The Mortal Instruments (FanFic)
The Park Angel
After two whole days of the silent treatment, a countless record of slamming doors and forty-five minuets of the world loudest tantrum through the halls of the apartment. Clary had finally won.
For the first time in her short life, she would allowed to the park with her best friend Simon, unsupervised.
"Put your jacket on Clary." Jocelyn said sternly, holding out her young daughter's green and black stripped hoodie. "Simon is waiting for you at the bottom of the stairs." She sighed, her body tiered from the days past of constant fighting. Clary hopped over to her mother humming in joy, allowing her to gently guide her tiny arms through the sleeves.
The nine year old girl span towards the door gleefully, her auburn hair bouncing in their ponytails as she did.
"Have fun." Luke sang loudly, waving her a small farewell.
"Please be careful and don't forget to be home for 6:00pm" Jocelyn tried to reach out for Clary but it was too late. Without a word the small adventurer was gone, sprinting down the corridor to where Simon stood patiently waiting by the doorway.
"Quick Simon, before she changes her mind!" Simon laughed cautiously, for a comment like that wasn't all that far from the truth. Jocelyn had changed her mind on many occasions, this being the very reason Simon waited down stairs, out of temptations way. Once Clary's mother tried to bribe the young boy with sweets and the promise of a few new comic books, if he could get Clary to stay in for the night. Of course he declined the offer but this didn't stop Jocelyn. No, instead she told her daughter that she could no longer go out as she never tidied her room like she'd promised. Simon knew this wasn't true, as Clary told him everything but he couldn't help wonder what it was like to have such an over protective mother.
The thought was cut short as Clary raced down the steps with such speed and excitement, that her body collided with Simon's. Whacking her forehead onto his chin with such force they bounced off each other as if made from rubber and then hitting the tiled floor beneath them.
"Ow!" Simon sat up onto him elbows, gazing over at his flattened friend with concern, to find her giggling into her sleeve. "Are you alright? Why are you laughing?" Simon asked.
"Cause' it's funny, the way we fell over, just like in the cartoons." Clary was now rubbing her forehead urgently, trying to fight back the tears welling up.
"Do you want me to go get your mum?" Simon was now crouching besides her, brown eyes shone with worry through the gleam in his thin, navy blue, framed glasses.
"NO! Don't you dare!" Cross, she folded her arms over her chest and turned her face away from Simon's view. "If you tell her I cried I'll never be allowed outside ever again." Simon smile, standing to his feet.
"Come on then." Clary looked up to see the dark haired boy's hand reached out towards her. She beamed back at the cute oval face of her closest friend and grasped his little hand with hers.
Up stairs, Jocelyn was pacing back and forth from the kitchen to the living area.
"Would you please stop, you're making me dizzy." Luke joked. "Here. Have some coffee." With the tips of his fingers he pushed a purple dotted mug towards her, as he took a large gulp from his own.
"This is no time for coffee, Luke, we should walk down to the park, Clary could have gotten herself into trouble." Luke sighed deeply into his mug and with his spare hand filled it back up with more hot coffee.
"Jocelyn I know you're concerned but it's a 5 minuet walk away from the apartment building and she's with Simon. Please, you need to give her some space."
"She 9 not 20." Jocelyn snapped.
"I know but..." He paused to sip his drink. "She needs to know here mother can trust her or when she does turn 20 she won't tell you anything." Luke stood, marching over to his dearest friend, gently gripping her shoulders, letting go with one hand. The handsome, brunette haired man, in his green flannel T-shirt, tilted her chin up so their eyes were in line with each others. Tears had filled her eyes and with a blink, sent them streaming down her cheeks that Luke caught before falling to her light coloured blouse. "She's your daughter, no one tougher, no one smarter, she's fine, I promise."
"Can you really make a promise like that Luke?" Jocelyn stared. Luke was now silent, he was annoyed by her question but his eyes showed sadness. Without a word he released his grip and headed towards the living room. Angrily Jocelyn began to through a soundless tantrum. 'Why am I such a bitch?' She cursed herself, before swooping up the two coffee mugs and following after him.
The park was completely deserted. Not that was a bad thing, now the two kids didn't have to wait to use any of the apparatus. Nothing was more boring or frustrating than having to be patient, for other children to stop playing so that you could start.
They ran around the park, pretending to be animals and inventing new games. Until they fell to the grass in exhaustion, their small faces flush, their hair wet from sweat.
