Hi!
So this chapter has another flashback. I include these just to kind of give you guys an idea of Rose's past.
This chapter also used to be two, but I merged them, making one big chapter.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: The Mortal Instruments and all its characters belong to Cassandra Clare.
I just give them an annoying sister.
I tried waking up, but my eyelids felt heavy, and I couldn't do it.
"So how is she?" A voice asked, and I recognized the concern, carefully hidden, but not well enough. Jace.
"The burns were bad. The Brothers were able to save her vocal cords, but they say she will never sound the same again." A troubled voice replied. Maryse. Someone whimpered, and Jace cursed.
"You couldn't have waited like I asked you to, Ethan-"
"Jace, this is Ethan's sister. You would do the same for Isabelle or Rosie, had we not allowed you to come in." Maryse scolded lightly, and Jace sighed.
"Don't worry, boys. This girl is a fighter," I could almost hear Maryse smile in admiration, and I smiled.
"She's… smiling?" Ethan asked, and Jace laughed lightly.
"That's my girl," He approved, and Ethan snorted.
"She's my sister too," He argued, and I could hear them shuffle as Jace most likely rubbed the top of Ethan's head, while Ethan fought back.
"Ugh, you need to wake up, Rosie. I can't keep these two worried brothers at bay without you." Maryse murmured. I fought the sleepy haze, and I felt my head clear as I opened my eyes.
"Rosie!" Jace hissed, and I sat up quickly, causing him to curse.
"What do you want?" I moaned, throwing a pillow at him.
"You were talking in your sleep again, I wanted to make sure you were okay." He whispered, and I shrugged.
"I'm fine. Don't worry, Jace." I added, and he smiled.
"I'm just worried about my slightly older sister. Can you believe Clary thought you and I used to date?" Jace said randomly, and I laughed.
"Jealousy?" I guessed, and he shook his head.
"No, she doesn't like me. Oh well." He started to stand, and I pulled him back down.
"Do you like her?" I asked, and his eyes widened.
"What? No! I don't know!" He stammered (something I'd never seen from Jace, of all people), and I grinned.
"It's okay if you do," I reminded him, and he shook his head.
"Well I don't, so it doesn't matter. Isabelle left you some clothes, at the foot of your bed." He motioned to a black dress, and I groaned.
"I love you Jace," I said sweetly.
"Yeah, yeah," He muttered, shutting the door.
After he left, I glanced at the dress hesitantly. It was one Isabelle had picked out with me, one I had fantasized over but let her have because she liked it. The sleeves were made of black lace, with a small slit in the front that showed a small amount of skin, and a long black skirt that was shorter in the front and longer in the back.
I pulled it on, and I walked into my bathroom, twirling in front of the mirror. I looked nice. I curled my hair, put on red lipstick, smoky eye shadow, and the rest of my makeup as Isabelle would instruct me too. I put in a pair of long, sparkly black earrings, leaving the rest of the jewelry as it was.
"Ha, face weapons," I muttered out of habit, and I walked back into my room. I grabbed a pair of black high heels from my closet, pulling them on as I exited the room.
"Where are we going?" A familiar voice called, and I groaned.
"Don't even think about it Nightlock, you aren't coming." I told him, and Ethan caught up with me.
"But-"
"No. Just think, Isabelle will take the mundane. There will be drinks, and some grinding…"
"Okay! I'm not going!" Ethan shook his head vigorously, trying to get the visual out of his head.
"I love you, little brother!" I called, and he didn't reply, heading back to his room.
I edged into Isabelle's room, catching the last part of her conversation.
"I look like my mom!" Clary said, and I laughed, causing them to look up at me in surprise, Clary jumping slightly.
"Well, that was my cue to walk in." I commented, and Isabelle was beaming at me triumphantly.
"See Clary? With the right direction, now Rosie doesn't even need my help! There's hope for you!" Isabelle motioned at me, and I twirled around so they could see my dress.
"Sexy," Clary commented, and I winked at her.
"So… do I need any weapons? Do you?" Clary asked, and Isabelle and I looked at each other.
"Well I take my family dagger," I started, pulling up my dress slightly so she could see the thigh sheath on my leg. Her eyes widened.
