*Elegantly sweeps into room, knocking over several items of various value as I do so*
I'm sorry! This week… or month, as the case is, has been a mad scamper of revision for school, and completing homework. I'm entering my exam years (GCSE's. All my British people— HIGH FIVE). The books, folders and work stacks up to an impossible height. FML.
So, I've no idea about my update schedule. I think I may have to eventually scrap my update schedule. BUT I WILL CONTINUE TO UPDATE THIS STORY WHEN I CAN (I give it about 1 month or 2 before the homework load calms down)
Anywhoo! Begin!
MortalShadowhunter: FIRST! And don't worry… Jessa will come… after Jecily. To be honest, I… I have no idea. Yeah. I wondered what would happen if I canonised Jecily… I did… So now we know! Readers will commit suicide! And your most recent one-shot! *kisses fingers* It was BELLISSIMO! But you missed out the part where Jessamine is ALWAYS Will's ex! But seriously, I… oh, you're dead. Alright then. …Moving on!
Theyafangirl17: HEYYY! And well… I guess you'll have to read on to find out! Will will die? Meh, probably. JOKE! Or was I? (This is where the concept of 'reading on' really falls into play… :) ) And what is this? A new picture? :O
TessaElsaHerondale: Heyy gurl! How's the perfect hair coming along? *laughs* Do you want to swap though? I have a untameable, ginger frizz available, which has currently had the shit straightened out of it and will be either pale turquoise or mahogany. Essentially so if someone asks me what colour my hair is, I can go 'THAT IS MAHOGANY!' And laugh. A lot. Now, shall I actually respond to your review? Great! 'Who owns my heart' is by Miley Cyrus! …Although I have NEVER HEARD IT. Hmm. Oooh, you updated your profile! Same here, TBH. People are astounded that I used to be shy. And what? You didn't like Jecily? Well now I'm done. Seriously. That hurts, Jill. I thought you'd like it :'( . But I actually did think you'd be down for it, funny thing! :P
FlorenceHerondale: AHHHHHHH! Thanks!
Lifeofme: Well here it is!
Courtara: And at least you minorly-sort-of-don't-even-know ship Jecily! I count that a victory! And what do even do with those umbrellas? Do you take them out the drink? Do you awkwardly sip around them? HOW!?
Guest: No shit. This is a fan fiction. Of course it'd be OOC. Jem's cured, Will's… modern, and Tessa? Also modern!
SHIP IT SO HARD IT HURTS: Ah, saddest thing is, the Jessa is returning! Ah well!
RayofSunshineXOXO: Oops? Thank-you, thank-you and thank-you? And honestly, I need your help. When does the magister appear? Also, A* grade on not getting your hopes up for Wessa. It appears you know me well!
Literatti: I'm Jillessa and Heronstairs all the way, too! And don't worry, of course Jessa gets it's time to shine! Also I'd never tell you which one wins in the end!
Fify: STC! And that is a Jem-Speech if there ever was one. (Don't you just love Jem's emotional speeches?) Albeit you wrote a line of speech, but we'll gloss over that one! And hey! No Jecily! Whatever happened to Save Jem? What about Save Jem's Relationship? Does it only count for Jem's health? Say whaaa? And sleep is good. Very good. Sleep for me, cause I'll be up all night revising. (Also insomnia. We'll gloss over that one too!)
NicoleHerondale: Ahaha! And you liked my Jecily! SUCCESS! And maybe… maybe Will saves Tessa. Or maybe Tessa saves Will. From himself O_O
Ew: You disgust me. What are you ew-ing at, your face? WH-HEY! Also, you're… what, the forth hater? I stopped caring about haters at 0. And that's some shit hating you're doing. Hate BETTER. Seriously. I was expecting some good-quality burns. I'm disappointed. And whose review do you agree with? Seriously, proofread this two-lined piece of wannabe hate.
WillHerondale: YOU ARE A SHIPPER OF ALL THE WESSA-JESSA-JEM PAIRINGS POSSIBLE! (And as my friend would say) YAY! (Ooh. Poet and didn't I know it?) As for Tessa's 'ability', I have no idea. And good Heronstairs fics… Okay, if you want laugh-out-loud-humour then you'll want 'A bond greater than love' by 'SilverWolfFlight'. A little slow for the first two chapters, but good writing burst into it alongside everything as the story progresses. Or there's: the seven sins—Heronstairs, by Hualie, if you want something a little more sophisticated. Or there's, you know, Seven, by me. If you're into that *Hints strongly*. I'm joking. (I'm really not)
TheInfernalSilverMockingjay: YAY! (Sorry, you said life ((YAY)) so I have to follow with 'yay'. Long story) AND YAY! Thank-you!
