Hey there, nice to meet you! :D

My name's Roonilwazlibross, and this is my first FF story! I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer- I do not own any of these characters, Will, Charlotte, Henry, the Lightwoods, Jessamine, Sophie, Cecily, and Jem (unfortunately) do not belong to me. Please don't sue me; I don't have any money

Chapter 1

Jem is looking at me.

Which in most circumstances would be perfectly normal. We're parabatai, after all. We're supposed to keep an eye out for each other.

But the boy's been looking- no, not looking, he's been ogling me for the past hour. I can feel his silvery eyes burning holes in my flesh.

I mean, it was rather flattering at first, but now it's beginning to get kind of annoying. And kind of unnerving.

We're sitting in Charlotte's living room on a normal, if not boring, Sunday morning. Charlotte and Henry are out, attending a Shadowhunter gathering that we weren't invited to. Jessamine left around an hour ago to go shopping for clothes, and the Lightwood brothers took Sophie and Cecily out to go see a movie.

I'm sprawled out on the lumpy green couch in the living room, my long legs tangled in the ugly yellow blanket Jessamine knitted Charlotte for her last birthday. My black hair is tousled, my flannel pajamas are mussed, and I probably smell terribly of morning breath. The sagging arm of the couch serves as my backrest, and the silver laptop Jem and I share rests in my lap.

Jem sits on the overstuffed armchair next to me, innocently pretending to read a book, whose title I can't see at this angle, while glancing over the pages at me. A small smile plays over his thin lips. His silvery hair, (the unusual color a side effect of the drug that's keeping him alive,) is neatly combed, and unlike me, he had the energy to change out of his pajamas into a green T-shirt and a pair of slim black jeans.

The laptop begins to burn my legs, and I scowl, shifting my position on the couch. From the corner of my eye, I notice Jem still looking at me, (why is he doing that?) and I feel an unexpected blush creeping up my neck for some reason.

I peek back at Jem, and see he's still staring.

"Is there a pimple on my nose?" I ask, half-wondering if there really is something on me that Jem's unable to look away from.

"Oh, no."

"What is it, then? Do I have blue skin? A second head? Did Jessamine draw on my face while I was sleeping?"

He chuckles, his laugh sounding like softly chiming bells.

"No, nothing of that sort."

A few seconds of silence.

"You know, it's quite rude to stare." I say pointedly.

Jem's almond-shaped eyes crinkle at the corners as he grins.

"I'm sorry," he says lightly, leaning back into the chair. He closes the book he was reading, and I could finally make out the cover.

"'101 Pastry Recipes'!" I sit up straight, letting out a shout of laughter. "Why on earth are you reading a book on pastry recipes?"

He shrugs, that small smile still lingering on the edge of his mouth. I'm still laughing.

"I swear, James, the next thing we know you'll be off sewing teddy bears, or playing dress-up, or something of the sort! Are you planning on being a cupcake chef when you grow up? You're probably gonna ask the whole household to bake cupcakes with you!"

He stands up, brushing imaginary lint off his jeans. He looks oddly nervous.

"Well actually, um, if you like, instead of cupcakes we could bake some cookies," Jem stammers. "The two of us. For fun. Right now. If you're hungry... I mean, if you don't have anything else to do..."

Why's he acting so weird all of the sudden?

"Okaaaay," I say slowly, closing my laptop. "I am kinda hungry, and I was craving something sweet anyway."

Jem beams.

I stand up and look into his eyes. "Are you alright? You're acting a bit strange."

"Wha- No I'm perfectly normal!"

"You're not going to put salt or rat poison or something into my batch, are you?"

"Of course not!"

He's still smiling that grin, and I'm still suspicious, but I follow him into the kitchen.