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Chapter 1:
The rain pounded on the glass, like fingers that were constantly tapping on your skull. A pencil lay dead in my fingers, and sketchpad lay under it, ready to catch any bit of imagination I could possibly spill, but there was none. Sometimes I could stare at the blank page, and the fibers would re-arranged themselves into a face that I desired to draw. Nothing was happening now. I've drawn the faces that I love over and over again. I've captured the thickness of the rim of Simon's glasses. I've caught the hard edge of Isabelle's eyes, much like the hard edge of her whip. I've created the perfect mixture of blue for Alec, and I've even been able to catch the mysterious glow of Magnus a couple of times. Even Luke as he gazes at my mother. And Jace. Always Jace. The glint in his eyes, the curl of his hair that indicated he'd been out all night chasing Demons, or the purse of his lips as a sarcastic comment was about to fall from them. The folds of the cuff of his shirt as he plays the piano, the set of his hands as he examines a weapon intensely.
I needed something new. A new face to draw.
"I think that's the first time I've seen you pick up a pencil in a month." He stands with his sleeves pushed up on his arms as they dig into the pockets of his pants. He has that look, the one that requires his head bent and his eyes looking up so far that his long eye lashes hit his eyebrows, his lips pressed together in one corner, but not the other. I've drawn that too.
I turn and give him a smile over my shoulder. I almost don't hear him come up behind me, his legs folding against my back and his arms coming around my waist. I almost don't hear it, but with having time to look for the sound, I do.
"And I still can't think of anything to draw," I murmur.
"Am I disrupting your genius?"
"No. Not at all." I lean back and press my face into his blonde hair, his lips find my throat. He smells of soap, he always does.
"Do you want to get out of here? We could-"
"No. I promised my mom I'd stayed home today."
"Well you shot that down pretty fast."
"You know I love you, Jace. Just not tonight." I kissed him, I'm not sure where, it got lost in his tangles of hair.
"Okay."
"But you can give me ideas, you know. On what to draw."
"You know, I think it's required that every established artist draw a nude picture-"
"If you're about say a nude picture with a seashell covering up the parts that would be censored on T.V, I will hit you with this sketch pad."
"Yes, that's exactly what I was going to say."
I brought up the sketchpad and hit his forehead with it, but when I pulled it away, he was smiling.
"Okay, before this scene gets any sweeter, Jocelyn wants you two down for dinner." Isabelle said, leaning heavily on the doorway.
"Got it," Jace said. She left.
"C'mon. Let's go." He got up and threw his hands down. I caught them and he pulled me up. My head rushed and I gripped his hands a little tighter. "Clary?"
"I'm fine. I just got up too fast." I blinked a couple times, and took a deep breath.
"Mmmm," he said as we headed out of my room. "I can smell the food."
"You can smell food from a mile away."
"That," he points at me. "Is very true."
We come down to the kitchen. Food sat on the counters and plates stacked up beside it. Isabelle and Simon were sitting on the couch, Isabelle leaning up against him. Alec sat by the edge of the couch, and Magnus, was not only balancing himself on the arm rest, but was again balancing a plate on his criss crossed knees. Jocelyn's legs were thrown over Luke's lap, and he was holding tight to a cup full of water.
Jace casually hands me a plate and I place a piece of pizza on it. The smell was warm an inviting, but the second I turn to sit on the couch my stomach lurches. I set the plate down with a bang and run to the bathroom.
Jace's POV
Clary, with a hand clamped over her mouth, rushed to the bathroom. I set my plate down on the counter next to hers, and started over to the bathroom with her. The door slams shut in my face.
"Don't worry, Jace. She probably has that flu that's been going around," Isabelle said. Her voice had a hint of scratchiness to it, the after math of a week of throwing up and drinking saltwater for a sore throat. Simon has gone up and down the institute halls with food and water, you'd almost think she was using him. Maybe she was a little, but I've seen the way Isabelle looks and Simon, and all those thoughts vanish. It was the way I looked at Clary.
A moment later, the toilet flushed, and the door opened. I turn to see a pale face look at me, her eye lids shut halfway to show off shine of sweat on them. Her lips are pressed together tightly, and without a glance in anyone's direction, she fills a glass with water and sucks it down.
"Are you okay?" She nodes fast, and fills up the glass again to wash out her mouth.
"I'm so sorry Clary," Isabelle starts. "I didn't mean to give it to you. I swear I didn't go near anyone."
"It's okay," Clary amends. "I'll get over it soon."
"It's strange, you know? Shadowhunters don't get sick easily," Simon says. He's been reading the Codex like his life depends on it. He wants to catch up with the rest of us, and I continually am humored by how hard he works.
"It's nothing." Clary waves her hand, and just like that everyone goes back to the movie that's playing on the T.V.
She doesn't eat for the rest of the night. Her head lays in my lap, and pull my hands threw her hair. I could never get over how the curls glide between my fingers, each time one would catch the light and give off the shimmer of thousands different strands each having a different tint of Auburn red. Her hair was gradually looking more and more like her mothers, darkening and growing.
"I think I wanna go to bed," she murmurs. Isabelle and Simon are the only ones awake. Magnus and Alec headed for the institute about an hour ago, and I think Izzy and I had the same idea as to not disturb them. Jocelyn fell asleep and Luke carried her to bed, making sure that we were in agreement that I did not stay the night, and that he would have his door cracked and one eye open. I wanted to say that we've already done it, but I felt like that wasn't gonna help.
"I can carry you, like Luke did."
"I would say yes, but I'm afraid I can't deal with the snickering from Simon."
"He just wishes he was strong enough to lift Isabelle," I retort. She cracks a grin.
"He is a lot stronger now, you know. Now that he is a shadowhunter."
