Chapter 5
When I get back to my room, I open my closet and dig around in it for a while. I find some new things, such as an entire shelf of glasses hidden in a pretty case, a magic wand, and an entryway to Disneyland.
Kinda exaggerating about the last two, if you hadn't guessed before. Well, the only thing new to me is the case full of glasses. Wait, but when do I, like, wash them? Just in the sink?
"Hm," I say out loud to myself, eyeing the clock. It says 11:36. Taking in account the fact that Jace gave me breakfast an hour and a half or so ago, I assume that he'll be back in another hour. I'm already hungry, though. That omelet wasn't enough to be considered food.
Staring at the bed in a repulsive way, I jump on and start making it neat, pulling the corners into place and smoothing them out. What am I going to do about next week? Simon seemed to be truthful when he said that I have to 'cuddle' with Jace for the entirety of the next 7 days once our turn comes. I think I'll refuse the first time he asks. I'll punch him. Maybe that'll show him that I'm not weak.
Once the bed is made, I grab a book from the mini bookcase that's so old I can barely remember the day I got it. The book I've chosen is one that I bought and started reading. I was going to finish it when I got home the day that the unspeakable happened.
As I flip open the book to the page my bookmark is on, I see that the bookmark is my school picture from first grade, and on the back, a specially added-in message from her mother.
Sweetheart, It says, No matter what chapter of your life you're on, no matter what page, just remember to keep the bookmark with you, and Mommy's love will be given to you through it.
I swallow, knowing that there are thick, painful tears tugging at the corners of my eyes. I blink them back and use my hand to wipe away the ones that come out. Then, I walk to the closet and bury the bookmark at the very back, nearly digging it into the soft carpet. I hope I never have to see that thing again. It brings back bittersweet memories.
Once I get into a comfortable position in my reclining couch, I start reading from where I'd left off. Oh, right. The woman was dying, and her husband was trying not to cry. Three minutes pass and I've read three pages already. I keep biting my lip over and over so I won't start sniveling along with the husband, but in the end, I do anyway.
The husband starts sobbing over the body, and by the time I've reached the next chapter, there's a funeral scene and the husband is begging all his family and his in-laws that she isn't dead, that she's just sleeping, but he's realized that she's not coming back. His denial slowly turns into anger. He begins pounding on the coffin, and screaming at her to come back.
Suddenly, three quick raps on the door pull me back into reality, and I flip closed the book hurriedly, doing my best to look as if I haven't just been reading something sad. The door opens, and Jace gets in, locking the door. He smiles.
But then his eyes narrow. "Why are your eyes so red? And your nose so puffy?"
I make a half-hearted attempt at a joke, and say, "All the better to spread germs with."
He doesn't laugh. In fact, his face is so cold that I swear, I feel the chill. "You didn't have a cold an hour ago." He tells me.
"Well..." I trail off, knowing that I'll just have to tell him about the book. "Sometimes, when a person reads a sad scene, they start crying, and then they try to joke it off."
Jace nearly chokes with laughter.
"Hey!" I scowl, heat creeping up my cheeks. "Not fair at all. Book nerds don't have control over their emotions."
He looks up at me and holds up a finger, signaling for me to wait a minute. "You-cry over books? Fucking hilarious. I'd like to see that sometime."
"Don't. You. Dare. Insult. Me."
Finally stopping, Jace sets a smirk on his face, and shows me why he came here. There's a very large plate of food in his hands. My stomach grumbles.
"This is for you," He gives it to me, and I flop back onto my butterfly chair, ripping off the foil vengefully.
I glare at him. "Thank you," I spit.
"You're very welcome, Clarissa," He answers.
"Don't call me that."
"Call you what? Your name? Would you prefer sweet cheeks, perhaps? Or maybe honey buns?"
I growl and stand up, abandoning the half-unwrapped plate. Then I swat him in the shoulder.
"OW!" He yells. "What in the fuck was that for?"
"Oh, you know that didn't hurt."
The annoying smirk is back again. "Yes, I do."
