Alright, I got this inspiration out of the blue and decided to turn my thoughts and ideas into this story, some chapters might be long while others might be a tab shorter though I'll always try to make them, somewhat, long. Anyways, enjoy my new piece of work, Unraveling.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Mortal Instruments series, it strictly belongs to Cassie Clare.
Tick, tock
Tick, tock
Tick, tock
Leda glanced at the clock hanging over her door and internally groaned. With a sigh, she turned to look at the mirror, taking in her appearance. Her waist length black hair with silver highlights was pulled into a neat ponytail that cascaded over her left shoulder. She wore her plain white tank tucked neatly into her black pants with black and white Vans shoes. She raised a brow as she finished applying neat lines of black eyeliner around her crystal blue eyes and a swift, clean amount of blood red lipstick. Leda looked down to her vanity table, picking up her bright red and blue name tag which had the name "Roze" embossed on it. Rarely ever, did Leda use her real name, and at her current job, a small, hole-in-the wall diner, she was named Roze.
"Roze, you're gonna be late!" a shrill, female voice shouted, the sound penetrating through the door causing Leda to roll her eyes, looking at the clock and mentally noting that it was five minutes until eight, the time she was scheduled in for work. She moved towards the door, her right hand encircling the cool silver knob, and with a quick flick of her wrist, the door opened, revealing a hall with painted moss green walls and dusty, empty picture frames along them. Leda walked down the hall and smiled at the girl standing in the middle.
"I'm never late." She smirked.
"Just, hurry up." The girl said, shaking her head lightly.
"I'm going." Leda laughed, walking towards the window.
"Can't you use a door? You know, like a normal person?" The girl asked, her tone slightly amused.
"Maybe." Leda grinned, "If I were a normal person, which, I assure you, I'm far from." She winked and leaped onto the ledge of the window, turning to look at the girl, "You look nice today Jen."
"Thanks." Jen said timidly. Her caramel hair was combed nicely along with lightly dusted makeup around her face and mascara at her eyes with a nice pink dress. Personally, Leda disliked pink, but she was able to recognize when it was pretty, and when it was not, "I have an interview today."
"Figures." Leda said, causing a small smile to form along Jen's pink lips. With that, Leda jumped off of the ledge and landed lithely on the pavement, chuckling to herself as she noted that no one noticed her.
Mundanes, she thought, they know nothing of what goes on around them. Another chuckle escaped her lips and she let her glamour drop as she walked down the street, fully aware of everything around her even though she was listening to her iPod. Leda looked forward as she stood before her job; a hole-in-the-all diner. A smirk played on her lips as she turned her iPod off and saw that she still had a minute to spare. She pushed the door open, glancing at her boss and winking.
"I don't know how you make it here, right on the dot, every day." Her boss said, placing a hair net on her head as she threw Leda an apron, one which she tied around her waist, picking up a small notebook and pen, dropping them into the pockets of the apron.
"I'm punctual." Leda shrugged.
"I'm starting to gather that." Her boss said, "Zora quit."
"Oh? I was wondering when she would." Leda stated, her tone and expression impassive; her boss chuckled.
"You didn't like her, at all, did you?"
"Stace, dislike is too kind a word to properly explain how I felt about Zora." Leda replied, moving towards the register and opening it, checking to make sure there were seventy-five dollars there as there always should be before they opened.
"What did she do to you?" Stacy asked.
Leda closed the register and grabbed the yellow broom with a silver stick, "She irked me, tried telling me how to do things and when to do them," she looked at Stacy, "And you well know that I hate, beyond hate being told what to do." Stacy chuckled and nodded. With that Stacy moved into the kitchen while Leda was left alone to tend the dining room.
After cleaning off the tables, chairs, and counter, Leda impatiently tapped her perfectly painted black nails on the counter, her other hand cupping her chin as she waited for it to be nine so that they could open. Usually, the diner opened at seven, but since Stacy had a meeting with the corporate owner, she had to open later.
"Roze!" Stacy shouted from the kitchen. Leda moved away from the counter and pushed the swinging door open.
"You shouted?" Leda raised a brow.
"Take my keys from the office and open the doors then turn on the lights." Stacy said; Leda gave Stacy a look, "Please."
"That's better." Leda smirked and walked out of the kitchen towards her office. She grabbed the keys that were dropped casually on the desk before leaving the office and walking towards the front doors, sticking the key into its slot and twisting it, unlocking the door. Leda then moved to the 'OPEN' neon sign and pulled the little string gently, causing the lights to flicker and turn on.
