Disclaimer: I do not own The Infernal Devices or any of the characters, they are all property of Cassandra Clare. This is simply a 'what if'.

Chapter One: Bungee Ballet

"Ok, let's try it one more time. On three; one, two, three!"

Tessa held her breath and jammed her eyes closed, taking the last step forward. There was a moment of perfect weightlessness before she plunged down thirty feet, the air rushing up around her in a suffocating current. Her stomach lurched up into her throat. She opened her mouth to scream, only to find all the air had escaped her lungs, leaving her unable to make a sound. She ripped her eyes open to see the ground rushing up to meet her. Just before impact, she slowed, her shoes just skimming the surface of the marble floor before she found herself shooting back up into the air, the bungee cord tied tightly around her waste digging into her skin uncomfortably as it flung her back in the opposite direction.

She was supposed to be learning how to keep her balance and to jump with more agility with the help of the cord, but all that she seemed to be doing was successfully making a fool of herself over and over again.

She had walked in on Jem standing dangerously on top of the banister of the second floor that overlooked the large entryway. The entrance to the Institute was an impressive circular room whose ceiling arched up seventy feet into a beautiful glass domed peak. At midday the sun streamed in through the glass, showering the room in a soft, glistening light that sparkled off of all the marble surfaces. A grand marble staircase wound up thirty feet to the second floor landing where two massive hallways split off in separate directions dividing the house in half. The left hand side housed the living quarters, where Tessa and the all the others resided, the right hand side housed all the other rooms; the kitchen, the dining room, the library, the weapons and training rooms, and countless others that Tessa had not yet explored.

Tessa had been perplexed as to why Jem was perched so precariously on top of the railing, when suddenly he took a step forward and plummeted down. Tessa gave a short cry and ran forward, reaching the railing just as he bounced back up, sailing delicately through the air, somersaulting elegantly back up onto the railing landing in a perfect, easy crouch.

He had shown her how he was securely strapped into a harness that was connected to a bungee cord. The chord stretched across the open expanse of the entryway and was tied to two massive pillars. He could jump off the ledge and stop just before the ground. They called it Bungee Ballet. He explained that they used it to work on strengthening jumping and accuracy; as you progressed, less and less resistance would be placed on the chords until eventually, theoretically, you wouldn't need them at all and you could jump off the railing with no protection and land without injury. But, Jem explained, no one had ever really made it that far. Will had come the closest. He could now use the least resistance, resistance five, which was the equivalent of jumping off a twenty-foot ledge and landing easily on two feet.

"There's a myth in Shadowhunter lore about the Nephilim that exceeded all others in power," Jem had explained, eyes wide with wonder. "He could leap fifty feet in the air from a dead standstill, and fall a hundred feet without injury. He was faster than any demon, as fast as angels themselves. He was supposed to be the son of an angel. But it's just a myth. No one can really survive a hundred foot fall, not even a Shadowhunter." Jem glanced back at the harness. "We use it mostly as an exercise to get over the fear if anything. They strap young Shadowhunters into the harness and make them step off the ledge." Jem laughed at Tessa's horrified expression. "You have to be able to conquer your fear of death if you want to survive in this business."

"How young?" Tessa asked in a small voice.

"Usually about eight or nine. Seven is the youngest anyone is allowed, but most wait until they're a little older. I was ten when I first did it." Jem smiled ruefully, "I was a late bloomer. Will did it on his seventh birthday. He just couldn't wait."

Jem had then suggested that Tessa herself give it a go. Tessa had refused outright, explaining she couldn't even look down from her bedroom window, which was located only on the second floor, without getting a bit dizzy from her fear of heights. But there was something about Jem that was so reassuring, that Tessa just couldn't say no to. And somehow, through persistent gentle persuasion, Tessa had found herself strapped into the harness and staring down thirty feet into the cold, hard marble floor below her.

The first two attempts had been abysmal, resulting in her screaming herself hoarse and flailing about wildly trying to clutch at the air. On the third attempt at least she hadn't screamed, but that had mostly been the result of fear forcing all the air out of her lungs. She now bobbed up and down gently suspended in midair, her long skirt fluttering around her ankles, a look of defeat on her face.

"It's no use Jem. There's a reason I'm not a Shadowhunter," Tessa lamented.

"Nonsense," Jem laughed, pulling on one end of the cord and beginning to reel her back over to the edge of the railing. "There's really nothing to being a Shadowhunter. We just get trained from a very young age, so we have a little more practice than others. Everything we do, you can be taught. Well," Jem paused for a moment, looking a little perplexed, "besides getting marked, that will kill you." He shook his head before continuing on, looking suddenly determined. "But blood doesn't determine what you can do in your life. You can be born a certain way, or into a certain situation, but that doesn't mean you have to be defined by it. You can always be more than your circumstance."

Tessa glanced up at Jem. He usually placid face was very serious, his brow furrowed in thought. Tessa wondered if he was talking about his own life, his own situation. She hesitated before speaking softly.

"You're right Jem. We should never give up."

He looked up at her, meeting her gaze with his own. His silver eyes were somber but gentle, staring deep into Tessa. In that look there was a mutual understanding of each other, of the difficult lives they both had been dealt, and of the friendship they could offer each other.

Jem helped Tessa over the railing, steadying her as she stumbled slightly over the edge of her skirt. She gave a small sigh of relief to be back on solid ground. Jem shot her an amused look.

"I take it flying was never a great dream of yours."

"I prefer to keep my two feet planted firmly on God's good Earth, thank you very much," Tessa said, fiddling unsuccessfully with the harness in an attempt to release herself from the contraption.

"Allow me," Jem said softly, laying a long, slender hand gently atop her hands to still their movements.

Tessa released the harness quickly, dropping her arms to her side and stood still, allowing Jem's deft hands do the work. His hands moved skillfully over the harness, releasing her in a matter of seconds, the harness falling away from her waist and clattering to the floor. She smiled up at him in thanks and froze, suddenly becoming aware of their proximity. His face was only a foot from her own, his body still so close she could feel the heat radiating off of him. His arms were still raised slightly, hovering just above her waist. She glanced down at his hands and back up into his eyes, slightly embarrassed, and found his brow furrowed once again, a conflicted look on his face. He opened his mouth to speak—

Someone cleared their throat loudly. Tessa and Jem both whipped their heads in the direction the noise came from, only to find Will leaning lazily against the wall of the hallway. Tessa took a large step away from Jem, her cheeks flaring.

"Sorry to interrupt," Will spoke slowly, his eyes darting back and forth between Tessa and Jem. "But Charlotte would like a word with you Tessa. She's in the library."

With that Will turned sharply and walked quickly away down the hallway. Tessa wasn't surprised, or even overly offended. Ever since that night on the roof Will had been even more unpleasant towards her. He had disappeared for a few days after that night, no one knew where he had gone, but he showed up again two days later and no one asked questions. "It's better to just let these things play out with Will," Jem had explained. "He has his reasons."

So Tessa had left it alone and Will had gone on pretending that nothing had ever happened between the two of them. Tessa decided that if that was how Will wanted things to be, then she was fine with it. She could pretend just as well as he could.

Tessa turned back to Jem, giving him a slightly guilty look. "I'll see you later then," she said softly, giving him a small smile.

He returned the smile with an easy one of his own. "I'll see you later Tessa."