Simon sat up. "Clary, can I ask you something?" Clary stretched like a cat, leaning her head back to look at Simon.
"Sure." There was a short pause before he spoke.
"Do you? Do you have a crush on Danny Fuller?" Her faced flushed an extraordinary pink.
"NO!" She shot up off her back to her knees. "What a dumb thing to say." Simon was slightly baffled by her reaction.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."
"I'm not crying!" She rocketed up to her feet shouting and childishly stomped her foot to the ground. A faint giggled rang through her ears, startling her. Her eyes scanned the area for any other signs of life. "Did you hear that?" Simon was now playing with the dirt that caped the bottom of his trainers, taking very little of Clary's tantrum.
"Huh!?" Simon's late reaction proved he was ignoring her on purpose.
"I said, did you hear that noise?"
"What noise?"
"I don't know. It was like a kid laughing."
Simon heaved his tiered body off the grassy earth and like a meerkat, gazed out at the wastelands of the park. Still empty he thought.
"You must have imagined it." Clary was now fuming, she'd always had a bad temper, even when she was little but then again so did her mother, must run in the family Simon guessed.
Clary stormed over to a tall, ash coloured wall on the far side of play-area. It was normally occupied by teenagers, all sitting high on the lip of the brick wall, that most children were too short to climb. You could always see them up there, smoking or making out. Clary arrogantly placed her hands on her hips and eyed the large concrete bricked surface.
"Bet you I could climb this wall." She smirked at Simon over her shoulder. All Simon could do was sigh with anxiety.
"It's too high Clary, you'll hurt yourself."
The red haired girl ignored her friends comment and began a run up. Her first attempt went terribly, misjudging her footing, she bumped full force into the bricked surface. She fell back, wiping the grit of her chin.
Hysterical laughing light a fuse, triggering another temper tantrum.
"Shut up Simon!" She screamed. "Stop laughing, RIGHT NOW!" Clary roared round to square up to Simon, who was sitting on a bench opposite her with a look mixed with confusion and boredom.
"I'm not, actually I didn't find that funny at all."
"Then who laughed?" Clary asked.
"Maybe you're crazy or something." Simon sighed. He loved Clary with all his heart but even he had his limits when it came to them arguing. "Can we go home now? I'm cold." The young boy blew hot air onto his gloveless hands, steaming up his glasses with every breath.
"In a minuet. I want to try and climb this wall, just one last time." Clary insisted.
"Fine, I'll check the ledge for broken glass, cause ' if you get anymore hurt Jocelyn will kill me." Simon jumped up onto the climbing frame and examined the top of the wall. "It's cool." He smiled a cheeky grin, sighing the all go to Clary.
The small, auburn haired girl prepared her body into a sprinting position, she knew she could scale the wall and now was the time to prove it.
Luke has dozed off on the sofa, before Jocelyn had returned from the kitchen after washing up. She paused at the archway, surprised. Seeing her closest friend so handsome and grown up made her happy, happier than she'd felt in a very long time. Memories of their childhood flooded back, her love for him was eternal, he had always been there for her. Even when she had shooed him away and ran to America. Luke had somehow found her, supporting and loving her and Clary all these years, never asking for anything in return. Even now, her best friend laid there on the couch, content, full of love and coffee.
Jocelyn could no longer control herself, she crept silently over to the sleeping man and without hesitation brushed her lips gently on his. He smelt of coffee but his lips were sweet like icing sugar, Jocelyn couldn't remember when she'd started feeling this way about Luke, maybe she'd always felt it but was blinded by her overzealous love for Valentine, to notice.
Sudden panic took hold, what was she thinking. Luke had never thought of her in that way and now there she was, kissing him like he was hers. "Please forgive me." The beautiful woman whispered, her throat burned with tears.
The large teddy bear of a man, snorted, his eyes flying open from being lost in dreams.
"I'm so sorry Jocelyn. You should have woken me up." He rubbed his eyes, leaning forward as he did. "You okay?"
The elegant woman stared with meadow green coloured eyes. They shone with sadness as guilt for what she had done plagued her.
Seeing his closest friend so beautiful and grown up made him happy, happier than he'd felt in a very long time. Memories of their childhood flooded back, his love for her was eternal, she had always been there in his life. Even when she had shooed him away and ran to America. He'd somehow found her and met Clary. They had allowed him to be part of their family for all these years, never asking anything of him. Even now, his best friend stood there, full of love and coffee, knowing he'd never get to taste the sweetness of her lips or hold her in his arms.
