Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The day had been going quite well for Alec.

He had woken up to the New York traffic instead of chirping birds or rays of sun penetrating through the curtains as characters in movies or novel usually did, but that was city life for you. Alec had grow used to it, and frankly he would be alarmed if he found birds chirping at his window rather than the loud horns that woke him up.

He had got himself a steaming cup of hot chocolate and a plate of croissants in the café nearby since he enjoyed looking outside the window at the ever changing scenery. Most of the times,  his mind wandered towards a new verse or figments of a promising story that he could pen down. But it also meant that the waitress often had to shake him out of his thoughts to make him notice his then ice-cold coffee.

That particular morning Alec had been rather inspired to write verses of a poem that suddenly came to him. And he even managed to finish his coffee before it became entirely cold.
He had smiled at the staff and left them a good tip as he walked out, humming a tune with a half written poem inked on his pages.

Towards the evening he took a peaceful stroll in the park and caught up with his brother Max. Most of his drafts were well ahead his deadlines and the best part of the day was that nobody had recognized him and come begging for an autograph or selfie.

Which is why he was expecting bad news any moment now.

It was Alec's belief that there could never be a perfect day. The phrase carried too much expectations and hopes which could only lead to disappointment. Every day came with its sweet and bitter parts and if you start believing that you're having a perfect day then something was bound to come and ruin it. His sister called is self-fulfillment but Alec disagreed. It wasn't like he wished bad incidents upon himself. 

Today was going great so he expected a turn of events soon enough. But what he did not expect was to see a wonderful day to turn into one of the worst days possible in a matter of seconds.

All it took was one phone call.

"Hello?" Alec's phone was held between his inclined head and shoulder as he pushed the last batch of his cookies into the oven.

"Alec! How are you? Never mind, we'll have time for that later - this is an emergency." Izzy's voice flooded over the phone and he frowned. Alec had already known something was wrong from her tone - he didn't need to be told twice. He immediately switched his phone to his hand and his body straightened up with tension.

"What happened?" he demanded, furrowing his brows.

"Did that asshole producer make a move on you? Did mom throw Max out of the house? By the Angel - Izzy did you burn the kitchen again?You know better than to-"

"Calm down Alec", she hollered over the phone. "And that happened just one time."

"Once was enough!"

"Anyway...this is a different type of emergency", she said slowly. Alec could almost see Isabelle chewing on her lip. He had a bad feeling about this.
"What is is?" he questioned, wearily, wondering what his sister could possibly want from him.
"Did you-"

"Just stop guessing and listen to me Alec!" she snapped. There was a pause as Izzy tried to get a grip on herself.

"You remember about that new reality show I am directing?"

Of course he remembered. Isabelle had been planning it out for months and months, without any rest, putting in every ounce of her effort. The only other project Alec had seen her so much devoted to was his love life - something he definitely didn't want to discuss, no thank you. When the show had finally gotten approved she had whooped in delight - Alec remembered because it had been 1 in the morning. Izzy had been over at his house when he heard a shrill scream that made him all but fall on the floor in alarm. He had hurriedly grabbed a book from the coffee table to defend himself and Izzy from a possible thief, only to find her jumping up and down in the living room. In his defense it had been a very thick book and would have made an excellent weapon. His sister had teased him mercilessly for a week but Alec couldn't help but smile in her sister's happiness.

"Yes, I'm aware. The celebrity survival show that you all but drowned yourself in. Isn't it opening in a week?" His face scrunched up as he turned towards the calendar to confirm his statement.

"Yes. And the worst thing has happened, Alec. Andrew backed out", she blurted, her voice notching up a scale.

"No way!" Alec gasped in disbelief.
"That lying bastard. I'm going to-"

"Not do anything", Izzy ended his sentence, firmly. "Its not his fault really..."

"Oh come on, Iz" Alec growled. "When will you open your eyes and start seeing him for the asshole he really is?"

Andrew was Isabelle's latest film star boyfriend. Alec hadn't been in favor of their relationship from the beginning but recently Andrew had been giving him more than enough red flags. He showed up late to dates, almost forgot Izzy's birthday and was never really there for her. And this was the last straw - bailing out on the project his sister had been working on tirelessly.

Izzy sighed against the phone.
"He has a film shoot in Miami, Alec. There  was some shoot emergency and he can't leave the set for at least two more weeks. It's a mess and I understand. Anyway, that is not why I called you. I need you to replace him."

"What? No fucking way!" Alec spluttered, shaking his head vigorously. Nope.Not happening.

"Alec, listen to me", Izzy hissed. She expected that reaction form her brother and had likely prepared for it. "We've already announced there are going to be 20 celebrities on The Mortal Instruments and I can't just pick up anyone from the street. And you know very well no celebrity will be willing to join at such a short notice."

"But I'm not a celebrity", Alec protested.
"I'm just a small writer", he tried to emphasize. He could already feel his arguments fall weak against his sister's strong and determinant nature.

"Alexander Gideon Lightwood you have sold more than a million copies of 'The Idris Fall' and 'Infernal Devices' and three of your stand alone novels have been international bestsellers, not to mention the awards you have won and the insane amount of fans running after your life. You're anything but 'just a small writer'?!"

Okay, that approach had gone down the trash. 

"Iz, it's a survival show. I do frequent the gym but I don't know if I'm capable to survive on an island with strangers that I won't even be able to strike a conversation with."

"Alec, you're the only writer I know who's seriously ripped. Besides, it's not a show of strength or muscles. It's about tactics and performance. Who knows, you might even build some relationships, either way it will be good for you to have some social interactions", she countered.

"But you know-"

"Alec."

Her voice made him pause. He could picture her massaging her forehead to try and manage a growing headache.

"You know this project means a lot to me", she said, quietly. "You don't even have to actively compete if you don't wish to. Just be there, I can't have an empty spot, it will topple everything over. Please just- just do this for me", she whispered.

Dammit. She came right after his heart. How could he refuse her? He loved his sister to death, how could he be so selfish? Alec knew that this project meant the world to her. Besides, she was right. For all they knew he could get eliminated on the first day itself. Isabelle didn't need him to win this thing.

"You know I can never say no to you", he sighed in defeat.

"Oh my god, Alec!" Izzy cried with delight.
"Thank you so much, you're the best big bro!" she smiled. Alec could hear the relief in her voice.

"I love you", he said. "But you seriously owe me one."

"Oh I definitely do. Okay, I've got to run but my assistant will send over all the details, just go through them thoroughly. I'll book your flight tickets and take care of everything else. Love you too. Bye!"

He cut the call and closed his eyes, letting himself groan out loud. What a fucking perfect day. Alec's hear was already hammering with the anxiety and the sort of preperation he would have to undertake for this challenge.

"If I get my hands on that Andrew", Alec swore, gritting his teeth. A few minutes ago he was planning on spending a nice movie night alone, with his cookies. But now, his stomach was churning with anxiety, threatening to spill out the day's contents.

