Jace looked around at what was supposed to be a small homecoming party for his best friends little sister. The entire football team, jace's siblings and their boyfriends, and most of the cheerleading squad were there, crowding the first floor of their enormous beach house mansion. At the moment, one of the head cheerleaders, Kaelie, was hanging on his arm, shoving her fake double-d's, that bulged out of the too small cheer top she wore, against him, trying to get his attention. While Jace loved when girls tried so hard to get his attention, Kaelie was annoying him. Her squeeky, nasally voice rang through his ears, making him want to cover them. Her face was caked in makeup, and she clung to him with tenacity, daring other girls to come closer with a look.
He ignored her, turning back to the conversation he and the twins were in with his sister Isabelle, and her boyfriend Simon. He had been surprised when Isabelle had announced that they were dating. Not that Simon was that bad, but he was a dork. He spent at least 40% of his time playing video games, 10% reading comics, and another 20% playing in a band that was occupied by other dorks. His fashion sense had improved however, when he and Isabelle started dating. He used to wear baggy jeans and band t-shirts, but Isabelle had managed to constantly keep him looking decent. Now, he wore a brown leather jacket, a white muscle shirt, designer jeans, and hiking boots. Luckily for him, when he became a vampire, his physic had improved. He now had muscles that were defined, and he lost the dorky glasses that he used to wear. His skin was pale against his dark, curly hair that fell in his eyes. He and Jace hadn't gotten along at first, but as time passed, he started to consider him as a friend. And he made Isabelle happy, so that was enough for him.
Jace was cut off from his reverie when the younger twin, Sebastian, pulled out his phone. He checked the message. "She's here. EVERYBODY SHUT UP! SHE'S HERE! WE HAVE TO-."
He was cut off as the front door opened, and a girl walked in, rolling two large Louis Vuitton suitcases behind her. She kicked the door shut behind her, before turning to face everybody. Jace's jaw dropped.
She was beautiful. She had long, fiery red hair that fell in thick, glossy ringlets to her hips . She was lean and thin, lined with muscle and defined curves. Runes covered her body all over, looking like shadows on her porcelain white skin, that was blemish free, and shimmered with body glitter. But her eyes…. Jace was transfixed by the bright emerald color that seemed to cut through him like broken glass. She wore tight black leather leggings, sparkly black uggs, and a dark green halter- top sweater, that said 'Fairy Tail' in glitter, and exposed her toned, flat stomach. She wore large, sparkly black hoop earrings, and a slouchy black knit only make-up she wore was pink lipstick, and eyeliner. Jace looked her over, his eyes freezing on the faded parabatai rune on the left side of her navel.
She looked around, taking in the mass of people that stared at her in silence, before looking at the 'Welcome Home' decorations they had set up only hours before. She smiled, looking around again, before her eyes stopped on her brothers. She dropped the suitcases, a smile lighting up her face and exposing perfect white teeth. "Jonathan!"
She ran forward, throwing her arms around him. He laughed, spinning her around, before setting her down.
Sebastian stepped forward. "Well, this is just offensive. I'm obviously the cooler, hotter, more awesomer brother, and you hug him first!"
She laughed. "Sebastian!" She threw herself into his arms, and he lifted her off her feet, as they both laughed. When he set her down, she looked up at them. Jace noticed how small she was, barely reaching their shoulders. He also noticed how she bared no resemblance to them. The twins both stood at 6 ft. 1 (about half an inch taller than Jace) with lean, muscular bodies, angular faces, and the same black eyes. The only difference between the two of them was that Jonathan had white-blonde hair, and Sebastian had midnight-black hair. So, they looked nothing like their sister who was now pouting up at them. "You guys grew again."
They laughed, and Jon ruffled her hair." And you shrunk again, baby sis."
She scowled at him playfully, before turning back to look at the decorations." And you guys didn't have to go to all this trouble!"
Sebastian snorted." What trouble? And where's your dog? I Thought you were bringing him with you."
She turned towards him again." Oh, he's waiting outside. And don't worry, I've trained him to be the most awesome dog thats ever lived."
Jon laughed. "Yeah? Well, he doesn't have to stay outside, bring him in."
