REBECCA

Six months later

"Happy birthday!"

Rebecca's mouth fell open at the sight of the dress. It was a beautiful, dark red, with streaks of orange running through it.

"Flame for the birth of Nephilim," Adam said, quoting the old Shadowhunter poem.

"It's beautiful!" Rebecca unfurled the dress. It fell to just below her knees, and the sleeves were made of red lace, woven with patterns of runes - runes of good luck and happiness. She traced them with her fingers. "How did you get the runes in here?"

"That's all thanks to your mother," Adam said proudly, squeezing his wife's shoulder.

"It's amazing. Seriously, I cannot stress how absolutely gorgeous it is."

Susanna smiled warmly. "Happy birthday, sweetheart."

Rebecca dropped down to her knees beside her mother and enveloped her in a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"There's something else I have for you," Adam said, as Rebecca stood up. "If you want it, that is."

"What is it?"

In answer, Adam handed her a small velvet box. Inside, there was a polished silver ring, engraved with a pattern of crisscrossing swirls. She took it out, examining it in the palm of her hand. "Is this..."

"The Trueblood family ring," Adam said. "The engraving is a modified form of what mundanes call the triskele. The three spirals represent the mundanes, Downworlders and Shadowhunters."

"It's yours if you want it," Susanna said softly.

Rebecca stared at the ring in her hand. "I'll take it," she said, surprising even herself.

Adam reached out and curled her fingers around the ring. "You're a Trueblood now," he said. "You belong to a line of great warriors, of Consuls and Inquisitors, of Centurions from the Scholomance. Wear it well."

Susanna rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop pressuring the poor girl, Adam!"

Rebecca couldn't help the smile that crossed her face.

The sun was beginning to set by the time Rebecca reached the Institute, the dress neatly folded in her backpack, which was bouncing merrily on her shoulders. The Trueblood family ring, along with the Morgenstern ring, was hanging on the chain around her neck, gently clinking in rhythm with her steps.

As was customary every time she got back from visiting her parents, Rebecca took an alley that led to the back of the Institute, instead of using the front door. The alley opened out into a small square, from where she could easily climb in through her window using the pipes that ran down the wall.

Once she was back inside, she carefully hung the dress in her closet. She was about to remove the chain around her neck when a knock sounded on the door.

In a flash, Rebecca slipped the chain under her shirt, making sure the rings were out of sight, and kicked off her boots. When she opened the door, she found Isabelle standing outside, a somewhat suspicious expression on her face. She was wearing a red dress that clashed brilliantly with her black hair, and her whip was curled around her wrist.

"What's up?" Rebecca said, trying to look innocent.

Isabelle's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why do you have mud on your face?"

Crap.

Rebecca sighed, mentally kicking herself for not checking before she opened the door. She'd had far too many close calls lately, but she'd also perfected lying through her teeth.

"Fine. If I tell you, do you promise not to tell Maryse?"

Isabelle made a show of crossing her heart. "Cross my heart, and hope to die."

"I snuck out to buy a new dress."

"Oh, Bec, really? Why didn't you tell me, I would have-"

"Shh!" Rebecca glanced around quickly, but the hallway was empty except for Isabelle. "I'll show you later, Izzy. And don't worry, I won't be late to the party-"

"You better not be," Isabelle said. "But that's not why I came."

As Rebecca looked at her expectantly, Isabelle said, "The Consul is here. She wants to talk to you."

Rebecca hurried down the stairs, smoothing out her clothes and hair. Her hands were trembling from anticipation, but she still felt a sense of dread that lay curled in her stomach like a snake.

Jia Penhallow was waiting in the entrance hall, wearing a long travelling cloak. Her sharp eyes followed Rebecca as she clattered down the stairs.

"Rebecca," the Consul said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing alright, Consul. Isabelle told me you wished to talk to me?"

"I do, yes."

"Would you like to go into the office-"

"No, thank you." She inclined her head. "This will be a short conversation, I hope."

Rebecca tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "Is this about the... test results?"

