*Jamie POV*
"Nothing?" Aaron asked, squinting against the sun as it glimmered off the surface of Lake Lyn. "Not even your name?"
"Nada," I grumbled, tossing a rock and watching it skip against the water. I turned my head to the right, shifting my gaze around Aaron's broad frame. "It's like I never existed."
Hazel Roberts grunted, Anastasia's elbow catching her square in the nose. The brown girl flung herself backwards, her hands covering her face as she bent over.
"Oh my God, oh my God oh my God," Stasi shouted, hurrying towards her. "Haze I'm so sorry! I was almost positive you would du-"
Stasi's body hit the ground with a thud, Hazel grinning as she towered over her.
"Don't ever apologize unless you see blood," Hazel panted. "Otherwise any old yahoo could put you on your back." She helped my cousin to her feet, her thick dark tresses clinging to her sweaty forehead. I tried not to let my eyes linger on the way her collarbones heaved with each breath.
It'd been two and a half weeks since I'd dragged Hazel out of Lake Lyn, and we'd done everything we could possibly think of to explain why she couldn't remember half of us. We tried summoning Nathaniel, but the Outer Angels were tempermental and rarely came at the deman of someone who wasn't God himself. People all over Alicante were throwing suggestions left and right, but barely anyone had been brave enough to go near her after seeing what had followed her out of the Lake that night. I shuddered. Just add that to the list of problems that were already riding our asses.
"Stasi said it's better not to tell her anything. She thinks if we say too much we could overwhelm her mind, really mess her up or something. I don't want to take any chances but I can't stand her not knowing who we are. It's ridiculous."
"She'll remember you Jamie," Aaron promised quietly. "Just give her time."
"Sure," I said flatly, watching as Troy ran over to clap her on the back. "Time."
It was a real bitch that Hazel had come back from the dead only to have completely forgotten about everybody back home. It was an even bigger bitch that the only people she did remember were the freaks she'd decided to save from Creto's Institute on the other side of the Portal. Troy, Taz, Wheat. Anatasia was an exception, she was the only one of us besides Thomas that had been taken across the Portal too, but I was still irritated.
"At least she's back man, you know? Could've been a lot worse. I don't know why you feel so down."
"Down?" I rolled my eyes at him, shooting him a look. "How would feel if your girlfriend disappeared for six months?"
"Well I-"
"And then RE-appeared with a pack of horny, irritating, bumbling idiots?"
"Well technically Taz is her brother so-"
"And THEN died in your arms, which counts as ANOTHER week of being gone-"
"-but her body was sort of here, in Idris, so she wasn't necessarily gon-"
"And THEN, when she came back to LIFE, you had to meet her douchebag of a father, who isn't even technically her father because her biological parents may or may not be dead," I flung a hand in Taz's direction. "A possibility brought to our attention thanks to Jordan Jr. over there-"
"I think you're being a little dramatic-"
"AND DIDN'T EVEN REMEMBER YOUR NAME."
"Did you just call her your girlfriend?" Darren asked, grinning slyly at me as he made his way towards us. I shot him a look before turning back to Aaron.
"I am not dramatic."
"Please, you're practically a Queen."
"I will hurt you." I grumbled, crossing my arms.
"You're so cute when you're jealous," Darren teased. "For once in his life there's a girl Jamie Lightwood can't have."
"I think you're forgetting about the fact that I went through the Portal and was gone for the entire night before all the chaos occured..." I drawled, raising an eyebrow and grinning to myself. Aaron's mouth popped open.
"You did not." he whispered. Darren knitted his eyebrows together.
"Did not what?" he asked.
I didn't reply, simply keeping my eyes on the lake and trying not to smile.
"OH MY GOD YOU DID THE NASTY." Aaron cried. His voice was so loud the birds flew out of the bushes like someone had shot a gun. Hazel and Stasi stopped their sparring to look at us in confusion. I shot Aaron a look before meeting Hazel's eyes- a heavy, deep, dark brown across the field.
"I liked it better when her eyes were greenish." I mumbled absent-mindedly. The girl glared at me before turning her nose in the air and following Anastasia back into the Accords Hall.
