"Clary! Are you alright?"
Clary looked up in surprise. Simon was leaning over her, his brows knitted together. His glasses were balanced on the end of his nose and his cheeks were flushed.
"Clary?" Simon asked, his tone uncertain. He offered her his hand and she took it gratefully.
"What happened?" Clary asked, blinking back the bright lights that seemed to be everywhere she looked. She ran a hand through her orange curls and looked at Simon expectantly.
"You… you fell over." He frowned at Clary. "Don't you remember?"
Clary shook her head. "No, not really. It's a bit of a blur." She tried to laugh it off, but Simon could see the hint of vulnerability behind her eyes. He cleared his throat.
"Ah, um, okay," he mumbled. Clary gave him a small, sheepish smile.
"I'm okay, Simon, really." She reached for the can of paint that he held tightly in his hand. He wiggled his brows playfully and raised his arm high above his head.
Clary's eyes narrowed, and the corner of her mouth lifted in a smile. She'd missed this, her and Simon laughing and talking like they did when they were kids. Since he'd died, Simon seemed a little more… closed off.
"Give… that… back," Clary huffed, emphasising each word with a light punch to his outstretched arm.
Simon raised an eyebrow. "Or what?" he asked teasingly.
"Or else I'll…" Clary lurched forwards as something hard slammed into the back of her, her arms outstretched in attempt to regain her balance. Simon grasped her shoulder to steady her, his eyes wide.
"Clary, are you sure you're alright? You seem…"
But Clary wasn't listening to what Simon was saying. She whirled around, fists clenched, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. How could she have forgotten?
"Hey, can you watch where you're going?" she snapped, more out of instinct than anything else.
Jace froze. He slowly turned around to meet Clary's gaze. "You can see me?"
Clary had to fight the urge to smile. "Yeah, that's kind of the point, but you obviously didn't see me."
A kaleidoscope of expressions passed over Jace's face, too quickly for her eyes to catch them all. But she did see astonishment, disbelief, bitterness, more astonishment, and finally realisation.
"You have the sight." His voice was rough and came out harsher than he'd intended.
Clary fought the urge to smile. A lock of golden hair fell into Jace's eyes, and he pushed it back with a hand covered in a black glove. He looked tougher, somehow. The walls that Clary had managed to bring down throughout their time together were back up, and they seemed stronger than ever.
He was watching her carefully, looking bored, almost, but Clary knew Jace well enough to notice the tension in his shoulders. His golden eyes blazed with a sudden intensity when she didn't answer him right away.
"Who are you?" he asked her, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion. If Clary didn't know any better, she'd have been startled by his sudden curiosity and abrupt tone, but now she felt comforted, somehow. Here Jace was, standing in front of her, alive and well. The dark circles beneath his eyes that she'd grown so accustomed to seeing were gone, and his features looked sharper, somehow. He hadn't been prematurely aged by the events of the future, and Clary let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. Only then did she meet his eyes.
"I'm sorry," she said, sounding almost breathless. "I mustn't have seen you. My mistake."
"But-" Jace started, not accepting her feeble excuse at disregarding his question. His head shot up then, looking back over his shoulder as a faint voice called back to him. Alec, Clary guessed. He turned back to face her then, meeting her gaze for a split second before he took off running in the direction that the Lightwoods had disappeared in only moments earlier.
Clary slumped back against the side of the van, taking a deep breath. She could see Simon hovering anxiously in her peripheral vision, but she couldn't focus on that right now. She watched as Jace disappeared into the Pandemonium. She couldn't seem to take her eyes off him.
"Clary!" Simon was tugging at the sleeve of her jacket, his voice rising to an almost-shout of exasperation when she'd refused to acknowledge him. She turned to look at him then, forcing an attempt at a smile. "What the hell was that about?" he exclaimed, his dark eyes wide with concern.
She waved him off, plucking the spray can out of his hand and turning back towards the van. "It's fine, Simon, just leave it."
She knew that he'd have questions, but she couldn't tell him the truth. Not now. She had to keep the Shadow world away from him at all costs, this time, to protect him from the dark future looming ahead of him.
He huffed in annoyance, but otherwise said nothing. He put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze, and despite everything to come, Clary found comfort in it.