Moments later, Leda saw a few cars pull into the parking lot and she mentally groaned. She didn't particularly hate her job, she only hated it when there were people in the diner, before it opened and when it was closed was the best time at work because she got peace. Leda made it towards the back of the counter as she heard the bell over the door echo throughout the place, disrupting the silence. With a sigh, Leda prepared herself to deal with annoying customers and waiting for the other couple of waitresses and waiters to arrive at their designated times.
Hours passed without consequence, the morning slowly passing by like a numbing buzz. Customers came and went, leaving mess in their wake. After the first two hours of only charging, Leda moved to busting tables and taking orders, a headache forming at all of the customer's complaints and stupidities.
"I'm sorry sir, but that's how much the tab is." A girl muttered from the register. Leda, sighing, placed the tub she had with dirty dishes behind the counter and made her way to the register.
"There a problem?" she asked, her tone unkind and her eyes sharp on the male that was giving the girl, whose name tag indicated that her name was Adriana, a hard time.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is." The man said irritably. Leda raised a brow and brushed Adriana aside.
"Go pick up the rest of the dishes, I'll finish here." She told Adriana before looking back at the customer, "And the problem is…?"
"She charged me too much." The man complained; Leda raised a brow.
"I'm sorry, may I see your receipt?" the man handed Leda the receipt and she looked over it, "Did you order all of these items?"
"Yes, but-"
"Did you eat all of these items?"
"Yes, but-"
"Did you enjoy the food items?"
The man sighed, "Yes, but-"
"Then I see no problem sir. You ordered the food, ate it, and were satisfied with it." She smirked slightly, "This is what you have to pay."
The man grumbled and pulled his wallet out, handing her the money, "Keep the change." He grunted as he walked out of the diner.
"Because twenty-five cents makes a difference." Leda rolled her eyes.
"Thanks Roze." Adriana sighed, coming towards Leda with the tub of dishes.
"It's my job." Leda shrugged, "Here, I'll take over now." She gave her a curt smile and took all of the dishes to the back, placing them into the sink after rinsing the food off.
"Roze! Customers!" A male voice shouted; Leda groaned.
"Coming!" she yelled back, pulling out her notebook and pen, pushing the door open and walking down the aisle, seeing as she had memorized the entire place, she rarely needed to actually look to see where she was walking.
"Hello, my name is Roze and I'll be your server today. What can I get for you?" she repeated the same line as she did most every day, raising a brow and looking up. Her crystal eyes met two hazel ones, then two gray ones. Leda looked at the two, waiting for them to order as she eyed them, examining them as they were clearly doing to her, her eyes fixed on the runes on their pale and tanned skin.
"Not ready yet," The hazel eyed boy smirked, "Give us a minute."
The gray eyed boy snickered and shook his head, "You'll have to excuse him; he tends to forget his manners." The hazel eyed boy scoffed.
"I have wonderful manners." He grinned, looking at Leda, who rolled her eyes.
"I'll be by the register," she said emotionlessly, noting that Adriana was having trouble with it, again, "Call me when you're ready to order." She then walked away, dropping the notebook into her apron's pocket.
"What's the problem this time?" Leda asked, her eyebrow rose as she looked at a sheepish Adriana.
"I can't open the drawer; it's stuck." Adriana admitted. Leda sighed and moved behind the register, highly aware that the two boys were looking at her; she smirked.
"Adriana, there's something blocking it." She shook her head, moving a piece of cardboard that was lodged between the drawer and the bottom of the register.
"Oooh…" Adriana murmured, "That makes sense." She chuckled.
"Yeah." Leda smiled slightly, shaking her head.
"Excuse me! Youuuu hooo!" The hazel eyed boy shouted, waving his hand in the air, "We're reaaaady!" he said, his voice high; Leda narrowed her gaze and took a deep breath, willing herself to not beat the boy senseless.
"How may I help you?" Leda said in a falsely enthusiastic tone. She saw the gray eyed boy shaking his head and smiling slightly.
"Damon, behave." He chuckled and the hazel eyed boy, Damon, pouted.
"Aaric, you're no fun." Damon's pout deepened, "Do you think he's fun?" he asked Leda mischievously.
"I think, you should tell me what you want to order…" Leda grumbled, running a hand through her bangs. Aaric chuckled and Damon raised a brow.
"Cranky waitress, can we get another?" he mused and Leda's eyes flashed.
"Listen, either you order and I take my 'crankiness' elsewhere, or you leave, because no one else will take your order." Leda said, her voice cold. Damon grinned at Leda, leaning forward.