This could be fun right? Who was he kidding - this was his worst nightmare. A reality show with cameras everywhere. Him stranded on an island with strangers. Stuck-up celebrity strangers with who, he would have to talk and strategise. Sure it brought in excellent ratings and money and maybe some personality development? But Alec had always found it horrifying. Anything to do with cameras immediately made him self-conscious. He had put up with it for Izzy's sake and now he would have to be a part of it.

He collapsed into his couch, burying his head in his hands. At least Izzy would be there with him even if she was hosting, he consoled himself. And how bad could it be?

Maybe he could still salvage this day-

Wait what was that smell?

An alarm blared through his apartment and seconds later it was raining in the kitchen. Crap, his cookies! Alec raced into the kitchen, promptly slipping in the puddle of water that had gathered on the floor. Dammit. He groaned, picking himself up to switch off the fire alarm. The smoke had subsided a bit but as soon as he opened the oven it went straight into his lungs and he spent the next five minutes coughing and wheezing till his face turned red. So much for scolding Izzy for burning her kitchen. Alec eyed the cookies burnt black like coal.

This was not how he had envisioned the end of his day to be like. But then he hadn't imagined that he would be on a deserted island with 19 celebrities competing to survive the next week. Alec could barely survive in his own apartment, and now he had signed up for certain death.

Chapter Text

Alec barely realised that the week had passed by. It was as if he was watching his life on video while he was left on the couch, bleary eyed and too tired to move.

Minutes after he had cut the call with his sister, his phone started pinging and ringing like crazy. His whole management team was going haywire, marketing and PR were working in a flurry on plans that Alec didn't have time to hear about. And this was despite the fact that his assistant was handling everything for him.

When he had first started writing Alec never thought he would need a whole team to manage everything for him, let alone a personal assistant. But like most times, Alec had given in to Izzy and hired Charu. There had been no looking back. Not only was she organised, efficient and on top of every deadline, she had somehow stricken a friendship with Alec. Even Isabelle had been friend because as she often said, trying to become friends with Alec was like hitting a wall for the first few weeks. Or maybe months. But somehow, Charu's passion for her job and no-nonsense demeanor had made him lower his walls. And it was times like these when Alec felt blessed to have her in his life and also on his side. The way she was barking orders over the phone almost made him cower a bit.

Maybe he spoke a bit too soon. She turned towards him, eyebrows raised as her brown eyes bore into him.

"You're a nightmare", his PA declared, letting out a huff.
"Actually, Izzy is. She couldn't have given us a heads up?" she muttered.

"Well she just found out-" Alec started to protest but meekly shut his mouth at the look he received. Yeah well, Charu was justified in her anger. And Alec knew she wasn't really mad at anyone, just stressed out about how things were going to turn out.

Alec wasn't huge on social gatherings and cameras. For the entirety of his career he had slinked in the shadows, preferring to stay at home and refuse any audience with the outside world. Half of Charu's job had been keeping the press away from him and maintaining his social presence and outlook among other celebrities and now he was going to dive into a survival reality show with next to no prep. This was social suicide.

Despite the hours spent learning social lessons and rules from his PR representative and assistant, Alec wasn't entirely sure that he wouldn't go ahead and mess up his image. A week was too less to gather his thoughts, let alone orchestrate a whole social persona. In the end, they had all decided that Alec was better off being his shy and awkward self.

"We could make that angle work", Charu had muttered, before stalking off to answer yet another call. She had been in constant touch with Izzy and her PA as well because god knew it took the three of these incredible women to pull this off.

Just yesterday he had found Charu on a video call with his sister and her PA and somehow the conversation had drifted to what clothes he would be taking with him to the island. At that point Alec had shot the trio a bewildered look, asking what was wrong with his normal clothes. The flurry of groans and "are you serious?" that followed made Alec crawl back into his room after handing over the task of wardrobe selection to them as well. 

The whole week had been a nightmare and now Alec was finally standing in front of his apartment's door, suitcase in hand. Next stop was hell. His taxi would be arriving any moment to drop him at the airport and Charu had promised to come check in with his houseplants every once in a while.

Speaking of, his assistant finally switched off her air-pods and tucked them into the pockets of her jacket, letting the business look wipe off her face.

"Guess I won't be hearing from you soon?" she asked, a quizzical expression on her face.

Alec let out a snort.
"Don't count on that. I'll probably be terrible at everything and come back to be a pain in your ass in no time."

"Oh you're still going to cause me enough stress whether you're shipped off on an island or holed in your apartment", she chuckled.
"But seriously, Alec. Take care, okay? I know you're in good shape and we did get in some personal training sessions for you but this could turn out to be taxing on your emotional health as well."

Alec nodded mutely. He could count on one hand the number of people who knew about his bouts of depression. He hadn't had an episode in years but that didn't mean he wasn't on his guard. Alec never let down his guard down and there was no chance that he would let it relax in an isolated place, surrounded by strangers.

"Aye aye captain", he cracked a smile.
"I'll take care and do my best not to cause any mess that you may have to clear later."

"Thank you", Charu grinned, giving him a brief but warm hug. "I think that's your taxi driver honking... good luck!"

Alec turned his head towards the noise and gulped. Right. It was time to leave. As he stepped out of his apartment, suitcase rolling by his side, Alec took in his home for one last time.

"Adios", he whispered, a grim smile on his face. He didn't know when he would be back but something told him it would be soon enough. 39 days of torture, Alec didn't think he would make it to day 4. Taking a seat in the taxi, he looked out of his window until the scenery blurred into nothing.

***

The wind was strong enough that Alec was sure his hair was as good as a bird's nest by now. Who knew, he might find eggs being laid in his curls by the end of this ordeal.

The ship they were on was built to be open and didn't offer much protection from the attack of the weather. At least the wind took away any words that the people around him were trying to utter, which meant no small talk. Alec was still trying to process the slew of slightly familiar but mostly unfamiliar faces who had been dumped onto this ship with him. It was a good mix of women and men, most of whom looked like they had walked out of a fashion catalog in casual beach wear. He was immensely glad that he had left the fashion decision up to the girls, who had chosen a fitting but comfortable royal blue tee for him, coupled with beige shorts for the first day. With a dark brown bag slung over his shoulder, Alec somehow seemed to blend into this crowd.

He narrowed his eyes while looking around, trying to recognize these people from the profiles Izzy had sent him. But there had been nineteen people's faces, occupations and histories to scan through and Alec had felt light-headed before he was half-way done.

Nevertheless, he spotted the golden-haired guy who was a footballer, if Alec remembered correctly. He couldn't pin-point the black girl with bushy hair either but her face was familiar. And then there was that short red-head whose hair clearly made her stand out. All of a sudden his eyes landed on someone whose face he clearly remembered.

