The Last Hours

15: Lucie

The next day my mother and I sat in the living room, and we were both reading a novel. A strange thing to do, I know, but my mother and I loved to read. My entire family did. I was currently reading "Great Expectations" while my mother read "A tale of two cities"

I watched her as she moved her hand to turn the page. On her palm, was a scar. I had always wondered what if had been from, though I had always suspected it was from when Mortmain had wanted her.

"Mother?" I said.

My mother looked up from her book, and smiled at me. "Yes Lucie?"

"What is that scar on your hand from?" I asked.

The smile on her face faded, and she looked a little sad. Oh no, maybe I shouldn't have asked, I thought.

"It was from a fire poker. As you know already, the day I said yes to marry your Uncle Jem, your father told me that he loved me. After he had left after telling me, I had put the burning fire poker in my hand, as if to somehow drown out the pain of denying your father, to punish myself for breaking his heart. As I broke my own as well." My mother said sadly.

"I remember your Aunt Sophie telling me that I would call out for him in my sleep." She went on. "I remember one particular time, where she had held me as I tore flowers out of my hair because they were the colour of your father's eyes, as I sobbed."

I was about to say something, when we both noticed my father leaning against the wall behind us. He wore a serious and astonished expression on his face.

"Really, Tess?" He asked, painful.

My mother looked away, and nodded her head.

"I'll leave you two then." I said, and hurried out of room.

I then peeked around the corner, to spy on them. I know it was bad, but I really wanted to hear what they said.

"You never told me about that." My father said, while kneeling by my mother.

"There was never a reason to." My mother replied.

"I love you so much, Tess. I hate that I did that to you." My father said, kissing the scar on her palm.

"I love you too, Will, and it is not your fault." My mother said.

My father stood up, and pulled my mother up as well, and he kissed her. I then smiled, my parents were very cute sometimes. Suddenly I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I turned around to see Jesse. He had an amused expression on his face.

"What are you doing?" He asked curiously.

"Spying on my parents." I said casually.

Jesse then laughed. His laugh was music to my ears, and that made me nervous. By the angel, I couldn't fancy him.

"I came to ask you, if you wouldn't mind showing me around now." Jesse asked.

"Of course not." I smiled.

I then proceeded to show Jesse all around the Institute. We went to the weapons room, the kitchen, the dining room, the music room, and the training room. I made sure to tell him tricks to find his way around the Institute. As I showed him around, Jesse only nodded his head and he had the slightest smile on his face. Our last stop was the library. I pushed open the doors and we walked inside.

As soon as Jesse saw all the books and shelves, his mouth fell open a bit. I was used to it though, that was what everyone did when they saw the library. We decided to a seat in two of the many armchairs, that were scattered across the library.

"The Institute is quite big." Jesse said, as we sat down.

"It is." I agreed. "Sometimes, at night, it can be a bit frightening."

"Do you get frightened often?" He asked amusedly.

"No. Although, when I was younger and when I was scared, I used to go sleep with James." I said with smile, thinking back at the memory.

"James and Matthew are Parabatai, right?" Jesse asked.

"Yes they are." I replied.

"And Cordelia is your Parabatai?"

"Yes she is." I said.

"It must be nice, having a Parabatai, I mean." He said.

"I often wonder what I did without one. Cordelia is like my other half." I said truthfully.

Jesse didn't say anything, he only looked at with his bright green eyes. Him and Anna both shared the same features. Now that I thought about it, they looked a bit like each other. But then again, they were cousins.

"Have you seen Uncle Gabriel, or Uncle Gideon, since you..." I trailed off.

"I've seen Uncle Gabriel, though he didn't look quite pleased to see me, so I can't imagine Uncle Gideon will be either." Jesse spoke. "They both hate my mother."

"Why didn't you go with your mother and Grace to Idris?" I asked him curiously.

Jesse then got up and stood by the big window, his back was facing me.

"This may sound bad, but ever since I've come back to life, I haven't loved my mother." He said, after a long pause.

"What?" I said surprised. "Aren't you happy she brought you back to life?"

He turned back around to face me. "I am happy, do not think that I am not. It is just that I have found out that my mother had to kill five Shadowhunters to bring me back to life. She was so willing to kill them for me. I know I ought to be grateful, but....." He trailed off.

"What about Grace? It seems like she loves your mother." I said.

"Grace does not love my mother, either." Jesse said. "She is loyal to my mother, the way a pet might be loyal to its owner, but she does not love her. I fear that there is no one in this world who loves my mother, and for that I pity her."

"Does Grace love you? Do you love her?" I knew I was asking him a lot of questions, but the words kept falling out of my mouth.

"Grace says that I am the only thing in the world that she has managed to love. As for me, well, my feelings about her are indifferent." Jesse said.

"Why?" I asked.

"You sure ask a lot of questions don't you?" He said with a smile.

"I guess I do." I said, chuckling.

"Well to answer your question, it is that Grace changes too much. One moment she kind and caring, and then the next she is threatening to kill you." Jesse explained. "Though, if I had to decide, I guess I do love her."

"Is she the only person you love in the world? Like you are for her?" I asked.

His eyes flicked away from mine. "No, surprisingly no. There is one other person I love."

I was about to ask him who it was, when Bridgette came into the library, telling us that it was time for supper. As Jesse and I walked to the dining room I couldn't help but wonder, who the other person he loved was.