CHAPTER 35:
JACE (CONTINUED)
The boy looked nothing like the Max Jace had known before. This boy had pale skin, smaller sleepless eyes, and limbs so thin he looked like a baby bird. The glasses were the same, as were the clothes, and the books, but Jace had never seen Max looking worse.
“Aren’t you going to say hi?” Max smiled, dropping his books to the floor, which went up in a cloud of pale blue smoke upon impact. Jace rushed over to Max and moved to wrap his arms around him, only to be met by a chilling air and an awfully empty feeling. Jace’s hands passed through Max’s body, coming out on the other side of him. Looking back at Max’s sad face, Jace frowned.
“I’m sorry, I’m not... you know... back...” Max apologised, gauging Jace’s sorrowful expression carefully. After a moment of staring, Max continued, “Please say something.”
Jace ran a hand through his hair and tried to calm himself, willing himself to speak. “You... look so sad?”
Max shrugged and laughed anxiously, rubbing his hand on his elbow, a nervous habit Max had when he was nervous. “Not so much sad as... lonely, I guess.” Jace faced away from Max, not trusting his ability to keep tears in.
When Jace had first heard of Max’s death, his emotions seemed to engulf him; a combination of anger and sorrow, the likes of which Jace had never felt before – never even fathomed to be possible. Max was Alec and Isabelle’s brother, and was the closest thing Jace had to a brother, and Sebastian had murdered him... blunt force trauma, the inquisitor said... in a better place now, the inquisitor said. Ever since Max’s death, there had been very few moments where his mind was completely at rest with the subject, but now, the feeling of grief beyond words had returned, more painful than the last time.
Still facing away, Jace felt a cold chill as Max passed through his body, forcing Jace’s gaze to meet his. “I’m not lonely anymore though, right? I mean, you’re here,” Max smiled in the way he always used to, flashing his teeth in a dorky yet sweet and meaningful smile that Jace had thought he would never see again. Max sat down cross legged in front of him, encouraging Jace to do so also. He did so.
“So, how’s you and Clare-bear?” Max asked giggling.
“Not so great at the moment. Wait? You died before we found out, we’re not brother and sister,” Jace fidgeted with his thumbs, watching Max’s eyes widen.
“Cooool! I’m not good at love and all that mushy stuff so I’m just gunna skip to something else!” Jace had missed Max’s goofy grasp of the English language.
“Why haven’t you passed on Max, to whatever comes next?” Jace asked, after a few moments of silence.
“I can’t leave yet, I’ve still got reasons to stay for,” Max answered sadly, “I need Sebastian to die, Jace. That’s what it will take for me to be at peace.”
“I don’t know if I can do that Max... he has Clary, and he will kill her if I try!” Jace sobbed, burying his face in his hands.
“You have to Jace. It hurts, it hurts so much... My soul is pulling at me to let everything go, but some part of me is tied here, and until Sebastian dies I have to keep living this almost... half life. I see the others sometimes, they try to help me get to them but they can’t do anything to save me, and I die again every day, over and over again.” Jace’s heart burned with sorrow. The boy was so young, and the pain he must be feeling...
“Who do you see, Max? Who tries to help you?” Jace asked, his eyes locking on Max’s near-transparent ones.
“Well there’s the waitress from that restaurant I went to once... Kylie? Wait, Kaelie... and then Hodge was there... and a man who looked just like Alec, the same blue eyes and black hair, but he talked funny, he used way too many big words. He was very sarcastic, a bit like you, and he kept asking me about someone named Tessa?”
Jace shrugged, unsure of who this was.
He and Jace talked for a long time, about anything that came into their heads. “Did it hurt?” Jace asked suddenly.
“What?” Max asked curiously.
“...Dying? Did it hurt when you died?”
Max nodded, before replying “It was quick. Practically painless.” Jace smiled, his nightmares of a little boy writhing in agony suddenly seeming unreal.
Max suddenly tilted his head back, as if he had been jerked backwards. Jace gasped and stood up.
“Their coming, I have to go!” Max screamed, instantly running back to a gravestone, seeming to morph inside it quickly. Jace looked up, spinning around, searching the phantasmal graveyard frantically.
“Jace? Jace Wayland?” A familiar voice answered.
Jace swung around to see his red-head, sitting atop Max’s grave. Clary stared at him, waiting for his answer.
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I'm sorry I keep ending chapters on cliffhangers,
but it keeps people reading, and I guess it's just my
writing style :)
YOU ARE READING
City of All Things Ruined - A Mortal Instruments Fan Fiction (COMPLETED)
Fanfic“You’re mine Clary, don’t you get it by now?" Sebastian yelled, his rage boiling over like an erupting volcano. "Screw Jace – not like you need encouragement – just give in and accept that we’re meant for each other! Forget about Jace!” Clary scream...
