Chapter 2
Clary turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. She rubbed a circle in the mirror and looked at her reflection. Her lips were chapped and swollen, not attractive, she thought to herself, and she had bags underneath her eyes. She ran one of Ronnie's combs through her unruly hair and threw on the clothes that she had given her which turned out to be a pair of yoga pants and a red tank top. Clary stepped out of the bathroom and saw Ronnie throwing darts. Clary noticed how she hit the bull's eye every time with perfect aim.
"You're really good at that"
Ronnie smiled but her eyes never left the target. "Daggers are my weapon of choice. The bow and arrow are a close second."
"What's a weapon of choice?" asked Clary.
"It's the weapon that each shadowhunter uses most during battle. As I said, mine are the daggers, Isabelle's is the whip, Jace's is seraph blades, and Alec, like me is the bow and arrow."
"Why did you pick those weapons for yourself?"
"I like to be up close and personal with whatever I'm fighting so daggers seemed like the best option. You see, the daggers shadowhunters use are longer and more pointed. They're designed to do more damage, and dig deeper." answered Ronnie.
Clary continued to watch Ronnie hit the bull's eye with amazing precision and remarkable swiftness. "Is Ronnie short for anything?" asked Clary.
Ronnie nodded, "Veronica. It means she who brings victory in latin." The phone next to Ronnie started to buzz. "Aren't you going to get that?" asked Clary. Ronnie shrugged, "it's only Jace. He has dinner. Are you hungry?" Clary nodded. "Alright lets go". Ronnie led the way once again to the kitchen where Isabelle, Jace, and Alec were all serving what looked like chinese food. Clary's stomach rumbled and she couldn't wait to start eating. Ronnie handed her a plate and said "Dig in"
Clary watched as everyone sat around the round table talking about their day and acting as a true family. Jace would steal some pork off of Ronnie's plate when he thought she wasn't looking, but she had been but she let him have it anyway and shared a smile with him. It made Clary miss Simon. I should call him, she thought.
"After dinner Clary, Hodge wants to speak with you in the library" said Jace. "Do you know where that is?" he continued. Clary shook her head. "I'll show you". Jace rose from the table and Clary followed him out into the hall.
"Why does Hodge want to see me?" asked Clary.
"So we can understand what happened. Understand who you are or what you are." he said
"Why does this place have so many rooms?" she asked
"We're pledged to give shelter to any shadowhunter that asks for it. We can hold up to two hundred people, but usually it's only Alec, Isabelle, Max, their parents, Ronnie, Hodge, and myself." He answered
"Who's Alec and Max?"
"Isabelle's brothers. Alec is the oldest then it's Isabelle then Max, but he's overseas with their parents. Look, Hodge will explain everything to you" said Jace as he opened the doors to the library. Clary thought the inside looked like Belle's library from Beauty and the Beast. Inside it was dark with only the slight glow coming from the fire place, and in the distance Clary saw the silhouette of a tall man with an oddly humped shoulder.
"Hodge-" said Jace, "I brought Clary." The man with the oddly shaped shoulder walked forward and the closer he got the more Clary could see that his shoulder was not deformed but there was bird.
"This is Hugo, a raven, he knows many things, but I am Hodge Starkweather, a professor of history and I don't know nearly enough" He said.
Clary laughed and shook his outstretched hand, "Clary Fray"
"Jace tells me you killed a Ravener with your bare hands, is that correct?"
"Not really with my bare hands, I used Jace's-" Clary looked to Jace, not knowing what she killed the demon with.
"She means my sensor. The runes must have killed it" he answered, "and i'll be needing another one."
Hodge nodded, "there are extras in the weapons room." A sharp laugh echoed throughout the room. Clary had been so entranced with the books when she first entered that she hadn't even noticed the two teenagers slumped on the couch. Alec had his legs thrown over Ronnie's as they both sat on the red couch. Alec was still laughing but Ronnie only shook her head at the laughing boy, and slapped him upside the head. Clary noticed the resemblance that Alec shared with his sister. They both had slender eyebrows, and jet black hair, but where Isabelle stood with arrogance, Alec hoped not to be noticed. Clary looked at Ronnie and noticed how she too looked like Jace. She sat with confidence and pride, but held humbleness as well.
"You don't honestly believe that do you?" questioned Alec.
"Are you suggesting that she did not kill the Ravener?" said Hodge.
"That's exactly what i'm saying. Look at her! She's a mundie and a kid" said Alec as he pointed to Clary.
"Im not a kid! I'm sixteen years old, well I will be on Sunday" said Clary.
"Same age as Isabelle. Do you consider her as a child?" said Hodge.
Alec sighed with exasperation, "Isabelle hails from one of the greatest shadowhunter dynasties in history! This girl, on the other hand, hails from New Jersey"
"I'm from Brooklyn! And so what I killed a demon in my apartment? Just because i'm not like you and your spoiled sister doesn't mean you get to be a dick about it" Clary wanted to slap the shit out of Alec right now.
Ronnie stood up from her place on the couch and put a hand on Alec's shoulder. "Alec, just listen to her" she said. Alec shrugged her hand off, "No, and are you going to let her stand there and call me names Jace?"
"Yes, it's good for you. Think of it as endurance training" he said.
Alec glared at him, "we may be parabatai," he said tightly, "but your flippancy is wearing on my patience"
"And your obstinacy is wearing on mine. When I found her, she was laying in a pool of her own blood with a dying demon on top of her. I watched it vanish Alec! If she didn't kill it who did?"
"Ravener's are stupid, maybe it got itself in the neck with it's stinger"
"Now you're suggesting it committed suicide?"
"Enough!" barked Ronnie. "Figure this out Jace, and get the girl where she belongs." Ronnie grabbed Alec and led him out of the library, leaving Jace to glare at her.
"We've found ourselves in quite the pickle haven't we?" Hodge said as he pet Hugo's black coat. All Jace could do was glare at the spot where his best friend and sister had just stood, wondering to himself what exactly he had just done and gotten himself into.
DISCLAIMER: The majority of the dialogue belongs to Cassandra Clare. Review people! Please and thank you!
