was about to make breakfast," Izzy smiled.
Jace and Everest both sucked in a breath, though Everest was the one that spoke. "You know what? I know absolutely nothing about runes, but I do know your cooking. So I'm going to go 'head and say that the mysterious runes might be less lethal than eating the food." Jace and the unknown boy chuckled.
Izzy scoffed. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Please excuse my brother's lack of manners." She gestured at the black haired boy. "This is Alec. And I'm Isabelle." Isabelle stuck her hand out with a smile.
Everest knew that smile, and she knew it well. That smile meant she was interested in Simon, and that interest could either end in something great, or something that would crush every fiber of Simon's being. Especially since, despite Clary obviously still holding his heart, the boy was interested in Izzy as well, even if it was just a little bit.
Simon shook her hand and Everest's expression twisted into one of complete and utter shock and disappointment. "Lewis. Simon, Simon Lewis. Two first names, am I still talking?"
"Yes, yes you are. I'd shut up now," Everest told him, rising to stand next to her friend.
"See, best friends are safe and sound here," Jace assured her twin, though Everest could tell that he was also shocked at the interaction between Izzy and Simon.
"Jace," Clary warned. "If anything happens to them..."
"Go on, I'll be fine. I think," Simon told the redhead, smiling at Izzy.
"Where're we going?" Clary asked Jace, changing the subject.
"Training room." Jace turned to Simon. "Hey, don't eat the food. Dangerous."
"Jace, coming?" Clary was already halfway to the training rooms.
"Yeah I'm coming." Jace turned and went after Everest's twin.
Izzy turned towards Everest, her flirty smile changing to one of complete happiness—one that Everest returned. The two hugged each other as tightly as they could, swaying side to side a bit. It had been too long since they saw each other in person, almost 3 years.
"It's been too long," Izzy muttered into the shorter girl's ear.
"Way too long. I missed you," Everest muttered back.
"Phone calls aren't the same as seeing you," Izzy whispered, breathing in the smell of coffee and ink that surrounded the girl, even 3 years later.
"Not at all. Is this why you..." the purple haired girl trailed off, not knowing how to put what happened into words. Thankfully, her friend knew exactly what she meant.
"Yeah, it is. If I could have avoided it, I would have, but it was impossible," Izzy buried her face in Everest's hair. She was probably getting glitter all over her face, but she didn't care at that moment, too overwhelmed with being able to hold her best friend in her arms again.
"Hey, it's alright. I understand. I don't blame you, never did." Everest pulled away just enough to look at the taller girl. She didn't look her in the eye, but Izzy got the point.
They smiled at each other, both their eyes filling with happy tears.
"I really missed you Dusk."
"I missed you more Sunny."
They untangled themselves from each other's arms, turning away from the boys to wipe their tears away. When they were both tear-free, they turned back to the boys with smiles on their faces.
"I'll watch them big brother," Izzy told Alec. He didn't say anything, just walked away.
"Come on," Izzy pulled the two of them in a different direction than her brother went. Neither protested even once. Everest was too happy to protest even if she wanted to and Simon was following Everest's friend with an expression similar to the one he gave Clary; one of complete infatuation that meant he'd follow Izzy like a love-sick puppy for a while.
"Oh, Simon? You were supposed to kiss her hand, not shake it," Everest told the boy.
"What?"
The girls just laughed, pulling him along faster.
...
Simon sat on the end of the bed and Everest laid on the floor waiting for Izzy to come back. The door opened and Izzy walked in with a tray of food that for the most part, looked inedible. However, there was a coffee and a bag of Skittles that piqued the purple haired girl's interest.
Izzy smiled at the girl on the floor as she handed her her sugar and caffeine. If there was one thing she knew about Everest Fray, it was that the fastest way to her heart was through coffee and sugar, specifically Skittles. Izzy sat the rest of the tray down and sat next to Simon.
"So, um...what happens to humans if they're," he pointed to his neck. "Runed?"