Emicat555: I may be wrong, but wasn't cat spelled with a 'k' in your username? Why change it? :) And don't worry! I assure you I am taking care of myself! I have two sugars in my tea! TWO! I'm spoiling myself :) And Jem and Cecily… it will be explained! And you miss my Heronstairs?! MWAHAHAHA! Heronstairs banter coming right up! (In about seven or so chapters -_-)
Midnightstone1118: You should take my word on Jessa, because that is exactly what is appearing soon! And thank-you!
AJessaLover: Don't worry; the Jessa is coming!
Sup: Not much, what about you? (Well, your username did ask…) Um, anywhoo, you'll find out about the Jessa!
THE FEELS: Great username! And thanks!
Iggy is the Sht: Dancerox1997/Issi Herondale, I'm getting real tired of responding to all these 'fake reviews', but I can't remember which ones are by guests and which ones are actually you. -_- NEVER DO THIS AGAIN, PLEASE! It's a stab in the heart with each one I must respond to.
Guest: Oi? What are you saying about my Jecily?! …No, I getcha. But thank-you!
Literatti: Sweetie, I really disapprove of spam. A lot. This fanfiction is something I put effort into, and I search for feedback to see people's opinions on it. I don't search for spam. Firstly; your link has been cut. Secondly; I did go to your profile and scroll down to find your story. Thirdly; this site is FanFiction. The Misc books category is not for writers own works, and thus no one should make it so. If you wrote a fanfic; I would love to read it. But if you want to put a story of your own up somewhere go to wattpad, tumblr, make a website!
William Carstairs: *high fives you* your name just makes me happy. 'Lo! Oh Lord… Is this a Jecily rant? Hm, no it isn't! But ahhh! YOU ARE SHERLOCK! You're right… the last chapter did seem OOC. I won't tell you why, but well done. But you'll find out about the Jecily soon!
Jessaftw: *bursts out laughing* Oh sweetie! It will come, it will come!
Paris4leaf: Anyone who idolises me is my friend! Of course you are a friend too! (I'm only half-joking. No, I am wholly joking. You're definitely a friend, but the idea of me being idolised! *laughs* Well, I suppose it'd be better than JB or KimK. Oh Lord. Now I'm thinking about being idolised…) And I TOTALLY get where you're coming from! I sometimes don't review chapters either, despite reading them! It takes so much effort for me, as I could never write an update soon review! I have to literally break it all down and praise or point out anything! So I get you! You don't have to review every chapter, though you will be missed! And thank-you!
Misstarara: I'll never get your name right! And Kindle away, my friend! Personally, I'm team Book, but there's a side of me that says: 'Yo. Just go wiv da flow, init? Peeps r still readin, ain't that gud?' Etc, etc. And thanks! Also, it was an ENGLISH ACCENT RANT. ENGLISH!
Wolfblaze1123: Because the feels will always kill people, my friend! And no, IT IS NOT OKAY? OKAY. NOOOO.
Starisshadow: FIFY! MY QUEEN! OH YES! YES! YES! *Does dance* I love you even more now!
TFIOSLTTFEELS: thanks Caitlyn :P And yes, you did do 'le challenge'. A* pool dive!
IsabelleLightwood3: Ooh? Thank-you! But who doesn't need Jessa? In fact, Le Jessa is coming soon!
Clarygilly: Here's the chapter! And don't worry— all will be revealed!
9th February, 2014.
She was doing it. She would go outside. She would socialise. She would go to classes. She would be a normal human being. She would breathe in fresh air, and not her air freshener that smelt of 'open windows'. Open windows.
What.
The effing.
Hell.
Is an open window smell?
The smoggy air of the urban streets of London?
Refreshing.
"Tessa!"
Shit, Tessa thought, immediately recognising the voice.
"Tessa, wait!"
Dragging a hand through her unwashed hair— binge-watching British panel shows and devouring Ben&Jerry's over hygiene when in a state of depression any day— and ramming her earbuds further into her ears, she attempted to blot out the smooth, English voice that she hadn't heard in… two months.
Well, aloud.
She totally hadn't been putting googly eyes and black string onto a pear and having conversations with it, or anything.