"Forget her eyes, can we please talk about that ass?" Darren cried, watching as she walked away. Aaron swatted him on the back of the head.
"Women aren't peices of meat you buttwipe," Aaron hissed, letting his eyes reluctantly trail up Hazel's legs. "But I mean if Jamie really can't help himself from sharing, I'm game."
The three of us laughed as I ran my fingers through my hair, silently making a note to cut it as soon as I could.
"It was..."
"Well come on, don't hold out on us dude." Darren pushed, grinning at me.
"It was hot."
Darren gave me a flat, irritated look.
"Yeah, no shit, but the thing is you had Hazel in bed! Come on, what was she like."
"She was hot!" I insisted, raising my eyebrows. "Literally, like burning. My arms still hurt when I think about it."
"Your arms?" Aaron knit his eyebrows together. "What kind of weird ass positions were you guys i-"
"Look all I'm saying is that she's really, really warm when she gets excited," I cut in. There was a moment of silence in the air before I finished with a grin. "Inside and out."
"That's my boy!" Darren screamed, throwing a fist in the air triumphantly.
"I wonder if Johanna's warm..." Aaron murmured curiously. Darren rolled his eyes.
"You're never gonna find out if you keep being a wuss about it."
"I am not a wuss!" Aaron cried, folding his arms in irritation.
"Right," I chided. "And I'm not the most beautiful human being on Earth."
"Oh stop being so full of yourself," Aaron grumbled, rolling his eyes. "I could be pretty and put on concealer in the morning too if I wanted."
"I do not wear concealer!" I hissed, my mouth dropping open. "It's tinted moisturizer and I-"
"Will you two divas shut the Hell up?" Hazel cut in, glancing over her shoulder as we entered the Hall.
Darren crossed his arms over his chest.
"Is it just me or do girls get sexier when they're mean?" he said slyly. I shot him a look, his face falling. "You know," he tried to save himself. "I mean if you're into that kind of thing."
"Shut up." I grumbled. We followed everyone into the Inquisitor's office.
*Hazel POV*
A round, chubby man with pink cheeks and white, snowy hair turned to us as we filtered into the office. My eyes flickered about the bright, circular room. There were curved bookshelves lined against every wall, stopping only to make room for a large, white fireplace and the door we'd come through. There were white marble floors and windows, covered in blue in gold tapestry, each bearing the same marking: an angelic rune.
My left shoulder began to twitch in irritation, and I reached back to scratch it.
"You're an idiot." Troy laughed in my ear, brushing his fingers over the spot when I couldn't reach it. I rolled my eyes at him, gently tossing my elbow back into his ribs.
"Jamie!" the chubby man called out, grinning when the tall boy with bronzed hair pushed his way to the front of our crowd. The man's face fell. "You look like you haven't eaten in weeks."
"Byron, you look like you've eaten enough for the both of us." The boy retorted, grinning. I tried to hide a snicker, Jamie glancing over his shoulder at me for a moment too long.
"Hilarious," Byron grumbled, leaning back in his chair. "You should be a comedian."
"Well, if Shadowhunting doesn't work out..."
"That's what I've called you here to talk about," Byron murmured, his face losing all sense of humor. Jamie clenched his jaw. "The Clave has decided that it would be best for you and your...friends to leave Alicante."
"We're not his friends," I piped up quickly, Jamie shooting me a dirty look. I waved him off. "Whatever he did shouldn't get the rest of us in trouble."
"Whatever I did?!" Jamie cried incredulously, looking at me with wide eyes. "I'm sorry, but I don't recall it being my blood that set free a giant, raging, sea creature."
"Technically she's a creature of flame." Stasi grimaced, shrugging when Jamie shot her a look.
"I think the origin of said creature's element is slightly irrelevant at this poi-"
"Irrelevant?!" Jamie raised his eyebrows at me.
"Are you gonna come up with your own arguments or do you plan on mimicking the last word of my every sentence?"
"You're impossible."
"And you're annoying!"