Izzy frowned sadly. "They usually die. Sometimes they go crazy. When that happens, we call them Forsaken. Then we kill them."
"Right. So the rune on Clary's neck?"
"A healing rune. Jace used it to save her life," Izzy waved her hand in the air twice to calm Everest's slight panic; one of the motions/signs that the two used amongst themselves.
"So Jace knew Clary was a Shadowhunter?" Everest wondered if she was also a Shadowhunter since Clary was a shadowhunter and the two were twins.
"He was almost certain," Izzy confirmed.
Simon stood up suddenly attempting to get to the door, but Izzy pushed him back onto the bed.
"Where could you possibly be going?" Izzy raised an eyebrow.
"To get Clary, to protect her from Jace." It was almost laughable how devoted Simon was to the redhead.
"And why would she need protection from Jace? He did just save her life not even an hour ago," Everest asked.
"He's the ultimate protector," Izzy added.
"What makes Jace so special?" Simon scoffed.
"Fastest, strongest, fiercest. And hello. Have you seen the guy?" Everest could tell her friend was amused with how Simon wanted to protect Clary from the guy who was protecting her. Everest was too, if she was being honest.
"Yeah, uh, sorry I asked," Simon mumbled, playing with the food in the bowl. "So the Circle...if they're as bad as you say they are, it's not good for Clary is it?"
"It's not good for any of us." The room turned somber as the girl spoke.
...
"Is this the least revealing thing you have?" Clary scrunched her nose up as she looked in the mirror.
The girls were getting ready to go find Dot. Supposedly she could help get back Clary's memories that had apparently been stolen. Jace and Alec hadn't figured out that Everest was Clary's twin sister, or even sister, yet, and they—mostly Izzy and Everest—wanted to see how long it'd take for them to figure it out. And, since they hadn't figured it out yet, Jace didn't know that Everest's memories had probably been stolen too. They were twins after all.
"What? All the naughty bits are covered. A little too much in my opinion." Izzy frowned at the dress in mock disappointment.
"Where's Simon?" Clary asked, crossing her arms.
"Who?" Clary glared. "Kidding. He's in good hands with the boys."
Everest chuckled as Izzy handed her a pile of clothes to change into. She had changed into the jeans and was changing into the top when she realized it was cropped.
"Dusk! I can't wear this!" she yelled from the bathroom, cutting off Clary asking if Jace and Izzy are dating.
The door opened slightly and her friend slipped in. Everest removed her arms from around her waist when the door clicked shut and Izzy immediately saw the issue. Izzy nodded and slipped back out. Everest heard her sister ask what the problem was, but Izzy never responded. Instead she just reentered the bathroom, making sure the older girl couldn't see in, and handed the purple haired girl a new top. Izzy turned around to face the door while Everest changed.
The new top was a black body suit that went perfectly with the black jeans and blue leather jacket she had already been given. Everest tapped her friend on the back to let her know she was done and Izzy nodded approvingly. The girl was pulled into a hug and she could feel the regret and apologies that radiated from the brown eyed girl.
"Hey. Dusk. It's alright. There's nothing for you to be sorry or regretful about alright? It's been 3 years, you were bound to forget the little things like that." Everest looked the bridge of her friend's nose—as close to looking someone in the eye as she could get—trying to get her friend to stop apologizing for things like that.
"But that's not a little thing. It's a big thing, and I should have remembered!" Izzy exclaimed quietly, not wanting the redhead to hear.
"It is too a little thing. A big thing would be getting me decaf."
Izzy laughed a little bit, and the mood noticeably lightened. The two left the room, Izzy holding the offending piece of fabric in her hands like it held some kind of disease.
"What happened? What was wrong?" Clary asked almost immediately.
The two friends smiled at each other. "Nothing important. The shirt just didn't fit right."
Clary looked doubtful, but let it go. "You know, a few days ago, all I had to worry about was getting into art school. And now..." the girl sighed.
"Is this the part where I give you the pep talk about harnessing your inner Shadowhunter and accepting your true destiny?" Izzy placed her hand on Clary's shoulder in reassurance.
