"So, how's it been living with a psycho with amnesia" Isabelle sat at her vanity combing through her hair with a gold tinted brush. Behind her sat Clary in her usual grass stained jeans and muddy shoes she often wore to train.
"It's been really weird. He remembers everything that's happened but when we ask him about it he shuts down. And if he does talk about it he talks like he's talking about a total stranger." Clary was also brushing the knots out of her dirty sweaty hair but unlike Isabelle she just re-knotted it on the top of her head while Izzy braided it into a perfect side tail. Church laid curled up at Clary's thigh and meowed when she dropped the comb on his head. "Sorry Church."
"I don't know. I don't think he's changed. He probably helped your father hurt Max so I'm definitely not trusting him anytime soon." Izzy stood up and dusted the loose strands of hair off her pale blue tank. "Ready?"
As they walked down the long hallway they could hear the clashing of metal coming from the far room on the left. Hodge had made it a point to add more training sections in the Institute, each with different scenarios Shadowhunters would encounter during fights. Clary pushed the door open and inside was Jace and Alec sword fighting. Jace had already had a long scratch down his arm and a small nick under his eye on his cheek bone. Alec also had small cuts but none were as bad as Jace's.
"Why is Jace letting him do that?" questioned Clary. Isabelle sighed.
"Look at Alec's wrist. Magnus charmed that band so it'll give Alec the advantage. For many years Shadowhunters would pair up with warlocks to make wearable enhancers. It helps make the "non-enhanced" fighter fight better in a real fight."
Clary winced as the tip of Alec's sword slashed Jace around the rib area.
"Okay that's enough, Jace. We can pick it up here tomorrow but for now you need to heal." Alec dropped the sword and grabbed the stele from his belt. Jace walked towards him and lifted his ripped sleeve exposing his golden skin. Right away Alec went to work drawing the iratze on is arm. Immediately his cuts started healing themselves leaving behind a faint pink line that eventually faded to white. No matter how many times Clary had seen this happen she still managed to be equally amazed as the first time. Jace went over to Clary and gave her a hug along with a kiss on the top of her head. Normally she would find sweaty boys repulsive but Jace was a whole different story.
"Knock it off love birds, Clary and I have training to do." Isabelle pulled on Clary's wrist and Clary hesitantly let Jace go. So instead Jace did a half skip to the nearest spectator's bench and sat down to watch.
"Nope. You're not allowed to stay. You're too distracting to Clary," said Izzy. She jogged over to Jace and grabbed him too by the wrist and hauled him up to his feet and pushed him towards the door.
"You know Izzy, Clary's always going to have distractions while she's fighting." Clary couldn't help but giggle whereas Izzy had no problem slapping him on is arm and hollered "gooooo" as she pushed. Finally Jace gave up and flashed Clary a quick smile before being completely shut out of the room.
Izzy grabbed her whip and a blade and twirled it as she spoke. "Alright, now that all distractions have been taken care of, let's start."
Jocelyn looked out of the window to Luke's farm house and could see a faint splotch of white dazzling in the sun. Her boy sat by the water and stared at the glistening ripples caused by the slight breeze. The trees all moved so slow around him. She stared for a long time. Stared so long the sun had started setting and Clary was just arriving home from training at the Institute.
"Hi honey. How was training?" Jocelyn still stared out the window as she spoke.
"Um, good I guess." Clary also peered out the window.
"How long have you been staring at him?" she asked. Clary had grown a little jealous over her long lost brother. Ever since he returned he'd been all Jocelyn worried about.
"He's been out there all day and hasn't moved an inch. I'm worried about him." Jocelyn turned to face Clary only to realize she'd walked away. "Clary?"
"What?" Clary's voice rang through the hallway.
"I was talking to you, why'd you walk away?" Clary walked back towards her mother but avoided eye contact.
"I'm tired of hearing about him. I don't care." She'd never spoken to her mother that way and Jocelyn was not having it.
"Clarissa you better watch that attitude. He's your brother, so you better start caring."
