Rain lashed the windows as thunder peeled across the grey sky. Lightning flashed in the low, heavy clouds that covered London. The streets were a sea of large, black umbrellas, sheltering people from the sheets of rain as they went about their daily business.

Tessa Gray sat on a soft, cushioned chair beside the library window, gazing glumly out onto the wet, busy street below, clutching a thick book in her hands. 'A Tale of Two Cities' was one of her favourites, and one that she had read many times before. She sought comfort in the story, a way to escape her troubles and anxieties, letting the familiar words wash over her, taking her someplace she could think of as home.

Home. The institute was her home now, Tessa thought, with a happy jolt in her stomach. For a while, she had thought that Charlotte might have to kick her out, as she wasn't a Shadowhunter. But Charlotte had surprised her by asking her to stay, and live at the institute with her, Henry, Jem, Will, Jessamine and Sophie exactly a week ago. During the past week, Tessa could scarcely believe how lucky she was. One moment, she had thought she would have to be living on the streets, the next; she had a home, and a Family. They were her family now, and she was feeling very fond of all of them, even Jessie, who had told her just last night, that Tessa's fingernails were awful, and that Tessa would have suited curly hair better, as it would have made her look far less dim-witted and plain. The possible exception was Will, who had been perfectly horrid towards Tessa since that night, when the Magister had attacked the institute.

Will. Tessa pushed all thoughts of him from her mind. She had barely spoken to him since he had said those horrible things to her, after Charlotte had asked her to stay. Thinking of Will just meant being miserable, and Tessa didn't need Will to add to her already long list of troubles. Sighing, Tessa opened her book and tried to ignore the heavy roar of the rain, pounding on the roof of the institute. After 10 minutes of struggling to read over the noise, Tessa closed her book with another big sigh, and was about to stand up, thinking she would get herself some food from the kitchen, when voices just outside the library door told her that she was about to have company.

The door opened, and Jem walked in, closely followed by Will. They were talking about something to do with a rogue vampire in downworld London, but broke off when they saw Tessa. Jem immediately smiled at her, in a kind and welcoming sort of way. Will's reaction, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. His smile vanished, and when his eyes locked with Tessa's, they turned dark and cold. He looked as if he were about to turn and walk out, but before he could move, Jem asked,

"Would you mind if we joined you, Tessa?" He smiled as he said it, and Tessa knew she couldn't say no.

"Of course not", she said, smiling at Jem, ignoring Will's empty gaze.

Jem led the way to the table in the centre of the room. Will followed more slowly, and sat down opposite him. The library was lit by witchlight, not because it was very late, but because the storm outside made the inside of the library very dark indeed. The greenish light made Jem's hair seem ghostly, gleaming with a pale green tinge.

"Fancy a game of cards, Will?" he asked, his tone light and friendly.

"Sure, but you know I will probably win", he said with a confident grin, looking anywhere but at Tessa.

"We'll see about that!" Jem chuckled. "Would you like to play Tessa?" Jem turned to look at Tessa, still smiling.

"Oh, er, no, thank you Jem, I was just about to start reading", Tessa replied, flustered. She didn't like lying to Jem, but the possibility of playing cards with Will was even less appealing, at the moment.

"Ah, I don't blame you. Will is a notorious cheater," Jem said, looking slightly disappointed.

"I am not! How dare you suggest such a thing!" Will replied, mockingly indignant.

Tessa opened her book again, resigned to the fact she would have to spend at least the next half hour struggling to read over that horrible rain. Curse this horrible London weather, she thought.

At that moment, Sophie walked in, carrying that day's newspaper. Ignoring Will, she smiled at Tessa, then turned to Jem and said,

"Would you like to read the paper? Only Henry has finished with it, and I thought someone else would like to have a look at it before I threw it away",

"Much obliged, Sophie, that was very thoughtful", Jem replied, smiling.

"No problem", Sophie said, "would you like a cup of tea?"

"Yes please, if it isn't too much trouble" Jem said

"And would you like one too, miss?" Sophie turned to Tessa.

"That would be lovely, Sophie", Tessa smiled. Sophie left the room with a little curtsy, and shut the door behind her with a soft click.

Will amused himself with the pack of cards, while Jem picked up the newspaper and turned to the front page, scanning the headlines for anything interesting. Sophie returned after a few minutes, with two cups of tea on a tray, which she placed on the table for Jem and Tessa. She bobbed another little curtsy, acknowledging their thanks, and left the room without another word.

Jem set aside the paper, and engaged Will in a fierce game of 'snap', followed by a round of 'old maid', then 'Go fish'. Just as they were finishing their second game of 'Donkey', the witchlights around them seemed to flicker slightly. Jem and Will broke off their game, and looked curiously at the lights.

"That's strange", Will murmured, peering around the room as if an answer might suddenly pop up between the bookshelves.

"Perhaps a trick of the light", Suggested Jem, in a casual tone, although he looked slightly uneasy. They resumed their game, but it was more subdued, and Tessa could tell they were each listening carefully for any kind of disturbance. Probably their shadowhunter training. After about 5 minutes, it happened again, only this time, it was more pronounced. The light dimmed considerably for several seconds before flickering back to their full light, and dimming again.

"Something is definitely not right", Will said softly.

"But what?" Jem replied, equally quietly.

"Well if I knew that, I would probably be bragging about my infinite knowledge, now wouldn't I?"

"Yes, because that doesn't occur often" Jem snorted.

No sooner had the words left Jem's mouth, the witchlight went out completely. It was not very dark, however, as the green witchlight had been replaced by a soft, purplish glow. Looking around for the cause, Tessa saw that a swirling purple light was coming from a circle in the ceiling. She gasped softly, and Will and Jem looked up too.

"If I am not mistaken - and I rarely am - that is a portal", Will proclaimed, a slight edge to his voice.

"But you need permission from the Clave to open a portal", Jem frowned, looking mildly confused.

As he said that, the swirling suddenly sped up, getting faster and faster.

"Nevertheless, it seems we are about to have company", Will said softly, his eyes narrowing, "And I think it would be best if we had the element of surprise on our side, don't you think, Jem?"

"Yes, I agree", Jem returned, and without further ado, Will walked over to the nearest bookshelf and crouched down behind it, hiding himself from view. Jem turned to Tessa, whose eyes were wide with apprehension, and beckoned her over to crouch beside Will. She did, and Jem followed, making sure each of them was entirely hidden.

Then the lights went out completely, leaving them all in shadowy darkness.