Chapter 1
I slouched hard against the couch, wondering if the leaking sink will ever get fixed and when will the wooden creak floors will be replaced. I grabbed the remote control and flicked through channels, while I was switching one channel to another i started to wonder once more, why is my life worth living? I don't understand, my father disappeared when I was eight years old, my brother was kidnapped by a black hooded figure, everything was a blur that night, I chose to let go, so did my mother but her actions scare me, including the neighbours in the apartment, every night at 3.00am empty glass bottle are thrown against the wall and then an occasional screaming afterwards, I've always managed to prevent her from doing more damages to the apartment, i wish I could just drink all my sorrows away or scream out my anger to the world, but I mustn't, I don't want to end up like mum.
Jace! What are you doing, turn off the T.V! She yelled.
Mum I'm sorry I thought you were... I paused. Actually aren't you supposed to be sleeping because Valentine told me to keep you medicated and sleeping?
Valentine is Jocelyn (my mother) first boyfriend since the disappearance of my father, it's hard to imagine Valentine being with us every step of the way, when Alec my brother disappeared and with my mother drinking every night, I consider him as my father, he always manages to pick up the broken pieces in the family but it wasn't enough for Jocelyn, she's still drinking.
Oh shut up Jace, as she yelled, she slowly limped towards me, she must've hurt her right foot, are you even listening to me Jace?
I am mom, I'm sorry ok. I responded calmly. As she perched closely on my face, the front door opened to a rough scruffy white male, with a distinguish grey hair and a beard that's long enough to connect to his sideburns, a dark blue scarf was wrapped around his neck and a pair of dark green shirt with worn-out jeans, it's Valentine. As he walked in the middle of the fight he immediately ask, what are you doing? I'm teaching my son how to behave properly, ok let me take care of him while you get some rest, a long pause commenced, confused stare on moms face, finally she responded, fine goodnight.
As she was limping back into her room, I started to heavily breath, leaving me into dizziness from what just happened, Jocelyn stumped onto the wooden floor hard, Valentine and I both went to assist her into her bedroom, I grabbed her under arms and place it around the back of my neck as so did with Valentine. We both walked her into a blue painted wall with hint of yellow strokes across the ceiling, photographs hanged all over on the left side wall while on the right side remains with Jocelyn's bed and a small tinted window that barely brightens the room itself. Me and Valentine laid Jocelyn in the middle of the bed, as soon as Val and I settled her in comfortably, Val walks out of the room first, while I stayed back and sit next to my mom for a couple of seconds with nothing but police sirens, cars beaming at each other for no reason and the occasional shattering glass down in the streets of Brooklyn, i quietly thrust up against the bed and walked towards the door, as soon as I was just about to leave, Jocelyn whispers quietly "I'm sorry". As my back was facing towards her, I froze for a couple of seconds in disbelieve, my mind must be playing tricks on me, mom never apologizes to me, ever since her depression started, I turn my back and found herself sleeping, her wavy long red hair spread across the pillow gently, I turned around and headed towards the door once more and mildly closed the door behind me.
I slowly paced myself into the kitchen where Val was, I consider Val as my father figure, he grabbed the kettle of the kitchen counter to proceed heating up with the hot stove behind him, mom must've drink most of it this afternoon, Tea is scented nicely but it's definitely not my taste.
I made two kettle sized of tea before I left for school this morning.
Jocelyn loves green tea, so of course it will be empty sooner or later, anyways how was she before this whole fiasco happened? He asked
Well besides from school, It was very procreativity day, mom properly was intoxicated by the medication side effects, I told her not to get out of bed, but as you know, she tends to disagrees with me. I responded
The kettle pitched into high notes that was certain to wake Jocelyn up, Val turned quickly to his back to face the kettle. While he was proceeding to exit the kettle off the stove, i immediately asked. Did you find mom a job yet because I can't keep taking pay checks off you, even with my pay checks can't cover this apartment, why don't you just move in, and take care of Jocelyn since you're always here every night. I can't move in with you guys yet, why not? Even if I move in I won't be home for the hours to take care of Jocelyn anyway, oh that's right he works crazy hours at the hospital, oh right damn, I grunted with resentment.
I'm going to head get some dinner you want something? Val asked.
Uh some KFC would be good or a hot dog from Manhattan. I gestured.
alright I will be back in a few minutes.
As he left the apartment, I stumbled into my bedroom, a book case fuelled with thousands novels I've read over and over again, my favourite will always be "Dracula by Ben Strokes" what a classic tale it was, its out dated and torn pages. Besides the bookcase full of novels, all that's left is a bed that was unmade from this morning, a TV to add the rest of the room with a crooked window, I fall hard onto the bed with a remote control in my hand, I switched on to a random channel and a immediate report breaks in. A women who seems to be in her late twenties with messy blonde hair announces, the city's history and how it came to be, oh man, I protest.
Every now and then a TV report interrupts channels randomly to remind all citizens of the cities glory and triumph against "The Nephilim". The Nephilim were these big head governor of New York City and they terrorized the public with job losses, pay cuts, an increase of the homeless. Civilians have info-traded the system and a uprising was awakened, Civilians had won the uprising and prisoned The Nephilim for life, the city wary for the future and its new leaders "The Shadowhunters".
The Shadowhunters have protected the city for three years in the making and have renamed New York City to Kiann City, the reason for the renaming was to execute the past and start a new life. Two year ago the Shadowhunters have announce that Vampires and Lycanthropes supposedly came out of the closet and revealed themselves on national live TV, it was the most entertaining breaking news since China invented Hovercrafts, as this was being broadcasted central park was being demolished to build "City of Bones" a facility to keep Lycanthropes and Vampires in check and its also a way from them to build trust within the public. The creatures live amongst us quite well except for vampires, vampires are known for assassinating the innocent and drinking children's blood, the public protested against all vampires to be executed but was shortly declined by the shadowhunters. They explained how they wanted to give these creatures a chance to live normally, but this didn't give vampires a way off, they were discriminated by the public, calling names and getting bullied whilst Lycanthropes live In peace with civilians, Lycanthropes mainly work in construction sites in Kiann City, it's their form of stereotypical. Last year on May 1st scientist have released an airborne virus that led vampires into extinction, as celebration of remembrance to the public, a yearly event, unsponsored by the Shadowhunters have drinks with festive food, civilians have called this era "The New Age"