"He will always be a mundane to me." I shrug, and it's true. I may not hate him for trying to steal Clary from me anymore, but he will always be the mundane who purposely wore those dorky glasses and tucked in his shirts in so people could see.
Clary rises from the couch and I follow her upstairs to her room. She pulls back the covers and slides in.
"Don't you want to change into pajamas?"
"Wouldn't you like that?" She giggles. "I will in a second." She flattens herself out on the mattress, and both arms come up to hug the pillow.
"I have to get back to the institute. Alec and Magnus have given me the perfect chance to embarrass them."
"Be nice, Jace," she warns. Propping herself up on her elbows she looks at me.
I lean down and give her a kiss. Kissing her always sent a shock up my body, and I didn't even have to think about cupping her face, it just happens.
"I love you, Jace Herondale."
"And I love you, Clary." I lean down closer, right by her ear. "More than I should," I whisper. A smile presses to her lips as I see through her eyes that she is recalling a time that seemed like ages ago.
"Are we still on for that lunch date tomorrow?"
"Of course." I said.
Suddenly the nerves jump in me. I've never gotten this nervous, the only exception was with Clary. She always had been able to provoke feelings inside of me that no one else could. Before I could give her time to catch on, I pulled away and left for the institute.
It was raining, and naturally I didn't have cash or a stele, and I didn't want to wake Clary up to raise a portal of my own. Alec had taken my stele, and the portal they set up was closed. I walked in the rain, my hood drawn and the runes visible on my arms. A couple girls giggled as I walked past them, but unlike a couple years ago, I paid no attention to them.
I made it to institute steps and entered the place. Drips of water fell off of me as I rode the elevator up to the green house. I walked over to the stairs and reaching under it, I pulled out the small bud of a Midnight Flower.
Clary's POV
I couldn't understand why Jace has been so withdrawn lately. I lay with a hand on my stomach. It hasn't stopped aching, and it won't stop turning and flipping.
I could hear the voices down stairs and place them as Isabelle and Simon. I couldn't believe they were up this late. Then again, being eighteen, I should be up with them. I've been tired lately, and I think it's because Isabelle passed that horrible flu to me. I couldn't believe she got it in the first place, with shadowhunters being super immune and all.
I roll over on my back, and close my eyes. Happily, I drift off into sleep.
I wake up to silence. No movie, no Simon or Isabelle. A headache pounded in my ears and I listened again, this time more closely to find sounds of someone rummaging in the kitchen. I pull back the covers and go down to investigate.
It's Luke, getting ready for work.
"Hey, kiddo. Why are you up this early?"
"I don't know," I say, and I honestly don't. I'm not the one to get up this early.
"Want some coffee?" he offers.
"Yeah, I'll get it." Luke never makes it right, half coffee and half milk. He has his strong to give him energy to help run the pack of New York Werewolves. "Luke?"
"Yes?"
"Is something wrong, have you noticed anything wrong with Jace?"
"Wrong? Like how?"
"I don't know, he's a bit distant. I'm just worried, with all that's happened in the past..."
"All of that is gone now. Stressing about it won't help, Clary."
"I know." I roll my eyes.
"You look like your mother when you do that."
"Do what?"
"Roll your eyes."
"Good," I say. "My mother's beautiful."
"She is." He nodded in agreement.
"Who is?" My mother comes around the corner.
"Ah, speak of the devil." I murmur low enough for Luke and hear, and he almost spits out his coffee in laughter.
"You are," he answers her with a satisfying smile.
"Well, I'm going back to bed. I don't know why I'm up this early." I shrug and head back up stairs.
Jace's POV
I pace the length of my bed. I have barely slept, and now I woke early and can't go back to bed. I've moved the Midnight Flower to my room last night to watch it bloom, but then my insides twisted and I had to bring it back to the green house so I could finally get sleep, even if it was just a couple hours. I've smoothed my hair back countless times, I've attempted to go to the training room and blow some of these nerves away, but I couldn't. All I seemed to be accomplishing was pacing and worrying. I suddenly heard a knock on the door. I already knew who it was when I open it.
In the doorway, stood my parabati, dressed in long pajama bottoms and a white tank top. Actually I was pretty sure it was my tank top.
"Is that my shirt?"
"Don't change the subject," he grunts irritably. "I can feel you, you know. Your nerves are keeping me awake. And they're giving me horrible dreams."
"I'm sorry, but I can't pay attention to you unless you answer my question."
"Yes, this is your tank top." He pushed his way through the door, and I let my arm fall. "Thanks for letting me use it."
"Actually, I don't remember loaning it to you in the first place-"
"That's beside the point. You need to calm down about this Clary thing. Okay?"
"You know it's not that easy."
"I know she'll understand. Okay? She's good with that. Don't worry about her reaction. Just get it over with as soon as possible so you can go back to being yourself, okay?"
"I just don't know how I'm even going to break the news to her. I haven't settled on one thing to say."
"Then say them all. The Angle knows you do it all the time." He smirks.
"If I wanted to be insulted I would have called Isabelle."
"And if you wanted to be coddled, you would have locked me out. Now, what can I do to get some sleep around here?"
"It's not like there is a button you can push that will automatically calm me down." I smirk. "That is, unless, you want to look for it."
"Very funny, Herondale. But the only thing I'm looking for is sleep." He turns to my bed and grabs an item off the shelf above it. It's my stele. He takes my arm then, and draws a calm anger rune on my wrist, quite sloppily if I might add.
"That is a sloppy rune, Alec."
"I'm half asleep. And I would like to be fully asleep soon. Now go to bed, Jace." He exits my room.
Slowly, but surely, my pulse slows and my eyelids droop, and I drift off into sleep into my bed.