The Next Herondales - Sequel to The Infernal Devices

Chapter One: The First Snow of Winter

London Institute, December 1902

Lucie

The institute is beautiful at this time of the year.

People always seem to find it strange that I like winter. Most people like huddling up in front of the fire and keeping warm inside, but I don’t seem to feel the cold as much. I think there's a sort of magic about winter.

I woke up this morning to see the courtyard covered with snow. It’s the most amazing feeling, waking up on a normal, boring day just like the last, with nothing special to look forward to, before you realise that it’s been snowing overnight, and all of a sudden the day seems so much brighter. Being me, I just had to go outside and play in the snow for a while. So I quickly found my boots by the door and put a coat on over my nightdress, before going into my brother James’s room to go and wake him up.

He was still asleep. Made sense, I guess, seeing as it was still quite early in the morning, but I wasn’t going to wait for him to wake up. So I jumped on top of him.

“It’s snowing!” I shouted in James’s ear. He groaned and tried to bury his head his pillow.

“Get off, Lucie. It’s too early.”

I wasn’t going to let James get off that easily. “It’s not. The sun is even shining outside. Look, Jamie, it’s beautiful.”

James sighed. “Fine." 

Five minutes later, I ran down the stairs of the institute, dragging Jamie behind me.

“Slow down Lucie,” he warned, “or you’ll trip and we’ll both plummet to our deaths." 

It was probably not a good idea to run down the stairs, but I could barely wait. Besides, James is the sensible child and I’m the wild one.

Opening the doors, I could feel a sense of excitement and anticipation in the chilly air.

Stepping out into the frozen landscape was like walking into a whole new world. It must have been snowing very heavily the night before, but now the sky was clear and beautifully blue. It seemed magical, somehow. There was something otherworldly about the way the snow glistened under the sun.

I could have stood there all day, daydreaming, but then James’s voice broke the silence.

“Hey, Lucie.”

I turned around, and a snowball flew right at my face. I shrieked and ducked just in time. The snowball whizzed over my head, hitting the tree behind me with a heavy thud. I was showered with snow that fell of the branches. James was doubled over laughing.

I took advantage of his distraction, and chucked a snowball back at him, aiming straight for his face. It hit its mark. James staggered back a little, his face covered with a layer of white. Well, I wasn’t going to let him laugh at me. What else was I supposed to do?

Before long we were chasing each other around the courtyard, determined to win the battle. Without gloves, my hands were frozen, but it hardly mattered. I was having too much fun.

Then mother and father heard us, and came outside to see what was going on. They stood there in the doorway, the two of them, expressions of surprise and amazement on their faces. We looked at each other for a few seconds, and I was bracing myself for the lecture that I was sure was to come.

Mother took a few steps forward, then slowly bent down. She picked up a handful of snow. Then faster then I could have expected, she had thrown it at me. There was no time to duck, and the snowball hit me squarely in the chest.

I stood still with shock for a moment, but then I grabbed some snow and threw it back. Mother managed to duck the incoming snowball, but it flew past her and hit father in the arm. Soon all four of us were throwing snowballs at each other, and laughing until we hurt. Eventually we went back inside, and sat in front of the fire drinking hot cocoa. I sure love my family.

Sometimes it’s a little strange to think that my mother is an immortal half-warlock. She’s about forty, but looks half her age. She’s as young and beautiful as ever, while father grows old next to her. It’s weird, but it works, somehow. I’ve never seen two people love each other as much as they do. It’s quite adorable, really.

As I sit there, sipping my cocoa, I think to myself how I would like to find true love, someday.

**Here's the first chapter. I really hope you enjoyed it! Please comment and tell me your thoughts!**