She just turned, putting two fingers in her mouth, and letting out a long, somewhat impressive whistle. Immediately a black retriever puppy streaked into the house, stopping at her feet, where he jumped at her legs. She laughed, picking the puppy up, and holding him against her. "This is Sammy. My baby." Her brothers laughed again, petting the dog.
Sebastian looked at her. "Where did you learn to do that?Do you already have everything for him, or do we have to go shopping later?"
She shook her head. "Nope. I've got everything covered. He'll sleep in my room, of course, and I've got his bed, and toys, and treats… Which reminds me… I'm starving. Please tell me that you guys already cooked something?"
Jon laughed. "Of course. It's all in the kitchen."
She smiled. "Awesome. I'll be right down, just let me put my things upstairs."
"Do you need help?"
"No, I'm fine, but thanks."
She set the dog down. "Come on, Sammy. Lets go set up your stuff. Then we can stuff our faces. Or I can, at least. I'll give you a treat though…"
She continued talking to her dog like that, until she reached the top of the stairs, and turned a corner. They laughed under their breaths the whole time.
Sebastian rolled his eyes. "That girl is crazy."
Jon shook his head. "No, this house is gonna be crazy with her in it."
Isabelle laughed. "Well she seems really nice. How old is she?"
" Ummmm… she turns 17 next Friday."
Alec, Jace's brother and parabatai looked up the stairs. "Well she's really short for her age."
Sebastian laughed. "Yeah, but somehow she always seems to find a way to use it to her advantage. She's a sneaky little thing. And more stubborn than you'll ever understand."
They stopped talking as she bounded down the steps, turning to walk into the kitchen. They followed, watching as she filled a plate with chicken nuggets and french fries, filling a plastic up with neapolitan ice cream, before hopping up onto the breakfast bar. Sebastian moved to lean against her leg, pulling on a strand of her hair.
"When did you start letting your hair grow out?"
She pulled the spoon out her mouth. "A few years ago. I liked this boy, but he said he wouldn't date me cause my hair was short, so I started to let it grow. Eventually when I got over it my hair was long, and mom loved it so I just kept it. Plus, it's really pretty like this."
They laughed as Clary ate, when Anthony, a senior on the football team, hopped up on the bar next to her. Sebastian leaned away from them, looking back at them, as if to say 'I knew it'. Anthony, or AJ, took one of her hands. Clary, however seemed to be paying more attention to her ice cream and the fact that she was almost out.
He grinned down at her, completely oblivious of her paying him no attention. "So, Clarissa… do you have a boyfriend?"
She shook her head, scowling down at her now almost empty cup of ice cream. Aj continued to prattle on, as Clary ignored him and they watched in amusement, annoyment, and in Jace's case, irritation.
He swung an arm over her shoulders. "So, do you want to hang out next friday?"
She nibbled on a chicken nugget, thoughtfully. "Not really."
"Great, what time should I pi- wait, what?"
"Not really."
"Why?"
"I don't even know your name. I don't really hang out with people I don't know. But thanks anyway."
They laughed at the look of bewilderment on his face."B-but-"
Sebastian pulled him off the counter. "She said no, Anthony. Leave her alone."
He hopped up next to Clary as she continued to eat, scrolling through her phone. She showed Sebastian a photo and he laughed, taking the phone from her to show Jon.
Isabelle took the opportunity to bombarde Clary with questions. "So, CLary, I heard you spent the past few years in France. What was it like there? Were there a lot of cute boys?"
Clary smiled. "You have no idea. It was unbelievable how hot some of them were." She sighed, dreamily, as they laughed. "And I was always on the beach because I love surfing, and there were always boys everywhere."
They chuckled, and Jace moved to lean on the counter beside her. "You know, if it's an unbelievably hot piece of meat that you want, all you have to do is let me know."
She laughed. "I'll keep that in mind. Although I'm sure that nothing will ever happen between me and you."
He smirked at her. "And why do you say that?"
she shrugged again. "You may be hot, but you're not really my type."
"How do you know? You don't know anything about me!"
She smirked at him. "Oh really? You're the popular boy. The Ladies man. The boy girls swoon over. And you love it. I'm guessing that you've dated over half of the female student body. And your current… playmate… is that cheerleader over you refuse to call her your girlfriend because you're not even really interested. Your also very much is clear."
