Song credit: Can't Stop This Feeling by Justin Timberlake and Closer by The Chainsmokers.
Also big shout outs to catastrophicmind, . .books, reemarie36, vimto474 and clairvoyancerune for reviewing! You have all made my day xo
And thank you so very much to everyone for reading, following and favouriting. You are all amazing!
Before Clary knew it, it was Thursday and she was on her way to the library. Izzy was in the car with her and together they were both singing and bopping along to the radio.
"I got that sunshine in my pocket,
Got that good soul in my feet.
I feel that hot blood in my body when it drops, ooh
I can't take my eyes up off it, moving so phenomenally,
Room on lock the way we rock it, so don't stop!"
Isabelle and Clary both laughed as she pulled a park and they kept dancing and grooving, turning the music up louder, while they waited for the rest to turn up.
Jace sped towards the library on his motorcycle and pulled into a park, killing the engine. He pulled his helmet off his head and shook his hair out, ignoring the appreciative looks he was getting. He wondered briefly where the others were but was distracted by a voice. It floated towards him on a cloud and wrapped around him. For the first time in a long time he felt his hands twitch like they were playing piano and he felt the burning desire to play.
"I know it breaks your heart,
Moved to the city in a broke-down car.
And four years, no calls,
Now you're looking pretty in a hotel bar.
And I, I, I, I, I can't stop,
No, I, I, I, I, I can't stop."
He followed the voice and the music to a blue Mazda and looked in to see Clary. Her red hair framing her face, setting off her skin like porcelain, her freckles barely visible. Her eyes were closed and as she sang her head and body twisted with the music and he was mesmerised. Her voice was rich, clear and sweet; he leaned back against a ledge and closed his eyes as he listened to all of her blending and dynamics. She was beautiful.
"What are you doing?"
Jace's eyes snapped open and he saw Isabelle standing in front of him, hands on her hips and a furious expression on her face. His eyes flickered to Clary and he could see she was still singing, oblivious to his presence.
"Nothing," he responded quietly.
He felt disorientated. Like just coming up from a deep sleep or from deep underwater. Isabelle's eyes narrowed at him.
"I don't believe you," she scowled.
He frowned. Her voice was ruining the magical experience.
"Would you be quiet please?" he asked her.
He eyebrows shot into her hairline in incredulity.
"Excuse me?" her voice shot up an octave.
He glared at her.
"Shut up. You're ruining her singing!" he hissed at her, his gold eyes flashing desperately.
Isabelle was insulted and bewildered. She stepped away, watching him as he relaxed. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes while Clary sang to the new pop song on the radio and for a moment he looked more peaceful than she had ever seen him at school. Izzy's eyes flickered between the two critically, trying to figure out what she was missing.
Jace was a jerk to Clary, through and through. So why was he so… enamoured by her voice? Izzy didn't like this. Jace was going with Kaelie now—made obvious by the two constantly disappearing into janitor closets, he was going to hurt Clary. She gave him a gentle tap to the shoulder and his eyes opened in frustration at her.
"What?!" he snapped quietly.
"Don't even think about trying anything with her," Izzy hissed in warning.
Jace stared at her.
"You are screwing around with Kaelie. Don't think for one second I will let you do the same to Clary," Isabelle threatened.
Jace looked at her and she could see he was thinking about something but she couldn't figure out what any of it was.
"I don't want to," Jace said lowly, kicking back off the ledge and walking past. "Tell Clary I'm inside and waiting."
That confused Isabelle more than anything. She had an excellent bullshit detector and he wasn't lying.
"Who was that?"
Izzy turned to see Clary climbing out of her car. She gave her a smile.
"Jace. He said to say he was inside and waiting," Isabelle recanted.
Clary rolled her eyes.
"God forbid he actually have to speak to me," she muttered, missing the look Isabelle sent her.
"Yeah, I know right," Izzy laughed sounding slightly forced.
Clary gave her a concerned look.
"Are you okay Iz?" she asked.
"Yeah, great, why do you ask?"
"You just seem… odd. I dunno," Clary commented.
Izzy gave her a weird look.
"Your face is odd," she teased back and Clary laughed shoving her friend lightly.
"Mean and completely uncalled for," Clary told her.
Izzy just shrugged and flicked her hair over her shoulder.
They walked into the library together but separated soon after. Izzy was working on a project for her Fashion Design class so she was at the computers while Clary made her way over to Jace who was sitting at a desk reading the last of Frankenstein. Clary popped her stuff on the floor and slid into her seat, pulling out her sketchbook and working on a sketch of her interpretation of Frankenstein.
"You have a beautiful voice."
Clary stilled and looked at Jace, horrified. He was leaning back in his chair still reading, it looked like he hadn't even said anything.
"What?"
"I heard you singing," Jace said, his eyes never moving from Frankenstein.
Clary swallowed hard and tried to hide the blush of embarrassment from moving to her face.
"Uh. Oh. Um… I-sorry," she stuttered.
Jace's eyes slid to hers, holding her gaze. They were warm, more tawny than gold and full of honesty. His mouth had quirked into a small smile, the same crooked one he had the other day.
"You have a beautiful singing voice. You shouldn't apologise for that, it's a gift," he complimented quietly.