At that, a little sadness crept into Jia's eyes. "I'm sorry, Rebecca. The Silent Brothers have done everything they can with the blood sample you sent them. But they have found no cure for the demon blood, and there is no way to separate it from your own blood, without serious consequences to you."

Rebecca's heart turned to stone. "Oh."

"Apparently, your body used the demon blood to heal itself after you were injured. To remove it would mean that you would die."

Rebecca said nothing.

"I am deeply sorry. I wanted to meet you in person to tell you this. I don't imagine it is easy to hear this."

"It really isn't," Rebecca said through clenched teeth.

"How is the pain?"

"Gone."

Jia took a deep breath. "That's good to hear." After a few seconds of silence, she continued, "The Silent Brothers speculated that it was Sebastian's life force that was tying you to his blood."

"That makes sense," Rebecca said dully. "I lost a lot of the demon blood when he-he died."

Jia nodded. "I see." She pulled out a folded piece of paper from within her cloak. "There is one more thing-"

The door behind them creaked open, and Isabelle stepped out, looking impatient. "Rebecca, what's taking you so long- oh. Sorry, Consul. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"That's alright," Jia said serenely. She gestured to the room Isabelle had come out of. The faint buzz of voices emanated from it. Rebecca thought she could hear Simon's voice, raised in a question. "Special occasion?"

Isabelle shrugged. "Just a party." She continued to look expectantly at them, until Jia finally said, "I just need Rebecca for a couple more minutes, Isabelle."

Once Isabelle left, Jia turned back to Rebecca. "As I was saying, there is one more thing I wanted to ask you." She cleared her throat. "In light of recent events, the Clave has decided to reopen the Scholomance, for the purpose of training the best Shadowhunters to effectively deal with faerie matters. It is my hope," - she held up the piece of paper - "that you will accept my invitation to be a student at the Scholomance and become one of the first Centurions in over a century."

Rebecca simply stared at the paper, her mind racing. "But... I..."

"You're a good Shadowhunter, Rebecca. Very good, in fact. You have demonstrated strength of character, resilience, an innate sense of compassion, and not to mention, remarkable fighting skills. It is my personal belief that you will make a fine Centurion."

"But my demon blood-"

"Will not be a problem. If anything, it is your advantage. It is who you are."

Mutely, Rebecca took the folded piece of paper.

"The decision is entirely yours, in the end," Jia said. "But I hope you don't forgo this opportunity."

You belong to a line of great warriors, of Consuls and Inquisitors, of Centurions from the Scholomance. Wear it well.

Rebecca swallowed. "I'll think about it."

Jia gave a wry smile. "Very well, then. It seems that that is the best answer I can hope for right now." She chuckled lightly. "Strange isn't it? The way things always turn out in the end?"

"I suppose, yes," Rebecca muttered, a little puzzled.

Jia eyed her shrewdly. "Have you ever thought about how you might be the very result that Valentine was trying to achieve?"

Rebecca looked up, caught off-guard. "What?"

"The perfect blend of angel and demon to create a warrior," Jia said. "Valentine's Arrow. And though Sebastian gave you his blood to save your life, you used it to end his. Strange how fate works out in the end."

Rebecca said nothing. She didn't know what to say.

"I will leave you to enjoy the party," Jia said abruptly. With a swish of her cloak, she turned around and opened the entrance door. Just before she stepped out, she looked back. "Happy birthday, by the way."

And then she was gone.

Rebecca stood there, her official acceptance letter to the Scholomance clutched in her hand. She couldn't believe what had just happened.

"Bec!"

It was Isabelle again, gesturing impatiently for Rebecca to join her. "Come on, everyone's waiting!"

"Coming." Rebecca tucked the letter into her jeans pocket and started to follow Isabelle, towards the sounds of laughter and music. Through the door, she could see them all - Maryse, Robert, Alec, Isabelle, Jace, Simon, Clary. The people she loved. Her family.

She paused and looked back at the entrance door. Though she didn't know it yet, she had already made up her mind. She reached up to gently finger the Trueblood ring around her neck. Its cold touch was strangely reassuring. With one last look at the door, she followed Isabelle back to the party.