Alec's throat constricted and he felt like his heart simply stopped. When he had seen that face on paper, powdered in makeup, his entire body had malfunctioned. The Asian guy had smooth, bronze colored skin and amber eyes with flecks of green and gold, outlined with kohl. In the picture his hair had been styled into a mohawk, the tips dyed purple and his lips coated a deep red. He had stared up at Alec with a smirk on his face and mischievous eyes that had immediately gotten him hot and bothered. It was only after his hands had gotten sweaty from holding the piece of paper for too long had Alec blinked. His eyes had shifted downwards towards the man's data and it wasn't surprising that this hot Adonis was a fashion designer. He definitely looked the part.

But then Alec hadn't expected Magnus Bane to look so fucking gorgeous in person as well. Oh who was he kidding. Alec had done his best to convince his brain that this guy was a result of photoshop and a shit ton of makeup but now that his perfectly crafted body was standing less than 6 feet away from him, it was clear that the photos had not done him any justice.

Magnus' face was devoid of makeup except for the kohl, which seemed to bring out his stunning eyes. His hair had blue tips this time and were flying all over the place, but unlike Alec's messy curls, they looked stylish, as if Magnus were in a movie. And oh god, Alec had merely stared at his head-shot but obviously the rest of his body was an even better treat for his eyes.

The fashion designer was dressed in a white tank top that showed off his biceps and triceps and Alec felt his body quiver. Magnus had donned black shorts with an intricate pale blue design and a royal purple bag, somewhat similar to Alec's in design, was slung across his chest. Alec hadn't thought of himself as someone who was into people's legs and calves but apparently Magnus was sculpted like an angel and that included every part of his body.

Alec snapped his jaw shut and physically turned away from the man before he got caught ogling him so openly. Good god, this was clearly some sort of test. It almost made him wonder whether this was a show about resisting the hot piece of ass in front of you rather than a survival show. But then he remembered that he had personally heard Izzy blabber over island survival for months now. Just a lucky or maybe unlucky coincidence then.

The piercing sound of a whistle broke his chain of thoughts. All twenty heads turned towards the sound and Alec's face relaxed into a smile when his eyes landed on Izzy. She was standing on the topmost area of the ship, giving her an overview of all of them, like a queen looking down on her subjects. As he watched his sister walk down the flight of stairs to join everyone, he was suddenly reminded that this was her dream. Her directorial debut. Sure she had co-directed some popular sit-coms and fantasy shows but this was her dream project. It was her vision, her baby as she often referred to it. This show was everything she had worked for day and night and it was finally happening. Alec couldn't help but let his face beam with pride.

He had always believed in his little sister but this time thousands of people would see how freaking talented she was. Alec could not ruin it for her.

Izzy sauntered to the middle of the ship with a smile on her face, dressed in a white summer dress, cinched at the waist with a dainty belt. Like everyone else, her curls were bouncing in the air but it didn't deter her at all.

"Welcome to The Mortal Instruments, everyone", she grinned, looking around as the crowd whooped and cheered.

"My name is Isabelle but you can call me Izzy. Since we're all going to be stranded on an island for 39 days, let's just move on right away from strangers to friends", she winked.

There were some smiles and chuckles but Alec didn't bother looking around. His entire focus was on his sister.

"I'm sure we can get on with introductions later but let's get started."

Izzy turned to pick up a black sack with the show's logo branded on it. Alec hadn't known it was just lying around but then it was easy to miss. The whole ship was absolutely loaded with bags, wood, ropes, survival kits and what not. If his sister was planning on having a treasure hunt here then Alec would definitely find himself lost.

But Isabelle had something else on her mind. She walked around and upto everyone, offering them to take a buff from the sack, while explaining that it would have their team colours and they weren't allowed to reveal it before everyone had a chance to get one for themselves.

Izzy's eyes lingered on his face, giving him a quick once over to see if he was fine. When Alec finally dug out a buff from himself he gave her a reassuring smile and she shifted to the next contestant. It bothered Alec that she was out here worrying about him when she should be enjoying her spotlight. He made a mental note to make sure not to give his sister any reason to stress over him.

He blinked, watching the sack go around until everyone was done. Seconds later everyone was opening their buffs and Alec did the same to find a soft purple cloth is his hand with the word 'Downworlders' printed across, underneath the show's logo. A quick glance to his left showed that the other team, Shadowhunters, was assigned blue buffs. There was chaos everywhere on the ship as everyone looked around at each other and tried to find their respective teams, with Izzy trying to tell them which side to flank on.

Alec was grateful for the buff which he quickly slipped over his head, trying to gather some control over his unruly hair. Half wrestling with his hair, half casting his eyes out for the Downworlders, he somehow managed to fall in place... right next to Magnus Bane.

Magnus was smiling right at him, his eyes almost level with Alec's. Turns out he was almost Alec's eyes, which was a bit surprising since Alec usually found himself looking down at everyone around him unless they were in heels, and sometimes even then.

"Hello, pretty boy", Magnus waved, the purple buff wrapped around his wrist. Alec caught sight of multiple rings on his hand and somehow that just made his heart beat even faster. How was this man so fucking attractive? And then he choked as his brain registered Magnus' words.

Pretty boy. Did freaking Adonis just call him pretty boy?

"Uh, hi there", Alec managed to say, trying not to sound like a high-pitched teenager. Even those three words had taken an immense effort from his side. Either Magnus didn't notice his crazy behavior or he was simply amused by it, instead his smile just broadened.

"Magnus Bane", he said, as an introduction. It took Alec a couple of seconds to realise that he was the only one who had been supplied with a profiled data of the contestants, just to compensate for his last minute entry into the game. Which meant that Magnus didn't know who Alec was and he certainly had no idea that Alec had been staring at his head-shots like a horny teenager.

Up so close, Alec could see a couple of pendants and necklaces sneaking their way into Magus' top and wow, this man was not going to give him any break whatsoever. Oh shit, had it been too long since Magnus had introduced himself? Had Alec already spaced out?

"Alexander", he blurted.
"I mean Alec, Alec Lightwood", he corrected, wondering why his stupid brain had decided to supply Magnus with a name only his parents used for him.

He watched the other man's eyebrows furrow for a second and he opened his mouth to say something but yet again, Izzy's voice cut through them.

"Alright", she said, and Alec swiveled to see that everyone had more or less found their teams. He shot out a glance towards Magnus but found the other man staring intently at Isabelle, waiting to see what she would throw at them.

"Shadowhunters and Downworlders, welcome to the game of The Mortal Instruments."

All eyes were fixed on Izzy.

"You've all been divided into teams and I suggest you get to know each other on the island because your team is going to be your only support. And downfall, if you don't play your cards right. But that's a story for when you reach the islands.  As you'll soon realise, nothing comes easy here. The mere task of reaching your campsites is going to be a challenge... your first challenge in this game."

There were some nervous glances and movement from both groups but everyone was hushed up, clinging to every word that their host uttered.

"If you peer down, you'll find two boats, one for each team", Izzy continued.
"And I'm pretty sure all the materials around you are hard to miss. You have exactly two minutes to carry whatever you can to your respective boats and get all your teammates in as well before you all row yourselves to your islands."