Clary gulped and nervously grabbed at her hair, twisting it around her fingers.
"I-I thanks. I don't usually sing unless I'm with Izzy. She makes me sound better, she's better," Clary laughed self deprecatingly.
Jace's eyes changed and they became more firm.
"I wasn't listening to Isabelle. I was listening to you," he said.
Clary's eyes searched his whole face for a hint of a lie, a joke and unspoken untruth but she couldn't see one. Her heart skipped a beat for a moment and she broke their gaze and looked back down at her drawing, trying to take the focus off her.
"I don't know what to say," she admitted quietly.
"You don't have to say anything. I just thought you should know," Jace said, his eyes returning to the book.
Together they sat silently, waiting for the others. A million thoughts flying through Clary's brain—most about the Golden Boy beside her.
"Good evening my favourite magical space butterflies!"
Clary chuckled as she looked up at Magnus.
"How can I always tell that it's you?" Clary asked sarcastically.
"Because you have a deep connection with me. We have a twin thing," Magnus replied, not missing a beat.
"You are so full of crap," Clary laughed.
Magnus just shrugged.
"I can't deny that," he agreed.
"Where's Alec?" Clary asked.
"He'll be here in a minute, he's just… composing himself," Magnus responded slyly.
"Ew, mental images! My poor innocent brain is scarred!" Clary cried.
Magnus smirked at her.
"So, do you have any idea about what scene you want to do? After all you are the only one to have read the book before. You are our ace in the hole," Magnus said, sliding into his seat.
"I want to do the scene where Frankenstein and Victor talk. It is a really deep scene I think. Victor actually listens to his creation and the creation explains how he is and how people react. We can tell the story of the poor family, how he sought to befriend them. How he helped them, which they turned away from because of his appearance," Clary sounded indignant.
"That's because he's a monster. He murders because he is misunderstood and angry. He lashes out for no reason other than to torment the man who made him," Jace put in.
"Yes, he became a monster, but only because people treated him so! Imagine what could have happened if Victor took pride in his creation and loved him! Victor owed him that much!" Clary's blood was boiling from the injustice that the creature had been given.
"Perhaps, but that's not what this assignment is about. It's about the monster. About his torment and his vicious actions. The creature, whether you like it or not, Clary is spiteful. The moment he doesn't get what he wants he goes off on a rampage! The only reason Victor even wanted to talk to his monster is because he murdered someone!" Jace disagreed with her.
"The creature is spiteful because no one has ever shown him any compassion! That's why this scene is so important, it shows the blind man, not able to see what he looked like, could reach to the soul inside our creature. It shows the creature looking into the water and seeing his reflection, and becoming scared and horrified by it, understanding why people treat him so badly. Everyone focused on his looks and not the person inside! If he had just been treated with some damn compassion he wouldn't have murdered anyone!" Clary slammed her hands down on the desk and the two people before her were silent.
She looked over and saw Isabelle staring at her, more people pointing and whispering and the librarian making her way over.
"Whatever, you're too damn stupid to understand," Clary snarked at Jace and she stood up, grabbing her stuff.
"Now who's not treating people with compassion," Jace snarled back.
"You don't freaking deserve it," she snapped, unthinking.
Jace was furious. He stood up, throwing his chair back and stepped so close to Clary, she had to crane her head up to look at his infuriated face. His eyes dark and angry, his mouth stretched back into a thin line, one side curling up in contempt.
"What? Just like Frankenstein's monster?" he challenged her.
Clary's face heated up and she felt flustered as she realised her mistake.
"That's not—I didn't—"
"That's right, he wasn't a monster, was he?" he sneered. "Well guess what Clary, contrary to your belief. Regardless of how it happened—he was a monster. People make monsters and you never know what someone is capable of doing until you push them." Jace poked her shoulder hard emphasising his point. "Until you make them snap."
"Jace..." Magnus warned with a note of a threat.
"Oh, shut up. I'm not going to hurt her. Contrary to what she may think, I'm not a monster," Jace snapped.
Clary's face was white and her body was trembling. Her green eyes were wide and he could see a faint glimmer of fear in their depths. Jace felt somewhat bad, he knew Clary hadn't really meant to insinuate he was a monster she just... she was naive. She didn't fully understand the monster. She painted him in some sorrowful, tragic light but all the tragedy in the world couldn't change the fact that the monster was dangerous. He realised then that he felt a kinship with the monster; Dr. Frankenstein's monster. He looked down at the book and grabbed it before pushing past Clary and leaving.
Clary took a deep breath and looked at Magnus. He was standing as well, his face twisted into a frown.
"Well… that could have gone worse," Clary laughed feebly.
"Excuse me! This is a library a place where people come to learn and expand their minds in peace and quiet! Not to come in and behave like children!" The librarian, Tessa Gray, was appalled at their behaviour, it was plain to see.
"Sorry, we'll be leaving now. Sorry about the commotion, it won't happen again," Clary apologised meekly.
Ms. Gray's grey eyes fixed on her with a level glare.
"See that it doesn't," she warned before returning to her desk.
Clary gave Magnus a head nod and he nodded. Their study meeting was over.
"Hey guys, what'd I miss?"
They turned to Alec and dissolved in a fit of giggles, leaving him completely bewildered.