"And call me Clary, just so you know. Not even a syllable of those two horrifying nicknames should be uttered," I say, this time completely unwrapping the plate. There is so much more to eat than last time, including salad, a chicken sandwich with grilled (ugh) chicken, and six apple slices.
Jace lays back onto the bed. "Fine, fine. Now eat."
"Why isn't there junk food?"
"What?"
I roll my eyes. "Junk food, idiot. A candy bar, say, or a bag of chips, or soda."
"You...don't get that here," He says.
I deadpan. "No way in hell. How am I going to live without it?"
He doesn't answer.
Taking this as an opportunity to rant, I tear into the chicken sandwich and chew furiously. "What about coffee?" I say when I've swallowed my bite.
Jace sits up leans against the wall, stretching his feet out further in front of him. "Let's go over some things. In Idris, you don't get coffee, or chocolate, or chips, or...soda. I've never actually tasted soda. Hm."
"And, also," I proceed after finishing another bite. "Am I supposed to drink only water for the rest of my life? What about dairy products? Or juice?"
He perks up a little, but then his pupils go big, and he throws himself off the bed and runs for the door. "I forgot the bottle of vegetable juice. Be right back."
I nearly gag once he's gone. Vegetable juice? Disgusting!
In about three minutes, Jace is back, his face slightly flushed. I can tell he's just ran up and down stairs. In his hands he has a bottle of reddish liquid.
I gag again."Do you expect me to drink that?"
"Well, duh."
"I can't do that," I bite on the inside of my cheek. "I'm allergic. To tomatoes."
He raises an eyebrow. "There's tomato in that sandwich. Don't lie to me, Clary. I know everything about you, down to what kind of bra you wear. From the files."
My mouth forms an 'o' shape. Okay, he's gone too far. "But I don't feel like drinking the juice," I mumble, fiddling with my hands.
He chuckles. "You don't get to choose what you eat. They do that for you."
"I-I'm full," I lie, hoping he'll believe it.
"Well, you still have to finish everything that's been given to you. Rules are rules."
"And I didn't sign up for them," I retort.
Jace's face twists into a dark one. "Clary, you have to finish every fucking item of food on that plate, including the tiniest morsel. If my boss finds out that you're not eating enough, I'll be fired, and surely something worse will happen to you."
A new pit forms in my stomach when he says this. What might happen? It couldn't be worse than this, could it?
I uncap the bottle slowly and put it to my lips, taking a reluctant sip. It tastes like crap, not an ounce of extra salt added to it. I cough and fight a gag, immediately repulsed, and close the bottle, shoving it into Jace's hands.
He sighs exasperatedly. "Just because it doesn't taste good doesn't mean you don't have to drink it." He says, tossing back the bottle once again.
I groan before picking it up from where it falls on the ground. "But why?"
"Because I said so."
I wrinkle my nose in distaste after I've gulped some more down and then stare Jace down. "What did you have for lunch?"
"Oh, you know-just a cheeseburger. And a can of beer," He shrugs.
"You're lying. I can tell."
He smirks. Again. "Look who's observant," He walks to my desk curiously as I try to get the juice down my throat. Then, he fiddles around with my paperweights and lifts one into his hands, beginning to toss it around.
Apparently, the one he's taken is my favorite. Gulping the remains of the juice, I storm over to him furiously and snatch my paperweight out of his hands.
In the end, I'm so pissed off that I pick up the sandwich and stomp away to Isabelle's room. Jace laughs, and calls after me. "You'd bettemr finish that!" Then the door closes, and once I'm in Isabelle's room, I shriek angrily, almost throwing the paperweight.
Isabelle jumps up, and only then do I realize that the left side of her face is black and blue.
So...yeah.
Don't hurt me, guys, I'm sorry, I'm trying to write five books at a time, plus two fanfiction accounts, so I'm a busy gal.
This chapter was boring. I'm sorry. But the next chapter will be better. For a review...Yes, I made a mistake, but it hurt my feelings the way you worded it. It's fine, I am not that hurt. And also...to the random guest (guys, I can't reply if you're not a member) you really motivated me to get this chapter out!
le spoiler for next time...cough...period...cough...again...cough...more...cough...smut...cough. Damn, that sounded weird in my head! XD