"Can you fasten my wings?"
"This conversation isn't over yet"
"I know, it'll be over once you fasten my wings". Jon sighed and started to fasten Clary's fake wings to her faerie costume. Ever since they got home he'd been trying to warn her away from the Herondale boy but she wouldn't listen.
"He's bad news Clary, not to mention he's a complete d-"
"Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern I sincerely hope you're not swearing at your sister!" their mother shouted from the bottom of the stairs. Before he had a chance to answer she had come up the stairs and opened the door to Clary's room. "That boy may be . . . peculiar . . . but he is Lucian's nephew and I won't let you use such language in this house". Jocelyn Morgenstern looked exactly like an older, more graceful Clary and her slight aversion to demon fighting made her practically the only person in Idris who wasn't disappointed in Jon for not being as good as his sister: yet she still shouts at me.
"Sorry" he muttered.
"Aren't you going to the Penhallow party too? Oh that reminds me Clary, Aline is downstairs; should I send her up?".
"Yes yes yes yes!" Clary squealed
"Wonderful" Jon whined sarcastically, "and unfortunately I may be forced to go to the party mother".
"But where's your costume?"
"Do mundanes count as Downworlders?"
"No"
"Then I don't have a costume".
"Your father has a Dracula costume hidden around somewhere; when we were younger he'd wear it on the day of the Accords' signing to offend the vampires but I'm sure he'd let you borrow it" she left in search of the costume.
"Clazzer!" screamed a voice from down the hallway; Clary jumped from her seat, wings now attached, and leapt through the door.
"Liney!" Jon started to whine again as 'Clazzer' and 'Liney' (those are awful nicknames) hugged and began to jump up and down in girlish excitement. He was in the middle of looking for a blunt weapon to end his misery with when they came back into the room. "Why aren't you at your house setting things up? By the way love the Seelie Queen costume, you just need to work on that sinister bitchy facial expression she has".
"Harsh! And I just had to come and talk to you before it started; Jocasta Trueblood told Ryan Monteclaire who told Horace Greenshade who told Helen Blackthorn who told me that the Lightwoods plan on making an appearance at the party tonight".
"No. Way"
"Yes".
"No.
"Yes. Way".
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"
Kill me Raziel.
"Jocasta found out from her uncle (who's related to one of the Lightwoods) that they came to Alicante last night and are actually being allowed to spend time in the city! Two of their children are about our age and were asking about the party!"
"This could be veeery interesting" Clary said with an excited grin.
"Jon you have to come now!" Aline urged.
"I have no interest in dressing up in a humiliating costume in order to meet some exiled Shadowhunters who should have kept well away from our city".
"You don't want to come? We could find you a costume"
"It's too late now; nothing could persuade me to dress up-"
"Jon I found the Dracula costume! It'll look so good on you!" Jocelyn announced from the doorway, holding a hanger with a horrific vampire costume attached to it.
Seriously Raziel, I'll ask one more time.
"Can you fasten my wings?"
"Seriously Jonathan you're going to offend everyone by going to a Downworlder party dressed as an angel"
"It's my job to show the Shadowhunters of our generation how superior I am to them; and I told you, call me Jace". His brother reluctantly started to fasten the gold angel wings to the back of his costume, muttering under his breath the entire time. He was only one year younger than Jace, so he was also going to the party. His faerie knight costume looked very regal against his dark-brown-but-almost-black hair and matched his blue eyes. "Thanks Will".
"William"
"Whatever".
"Why did you decide to go anyway? You hate the Penhallows, you hate people in general and you hate anything that doesn't involve killing demons or avoiding people you hate".
"Maybe I've become a socialite"
"Yeah and maybe I've become an Iron Sister"
"Don't make Iron Sister jokes, you know Lucie wants to be one when she's older and if she hears you she'll forge you into a duck or something"
"Urgh ducks" they shivered in disgust at the same time. Their sisters, the twins Lucie and Ella, were much more hot-tempered than their brothers.
"I'm going because mother and father and our uncle and his vulgar girlfriend keep insisting that I go out more and befriend people my own age"
"But not grandma though, she'd never make her precious warrior do anything he didn't want to do"
"By the angel Will! You sound just like her"
"William"
"Whatever"
"Who?"
"You, Will/William"
"No who do I sound just like?" There was a long pause as Jace put the last finishing touches on his costume and avoided eye contact with his brother, "have you met someone? Like actually spoken to someone our age? Is that the real reason why you're going to the party?"
"Come on, I talk to you all the time don't I?"
"Actually it's been six days since you last spoke to me, and only because you wanted me to fasten your stupid wings!" Jace sighed, "if you must know I ran into a few Shadowhunters in the forest while I was patrolling and killing demons and being a general badass; it's unbelievable how the demons managed to get into Idris and so close to the city borders".
"What are you saying?"
"I don't know. Maybe someone keeps letting them in"
"Like another Shadowhunter? That's ridiculous!"
"Well mundanes don't know about Idris and the Downworlder's wouldn't try something stupid so close to the Accords".
"I suppose" Will thought about this for a while, "is there anyone who's recently arrived in the city? Anyone who might have a grudge against the Clave?"
"There certainly is" came a high-pitched voice from across the room, "Horace Greenshade's sister told me at training today that the Lightwoods are in the city" Ella glided across the room with an elegance that her sister could never possess, and abruptly sat on the end of Jace's bed, "the younger Lightwoods might even be at that party tonight".
"Those traitors!" Jace shouted, "I hope they are there tonight so I can lecture them myself on their wrongdoings".
"It was one Lightwood. By the angel, Jace! Don't you remember Grandma's stories about the children of that traitor? They weren't bad like he was-"
"And yet something has kept that family out of Idris for a very long time. They must be behind these demon attacks and I'm going to confront them about it"
"Of course you'll look very intimidating as a sparkly angel"
"Fabulousness can be very intimidating". They finished getting ready in silence; Will and Jace would go to the party together but they both knew that Will would seize the first opportunity to distance himself from the golden angel starting fights with strangers about demon minions.
"Can I come?" Anne asked expectantly as they made their way towards the door.
"No" they said together, "you're too young".
"Fine; random thought but I'd just like to let you know that I heard you making fun of the Iron Sisters and will give a full report to Lucie will exaggerations and possible role-play. Have fun at the party!"