City Of Bones

Chapter 20

Clary followed Jace down the hallway, uncertain of where they were heading. They didn't see anyone on their way; they were probably all asleep since it was almost midnight. A permanent smirk seemed to be etched on Jace's face, clearly pleased with himself. His smirk would transform into a knowing smile every time Clary demanded to know where they were going, throwing in a head shake to make it clear that he was not going to tell. However, it was the sweet half smile that he gave that turned her stomach upside down and she didn't necessarily like it. Her plan was to stay away from him, saving herself from likely heartbreak and keep her focus on Valentine.

The stairs beneath them creaked as they made their way up to the roof. For a moment Clary thought they were heading outside, but was pleasantly surprised when they arrived in front of two large glass doors that lead to a green house. Jace opened one of the doors gently and stepped aside so she could enter. She gave him a soft nod as a 'thank you' and took a step through the glass door where a soft but powerful scent hit her. It was filled with the rich dark earthy smell and the soapy scent of blooming flowers. She could recognize some while others were a mystery she wanted to discover.

The greenhouse was, to put it simply, beautiful; Clary had never seen anything like it. The Manhattan lights shown through the glass walls creating little specs of light to dance around the room, making it look like sparkling jewels. She couldn't help but stare around the large room, her mouth agape.

"Wow," she whispered in awe. There were rows of gorgeous flowers lining the room. An open space in the middle of the greenhouse was surrounded by flower shrubs; their flowers only buds waiting to bloom. Jace sat down on the open floor with a smile. Beside him was a small basket.

"Yeah, it's amazing isn't it?" He looked around, taking in the beauty just like Clary had been, before looking back at her.

She nodded her response, unable to form the right words, and sat down across from him, the stone floor of the greenhouse was cold against her legs but she was strangely comfortable. She took in the scent and a painful memory of her mother surfaced in her mind. Last summer, her mom started gardening to escape from stress in their lives. The smell was so familiar. Her mother had planted exotic and beautiful flowers, from Equadorian roses to beautiful purple clustered lilac flowers, each carrying their own heavy deep fragrance.

"Do you come here often?" Clary asked, blinking back the tears that were threatening to spill over her cold cheeks at the memory. He shrugged lightly.

"Sometimes; when I want to get away for a while from everything...It kind of reminds me of Idris," he explained and he smiled sadly as he stared at the Manhattan lights dreamily. Idris was the shadowhunter home country, a place Clary never visited considering the fact that the Clave had no idea she existed. The only evidence she had seen that the mysterious place actually existed was from her mother's paintings. Her mother painted Idris many times showing the beauty of the country, the rolling green hills, flowers everywhere and a calm serene aura. Often Clary would sit by her mother's side as she painted quietly, her mind concentrating on her work. Clary would join in and paint along with her mother sometimes. She wasn't nearly as good as her. She usually didn't have the desire to draw rolling hills and scenery but instead images that appeared to be runes to her eyes that neither her mother nor her recognized; they assumed they were just Clary's wild imagination at work.

It was strange, Jocelyn loved to paint the features of Idris on her canvas but when Clary had questions about the Shadowhunter country, she would only receive vague replies.

"It would be a much better place if the people matched the nature," her mother would always say and Clary would never understand but now, thinking back she has a few ideas on what her mother was talking about.