Clarissa was shocked. She thought her mother was dead. Her father told her that her mother died years ago. That she was supposedly killed by The Clave. The only thing left were pictures that didn't completely catch her beauty. She sees Jocelyn standing here in front of her, looking at her with those loving eyes.
There are two men, one of them smells like a werewolf to Clary and she recognizes him as Lucian Graymark. She saw him on her father's pictures. He aged a bit. The other guy is covered in glitters and has cat's eyes, so he must be a warlock. Beside the men and Jocelyn, standing there is also a woman that looks a lot like Isabelle. This must be her mother, Clarissa thinks.
Everybody's faces show shock and recognition. Clarissa sees confusion and something else... happiness? Despair? It's something she cannot name.
The warlock smiles at her and his cat eyes suddenly seem familiar. It's like she had seen him before. In her nightmares. Suddenly, Clary shuddered and she clenched her hands into fists. She knows that everybody feels the tension in the air. Everybody feels that there's something wrong. Jocelyn feels that Clarissa doesn't want to see her. She has changed. She grew up without her and she resents Jocelyn for not being there beside her.
Clary is surprised at how she manages to keep calm although every inch of her urges and wants to scream and shout and let it all out.
"I take it that Isabelle called you, right?" she raises her eyebrow at Isabelle's supposed mother. The woman nods and Clarissa opens the door wider as she turns around and leads them to the living room without a word. She expects them to follow her. And they do it silently.
Alec is sitting on the couch with Isabelle beside him. Simon is sitting on the chair that Clary brought earlier in the room as Jace is leaning against the wall, his gaze trained outside the window. The rain suddenly starts to fall and the sky changes from blue to grey. Jace turns around and Alec lifts his head up.
Isabelle stands up and Simon follows her. "Mom." Isabelle says happily. Clarissa sees that Alec needs another ice pack, so she turns around and as she starts walking away, Lucian grabs her arm and says "Wait, we need to talk."
She agressivelly frees her arm. "Don't touch me. I hate it when people touch me." Clarissa hisses. After that she walks out of the living room to the kitchen. She really does hate people touching her. Her father used to punish her. Usually with demon blood. And since then, she never lets anyone touch her. She hears voices behind her and she hears someone, Simon, she thinks but isn't quite sure, saying that he'll go after her. They all disagree, so he doesn't do anything.
She feels dizzy. Tears start to form in the back of her eyes, but she pushes them away. Her breathing is heavy but she tries to calm it. All of the feelings are overwhelming. She tries to compose herself.
She grabs an ice pack and heads back, but before she opens the door, she makes sure that her face is masked sees her reflection and thinks: Perfect.
She opens the door and steps inside. Everybody's eyes are trained on her as she walks to Alec and offers him an ice pack. He takes it and puts it on his forehead. The warlock is sitting next to him, his and the boys fingers linked together. Aww, isn't that sweet. They are a couple, she thinks to herself. Clary never had a boyfriend. Simon was the first boy not related to her that she ever talked to.
"How are you feeling?" she asks him again and he says he's a little dizzy and hears ringing in his head. She kneels down to him and asks.
"Are you feeling sick, any nausea?" He shakes his head. She extends her hand and tells him to give her his hand. He does exactly that as she checks his pulse. A little too fast.
Back in Idris, their housekeeper was also a nurse, so she taught her many things. Clary takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. She sees a pattern of lines and forming a special rune. Her hand starts drawing it on Alec's arm. This takes a few seconds. After she's done, she asks him
"How are you feeling now?"
"Better. Pain is starting to disappear."
"That's good. I'm gonna need you to rest for at least a week in bed until you start training or killing demons again. Do you understand me?"
"So he can't come to my party the day after tomorrow?" The warlock asks.
"No. He needs to rest."
