Audrey lived a normal life of a 17-year-old in Ann Arbor Michigan. She participated in numerous musical ensembles, had a job and an affinity for vocabulary and fictional stories. She had never given up the hope that magic existed somewhere just out of reach. She longed to reach it. To finally be able to know her faith was not unfounded. She had that opportunity when she read a new series her sister had read and told her not to read. It was called the Mortal Instruments. She was so taken with the story, of a world of people that normal, "mundanes" couldn't see. She wished with every fiber of her being she could see it. Because, if mundanes couldn't see it, what was to prevent it from being real?
Audrey worked at a second-hand fashion clothing store across the street from her house. She had been working as a sales associate for almost 2 years there. That's where she finally found the magic she had believed in for so long. She had just taken a 15-minute break when and was putting clothes back where they belonged when she saw a figure in all black in the men's section, just standing there. "Shadowhunter gear," she thought to herself. Shaking her head quickly, she dismissed the thought as fast as she could, but the residue still clung in her brain and she couldn't think of anything else to call it. She had to put some men's long sleeve shirts back and she couldn't help brushing past him.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry," she said as she always did when she had to put away clothes in a spot a customer was shopping. She hurriedly put away the shirts and went back to the front counter to grab more. Looking back, she saw him staring at her, but she couldn't quite see his face because of his hood. He followed her around the store and didn't leave after it closed, but he continued to follow her around. As she started straightening the men's section, which was her task for closing that night, she confronted him.
"Can I help you?" she asked, stopping her straightening and trying to not sound like she felt small. The boy all in black was at least 6 foot, maybe a little less, but she only reached his shoulders and she was 5 foot 7 and a half inches tall.
"How can you see me?" he asked in a quiet voice.
"Should I not be able to?" she asked back, taking his cue and bringing her voice down to just above a whisper.
"Normally, no. Mundanes can't see us, usually," he replied. She froze at the word "mundanes" and turned to him, eyes wide in disbelief. "What?" he demanded, looking a little worried. "Did I say something wrong? You wouldn't be the first person to react badly to be called a mundie," he speculated.
"No! It's not that! It's just, I'm reading a book where humans are called 'Mundanes', and, I, well..." she trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"What's this book?" he asked quietly, but the intensity was obvious. She briefly described The Mortal Instruments series.
"Wow," he muttered to himself.
"What? Is something wrong?" she asked, a little apprehensive.
"No. It's just that you are the first mundane to truly believe in the stories the rest of the world calls fiction," he explained softly. "You should probably continue to work or someone is going to wonder what you're up to." She hadn't even noticed that she had stopped straightening. She hurriedly continued her work and they stood in silence for a while, other than the blair of the store's music, the dwindling chatter of the other customers, and the squeals of the hangers on the racks as the employees started to close the store for the night. Soon, there were no more customers in the store, other than the stranger whom only Audrey could see. She grabbed the step stool and went to straighten the top rack of men's t-shirts. The stranger in black followed her over and stood next to her, and they continued their previous conversation.
"So, what does this mean? The fact that I can see you and believe the stories?" she asked, turning towards him, but this time not stopping her work.
"I guess you just become a part of this world now," he replied with a shrug. Audrey couldn't help it. She stopped straightening and faced him head on.
"Really?" Her whisper was so intense the stranger glanced up. By having to look up at her, she could finally see his face. She gasped quietly. She recognized those golden eyes.
"What do you mean? Is that a bad thing?"
"No! I've been dreaming about the books I have read coming to life, heck, I've been writing about that. It's been all I can think of most of the time. I have longed for it with every fiber of my being., wishing that I could become a part of the 'fictional' worlds that I love more than the reality I have lived for my entire life." After that, they were silent, since the manager had turned off the music in the store and her talking would be more noticeable. She finished straightening her section and running the rest of the clothes from the late shoppers, and then she was done. She grabbed her coat from the back room, clocked out, and was let out of the store, with the invisible black stranger behind her the entire time. When she got outside, the guy placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Do you need a ride anywhere?" Audrey asked. He paused, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets before answering.
"Why do you trust me so easily? How do you know I'm not some sort of madman who's about to completely annihilate you?" he asked.
"Because you are a shadowhunter, and you would never do that, Jace Lightwood," she said, pausing before his name. When she said his name, Jace chuckled.
"When did you figure that out? I heard you gasp in the store when you faced me while straightening the top rack. What gave me away?" he asked as they started walking across the parking lot towards her car.
"Your eyes. Ms. Clare described you pretty vividly in the books" she replied, shrugging again. She pulled out her keys and unlocked her car doors. She slid into the driver's seat while Jace got in the passenger's side.
"You can drive a stick?" he asked, mildly surprised.
"Yeah, well, I mean, I'm still learning," she said, starting the car and fastening her seat belt. She turned on the radio, changing the station to jazz. She relaxed back into her seat and turned her head to Jace, who had watched her do all this next to her.
"You like jazz," he asked.
"Yeah. Mostly at night, though. Now, where am I taking you?" she asked back
"Can I just come with you to your house? I know that sounds creepy and all, but I have nowhere else to go," he asked with a shrug. So she shifted the car into first gear, released the parking break and started for her house. she shifted the car into first gear, released the parking break and started for her lived a normal life of a 17-year-old in Ann Arbor Michigan. She participated in numerous musical ensembles, had a job and an affinity for vocabulary and fictional stories. She had never given up the hope that magic existed somewhere just out of reach. She longed to reach it. To finally be able to know her faith was not unfounded. She had that opportunity when she read a new series her sister had read and told her not to read. It was called the Mortal Instruments. She was so taken with the story, of a world of people that normal, "mundanes" couldn't see. She wished with every fiber of her being she could see it. Because, if mundanes couldn't see it, what was to prevent it from being real?
