Mundie Moms

Monday, October 17, 2011

Clockwork Angel Read Along Day 6: Chapter 5, The Shadowhunter's Codex


Welcome! It's day 6 of our Clockwork Angel Read Along! Please be sure to visit our link here for our schedule, guidelines and to fill out the form to be entered to win some fabulous prizes.

Today we're discussing chapter 5. We finally meet Jem! I love the interactions between Jem and Will. Tessa learns a bit about Jem's history, we learn that Will is hiding something and Charlotte and Henry are trying to locate Tessa's brother Nate.

* I adore Will and Jem's interactions together. They have the perfect yin and yang relationship. Jem seems like the more practical, gentle one and Will is the hard to read, sarcastic one. What's your first impression of Jem and Will's relationship?

* There's obviously something going on with Jem, that Will wants to keep a secret and Will seems to be hiding something about himself as well. Tessa takes note that he said he was out drinking, when clearly he wasn't. What secrets do you think Will is keeping and why would he not want Tessa to get Charlotte's help for Jem?

* There's something off about Mr. Mortmain. Do you think he knows more about Tessa's brothers' where about than he's admitting?

42 comments:

  1. * I think Jem and Will seem like an amusing duo that balances each out other nicely - you can just tell that they're great friends. I can’t wait to see them interact more, they seem like they'll be fun to read about :)

    * There is something huge going on with Jem, but what?? And how odd that Will wasn’t even drinking....He and Jem are definitely hiding something important, but I honestly haven’t got a clue what it is.

    * Oh my gosh, Mr. Mortmain's last line? Jeez. This guy definitely knows quite a lot. I think there's a good chance he’ll have an idea where Nate is. Whether or not he'll tell....who knows?

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  2. *I absolutely love Jem and Will's interactions. You can tell they care about each other.

    *I think that I thought Will just doesn't want to let Tessa know too much about any of them and was protecting Jem or something. I didn't have a clue as to why he would say he was out drinking if he wasn't. I think maybe I thought he was trying to act cool in from of Tessa, I don't know it's hard to remember my first thoughts. I almost wish I could go back and read it again for the first time.

    *It seems to me that Mortmain knows more than they think, otherwise how would he know that they are shadowhunters. And he has to be familiar enough with Tessa's brother if he knows about his family.

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  3. * I adore Will and Jem relationship too!! It looks like they both are really close, they know what the other do and think, and at the end of the chapter, Will was taking care of him and it was really sweet (despite his how.)

    * Both guys are keeping secrets from her, and to Charlotte because they didn't want Tessa to tell Charlotte what was going on... And Will saying that he was drunk and not being drunk... Ohh My..

    * Mortmain knows a lot about the secret world and is a member of the pandemonium club! Of course he knows something more...

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  4. How could we/I not to love Will and Jem? Cassandra writes beautifully and her skills as an amazing story teller shows in every dialogue. It's clear how much Will cares about Jem and how far he would go to protect his friend. I loved Jem from the moment Tessa heard him playing violion and how welcoming he was to her. If he was real I would have propose to him! Will is a lad who is a jerk to everybody but Jem and he shows nothing but love towards his best friend and parabait.
    I agree with he previous comments, both boys are keeping secrets, I am so intrigued by Will's secret that quite often I find myself conspiring possibilities to why he is the way he is. Tessa is a smart girl and again I have to praise Cassandra for creating such lovely characters.
    It's hard to speak about Mortmain without spoiling the story but like Charlotte, I believed every single word he said.

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  5. I fell in love with Will and Jem's relationship from the Prologue. Their relationship is my favorite aspect of Clockwork Angel.

    I have no idea what secret Will is keeping but I think he may be hiding it not only from Tessa but Jem as well. I think Will did not want Tessa to get Charlotte's help because neither him nor Jem want Jem to seem weak because of whatever is wrong with him.

    Because Mortmain was able to identify Charlotte and Henry as Shadowhunters I definitely thought he knew more about Nate than he was admitting.

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  6. I love Will and Jem's relationship. While Will is often brusque with nearly everyone else, you can tell he genuinely cares for Jem, even while they are bantering.

    I think the whole secretive thing with Will and Jem is to somehow protect Jem. Also, I think the whole fake-drunk thing is because Will doesn't want everyone to know that he was out sulking or something. He wants to keep the perceived aloof perception that people have of him.

    Mortmain definitely has something up his sleeve.

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  7. Jem and Will are very close, and you can tell that though Will is sarcastic and likes to pretend he has no cares, he very much cares for Jem you can tell in his reaction to when Jem starts to cough.

    Will could be out looking for Nate on his own, or maybe he was upset about something tessa said and didn't want to show that someone could get to him. I think Will doesn't want Charrlotte to know because maybe Jem as a disease that would render him unfit to be a shadow hunter, and Will doesn't want Jem to leave the institue.

    I think mr. Morterman knows alot more about nate than he's letting on. If i were to guess i would say he may be behind nate's dissapearence.

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  8. What strikes me about the interaction that Tessa and Will have over Jem is that flash of deep emotion we see in Will. When he BEGS her not to tell Charlotte, Tessa realizes that there is more to his hard and sarcastic shell than she imagined.

