Hi guys! This is the sequel to my story Two Is Better Than One. I encourage you to read that before you read this one.
Anyway, I hope you all like this story too. I'm planning to update once a week. Maybe more if there is more interest. We'll see.
Please leave a review or comment. Have a good weekend! :)
1.
Will Herondale winced as he slowly pressed the sharp end of the safety pin into his left thumb. The prick of pain startled him even though he knew it was coming. He withdrew the pin and watched in fascination as a bead of bright red blood formed. He then handed the pin to the boy standing across from him in the silent park at midnight.
"Are you very sure this is necessary, Will?" Jem Carstairs asked as he took the pin.
"Of course!" Will declared. "We're brothers and we've got to make it official. I read it on the Internet. We've got to each cut ourselves then press the cuts together so our blood will flow in each others' veins."
"That doesn't sound very hygienic," Jem remarked.
"There's also another way where we each open a vein, pour our blood out into a cup and then drink it."
Jem grimaced and shook his head. He pricked himself without further hesitation, then put the safety pin in his pocket. "Just get on with it," he said.
Will flashed him a cheeky grin. He held out his left hand to Jem, who took it. They pressed their bleeding thumbs together tightly. Will took out a piece of gauze and wrapped it around both of their thumbs. He attempted to tie it off at the end but was unable to do it one handed. Jem reached over and helped, and together, they managed to bandage both their thumbs together. This done, they stood and grinned at each other. The seconds ticked by.
"Now what?" Jem asked.
"Um…" Will hesitated. He racked his brain to remember what he had read. Then he gave up and took out his mobile phone. He heard Jem sigh as he did so. "Shut up," he ordered.
"It's getting cold, Will. You know I have cystic fibrosis and the cold isn't good for my lungs. Plus, it's the first day of school tomorrow morning," Jem reminded him.
"Give me a second," Will said. He scrolled through his browsing history and found the website. "Okay, it says here that now we look into each others' eyes and recite words of lifelong loyalty and brotherhood."
"Okay," Jem agreed. "What do we say?"
"It doesn't say. But, don't worry, I'll come up with something," Will decided. He put away his phone, gripped Jem's hand harder, looked into his eyes and said: "James Carstairs, will you take me, William Herondale to be your blood brother, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, till death do us part?"
Jem began to giggle but pressed his other hand up to his mouth when he saw Will frown at him. This did not help and he began to cough from the effort of holding back his laughter. When he stopped coughing, he asked: "Are you serious, Will?"
Will made a face at him. "Let's see you come up with something then, wise guy."
Jem grew serious. He held Will's gaze and recited: "Entreat me not to leave you or to return from following after you. For where you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people; and your God, my God. When the hills are all flat and the rivers are all dry, when it lightens and thunders in winter, when it rains and snows in summer, when Heaven and Earth mingle – not till then will I part from you. You are my brother, William Herondale. Forever and ever."
"Amen," Will involuntarily concluded.
Jem smiled in amusement and threw his arm around Will in a hug. "We're brothers now, Will," Jem concluded. "Not born brothers by blood, but sworn brothers by heart. Long may we stand at each other's side."
Will nodded. "I will certainly say 'Amen' to that, brother," he said. The boys broke their hug and tended to their pricked fingers. The cold was helping to numb the pain. "Where did you get that from? The verse. I thought you didn't like poetry."
"It isn't poetry," Jem informed him. "It's from the Bible. Well, the first bit anyway. I saw it in a song during music class. The other bit is a Chinese poem. I can't remember where I encountered it. But it's nice."
"Way better than my 'wedding vows' any day," Will agreed.
Jem nodded and headed over to the side to pick up his backpack and bright yellow skateboard. "We should be getting back," he said.
"Excited for tomorrow?" Will asked. "New year, new school, new teachers."
"Terrified," Jem admitted. "But I'm sure it'll be fine. You'll be there."
"That's right. I will," Will grinned. "Goodnight then, Jem. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Do you have a ride home?" Jem asked.
"I'll take a taxi."
