a rush of blood to the head | isabelle lightwood

SIX

CHAPTER SIX.
( A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD )

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New York City, 1993

ATHENA groaned and stretched her legs across the sofa that she, Tessa, and Magnus sat upon. She was past being bored and wanted to be anywhere but Magnus's apartment. They were curled up on the sofa watching a video of Pride and Prejudice. Tessa, of course, was complaining about how the book was better.

"This is not what Jane Austen would have wanted. If she could see this, I am certain she would be horrified," Tessa complained, hands gesturing wildly to signify her annoyance. Athena chuckled at the girl's behavior and turned to look at the pajama clad warlock sitting next to her. He rose from the sofa and went to stand by the window.

They were waiting for some Chinese to be delivered, and Athena could see Magnus was growing rather impatient, just as she was. "If they don't come soon, I might just die," Athena exaggerated, throwing her head back to show her annoyance.

Magnus merely chuckled and began to speak, "If Jane Austen could see this, I assume she would be screaming, 'There are tiny demons in this little box! Fetch a clergyman!' and hitting the television with her parasol."

After losing all hope of the food ever being delivered, Athena heard the ring of the doorbell echo throughout the apartment. She perked up and quickly jumped off of the couch. "I've got it!" She yelled.

Magnus gently pushed her back onto the couch and grabbed a ten-dollar bill from a table near the door and buzzed the deliveryman in. "I need some beef and broccoli before I face any more Mr. Darcy. It's a truth universally acknowledged that if you watch too much television on an empty stomach, your head falls off," Magnus stated.

"If your head fell off," Tessa said, "the hairdressing industry would go into an economic meltdown." Athena chuckled and ran towards the wooden door, impatiently rocking back and forth on her heels. Magnus nodded and touched the chin-length sweep upon his head. He opened the door and found himself staring at a woman with a crown of red curls. The woman was holding a child.

Athena groaned and planted her face deep into the soft cushions of the sofa. "I am going to die!" She exclaimed. She raised her head off of the couch to look the woman over. The woman was dressed in sloppy jeans and a tie-dyed t-shirt. She began to lower her hand from knocking position, but not before Athena noticed the faint silvery scars on her arm that were all too familiar to the blonde. She bore the remnants of old runes on her skin like something she wanted to forget.

"Who are you?" Magnus demanded.

The woman swallowed and began to form a reply, "I am—I was Jocelyn Morgenstern."

The name made rage bubble up inside Athena. She was the wife of the man who had sent his group of followers, called The Circle, to kill many of her kind. Athena began to march towards the woman before Tessa stopped her and gently led her back to the couch.

"I don't remember ordering the bride of an evil maniac," said Magnus. "It was definitely beef and broccoli. What about you, Tessa, Athena? Did you order the bride of an evil maniac?"

Nothing else was said for a moment, until Athena noticed the lump in Jocelyn's arms stir. It was in that moment, that Magnus seemed to remember there was a child.