She's My Parabatai

Chapter 7

I gripped my coffee cup staring idly at the empty chair across the table. It was the chair Sebastian had been sitting in not moments before. It was a few days after our confrontation. The two of us had eaten a silent breakfast together. No one else was awake, or at least no one else was in the kitchen yet. I made sure I had looked at anything but him. I still thought if I caught his pleading eyes I would spill the truth.

It had reminded me too much of the morning after our father had died. It had just been the two of us. Mom was dealing with funeral arrangements. I hadn't looked at him all breakfast. I saw too much of Dad in him.

"Morning," a voice said causing me to jump. The mug slipped from my grasp and shattered when it hit the table.

"I didn't realize my voice had such a heart-shattering effect," the voice said again. Jace. It was too early in the morning and I was in no mood to deal with him so I ignored him. "Don't cut yourself," he warned as I began to pick up the shards.

I sighed. "I'm a shadowhunter, I'm not going to cu-"

"You cut yourself didn't you?" He asked, humor in his voice.

"No," I lied throwing the shards away in the trash. I was getting a rag to wipe up the spilled coffee when he grabbed my arm.

He turned my hand towards him revealing a cut going across four of my fingers. The mug-shard hadn't been kind. I noticed him pulling out his stele. "I don't need-" but I was too late and he was already drawing the iratze rune on my palm.

When he finished the rune glowed golden. The cut closed before the rune disappeared. I pulled my wrist out of his grasp and went back to wiping the table.

"Oh thank you Jace, for the wonderful iratze that healed my cut," Jace mocked. "Oh, no, it was my pleasure."

"It was sloppy actually," I informed him. "And I can draw my own runes, thanks." I rinsed the towel off before laying it out to dry.

"Sloppy? It was not sloppy," Jace argued, seeming slightly offended.

"I guess the great Jace Herondale can't be amazing at everything." I shrugged as I left the kitchen.

"Hey!" Izzy called out to me just as she rounded a corner. "I was just about to make breakfast, did you already eat?"

"Feel free to kill Jace with your cooking," I told her.

"I really hate that my own parabatai has no faith in my cooking skills," Izzy sighed.

"I really hate that my own parabatai decided to side with Jace over me," I retorted back at her.

"Clary...I thought we were past that," Izzy seemed slightly hurt.

I sighed. "Sorry, Izzy. We are, I know we have to do this to catch whoever is the actual killer. It's just...I hate it. I can't even look at Sebastian cause every time I do I see so much betrayal and hurt in his eyes. And Jace is a jerk."

"Oh Clary," she said, concerned. "I know. I can't even imagine what that feels like. Even thinking of having to do something like this to Alec...But I do agree with you. Jace is a jerk. If I poison him will that make you feel better?"

I smiled slightly. "Immensely so."

"Alright then." She walked past me into the kitchen. "Oh Jace! Are you hungry?" her voice carried. I heard Jace shout something as I smiled, walking down the hallway.

As I rounded the corner I ran into a wall. Actually it was just Alec but he was so tall he might as well be a wall. "Sorry," I told him.

"It's fine," he straightened out his jacket. I then noticed his attire was a little bit...dressed up.

"Where are you off to?" I questioned.

"Out," Alec said. "If Jace asks tell him I'll be back later." He then rushed past me. I shrugged. Alec and I had never been horribly close. I was just his sister's parabatai, nothing more. Of course he wouldn't tell me anything.

When I entered my room I found my brother sitting on my bed.  "Sebastian please, I need to take a shower, Izzy and I-"

He cut me off, "Clary, please. You won't even look at me. Y-you're acting as if I'm a monster. I'm not. I'm your brother. I'm who I've always been Clary, I didn't do this."

I started to rummage through one of my drawers. Taking much longer than I needed to to grab a pair of jeans. "We found the fangs hidden in your room. I'm sorry Sebastian it's just the evidence-"

"What evidence?!" he snapped. "You found them in a spot I didn't even know existed! Someone is framing me, Clary! The other don't know me, I don't blame them for suspecting me but you...Clary. You're my sister. You're supposed to trust me." His voice was breaking. I stopped rummaging in my drawer but I didn't look at him. I was afraid if I did that I would see the look of his face and tell the truth.

"I'm sorry, Sebastian. I don't believe you," the words hurt coming out of my mouth. "When Jace found th-"

"Jace found them?" Sebastian stopped and then started laughing. "Of course Jace found them! Clary who's the one who's had it out for me since day one?"

The gears started turning in my head in a direction I did not want them to go. I finally turned to face my brother. "Jace wouldn't..." I trailed off. How well did I really know Jace Herondale? "He had an alibi at the party."

"Alec? I'd hardly count someone's own parabatai as an alibi. Izzy would lie for you in an instant." He was right, she had. There was one time when we were little when I got injured while we were training because I wanted to try something far more advanced then I should have. When my father came in to investigate the reason behind my crying Izzy had automatically lied and said it had been her fault.

"I..." I didn't know what I was going to say. I didn't want to accuse Jace. I was even more frustrated with myself because I didn't know why.

"Think about it Clary! How did he find the secret compartment? I've lived there for days and never noticed it! And he just happens to come across it being in the room for the first time?" As much as I hated to admit it...Sebastian was making sense. Jace was the one who orchestrated this entire thing, lying to Sebastian. What if he was the one trying to distract us?

"Who are you going to trust Clary? Your brother who's been there for you since day one or the blond jerk you've known for a week?" Sebastian asked.

That was it. I couldn't do this anymore. "You. I trust you, Sebastian. I'll always trust you. Just...play along. Don't let Jace know you suspect him. Let me talk to Izzy about this."

"You can't tell Izzy," he told me.

"Why? She's my parabatai!"

"What else is she? She's practically Jace's sister. She'll protect him, you know she will."

"Sebastian! You obviously don't understand what parabatai means! If I truly believe something, she'll trust me." He had never had a parabatai. He didn't know what it meant, what it felt like.

"I'm just saying, Clary," he started. "Our only way to stay ahead of Jace may be if he doesn't know if we suspect him. Are you 100% sure Izzy won't go running to Jace?"

She wouldn't do that....would she? I hated doubting my parabatai but look how quick she was to jump onto Jace's idea?

"She's my parabatai, not yours," I informed him. "I'll decide if I tell her or not."

"Fine, Clary. I trust you. I know you'll do what you think is best," he passed me as he left the room.

I sighed as let his words roll through my mind. Did Jace really kill the vampire? Was he really trying to frame Sebastian and distract the rest of us? Could I trust Izzy not to tell him?

A knock at my door broke me out of my thoughts. "Clary, we need to talk."