Right. So not a treasure hunt. That was good news for Alec, his body was all tensed up, ready to start grabbing stuff like crazy. And apparently so was everyone else.

Izzy smiled at everyone.
"What are we waiting for then? Good luck setting up camp, I'll be seeing you all tomorrow. Ready, set, go!"

At the word go it felt like someone had just released a hurricane. It took a couple of seconds for Alec's team to communicate who would be throwing stuff over and who all would be waiting down at the boats. And then everything just whizzed by. Alec was vaguely aware of passing stuff down to their boat as he tried to make sure that their team was getting a bit of everything. Wood, tarpe, tools- anything he could lay his hands on. Before he knew it the ship was almost empty and Izzy was counting down at the top of her voice.

"Hey, hey Alec", a guy wearing glasses shouted, waving in his direction. They were wearing the same coloured buffs. "We gotta go, just jump into the water", glasses said, promptly diving off the deck. Right. Alec snatched up the sack near him and without looking back, took a leap in the general direction of his team's boat.

When he emerged from the water his teammates were already lifting the sacks from the water and someone offered a hand to pull him over the board. Alec found himself face to face with the blonde, muscular guy with intriguing golden eyes. Jace. Yes, that was his name. Jace gave Alec a smirk before handing an oar over.

Everyone and everything was soaked so Alec didn't expect them to have a map to figure out the directions. But one of the crew members had already given the Downworlders the directions and Alec concentrated on rowing along with everyone else. The strangest thing for him was to see the cameramen in the water as they shot them from every angle. Up until now, Alec had been so stressed and distracted that he had almost forgotten that everything was being filmed. Everything.

Right. As he continued to row his eyes drifted over to his crew members, all of them were soaking wet and out of breath. The blonde girl next to him was staring into the distance with such an intense look on her face that Alec immediately decided he didn't want to be on her bad side. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Magnus who was also rowing on the other side. The water had left his tank top see-through, putting his heavenly abs out on display. Alec quickly averted his gaze, a blush spreading across his cheeks. Better not to look that way.

After a few minutes he agreed to exchange shifts with a curly haired girl, nodding out of gratitude. His arms were starting to ache already. As he stretched against their pile of wood, Alec was able to get a first glimpse of the island that was soon to become his temporary home. All he could see was a thick span of tress and sandy land which made his stomach flip with anxiety but surprisingly, excitement as well. Alec wasn't the kind to leave his apartment, he was a recluse. But that didn't mean he wasn't one for adventures. When with the right crowd, which mostly turned out to be Isabelle and Max, he loved exploring mountains and beaches and just soaking in the sunlight. But when left alone outside he was always afraid of being spotted and trampled under a mob of fans. It had been ages since he's had a trip of this sort. That wasn't to say this would be all fun and games, this show was anything but that. And yet, Alec found himself grudgingly admitting that this might be the thing he needs. And who knows, he might just get an idea or two for his new novel.

Once they got to the shore and unloaded the wares conversation started to begin. As usual it started with a quick round of instructions before they came to the consensus that they better get a shelter up before night fell. None of them were an architect or builder per say but between them they had the muscle and determination, as well as the tools to start building towards a shelter.

Alec volunteered to start tying together some of the bamboos with Simon to get a semblance of a roof. Simon had been the one with glasses who had told him to jump off the deck. He worked well, deftly and precisely but kept up a constant stream of chatter, whether out of nervousness or friendliness, Alec wasn't entirely sure.

"Oh man, this is so exciting", he grinned, pushing his glasses up the nose before aligning the next bamboo. "There's such a great mix of people here you know? I'm a singer and well I play the guitar so I was surprised when I was asked to be here but I thought why not, what a fun experience! Don't know if I can outlast all you ripped guys though- who knew a writer could be so ripped!"

"No offence", he yelped, tripping over his words, eyes wide like a deer's.
"It's just yeah, you are not someone I picture when I think about a writer you know, but yeah good for you!"

Simon amused him with his constant babbling and expressions but Alec merely grunted in response. "No, that's okay. But wait a minute, I didn't tell you I'm a writer..."

Alec hadn't said a lot actually except for the occasional words. Simon had been doing enough talking for the both of them.

"Um I recognize you, obviously", he said, looking at Alec as if he had just said that the earth was flat. Alec felt the familiar blush creeping over his face. Oh. So he knew him. Had read his book. He was probably a fa-

"-love picking up your books during tours", Simon chattered away, tying up the loose ends of their structure. Apparently Alec had spaced out while Simon had been expressing is excitement for Alec's work.

This was all so weird.... everyone had sort of grouped off to work and yet snippets of conversations were freely floating in the air as each of them worked to a common goal. And of course, Alec's main focus was to avoid thinking about the camera men. By the time they had their shelter up, Alec was ready to collapse. His bones felt like mush and judging by the groan Jordan let out before collapsing into his allotted area, everyone felt the same. The sun was almost gone now and the sky darkened every second.

The team mumbled a round of congratulations and get good rest before everyone just subdued down near the burning camp fire. Alec had watched in wonder as Doth and Magnus had quickly struck up a fire within seconds. Or maybe he had been staring at Magnus' ass. Whatever. He wondered if he would be able to learn how to get a fire going by the end of this whole thing. But that was a thought for another night.

Alec threw back his head, snuggling under the blanket and making a pillow out of his bag. The exhaustion of the whole day was setting in and Alec let his eyes close and thoughts drift away.  Today had been a trial session of sorts. Tomorrow was when the game would really begin. Well Alec would be standing upright, ready to face whatever that came his way. This may not have been what he chose but once Alec Lightwood started something he sure as hell took care to see it to the end.

Chapter Text

Alec
Day 2

When he first woke up Alec couldn't move. Unlike how it was in movies and books, he knew exactly where he was. The set of The Mortal Instruments with the set being the islands of Fiji. He was staring at the shabby roof they'd fashioned out of bamboo and leaves but he couldn't figure out his inability to move, at least not right away.

Upon slowly shifting his head towards the right he realised that he was cramped up between Jordan's hefty body and the edge of their shelter. Alec was pressed up hard against the makeshift walls, so much so that the bamboos had left an imprint on his arm. With as much care as he could muster, Alec somehow stumbled upon his feet and out of the shelter, his body groaning at the effort. Come to think of it, he was a bit sore all over but then that was to be expected. He had gone from camping out in the comfort of his bed for days at end to sleeping on bamboo and wood with a ragged blanket in between. 

Alec allowed himself to stretch out his long limbs, grinning in relief as he heard his bones cracking. Much better. At least his arms and legs weren't cramped up any more. This was something Alec had been forced to be used to. At 6'1 he was usually the tallest person in any room with his tall frame being squashed into any and every position possible.

Running a hand through his hair, he walked up to the camp fire or what was left to it. Even after crouching down and poking at the sticks he couldn't find a single glowing ember. It was all out.

"No spark?"