"Was that they pep talk?" Everest knew how Izzy's pep talks usually went.
"Pretty much," the girl shrugged. "But Clary, remember. You were born to do this. No matter what happened, this is who you are."
"Not really feeling it," Clary frowned.
"Yet." Everest rested her hand on her twin's other shoulder.
Clary looked at the two girls through the mirror. "Okay, but now we have to find Dot."
"And track down and kill one of the most dangerous rogue Shadowhunters in history before he kills us all."
Everest snorted, looking towards her friend. "You sure know how to ruin a pep talk, don't you?"
"Come on, let's go." Izzy paused in the door. "Oh, and Simon's kinda nerd hot."
The twins looked at each other, mouths open, before running after the Lightwood girl.
...
Simon and Clary were standing off to the side, talking in hushed tones, neither looked the happiest. Everest's guess was that Simon wanted to leave, but Clary refused. Meanwhile, Jace, Izzy, and Everest were standing by a table, seemingly doing nothing. Then Izzy pressed a button. Everest narrowed her eyes at the action, but her jaw dropped when a shelf full of weapons appeared.
"Woah," the twins said as the pair made their way to the table.
Izzy reached out to grab a sword, but Jace hit her hand away. "No, Izzy."
Izzy sighed and looked behind her where Alec was approaching. "50 bucks says he doesn't approve the mission."
Everest smirked. "60." At Jace's startled face, she elaborated. "What? I can read his expression." The girls both knew it was also because she had listened to years of Izzy complaining about Alec, but Jace didn't need to know that.
"I don't approve of this mission." Izzy handed $60 to the purple haired girl with a pout. Alec shook his head. "I spoke to the Clave. They're sending Seelie scouts to search for Valentine, but they made it clear; the little girls don't leave the premises."
"Hey, my name is not "little girl" alright? I don't care what that Clave thing or you want, I'm going to find Dot," Clary snarled at Alec.
"I'm not that short," Everest whispered to Izzy. The taller girl smirked.
"You kinda are."
"Alec, this warlock could have the answers we need. With Valentine's people out there searching for Clary, she's not safe outside alone," Jace defended the redhead.
"Jace has a point," Izzy told her brother.
"Et tu Izzy?" Alec looked mildly offended, but Everest had a feeling it was at least a little exaggerated. He turned to Clary. "Alright, since you have all the answers, where do you suggest we search?"
Clary started listing off places Dot might be, but suddenly she gasped. She was holding onto a necklace that Everest had never seen before, and it was glowing slightly.
"What's wrong? What is it?" Jace demanded, obviously concerned.
Clary frowned. "Um...weirdly I think I know where Dot is."
"Great, I'll drive." Everyone looked at Simon weirdly. "What? Unless you have a Shadowhunter-Mobile or something."
"That'd be really fun," Everest whispered excitedly, causing Izzy's shoulders to shake in suppressed laughter.
"You were kidding about the runes on the floor killing me...right?" Simon suddenly looked very worried.
Everest watched Jace look at Alec, who smiled. "Possibly." The Lightwoods, Jace, and the Frays all made their way out of the Institute, in varying degrees of amusement, as Simon ran after them.
...
It didn't occur to Everest, Clary, or even Simon that the van only had 5 seats. At least, not until they were trying to seat 6 people in the van. Clary and Simon were in the front seats, so they were fine, but the other four had to figure out how to sit in 3 small van seats.
"Why doesn't Everest just sit in someone's lap?" Clary suggested, adjusting the passenger seat so it was upright.
"Yeah, why doesn't Purple sit in Izzy's lap? You two are obviously close," Jace smirked, settling down in a window seat.
"Did you just? Did he?" Everest blinked at the blonde boy. "Did you just nickname me off my hair color?"
"That's what you're asking about? Not the fact that he just told you to sit in Izzy's lap?" Clary asked incredulously.
"Or that he suggested that you two are dating?" Simon added, eyes wide.
