I strode into the room and slammed the door shut. None of this would have happened if my mother had just told me what was going on. I gritted my teeth as I paced across the room. Tired, I sat at the edge of the bed. Should I leave? I could surely find a way out. But I had nowhere to go.
Tears soaked my eyes and I wiped them away. What was I supposed to do? I knew nothing! I snorted. Hell! A few minutes ago, I didn't even know who my father was. My eyes narrowed. My father… He was the center of it all. Why had he kidnapped my mother? Why was Jace looking for him? What would have happened if Jace had taken me with him? I swallowed. I would have been dead. I took in a shaky breath. I should have just obeyed mom and stayed out of this mess. This was my fault and I had to fix it.
I ran my fingers through my tangled hair and made my way to the bathroom. 'I will fix this…. After I stop smelling like week-old socks.'
I sniffed and undressed myself when a letter fell out of my jeans. My eyes widened and my heart pounded. It had completely left my mind. I bent and snatched it from the floor. Turning it over, I noticed that it was singed at the corners but still readable. I tore it open and unfolded the paper, swallowing a lump in my throat at the sight of the familiar scribbles. My mother had written it to Lucian. Lucian…. Lucian…. Luc- I gasped. Luke! The last time I had heard him being called that was when I was fourteen. He loathed his name. My hand trembled as my eyes scanned the letter.
Valentine is looking for us. I am going to move away. I suggest you do the same.
J
Woah. Way to give someone a heart attack mom. I walked out to the bed and folded the letter back in. I moved to the bedpost and lifted the edge of the mattress and dropped the letter there. I knew what I had to do. I would save mom and find the answers. I bit my lip. Would things ever be the same between mom and me? No. It hadn't been the same for a long time and she was as much to blame as me. Probably more. 'I just have to fix my mistakes and then, I'm done. For that I need Luke.'
I took a moment and peered out of the window. Staying here seemed like a good idea, it felt… safe and Magnus seemed genuine enough. But I couldn't. He didn't have the answers I needed and I knew that Luke did. I shook my head and silenced my thoughts. I needed to be careful. I knew nothing about Magnus and Luke… He was mom's friend. He would only care about her. No one could be trusted. I turned and walked back in.
Magnus was an idiot if he thought that I trusted him.
"Well I can't just sit here all day. I have to do something!" I yelled and broke into coughs.
Magnus rolled his eyes and conjured up some potion, handing it to me. "Sure, I'll give you something to do. Rest."
"Magnus be serious! Neither of us know much about this situation and I won't let anyone keep more information from me."
"Look, I know a lot about this situation. In fact, I know enough to say that any sane person will stay out of it."
"I am insane. Take me with you.", I muttered.
He sighed. "I can't biscuit. You are still weak and need time to heal. You can't even defend yourself. I can't take the risk."
That made sense. "Fine." I said. "You can go do this on your own, for now."
He didn't miss the ominous note in my voice and raised a brow, challenging me. "And what makes you think it's just 'for now'?"
I glared at him and said, "You will teach me how to defend myself."
His eyes widened and his lips parted. "I will?"
"Well you are a warlock. You can do magic. Teach me how to control mine."
"First of all, your fire isn't magic and second, you don't go around ordering me."
My eyes narrowed. "I do what I want."
He turned around, leaving. Oh no!
"Wait!" I called out.
He turned to face me, a blank look on his face. "Yeah?"
I scowled and muttered "Please…"
He grinned. "See, now that wasn't too hard. We'll talk about this when I return."
I rolled my eyes and strolled to the kitchen.
I settled on the couch with my feet propped up on the table and stuffed a spoonful of ice cream in my mouth, my mind still in a hazy state. The fat cat laid in front of me let out a loud whine. I frowned at him as he stared at me. I could practically feel the judgment radiating off of him.
"Don't look at me like that! I am stressed and bored. Let me eat in peace."
He purred and jumped off the table.
I sighed and looked at the clock. Three hours and he wasn't back. Was he okay? I shook my head. I had been trying to get a vision. Just a little something to let me know anything useful. Where Magnus was, where my mom was, where Jace was, but no. Whenever I really needed it, it would always disappear.
I gazed at the ceiling. A thousand years had gone by and Magnus hadn't returned. And by thousand years I meant another hour. I groaned. There was nothing to do. I didn't have any useful information to scheme, the library was locked, my stomach was full, the TV was boring and I couldn't even snoop! I had checked every inch of the living room, the shelves, the chest of drawers but it was all shielded. Everything locked.
I was just about to fall asleep when the door flew open. I sat up straight and my body went rigid till I saw Magnus striding in. I rubbed my face and muttered "What is it with you and making grand entries?"
He smiled. "It's a warlock thing."
"So… What happened? Have any idea what to do?"
His eyes lit up. "Party!"
I blinked, confused. "So, I'm guessing from the enthusiasm, you found where mom is?"
He shook his head. "No. What I mean is we are hosting a party." He looked around the house and frowned. "The ambience should be more sparkly…"
My jaw dropped. Party? He wanted to party. I swallowed and opened my mouth to speak but he interrupted.
"Look, I have people, people we can trust, looking into this. As soon as they find your mother's whereabouts I will tell you. I promise, I will find your mother. She is my friend too. But for now, we have to return to our normal lives."
I met his eyes and saw the sincerity of his words reflecting in them. My eyes burned and I took a deep breath. 'Calm down Clary!' Now was not the time for emotions. "And partying is normal?"
"For me it is." He turned towards me eying my clothes and said "You should go change. There are clothes in your room."
I started to turn around but I couldn't. There was something I had to do. I met Magnus' eyes. "Thankyou…", I whispered, a tear sliding down my face.
Magnus looked at me, shock evident on his face as his eyes softened.
Taking a deep breath in I turned and skipped to the staircase. "Don't go crazy with the sparkles."
I got into the dress that Magnus had picked out and stood in front of the mirror. I looked… good, I guess. I twisted my hair from its bun and let it cascade down my back. I groaned. I looked like my mother. Why couldn't I stop thinking about it? Shaking my head, I straightened up and brushed my fingers through my hair. Not tonight. There was nothing I could do right now but pretend. I'll pretend everything is fine and worry about stuff later. This party was a blessing in disguise.
My feet buckled in the heels and I let out a string of curses as I ambled down to the living room. I froze. What was sunshine and rainbows in the afternoon now looked like a nightclub. "Woah…", I whispered.
Magnus smiled. "I know right!" He looked around, creasing his brows and said "But it is missing something…"
Missing something? Was he okay?
He eyed me and gasped. He twisted his wrists as mist escaped his fingers and the next thing I knew; my dress was covered in glitter.
My jaw dropped and I hissed a curse. "Geez fairy godmother! Calm down with the glitter!"
"It looks better like this."
"No, it doesn't! I look like a walking disco ball."
He rolled his eyes. "Biscuit, be reasonable."
"I am being reasonable!"
"I don't see it."
"That's because all the glitter is blinding you."
He opened his mouth to retort when the bell rang. "The guests have arrived." He looked at the clock and whispered, "…Early?"
He strolled to the door, his gait stiffening with each step. My smile faded and my heart thumped. He opened the door and stood covering me from them. Moments went by.
"Shadowhunters!", he hissed.
A smooth voice said, "We come in peace."
My heart stopped. No! Jace? I looked up to find him looking over Magnus' shoulder. His eyes met mine and widened as relief seeped in them. What did that mean? I bit my lip.
His eyes hardened. "And, it looks like you have what we came for."
So that's what it meant… Shit.
