It wasn't all that difficult to keep up with the fiery, redheaded mundane girl, though I could tell she knew I was there, almost as if she actually felt my eyes watching her. She didn't appear to actually try to take off running, though that most likely would have sparked a bit of curiosity from her mundane friend, plus, she had seen us kill an Eidolon Demon, so she probably would think that I could easily catch her, which would be correct, anyway. It appeared more like the girl was trying to fade away into the crowd, which occupied the streets at this hour, although, despite her efforts, I could easily tell her apart from the rest, with the combination of my training for vigilance as a Shadowhunter, as well as the fact that, despite being rather short, I could still easily make out her red hair, disappearing and reappearing with each step that she, and the crowd took.
I sighed softly when I saw both of the mundanes veering off into a Mexican restaurant, Nacho Mama, or so the sign proclaimed it as. It was somewhat of a wish of mine that I would be able to speak to her, and that she would at least get to where she was going, so I would have to keep following them, eventually it was sure to get suspicious, if I kept stopping when they stopped. If I was a mundane, I surely would have found it at least a bit peculiar.
However, at least this mundane girl had even the slightest inkling of knowledge of why I was following her, even if it might not have been all that much of a comfort to her. As it was, if there was someone following you, you would doubtfully be comfortable in the situation, unless it was common place for a mundane, which it seldom would ever be.
I found myself a place, lounging against a nearby building to wait for them, wishing that I had brought something a bit more interesting to do, other than texting Isabelle.
'How r u sis?' I texted her, watching the restaurant carefully, hopefully they would leave soon and I would have to be standing there, waiting for them like some sort of stalker.
'I'm good. Still watching her?' She replied, Isabelle had a gift, I hadn't mastered the texting thing, while she could text like mad, it always seemed that, as soon as I texted her, I had a text there, waiting for me. It was part of her mastery of all things that a teenage girl should know.
'Yea, I am.'
'So, is she cute? ;)' My eyes narrowed as I read the text, of course, leave to Isabelle not to leave anything alone. It wasn't a big surprise, knowing her.
'What r u talking about?'
'So, you do then ;D' I simply shook my head at my cellphone and slipped it back into my pocket as I spotted the mundane pair beginning to exit the restaurant. Straightening, I once again began following her as they began their way down the street, turning easily at the street corners. They very well might have known this city, or at least this area better than I did. Even though, over all I still knew New York much better than the majority of any one. It was one of the perks of being Nephilim; you learned all of this as part of your training.
It was easy, still, to follow the girl into the coffee shop of sorts, Java Jones. If she was a danger to us, which was something Hodge vaguely speculated over, then she wasn't doing such a good job trying to get away from me, or even come after me, for that matter.
Either they really hadn't trained her well; she was just a mundane, or there was something more to it, and she was just clueless to that fact. None of those things seemed too far-fetched, of course, it the world that I lived in, out of the category of all of those mundanes who remained unaware of the dangerous world we lived in, protecting them from all of the things that would surely be nightmare worthy to them.
Upon entering the coffee shop I ordered a black coffee, my favorite, I could barely stand any of those lattes; they were much too sweet for me. I took my seat within sight of the mundane girl and her little friend, sipping my coffee, and trying not to pay any attention to the horrible poetry the man, Eric, or something was practically screaming into the microphone.
"Come, my faux juggernaut, my nefarious loins! Slather every
Protuberance with arid zeal! Turgid is my torment! Agony Swells within!"
It was horrifying, truly horrifying what this mundane thought was poetry, appropriate to be read in front of an entire coffee house, personally, I would have just though that he would end up embarrassed, but then again, he didn't look at all like the type who would end up all that embarrassed from doing something just a bit stupid in public.
I blinked, a bit in surprise when I saw the girl staring at me, or more like glaring at me. I felt a slight smile pulling at the corner of my lips as I turned and returned my mug to the counter, exiting the coffee shop.
It was only a few moments before I heard her footsteps coming towards me, and I looked up from my cellphone, which I had been using to preoccupy myself.
"Why are you following me?" She asked her tone severe, a smiled play across my lips.
"I'm supposed to be following you. You're potentially dangerous, you know." I reply, the girl simply stared at me, not completely comprehending, so I continued, "You see, not many mundanes, like you, if you are even a mundane, can see us." She blinked.
"What's a mundane?"
"A human, someone who can't typically see the shadow world, like you, at least, possibly like you, we can't be sure." I replied, studying her expression, trying to decipher how she was handling it. It wasn't all that easy to read her face though; she kept things concealed rather well.
"So you're saying I might not be human." She replied, her tone a bit surprised, as well as shocked.
"No, I'm saying that you might not be completely human. For all you know, you might be like me. Or us." I replied, trying to decide exactly how much to tell her.
"That's such a comfort." I almost smile at her reply, with that sarcasm, she nearly reminded me of Jace.
"Show me your hand." I stated, it might help me figure out how she could see us, even though she seemed to have no knowledge of anything about any of the shadow world, with no knowledge of downworlders, either.
"Okay." Her voice was nervous as she held out her hand; I peered at it, trying to see the rune that was laid on my right hand for an extra talent with our weaponry. One of my first marks; she didn't have anything on her hand though. I blinked in mild surprise and let go of her head, shaking my head. It was still possible, even though she didn't have any marks.
"What were you looking for?" She asked, a stunned curiosity residing in her voice.
"This." I replied, holding my right hand out to her, she took it, surveying it, and then shook her head.
"There's nothing there." She said softly, a smile curled my lips again.
"Clear your mind, you'll see." She blinked and appeared to concentrate, at my request, and then dropped my hand with a gasp; I assumed that she had, in fact seen the mark.
"A tattoo?" She asked; she still appeared to be at least a bit shocked. I shook my head.
"No, it's a rune. That one gives us more skill with weapons and such." I replied carefully.
"Who's us?" She asked, I hesitated a moment, not sure how many new facts that she would be able to handle.
"The Nephilim, or Shadowhunters, like me, as well as Jace, Isabella, and the rest of our families." I replied carefully. Not wanting to end up shocking her.
"Then who are you?" She asked slowly.
"I'm Alec." She nodded cautiously and blinked, almost as if she had forgotten something and was only just coming back to remembering it.
"I'm Clary, Clary Fray." She replied, only to be interrupted by her cellphone ringing, she reached into the messenger bag that was hanging over her shoulder and pulled it out, blinking at the caller ID and then answering her phone.
"Mom?" She asked.
". . . don't come home . . . not safe . . . stay with Simon . . . call Luke. . ." I blinked in surprise at the flickers of conversation I picked up, not exactly an unassuming conversation, from my point of view. More suspicious, of course, I was a Shadowhunter; after all, I was supposed to notice things like that, especially with Clary's "gift" and all.
I watched as she hung up the phone, her eyes wide, and terrified.
"I have to go." She blurted out and took off at a run. I raced after her, catching her wrist, and causing her to strike out at me. I stumbled back to avoid getting hit before taking off after her. I had to follow her. Something was going on, and even if she wasn't involved in whatever it was, it was still a bit too curious and thought provoking for my taste.