Izzy and Everest's minds seemed to be one in the same as they turned to the boy with faux pouts and mildly insulted expressions on their faces.
"What makes you think we aren't?" Izzy asked.
Simon started stuttering, but then the girls burst out laughing. They had to lean against each other to stop from collapsing.
"We're messing with you Simon. Dusk and I aren't dating," Everest grinned at him.
Sometime while they were messing with Simon, Alec had slid into the other window seat, leaving the middle for the girls. They glared at him lightly, but eventually just sat down, Everest perched on Izzy's lap as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Which for the most part, was for them. From the time they met to when they were unable to meet in person anymore, Everest would sit in the taller girl's lap, mostly to avoid having to sit in chairs or benches—especially after she turned 14.
Simon stuck his tongue out at the purple haired girl through the rearview mirror before driving away towards Pandemonium where Dot supposedly was. Not even five minutes into the ride, and Simon almost killed everyone by turning too sharply. Everest had been in the process of trying to dig her stash of Skittles out from the emergency kit in the van since she left hers back in Izzy's room, so she wasn't holding onto anything properly. And so she went flying across the back of the van, landing on someone's lap that certainly wasn't Izzy's.
"That's why you wear a seatbelt," the person told her, shifting so that she was properly on their lap and wasn't going to go flying at the next turn.
"There's not exactly enough seatbelts for all four of us," she grumbled, recognizing the voice as Alec's.
He didn't respond, just wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her from moving as Simon cut across traffic. Everest stuck her tongue out at Izzy and Jace when they smirked, which just caused them to smirk more. It was gonna be a long ride, she thought bitterly.
And it was. Although, sitting in Alec's lap wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as she thought it'd be. She'd never say that out loud though, much less to his face. Eventually Everest had gotten bored and pulled out her phone, resuming her game of Angry Birds. The sounds of squealing pigs and shouting birds filled the car, causing some to cringe and some to laugh.
By the time they made it to the club, Simon and Clary were ready to bolt while Jace, Izzy, and Alec left the van calmer. Everest suspected they were the only able to stand the sounds because they could watch her play the game.
...
They were walking down the street when Clary touched her necklace again. She froze before dashing off screaming for the woman who was like their older sister. Everest groaned, but followed with the rest of their group, her gun rubbing irritatingly against her hip.
"Clary! Clary stop! Where are you going?" Jace shouted and Clary paused.
"Two men, Circle members...the same ones who came to my house, who took our mom. They have Dot. They're gonna hurt her or kill her. We have to stop them!" She ran off again. Everest tried not to dwell on the fact that her mother was missing and no one bothered to properly tell her. There had been other things going on.
They ran into the empty club, Dot nowhere in sight. Clary looked around in despair.
"No. She was just trying to help me." She grabbed at her necklace, but nothing happened. "Now she's gone."
Simon gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry Clary."
"You don't understand. Dot's like our big sister," she cried, and once more, Jace and Alec missed her use of 'our'.
Alec cast a suspicious look at their surroundings. "It's not safe here. We have to get back to the Institute right now."
"So what now? Valentine has our mom and Dot, and we're just going to give up? What about my memories? They can't just be gone," Clary cast a hopeful glance at Jace.
'Oh yeah,' Everest thought with a grin. 'They definitely like each other.' A quick glance at her friend told her Izzy thought the same thing.
"There is another option." The Lightwoods started immediately protesting, which Everest took as a sign that this option wasn't exactly Jace's best idea.
"Don't even—"
"Absolutely not."
"I'm not afraid of the Silent Brothers," Jace protested.
"Who're the Silent Brothers?" Everest was almost certain she didn't want to know.
"They're Shadowhunters with superior powers." Jace wasn't telling the whole truth, Everest could tell.
"Who possess the power to recover memories," Izzy frowned at her adoptive brother, her disapproval obvious.
"A process that can also kill you, so there's that," Alec told the redhead.
"I might pass on that, thank you." Everest inched closer to Izzy, missing the small smile Alec shot her way.
"Your bedside manner is abysmal," Simon commented unhelpfully.
