Not Just a Mundane//An Alec Lightwood Story

- 2 -

Selena's POV

Later that night, we found ourselves perched on the roof of Simon's van outside a club called Pandemonium.

"My mom is so overprotective lately," Clary said, her voice tinged with exasperation as she glanced at me.

" So, do you remember in Aliens, when the alien queen was defending her eggs from Ripley?" Simon interjected, looking contemplative.

"In this scenario, is her mom Ripley or the alien queen?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Both," Simon replied with a grin.

"What?" Maureen scoffed, clearly baffled.

"A mother defending her young," Simon added playfully, swishing the guitar resting in his lap.

"Defending me from what? I spend all day in an art studio. My life couldn't be more mundane," Clary wondered aloud.

"I'd kill to just sit around all day," I told her, and she smiled at the thought.

" Besides, I really don't know much about when she was young.," Clary admitted, a hint of curiosity creeping into her voice.

"Oh, just do what I do—get all the dirt from your relatives," Maureen suggested, adjusting the bracelet on her wrist.

Clary scoffed. "Well, I would if I could, but she doesn't have any. And my dad died before I was born," she explained, her gaze dropping to the "stele" in her hands.

" So, you have no one? No uncles, no aunts, no third cousins twice removed?" She asked, surprised.

" No, just me and my mom," Clary confessed, a trace of melancholy in her voice.

"That's why the Lewis clan has added three chairs to every seder since preschool—one for Clary, one for Jocelyn, one for Elijah," Simon informed us with a hint of humor.

"Of course," Clary replied, rolling her eyes.

"Obviously," Simon echoed, and I chuckled at their banter.

"You guys don't think that's a little suspicious?" Maureen interjected, her tone teasing.

"Not in the slightest," I countered, shaking my head.

" You not knowing anything about your family. Your mom could be hiding some deep, dark secret," she continued, prodding the topic further.

" Maureen, it's not possible," I stated firmly.

"No, think about it," she pressed on, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"No, no! My mother is incapable of concealing anything from me," Clary shot back, her voice filled with conviction.

"Exactly. Now, when are you guys meant to go on? It's getting close," I asked, changing the subject to avoid any more tension.

"Right about now, actually. So let's go!" Simon declared, and we all scrambled off the roof of the van.

Inside the small venue, Clary and I found a seat while Simon and Maureen headed off to set up.

"Why was she being so pushy about your family?" I asked, glancing at Clary.

"I have no idea. It's just Maureen being Maureen," she replied, her tone dismissive.

"I think she's jealous of you, you know," I said, observing her closely.

"Why would she be jealous of me?" Clary wondered, genuinely puzzled.

"Because of your relationship with Simon. Sure, they might be in a band together, but she likes him, and he's closer to you than he is to her. I can tell she's jealous," I explained, trying to connect the dots for her.