Chapter 3 - Missing

Not Intended for readers under the age of 18

Remastered Chapter

Day 1

Quietly opening the door, she stepped out into the corridor. Alec's room wasn't far. Just a few doors down. She moved quickly but stopped when she saw his door cracked open. It shouldn't be open. He always kept it closed and since he'd presented locked. And not just locked but locked up tight with her locking rune. Peering inside she saw that he wasn't in bed despite the early hour. Was it early for him? Not terribly. But they'd come off a late patrol and had only been back a few hours, so he should still be asleep for another hour at least. His first training class didn't start until 7.

Pushing into the room she quickly checked his bathroom. Short of a pile of dirty clothes on the floor it was empty. And all she saw in his room was a tangled heap of linens on his bed.

True worry was beginning to set in. Turning, she ran out. Maybe he was in the training room working out his feelings on whatever had put this fear into him. Passing the too slow elevator she ran down flight after flight of stairs to the training floor and through it to their usual training room. It was empty. She knew then that that she wasn't going to find him. Were there other places he could be in the Institute? Of course. It was massive. But she knew in her gut that she wasn't going to find him. Everything in her was telling her that he was gone.

Turning on her heel she flew back up the flights of stairs and down the corridor to Izzy and Simon's room. Banging on the door she shouted for them to get up and to come to her room. She didn't wait for a response she just ran on. In her own room she leapt on the bed and shook Jace.

"Jace, get up." She said, shaking him harder. "Something's wrong with Alec."

Jace groaned but didn't budge.

"For The Angel's sake, Jace, get the hell up!" She shouted.

"What?" Jace asked, groggy from sleep. "Clary, what is it? What's wrong?" He asked as Izzy and Simon burst in.

"Clary, what in The Angel's name is going on? What's wrong?" Izzy asked, a frown on her beautiful face. She had long raven black hair, silky smooth like Alec's, creamy skin, and deep brown eyes. Her father's eyes. She was slender and athletic in build. She was also a badass warrior, just like her older brother, who didn't like early morning wakeup calls. Especially not after long nights out on patrol.

"Alec's missing." She said.

"What do you mean missing?" Simon asked, wrapping his arms around Izzy's waist. He was her mate. Izzy's an alpha and he is her beta.

"I mean he's missing!" She snapped, running her hands through her curly blonde hair. She wanted to rip it out. They were only minutes into this, and she was already frustrated. Her parabatai, the one who's always been her big brother despite their actual age differences is gone. "He's not in his room or the training room. And something's wrong. Bad wrong. I can feel it." She said, focusing for a moment on the throbbing pain she felt pulsing through their bond. Gut-wrenching pain. And fear. But she couldn't fathom what was causing either or glean any idea where he might be from it.

"Well, let's not panic just yet." Jace said as he sat up. If something was wrong, they needed to keep level heads. "There are plenty of other places he could be."

"Jace is right, Clary." Izzy said. "He could be in any number of places."

"Like where?" Clary asked, fighting the urge to scream. If they could feel what she felt, they wouldn't be so calm.

"Well, did you check the dining hall?" Simon asked. "He didn't eat when he got back last night."

"Simon's right, babe. He didn't eat." Jace said, rubbing what he hoped were soothing circles on her back. "He could have gone down for breakfast. Or he could have gone to the library. You know he loves it there. But honestly, with the mood he's been in I wouldn't be surprised if he grabbed his bow and went up to do a little target practice.

Let's get dressed and we'll search the place out. I'm sure he'll turn up. Okay? Let's not worry just yet."

Clary sighed. It's true that there were any number of places within the Institute that her parabatai could be. And they would search it from top to bottom looking for him. But she knew that it was a waste of time. They weren't going to find him. She just hoped that in looking that they would find a clue as to where he went, and that they would find it quickly.

____________________

Clary chewed her thumbnail as she paced impatiently beside Jace in the OP's center. It hadn't taken them long to search their half of the Institute, but as she'd expected they hadn't found her parabatai. What had started as worry had long since become full on fear, and they were wasting time just standing here.

"Stop that." Jace said gently as he pulled her thumb from her mouth and pulled her into his arms. He was worried now too. So far, they'd searched out half the Institute paying special attention to his big brother's favorite haunts and had found no sign of him. But it wasn't that that was getting to him. It was his girl that had done it. He'd never seen her like this, and he knew her well enough to know that it's what she's feeling through the parabatai bond that has her unraveling. Could Izzy and Simon still find him while searching their half of the Institute? Yes. Could they have already found him? Yes. But he didn't think that they had or would.

