The Mortal Instruments: City of Past Ghosts (Book 1)

Chapter 16: City of Past Ghosts

Chapter 16: City of Past Ghosts

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"This is way too early," Jace groaned, sighing. Maryse rolled her eyes and Clary chuckled, looking on.

All of them had been woken up at the crack of dawn by an extremely grumpy Jem. Clary remembered being in a warm, pleasant dream before finding her body cold. Jem had yanked her covers off her, ordering her to wake up (apparently only after ten minutes of banging at her door and a couple of shakes had he turned to that). Jace, apparently, had been given a frightful awakening by a recording of a quacking duck in his ear on Jem's phone. Turns out the seemingly untouchable boy was afraid of ducks. Hilarious (Jace had thrown multiple sharp objects at Jen for that). Isabelle was the only one that escaped Jem's morning grumpiness because she was already awake. Alec had gotten the worst wake up call among all of them. He had woken open gasping, drenched in cold water.

An hour later, here they all stood in the library, glaring at Jem who was now treating himself to a warm cup of coffee, watching all of them with guilty eyes.

She watched as Maryse faced her two biological children, holding a rattling set of keys in one hand. Jace was standing behind a high backed Victorian chair, looking like he was using the piece of furniture for support as he watched everyone in the room disinterestedly with his amber chips.

He looked like he had thrown on the first things his hands had touched: a wrinkled black shirt, a wrinkled leather jacket, black pants and boots that looked like weapons themselves.

Isabelle held her hand out for the key expectantly, grinning, eyeing the keys like they were diamonds.

"Nope," Maryse muttered quietly before her hand shifted to Alec's, dropping the keys into his palm. "I am not trusting my seventeen year old daughter with a two million dollar estate. Not after the last time."

Isabelle groaned. "It was one time, mom. I was fifteen!"

Maryse shook her head.

"Now, the house is fully equipped for living in. There is a two month stock of food in the kitchen. There are weapons located all over the house. Check the kitchen cupboards, drawers and inside the fridge. There also some under the floorboards if you look carefully, under every bed and behind every painting except the Picasso one in the first living room. There are also some under the furniture. The underground wine cellar is completely off limits as well as the underground weapons room. Now, for gear—" Maryse rambled on, telling them which was off limits, which was inappropriate, which was unnecessary.

"Sounds like they're preparing for war, huh?" a quiet, amused voice behind her said. Clary jumped, a hand flying to her throat as she stifled a squeak. She whirled around and sighed in relief when she saw it was only Simon.

A few minutes after Maryse had told them they were going to London the next day, Simon had walked in, accompanied by Isabelle. The pale boy had gotten paler at the sight of Clary. He had ran over to her and embraced her tightly. It had felt like he was crushing her ribs.

After prying him away, Isabelle had pulled him into a corner and talked to him, throwing worried glances at Clary every so often.

Slowly, Jace had explained that Simon had been her best friend and was also a Shadowhunter.

As scary as the fact she was supposed to be friends with Shadowhunters, Simon was kinda cool. He was the most normal in her eyes...the one she could relate to the most. Like the most sense of normal among the whole group.

"Yeah," Clary replied, watching the Lightwoods.

Isabelle had begun to pout as Jace laughed. Isabelle flipped her annoying blond brother the finger, folding her arms over her chest haughtily. Maryse glared at her daughter for that. Simon chuckled quietly, rolling his eyes.