Sunny 13th July

Chapter 1 Jem

This is my first story and English is not my first language. Please correct me for any mistakes. I don’t even know if anybody will really read this, so… Enjoy if you are reading :)

I am James Herondale, or you can call me Jem.

My life is as mundane as any ordinary people. If I need to talk about my life, it would be too boring and scare away every reader, so let’s choose some highlights to talk about. The so-called “life” is not very long at this moment, but just 14 years, 327 days, 8 hours and 5 seconds.

First of all, I have a family that most people saw as perfect: a pair of loving parents, and a handsome, outstanding, drop-dead gorgeous elder brother. While me, all the comments I got from my teachers have been the cliché ones: impulsive, irreverent, need to be repressed etc. Some kinder teachers would said I was energetic and outgoing. But what’s the difference? It’s just fabricating the diction, they were still judging me.

The most serious time is the teacher at fifth grade, who wrote on my handbook: stubborn, disrespectful, arrogant behavior and impenitent. Parents please be stricter, so to avoid him from corrupting the social values in school. She was labelling me to be the villain of the school, even the society could corrupt, and the economy going downturn was also related to me. If she elaborated onwards, all wrongdoings and death of all great men should be regarded as my responsibility. All there left was to tell me to have disembowelment so to leave this world in peace.

All I did is sticking a post it on that old virgin teacher written with “Smeagol”, and betting the colour of her undie with my classmates. You guys tell me then, did my action need to receive such insults from the teacher?

My mum punished me to stay at the repentance corner, that’s fine; she told me to apologize to that Smeag… um, the teacher, I still could accept that; write apology letter, easy peasy, I’m sure that it will be as emotionally explosive as goodbye letter to beloved ones. But the most, most unacceptable part is that my mum didn’t allow me to have dinner, what’s more she cooked my favourite dish intentionally. This was the most inhumane way to torture someone.

Fortunately my brother, Will, was always so protective over me, no matter when and where.

Once I got punish when I was small, I would ask plaintively, “Momma, actually you are not my birth mother, right?”

“Yep! I dug you out from the garden.” What?! She didn’t need to process to make up an answer, and wearing a ‘you-suddenly-become-so-smart’ look.

When comparing to my outstanding brother (THIS ISN’T FAIR! UGH), he should definitely be worshipped like a god. Umm, and I actually did so!

In the past, our family did not have a really well economic condition, my parents both went to work every day. They worked so hard, so that they could not take care of me. Therefore, you could say I was brought up by Will. To me, Will wasn’t just my brother, he was the one person in the world that knew me the best. He wouldn’t judge my behavior like everyone else did, but rather he would change a perspective to see me, and tolerate my little things as who I was.

Every time I got into trouble, I would always see a face with smile out of all the frowns I received, he always supported me with understanding and clemency. I knew Will was so important to me, my guardian and my haven since I was small. Whenever things happened, he would always be the first one to be by my side. The first person that came in my mind, when I was in trouble, would definitely be him. I realized long ago that I could lose everything, but I couldn’t survive without my brother.

*flashback (Jem was 3, Will was 6)*

“Izzy! Izzy! Will you marry me?” asked Simon. (Aha there’s someone from tmi) “Ouch! Why do you smack my head, Izzy?”

“We are married, you silly!” Isabelle smirking at Simon.

I was standing there watching my friends joking about they are married. But at the age of 3, of course I didn’t know they were joking. (Sizzy was 4 that time)

At that time, I didn’t really understand what “marriage” means, so I went to ask Christopher, who was older than me by 2 years.

“Chris, Chris! What’s marrying someone?”

“It means to live with someone you love the most, forever and always.” I still remembered his I-am-so-smart face.

The person I love the most? Isn’t that my brother? I held onto these questions and went back home.

“Will, will (urm it’s a tad weird here…) you marry me?” I asked him with my cute, innocent face.

“Nope, of course we can’t.”

“Whyyyyyyy?”

“Because I’m a boy, I can’t marry you.”

“Then you ask me to marry you?”

“Still not okay, Jem.”

“Why?” I pouted.

He patted my feathery black hairs and chuckled. “We can’t because we are siblings.”

That year, at the age of 3, I hated the word “siblings”.

*end of flashback*

This incident made me pretty miserable for a period of time. I really thought I could never be with the person I love the most. It felt like someone told me I could never my favourite dish forever and ever. It sucks in the mind of a 3 year-old. However, I never knew that this incident did planted a special emotion in my heart.

It's pretty short, but I don't want to let you guys wait for longer. Please please please comment on what you think. Don’t hesitate in correcting my mistakes bc I’m not a native English speaker. Hope you like it. You can ask me questions too. I hope to upload the next chapter as soon as I can.

V xx