little santiago (shadowhunters) - SLOW UPDATES

chapter one

c h a p t e r o n e ; clary's eighteenth

"¿Y a donde vas?" Ester Santiago asked her youngest child before she opened the door to greet her friend. Elizabeth turned around and responded.

"It's Clary's birthday, we're going to see Simon play. I asked Dad, he said he was fine with it," Elizabeth responded, giving her mother a pearly white smile. Simon knocked one more time. Elizabeth reached for the door and Simon smiled as he walked inside.

"Hello, familia Santiago!" Simon waved at Ester and Raphael Santiago, Elizabeth's parents. "We have to pick Clary up on the way to the venue."

"Are you really calling a coffee shop a venue?" Elizabeth asked.

"First a coffee shop, then Madison Square Garden, young one," Simon responded. Elizabeth scrunched her nose in fake disgust. She was the youngest of the three, but her eighteenth birthday was in less than a month.

"And you'll be back before midnight, am I right?" Ester asked her only daughter.

"Mom," Elizabeth whined.

"I'll bring her back safe and sound at exactly midnight, Mrs Santiago," Simon assured Elizabeth's parents.

"Thank you, Simon," Ester smiled. "Please be safe, and text when you get there." Elizabeth agreed and hugged her parents goodbye before walking out of their apartment building with her arms entwined with Simon's.

Simon's yellow van was parked, and Elizabeth's eyes landed on the blank space under his band's many names. Champagne Enema was the latest. Elizabeth voted against that for obvious reasons. She sat in the passenger seat as Simon drove towards Clary's apartment.

Elizabeth loved Clary's house, it was full of color and art. Clary's mother, Jocelyn was an artist as was Clary.

"Knock Knock," Simon announced as he walked in, Elizabeth behind him. "We're here to steal the birthday girl."

Clary was sitting beside her mother, looking like they were in a serious conversation. Elizabeth stepped back, trying to pull Simon back too, but both Frays stopped talking and smiled at the two teens.

"Hi, Miss Fray," Elizabeth smiled. "Hey, Clary."

"Birthday plans?" Jocelyn asked.

"Yes! Well, not exactly. Champagne Enema is playing tonight, and Clary will be the guest of honor," Simon explained. "It's her birthday and all."

"Champagne Enema?" Jocelyn questioned.

"It's the new band name," Clary said, standing up.

"Clary and I are trying to convince him to change it," Elizabeth spoke up. "Sorry, Si, the album sales are plummeting," she nudged him with her elbow.

"Okay, just be back so we can talk. Okay, Clary?"

"Yeah, of course, Mom. Love you," Clary hugged her mother before the three of them left her apartment.

"It looked like we interrupted something," Elizabeth stated as they climbed into Simon's van.

"Oh, don't worry. My mom has been acting weird lately," Clary assured her friend. "Telling me that she has something really important. I think it's the talk about me finally being of age, which means I could possibly move out if I wanted to."

"You wouldn't want to, your mother's-"

"She's like suffocating me," Clary interrupted. "I'm an adult now, and now I'll be going to the Art school. She's going to have to let me spread my wings, you know?"

"That I can understand," Elizabeth agreed. "My parents almost forgot that they agreed they'd let me go out tonight."

"Well, you're still a minor," Simon joked. Elizabeth sighed. "And still in high school."

"Don't remind me," Elizabeth said. "I can't believe I'll be all alone this year. That's what I get for becoming friends with sophomores my freshman year." Elizabeth's birthday had been later in the year that she was in the grade below her two friends.

"Hey, is that-?" Clary leaned forward as Simon stopped at a red light. Her mother's best friend, Luke Garroway drove past in his cop car. "Maureen's coming to the show, isn't she?"

"Yeah, why?" Simon asked.

"Really, Si? You can't be that oblivious," Clary laughed. "Liza, when you like a guy make it known because boys are completely oblivious when girls like them." Elizabeth agreed, glancing at Simon.

"Hey! Girls can be too!" Simon defended himself. Elizabeth quickly hid her sudden frown, it was obvious that Simon was in love with Clary. "And we're here. Ready, groupies?"

⁂

"And. . . finished," Clary stepped back from Simon's van looking at her latest piece of art. "Champagne Enema is now Rock Solid Panda!"

"What's that?" Simon asked pointing to the symbol Clary had drawn between the old band names.

"I don't know," Clary responded. "Got inspired."

"It's cool," Elizabeth commented. "Rock Solid Panda is definitely better than any of the old names. Right, Maureen?"

"Yes, so much better!" She smiled. "Hey, Simon, can I ask you a quick question?" Maureen led Simon away from the two girls.

Elizabeth turned her attention back to Clary who was adding some more detail. "Wow, Clary. I think you get better every time," Elizabeth commented. "I think I'm going to miss you in art class."

"Well, Miss Patterson told me I can stop by anytime I want," Clary said. "Let me know which period you have it, and I'll make sure to go then." Clary gathered the spray cans and put them in Simon's van.

"Definitely," Elizabeth smiled, helping the redhead cover the spray paints. "What do you think Maureen is asking Si-?"

"Hey, can you watch where you're going?" Clary called out. Elizabeth turned towards Clary, she was standing on the other side of the van. "Yeah that's kind of the point, but you obviously didn't see me."

"Clary?" Elizabeth called out.

"Has that line seriously ever worked for you?" Clary asked the air. "Can you believe that blonde dude?" Clary scoffed making her way back to her friends.

"You mean that imaginary blonde dude?" Simon questioned.

"No, the guy right there, running into the club," Clary motioned to the entrance of a club. Nobody was running.

"There's nobody running into the club," Elizabeth commented.

"The guy covered in tattoos?" Clary tried to recall what the guy looked like.

"Clary, what are you talking about?" Elizabeth questioned.

"You guys seriously don't see him?" Clary asked.

"No," Maureen said.

"Can you stop making me feel insane?" Clary commented. She stopped for a second, and she took her jacket off and tossed in the back of Simon's van.

"Where are you going?" Simon asked.

"To get some answers," Clary said before making her way towards the club.

"Remember your fake i.d. sucks," Simon called out before following her.

"Wait, Simon!" Elizabeth called out, reaching for his arm. "It's midnight," Elizabeth had finally grabbed a hold of her phone. She missed one too many calls from her parents. "Shit. I'm in trouble."

Simon did a double take. "Shit, I-"

"Don't worry about it, I'll get a cab home," Elizabeth interrupted. "I can-"

"Your parents will kill me," Simon added. "I-"

"I can take you home," Maureen cut Simon off. Elizabeth smiled, agreeing. "Just make sure Clary's safe."

"Thanks Maureen," Simon said as he ran after Clary. "See you two later."