In the Hour of Silence

Chapter 23

I was right--it was paradise up until we left the warmth of Australia to New York City in the beginning of January. 

I may as well be in Antarctica. That is how damaged my cold tolerance is. Luckily I have the off white wool sweater I got for Christmas from Alec. That and the locket I got from Jace are the two best presents I got. 

Now I sit in English class listening to the substitute explain the project we're being assigned. We have to write a paper about one of our parents and their lives. Their early life, something about their college years, how they met our other parent. Everyone else immediately coming up with ideas up until me. I can't ask my parents about their lives because my parents have been dead for years. If it was only me I wouldn't have as much of a problem with it but then there's also Jessamine and Jace who are also orphans. Jace decides to use Mrs Lightwood for his but there's still the case of me and Jess. The two of us begin to write emails asking the teacher what to do when Jess turns to me.

"Hey Clare, don't you have all of your mother's diaries in a box in the attic?" she reminds me.

I think they are, I write as I think back to the diaries my mother wrote in since she was in middle school. The last time I saw her write in one of them was a week before they were murdered. The police took them as evidence right after but they were returned almost a year later when it was officially declared a cold case.

"You should just use those," she tells me as she finishes her email. "I know if I had letters like that I'd never let them go."

English is luckily my last class of the day meaning I can go straight home to look for the boxes. Jace asks me if I want his help to find them but I tell him I'll be okay. I want to do this alone. I was going to ask Luke for help but we come home to find a note that he's gone out with his friend Alaric. So, I go up to the attic by myself to look for the box.

I move around boxes for almost an hour before I find a box with a police label: POLICE EVIDENCE-12/13/2010 Morgenstern, Jocelyn. I determine the box is too heavy for me to take the box out of the attic so instead I pull the box to the wall and sit with my back against it. Once I've opened up the box I find myself grabbing one off the top.

Tuesday September 5, 1989

I met someone today at school. His name is Valentine Morgenstern. I had been walking across the courtyard not even looking where I was going when I walked right into him. All of my sketches went everywhere and he was kind enough to help me pick them all up. After I apologized about a million times we started to talk for literal hours. I know I'm only fifteen and he's a year older than me but he's just so charming. I won't say I'm one of those girls who falls in love at first sight; but I will say that I definitely like him. Val asked me to show him more of my work tomorrow. I'm going to.

I grin at my mother's words about how they properly met for the first time. Every time I had asked about how her and Dad met she told me she'd tell me when I was older. Now here I am, older and all but hearing the story straight from her lips. I flip some pages and find an entry from almost two weeks later.

Friday September 12, 1989

Val officially asked me out today. We've only known each other nine days but things are different with him. I feel like I can tell him anything and it's the same for him. I still haven't gotten the chance to introduce him to Mom or Dad, but I think they'll like him. Val isn't like most guys our ages. He's charming and a gentleman.

Luke still isn't crazy about me even talking to Valentine--which is absurd. He and Valentine have been friends since Val started tutoring him in history last month. What could Luke possibly be bitter about? He claims that Val isn't a good guy when it comes to "the ladies" but that doesn't make any sense. To hell with Luke though. I swear by the Angel that I am gonna go on this date with Valentine and I'll decide for myself if he's a good guy. Pretrial verdict is yes. Will keep you updated on any post trial changes.