"That's… intimidating." She commented, and I shrugged.
"I take great pride in my power over others."
We walked back outside, and Simon glanced at Clary, shocked. Jace was admiring her as well, and I winked at him in a flirtatious motion. He lifted one colorful finger, and I ignored him. Liam and Alec were having a conversation to themselves, and Liam's eyes widened when he saw me.
"Hello, beautiful," Alec whistled, and I rolled my eyes.
"Isabelle got to me. Don't you two look smashing," I commented, waving my hand at their dressy attire.
"Smashing?" Liam asked in confusion, "Is that an American thing?"
"Nope. Just a Rosie thing," Alec explained, and Liam nodded, as if this cleared everything.
"So you two are my dates, understood?" I whispered, and they both looked at each other.
"Why?"
"Well, Isabelle is going to be followed by the mundane, Jace is going to be charming Clary, leaving the three of us. So, you two are my excuses." I motioned to each person as I mentioned them, and Alec rolled his eyes.
"I'm fine with that." Liam grinned, and I smiled gratefully, while Alec raised an eyebrow at the exchange. I ignored him.
"CERTAINLY NOT," I heard Simon boom, and I whirled around.
"Okay, no thigh sheath," Isabelle muttered as Clary declined the offer, and I shrugged.
"Mundanes," I whispered in her ear, and she sighed with a giggle.
I watched as Jace walked up to Clary, pulling the pins out of her hair. I felt my heart warm. Jace had found someone… what was the world coming to?
"What's the deal with those two?" Liam whispered, and I shrugged.
"Nothing yet. Just a crush on both sides," I murmured back, and he nodded.
"You look great, by the way," He commented, and I grinned at him.
"You don't look too bad yourself," I replied, and he shrugged. "Oh thank the Angel you're modest about it. If I had to deal with one more Jace I may commit murder." I sighed, and he laughed.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen," Isabelle squealed, "Let's get going!"
On our way to the party, Simon and Isabelle were chatting enthusiastically, and Jace was irritating Clary, leaving me, Alec, and Liam. I gave them a pointed look, and I poked each of them with my elbow.
"Come on, gentlemen. Act like you enjoy being my dates," I teased, and they each held out an arm. I had Liam on my left and Alec on my right, and it was nice, considering I had grown a bit cold.
"So who is the warlock?" Liam asked us.
"He's the High Warlock of Brooklyn. He's an old friend, of mine, anyways. He did me a favor once," I replied, and Alec shot me a look. Liam noticed, but he didn't say anything.
"And we think he is the cause of the block in Clary's mind." Alec continued, and I felt uneasy about this. Magnus and I weren't best friends, but he had been kind when I sought his help after what happened to my voice, even though there was nothing he could do. I didn't want any trouble to come to him.
We had approached the address by now, and there were motorcycles outside, which I saw were probably the kind that vampires use. Alec let go of my arm, walking up to admire them. This just left me and Liam, who smiled at me, and I blushed.
"What are you doing?" Alec asked Jace, and I felt slightly suspicious as he slipped his hand into his jacket.
"Did he just do what I think he did?" Liam whispered, and I nodded.
"I do believe he did," I murmured under my breath. I saw Isabelle had pressed the buzzer, and I led Liam to the door. When Magnus finally answered the door, I beamed at him.
"Magnus, darling!" I greeted him, and he grinned at me, as the others blinked in surprise, either from my attitude or his appearance, I don't know.
"Rose, my dear friend! I see you brought your… friends." He regarded most of them with a strange look, until he saw Alec. Alec's face turned red, and I watched with curiosity.
"Come in, don't murder my guests, you know, the usual." Magnus waved us inside, and as I walked past him I leaned in towards him.
"I know you Magnus, and I know what they are about to discuss with you. Just answer them honestly, please." I whispered rapidly, and his eyes had a look of understanding in them.
"Thank you for the concern, darling, but I can answer a few questions from some snooping Nephilim." He replied, and I continued inside, dragging Liam with me. I followed them carefully, watching as Isabelle lured Simon to the dance floor. Oh, my sister.
It was when a vampire approached Magnus about holy water being poured into the gas tank of his motorcycle that I had the sense to escape. Liam looked as if he was about to die laughing, and I towed him away, towards the crowd of people dancing.