"Where is he, Jace?" She asked. "And where are Iz and Si?"

"We're here." Izzy said as she sauntered into the OP's center, Simon trailing alone behind, watching the way her as swayed when she walked. "We couldn't find him."

"Great. Just great. I told you he wasn't here." She said, pulling out of Jace's arms. In that moment being in them wasn't comforting. It was smothering.

"Babe, try and calm down." Jace said. "So, he's not here. That doesn't mean he's missing. He may have just gone out. Maybe he went for a run or something. Let's go check his room and see if he left a note."

"I've already been to his room. There's nothing there." She said.

"Well, were you looking for a note when you were in there?" Simon asked. "Or for any other clues as to where he might have gone? Like missing running shoes? Did you check his calendar? Maybe he had an early class."

Clary sighed. They were right. She had just looked for him in his room. While nothing but dirty clothes and tangled linens had stood out, she hadn't looked for anything else. Was she certain that he hadn't left a note? Yes. She would have seen that without question. But he could have left some other clue behind that she'd missed.

"Let's go up and take another look." Jace said, squeezing her hand. "I'm sure we'll find something. It's not like Alec to just disappear without leaving a clue as to where he's gone. And it's probably something subtle. Something that only one of us would catch. You know how he's been since Mayrse and Robert started in on him."

"Okay." She said, nodding yes. Ever since his presentation, Alec has had to be more cautious in his activities and with his actions. They were, after all, watching him like a hawk. They seemed to be looking for any reason they could find to boot him out of the Institute. But clue or no clue, she knew that something wasn't right. Something was wrong. Bad wrong. She could feel it in her heart, soul, and through their bond.

____________________

Three feet from Alec's open bedroom door Jace stopped.

"What is it?" Clary asked.

"Do you smell that, Iz?" Jace asked.

"Smell what?" She asked, confused.

"Yeah. It's strong." Izzy said, a ball of dread settling solidly in her belly. She'd smelt this same scent before on her presentation day when her big brother had presented as an omega. She knew then that whatever had happened wasn't good, and she had no doubt now that something had happened.

"What's strong?" Clary asked.

"I think I know what happened." Jace said, continuing forward into Alec's room. The scent inside hit him like a ton of bricks.

Izzy gasped as she stepped inside.

"By The Angel." She breathed. "What is it?"

"What is what?" Clary almost screamed. She was well out of patience.

"Alec's gone into heat." Jace said, turning to look at his mate. "The pheromones in here are really strong. Really strong. I'm surprised that you and Si can't smell them." He said. Being betas, they didn't have the same sense of smell that he and Izzy did as alphas, but they could still pick up on some things.

"That's why he's so scared. He must have realized what happened and is terrified. This omega stuff is all new to him. And Mayrse and Robert restricting our access to anything related to omegas in the library has left him with no idea of what to do or expect." She said, tears welling in her eyes. Now she understood. Her parabatai was alone, afraid, and knew nothing about what was going on inside him or about what would happen next.

"We have to find him. Fast." Izzy said. "He's an unmated, unclaimed omega in heat and he's alone in New York. Any species can claim him." She said. She might not know much about omegas, but she did know that. And that they're vulnerable while in heat. They're to be protected. Usually, it's by their mate. But her big brother didn't have a mate to protect him. And from what she saw in the weapons room during their search for him, he's not just alone. He's unarmed. All of his weapons were still there. "And he's unarmed. He didn't take his weapons, so he has nothing to defend himself with."

"Yeah, but this is Alec we're talking about. He doesn't need weapons to defend himself." Simon said. "Yes, we do need to find him as fast as possible, but I don't think he's in any physical danger. He's a total badass in hand to hand."

Izzy spun on him faster than he could blink, slapping him hard across the face.

"Are you insane?" She asked. "He's in his first heat. None of us have any idea what sort of state he's in. We don't know how this is affecting him or his ability to defend himself from an attack. Omegas are vulnerable when they're in heat. That means he's compromised. Could be badly. We have to find him, and we have to find him NOW!"