Nope, she was handling this brake-up remarkably well.
There wasn't any angst-filled music blasting through walls or anything, no siree.
And they hadn't had an argument through music. They were too mature for that.
*Two weeks earlier*
Like any angst-ridden student, Tessa had been blasting music off her iPod dock into the thinly-walled room.
And, like any scene-kid, teenage girl, or anyone who's ever listened to music, the song may have been by Taylor Swift…
"You should've said 'no', you should've gone home,
You should've thought twice 'fore you let it all go!
You should've known that word, with what you did with her,
Get back to me.
And I should've been there in the back of your mind,
I shouldn't be asking myself, 'Why?'
You shouldn't be begging for forgiveness at my feet..."
However, her entirely coincidental— if not clichéd— song choice was interrupted by the knocking on her wall, from the person whose voice she'd ever wanted to hear again.
"Tessa…" Will's voice, cracked and heartbroken, sounded through the walls.
"YOU CAN SEE THAT I'VE BEEN CRYING
BABY, YOU KNOW ALL THE RIGHT THINGS TO SAY
BUT DO YOU HONESTLY EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE
WE COULD EVER BE THE SAME?" Both Tessa and Swift yelled back in answer, as Tessa cranked up the volume and sung along.
When the song abruptly finished, silence engulfed Tessa, as she paused, ears pricked, waiting if Will had anything to say.
The silence didn't last very long.
As this was Will.
And Will was never silent.
"I don't want to be, THE BAD GUY,
I've been blaming myself and I think you know why.
I'm killing time, and time's killing you
Every way that I do—"
Tessa rolled her eyes at his immaturity…
…As she added fuel to the fire by playing a new song, drowning out Will's.
"All the single ladies, all the single ladies
All the single ladies, all the single ladies
All the single ladies, all the single ladies—"
Tessa smirked. How did anyone beat QUEEN Beyoncé?
"I like to think that I'm a pretty good kisser
I like to think I maybe broke a few hearts
But since I met you I'm a victim of disaster
I like to think I got it down to an art—"
Pink? Tessa was going to beat him at his own game— EASY.
…She just had to smoothly skip to the right part.
"—she purr?
Does she make it hard?
Hard to speak?
Does she dress the part?
I'm sure she'll take some getting used to,
Brother she will never be me!"
…Smooth enough. Smooth enough. She'd missed out one word, but he'd probably gotten the message. The word 'does' was a useless one anyway. Whilst Tessa was mentally congratulating herself, Will had already put up another track.
"If you could see inside my heart
Then you would understand
I'd never mean to hurt you
Baby I'm not that kind of man—"
Bon Jovi? Tessa had to up her game. Furiously scrolling through a mountain of Avril Lavigne and Taylor Swift, she frantically searched for a song, as Bon Jovi struck up a second verse.
Taylor Swift was the queen of break-up songs! Why was there not an appropriate one?
"I might not say I'm sorry
Yeah, I might talk tough sometimes—"
Got it, Tessa thought triumphantly, successfully jabbing the song.
"On the first page of our story
The future seemed so bright.
Then this thing turned out so evil,
I don't know why I'm still surprised…
Even angels have their wicked schemes—"
And once more, Will and his never-ending iTunes playlists interrupted her.
"I'm as bad as you want me,
The side of me you'll never miss.
But, I promise I don't need saving,
'Cause I'm just trying to save my own skin—"
Did he just go from Bon Jovi to boy-band? Tessa thought incredulously, as the song skipped forwards.
"I come off a little rude,
'Cause I got everything to lose.
You really need to watch your step,
And you think I'm heartless…
Well I just listen to my heart less—"
Despite the accuracy of the lyricism, Tessa was slightly worried for her boyfriend's taste in music. Tempted to perform an experiment (which consisted of seeing how long it would take him to don a baseball cap and start saying 'banter'*), Tessa stuck earphones into her ears and attached them to her 'Pod', as no one who was cool in the slightest called it.
"I did everything,
That you asked of me,
And more…
Went to the moon and back,
All you went was out the door…"
She yanked her earbuds from her ears. Would every song she listen to remind her of Will?
She skipped the track.
"Yeah I fell from the moment I met you,
And I could tell that I was gonna regret you,
And I bet you knew—"
Fuck it.
*End of longest flashback ever*
"Will!" Tessa said, plastering a grin onto her face as she felt herself die on the inside.
