PROLOGUE.
The doorbell rang, echoing through the halls. Jacey stumbled down the stairs toward the door. Hmm, Magnus was already here, so who was it? She pulled down her headphones and opened the door, maybe it was the meatman, but then again, who the hell cared?
She snapped her gum, "Who the hell are you?"
The man at the door, looked at her strangely. He was blond and disheveled. "Is this her house?" he said in a way of answer.
Jacey stepped back apprehensively, calling upstairs, "Chris, get the f*** down here!"
The man looked at her, an expression of approval dawning on his face. She was arrogant like him, and seemed so familiar. . .
Christopher immediately distrusted the stranger. He was dirty and disheveled and familiar. And when he opened his mouth, Chris knew why.
"Christopher?" the man said.
Chris stepped up to him and put a hand on the man's shoulder. The man smiled and Chris said:
"Excuse me sir, I must ask you to leave the house as you are trespassing."
A voice echoed from upstairs. Magnus, "Yeah, get outta my house! F off!"
A girl with so pale blonde hair it was almost white ran into the room. Sweeping ghostly strands of it out of her face she turned toward the stranger and politely asked (with only a trace of nearly undetectable sarcasm) "Excuse me sir, are you the meatman?" The man's face creased into a frown, "What did you call me?'
The girl smirked. "Knew it. Jacey, kick his ass outta this property."
The man rolled his eyes.
Suddenly, a woman's voice drifted down the stairs. " Kids, what are you doing down there?"
Christopher shouted back up to her. "Just come down Mom!"
She strutted down the stairs, her red hair waving behind her like a curtain of silk.
The man's mouth opened.
"Clary . . ."