Be sure to read the author's note at the end, and happy reading! :D
Chapter 2
"Wake up, sleepyhead. It's already six in the afternoon. You've been napping for half the day," Isabelle cooed sweetly as she sat on the edge of Jace's bed, lightly shaking his shoulders.
"Mmmph... Five more minutes," he muttered incoherently, clinging to his pillow like a raft at sea.
"Sorry, no can do," she replied, all the warmth disappearing in her tone. Before Jace could even wonder what his sister meant by that, her voice, amplified by a megaphone, burst his eardrums with a deafening roar. "JACE LIGHTWOOD. GET YOUR ASS OUT OF BED."
Immediately, he shot up and into a sitting with his hands covering his ears. "Izzy, what the f-"
Isabelle grinned innocently and cradled the megaphone in her arms. "Family meeting in Alec's room. Be there in 10."
oooooo
Jace opened his brother's door and slipped inside, joining Isabelle and Alec. "You said family meeting. Where's mom, dad, and Max?"
"Okay, correction. Family meeting in Alec's room, but only for those who witnessed a teenage girl, claiming to be a Shadowhunter, murder a supposed demon last night. Is that clear enough for you?" smirked Isabelle.
"What's got you in a bad mood? Did all that make-up you wear weigh down your non-existent happy personality?" Jace retorted.
"Oh, shut up, you-"
"Enough." Alec shook his head. "I don't even get why we're having a meeting, so can we please get on with it?"
Isabelle cleared her throat. "I've gathered you two here this morning to discuss the events of what happened at Pandemonium. There are several ways we could proceed. One, we could tell mom and dad that we just witnessed a homicide. Two, we could track down that redhead, Clary, and demand for explanations before my sanity evaporates."
Jace raised his hand. "How about none of the above? Let's just do what that little girl suggested and forget everything happened. For all we know, we could've all gotten wasted on the same drink and hallucinated the whole night."
The uncertainty in his voice was evident. He would never be able to forget anything that happened, specifically Clary. What first caught his attention was her beauty. With distinct auburn hair and porcelain skin, she was the unconventional form of prettiness, but beautiful nonetheless. There was a determined, steel hardness in her emerald eyes that couldn't seem to leave his mind. The second thing about her that made Jace do a double-take was how strong she was. Clary had broken free of both his and Alec's grips, and then made a perfect throw with that blade of hers. She made half the guys on Jace's football team at St. Xavier's look like a bunch of skirt-wearing pansies.
Isabelle stared at her perfectly manicured nails thoughtfully before speaking. "Maybe we should just move on. And I know just what to do. Java Jones is having open mic night and we should go. It might be fun!"
oooooo
Listening to Simon's friend, Eric, talk about his "nefarious loins" over the cafe speakers was not Clary's idea of fun in any way. In fact, she'd rather be listening to Hodge, her tutor, drone on and on about the proper care of weaponry if it meant freedom from the scent of roasted coffee beans.
But she stayed anyways because it made her feel almost like a mundie; almost normal.
"Please don't tell anyone I know him," Simon said as he slid further into his seat, turning his head away from the stage.
Clary laughed. "Why not? The world should know your best friend actually uses the word loins on a daily basis."
"Not true," Simon protested. "Eric says faux juggernaut much more. And he's not my best friend. You are."
Those words filled her with mixed emotions. On one hand, she felt the warmth of knowing that Simon would always be there for her. On the other hand, it gave her a pang of guilt. He was completely oblivious to the fact that she was a Shadowhunter. Simon would take a bullet for a girl he would never truly know.
Clary forced a smile. "You're mine, too. Besides, I sound much cooler saying 'Slather every protuberance with arid zeal!' don't you think?"
oooooo
"That guy up there on stage is creeping me out. Let's go get pizza or something instead," Isabelle said, staring wearily at the teenager reading poetry. She began to turn on her heel towards the exit, just before Jace's hand stopped her. She looked at him questioningly. "What is it- Oh."
There she was. Clary. Drinking coffee at Java Jones with some nerdy-looking kid who also went to St. Xavier's. It was weird for Jace to see her doing something so... typical and average. He had pegged Clary as the type that beat up criminals in her free time, verses sipping a mochachino while listening to poetry. Unsure of what to do, Jace froze and ended up eavesdropping on the two's conversation.
"Nah, Eric is more exuberant when he says it. And, uh, Clary, you really think of me as your best friend, too?" Simon was saying.
"Yeah, of course! Best friends since the age of five. I mean, you still hung out with me even though I switched to home-schooling when I was seven. That meant a lot," Clary replied.
"Well, I wanted to talk to you about that. Our friendship. Remember a few weeks ago when I told you about not having a girlfriend?"