'I love you Lucian Greymark...'
'I love you Jocelyn Fairchild...'
The words that would never be spoken.
"It's 6 o'clock already and Clary isn't back?" Luke asked. Jocelyn jumped, she'd already been a selfish friend today and now she was being a careless mother.
"No, no she isn't." She realised. Luke grabbed his jacket.
"Come on you, lets go get them kids." With a single nod of her head, the two adults paced for the door, slamming it shut behind them.
Clary ran.
This time her footing was perfect, her small body bounced up the vertical wall with ease. With a finally push up, her fingertips latched to the edge. Simon's heart stopped at the sight of his friend, so high off the ground made him nauseous but with new found strength, the elementary school girl hosted her body up onto the ledge.
"Whoa!" Simon shouted with excitement. Clary lifted with her arms until she was face to face with a golden haired boy, who gazed directly into Clary's bright green eyes with his shining yellow ones.
Clary screamed, releasing her grip as she fell backwards. All Simon could do was watch in horror as she fell towards the concrete floor below.
The boy of gold grabbed her hand with such speed and strength he seemed inhuman, pulling her back to safety. Before Clary had even realised she was sitting unharmed back on the ledge. The boy had vanished.
Who was that?
Had he been up there this whole time?
Why didn't Simon see him?
Why did he save me?
Where did he go?
The bewildered young girl peered round. Simon, was screaming at her from the climbing frame but before her vision could settle, there in the background. A boy, an angel with messy gold hair, olive glowing skin tattooed in blackened symbols, sunshine yellow irises and there behold, two magnificent feathered wings that arched out from his shoulders, out shining the sunset.
The park angel stared back at her, eyes filled with concern and confusion.
"Hey!" Clary shouted out to the angel. "Wait! Don't go!" It was too late, he was gone.
"Clary? Who are you shouting at?" Simon was now gazing up at her. "You alright? What happened? How did you save yourself from falling?" The overly emotional kid paused when he realised she wasn't paying any attention to him but instead staring off into the distance. "Clary! What are you looking at?"
"The Angel." She pointed vaguely towards the far side of the play area.
"That's just a statue Clary, there's a graveyard over that fence." He was right, all that stood there was an old moss grown, stone, statue of your usually stereotypical Angel, curly bob, disk halo, long robes, knelt in prey. No heroic, gold, angel warrior to be seen. "Can you climb down?" Clary shot him a glance, like Simon was crazy.
"Didn't you see him?"
"See who?" Simon now sounded impatient.
"The boy!"
"Boy?"
"Yes the boy! The boy with golden hair and eyes, he had angels wings." Simon was now completely baffled. He hadn't seen a single soul in the park, since on old lady walking her dogs an hour earlier.
"Clary I have no idea what you're talking about, maybe it was a 'near death experience' vision." He said trying to hide his frustration.
Clary sighed and turned to look back at where the park angel had once stood. It really was nothing more than a statue but it had seemed so real, even the warmth of the boy's touch still lingered on her palm.
Dread filled her being.
"Simon what time is it?" But Simon never answered, only the furious stare of green eyes darting up at her through the gap between her red converse trainers of the women that Clary hoped that one day she'd might look like when her age. Jocelyn's arms were crossed over her chest, calculating the height of the brick wall her daughter was sitting dangerously on.
Before the two fiery red heads could start their foreseeing battle, Luke plucked the small girl from the wall and placed her gently on his shoulder next to Simon that had already been perched on the other.
"Coffee, cake and then home me thinks. My treat?" He finished. Jocelyn relaxed, forcing a smile. All three of them knew she was angry but tried to play along.
"Yeah!" Clary sang.
"Cool!" Simon followed suit.
"Fine" Jocelyn had managed to say.
Clary never mentioned the angel to her mother or Luke. As for Simon, it was a memory he'd rather forget as the sight of his dearest friend almost killer herself was never a happy one.
She didn't know why but she knew he was real and that one day she'd meet him again.
The Park Angel had saved her life, she'd forever be in his debt, she had to pay him back even if it was the last thing she ever did.
I wonder who the Park Angel was? Hope you enjoyed my story. Thank you for taking the time to read it. Until next time...