Alec flailed and barely stifled a yelp, startled by the voice from behind. Great start to the day, he thought, mentally facepalming himself as he looked up to find none other than Magnus Bane smirking down at him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, Alexander", Magnus apologized. His long curls hung around his face as he stretched out a hand towards Alec. Even in the little light that the dawn sky offered Magnus looked like a freaking angel. And apparently letting him know his full name would prove to be Alec's destruction because the way it rolled off Magnus' lips made his heart do back-flips. It was too early in the morning to deal with this and all he could do was manage to flush as he took Magnus' hand and lifted himself up.

"Hi", he smiled at Magnus, doing his best not to just stare at him like a creep.
"Sorry, um, I would say that I'm normally not that clumsy but that would be a lie."

A chuckle made its way out of Magnus' throat, making Alec's smile grow wider. At least Magnus got a kick out of his embarrassment. He scratched at the back oh his neck awkwardly, wondering is he should make small talk.

"I was just wondering whether the fire was still going, to um boil up some water", Alec continued, shifting his gaze to the ash covered ground. As long as he didn't keep staring at Magnus he could formulate proper sentences. "It's all out though."

Magnus nodded, walking over to inspect the fire nevertheless.
"So, you know how to make a fire?"

Alec shrugged. "Not really? I've seen people do it especially on National Geographic but whenever I go camping with my siblings we usually have matchsticks."

"Never a better time to learn, darling", Magnus hummed, as he started to rub two pieces of bamboo together and run the process by him. But Alec had stopped listening after Magnus had called him darling and his eyes were more busy following Magnus' hands and the way his muscles flexed as he tried to get some friction. Right, this was the best way to learn how to make a fire. Alec chided himself for letting his attention wander away and forced himself to actually listen to what Magnus was saying.

By the time Magnus got a fire crackling the rest of the camp had started to wake up and Doth had walked over to them, flashing him and Magnus a smile.

"We're trying o boil some water", Alec told her, upon which she promptly offered to help, accompanying Alec to the well, making small talk along the way. Doth was sweet although a bit mysterious. Whenever Alec interjected with a question or two she usually strayed far away from her personal life, making Alec raise his guard.

Last night he'd made up his mind to play this game as best as he could. In fact, he was treating this similar to the process he underwent while writing a book. His latest story was set on an island with strangers abandoned and made to compete for a prize. Alec knew his setting but he had to explore his characters, get into their minds and decide how well he would get along with them and how they might interact with other characters.

Doth wasn't discussing any game plan with him, more likely than not she was doing the same as Alec was, trying to get to know him. Alec wasn't ruling Doth out yet but time would really tell if she was someone with whom he could work.

Watching the water boil over the fire, Alec saw life unfold on the island. Everyone was up by now, more or less, starting around on chores or simply going out to the sea. And then there were the personal interviews. Each one of them would have at least one separate interview every day where they would recount their progress for the viewers, their bonds and strategies if they liked. Alec had seen enough reality shows with Izzy to know what it would entail but he had never imagined himself to be on the other side of the camera.

As he tried to make himself comfortable on the rock, camera aimed at him, his discomfort was evident. The people behind the camera understood though, they urged him to loosen up, to start talking about any little thing he liked before progressing to the happenings on the show. And after a while Alec did start to get the hang of it. He was careful with every word he spoke, these ones couldn't be taken back with a backspace button. But he found it to be sort of cathartic, as if he was dumping out his thoughts on someone. It also made his head clear up a bit and gave him space to start formulating a plan. Normally he would just hide behind a shell and prefer not to interact with anyone else but this was very much a game of social interaction. The least he could do was to make an effort to put himself out there. He was doing this for Izzy.

And it helped that if he won he would be able to earn one million dollars for a charity of his choice.

Walking back from the interview, Alec knew that he had to start somewhere, from a place that he was comfortable. And right now the person he had been most at ease with was Simon. Even as the thought entered his head, Alec's eyes landed on Simon who was submerged in the water not very far from him. He squinted his eyes to make out the other person, Jace, right next to  him. Simon seemed to look up and spot Alec across the beach, raising his skinny arm to wave him over.

Time to play the game.

Tessa
Day 2

At times, Tessa wondered why she was doing this show. Especially when she realized that the man she was trying to make small talk to had been ogling her chest for the past two minutes. If this were any place else she would have flipped him off or at the very least 'accidentally' kicked him in the groin. But for the sake of the cameras that were probably angled at them right now she decided to just give him a smile and snap her fingers at the air in front of them.

"It was nice talking to you, Raj, but I think I'm going to go help out Clary with the... thing she was talking to me about" Tessa said, turning her back at him and walking towards the red-head's direction.

"So you discovered he's a creep?" Clary grinned when Tessa approached her. Apparently the huge scowl on her face was a dead give away. "Nice of you to warn me." Tessa raised an eyebrow at the other girl who was trying to braid her hair.

As a speaker and propagator of various intersectional feminist movements, Tessa felt like it was her job to put Raj in his place. Actually it was most definitely her job. But she was here to play with her mind and not with her heart.

Fortunately, not everything on the island was negative. Yesterday had been a tough first day but Tessa had formed some instantaneous connections with Clary and Maia. In fact, most of the girls seemed to have somewhat fallen into an alliance. Clary, Maia, Aline, Helen, Camille and her. That gave them the majority of votes in the camp. And then there was Jem. A smile grew on her face even as she thought of him.

Almost all of the girls agreed that Jem was the sweetest guy they had every met. Tessa didn't need to ask any of them, she could see it in their eyes and the way they relaxed when he was around, her included. They had barely been here a day but somehow that label was stuck onto him. Jem was polite and quite and helped around the camp with everyone. It wasn't that he didn't have any strong opinions but he spoke only when needed. But despite his charming and sweet nature, Tessa couldn't help but be wary. For all she knew this was just a disguise and James Carstairs simply had a wicked social game. It wouldn't be the first time that a man tried to fool her.

Either way, when the girls sunbathed at the sea later in the morning and the discussion turned to the men on camp it was agreed that Jem would be the last person they would want out. Unsurprisingly, Tessa wasn't the only one who found Raj rude and creepy. Nobody wanted to lose the very first challenge that they played but if it came to Shadowhunters taking a loss, Raj going home would be a likely scenario.

But right now, Tessa was all fueled up to go against the Downworlders. She felt comfortable in her social standing for the moment and she would make sure that she wouldn't be contributing towards any mess-ups during the challenge.

"I'm pretty excited for the challenge", Tessa confided into the red-head beside her who looked up and answered with a fierce grin.

"We're going to beat the other team's asses."

Magnus
Day 2

Part of Magnus couldn't believe he was here. But then he was a known daredevil. That was the only thing anyone knew about him for sure. Magnus was unpredictable, even to himself. That was his greatest quality, the one that had led to his rise as the top fashion designer in the global industry. Magnus' ideas came to him at all odd hours and Ragnor liked to say that he had better keep a sketchpad with him even when out for a swim. Nobody needed to know that Magnus actually followed that advice.