"You want me to rest for a week. In bed. With nothing to do?" Alec starts protesting
"You could always read books." I laugh and he gives me a mad look. "Relax, it will be over soon. Be happy. You get to sleep in. Oh how many times I wished I'd get that opportunity. I constantly had to train, because I was never good enough. Even when I was punished with demon blood, my skin healed too quickly and I never had that luxury. So don't complain and enjoy it." She tells him and her mother leans agains the wall, looking extremely pale. Everybody's quiet. They all realised what she just said. Clary admitted that she was being tortured. But no one would say it. They all got the feeling she doesn't like to be pitied.
"Thank you." Isabelle's mother says to break the silence.
"No need to thank me. I'm just doing my job."
"And what might that be?" Jace asks. It's the first time in a long time that he spoke to her.
"Oh, you know. Just saving the lives of Shadowhunters and ending the lives of demons. That kind of stuff. I don't expect you to know anything about it."
Alec laughs and adds "He is the best Shadowhunter you will ever meet."
"Doubt it. There are many Shadowhunters even your precious Clave doesn't know about. Hell, I'm willing to bet they didn't even know I was alive. They probably didn't even know I was born. Clarissa Morgenstern." I hear people hold breaths. I called myself a Morgenstern. It's because that's the only last name I have ever known.
"Wait, wait, wait.. Morgentstern as in Valentine Morgenstern?" That was Simon. I nod and he takes a deep breath. "Valentine has a daughter?!"
"That's impossible. He only had a son. He and Valentine both died in the fire." Jace said.
"Are you really that stupid? My father most certainly didn't die in some fire. And neither did my brother. His blood is still flowing. And it was still full of demon blood the last time I checked." I say and laugh. Blood left my mother's face. Lucian takes her hand.
"What do you mean, demon blood?" Isabelle asks.
"Ah, you don't know? Interesting." Clary states as she brings chairs so everyone can sit down. A few of them sit on the couch. "Let's start from the begining and I'll tell you everything I know. When my mother was pregnant, Valentine decided to mix demon blood into her food. He did that regularly until Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern was born." She stops to take a breath. She knows the reason why her father had done this to her brother, but it feels too personal and none of their bussiness to tell them.
"And that's what my father told me. My mother hated Jonathan so much and she couldn't stand him." Clary's and Jocelyn's eyes are trained on each other. "But she stayed because of me. She didn't tell Valentine that she wanted to leave. She looked so sad and desperate so that Valentine mixed angel blood in her food without her knowing. After she told him she was pregnant, he realised it was too late to stop, so he continued giving her the doses of blood. He didn't tell me what happened afterwards, but the only thing he told me was that she died. Killed by The Clave. And that's the reason why we should hate The Clave. And the Downworlders." She smiles and looks down. Everything is silent. Everyone is listening carefully.
"I guess since you've found me, you would want to take me to Idris, throw me into prison. I mean, I've been raised by Valentine after all. You don't know what to expect from me."
"Valentine gave you angel blood?" Jocelyn's voice echoed through the living room.
"Yes. And because of it, I was never good enough. Never the one to kill the innocent, to hate the Downworlders. I mean, I am angry, but I forgive. Valentine always saw this as a weakness."
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with him?" Lucian asks.
"Curious, Lucian?"
"What did you call me?" he asks.
"You're Lucian, the Shadowhunter who turned into a werewolf. You used to be my father's best friend."
"How do you know me?" he asks Clarissa.
"Oh, I know how you look. In fact, I recognized everyone here as soon as I saw you. Magnus. The warlock from my nightmares. Jace, the famous Shadowhunter. Yes, I've heard of you." She says to answer his questioning look. "Maryse Lightwood, Isabelle's and Alec's mother. And Jocelyn, my mother. It's easy, you know. I'm not dumb. I've seen the circle picture enough time to remember how you all look."
They are all taken aback.
"Well it's nice to know I'm not a stranger to you." Magnus says. Clarissa laughs.
"Not at all. So, have you decided what to do with me yet?"
"I was thinking," Magnus starts.
"A miracle." Jace states and Clary's mouth twitches a smile. Magnus ignores Jace's comment and continues
"You should really come to my party, angel."
What did you guys think? :)