"I think I'll just have you take my order." He chuckled while Aaric rolled his eyes, looking at the menu, muttering something that sounded very much like 'asshole'; Leda smirked.
"Good choice." She stated as she pulled out her notebook and pen, looking at the two with thinned patience.
Aaric sighed and looked at Leda with a slight smile, "I'll have a hamburger with no onions-"
"Why no onions?" Damon smirked, "Not like you're gonna kiss anyone anytime soon."
"-or pickles with large fries and a Coke." Aaric continued as though Damon hadn't spoken.
"Alright." Leda mumbled, writing it down and smirking slightly, "What about you smart ass?"
"Smart ass? Why, I had no idea my ass was smart." Damon grinned, causing Leda to roll her eyes.
"Just tell me what you want to eat so that I can leave." She hissed.
"Touchy, touchy." Damon chuckled, "I'll have steak with a baked potato and Dr. Pepper."
"Okay." Leda said, stuffing the notebook into her apron and walking away, "Your food will be ready shortly." She made her way to the kitchen, sticking the paper with their order along the metal magnets and jumped onto the counter, sighing as she glanced at the clock.
One more hour Leda, one more hour. She told herself, mentally preparing for her outing to Pandemonium tonight to patrol the mundanes. She kicked her feet as she let her mind wander to the two Shadowhunters that were in the diner, musing silently at the fact that they didn't recognize her as their own.
"Roze? Roooze?" Stacy's voice cut through Leda's thoughts, "You there?" she raised a skeptic brow.
"Yeah, where else would I be?" Leda smirked as Stacy rolled her eyes.
"Take this order out for me, yeah?"
"Sure." Leda took the tray that held the food and hit the door open with her hip, walking over to the table and setting the food down cautiously.
"Unless you want to char your fingers off, I suggest you wait for a moment before eating." Leda shrugged, picking up the rest of the trays and walking away. She pushed the door to the kitchen open with her hips, moving in and heading to the sink, dumping the dishes in before washing them as she had nothing better to do in the dining room. Water splashed on Leda's face and she scowled but continued washing, humming to herself as she did so. What felt like hours, but were, in actuality, only minutes, passed until she finally finished the dishes and dried her hands, moving to help Stacy and the other chefs with the food.
"Roze?" Adriana called, walking into the kitchen.
"I'm amused by how many times I'm called in this place." She smirked, seasoning a few steaks before placing them in a pan and watching as the ingredients bubbled along the oil, a rich smell invading her nostrils.
"You're so full of yourself." Adriana chuckled.
"I have reason to." Leda shrugged and looked up at Adriana as she sifted the pan expertly over the flame, "Anyways, what's up?" she raised a brow.
"Those two guys from before, the light haired boy is asking for you." She rolled her eyes. Leda groaned and rolled her eyes as well.
"He gets on my nerves." Leda muttered.
"Everyone does." Adriana smirked, "But yeah, he said they're not leaving until he sees you." Leda raised a brow and shrugged, turning her head to the clock that was over the sink and realizing she had fifteen minutes left to her shift; she grinned and looked at Adriana.
"Tell him he has to wait until these steaks are ready," She then shooed Adriana away and finished cooking her steak, placing it on a plate with a small leaf in the middle, peas and carrots adorning one of its sides and Spanish rice adorning the other. Leda placed the dish on a tray as she turned to look at the order paper, "Where are the hamburger and the chicken sandwich with the fries and onion rings?" she said loudly, raising a brow. The dishes were then given to her and she placed them on the tray, placing the tray on her left palm steadily, pushing the door open and walking out to the indicated table. Once she finished she walked over to Aaric and Damon's table.
"What?" Leda asked, not too politely, with an eyebrow raised.
"Eesh, so rude." Damon smirked.
"What. Do. You. Want?" Leda's tone was exasperated and her expression was controlled.
"Damon," Aaric's voice was firm, "Stop making her job difficult." Damon scowled.
"You're no fun." He pouted.
"Is this what you called me over for? To listen to you two banter? Trust me, I have better things to do, so if you don't mind-" she began walking away when Damon stood up and grabbed her arm. A raw sense of fire spread through Leda's arm, causing her to yank her arm again and bite a growl back, her hand itching to pull the dagger she had hidden in her pants out, "Don't you ever grab at me again, do you understand?" Leda's crystal blue eyes darkened, resembling the troubled waters over a deep sea.
"Alright, alright, I got it." Damon raised his hands in the air, smirking while Aaric shook his head.
"Forgive him, he has issues." Aaric sighed.
"Just tell me why you called me."
