Hey, so sorry about the wait. I was I actually on a school field troop in Italy. Amazing country. Anyways, this chapter may even top chapter eight for favorite chapters, so enjoy!
And thank-you all for the follows, favorites, and reviews! Much appreciated.
Clary hadn't had milk in a week.
Although that shouldn't matter - Clary hated milk - it had become a tradition, and now Nick wouldn't even talk to her.
"Andy, babe, pass the salt," Isabelle asked while they sat around the dinner table.
Izzy was lovestruck. Every free moment she was sticking her tongue down Andrew's throat. Literally. They weren't even allowed to train together anymore.
Andrew passed the salt. "Uh-huh." He smiled, not breaking eye contact with Izzy; even when his juice knocked over and spilt all over the table, their eyes remained glued together.
"Andrew! Stop acting like a lovesick puppy and clean the table! I swear...," said Stella with a glare.
Clary, Jackie, and Ruby chuckled silently. Nick remained emotionless.
Isabelle muttered, "She's just jealous."
Of course that just made them all laugh more. Out loud too. Even Stella and Andrew cracked a smile.
But not Nick.
Okay everyone. Change of plans." All the residents of the Adams, Oregon Institute (except Ruby, of course) stood just outside the doorway in their gear, while Stella spoke. "Today I will team up with Jackie and do me and Lola's route. Lola, you will go with Nick and do his route. Malorie and Nick, keep up the good work."
It was hard to say who was angrier at Stella's new plan: Nick or Clary.
"No!" they both said at the same time. Then Nick scowled at her.
"Stella, I really think I'd be more efficient working with Jackie," argued Nick in his most desperate voice.
"I've made my decision." Stella narrowed her eyes at her brother. Challenge me they seemed to read. When he didn't reply Stella smiled in triumph. "Go."
Stella turned and broke off into a sprint. Jackie groaned and raced off to catch her.
Been there, Jackie. Good luck.
Then Andrew and Izzy left. Nick and Clary were alone.
"Well, come on then," Nick said and started running.
Clary stared dumbly for a second before chasing after the Shadowhunter. When they got to the fork in the road, Clary didn't turn right. Instead, the two continued running straight. And then Clary realized she was going demon hunting with Nick.
This was the perfect opportunity to apologize.
"I haven't seen you lately." Clary tried to spark conversation.
"Strange." Nick didn't even look up.
"We haven't even talked since Lexi and Riley came." And left. They hadn't seen them since that night.
"Lola?"
"Yeah?" Clary smiled, thinking she'd broken through to him.
"Shut up." Or not.
"Okay..."
After at least two minutes of awkward silence as Nick fiddled with his demon tracker, he finally acknowledged her. "Sorry Lola. I was just... busy. Now, there is a demon on the baseball field. You up for it?"
Adams's baseball field was huge; at least compared to the rest of the town. In fact, it was a big part of Nick and Jackie's route and where they killed most of their demons.
"Let's go."
They took off running in the direction of baseball field, which they had passed on the way to Nick's route's stopping point: the curly slide in the park across from City Hall.
Nick and Clary slowed down as they reached the huge patch of green. Their legs moved swiftly, jumping the four foot fence with obvious skill. Automatically, though they've never fought together before, Nick and Clary put their backs together and raised their seraph blades.
Nick whispered, "Nimer."
Clary whispered, "Yarrah."
They only had to wait a few more seconds before a huge black demon jumped in front of them. A year ago Clary would have screamed at the sudden movement and the appearance of such a ghastly creature. But, by now, she was used to it.
Clary and Nick worked to kill the demon and, between the two, they managed to kill it in a few minutes. However, they didn't get a chance to rest because, before they knew it, they were surrounded by the black demons. In fact, black was everywhere; there was black gear, black demons, black sky. Black blood.
And just like that the world started spinning. Clary's automatic reflexes kept her from being uninjured as the the trees and the fence spun. But it soon became too much. The last thing Clary remembered was someone shouting her name - Clarissa.
"Stella?"
The woman turned towards Jackie. "Yes?"
"Why am I with you? Not that I don't want to be - you're really great - but is there a reason I'm demon-hunting with you, and not Nick?" Jackie fiddled with her fingers as she talked - a nervous habit that ran in her family. The girl had only met Stella a few years ago, when she eight, and although Jackie felt as if she could trust Stella, the woman was still incredibly intimidating.