"He's not my brother. He's your son, but he isn't my brother."
Jocelyn sighed and looked back out towards Jonathan. Instead of arguing with Clary she asked for a favor. "Will you please go get him? Can you at least do that?"
Clary returned the sigh and nodded. She walked out the back door and let the screen door slam behind her. The whole frame rattled as the door bounced off the house. To her satisfaction she could hear her mother complaining about it. Leaves crunched under her sneakers and the closer she got to the water the colder she felt.
"Mom says to come inside," she said when she reached Jonathan who was sitting with his elbows resting on his knees. "Helllllooooo. Mom says she wants you to come home." Still he sat not acknowledging her. "Fine, stay here all night and see if I care." She turned on her heel and started walking away slowly hoping he'd get up and follow. When he didn't she turned back and grabbed his shoulder. His skin felt hot even through his shirt. Maybe he's warm from sitting in the sun all day.
It had been the first she'd ever touched him in a long time and it felt strange to her. When she took her hand off his shoulder it came back slick and black. Demon blood. Quicker than her thoughts he stood up and brushed passed her. She watched as he walked away towards the house. She found it so weird how he and Jace could act and move in similar ways but they were completely different people. Jonathan's glide as he walked was enough to make a girl swoon and it didn't help that he had striking features.
Once she snapped out of it she jogged to keep up with him. "Jonathan, wait for me. What happened?" He didn't answer but looked at her from the corner of his eye for a split second and kept walking. "Jonathan please answer me." Before she finished her sentence he whipped around and planted himself right in front of her.
"You don't tell, Clarissa. You don't tell anyone." His voice was soft but forceful. He could make a horror story sound like a beautiful love story. She could see now how he could make others do his dirty work.
"Okay." Her voice came out in a whisper. She stared into his eyes, bright and green, but far gone. Before she knew it he was already at the house shutting the screen door after him. Clary saw Jocelyn calling after him but he moved so quickly instead she looked outside for Clary. When Clary came inside, Jocelyn jumped straight into questioning.
"What was he doing out there?" Clary remembered the demon blood on his shoulder. She remembered his orders to stay quiet.
"Nothing. Enjoying the view." She made a break for it and ran up to her room. Something got caught in the door as she tried to shut it. When she ran her hand on the outside she felt fingers that weren't her own. Behind the door stood Jonathan.
"Thank you for not telling. I know you don't like me but it means a lot." Clary nodded her head surprised. She never thought he would go out of his way to thank her. Yet here he was. He smiled and went back to his room leaving Clary to stand alone with her thoughts.
The sun was shining and the birds were chirping but all Clary could hear were the screams from her dreams. The same dream she had before except this time with different faces. There lay Simon on the ground, dead. Jace stood over him once again except this time it wasn't Jace anymore, but Jonathan. And instead of him laughing, he looked terrified.
She woke up in a cold sweat. Her hair stuck to the back of her neck and chin and her clothing felt damp. She sighed and crawled out of bed, dropping her blankets on the floor. She could hear the water running in the bathroom and figured someone was showering so she sat by the window of her bedroom and looked out. By the water sat Jonathan, again, staring across the water. Clary stared at him for a long time wondering what he was thinking. Suddenly a dark mass jumped out of the water and covered Jonathan's entire body. Clary jumped to her feet and grabbed a blade from her drawer but when she turned to window again, there stood her brother and a motionless creature on the ground by his feet. Black goo covered the front of his once white shirt and all along his arms and hands. A demon. She stared and ducked when he met her eyes with his own. Quickly Clary ran to the now unoccupied bathroom and through herself in the shower, hoping she'd be able to play as if she were shower the whole time. After she finished and got dressed she cautiously walked down the steps hoping no one would hear her.
"Clary? Are you up?" Of course, her mother was in the kitchen making breakfast. Clary continued down the steps, less quietly now, and answered her mother's question.
"Yes, mom." She turned the corner and saw Jocelyn standing by the stove, her back turned to the window. Clary quietly walked over to the window and casually looked out. Both the demon and her brother were gone. She let out a small breath loud enough for Jocelyn to hear.