"Sure. What about it?"
Jace internally face-palmed himself. Clearly, Clary was smart. But was she dense enough to not notice what a huge crush this guy had on her? In trying hard not to laugh, he released a sort of strangled-cough noise; a noise loud enough to divert Clary's attention from Simon to him.
"I was thinking, since we both feel like we're close, that we could start going- Clary? What are you looking at?"
'Me,' Jace thought to himself as he felt her gaze on him like a laser pointer. He raised his left hand in an attempt at a wave, gestured for Alec and Isabelle to follow him out, and headed for the door.
"I'll be right back," he heard Clary say, just as the doors swung shut behind him.
oooooo
Clary found the three mundies leaning against the wall. "Stop following me," she snapped menacingly at them, more specifically at the blonde one she remembered as Jace, hoping to sound as fierce as her reputation claimed she was. "It's dangerous."
"Dangerous?" cried the dark-haired girl. 'Isabelle,' Clary recalled. "Listen up. You killed someone last night. We almost called the police on you, you know."
"And said what? That you saw an invisible girl murder an invisible boy? Go ahead and report me if you want to be sent to the psychiatric ward," Clary mused.
"What do you mean 'invisible?' I'm pretty sure we can see you," said Isabelle's brother, Alec.
"I know you can. And I don't know why. I shouldn't be visible to mundanes. Simon sees me because I want him to see me, but you guys? I haven't got a clue," Clary replied rather tiredly.
"Wait, what's a mundane?" asked Isabelle.
"A human from this world."
"But you're human, too. What's so special about being a- a Shadowhunter? You look like a mundane."
Clary inwardly smiled at Isabelle trying out the lingo. "I have Nephilim blood in my veins. Angel blood. It's what gives me most of my abilities. Well, that, and my runes."
The trio stared at her quizzically, giving her a sudden idea. "Wait, let me see your right wrists." Hesitantly, they complied. Nothing. Disappointment filled her face. "Huh. I just thought... Well, Shadowhunter kids get marked with runes- which is kind of like a tattoo in your world- that make it for easier us to wield weapons. See?" Clary held out her own wrist.
They peered at her hand, pale and slightly freckled. Jace shook his head. "I don't see anything."
"Relax your mind. Let it appear to you," Clary coaxed. Suddenly, the sets of blue, brown, and golden eyes widened and they took a step backward. Satisfied, she said, "I thought you guys might have the Sight. I guess this also means you can see Downworlders."
"Downworlders?"
"Faeries, warlocks, vampires, wolves."
Isabelle suddenly gripped Alec and Jace's wrists in her hand and staggered toward the street in her 7-inch heels. "Okay, enough. This is just weird. We're leaving."
Before Clary could reply, her phone erupted in a mix of buzzing and ringing. "Mom? I'm on my way back to the Insti-"
"No! Clary, don't come back. Go to Luke's. The pack will protect you. You need to stay aw-" A loud shattering noise filled the speaker. Jocelyn, Clary's mother, released a scream etched in terror and desperation.
"Mom!" Clary shouted into the phone. "Where's Hodge? What's going on? Why does the pack need to-"
"Tell Luke he found me. I love you, Clary." Her mother's voice was eerily calm.
Then there was static. 'Call Ended,' read the phone screen.
"Dammit!" Clary shrieked.
"Clary?" Jace's voice, flooded with concern, caused her to turn around. "What's going on?"
"I don't know. I just- Go. All of you, go home. I need to get out of here now," Clary squeezed her eyes shut, fists clenched in frustration. Anger and determination flared within her, fueling her with enough energy to sprint all the way to the Institute. A few strides in, she turned back to Isabelle, Jace, and Alec and called over her shoulder, "Don't follow me."
But the Lightwood children were never good at following instructions.
I'm going to try to say a lot in one author's note:
- No, this is not spellchecked so sorry for any errors!
- Yes, I'm attempting to continue this story due to request. :D The thing is, I have a lot of ideas rolling around in my brain but I'm not sure about anything, so I need your guys' help. Please leave a review with all and any suggestions and ideas you have. Your ideas always inspire me to come up with stuff. And, don't worry, I always credit those who lend me good ones. :3
- Yes, I'm going to try to continue my other story, Chasing Pavements, as well. Just know that that story is in worse condition than this one since I have serious writer's block over there. xD I might be deleting the 2-3 most recent chapters on Chasing Pavements so I can start fresh.
- Yes, I do so believe that you guys are fuh-reaking awesome. Thanks for reviewing! I appreciate every single one! And if you're also a Chasing Pavements reader who hasn't given up on me yet, internet hugs to you!
~ImagineAsian