Which is why it was killing him to not sketch out everything going through his mind. Right now his team was standing a few feet away from the cordoned off challenge area. But thanks to his height Magnus could already spy some of the set-up and he could tell that someone, more likely a very talented team, had put in a whole lot of effort for this.

Magnus curled his itching fingers into a fist and tore his eyes away from the set-up to his teammates. It seemed like he had landed in a good enough group. He was standing right behind Doth who seemed like a sweet woman. He hadn't talked with her a lot, much less one on one but Magnus had seen her in action on the camp. The way she offered to help when nobody asked for it, how she went to get some water when Jordan voiced that he was thirsty- her actions spoke more than words.

Everyone knew Magnus to be a charming talker who loved to socialize with everyone. And while that was largely true, people tended to overlook his qualities of being a good listener and a keen observer. His mother used to say that the best way to attack was to sit quietly and gather information. To make oneself small enough that nobody noticed you and then pounce when they least expected. Magnus always applied her advice in his life but it was proving to be even more crucial in this game.

And so he watched them all. Magnus stayed true to himself and threw out his charm and flirted with everyone but he didn't talk strategy unless someone approached him. He sat still like a tiger hiding in the tall grass. He wasn't worried about there being a girls alliance since there were just three of them. And unless Maureen had anything else to offer other than lazily sunbathing on the beach he doubted either Doth or her would be a threat. Lydia on the other hand was clever. Magnus could almost see the gears in her head churning and so far she had been the only one to notice that he was keeping an eye on his fellow teammates. When she had bored into him with her sharp grey eyes Magnus had merely offered her a wink. Lydia was someone to look out for and he wasn't the only one who seemed to have honed onto that.

Magnus had been surprised to see Alexander Lightwood in the game. Apart from the fact that he was a late entry he was also quite dashing, something Magnus had failed to notice earlier. He was a fan of his books of course, but he knew him more as Alec Gideon, the bestselling author who rarely showed his face in public. The few times paparazzi had accidentally caught him outside, his face had been shrouded in the mystery of grey or black hoodies. Who knew that he was hiding a solid model body under those shabby clothes along with a face to worship. Magnus' eyes flitted over to Alec, dressed in a maroon tee and dark, patterned shorts and sent a blessing to whoever had chosen his wardrobe.

Not having a pencil and a piece of paper was bad enough but putting Alexander Lightwood in front of him was absolute torture. That day Magnus had woken up to a barely risen sun and the sight of Alec stretching his muscular limbs, his shirt lifting to give Magnus a glimpse of abs that made his throat go dry. It was unfair that he already had Magnus' favourite combination of black hair and blue eyes but to top that off he was absolutely adorable. It barely took two words from Magnus to make the other man's face go pink which only made Magnus' eyes dance as he imagined him in a salmon shirt hanging open.

Alexander was amusing and Magnus did plan on getting to know him well. He only hoped that they would be allies rather than enemies. He had caught sight of him exchanging some words with Lydia and both their body language suggested some sort of cooperation. Magnus had to get in on that. From the looks of it, the curly haired singer had already taken a liking to Alec and they seemed to plan on sicking together. He wouldn't be surprised if they formed a tight-knit group with each other and that blondie with an attitude. Maybe Trace? Magnus didn't think much of him. That would leave him with the other two girls, Jonathan, Jordan and Meliorn.

He hadn't made his mind about Jonathan yet but he had an eye on Meliorn. The man was mysterious and double faced, Magnus could tell right away. But other than that, he seemed to be playing a similar game as him which meant that either the two of them would be allies or he had to get Meliorn out of the game.

A call from one of the on-set workers brought his attention back to the present. It was their cue to walk into the main area where the cameras were rolling and the Shadowhunters were already poised in their area. Magnus' eyes flashed as they briefly landed on her. By some grace the two of them weren't on the same team and he hoped for his benefit as well as the other team's that they would vote her out soon enough.

He diverted his eyes to a much more pleasant woman, their host Izzy. Magnus couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm as she greeted the teams and explained the rules of the challenge to them. It was more or less an obstacle race ending with a jigsaw puzzle. Whichever team finished first won immunity in the form of a decorative chalice which was called The Mortal Cup. In addition they would receive some rice and a fire-making kit. The other team would have to attend a Clave elimination at the Idris hall and Isabelle's tone made it certain that nobody wanted to be there on their second night in the game.

The actual challenge was over within seconds. Or at least that's what it felt like to Magnus. Later when he would watch it on the screen it would probably stretch into minutes but all Magnus could remember was the adrenaline coursing through his veins and his teammates flashing in front of his eyes. The Downworlders had been up the inclined wall in a flash, boosting the physically weaker members and working as a team, only to encounter the cargo net of which they made swift work. After that they'd split into two and Magnus had watched as half of the team dunked sandbags into baskets to recover the puzzle pieces which the rest of them had then dumped into a heavy wheelbarrow and rolled it to the puzzle spot.

Magnus had never been so tense as he watched Lydia and Doth scramble with the pieces. Both teams had been neck to neck throughout the challenge but in the end the Downworlders pulled through. There had been a lot of laughter, shrieks and jumping and Magnus had found himself in a group hug fueled with joy and adrenaline. Magnus had never thought that these tasks would be so... intense. He had been completely focused and engrossed in the challenge to the point that he had zoned out every other thing from his vision.

When Izzy congratulated them on the victory the whole team cheered and Lydia stepped up to claim the chalice on behalf of them, with Jordan and Jonathan grabbing the rice and fire-making kit. For a second Magnus' brain checked out of the victory thrill and his eyes lingered on Isabelle, something about her smile striking a familiar chord. And then it was gone as she turned to the Shadowhunters with a graver look on her face. Right, time for their team to exit. Magnus shook the ghost of doubt out of his head. His heart was still pumping with excitement and it was possible he might have just been dazed under the sunlight. He was safe for tonight, as was his whole team and right now was the time to briefly pause the game play and celebrate.

Chapter Text

Day 2
Raphael

It took all of Raphael's effort to keep the scowl off of his face. He hated team play, especially when it meant depending on strangers he couldn't trust. Everything in the challenge had been going great until those fools Raj and Aline messed up the puzzle. Raphael especially had a good mind to punch Raj who'd been boasting his puzzle making skills before the challenge. Overall Raj came off as a cocky asshole and Raphael knew he wasn't the only one who thought so. At least half of the Shadowhunters, if not all of them had developed a dislike for him. If it were up to Raphael, Raj would be shipped off the island tonight itself.