"I just wanted the tab, beautiful." Damon winked, grinning. Leda gaped, her anger rising.
"Are you serious?!" She all but shouted, a few people turning to look at her. She took the tab out of her apron and slapped it onto the table, "There's your tab." She spat venomously.
"Thanks." Damon chuckled, looking it over. Leda stormed away, into the office while untying her apron, throwing it into a box and picking up the black sweater she had left the other day before walking out, slipping her arms through the sleeves.
"Stace!" she shouted, barging into the kitchen, "I'm off." She growled. Stacey peered her head around the pans that hung before her and raised a brow.
"What's with you?" she asked.
"Nothing." Leda grumbled, "See you on Wednesday."
"Alright, be safe."
"I always am," With that, Leda walked out and moved to the register, waving Adriana to the side when, just her luck, Damon and Aaric walked up to the register.
"Are you following me?" Damon winked; Leda growled and clocked out of work, her fingers gliding over the touch screen, taking the receipt that printed the hours she worked and patting Adriana on the shoulder.
"Don't die. I won't see you for a few days." Leda stated, leaping over the counter and pushing the front doors open, completely ignoring the stares she got from Damon and Aaric. Once she stepped outside, her body was greeted with a cool blast of air, swirling around the loose strands of hair that came out of her ponytail. Leda took the band out of her hair, letting it cascade down her shoulders while pulling the hood up on her black sweater.
Her mind wandered back to the two from the diner; Damon and Aaric, wondering how they didn't recognize her as one of them. She knew that she bore no Marks at the moment, except for the one on her left hand, but usually a little flag when up when you were close to another of your kind. Leda sighed and shrugged, knowing she shouldn't dwell on the fact that they didn't recognize her, in fact, she should have been happy, but there was still a nagging feeling, like a leak that drips water in a rhythmic pattern and no matter what you do, you can't seem to make it go away until you fix it.
Running a hand through her now tangled hair and fixing her hood, Leda pulled down the latter of a fire escape while looking around; making sure that no one was within sight. She began ascending the stairs, her thoughts still revolving around the guys from before, irritating her noticeably. As she reached the room window she was looking for, she pulled herself over the railing and towards the window, producing her stele out of the hem of her pants and drawing a rune on the window to unlock it, slipping in once the rune was complete. Leda's Vans hit the marble floor with no sound whatsoever, courtesy of the Silence runes on the soles of her shoes.
The room Leda was in had a clear curtain before the window she just passed through, a king sized bed with an intricately designed golden bed cover and a mahogany back board. Opposite of the room, was a mahogany vanity table with a massive mirror and many make-up items sprawled along it, a small silver chair tucked neatly in the space between the four drawers, two on each side of the vanity table. Next to the vanity table was a walk-in closet, the beads that draped from the top part of the door frame rippling slightly as air poured in from the now opened window.
"Looks cleaner than last time." Leda shrugged and walked forward into the closet, heading to the bisection where the dresses were located. She scanned the dresses, looking for one to wear for her trip to Pandemonium when the door opened. Leda tensed and took a deep breath, still looking through the clothes.
"Leda? Leda is that you?" said a young boy's voice, coming from the room.
"No, it's the boogie man." Leda muttered, pulling out a teal dress that had a black strip right down the middle, starting below the center of the chest all the way down. It had thin straps and a sash that tied around the neck. She examined the dress, noticing the young boy coming into the closet from the corner of her eye, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dark.
"Leda!" he shouted, running at her and hugging her tightly, his sandy blond hair sifting into his eyes, "I missed you!" he murmured. Leda tensed but relaxed slightly, chuckling.
"Yeah, I missed you too munchkin." She smiled and tugged him away from her, "Are your parents home?" he frowned.
"No, they went out two hours ago and left me with the babysitter." He scowled.
"Adam, you know what to do if the babysitter bugs you." Leda winked and the boy giggled.
"Will you stay?" he raised a brow; Leda shook her head.
"Maybe I'll come over tomorrow and take you out when your parents are gone, alright?" Adam nodded enthusiastically and Leda fought back the waves of emotion she began feeling, shaking her head lightly.
"I have to go now. Take care, munchkin." She walked out of the closet and pulled him along with her.
"You take care too, Leda." Adam smiled, curving his finger, indicating that she needed to lean down. With a small chuckle, Leda bent down and Adam kissed her cheek. Leda mussed his hair and moved to the window, looking at Adam before she disappeared.
"Remember." She winked and dropped down to the alley way, listening to the sound of the window being shut. Leda smiled slightly, and walked off into the night.
Hope you guys liked it ^.^