The Mortal Instruments: City of Tainted Blood (Book 2) (ON HOLD)

Chapter 9: Away From The Battlefield

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength,"

--Corrie ten Boom (Clippings from my Notebook)

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"What part of dangerous and life threatening do you not grasp?!"

Clary fought a flinch as Jocelyn loomed over her like an avenging phantom, her face contorted in anger. She couldn't remember a time when Jocelyn had been this angry at her; her mother's pupils were blown wide, her cheek flushed, her muscle in her jaw jumping and her hair that was previously pulled into a bun was hanging around her face in curling wisps.

When they had returned from Magnus's loft, Jocelyn and Maryse had ambushed them with loud chastising tones and had hauled all of them by their shirts to the library where they were seated on the various chairs before being yelled at. Josephine had watched them with great curiosity as if she were observing their every moves, a neglected phantom in the background.

Maryse had taken to yelling at her three children while Jocelyn had been screaming at Clary until her voice was now rough and scratchy around the edge of her sentences. Simon had gotten free almost unscathed, only being scolded by Jocelyn once for letting Clary go and completely ignored by Maryse. Luke stayed silent the whole time, watching Jocelyn scream with disapproval but when he looked at Clary dissapointment and worry were greater forces in his tired light blue eyes.

"I was perfectly safe," Her voice cracked at the end as she remembered a very visibly tangible Keayla and the painting.

"I am not stupid, Clary. You look like you've seen a ghost. You do not look okay." Jocelyn leaned back and away from Clary's face and placed her hands on her narrow hips haughtily.

"If it isn't obvious, mom, you're scaring me." Clary said quietly, with as much flippancy as she could muster to hide the actual unsteadiness to her voice. Jocelyn's eyes widened slightly and Clary stared back at her mother defiantly.

"You have no idea how dangerous leaving like that is, Clary!" Jocelyn recovered from her surprise, her tone and stance shifting to assault instantenously. "Bloodtaken could have been in Magnus's loft!"

"Well they weren't!"

"They could have been! Clary, do you know how completely, utterly stupid it was?"

Something once previously translucent in Clary's mind became all too tangible and snapped like a rubber band stretched too far. She was so sick of the frequent hovering and over bearing protectiveness that frequently made her hands itch to tear her hair from its follicles.

Clary leapt to her feet, still half a head shorter than her mother but in that moment she felt like she was towering over Jocelyn from the sudden anger radiating in her.

"Stop it, okay? Just stop it. I am so sick of you being so goddamned protective like I am five. I'm sorry I don't feel like locking myself up in the Institute for the rest of my life and I'm sorry I care more about the safety of my friends and the people that I love than my one single being but you have no right to stop me from doing that!"

The library had fallen remarkably silent. S he swore she could have dropped a pin and the sound would have been deafening. Everyone was staring at her: Jace, Izzy, Simon, Alec, Luke and Maryse. They were giving her open-mouthed stares in an exception of Jace who had his mouth closed and wore a very soft, forlorn smile that made her heart crack.

She closed her own mouth and straightened her back, her mind whirring like oiled clockwork. She had not known which dark, dormant corner of her mind had the sudden eruption of anger and wild boldness had emerged from but she was frankly surprised and a little scared of it.