Stella sighed. "I guess you'll find out sooner or later. The night Lola and Malorie came to Adams, I did a little research. 'Lola Penhallow' and 'Malorie Blackthorn' do not exist."
"What? But... How?"
"'How?' Simple. They made the names up." Stella flicked the demon tracker in her hand. "Valentine Morgenstern. You know of him?"
Jackie rolled her eyes. What Shadowhunter didn't know of Valentine?
"Of course you do. He's very famous. As is his daughter-Clarissa Morgenstern. The one who killed him, actually. But you know that too. Anyways, the same day 'Clarissa,' and her friend 'Isabelle Lightwood' went missing, 'Lola Penhallow' and 'Malorie Blackthorn' showed up here."
Jackie was flabbergasted. The girl had been learning about the evil Valentine since she was a little kid. When he was killed, and by the hand of his daughter, she and the others couldn't stop talking about it for weeks. And now Stella's telling her Clarissa Morgenstern was, in all places, Adams,Oregon?
"No... That's just a coincidence."
"Oh? Then how do you explain their names not existing? Or the warlocks from Idris, Lexi and Riley, not knowing about Idris sending Shadowhunters? And what about Lola and Malorie fitting the descriptions of Clarissa and Isabelle to the dot?"
Jackie didn't have anything to say to that. So, as Stella played with the demon tracker, Jackie just stood there awkwardly, her emotions shifting from excited to apprehensive.
Clarissa Morgenstern was at their Institute!
Was she anything like her Dad?
"This stupid thing won't work," said,Stella, effectively freeing Jackie from her thoughts.
"What? The tracker?" Jackie came over and looked at it. Usually, there was a dozen or so little red dots showing demons. Now there were about three dots. And by "about," she meant occasionally one would flicker on or off. "What's wrong with it?"
"I don't know. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was some sort of spell. But it couldn't be; could it?"
Stella looked at Jackie expectantly. Jackie blinked and Stella scowled. Did she really expect me to come up with an answer? Jackie thought. Stella was the expert.
"Look, Stella, I know your confused and whatever, but don't expect me to know anything. You're a freakin' genius and, sometimes occasionally, you expect people to be on the same wavelength as you." Jackie ran her tongue along her teeth as Stella gave her her best glare. "No offense."
Jackie stared apprehensively at Stella as the woman's face transformed from angry to confused. Then Stella's face changed to that expression one gets when they have a sudden realization of some sort. "I've got it!"
Stella turned, probably to break off into the impossible-for-anyone-to-keep-up-with sprint she's known for, when Jackie pulled harshly on Stella's wrist. "Did you not hear any of the lecture I gave on not over-estimating people?"
"I heard you. And I thank you for it."
"So you finally understand people aren't as smart as you?"
"No. I'm thanking you because your wonderfully delivered speech made me realize something."
"And that would be?"
"Nick and Lola are in trouble! We have to help them."
Jackie felt the sudden urge to smack Stella. "How in the world did you get that from my speech about expecting dumbness?"
"Jackylin Michelle Radley! Clarissa Morgenstern and my brother are being attacked by Demons and all you can think about is my comprehension of your low expectations of humanity's intelligence. If you want to leave them to Demonic wrath, nothing's stopping you. But I, on the other hand, plan to help. So move." Since Stella had spoken this all in ten seconds, Jackie still stood with her mouth open, trying to understand what just happened. Stella groaned and stepped around the girl, before running to the Adams, Oregon baseball field.
"Demons?" asked Izzy.
"Uh, yeah. Many. At least fifteen." Andy studied his tracker. "I-uh, think it would be better if we were to split up."
"Okay. Just tell me the way." Isabelle flipped her thick black hair over her shoulder.
"Adam's General Store and Cafe."
Izzy smiled. "Where we met."
"Uh-huh. I'll be by the grocery store."
"Okay. Meet you back here in an hour?"
"Y-Yeah, okay." Isabelle turned to leave. "Oh, uh, Malorie?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
Isabelle smiled teasingly and walked over to Andrew. He had a nervous sort of smile as he watched her lean close to his ear - which actually wasn't that hard considering Andrew was an inch shorter than her. "Bye Andy."
Then, without waiting to see his face, Isabelle walked away.
She should've waited.