But right now, all that mattered was keeping a straight face and luckily he had years of practice to fall back on. Raphael had never been good with building relationships. Socializing and making professional deals was a different thing. He had been raised to be calm and polite and some people may even call him charming. But that didn't mean he was capable of maintaining long-term relationships with strangers. Anyone who knew him or dared to call themselves his friend would have gone through at least a month long phase of scowling, eye-rolling and snarky comments from his side. That was how Raphael operated and he took pride in his assessment of other people's personality during that time. If someone got blown off by his attitude then he saw no worth in connecting with them. He was an independent man and a successful model, apart from when he needed people to hire him. That was part of the reason he was here. It was more or less a publicity stunt for him. Raphael had immediately turned up his nose when Ragnor, his manager and good friend had let him know about the whole show and while Ragnor had shared his distaste for participating in a reality show he had stood his ground and insisted that it was good for PR. And he hadn't been wrong. The mere announcement of his status as a player on The Mortal Instruments had set off his popularity, inviting a stream of contracts and interested clients.

Raphael was here to survive and win hearts. He would tone down the scowling, snapping and eye-rolling for the sake but if Raj said one more word to him he would snap the man's head off like a shark.

"The puzzle was a disaster", Helen said, as soon as their team stepped onto the island. Raphael nodded in agreement, thankful that someone else had let it out before he could. The last thing he needed was a target on his back.

At least Aline had the decency to apologize to the team but Raj on the other hand shrugged it off nonchalantly, plopping down in the sand.

"These things happen", he said. "Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose."

"Right, but we didn't expect to lose when we had a puzzle expert on our team", one of the girls scoffed, raising her eyebrow in Raj's direction. Maia. She wasn't taking any nonsense from anyone and her arms were crossed against her chest in a defensive posture.

When the man offered no response to her, quite literally looking the other way, Maia threw her hands in the air, casting a glance towards the girls standing next to her before storming off towards the beach. Within minutes everyone separated after a few words of small talk. Clearly nobody was up for keeping any pretenses. The Clave trial would be approaching in a few hours and it was time to strategize.

"So, what are we going to do about the trial?", Raj asked, stretching his limbs as his eyes flitted over the rest of them. Jem merely shrugged and proceeded towards their shelter, gingerly seating himself on the edge. It seemed that he was open to discussion although a bit hesitant. That just left Hodge, the jacked out guy who immediately started throwing out some names, trying to pin down who they could vote on.

Raphael remained silent, casting a glance in Jem's direction before mulling things over. He was beyond infuriated with Raj the jackass but he was here to think with his mind and not listen to his heart. As far as he could tell, no alliances had been formed yet which meant this was the perfect moment to mold things. Right now it wouldn't make sense to eliminate Raj because even though he was a disaster at puzzles, he was physically a strong player and their team needed to stay strong if they wanted to defeat the Downworlders in the next challenge. That meant that they had to target a weaker player. Another thing they would need to target at would be the girls. They already seemed tight-knit and they certainly held a majority over the men in the team which meant that the power was in their hands unless they could be swayed.

"I mean that black girl is a hot-head."

Raj's words infiltrated Raphael's thoughts. He quickly swiped off the scowl on his face. When someone had called him out on his mistake Raj had immediately made them a target. How innovative. And the black girl? Seriously? Learning someone's name was the most basic level of decency that a person was supposed to muster.

"Her name's Maia", Jem called out, his voice flat and devoid of any judgement. He seemed like a level-headed and calculating player and that might just be what Raphael needed at this moment.

"Let's put down Helen's name", Raphael suggested, a plan forming in his mind. "She wasn't very strong at the challenge today and she herself said that puzzles aren't something she's good at which doesn't make her very useful. Maia on the other hand is strong and she'll be beneficial during challenges. At this moment we need to keep our team strong."

All three men were staring at him.

"What?" he frowned.

"That's actually the most words I've heard out of you", Hodge smirked, clapping his hand down on his shoulder, hard enough to jostle Raphael. He was not fond of unnecessary physical contact.

"But that sounds like a decent plan." Hodge turned back to the other two men who nodded in agreement.
"Helen it is. But that's just four votes and we need six to swing things our way. I think I might be able to persuade Camille to our side, what about you all?"

"Jem and I could talk to Tessa and Clary", Raphael said, not giving Jem a chance to respond. It was time to see if he could take note of subtle gestures. "Can't guarantee anything but we'll throw some charm their way", he smirked, boring his eyes into Jem's whose mouth was compressed in a thin line. "Right, dude?"

"We can try that."
Jem spoke softly, the silver streaks in his hair glinting under the sunlight as he shifted his gaze away from Raphael. Hodge and Raj didn't seem to notice what had just happened and Raphael relaxed his shoulders a bit.

"So we all have our assignments then", Hodge chuckled while Raj furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Wait a minute, who do I talk to?"

"I think you've talked enough today", Raphael said lazily, trying to keep it light.
"Why don't you get us some water from the well to put out the fires?"

Everyone chuckled in response but even as Raphael left the camp-site with Jem he could see that Raj had no fucking clue about the joke that had been made at his expense. A true idiot and the best pawn that he could use in this game. It was almost a shame that he needed to be eliminated.

---

Day 2
Jem

Jem had known that Raphael had a plan from the moment Raj had opened his mouth, but he hadn't know that his plan involved both of them. He had put Jem on a spot, while giving him a look that seemed to say that he was scheming for the two of them. As long as Raphael's plan benefited Jem, he had no problem in following it. His own plan was to lie low for a while so as to not put a target on his back. Jem wasn't quite sure what his strategy was coming into this game. In real life he wore his heart on a sleeve but that would only cause him harm in this game. But much as he wanted to, Jem had never been able to keep his emotions aside so either this game would actually teach him how to do that or his heart would get him thrown out.

It wasn't until Hodge and Raj were mere specks in the distance for the two of them that Raphael actually started talking, keeping his pace steady as they walked towards the beach.

"Here's the thing", he started. "I can most assuredly tell you that the women are forming an alliance as we speak. It's the logical thing to do and I would do the same if I were in their place. You can do the math, we, as in the four of us are at an obvious disadvantage."

Raphael seemed to be arranging his thoughts for he continued speaking after a moment. "There's no way that we will be able to take out Helen or Aline or any of the girls. Even trying to do that would be putting ourselves at risk. Let's say we both talk to Tessa and Clary, who we by the way, have no connection with. I just took their names because they seem to like your company. The point is, they know that they're at an advantage so it would be insane for them to flip on the girls and it would only paint a target on our backs. You and me. Theoretically, the girls can pick and choose all of us off and we would have no chance."

Raphael had quietened down, as if he was giving him a chance to mull over all of this. But Jem was already nodding as he finished. "I figured that out myself. If we go with Hodge and Raj's plan we're sitting ducks. But then if we join the girls they could still go ahead and pick us off after eliminating those two. Do you have any ideas as to not let that happen?"

"Yes", Raphael nodded, a smile flitting on his face.
"We're going to go to the girls and lay out our cards. We tell them everything that Hodge and Raj just planned and let them know that we're on their side. Nobody's fond of Raj so just bitching about him with them would help us gain their trust and let's be honest, that won't be difficult because that guy is an asshole."

"Completely with you there", Jem agreed. He prided himself for remaining calm and composed under all situations but Raj was starting to get under his skin.

