Ace of Spades | Alec Lightwood

Chapter 1

"Scarlett, please take your feet off the table," my mother scolded.

I complied, hunching over my knees as I sat on the couch, waiting for Clary to come home. 

The front door opened, before my mother squealed. "You did it! Yay!" she exclaimed as she ran over to Clary. I have to admit, she favoured Clary and her studious drawing over my urban exploration and bottle of developing chemicals for my film prints.

"You also follow Simon," Clary says, sighing, as she hugs Jocelyn. 

"Simon only has ninety-two followers, he needs the retweets. Congratulations!" I stood, quietly and went over to give Clary my congradulation.

"Thank you, hashtag stalker mom," Clary chuckle, as she carefully placed he bags on the ground to receive my hug.

I step back as Jocelyn brings out a slim box. "Happy birthday," she said, giving Clary the box. She smiles gratefully as we all moved to sit on the couch around the coffee table. I proceed to put my feet back on the coffee table, but with a look from Jocelyn, I put them down. 

As Clary opened the box, I could see the familiar flash of metal; a stele. "Mom..." I started to say. She cut me off with a look. The stele was a twited, triangular shape, more feminine than mine, a slightly curved rectangular one with simple detailing. The same one I had gotten from that boy when I was fourteen.

"It's called a stele," Joceyn told her. We both watched her fave for some signs of recognition. 

"What is it? Like a paperweight?" Clary asked skeptically, picking it up to look at the detailing. There were rune details on the stele.

"No, it's much more than that," Jocelyn replied. "It's very ancient, I want you have it. Its a family heirloom."

Clary chuckled. "Us Frays have heirlooms? Does Scarlett have one?" Clary asked as she admired the runes on the stele.

"Yup, yeah, I got one when I was eighteen," I replied.

"Really? I don't remember..." Clary drifted off. I mentally slapped myself for being so awkward. "You know what's weird? I doodles something like this, this morning," Clary began, still looking at the runes. I turned to Jocelyn, mouthing look, you wanted this as she stared back with a look of panic. "I must have seen this around the house somewhere," Clary mumbles.

"Honey, I need to-," Jocelyn was cut off by the ringing of Clary's cellphone. I sighed, staring at Jocelyn. Jocelyn was very opposed to Clary knowing about the shadowhunter world. I was too, I had to admit. Clary was a mild girl. She was an artist and in my opinion, quite fragile. Telling her there were demons in her world and that she needed to kill them might actually blow her mind. 

As Clary left the room to prepare for our outing with Simon and Maureen, I turned to face Jocelyn. "Jocelyn," I started. I had taken to calling her Jocelyn when I turned sixteen and started regularly seeing and killing demons. "You need to tell her quick. With her art skills and the fact she's been drawing  runes, one day she'll accidentally set herself on fire," I warned.

"Scarlett, calm down," she replied, "I'll tell her, all in good time. Just... Keep protecting her for me, will you?" I nodded before leaving to go get ready.

I changed out of my sweatpants into jeans, thew on a flannel, and tied my beaten Converse. I hesitate for a second before picking up the seraph blade, or hilt as it was right now. I wasn't expecting trouble, but now that Clary was going to be exposed to the shadowhunter world, I might just need it. Walking over the Clary's room, I saw her admiring the tight fitting black top she was wearing alongside her black jeans and boots. "Mmm. Good choice. Jocelyn'll hate it," I said, tossing her a green jacket as I flopped down o her bed. "Did Dot give it to you?"