Distractions - Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Alec POV:
Everest. The little redhead's friend that was so odd. It wasn't just her purple hair or how the redhead and mundane were so protective of her either. It was the way she and Izzy practically attacked each other with hugs, how they seemed to be closer than close. It was how she zoned out and ignored what was going on and how she made silly comments that surprisingly didn't make him annoyed. Instead, they made him smile and even laugh. Alec had seen the way she tried to make everything seem okay, but he had also seen how she had been near tears so many times that evening, how Everest had looked so upset when it had been revealed that Jocelyn had been taken. It made Alec wonder if the girl had been told anything. That was what made her odd.
He didn't know her last name, but he saw the glances she and his sister gave him and Jace whenever Clary would say something about her mother. It had taken him a while, but he finally understood; Clary Fray was saying 'our mother'. It made him wonder who the other person she was talking about was, made him wonder if it was Everest. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Whenever Clary and the mundane weren't busy shouting or doing anything that required all of their attention, they would cast worried glances at the purple haired girl whether she noticed or not. She obviously wasn't a child, she looked the same age as the redhead and his sister, so that couldn't be why. Everest also had the same eye color as Clary, though hers was more of a jade, and both of the strange new girls had the same smattering of freckles and pale skin, though Everest's was more tanned. Both of them had the same height, however, as far as Alec could tell, that was pretty much where the similarities ended. Clary was reckless, stubborn, and disrespectful of the Shadowhunters' rules and procedures. Everest on the other hand was inattentive, obviously protective of Izzy, and had a sense of humor, as childish as it could be.
Alec frowned as he and his sister walked away from the girl. She obviously wasn't alright, and yet Izzy was pulling him away from her. He dug his heels in and Izzy turned to face him, an annoyed expression already taking over her face.
"What is it?"
"Why are we leaving? She's obviously not alright." Izzy's expression softened and she cast a sorrowful glance at the van.
"No, she's not alright. Not at all. But I know Sunny. And, us trying to comfort her now will only make it worse and cause her to have an EO." Izzy sighed and continued walking.
"EO?"
"It's what we call an Emotional Overload. It's when everything that she's tucked away in a little box to deal with later comes to bite her in the ass." Izzy gave him a hard stare. "And don't you dare say anything about it to her. Dealing with emotions isn't exactly her strong suit, and she's always been embarrassed about her EOs."
Alec nodded, though he still had multiple questions burning to be asked. So, he asked the least loaded one. "How do you two know each other?"
Izzy smiled fondly, lost in a memory. "We were probably about 7. I was playing at Central Park while you and Jace were training. She was jumping down from a tree and almost hit me. Somehow we started playing in the trees and became friends. We decided to meet up every day we could, and we did. We met up almost daily for 8 years. And then Mom and Dad became stricter and didn't allow me to go out just to play in the mundane world. So we stopped seeing each other in person. But we exchanged phone numbers and we've been phone buddies ever since."
Alec looked at his sister in shock. He had no idea she had kept such a big secret from him and everyone they knew for 11 years. It was impressive. "Did anyone know about your friendship?"
"Only her two friends Roslyn and Gino had ever met me, but her sister, Simon, and I think another one of her friends knew Sunny was meeting up with someone constantly, but I don't think they know it's me." Izzy's head tilted in thought. "Oh, and Gino's a Seelie."
"Who's a Seelie?" Jace asked as the siblings walked up.
"Oh, just someone I know," Izzy commented off handedly.
The mundane decided to talk again. "Surprise, surprise. No mundanes allowed, just like in the training room, right? Wrong! I've seen every horror movie ever made and the funny best friend who gets left behind... dead man."
Jace glared as his sister laughed. "You're not that funny. But by all means, go ahead. Of course, the minute you enter, you'll die.
"Problem is, now I don't trust you." Possibly the most smart and idiotic thing the mundane had said yet.
"He's not lying," Alec spoke up.
