What are twins for? (Book 1) (Mortal Instruments)

City Of Bones

I sit on the edge of the desk watching Jace and Clary react to the news. Jace is shocked and I can tell that Clary is going to be stubborn about what she believes. The two begin speaking over one another causing me to roll my eyes at their behaviour. They already know that I don't stand for people trying to talk over one another and that it aggravates me when it happens.

"Shut up the both of you!" I shout causing them to look at me and Hodge.

Hodge pats the top of my head silently thanking me for quieting the two. I give a small smile before leaning my head back to see the mural on top of the ceiling. I have always wondered why they painted it on the ceiling instead of the floor. I know I'm only doing this to distract myself because I don't want to turn to my true thoughts. The thoughts that are going to haunt me later tonight when I try to go to sleep. I stop looking at the ceiling and watch everyone else instead because Hodge has moved to lean next to me on the desk. Not really paying attention I see the door open and Isabelle peek her head in. I realise all of a sudden, she probably came to get us because the soup is done. After a bit of conversation between the four they all leave me all alone in the library. After a minute Church comes over and mewls at me telling me to come with him. Sighing I follow him to the kitchen where everyone including Simon is at.

"Si what brings you to our lovely abode?"

"Wait you fight? No, the Jade I know can't fight."

"That's where you're wrong Si. I've known how to fight since I was ten. I've just been keeping all of this a secret. So, what were you guys talking about?"

"The current problem at hand." Hodge responds sounding exhausted.

"Well, I think it's kind of romantic," says Isabelle, sucking tapioca pearls through an enormous pink straw.

"What is?" asks Simon, instantly alert.

"The whole business about Clary's mother being married to Valentine and him being Jade's father," says Isabelle. Jace and Hodge had filled her in, though I noted that both had left out the part about the Lightwoods having been in the Circle, and the curses the Clave had handed down. "So now he's back from the dead and he's come looking for her. Maybe he wants to get back together."

"I doubt that Iz." I respond in a soft voice.

"I kind of doubt he sent a Ravener demon to her house because he wants to 'get back together,'" says Alec, who had turned up when the food was served. Nobody has asked him where he's been, and he hasn't offered the information. He was sitting next to Jace, across from Clary, and avoiding looking at her.

"It wouldn't be my move," Jace agrees. "First the candy and flowers, then the apology letters, then the ravenous demon hordes. In that order."

"He might have sent her candy and flowers," Isabelle says. "We don't know."

"Isabelle," says Hodge patiently, "this is the man who rained down destruction on Idris the like of which it had never seen, who set Shadowhunter against Downworlder and made the streets of the Glass City run with blood."

"That's sort of hot," Isabelle argues, "that evil thing."

"Nope I'm out of this conversation. It just took a creepy turn that I never wanted to hear."

Before anyone can stop me, I walk away from the kitchen having barely eaten. I go to the training room and slowly climb the ropes until I get up to the rafters. Once on the rafters I go to the dark side and lean against the wall closing my eyes slowing my breaths. I remain slightly awake knowing if I fall asleep I risk the possibility of falling to my death. That's why we generally use harnesses to get up to the rafters, but I didn't feel like hooking myself into one. For a while I'm left by myself thankfully because it means I can think this through.