"What happens with my brothers, stays with my brothers," I laughed, and Liam grinned.
"I could not agree more." He promised, and a familiar song started, one that I loved from my time spent indulging in mundane activities. Liam saw the change in my expression, and he held out a hand graciously.
"Would you like to dance?" He smirked, and I nodded, grinning. He twirled me around, and I laughed, surprised.
"So what was your family like in Australia?" I asked conversationally, and he shrugged.
"It was mainly just family friends. My parents died when I was young, and my older brother was head of the Institute, but he had a wife and a daughter. It was time for me to explore," He laughed, and I smiled at the admiration he expressed.
"Well, my parents died a while back, too. It tore my brother apart, but we lasted. That was when Maryse and Robert took us in, and we have had a greater family than we could have imagined ever since." I felt breathless after I finished, and I flinched at the dry burn in my throat.
"You okay?" Liam asked in concern, and I nodded, looking away. He hadn't asked me about my voice at all, but you never know. He noticed the change in my attitude, but he didn't say anything.
"Where did everyone else go?" I asked randomly, glancing around. There were plenty of people, but I didn't recognize any of them.
"Clary, Jace, and Alec left to talk to Magnus, and Isabelle is currently… what would the Americans call it… grinding against the mundane over there," Liam motioned towards the center of the crowd, and I caught a glance of dark hair. Isabelle.
"So what are they like? I guess you get an idea from someone, but it's almost never right," Liam pointed out, and I sighed. Where to begin?
"Well, Isabelle is bad-ass. But she isn't always like that, just as a cover, you know. She's my sister, my best friend. Alec, he's quiet and scary, but he's a great friend. Their little brother Max, he's not here now, but he's just sweet, a bit of a nerd. Their parents are the best, they treat everyone like family." I paused, catching my breath, my throat aching in protest. He motioned for me to continue.
"Jace is a good brother. He was there a few months before my brother and I moved in, so we were all three new together. He's rude and arrogant, but very protective of his family. As for Hodge, he's strange and never leaves the Institute, but he's a good teacher and a good mentor. He's like a… fifth parent. Lastly there's my brother, who is the best brother you will find, though I would never admit that. He's too much like me though, and I find myself constantly moving him out of trouble that he throws himself into." Once I finished, Liam was smirking, and I smiled, out of breath.
"Well, you obviously have much more family than I do. And so much more interesting, too. I guess I moved to the right Institute, then." Liam laughed, and I shrugged.
"It's best you are prepared for the Shadowhunters that live in the Institute. They are quite interesting, to say the least."
"So you've always had sibling relationships with Jace and the rest?" I noticed how curious Liam looked whenever he mentioned Jace, and I raised an eyebrow in question.
"Well it's just the way he watches over you… I was wondering if you two had ever been in a relationship." Liam admitted, and I rolled my eyes. I remembered what I had thought when Clary had wondered the same. Jealousy? I had asked Jace. The idea was different now. There was no way Liam was jealous of Jace over me, and there was hopefully no way he was jealous of me over Jace… like I said, hopefully.
"Jace and I love each other, but never in that way. He's the same way with Isabelle, he just has never loved a girl romantically. Not yet, anyways, even though I think that may change." Liam looked surprised and… relieved? No, he wasn't relieved. He couldn't be.
I was about to say something, but I looked up and Isabelle was rushing towards us, a worried look on her face. I let go of Liam just as she took my arm, towing me with her towards the front, and I saw thankfully that Liam was following us.
"Izzy what's wrong?" I asked, concerned.
"He's a rat!" She cried, and I glanced at Liam, who just shook his head, as if to say, I am just as hopelessly lost as you are.
"The mundane? I know he isn't as attractive as others, but Iz-"
"No, no, no! I mean he got turned into a rat! The rodent!" She sobbed, and I choked back my oncoming laughter. This is what happens to mundanes at Downworlder parties. After Isabelle explained this all to an amused Jace, a distressed Clary, and an overprotective Alec, who originally thought Simon had done something to Isabelle, Clary was practically steaming in anger. I could imagine Magnus scolding her over the depressed aura her mood caused, contaminating his apartment.