"Now. He was before," Izzy contributed helpfully.
"The rune energy in the City of Bones will kill any mundane who dares to enter, so, please..." Alec gestured towards the entrance. He ignored the slight pang of guilt that crept up at the thought of Everest's face if he were the cause of her friend's death.
"The brothers creep me out. I'll mind the mundane," Izzy smiled at the boy. It was the same smile she gave him earlier; one of interest that could either cause her and Simon to flourish and thrive or crash and burn.
Alec ignored what the mundane said. "I can't be here anymore. So, Jace, I'm going to mind the perimeter."
He walked away, ignoring the little voice that said that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't just walking around to mind the perimeter, but to see if he could find Everest.
Third Person POV:
Jace and Clary were walking out of the City of Bones as Alec rejoined the group. He hadn't seen Everest during his walk, and he was a little concerned for her. But, at the moment, the pale expression on his parabatai's face was more concerning than him not seeing a mundane girl on his walk.
"What happened? What did you find out?" he pressed.
Alec could visibly see Jace mentally preparing himself to verbalize what they learned. "Valentine is Clary's father."
Alec's eyes narrowed and his lips curled into a sneer. "Wait a minute. You're telling me this girl shows up out of nowhere and she's Valentine's daughter? Did it occur to you that she might be a spy? This might be part of her plan?"
Alec missed how Clary's eyebrows shot up in shock at him not mentioning Everest and her relation to Valentine. He missed how her face fell in realization; realization that he, and Jace, still had no idea that Everest and Clary were twins.
"That's enough Alec," Jace warned.
But Clary was fuming now. And at that moment, she didn't care if Jace and Alec didn't know about her twin. "Do you think I planned for our mom to be kidnapped? Or for Dot to be taken? Or to have a giant sword dangle over my head to find out that our father is one of the most dangerous people in the world? Really?"
Clary saw Izzy approaching without her best friend. "Where's Simon?"
Izzy was panicking slightly, but to Clary's unfamiliar eye, it wasn't noticeable. "I told him to stay in the van. I've searched everywhere."
"He's gone? What about Everest?"
"I can't find them." Izzy's face was solemn, though her brothers could see her panic at learning Everest was also missing.
"You were supposed to protect them! Simon! Everest!" Clary ran off screaming for her friends, the Shadowhunters following behind.
Jace's eyes widened with shock and realization. Clary had said 'our mom' and 'our father'. Clary had a sibling. So, who was it and where were they? It didn't occur to him that purple haired Everest could be her sister, in his mind they were too different. He hadn't spent enough time around the younger girl to properly know how she was compared to Clary either.
"Are those the mundanes' names?" a smooth voice called from above the group and they each looked up.
There were two figures standing on a bridge, each holding one of their friends. A woman held Simon upside down while the man, the one who spoke, cradled Everest gently in his arms.
"I'm afraid Everest and Simon are coming with us," the man spoke again.
"No!" Clary protested. "No, they're not part of this!"
Izzy knew just how untrue that sentence was. Everest was just as a part of this world as Clary was, if not more. Not only was the purple haired girl a shadowhunter, but she had Seelie friends and at one point, from what Izzy knew, she was best friends with a vampire; one she considered a brother.
Jace spoke up. "And it'll be my pleasure to kill you unless you return them."
"Careful." Alec never took his eyes off Everest's limp body. "We'd be violating the Accords."
The man smirked. "I'm afraid you sidekick's quite right. The Night Children have broken no laws. We're negotiating. The mundanes, unharmed, in exchange for the Mortal Cup. And the clock is ticking. Tick-tock people."
With that, the vampires disappeared into the night with Everest and Simon. As Clary was screaming for her sister and friend, nobody heard the muffled sound of the single sob Izzy let go. She couldn't allow herself to break down, not then. She wiped away the unshed tears, stood up straight, and started walking back to the van. She had a best friend to save.