Clockwork Wishes (An Infernal Devices/ Mortal Instruments Fanfic)

Chapter 4

Will stared at her.

She didn't look like Tessa, and yet she did at the same time. She seemed to be in her early twenties, a little older than the Tessa Will knew. The way she held herself was also different; she seemed more confident in her own skin and less wary of the world. His eyes skipped back down to her clothing and he noticed that the dress had a certain flair from his time, whether it was the floral pattern or the shape of the dress he wasn't sure. Her face was still the exact same, with her delicate features and soft red lips that made his heart pound every time they smiled or laughed.

Her eyes had completely changed, however. There was something in them that made her look older, wiser. The kind of knowledge only gained through years, Charlotte would have said. They shone, like she had seen unspeakable horrors and breathless beauty, stunning sights and unbearable misery. She had been broken and fixed again, lost and found. The small blue flecks in them told Will that they were definitely Tessa's, but her eyes weren't supposed to be like that. They shouldn't have been so...full. These were the soulful eyes of an elderly woman, not a twenty year old girl.

She...she should be dead, Will thought dazedly, realizing this was a good 120 years in the future. She should be ashes and dust, just like I should be.
Technically speaking, that was disturbingly correct. He should be long dead and buried by now as well. The thought sent shivers up and down his spine.
Will nearly groaned out loud as a headache began to form in his skull from all these overwhelming theories. He would just have to puzzle it over later.

"H-how?" Tessa stuttered, and an unreadable expression passed over her face. Well, unreadable for the average person, but there were emotions there that Will knew like the back of his hand. Some anger; a lot actually judging her slightly pouted lip, and definitely shock. There were also many other little emotions, flickering across her face like an unsettled flame, but they came and went too fast for Will to properly identify.

Tessa made a funny little noise as she stared at him, and Will realized she had said something.
"Pardon?" He said blankly.
She shook her head, eyes still wide. "I must be hallucinating."
Will surprised himself by letting out a low chuckle. The situation was so strange, so unusual that he couldn't help himself. Tessa seemed thrown off by this, as if something from her imagination shouldn't be able to laugh.
"If only it were that simple," he murmured, just loud enough for her to hear.
She opened her mouth to say something when a sudden commotion behind Will made them both look up.

Someone was dashing through the crowd, leaving chaos in their wake. An old woman let out a shriek and dropped her little bag on the ground as a figure accidentally shoved her, followed shortly by the shattering of glass as another man had a China jar swept out of his hand. Exclamations of annoyance and anger rippled through the crowd, followed by breathless apologies as more and more people were interrupted from their everyday life. Will recognized the voice and waved his hand wildly, trying to capture the boy's attention from somewhere in the crowd.
"I'm here, Jem!" He yelled, causing a few people to look up. This included Tessa, who appeared unbelievably confused by his sudden outburst. He flashed her an apologetic look before adding, "And we have company, so hurry up!"

Suddenly, out of the blue a force from the side slammed into Will so hard that he lost his footing from the impact. For one strange moment he and the offender flew through the air, passing a bug eyed Tessa and various other strangers who watched them in dismay and irritation. It all seemed to be happening very slowly, as if the moment went on forever.

That was, however, before their momentum, which had been pushing them forward up to then, suddenly disappeared. They then proceeded to land heavily on the paved ground shortly after, rolling around in a mess of limbs and clothing before finally coming to a halt in the middle of the large crowd. People raised their eyebrows and openly stared at them as they walked past while others even had the nerve to call will some names he gathered were rude.
The other person pulled himself away from Will with some difficulty and sat up shakily.