He stared at her, shocked, as everyone burst out laughing. Sebastian doubled over with laughter. Isabelle, Alec, and Simon laughed so tears ran down their eyes. Clary watched in surprise and amusement, as they tried to calm themselves.
Clary hopped off the counter and filled her cup with more ice cream, before returning to her original position. Another Sebastian from the football team stepped towards them, smirking at her. "How do you stay so fit when you eat so much junk?"
She smiled. "I workout. A lot. YOu could say its a hobby." Sebastian and Jonathan rolled their eyes, simultaneously. Jace and about a quarter of the people in the room knew the real reason was because she was a shadowhunter, so she had to train daily to keep up.
Sebastian hopped off the counter, putting his hands on her waist to lift her down. He led her to the living room, asking her about France, as they seated themselves around them, as she sat on Jon's lap, talking animatedly with everyone.
Jace took the time to notice how her mesmerizing emerald eyes sparkled when she talked, and how her cheeks flushed bright red when she talked about something embarrassing, making her look that much more irresistible. She had an arm wrapped around his neck while the other one, fluttered over Sebastian, playing with his hand or hair, or using it to make gestures as she talked. She turned to talk to the others as they listened in on their conversation, interrupting to ask questions. At one point, Magnus said something that made everyone crack up, and Alec blush bright red. He watched as Clary bent over laughing, her long red hair almost reaching the floor. Jon looked at Sebastian, as everyone laughed at clary who was trying to stop laughing, but failed, erupting into another fit of giggles, making everyone laugh at her.
The giggles soon turned into a coughing fit as she choked, everyone's laughter fading. Jon patted her back, looking at her worriedly. She shook her head, straightening up, her face slightly flushed. "I'm fine, its just my asthma."
Their eyes widened, even her brothers. Jon turned her to face them. "When did you get asthma?"
She shrugged. "Two of three years ago. I thought I told you guys…"
They shook their heads. "No, you never told us. And that's pretty big. How will you-".
She cut Jonathan off quickly. "Really, Jon. It's not a big deal. As long as I keep my inhaler with me at all times, then I'm fine."
Jon sighed. "Well, what about your allergies? I remember you had at least a few of them."
She sighed. "Yeah. Peanut butter, asparagus, brussel sprouts, mulch, honeydew, and mustard. Oh, and mushrooms."
Jace was surprised to say the least. He never would have guessed that she would have so many health issues. She just looked so… perfect.
Jon sighed. "OK, well as long as you keep us up to date with everything, I'm sure it'll be fine."
She nodded. "Really. It's no big deal. And I promise that I'll keep you up to date with everything. You know-". She cut off as Sammy ran in, a sparkly pink iphone in his mouth. Sebastian lifted him into his arms, pulling the phone out of his mouth with a chuckle. Clary pulled a tissue out of her pocket and wiped the slobber off of it, before scrolling through it, and calling someone.
"Maia, what's up?'' She stood up, walking casually out the door, a hand pressed to her ear to block out sound. Jace looked at Jonathan curiously, but he just shrugged, turning towards Simon.
"You're a video game geek right?"
"Um… sure? Why?"
"Well, Clary adores video games and she really wanted some new game called Call of armies. So I got it, but she's gonna want us to play it with her, and I have no idea how to. You have to teach us."
Simon gaped at him. "You got her the new Call of Duty? How? Its not even in stores yet?"
"Well, when you have… or had a father who owns one of the biggest companies in the world, you know some people. This guy's dad owns a video game company, so he gets all of the new games, obviously for free. He and Clary used to be really good friends."
Sebastian shrugged. "We have another one upstairs that you can have if you want. It was for us, but we don't play video games, so we were just gonna throw it out, but you can have it. You're the only other person other than Clary that we know that actually likes to play video games."
He looked like he was about to thank them profusely, but Clary came around the corner, laughing, before hanging up on the person. She went to stand in front of her brothers, whispering something in their ears. They looked at her worriedly, but she shook them off, turning towards Isabelle and motioning for her to follow her. Isabelle stood up quickly, and followed her out. Jace looked at them confused, but, Sebastian gave him that 'I'll tell you later' look.