Mr. Bane stumbled back.

Alec swore and turned away.

This was reckless.

Alec grabbed his forehead.

He had to go.

"I won't say anything," Alec said. His back was to the door. The door he needed.

"I won't--"

Alec turned around.

"What are you even doing here? You're not the teacher type."

"This isn't the time for this conversation," Mr. Bane said. "You should go."

"Wow," Alec said, blown away by his statement and the whole thing.

He moved as fast as he could towards the door.

"That's not what I meant--"

"I know what you meant," Alec said, disgusted with himself more than anything. "This never happened."

He slammed the door and did his best to make it out of the classroom without breaking down into tears.

When he was in the safety of his room, he found Jace face down on his bed, screaming into a pillow.

"How long have you been there?" Alec asked, leaning against the wall. He used the back of his hand to push the tears out of his eyes.

"Ever since I got back," Jace said, his voice muffled. He screamed again.

"So what's your problem?"

"Clary," Jace mumbled. "I know it sounds shallow."

"Actually, it sounds more like murpmufphrfm," Alec said. Jace turned around and there was a smile teasing the edge of his lips.

"So Clary?" Alec asked.

"She hates me," Jace said. He looked away from Alec. "You hate me."

"And you're a self-obsessed jerk," Alec said. "There. All better."

Alec crossed his arms. He felt self-conscious. And horribly wrong.

But his heart was still racing from the thrill of the kiss.

"Your mom--"

"--is defending my dad who is under investigation," Jace said. "I have no idea why. Something about Valentine."

"There's your problem," Alec said.

"I know where the problem is," Jace said. "Her brother is missing."

"You fell in love with a broken girl," Alec said.

Girl.

A question struck Alec.

Was he gay?

"Beautiful none the less," Jace said.

"Suum cuique pulchrum est," Alec said. The words meant more than usual this time though.

"'To each his own is beautiful,'" Jace translated. "That's deep, Lightwood."

"Sure," Alec agreed, half-heartedly.

"And so what's on your mind?" Jace asked.

"Pretty much everything."

"'History of Downworlders' is not everything," Jace said. "It's just a class."

The class? Yes.

The teacher? No.

"Mr. Bane's just giving me a tough time," Alec said.

"He knows you can do better."

Alec almost laughed.

He wanted to tell Jace everything.

But he had given his word.

..........

"I hate Combat 5," Isabelle said, pulling out her chair. She slammed her tray on the table for extra measure.

"What's so bad about Combat?" Jace asked, indulging her.

"What isn't so bad about Comabt?" she asked. "It's fun and all but I haven't had a decent partner this year which makes it terribly boring."

"I'm sure Clary would practice with you," Alec said.

"I would do what?" Clary asked, just arriving at the table. She slid in between Isabelle and Alec, avoiding Jace.

"Practice combat with Isabelle," Alec said.

"Why not?" Clary shrugged.

"Clary's the best in our class," Alec said. "She took me down a couple of times."

"And you got me back," Clary said.

Someone came by and dropped an envelope at Alec's place. He didn't see their face but it was a student.

He ripped it open and his face immediately dropped.

"Read it," Isabelle said.

"It's probably none of your business," Jace said, sticking up for a silent Alec.

"Yeah right," she laughed. With a quick movement she snatched the letter up and started reading.

"'Dear Mr. Lightwood,'" she laughed. "This is so official sounding. 'Upon reviewing your current transcript, we have discovered that you are failing 'History of Downworlders.' According to policy, any student who fails more than two consecutive semesters of the same course, must attend three hours worth of tutoring a week, to make up for the failed grade. Once a satisfactory grade in the current course has been achieved, the tutoring session will be reevaluated for necessity by the Academic Board.'"

Isabelle was suppressing laughter now.

"That sucks," she said, handing it back.

Alec ripped up the letter in a moment of anger and frustration.

"It's not that bad," Jace said. "It could be worse."

"Yeah," Clary said. "You could have to take it with Greenwillow, who smells terrible--"

Isabelle interjected.

"--or Pangborn who is creepy as--"

"Language," the headmistress corrected as she drifted by. She was still in white.

Isabelle rolled her eyes.

"Bane's cool," Isabelle said. "You'll catch up."

But Alec was still white as a sheet.

..........

"How did I do?" Sebastian asked. He took another sip of the warm liquid.

"You did excellent," the man circling the chair said.

Sebastian bit his lower lip.

"It could have been more," Sebastian said, pondering. "My timing was off; I was looking for Clary--"

"--who didn't want to be found," the man said. "You can do everything just perfectly, Sebastian, but if one person acts unexpectedly--"

He tisked.

"--everything goes astray."

"One day I'll be able to convince her to join us," Sebastian said. "I just have to get back to the school."

"Why do you want to go back there?" the man asked, hostility in his voice. "Don't you see the opportunity we have? The Clave is making excuses for your disappearance. You're dead to them, crushed to pieces. This is your chance. Death is the perfect alibi."

"What do you want me to do?" Sebastian asked.

"I want you to kill Celine Herondale," the man said. "She's in my way. And she will continue to be in my way."

"You don't think she's helping? By distracting the Clave?"

"She's going to say the wrong thing one day," the man said. "I know she suspects us. Besides, with her alive, Stephen will never be completely mine."

"Okay," Sebastian said, nodding. He set the tea aside. "Give me a plan."

"Get in, get out. Move as quickly and quietly as possible," the man said. He sighed. "I must admit I might be a little sad to see her go. I was always so fond of Celine."

"Are you being sentimental, father?" Sebastian asked as he stood up and stretched out.

"I hope not," Valentine said.