Clary hissed a word I could barely hear but I understood to Isabelle, and after Isabelle flinched at the name I made a move to grab her. Before I could cause some damage to her mundane self (no matter what blood she had, the poor thing was absolutely useless), I felt an iron grip wrap around my waist, and I looked up in shock at Liam, who gave me a warning glance.
"Easy, Rosie," Jace called over the noise, and he hurried after Clary.
"I can almost see the leash that Clary has wrapped around his neck," I grumbled, and Liam laughed, but we edged after them, and I could see Clary crouched on the floor. I sighed.
"Do you not like Clary?" Liam whispered, and I shook my head.
"No, I like Clary. But I'm a Shadowhunter. My family is made of Shadowhunters. We are not made for mundane life. And yet, here she is, dragging her mundane-Shadowhunter-crazy-mix-up problems into our lives, and I can't do anything about it because we all like her."
I felt like I needed a drink after all of this talking, though alcohol would just make it worse. If I had thought the burn was bad before, it was agonizing now. Isabelle was sobbing uncontrollably after we had snuck a bottle of the Angel only knows what into her room one time, and Jace and Alec had ran in only to find a broken glass, a distressed Isabelle, and me, who had been sitting on the floor, coughing up a slight amount of blood. Never again.
"You just sound like a protective sister to me. But Clary is one of us, just with a different background. It's our job to help her," Liam pointed out, and I snorted.
"I hate it when other people are right," I muttered, and Liam laughed again, and I realized he still had his arms wrapped around my waist.
I didn't object.
"So do you like to argue, or do you just like the effect it has on people?" He asked, and I thought over this.
"No, I just like to argue."
"I figured as much."
We started to walk home, Clary with Simon (in rat form) tucked away in her backpack, and Alec was trying to comfort Izzy, distressed over the events with the unfortunate drink. I heard Jace say something, but it wasn't until I glanced over my shoulder that I saw Jace and Clary had disappeared. My throat was burning painfully, and it wasn't until I coughed and whimpered under my breath that Liam noticed.
"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.
"Yeah, I'm just going to stop by the store on the way home, grab some ice cream or something," I replied, and I started to cross the street, but Isabelle stopped me.
"Hey you with the face, where are you going?" Izzy called, and I turned to her.
"I need something cold!" I answered smoothly, and she nodded in understanding.
"Well you aren't going by yourself, not in New York, dressed like that," Alec objected, and I glanced down at my dress self-consciously.
"I can go with her," Liam offered, and Izzy grinned widely. She was a strange one.
"Okay. We'll see you at home." Alec said carefully, and I took Liam's arm, leading him in the direction of the nearest grocery store. A block later, I felt my phone vibrate at my leg. Liam watched in fascination as I grabbed it from the same thigh sheath that contained my family dagger.
"Hey, it's just not smart to have a purse with Downworlders around, so I needed a place to stash it." Liam shook his head in disbelief.
"Comedy Central," I answered, and I heard a slight chuckle on the other end.
"As always, Rose darling. There are demons near the party you are attending, I was hoping you and the others could attend to it." Hodge replied, and I glanced up at the "others".
Also known as Liam.
"We'll be right on it. See you soon, Hodge." I hung up my phone, and Liam took out a seraph blade, handing it to me in understanding.
"The cons of wearing a dress, there is no good place to hide a nice weapon," I grinned, and Liam shrugged.
"But the pros are well worth it," He winked, and I rolled my eyes.
"Are men this cocky in Australia?"
"No, but the women aren't near this beautiful. Though I have only met women that are as beautiful as you are while in America, so it may not be all it's cracked up to be." I felt my cheeks turn red.
"Well don't worry, they get better at some point." I reassured him.
"I highly doubt that is possible."
"They get better-looking than me, handsome, it's not much of a challenge."
"You honestly believe that?" Liam asked me, and I looked up at him. We had stopped walking, and were staring at each other.
"Flattery will get you nowhere in New York, I'm afraid," I said distractedly, and I continued to hurry down the sidewalk. Liam had a Sensor out, and a slight buzzing noise made me look up in surprise.
Liam and I glanced at each other. Demons.
So...
You guys know the drill.
See you later!
- EasyIsTheDescent