"Maybe we can try calling him again." He said, sheepish. Had he answered the first ten times they'd tried during their search? No. But that didn't mean they shouldn't keep trying.

"No, jackass, we can't. His phones over on his desk." Jace said. Now they knew why he hadn't answered any of their calls. He'd left his phone behind. They had no way to contact him. "Clary, what are you feeling from him now?"

"I don't know. Give me a minute. I need to focus." Clary said. She'd been so caught up in what was going on around her that she hadn't been paying attention to what was coming through the parabatai bond.

Closing her eyes, she cleared her mind. Thinking only of her missing parabatai it hit her like a freight train. The gut-wrenching pain hit her first. Then a cascade of emotions rolled over her. Disgust. Repulsion. A sense of worthlessness. Self-hatred. And a need to just end it.

"We have to find him." She said, her eyes snapping open. "Right now. He's in a bad place. A really bad place. The state he's in, I'm afraid he might hurt himself."

"What? What do you mean he might hurt himself?" Izzy asked, ice settling into her bones.

"It feels like every nasty thing that's been said to him since his presentation has taken hold in his mind. He's a wreck." She said. "And he's in pain. So much pain. Heart, mind, body, and soul."

"Okay." Izzy said, steeling herself against the emotions that wanted to consume her, to swallow her whole. She had to focus. Her brother needed her. "How do we find him?"

"Clary, can you get a sense of him, of where he might be using the bond?" Jace asked. "Or your rune."

"I can try." Clary said. Pulling her stele from her pocket she passed it over her parabatai rune. The emotions and pain she'd been feeling through the bond she shared with Alec intensified, hitting her tenfold. The strain of it stole her breath and doubled her over. Her visioned swayed but cleared as the barrage of sensations eased and faded as the glowing of the active rune faded.

"Clary!" Jace cried, leaping to catch her as she fell. "Clary. Talk to me." He said, fighting back the panic that had gripped him by the throat. His girl was cold, pale, and struggling to breathe.

"I'm okay." She said, fighting to catch her breath. She didn't know how she'd ended up in his arms, but she was glad that she was in them. She needed the comfort that only they could give after everything she'd just felt. "I can't get a sense of where he is. Only what he's feeling."

"Anybody got any ideas where he might go then?" Simon asked.

"He could be anywhere in the city." Izzy said. "There's only one way we're going to find him. We have to track him."

"It'll take the Clave hours to do a tracking." Simon said.

"We need a warlock." Jace said as he helped Clary to her feet. "We don't have time to go through channels." He said, and he was right. They didn't have time for that. Could a Shadowhunter be tracked through their tracking rune by a Silent Brother? Yes, assuming that the rune hadn't been deactivated by the Shadowhunter. But the process took time.

A request for it would first have to be submitted to the Clave by The Head of the Institute. Then, if the request was approved, the Silent Brothers would be summoned to the missing Shadowhunter's Institute to work a tracking spell in the place where the Shadowhunter's energy is the strongest. But there was no telling how long it would take for a summons to be sent to the Silent Brothers or how long it would take them to arrive once summoned. It could be hours or days.

And there was no guarantee that The Head of the Institute would even make the request for this missing Shadowhunter. Robert Lightwood had been looking for a reason to get rid of his son for months and now Alec was gone by his own doing. He had no reason to believe that the man that was his adoptive father would do a thing to help find his missing brother.

"Does anyone know where to find Magnus Bane?" Clary asked.

"Woah." Simon said, hands in the air. "You want to ask The High Warlock of Brooklyn, the leader of the downworld, to help locate a missing Shadowhunter?"

"Yes!" Izzy and Clary shouted as one.

"Okay. Just making sure." He said, backing up with his hands now raised in surrender.

"Alec is my parabatai, Jace and Iz's brother, your best friend, and our leader. Do you really want to try this with anyone but the best? Magnus Bane is The High Warlock of Brooklyn for a reason. If anyone can find Alec, it's him." Clary said, glaring daggers at him.

"I'm not saying it's not worth a shot." He said, taking another step back.

"I know where to find Magnus Bane." Jace said. "But his help won't come free. There will be a price. A heavy one."

"Whatever it is we'll pay it." Izzy said. She didn't care what the warlock asked for in return for his help. Good or bad, he'd get his payment.

"That settles it then." Jace said. "Now let's go before one of you kills Simon."

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