A not-out-of-breath-in-the-slightest-despite-running Will had caught up to her, wearing what was evidently work-out gear. Seeing his earphones just reminded her of that ever-so-fateful night, and seeing his choice of short-sleeved top— DESPITE IT BEING FEBURARY— show off his muscled arms momentarily distracted her.
But only momentarily. Her eyes were soon drawn to his face, where it was clear he hadn't been taking this break-up any better than she had.
You couldn't describe just how ill he looked. His eyes were slightly blood-shot, suggesting a hangover. His skin was a lot paler and it no longer seemed to fit him, as if he'd lost a great amount of weight in a short time.
"Are you not heading to class?" She asked him, visibly watching his brain string the words together.
"Class?" He questioned. "Isn't it Sunday today?"
"Thursday," Tessa corrected, furrowing her brow. "Hey, are you alright?"
"Never been better." Will said automatically, a smirk flicking onto his face like someone had pressed a switch. "Some people can handle a breakup."
"Mm." Tessa replied, turning to go. "Well, I'll see you around, Will. Maybe you'll actually come to a class."
She'd barely taken three steps before he stopped her.
"Wait, Tessa." Will called softly.
She turned.
"I…" The smirk returned. "I don't need to take a class, or an exam. They'd manipulate my grade for me easily."
She let out a deadpanned laugh. "Right. Why's that?"
He shrugged. "The examiner's pretty hot— fresh out of Uni herself. Like you; she'll just be another girl who fell for me. And when they've fallen, they're looking for someone to catch them."
"Nice metaphor," Tessa snapped. "You could use it, since we're taking English."
"You're taking English." Will corrected.
"What?"
Will shrugged. "I quit. English bored me, it was too easy."
"Oh really. And what are you taking now?"
"Handiwork," Will responded immediately, a smile twitching up onto his face.
Handiwork. The first time she'd met them, and the shelf had collapsed. ''I wanted to do handiwork, but Jem wouldn't let me''.
"Oh. Enjoy yourself." She said, turning quickly as tears pricked her eyes.
"Oh, I think it's the part afterwards involving Tatiana that I enjoy more." Will responded.
Not for the first time, Tessa felt her heart shatter.
"Pleeaaassseee, Tessa!" Sophie begged, staring at Tessa with puppy-dog eyes.
"No."
"Oh come on, it'll be fun!" Camille told her.
"Yeah, at least you're invited." Alex said, somewhat bitterly, from the corner.
"Sure. Because I was going to invite you." Jessamine replied sarcastically, flicking through a magazine lackadaisically.
"What did I do wrong?" Effie asked, a few others from the sorority voicing their agreement.
"Everything," Jessamine sighed, beginning to pick at her perfectly-polished nails.
Sophie curled her lips over to stop a smile, whilst Camille sighed and stood up to her tall—and empowering— height.
Tessa's aunt had been right. If a tall woman carried herself correctly, she would look regal.
…Then again, Camille, with her crown of platinum hair and ivory skin, looked like royalty anyway.
Hey: blond hair and pale skin? Could be a Carstairs.
"Everybody out! The queen demanded, shooing away the girls, who, with a lot of grumbling, complied.
As Camille shut the door, Jessamine looked to Tessa. "Come on, I don't invite just anyone to these things."
"Will Tatiana be invited?" Tessa asked, licking her lips nervously.
"Who, that bitch?" Jessamine asked, wrinkling her perfect nose. "Not a chance. She'd ruin it for everyone."
"William Herondale looked at me today." Camille simpered, placing a hand on her head and swooning dramatically.
"William Herondale brushed past me in the corridor today." Jessamine added, taking on the same pitch.
"William Herondale actually spoke to me today! He told me to move out of his way!"
"William Herondale was in the same room as me today."
"William Herondale breathed today."
"William Herondale—"
"WE GET IT!" Sophie cried.
"Funny, that's exactly what we said." Camille pointed out.
"Twice." Jessamine added.
"So are you coming?" Sophie asked, pulling the spotlight back onto Tessa.
"I…"
"A few of the college girls will be coming as well!" Camille pointed out, in effort to persuade her.
Tessa looked to Sophie for confirmation, who nodded. St Raziel's Academy was the on-Campus college— most students who had attended filtered into the university, having preference over other applicants from different colleges.
"I don't know any of them." Tessa stated.
"You know Cecily," Sophie corrected. "It'll just be her and her friends."
"I don't know…"
Jessamine groaned, grabbing Tessa by the arm, and towing her into another room.