"What's wrong Clary?" she asked putting down the spatula. Jocelyn backed up a little bit to look out the window as well and made a face when she saw nothing. "Are you okay, hon?"
Clary nodded. "Yea I'm fine, just thought I saw something. I think it was a bird though. A big bird." She stared out the window the way she'd done before when she saw Jonathan outside. "Have you, uh, seen Jonathan at all?"
Jocelyn, who had turned back to the stove, turned again to face Clary. She had a slight curve to her lips as if she were fighting a smile.
"What?" asked Clary.
"Nothing. No I don't know where he is. I heard him wake up early this morning but I'm not sure where he went."
"H'm", said Clary. "I'm going to get my bag ready and head out to the institute."
"Clary, you have to eat first. No breakfast, no training."
Clary sighed. "Mom, I get sick every time I eat before training."
"The training itself will be enough to make you throw up if you do it right. Might as well have something to get rid of right?" Jocelyn always made sure her daughter had something in her system before leaving for school. Training was no different.
"Fine. Give me some toast." Clary proceeded to the stairs and just as she was about to climb the first step the front door flew open. Jonathan walked in with a troubled look on his face not even noticing Clary until she cleared her throat. When she did he looked her in her eyes and slowly shook his head "no". She slightly nodded in agreement and slowly went up the stairs. From the top of the stairs she could hear her mom calling over to her brother who was no longer standing at the door but in the dining area.
"Jonathan why don't you go with Clary to the institute?" Jonathan at the Institute was the last thing Clary wanted.
"She made you bring him?" ask Izzy as she performed her daily routine of braiding her hair for training.
"Yea. Kinda. I didn't want him to come but at the same time I have to talk to him and we can't do that at home. Not with my mom hovering over us. Izzy huffed.
"Well, at least he's good looking. Even if he is hell's spawn." Clary through the pillow she was holding at Isabelle's head.
"Hey! I mean you thought so too at one point. I could tell."
"Ew, Izzy. He's my brother. That's gross." Again Izzy sighed.
"I'm not saying you have the hots for him Clary. Alec is handsome. See? He's my brother and I think he's handsome. Nothing wrong with that."
Clary rolled her eyes and went over to the vanity wear Izzy sat. "Move over." Izzy stood from the chair so clary could sit. On the vanity there were two of everything since Clary always prepared herself in Izzy's room. She grabbed her brush and started brushing the knots out of her tangled curls.
"So what do you have to talk to him about?" She asked casually not that Clary didn't already know she was prying.
"Nothing. I just want to talk to him. He's my brother. I want to know him." Clary thought back to that morning when she saw him by the water covered in ichor. "I want to know what he's capable of."
"Yea, me too", answered Izzy in an accusing manner.
Clary looked at her through the reflection on the mirror. "Izzy, you do remember the attack on max right? I think it was him. Jonathan I mean."
Izzy looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't think it was. Remember Magnus said there was magic involved. I bet it was that girl. Magnus's sister. She's a lot more powerful than we think. Which is why we have to train. To prepare for anything Valentine throws at us."
Clary hated that Valentine escaped. When Jonathan opened his eye revealing their true colors, Valentine leaped over Jocelyn and Jonathan's body grabbing Vitaly and disappearing into thin air. Months have passed and there were no signs of either one. Nobody has seen them and it's as if they have disappeared from the face of the earth. All the more reason to keep searching.
"Izzy. I think I know how to find him."
Izzy turned to Clary and lifted a single eyebrow. "What are you saying?"
Clary sighed. "I'm saying I've… seen some things and believe Valentine has something to do with it."
"Do you plan on making sense any time soon?"
"I think Valentine is sending demons to attack Jonathan." Just as Clary spoke the last word the door to Isabelle's bedroom creaked open. There stood Jonathan is his fighting gear which made him look entirely too much like the picture of Valentine Clary had seen in the library.
"He isn't after me. He's after you."