More Harm Than Good

Jocelyn Fray sat on a park bench, watching her two daughters playing by the pond.

"They look like you." said an African-American woman sitting next to her.

"It's the hair." Jocelyn replied, with a chuckle.

Clary, the older twin, picked a wild white Daffodil and placed it in her sister's hair. Riley smiled and picked a white Lilly from the water's edge and handed it to Clary.

"We'll always be together, right Clary?" Riley asked, looking at their two reflections in the pond's surface. "Friends forever?"

Clary nodded and scooted closer to Riley, wrapping her arm around her shoulders. "Yeah. Always." she replied, hugging her twin. "Best friends forever."

Jocelyn's eyes watered at the sight of her twin daughters. A slight movement under the water's surface caught her eye and she quickly vanished from mundane eyes. Just as a water demon emerged from the water, directly in front of Clary and Riley, who stared open-mouthed and wide-eyed, Jocelyn used her Sereph Blade and dispatched the demon to ash.

Both girls turned and threw themselves into their mother's arms, crying.

"Shhh, my darlings." Jocelyn soothed, calming her daughters. "Mommy's here now. You're safe." she stood up and led them to her car.

As Jocelyn drove down the New York Streets, she knew what she had to do. She didn't want her daughters raised in her world. She wanted them to live normal lives, free of Demons and Shadowhunters. And, she knew the perfect Warlock to help fulfill that wish.

Jocelyn knocked on the lion's ring doorknob. "Magnus, open up!" she pleaded.

The small window on the door opened, revealing a pair of cat-like eyes. "Yes?" the High Warlock questioned.

"I need your help." Jocelyn stated.

Obliging his client, Magnus opened the door and led the woman, and her daughters, inside.

"What can I help you with?" Magnus asked, leading the three to a back room.

"I want them to forget." Jocelyn answered, setting her daughters down on the couch. "I don't want them raised in our world."

"You're only postponing the inevitable, Jocelyn." Magnus warned. "I can only put up temporary blocks in their minds. Eventually, they will know the truth."

Jocelyn sighed. "Well right now, I want those memories gone." she told him.

Magnus nodded and snapped his fingers, a blue flame appearing in his hand. With a simple flick of his fingers, the flame split into two thin lines and swirled around the two young girls' heads. Clary's expression was blank as her memories faded. Riley's expression was the opposite.

She began hyperventilating as images of various symbols flashed across her eyes. Her body tensed up and she rolled off the couch, convulsing on the floor. Jocelyn held her steady until Riley's body went limp.

"Riley?" Jocelyn questioned. "C'mon baby, wake up."

The young five year old just stayed limp, completely unresponsive.

Jocelyn stood on the other side of the large, glass window; watching as nurses hooked up her baby girl to various machines.

"Don't worry Jocelyn, they'll take good care of her." Magnus assured. "I don't know how this happened, but I will find a way to fix it. No matter how long it takes."

Jocelyn wiped her tears. "How can I explain this to Clary?" she pondered.

"Until we find out what caused Riley to fall into a coma, it's best that Clary believe she never existed." Magnus advised. "In time, her memories will fade; begin to feel like a dream." he placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "I'll make sure nothing happens to Riley in the meantime."

Jocelyn walked into the room to sit with her daughter; taking her small hand in her own. "I'm sorry Riley sweetie." she apologized. "I just wanted you and your sister to be normal. To not be raised in my world." she caressed her daughter's hand. "I will explain everything, once you wake up. Someday, you and Clary will understand why I did what I did. I just hope, you can forgive me."

Jocelyn leaned over and kissed Riley's forehead, tucking her red hair behind her ear. She turned and left the room, her tears running down her cheeks.