"It doesn't matter who is what," Byron boomed, silencing us both quickly as he stood from his chair. "Because both of you are leaving. The event at Lake Lyn has caused more destruction within the past two weeks than any other of that in the history of Idris."
"I would assume that's not counting the time we ruined the Accords Hall last year?" Darren retorted, confusion washing over me. Why did I feel like I knew what he was talking about?
"Why would you want us to leave?" Aaron demanded. "If that thing is out there wouldn't it be better for us all to stick together?"
"That thing, will be coming for her." We all turned our heads to the dark corner, where a tall, slim woman wearing a silk purple cloak emerged from the shadows. She had long, thin, black hair that hung bone-straight to her collarbone. Her black eyes were cold and small, set underneath proudly arched black eyebrows. She had a long, straight nose and her lips were wide and thin as paper. She looked exactly like the brawny kid next to me.
"Mom?" he asked quietly.
Well that explains it.
The woman twisted her face upwards into a small smile, her dark eyes twinkling. I scrunched my face up, flickering my eyes betwen the two of them. Now was not the time for sentimental reunions. Troy laughed at my expression, covering his face with his hands.
"Something funny?" Jamie challenged, raising an eyebrow as Aaron's face began turning scarlet. Troy sobered up, shaking his head.
"Other than this entire situation? No."
"Jesus Christ."
"Don't get mad just because I waltzed into your country and-"
"Technically you swam," Jamie stated matter-of-factly, Troy growing more agitated by the second. "And unless you plan on going for another dip in the lake, I suggest you shut the Hell up. You weren't even supposed to be here, the only reason you're alive is because of her and even she's pushing her luck at this point." Jamie's eyes flickered to me and I put a hand on my chest, pretending to be hurt.
"No one here is completely responsible for this mess," Byron cut in, raising a gentle hand to calm us. "But Jameson, you are the one that brought her here. You're the one who went looking for trouble."
"Yeah Jameson," I chided. "It's your fault I'm here. I'm your responsibility."
"He saved your life!" Darren shouted angrily, Jamie holding him back.
"Forget it," the boy with the bronze hair said icily. The pit of my stomach began to burn as heat rose to my face. I clenched my jaw, crossing my arms over my chest as I pulled my eyes away from him. "None of it matters anymore anyways."
"Amen." I grumbled spitefully, looking back to Byron. The old man looked sadly between all of us.
"Jamie and Hazel are the only ones the Clave have specifically named in the trial," he said gently. "The rest of you are free to stay."
"Fine with me." I turned on my heels, beginning to head for the doors when Jamie grabbed hold of my arm. The skin of my shoulders began to glow with an angry heat, Jamie tightening his grip and refusing to let go.
"You're not gonna go back to the Mundane world with no place to stay. What are you going to do?"
"Who cares?" I said venomously, Jamie rolling his eyes in exasperation. "That's for me to worry about."
"I'm going with her."
Jamie and I both flickered our eyes to Anastasia as she shrugged one shoulder and smiled softly.
"Stasi.." we both murmured. We shot each other a look.
"No argument," Anastasia said firmly, shaking her head. "I'm not gonna let my best friend roam around the world on her own. Who else is gonna help you with those tragic ass nails?"
I laughed, yanking my arm out of Jamie's grip a little too forcefully.
"If Hazel's going I'm going too!" Taz cheered ferociously, nearly toppling over Stasi in the process. "I've never been outside in the Mundane world, I heard they have killer burgers." he grinned.
"The only reason we're here is because of her," Troy added, shrugging. "So we might as well leave with her too."
"What and leave us behind?" Darren demanded. "There's no way in Hell, me and Aaron are going to!"
"What?!" Aaron cried. "I hate being around Mundanes, they stare at me funny!"
"That's because you look like a lumberjack." Taz laughed. Aaron shot him a look.
"Whether all or two of you leave is completely up to you and your families," Byron said sternly. "But after finding that Lucy was feeding Pluemon information it isn't safe for any of you to be here."
"What, you're trying to protect Idris from us? Are you serious?" Jamie argued.