Audrey worked at a second-hand fashion clothing store across the street from her house. She had been working as a sales associate for almost 2 years there. That's where she finally found the magic she had believed in for so long. She had just taken a 15-minute break when and was putting clothes back where they belonged when she saw a figure in all black in the men's section, just standing there. "Shadowhunter gear," she thought to herself. Shaking her head quickly, she dismissed the thought as fast as she could, but the residue still clung in her brain and she couldn't think of anything else to call it. She had to put some men's long sleeve shirts back and she couldn't help brushing past him.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry," she said as she always did when she had to put away clothes in a spot a customer was shopping. She hurriedly put away the shirts and went back to the front counter to grab more. Looking back, she saw him staring at her, but she couldn't quite see his face because of his hood. He followed her around the store and didn't leave after it closed, but he continued to follow her around. As she started straightening the men's section, which was her task for closing that night, she confronted him.
"Can I help you?" she asked, stopping her straightening and trying to not sound like she felt small. The boy all in black was at least 6 foot, maybe a little less, but she only reached his shoulders and she was 5 foot 7 and a half inches tall.
"How can you see me?" he asked in a quiet voice.
"Should I not be able to?" she asked back, taking his cue and bringing her voice down to just above a whisper.
"Normally, no. Mundanes can't see us, usually," he replied. She froze at the word "mundanes" and turned to him, eyes wide in disbelief. "What?" he demanded, looking a little worried. "Did I say something wrong? You wouldn't be the first person to react badly to be called a mundie," he speculated.
"No! It's not that! It's just, I'm reading a book where humans are called 'Mundanes', and, I, well…" she trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"What's the name of this book?" he asked quietly, but the intensity was obvious.
"The series is called 'The Mortal Instruments,'" she paused, gauging his reaction. All she could see was a little tenseness, but that was it. "The books are called, in order, 'City of Bones, Ashes, Fallen Angels, Lost Souls, and Heavenly Fire.'" He exhaled slowly when she was done listing them.
"Thought so" he muttered to himself.
"Are we not supposed to have them?" Audrey asked, apprehensive for not only herself but for the rest of the humans as well.
"No. It's just that you are the first mundane to truly believe in the stories the rest of the world calls fiction," he explained softly. "You should probably continue to work or someone is going to wonder what you're up to." She hadn't even noticed that she had stopped straightening. She hurriedly continued her work and they stood in silence for a while, other than the blast of the store's music, the dwindling chatter of the other customers, and the squeals of the hangers on the racks as the employees started to close the store for the night. Soon, there were no more customers in the store, other than the stranger whom only Audrey could see. She grabbed the step stool and went to straighten the top rack of men's t-shirts. The stranger in black followed her over and stood next to her, and they continued their previous conversation.
"So, what does this mean? The fact that I can see you and believe the stories?" she asked, turning towards him, but this time not stopping her work.
"I guess you just become a part of this world now," he replied with a shrug. Audrey couldn't help it. She stopped straightening and faced him head on.
"Really?" Her whisper was so intense the stranger glanced up. By having to look up at her, she could finally see his face. She gasped quietly. She recognized those golden eyes.
"What do you mean? Is that a bad thing?"
"No! I've been dreaming about the books I have read coming to life, heck, I've been writing about that. It's been all I can think of most of the time. I have longed for it with every fiber of my being., wishing that I could become a part of the 'fictional' worlds that I love more than the reality I have lived for my entire life." After that, they were silent, since the manager had turned off the music in the store and her talking would be more noticeable. She finished straightening her section and running the rest of the clothes from the late shoppers, and then she was done. She grabbed her coat from the back room, clocked out, and was let out of the store, with the invisible black stranger behind her the entire time. When she got outside, the guy placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Do you need a ride anywhere?" Audrey asked. He paused, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets as if trying to make up his mind about something. Audrey could see pain and conflict cross his face as if he was thinking of unpleasant memories and trying to decide what to do with his life.
"Why don't we go to my car and you can keep thinking about it." she said kindly.
"Why do you trust me so easily? How do you know I'm not some sort of madman who's about to completely annihilate you?" he asked, weary and suspicious and worried. But she just smiled and tucked her hand through his arm, guiding him gently across the parking lot to her car.
"Because you are a shadowhunter, and you would never do that, Jace Lightwood," she said, pausing before his name. When she said his name, Jace chuckled.
"When did you figure that out? I heard you gasp in the store when you faced me while straightening the top rack. What gave me away?" he asked.
"Your eyes. Ms. Clare described you pretty vividly in the books" she replied, shrugging again. She pulled out her keys and unlocked her car doors. She slid into the driver's seat while Jace got in the passenger's side.
"You can drive a stick?" he asked, mildly surprised.
"Yeah, well, I mean, I'm still learning," she said, starting the car and fastening her seat belt. She turned on the radio, changing the station to jazz. She relaxed back into her seat and turned her head to Jace, who had watched her do all this next to her.
"You like jazz," he asked.
"Yeah. Mostly at night, though. Now, where am I taking you?" she asked back.
"Can I just come with you to your house? I know that sounds creepy and all, but I have nowhere else to go," he said quietly, looking uncharacteristically down at his hands. Audrey got the impression that he was in some emotional pain, and without any hesitation or words, she shifted the car into first gear, released the parking break and started for her house.