City of All Things Ruined - A Mortal Instruments Fan Fiction (COMPLETED)

Chapter 52

CHAPTER 52 – KNOWLEDGE BEST UNTOLD

TESSA

“I’ll have a Venti please, 1 pump caramel, 2 pumps white mocha, 2 scoops vanilla bean powder, extra ice frappuchino with 2 shots poured over the top, and caramel drizzle under and on top of the whipped cream, double cupped please,” Magnus said, looking up eagerly at the cashier.

Tessa failed to suppress a laugh as the cashier’s face dropped, his mouth open in shock at her friend’s ridiculous requests.

“Please tell me you’re not serious?” Tessa laughed, looking Magnus dead in the eye.

“Tessa honey, I’m always serious.” His features were stern for a moment, before he broke into a geeky smile, sending Tessa into fits of laughter, leaving the cashier waiting, methodically drumming his fingers on the table.

“I’ll have some water please,” Tessa added quickly.

After they had received their orders, Tessa and Magnus took their drinks outside and sat down at one of the small café tables, directly under a pale blue umbrella that provided some measure of shade.

Magnus popped the lid off of his drinks, and sniffed one experimentally, smiling in satisfaction after a moment.

“I honestly cannot believe that you ordered whatever you would call that monstrosity, Magnus,” Giggled Tessa, uncapping her water and sipping it lightly.

“Tessa, it’s fabulous, just like me.” Magnus smiled, tossing his head in pride, sending his glittery hair spikes into a disorganised muddle. “That however,” Magnus continued, gesturing to Tessa’s bottle of spring water, “Is not quite so fabulous. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that it is downright shameful.”

Snatching Tessa’s drink, Magnus tossed it behind him, throwing it into the road, causing strings of curse words to be thrown through the street and the honking of horns to sound loudly as the New York City traffic took its anger out on the warlock.

After a moment of tense silence, Magnus began to snicker, and then collapsed into full on laughter, which Tessa was quick to join him in.

“I’m still thirty you know,” Tessa whined, smoothing down her skirt and gathering her long brown hair to one side.

In the past 500 years, Tessa had only cut her hair 10 times, but even so, it reached the back of her knees, hence the reason she always kept it tied up in a fishtail braid, reducing its incredible length to the bottom of her waist, but even so, people stared.

“Have one of mine,” Magnus answered quickly, sliding over the piping hot cup of ‘fabulousness’, which Tessa tentatively raised to her lips.

The taste was unfamiliar, reminding Tessa of Christmas, and of London, in a strange yet addictive combination of caramel, foam and other sweet substances. At the same time, Magnus took a quick sip, then sat his drink down, not noticing the foamy moustache he had acquired.

Noticing Tessa laughing at him, Magnus raised his eyebrows and wiggled them cheekily, “Tessa, if there’s one thing I’ve taught you over the past 500 years, it’s that it’s rude to stare.”

That comment sent Tessa into fits of uncontrollable laughter, rendering her unable to speak for a good thirty seconds.

“You’ve got a…” Tessa motioned to her lip, just as Magnus licked his lips and removed the foam, his tanned cheeks flushing red.

“Oh my goodness!” Tessa exclaimed quickly, patting her purse down quickly, “I left my telephone on the park bench, I will be right back!” She stood up quickly and curtsied to Magnus, before swiftly running down the street.

Tessa immediately felt guilty as she drew her phone out of her bag. She couldn’t understand why, but something was drawing her to the park, something that she needed to attend to urgently.

The streets around her were filled with the usual Monday lunchtime crowd: Children too young to go to school clinging to their parents or in prams, the odd teenagers bunking off school, and a large group of parents and elders walking from shop to shop.

Directly in front of her, a teenage girl was walking with a group of friends, all of whom were dressed in inappropriate clothes, and were all smoking. A handful of boys clung to the girls possessively, making Tessa frown, before correcting herself.

I fell in love when I was their age, she thought.

Then Tessa had an idea. She followed the group quietly, watching as they drew closer and closer to the park. The girl closest to Tessa had a large purse hanging from her shoulder, stupidly left open.

As quietly as she could, Tessa stuck her hand inside and pulled out a bracelet, engraved with the word “Shauna.

After years of shape-changing, Tessa had learned to never go anywhere without a spare identity.

In her life, Tessa had worked up quite the name for herself, being the world’s first half shadowhunter, half shape-changer. Her close attachment to Magnus had also earned herself a reputation, one that she didn’t mind at all.

She clutched the bracelet tightly in her hand and sped away, running through the gates of the park, looking around franticly.

The uncertain feeling raged in her stomach as her eyes landed on a pale pink girl pacing about the park angrily. The girl looked exactly like Kelsier, the downworlder witch that Magnus was dating.

Morphing herself into whoever “Shauna” was, Tessa advanced towards the girl quietly, pretending to be fixated in the ducks swimming around the pond.

Momentarily distracted, a memory flashed in her head.

“Never trust a duck,” Will had always said. He used to be fixated on the idea that ducks were the spawn of Satan, and that one day we would be at the mercy of their beaked empire. 

Tessa smiled sadly at the memory, before returning her attention to Kelsier and her conversation with someone on her phone.

“No, I haven’t found him yet! Yes Sebastian, yes, I- That wasn’t my fault, Magnus has just been attached to this Tessa woman. No, she won’t be a problem, she is weak, and weak for the Herondale boy. Is Jace with you? Fantastic, so then I’ll open the portal three days from now. Seba- look, I care for Magnus, but I am loyal to you and only you. He’ll be dead before the sun rises. Just make sure that Se-“

Before Tessa could hear the rest of the sentence, Kelsier spun around, her eyes locking furiously on Tessa.

“Mundie, you can see me?” She whispered, not thinking to end the call.

Tessa quickly dropped the bracelet she was clinging onto as she morphed back into her usual figure, watching terrified as Kelsier’s eyes widened in horror.

“You…” She snarled, before reaching out and gripping Tessa’s arm.

“How much did you hear?”Kelsier spat.

“Get off me!” Tessa yelled, only to feel Kelsier’s grip on her tighten.

“Magnus trusted you! When he finds out you’re working for Sebastian-“

 “He’s not going to find out you idiot,” Kelsier replied menacingly, one of her hands gripping Tessa’s throat.

The instincts Will had drilled into her caused Tessa to kick at Kelsier’s legs, sending her sprawling backwards into the pond, bubbles of oxygen rising to the surface at the same time an angry, drenched pink witch did.

“You little-!”

Before she had a chance to finish, Tessa had sprinted back and out of the park, not stopping until she had reached Magnus.

Tessa knew her hair had flown out of its tie, and her eyes were wild, but as she threw herself back into her plastic chair, she didn’t care as Magnus’s eyes searched hers desperately.

“Tessa? What is it?” He spoke calmly, though his voice shook at the end.

“Certain knowledge is best untold,” She replied quietly, before pausing, and telling Magnus what she had seen.