Entrusted [1]《SHADOWHUNTERS》

Chapter Thirteen

The air was chilled on the rooftop of the Institute. Stars were struggling to shine through the smog of New York that clouded up the hazy purple sky. The air smelled of marijuana and self loathing; a pair of sweatpants that hadn't been washed for two weeks and a t-shirt that had been worn through many failed battles during the last few days.

Andina flicked the purple lighter in her hand, watching the flame dance for a moment before hovering it over the glass bowl. She inhaled the burning herb, pulling back and closing her eyes as the lighter ceased its glow once more. Her exhale was long and tired, and she opened her eyes to watch the smoke dance away in the wind.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the infirmary?" A familiar voice asked, one that always seemed to be as smooth as honey. The words weren't meant to be harsh or critical, they were meant to be simple jester. 

Andy looked up to meet hair and eyes as similar to honey as his voice. Her eyes fell for a second in thought–Jace hadn't gotten her alone to talk with him since their quarrel right outside of Alec's room. The man couldn't have glared at his parabatai any harder when Alec had shut the door right on his face. That, along with their argument outside of the precinct, left her anxious for the next time they had a chance to speak.

But right now, Andy's little brother seemed soft. He was in a pair of black sweatpants and a loose t-shirt that the siblings often stole from one another; the clothing was comfortable and lived in and smelled like home. On Jace, the sweats fit right and the shirt–neckline stretched with a few years of use–exposed a small part of his collarbones and chest.

He was peaking out of the greenhouse door that led to the roof, clearly trying to sneak up on her. His eyes were full of questions that he was holding back. The silence between them was a strange mix between completely relaxed and full of tension, like they were teetering on a tight rope that separated the two moods. 

"Probably," Andy mumbled in response, her eyes watching him carefully. He approached her with caution not unlike he was facing a demon. It almost made her chuckle.

Almost.

She took the silence as a sign to take another hit from the bowl piece that was in her hands. She flicked her lighter and drew in a breath, wondering if the smoke in her lungs would make the conversation her brother wanted to have better or worse.

She exhaled just as Jace sat next to her on the stone ledge that was usually her perch. She wished he had looked out at the sky, or the city lights, or the passing cars that were just moving speckles of lights on the streets below. Anything else but the details of her face would have been nice.

Andy shuffled. Jace fixed his hair. She gnawed on her lip. He played with the family ring on his left hand. She twirled her lighter in her hands, much like she would a stele if she was bored or anxious. Jace's eyes followed, and he gulped.

"I'm your brother." He affirmed. Their eyes both flicked up to meet each other, the same unplaceable expression resting inside. A mixture of yearning for this conversation to be over.

But at the twitch of Andina's lips, he knew it wasn't going to be that easy. 

Andina was stumped. Her mind had been flooding with hatred for her actions over the last week. I led them out on a mission yesterday that could've killed all of them, because I was too weak. I got taken down by a Ravener in the middle of New York. Valentine is still a threat to everything. I keep getting knocked down when I'm supposed to be helping the team and I'm not good enough–

But Jace had only added to her stream of terrible consciousness. I'm not a Wayland. He's not my brother. I let him down. I always let him down. He almost died when we tried to summon the memory demon for Clary. I couldn't save him from Dad, how do I expect to save him from his own actions?