AN: I'm slightly allergic to cliffhanger, specifically with FanFics, but I had to. For that, the next chapter will be up later today as well (like I said-allergic). And fyi, you guys make my day all the time with your reviews and favorites and follows! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: If someone else copy righted it, it's not mine. :)
Chapter 10: Unexpected Sighting
I release a big sigh and Jace chuckles as I walk out of my last final.
"Oh come on, you are so glad we are done with those boring classes too," I tell him. He rolls his eyes, but I nudge him.
"Fine, I'm glad it's done." I smile brightly at my small victory. Things had fallen into an easy rhythm with us. He follows everywhere I go, but it isn't the annoying shadow it started as. He's arrogant, but makes me laugh and he doesn't hold up to my puppy dog face any better than I do to Maia's.
"So what now?" he asks, his eyes scanning the area before settling on me.
"Now, life gets fun," I reply. My father had kept to my rules and hadn't tried to pull me in further to the business, perhaps my threat is ringing in his ears.
Jace's eyes scan the area again and I feel him tense before I feel his hand reach out in front of me protectively. I scan the area too and settle on a dark haired boy with his back to me. His pitch black hair is familiar, but I don't know why. I can't seem to place him for a second, just stare. He's flirting with some girl, but turns his head to the side a little when he laughs at something. I catch his profile and my body turns away and starts walking before my mind can even process.
The whole world is hushed. I can only hear the pounding of my feet as I race out of the building. I don't stop there. I keep running, pushing my body faster and putting more distance between us. The paintbrush hits the ground and my hair falls down my back and into my face. I push it away, but keep going. My energy is gone, but I refuse to stop. I trip over my own feet and go sprawling towards the ground. An arm wraps around my waist and pulls me back into a hard body.
"We have to stop meeting like this," Jace says, but he doesn't smile. I turn towards him in the confines of his arms.
"It was him," I whisper. "Sebastian. The one who…"
"I know." I had buried the memory deep and spent weeks pushing it out of my mind.
"I never thought I would see him again. I mean...I don't know." I looked into his deep golden eyes. "I thought I was okay, that I was over it. But then he was right there and I panicked and-" my voice broke off into a sob. My breathing coming fast and hard. He pulled my head to his chest.
"Shh," he cooed, "it's okay. I'm here. No one is going to hurt you. No one is going to hurt you ever again." He repeats it so many times until my breathing returned to normal. Even then I just held onto him in the silence. Finally I stepped out of his arms.
"Thank you," I whispered.
"Anytime," he said, but his eyes never left me, concern etched is every line through his whole body. "You want to go to the house?" I nearly smiled at the fact that he had caught on to that I never called it home. I took a breath and shook my head.
"No, I wanted to go by the art store. I'm low on some supplies. Plus I'm not really ready to handle the house yet." A smile touched his lips, but not his eyes as he nods and we head to the car.
There is something soothing about the feel of a paint brush in my hand. I had ruined one of my favorite angled brushes a week ago when I was trying to paint away my stress. Though I know I should never paint angry because this always happened, it's the only way to really get it out of my system.
As I dance around the art store picking out my supplies, a familiar calm settles in. I dance back to Jace whose holding the basket and set in the coloring pencils I selected. He rolls his eyes, but his smirk is back.
He follows me over to the canvases where I just stand there and drool. They are gorgeous. I can already see a different painting on each. My fingers twitch at my sides.
"You going to buy one or just look at them all day?" Jace asks with a smirk. I shoot him a glare.
"It's not that simple," I whine. "I want to buy all of them...but I can't only afford one, two if they're small. But how am I supposed to choose and then leave all the rest here?"
"You can just steal them all if you like," Jace replies lazily. I tear my eyes from the canvases to look at him dumbfounded. "It was a joke." I roll my eyes and look back to the beauties.
After about three more minutes, Jace says, "You going to choose or should I go get the get-a-way car?" I smack his arm without glancing at him. He yelps in surprise, but doesn't say anything.
"This one," I pull the canvas from the shelf. It takes all my willpower not to start on it right now in the store. Jace sighs. I know he can't tell the difference between this one and the others. I was so confused when Simon first explained how little everyone else feels toward art and supplies and making it. I've accepted it now. I can still feel the canvas calling me and inviting me to a place with no rules and just freedom.
Jace hulls everything up to the counter and I follow with the canvas. The clerk smiles at me and asks how everything is going. I have been coming to this same store ever since I found it five years ago. I tell him I'm an art major now and he returns my blinding smile.
After paying, I gather up my bags, only taking a couple steps when the clerk says, "Sir?" looking intently at Jace. Jace turns towards the older gentleman whose holding out a bag I forgot.
"Take good care of her," the clerk says to him with a smile. Jace blinks a couple time, mouth slightly open as he looks at the clerk. Then Jace nods and follows me out with the last bag.
Jace has an odd smile as he placed the bags in the truck of the car.
"What's up with you?" I ask. He smirks at me.
"Nothing," he replies simply. I roll my eyes, I won't get any more out of him unless he wants to talk. "Shall we go?"
"Yes," I moan, "I need to paint." He chuckles at me, but opens the back door.
"Clary?" I hear a woman call. The voice is familiar, but like from a dream. I turn at the same time as Jace does towards the sound. There is woman is black pencil skirt, heels, and a black dress jacket clasped over a silky black blouse. She stands a few inches taller than me. Her red hair, left down in gentle curls around her shoulders is the same shade as mine.
Jace pulls me behind him, blocking me mostly from the sight of the woman. I look around him.
"Mom?" I ask.