The others kept debating amongst themselves, but Everest tuned it out. She wandered over to the door leading back where they came from. She leaned on the frame, watching the alley cats and cars go by. She smiled softly as she watched a stray dog help a few kittens out of a box and make their way to two tom cats. If only humans were so good to one another. She snorted softly at that thought. Once people get to a certain age, they kind of stop wanting to help others and only want to look after themselves.
"Damn, Everest. Getting a little pessimistic are we," she muttered so quietly she could barely hear it.
She jumped when someone put a hand on her shoulder. Her hand reached for her gun, but she put it down when she saw it was Alec. His gaze was curious as he watched her reaction, and she could practically see the question waiting to be asked. But he didn't ask, instead he just nodded towards the others who had already made it halfway back to the van without her noticing. Everest nodded and started walking, her boots making a soft clicking sound as she crossed the filthy road.
"What were you looking at?" the boy besides her asked.
"The cats."
From the corner of her eye, she could see him become confused at her answer. "What cats? There were no cats."
"Yes there were. They were behind the trash bins and boxes." Everest could tell he didn't hundred percent believe her, but that was okay. She had seen the cats and that was what mattered.
"What took you so long?" Jace smirked as the duo got settled in the van, Everest on Alec's lap once more.
"Apparently, she was watching the alley cats."
Izzy laughed loudly. "Of course she was. How many were there?"
Everest smiled remembering the animals. "There were two tom cats and 3 kittens. Oh, and there was a dog too. It helped the kittens."
"How can you tell it's a tom cat?" Clary asked from the front.
"A) they just carried themselves like tom cats, and B) they sat down and unfortunately flashed." Everest's nose wrinkled as everyone laughed.
...
"Yeah, this place isn't creepy. Not at all," Simon muttered as he pulled the cemetery where the City of Bones was supposed to be.
"Don't tell me you're afraid," Izzy teased.
"Are you kidding? I was born afraid...which sounded much better in my head." Everest laughed at Simon's dorkiness.
"I bet it did Rat Boy," she told him, digging out some Skittles from the van while the others got out.
Clary and Simon started forward, but Jace stopped them. "Wait here a minute, I wanna make sure it's safe."
Everest's eyes darted between the Shadowhunters and her sister and Simon. Her mind was going 100 miles an hour, trying to process the last day and failing. So, the purple haired girl shoved all her negative emotions in a little box tucked away into the back of her mind, allowing her positive emotions to overshadow them. She knew she would have an emotional overload at some point, but she also knew that she couldn't deal with having one now or even anytime soon; too much was going on for that to happen.
"Sunny! You coming with us?" Everest snapped back to reality at the sound of Isabelle's voice. She hadn't realized the group had gone on without her. She looked at the raven haired siblings in front of her.
"Not this time. I'm just going to eat my Skittles and wander around in peace." She did her best to look perfectly alright, but she knew she wasn't as being convincing as she normally was. Her right hand tapping obsessively on her thigh probably didn't help any. But, after a moment, they nodded and Everest was left alone with her Skittles and thoughts.
Everest didn't stick around the van long. She walked around the graveyard, munching on all the Skittles except the purple ones, as ironic as it seemed. Her hair was purple and it was one of her favorite colors, but she hated the purple Skittles, which were her favorite candy. She snorted softly at the thought as she sat on a large boulder. She laid back and stared at the stars with a faint smile. 'Bob says hello,' she whispered in her mind.
She froze when there was suddenly a shadow cast over her. She had barely a moment to process it before something hit her temple and her head exploded in pain. She squeezed her eyes shut and heard her Skittles scatter. She felt her body being picked up, and suddenly the sound of wind filled her ears. She winced in pain as the noise stopped as suddenly as it began. She vaguely felt her body being set on a cold surface, but it just made her head hurt more. The last thing she heard before she fell completely unconscious was a shocked whisper.
"Escritora?"
End of Distractions Chapter 5. Continue reading Chapter 6 or return to Distractions book page.