Invisible string~ Matthew Fairchild {1}

Three

The next day, for the first time in what felt like forever, was bright and beautiful. Colorful blankets woven with sky blue and bright yellow cotton had been spread over the green grass. Unlike the previous night, with shadowhunters of all ages, this was a gathering of people Amelia's age. Men and Women in their teens and early twenties gathered together for a meal under the bright sun.

Amelia immediately rushed towards the bright red hair of Cordelia Carstairs, her brother and cousin behind her. Barbara had asked to be left alone, as she hoped for a proposal from her suitor.

As they approached Cordelia, Amelia suppressed a laugh. An arsenal of food- lemon tartlets, ginger beer, and scones- sat around the girl.

Cordelia, noticing the group, smiled brightly. "Do come say hello," she said.

Amelia immediately dropped down to the floor, smoothing down her skirts. Thomas and Christopher exchanged a look before following suit. Christopher nearly upset the picnic basket, but Thomas was more careful, as if he was afraid he would knock something over— knowing him, he was.

"I can see why you called for our help," said Thomas. "It would be staggeringly difficult for you to consume this all by yourselves."

Amelia grabbed a scone. "Thomas here used to be able to clear our larder out in less than an hour. And the eating contests he had with Lucie- I cannot bring myself to report them."

Cordelia's eyes gleamed. "I may have heard a little about that. I know we've only met briefly before, but now that I'm in London more permanently, I do hope we can be friends.

"Absolutely," said Christopher. "As long as there will be more lemon tarts in the offering."

"I doubt she carries them everywhere, Kit," Thomas said. "Stuffed into her hats and whatnot."

Amelia grinned. "I don't think her hat is big enough to hold very many. But Aunt Tatiana could surely carry a feast on her head. Did you see her hat the other night?"

"I may not be able to carry them on my hat, but I do keep them in my weapons belt instead of seraph blades," said Cordelia, causing the group to laugh.

"Amelia, Thomas, how is Barbara doing?" Anna asked, her blue eyes focusing on Amelia as she picked up an apple. "Is she well after the events of last night?"

Amelia looked over to where Barbara was, walking with Oliver and chatting excitedly. "She seems quite recovered. We wanted to remain with her, but she hopes for a proposal today."

"Is she?" Asked Anna, her dark eyebrows winging up in amusement.

"It's strange to think about Barbara getting married," Amelia mused.

Thomas smirked. "Someday it may be you, if you'll stop scaring away your suitors."

She hit her parabatai lightly on the arm. "A life with me in it is not for the faint of heart."

"Trust me, I know." Thomas slung an arm over Amelia's shoulder, and she couldn't help but think of Matthew doing the same mere nights ago. It was a standard show of affection, and wasn't special in the slightest. So why did Amelia get chills down her spine thinking about it?

Cordelia, noticing Alastair, waved him over. "Come eat! The food is vanishing!"

Amelia felt her brother tense by her side, allowing his arm to fall from her shoulders. "Ah. Alastair is here."

"Yes," replied Cordelia. "He's the man of the house at the moment, since my father is in Idris."

Amelia felt a pang of sympathy for the red haired girl. It couldn't be easy, having the head of the household be Alastair.

"He... has my sympathy. Our father is off in Idris much of the time- we rarely get to see him," Amelia said, struggling to say anything nice about the boy that had poked fun at her for years.

Well, then again, Matthew had made fun of her at first—still does from time to time. What was it that made them so different? Was it the fact that Matthew actually cared? Did he actually care? Or did he just see her as a way to get to her brother and cousins, furthering his social status?

No, that couldn't be it. James was teased mercilessly for his demonic heritage, Christopher has almost burned down a building on several occasions, and Thomas—well, she wasn't actually sure what people's issue with Thomas was. But he had nothing to gain by befriending her and her family. But the thought unsettled her; she couldn't stop thinking about Matthew. Matthew, who was walking towards her now.

Authors note: hi guys. As you may know, it's been almost two months since I've updated. For many reasons like school, extracurriculars, but mostly because I wasn't sure what to do with this chapter. Still don't know. I've decided to come back to it once we are further into the story, once I've fleshed out Amelia's character a little more. I don't know how I'm going to do this, but I'll try and make it as smooth as possible. Until then, note that the following events are supposed to take place in the rest of this chapter:

The group encounters a demon. This is strange, Amelia's sister Barbara is wounded in the battle, taking a toll on Amelia and Thomas.

Once again, I am very sorry for this, but i feel it had to be done, for the sake of both the story and my mental health.