"It is not a matter you should take so lightly, however. Levon wasn't lying when she said the creature would be looking for the girl."
"Families?" Heaven argued. "What family? My dad won't even look at me."
"He's just stressed," Byron insisted. "Your father is a good man under a lot of pressure and-"
"And that's no excuse," Heaven pressed. "I'm going with Jamie."
I knit my eyebrows together and shot the both of them a look, a slow smile spreading over Jamie's face as he saw me. I glared at him, hoping he'd wipe the smug expression off of his face. You are not jealous, I thought angrily to myself. He is no one of importance.
I was still grilling myself over the small incident as I trudged my way back to Lightwood Manor, Stasi close behind me. I pushed the wide wooden doors open with both hands and made my way to the guest room. Stasi threw two duffle bags onto the bed and began stuffing them with clothes.
"Don't mind Jamie," she breathed. "He doesn't mean any harm, I promise."
"I hate that kid," I grumbled. "He's just...he's so..."
"Gorgeous? Talented? Exceedingly charasmatic?"
I gritted my teeth, turning to find Jamie leaning against the doorframe, his dazzling white teeth sparkling as he smiled. He raised a bronze eyebrow at me, the tops of his cheeks pink from the sun.
"Annoying!" I corrected. I began ferociously stuffing my bag with so many items that the dresser drawer tipped over, every undergarment I owned spilling out onto the floor. Stasi whistled awkwardly, grabbing her bag and breezing past me.
"I'll be downstairs." she smirked slyly, waltzing out the door. Jamie bent down and gently plucked a pair of red, lacey underwear from the carpet. He cocked an eyebrow as he held them out to me, his thumb running over the smoothe material.
"My favorite color," he said quietly. I could feel my cheeks flaming as he tried no to laugh.
"Is there a reason you're bothering me?" I growled, grabbing the rest of them off of the ground and shoving them into the bag.
"Yes, actually," he sighed, moving to the drawers. He began pulling out clothing and packing them neatly into my bag as if the action was perfectly normal. "I want to know where you're going."
"I hope you're ready for disappointment," I huffed, moving to the mirror while he continued packing my bag. I ran a brush through my straight strands and threw them up into a ponytail, a few peices flying loose around my face. "I'm not telling you anything."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you." he said matter-of-factly as I went to his side to help him zip the bag.
"Well you aren't me, so it doesn' really matter what you would and wouldn't be sure of."
"You're such a pill."
"And you're a jackass."
"Why do you hate me so much?" he said suddenly, looking down at me. I could feel his breath wash over my face, his gold-green eyes narrowed in a mixture of frustration and confusion as he watched me. I forgot how to breathe for a moment.
"I..."
"Well?" he pressed, raising an eyebrow and grinning. He was well aware of how close his body was to mine, I was sure of it, and the angrier I got, the warmer my skin grew.
"Well what does it matter?" I shot out quickly, Jamie moving backwards as if I'd startled him.
"Why wouldn't it?"
"Because I don't know you!" Jamie's face fell, and he began shakin his head. "I have never in my life met you before and all the sudden I wake up half-naked in your home country? And you're down my throat all the time wanting to know where I am or what I'm doing or who I'm with and I just don't know you!"
"Hazel, I-"
"Stop!" I argued. "We need to make an agreement right now that I'm not yours to babysit and that you're not mine to have to deal with. Maybe if you quit being such a freak of nature, then we can be friends. Deal?"
Jamie pondered this for a moment, composing himself and regaining a mask of indifference as he shrugged and crossed his arms.
"Deal." he said flatly. I grabbed my bag from the bed and began heading out the door.
"Good. I'll see you when I see you."
"Which will be within the next few minutes." Jamie called as I walked out the door.
"Why do you say tha-" I paused, my toes itching with irritation as I saw Jamie's black bags piled in the hallway.
"Because like I said, I'm coming with you."
I turned to him, a smirk slowly spreading across his pretty face.
"Sorry Princess," he grinned. "You're not gonna get rid of me that easily."
"Sure," I mumbled, raising an eyebrow as I folded my arms. "We'll see about that."