When Two Worlds Clash

Rose

I couldn't believe I was doing this. I was going to Abe Mazur for help – agh! It just sounded so horrible. I was supposed to hate him and I hadn't been afraid to show it. But now I, Rose Hathaway was going to go and ask him for help.

I could see him sitting on a bench under the statue of some famous moroi queen, smoking and surrounded by dozens of flowers. As I approached his body guard stiffened. I glared.

'Oh, c'mon. I'm not gonna make a murder attempt.'

'You must understand, Rose, that we cannot be so sure,' Abe said, eyes twinkling.

'Whatever.' I suddenly realised that giving him tude when I wanted something probably wasn't a good idea. 'Um…That's a really nice…er…scarf you have there.' I cringed inwardly at complimenting such a vile excuse for a human being, even if it was just so I could get what I wanted.

Abe tilted his head back and laughed, really hard. I thought that was a bit unfair; I mean, I wasn't so bitchy that people thought any compliments I made were a joke, was I?

'What is it you want, Rose?' he asked finally.

'Manpower. Or, you know, womanpower.' I paused, because Abe was looking at me like I was crazy. 'What I mean to say is that I need someone who could help me do something possibly…illegal without telling anyone.'

'And so you came to me?'

'Yeah. You have, like, a gazillion evil people willing to make a jailbreak, right?'

'Jailbreak?' Abe asked, suspiciously.

'As an example,' I lied quickly.

'Of course.' I could tell he was patronising me.

'Fine. It doesn't matter. Just forget this ever happened.' I started to walk away, but Abe called me back.

'I'll give you one guy.'

'What? That's all you can muster – one guy? For your only daughter?' I exclaimed.

'Rose,' he warned. 'You're lucky I'm even giving you this. And he's a good guy – my best.'

I decided to take what I got. 'Alright. Let's see him.'

'Herondale.' I raised an eyebrow. Abe hadn't even shouted. Did this guy have super hearing or something?

I squealed in surprise – not my proudest moment – as a boy dropped off of the statue, right in front of me. I gaped at him in surprise. He couldn't have been more than seventeen and he was…well, he was hot. He had jet black hair that was a little bit too long paired with strikingly dark blue eye. He had kind of pale skin and sharp features. When I looked down I saw all these curling, black tattoos through his tight, white t shirt and along his arms and neck. I could also see well defined muscles.

'Oh,' I said finally.

He smiled then and I swear he looked pure evil. I recovered myself and took a step back. 'This is it?' I asked gesturing to the boy and looking disgusted. 'Doesn't seem like much.'

'Your face says differently,' he said, still smiling.

I felt my cheeks burn and I glared at him even though the moonlight made his eyes shine like the ocean and he had a British accent which was almost as good as Dimitri's . 'Whatever.'

'Rose, meet Will Herondale. He will work with you to do…whatever it is you're doing.' Abe grinned like he knew I was thinking about Will's eyes. 'Will…you know who this is.'

'Yes,' Will agreed. I wish I could just wipe that arrogant smirk right off his face. 'I know exactly who this is.'

'You know nothing about me,' I snapped, which only seemed to amuse him more.

'Well, then you two should probably go and plan.' Abe had a similar expression on his face as he shooed us away, like we were little kids and he need to have an 'adult conversation'.

I spun on my heel and stalked away. I was hoping Will would have to hurry to keep up, but because his stride was so long he could still keep up with me even though he was just sauntering along. I stopped abruptly now that we were out of Abe's ear shot. Unless he had more annoying teenage boys on top of the other statues.

'Listen up, you,' I growled at him. 'You seem to think that you're so cool you can just do whatever you want. But that's not going to happen, you hear? I am in control of this mission and you are not going to mess it up, got it?'

'I have got it.' His smile suggested otherwise.

'If you do I'll tell Abe,' I cautioned. After that things got a bit awkward. Will inspected his finger nails and I studied my feet. 'So…' I said finally. 'What's with the formal language? And why are you Abe's guardian'

He glanced up at me, bored. 'I propose we make a deal: If I answer your questions you must explain what I am supposed to be doing with you.'

'Okay,' I said. I mainly agreed because I'd have to tell him the plan anyway, but at least this way I'd get something out of it. 'Basically I need to…um…like, break into a top security prison.'

I expected him to tell me I was crazy, yell, run…something. But all I got was, 'Might I ask who is lucky enough to be freed by you?'

I glared because I knew the 'lucky' part was sarcastic. 'Tasha Ozera.'

'Alright. Do you have a plan?' he asked.

I stared at him. Damn, he was just taking this in his stride. 'Your turn,' I said instead of answering because I actually didn't have a plan; that was why I wanted some help from one of Abe's henchmen. 'Why are you with Abe and how come you talk funny? It's like you're from the 1800s or something.'

'Because I am.'

'What?' I asked.

'Abe pulled me out of the London Institute to be his guard.' He grinned now, very smugly. 'Because I was the best warrior of all time.'

'Of all time, huh? I doubt it.'

'Believe what you want. Only I and he will know the truth. Along with anyone else who has seen me fight.'

As I rolled my eyes I picked up on something else he had said. London; I'd always wanted to go there. 'So you're from London, then?'

'Yes,' he said. 'I was born in England and…er…moved to London when I was twelve. It's quite nice.' The look on his face actually made me think London was very boring, but I kept quiet. 'Or at least it was when I was around.'

'When were you around?' I asked, relishing in the fact that he wasn't making me want to pull my own hair out.

'I was last there in '78.'

'Cool. My mum was born in 1978.'

'Not 1978.' He shook his head. 'I'm talking about 1878.'