Jem nodded and got on his skateboard to head home. Will watched until his friend got out of sight then meandered his way through the park to the road, walking and whistling loudly, making the neighbourhood dogs bark, until he managed to get a taxi back to his family's townhouse in Belgravia.
He got home extremely late but was lucky that no one noticed he had gone out. He quietly let himself in and fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.
The next morning, he was awoken by the loud yell that was the opening of the song Circle of Life. He leaped out of bed and saw his younger sister Cecily bent over in laughter in the doorway of his bedroom, phone in hand.
"What the hell, Cecily!" he exclaimed. "You almost gave me a heart attack."
"You'll survive," Cecily said unsympathetically. "Mam said to call you up. It's almost time for school."
Will had never got ready for school so quickly. In less than 20 minutes, he was washed, dressed in his uniform and downstairs for breakfast. His parents were surprised at his enthusiasm; even Cecily, who was excited to be starting secondary education at her brother's Westminster City School, was not as fast as he was.
But Will was eager to go to school. He couldn't wait to meet Jem, who had just transferred to his school to study the Sixth Form.
Their parents drove the Herondale siblings to school and dropped them off at the school gate. Now that they were actually at the school and the students were all arriving and making lots of noise, Cecily looked nervous. Will was not nervous at all. He jumped out of the car and dove right into the throng.
The halls were packed with students and parents all trying to find their way around and get paperwork done. Will bumped into many of his classmates who were returning for Sixth Form. They called to him to come and see their classrooms, but he waved them away. There was only one person he wanted to see now, but that boy was nowhere to be found.
"Will!" Cecily shouted as she struggled to make her way through the crowd. When she got to her brother, she said: "Will, the teacher said I could have a mentor if I wanted to. Will you be my mentor? Please?"
"What? No!" Will immediately said.
Cecily pouted and folded her arms. "Why not? Ella was your mentor when you started school."
"Cecy, I told you before, I'd be a horrible mentor for you. Anyway, I'm going to mentor Jem," Will reminded her. "You'll have to find someone else."
"You're mean," Cecily whined and stomped off.
"Trust me, it's for your own good!" Will called after her.
It was then that he spotted the tall, thin, Asian-looking boy, whose dark hair was streaked with silver like an old man. Jem was following closely behind his uncle Elias Carstairs, whose stocky build helped him to plough through the crowd. Jem was looking anxiously around him at all the students.
"Jem!" Will shouted. He pushed through to his friend, not caring who he was stepping on to get there.
"Thank god, Will!" Jem exclaimed. "I was beginning to think I would have to go through all this by myself."
"As if I would let you go wandering by yourself around here," Will scolded. "This place is worse than a jungle. I don't want you eaten up before the first lesson starts."
"Oh, I'm sure I can fend them off. I've seen worse at my old school," Jem noted. "But it's definitely better to have you here."
"Come on, then," Will urged. "Have you done your paperwork? Can I be your mentor?"
"We've just come from the nurse's office and told her about Jem's cystic fibrosis," Elias informed Will. "We're now trying to find the main office. I've got Jem's forms here; we just need to submit them."
"I can be your mentor, right?" Will asked Jem again.
Jem looked awkward. "Hannah kind of asked to be my mentor," he admitted.
"What!" Will exclaimed. "This is outrageous! First she worms her way into your affections, distracts you while you're on holiday with me, and now she wants to mentor you too? No! A mentor is someone who will guide you on your journey through the school and help you and look out for you. That person is clearly me!"
"I thought you'd be mentoring Cecily," Jem said gingerly. "After all, she is your sister."
"And you're my brother! Don't say you picked Hannah over me, you disloyal traitor."
"There's no need for names," Jem said calmly. "And no need for dramatics either. I decided I wouldn't have an official mentor. Both of you can help me find my feet in this school."
Will's anger disappeared at that – though he was still a little sore that he would have to share Jem with the girl. He gave in. "Fine," he huffed. "But I get to show you around school." He grabbed Jem's hand and scowled at all the other students around them.
Jem laughed and clapped Will on the back. "Lead on, O fearless leader!"