"From there on we work to find the cracks in their group", Raphael continued, his eyes staring at a set point in the distance. "Every group has a crack and if there isn't one, we make one. By the time Hodge and Raj are voted off we'll form our own alliance within their group and split it up."

Jem didn't need to think over it much. It was a smart enough plan and it wasn't like the two of them had many options. This was a game of survival and he did feel more comfortable with some of the other girls. Jem didn't know whether what Raphael said about Tessa and Clary liking him was true but he did feel like he could form a connection with them.

"I'm in", Jem said, smiling at Raphael as they shook hands on it.
"Tonight's going to be one hell of a vote."

---

Night 2
Clary

As an artist, Clary couldn't help but admire the set-up of the Idris Hall. As a player she was rather anxious as to what would go down in this room but that part of her brain was set to a side as she admired the walls and pillars set up around them. It was a spacious area with marble pillars and walls which Clary could only assume were fake. In the center was a podium with a huge rune carved into it. That wasn't the only place where Clary noticed the runes. They were everywhere from the ledges where they were supposed to sit and the unlit torches towards the back to the floor where the largest rune was carved in the sand. Right in the middle of the hall and in front of them all was a campfire burning bright and strong.

"Welcome to your very first Clave trial."

Clary looked up to see Isabelle appear from a craftily concealed entrance and walk up to the podium. Her dark curls bounced in the air and she seemed to have changed into a royal blue jumpsuit as if to match the blue accents of the hall.

"Go ahead and grab your torches from behind and light them", she instructed. "The flame acts as your lifeline in this game. Fire is a necessity for survival and if your flame goes out then it's time for you to leave."

Clary grabbed hold of a torch, her fingers moving over the intricately carved runes into the wood. A tremor ran through her body as she lit it in the fire and she wasn't sure whether it was out of excitement or anxiety. As per their host's instructions, everyone slid their torches into the holders nearby and resumed their seats, eagerly waiting for the trial to begin.

All of them were aware of the structure of the game which had been detailed in a long document that they had read and signed agreement to before participating in the game. From what Clary remembered Isabelle would initiate a conversation among them, drawing it out before the voting began.

Well Clary didn't have anything to worry about. Everyone in the girls alliance had held a short meeting at the beach, floating in the waves as they agreed that Raj would have to go. And then out of the blue Jem and Raphael had approached Tessa and her, telling them about Hodge and Raj's plan to eliminate Aline.

"Well they're idiots if they think they can get us on their sides", Tessa had scoffed and Clary had to agree. By trusting Raphael and Jem, those two had brought upon their own doom. Clary didn't quite know whether Raphael and Jem had the clearest of intentions but either way the girls had welcomed them with open arms. And they had been speaking the truth for Camille had reported that Hodge had indeed slithered up to her to ask for her vote. And so it had been decided that they would vote Raj out while making Hodge and Raj believe that they had the numbers to vote out Aline.

And now Clary watched Helen relay the events of the day as they had unfolded upon their return to the island with others chiming in with their views and answering whatever questions Isabelle may pose to them. Barely five minutes into it and Raj had brought up the tension between him and Maia, as if thinking it might gain him some points. Or maybe he wanted to create some drama? Clary didn't bother trying to understand him. This had only flared up Maia who in return had laid down the facts before Isabelle.

"So your team decided to place their trust in you when you assured them that you could solve the puzzle section of the challenge, going ahead to even say that your skills are unparalleled, only to end up losing the challenge for your team", Izzy said, her eyes on Raj as she paraphrased what had happened.

"Well, mistakes happen", Raj defended himself. "I won't take back what I said because that is my area of expertise, just because I failed once doesn't mean that I'm not good at it."

"And you know what, I understand that", Maia interrupted, the dancing fire reflecting in her eyes. "What bothers me is your aloof attitude about it. You act as if everyone is beyond you. You refused to even acknowledge my words or look me in the eye. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for you and Aline and if you were a decent man you would at least take the responsibility of your actions and treat us all equally."

And the only response Raj had to that was, "I'm looking you in the eyes right now, bitch."
The last part was spoken under his breath but the atmosphere was so tense that every single person heard it. There were some collective gasps and everyone looked at Raj in a stunned silence.

Maia's eyes grew stonier and she clenched her fists before she spoke, her voice threatening to burn Raj alive.
"Well this bitch would like to vote the asshole out of this group."

There was a beat of silence and then Isabelle cleared her throat, her words ringing out clear.
"I think it's time to start voting."

Clary jumped up on her feet, offering to go first. She was directed to a cordoned off space in one corner of the hall where she was hidden behind a blue curtain, out of sight from the others. As the camera rolled in front of her she wrote down Raj's name in ink, pressing down so much so that it started bleeding through the paper. She didn't even realise her teeth were gritting against each other until she lifted the piece of paper to the camera and spoke about the name she had written.

"The island's going to be a lot happier once you're gone, Raj"

Once every single person had voted, Izzy went over to collect the votes from the urn and brought them back to the podium.

"If anyone has any runes on them and would like to use them, now would be the time to do so."

Nobody spoke. Clary knew that there were runes hidden all over the island that gave them advantages in the game but everyone had been so tired and busy in adjusting to the game that she doubted anyone had had the foresight to go looking for them.

"Alright then, the votes read out will be final and the player who receives the most votes will be deruned, that is to say, sent back home."

In the end the result was as expected and the only people who were surprised at the outcome were Raj and Hodge. Even Hodge didn't seem to regret seeing Raj go even though it only sealed his fate.

As Isabelle extinguished Raj's torch, the man gave them all a last glance.
"You better hope I don't catch you out in the real world because then you'll be speaking with my fists", Maia said, giving him a last feral grin before he turned and walked out of the hall. Minutes later the cameras stopped shooting and Izzy walked towards them, more specifically Maia.

"I'm extremely sorry to know that Raj spoke to you in the manner that he did", she said, her eyes softer than they had been a moment ago. "The show definitely condemns such language and actions and I've been told by the crew that Raj has been a huge pervert towards all of you."

There was a pause as she waited and watched them, but nobody said anything against her statement. The rumors were true and Clary couldn't help but be relieved that he was not among them anymore.

"Well in that case, I'll make sure that those segments are aired and the public sees him as who he is", Izzy said with a glint in her eye. "But we can talk about that later, for now I'll wish you all the best for the game has just begun."

"Thank you", Maia nodded, shooting Izzy a smile before all of them got up to grab their torches and made their way to the island. The walk back was quiet as everyone seemed to be processing what had happened in the Clave trial. Everyone's cards were out in the open with their alliances exposed and it would certainly make things more interesting on their island, especially if they lost another challenge.

But that night as Clary closed her eyes shut, back against the bamboo shelter she knew that this was the best decision they had made. Not only had they stowed away an asshole, the girls alliance was in control of everything which meant that at least tonight, she could go to sleep in peace and with a smile on her face.