Dark brown eyes fixed to Tessa's as the door clicked shut.
"I'm going to make myself clear," Jessamine told her, her eyes cool.
Tessa swallowed in apprehension.
There was a light knock on the door, as gentle as the man who had caused the noise.
"Will?" The voice asked softly.
Will continued to sit on his bed, staring at the wall in front of him. The wall adjacent to Tessa's. The first month back at the dorms had been hard. Will could hear her muffled sobs most nights, causing his heart to tear a little bit more.
Jem hadn't questioned his motives for staying in the main room all night, scrawling words onto paper or absorbing the comments in books. It'd vary. Some nights he'd be reading the classics, his face changing with every page as the plot warped and changed. Other nights he'd be reading non-fiction with an impassive expression. History books on the battle of Britain, language books to improve his already-vast foreign vocabulary. One night he'd even been reading the Shadowhunter's Codex; something no one had ever managed to complete, despite stating that they had.
The door opened. "Will, can I come in?"
Will immediately put on his mask, uncaring that Jem would see through it right away.
"Can we talk?" His brother asked him, stepping onto the threshold.
"I don't know, can we?" Will retorted immediately, a smirk already twisting onto his features.
In response, Jem gave a sigh. "Will you ever take this seriously?"
"I don't know, will I?" He responded childishly.
"Will…" Jem sighed, though somehow Will knew it was his name that Jem had murmured, and not another question.
"I took Tessa seriously." Will told him, all the humour and sarcasm gone from his tone.
Jem said nothing, he merely regarded Will carefully with his dark eyes.
"Go away, Jem." Will muttered, pulling his legs up to his chest and resting his chin on his knees.
"Will. There was once a time we were as close as brothers— Parabatai— and we would tell each other everything."
"There was once a time that we were more than that, as Cecily is so keen to remind us."
"Will, please."
"Your honour is blinding you, James. I never loved her."
"The way you treated her spoke differently."
Of course. Jem's belief that actions spoke louder than words.
"This is 2014. People treat each other differently than the 1800's. Relationships are different."
"Will—"
"That's my name."
"You're being irrational."
"You're being old fashioned."
"If being old fashioned is noticing that you still care, then yes. I am." Jem stood, straightening out the non-existent creases on his trousers. "I came in here to say; a group of us are all playing truth or dare before we leave tonight, to stretch us out of our comfort zone a little. I think you need to come." He crossed the room, placing a hand on the doorknob. "There was never a curse, Will." He added, before exiting the room, before the door closed with a soft click.
*BLOODY HELL I WROTE BANTER. DOES ANYONE HAVE HOLY WATER SO I CAN CLEANSE MY LAPTOP KEYS?
No, SilverC, no. I was using it as it is a late 1800's/early 1900's word. And this is a TID fic. Yes, that is the meaning. Of course.
I am NOT stereotypical first-world girl.
I hate boy bands. Yes, I can cling onto my older thoughts that 5SOS and 5 seconds of summer where two different bands (someone enlightened me). *avoids eye contact with IM5 poster*
Alright. I don't bleach my hair. Boom. (Okay, well I do, but only so I can put a rainbow colour over it.)
I hate dresses. (Okay, I have quite a few, but I am much more comfortable in trousers)
I…
Yeah. So much for smashing the patriarchy.
BUT WAIT. By confiding to society, I am not doing what the patriarch thinks patriarch destroyers do! BOOM.
*Dances*
Any beliebers out there? Can you explain the lyric 'Ill be your platinum, ill be your silver' in 'as long as you love me'? I was googling songs to put into this chapter and, well… I don't get it. Silver has a lesser value than platinum. Is JB saying 'Ill be your platinum, actually no, that's way too much, I suppose I could be silver, okay at a push gold'? Sounds like it.
Now, my lovelies, I need your help:
'HOW SHOULD THE MAGISTER ENTER THE STORY'?
Songs in this chapter:
Should've said no— Tay-Tay Swizzle (Taylor Swift)
All to Myself— Marianas Trench
Single Ladies— Beyoncé
Heartbreak Down— Pink
I'd Die For You— Bon Jovi
Love the Way You Lie part 2— Rihanna feat Eminem
Heartless— IM5 (they wrote the song)
Superman— IM5 (they wrote the song)
Here Comes Trouble (dedicated to Damon Salvatore)— PianoRocknRoll (this is just a person on YouTube)
Gracias! Auivour! (Two languages— look at me!)