| Fire |» Jace Wayland

chapter 6: Pep talks and lessons

Kristina rolled her eyes at how dramatic the man in front of her was being. Saying that to someone who just had their mother taken wasn't a good idea. Still she had questions she wanted to ask Hodge but got interrupted by Clary rushing off.

With a groan Kristina helped Jace get Hodge up of the floor, her movements quick.

"Was my mother in the Circle?" She questioned quickly, turning her head to see where Clary had gone so she could run after her after she got her answer.

Hodge frowned at the girl, his expression not too welcome.

"She was the first of Valentine's followers-" that was all Kristina needed to hear, muttering a quick thank you she hurried after Clary. Jace hot on her heels. She knew what the new information about her mother meant and she was not at all surprised. Her mother was working with Valentine.

"you might be some kind of emotionless G.I. Joe, but. -"

Kristina caught a part of Clary's irritated accusation and winced, ready to scold her as she had done many times before.

"What is a G.I. Joe?" Jace questioned having also picked up in the conversation between his brother and Clary.

"A soldier who doesn't understand human emotions, who doesn't know what it's like to lose someone, to lose your own mother."

"Clary" Kristina warned but got cut off by Adam

"You're right. We never knew our mother."

"I didn't know." Clary said quietly feeling guilty, her face heating up.

Kristina sighed, speaking before the boys could say something that Clary might get upset at. She was used to this cycle, Clary saying or doing something that ended with Kristina scolding her like an older sister or a parent would. Kristina knew that Clary would get over her speech quicker than anyone else's and acted quickly.

"That's why you have to careful Clary, you don't know anything about the shadowhunters or their lives. And in this world that's very dangerous. And remember what I said about assumptions"

Clary, with her head lowered like a dog being told off, sighed.

"Know the person before assuming, assumptions can be good but aren't always true" she repeated the words she heard so long ago, not knowing the words were somewhat taken from Dean and Annabeth (Kristina's parents)

Jace and Adam shared a humoured look, finding Kristina mothering Clary amusing.

Clary huffed turning her back to Kristina taking a second to sulk in her frustration at getting told off before returning like nothing happened.

"Okay, so we know that Valentine is back and wants the Cup, and for some reason he thinks my mother has it."

"Could she? Have the Cup?" Jace questioned

"I don't know."

"Clary, you know something, you knew about runes, you've drawn them. Think, please." Adam moved closer to the confused girl, looking into her eyes pleadingly.

"I've tried, Jace, okay? It's just this empty blackness."

Kristina furrowed her brows, having known the same feeling. She remembered her dad clearly but other details like where exactly she used to live were blank. And when she thought back trying to remember ever seeing a part of the shadow-world, only a blank blackness, irritating the girl to no end. With her hands locked into fists, the familiar prickle of anger running through her, Kristina turned to Jace meeting his observant eyes.

"I have the same feeling, it's like a block" she explained schooling her features into a calm, near blank slate.

"Your memory's been wiped."