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  9. Jem and Will's relationship surprised me somewhat. I was shocked at how close they were -- the term 'friends' seems far too detached and altogether insufficient to describe what is clearly a complex relationship. What was immediately apparent, from Will, is that they both know a lot of each other's secrets, but they also hide a lot of themselves as well. Tessa herself questions how this a such a close, harmonious relationship could exist between them when Jem is well aware that Will hides huge things -- many things -- from him. However, this is a testimony to Jem's phenomenally kind personality; he respects and cares for Will so much that he will not encroach upon his privacy or demand anything from him which he does not wish to reveal. I love that about Jem. I wish I knew someone like that. Will and Jem, as two characters, completely juxtapose one another, yet they fit perfectly together and I found myself asking, as Will does, what will they do when they are finally forced to separate?
    It is obvious from the way that everything Will says is a deception in some degree -- he is either flamboyantly exaggerating, casually mininmizing or out-right lying about something.
    People only conceal things about themselves to that extent if they are absolutely terrified of people finding out. Personally, I have a feeling that Will's traumatic past and the effect it had upon him have components of magic in them as well as something very tragic.
    The way that Mortmain quite affably denied that he knew nothing of Nate's whereabouts made me think of 'the lady doth protest too much' but when I thought about it the amount of employees Mortmain had; I realised that even knowing of Nate's existence would be unlikely to such a powerful figure; so I immediately dismissed any ideas of Mortmain lying about this -- I'm ashamed to say that I was about as taken in as Charlotte was.

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  10. Will/Jem a perfect pair..quick witted, passionate Will calm steady Jem...can see how they make such a great team...

    Will and his secrets....even keeps things from Jem....very protective of Jem..doesn't want Charlotte to know how bad he is I think

    Mr Mortmain intrigues me definately knows more than he is letting on...will do to keep an eye on him....I don't trust him at all

    StephAnnee

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  11. Jem and Will are definitely very close friends. Will shows care and tenderness towards Jem. Jem plays along with Will pretending to be a tough guy, but I think he really knows what's beneath. It seems like Will is trying to keep people at a distance, to keep from getting hurt or from hurting others. Jem seems like the only one he lets in.

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  12. I love Will and Jem together. Will pushes and Jem tolerates but you can tell how each of them care about each other through the conversations. Even though Jem seems more reserved, his playfulness comes through. Jem's "what did I do?" was priceless. I feel really sorry for Charlotte at times.
    Jem and Will both have their secrets. Hopefully we will learn about some of them sooner rather than later. (Don't want to give anything away to first time readers.) I always felt that Will's secrets were meant to keep people at a distance. Jem's comment that Will was angry at everyone was my first clue.
    Mr. Mortmain is someone that I didn't like or trust from the beginning.

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  13. Like you said, their yin and yang. They're playful. They don't have to tell the other ones what's on their mind, they know it anyway... usually. It seems like their part of one and together they are perfect. Jem is the calm one and Will the reckelss one.

    Will was abviously doing something that he didn't want anyone to know about. Perhaps investigating alone. Or just maybe taking some alone time but that didn't seem good for his facade and therefore came about with something diffrent. and I don't think either Jem och Will wants Charlotte to know how bad Jem really is. I guess Will knows and respects that Jem doesn't want to be handicaped with whatever is wrong with him.

    Well there is definitly something odd with him since he knows about shadowhunters and recigonize them when he sees them..

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  14. The relationship between Jem and Will is amusing and interesting. Will definitely cares deeply for Jem as is shown when he hurries to help Jem during his coughing spell. I am intrigued to know what is ailing Jem.

    I think everyone is hiding something! Jessamine, Will, Jem, The Dark Sisters, Charlotte, Thomas, Tessa...there is more to all of them!

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  15. I find Will and Jem are complete opposites and it is both hard and easy to believe that they are friends. On one hand, opposites attract. On the other, how do their personalities and morals not clash? I think something will happen, maybe in regard to Tessa, that will create a rift between them in the future.

    I think Mortmain is a suspicious character. His cowardliness seems to be a front in my opinion. I wonder what could be his intent for hiding information. Though everyone in this book seems to be hiding something, all except Tessa who is too confused and lost to act like nothing's wrong. I'm not sure what will's hiding though. I hope it's not some sort of love interest, that would ruin him for me because then he isn't entirely devoted to Tessa.

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  16. *Will and Jem together are really funny. They always put a smile on my face. Right from the start I can tell that they love each other like brothers. They would put the others' well being above their own.

    *I'm not sure why Will doesn't want Charlotte to help when Jem seems so sick. Maybe it's because she knows what's going on since he already has medicine. Will knew just what to do so it must happen pretty often. It is interesting why Will would pretend to be drunk when he's not. It's as if he just doesn't want others to like him because he doesn't like himself.

    *Mortmain definitely knows things if he can recognize Henry and Charlotte as Shadowhunters.

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  17. I seriously wish we could all sit in a room and discuss Will, Jem and Tessa. There's so many to talk about with them. I know I sound like a broken record, but I really do enjoy reading everyone's thoughts on each of the chapters.

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  18. I keep forgetting that you have word verification and I close the window after posting but before verifying! You would think I'd learn after once! The short of it:
    * I love Jem and Will. They have such great friendship chemistry!
    * I do wonder why they wouldn't let Tessa go to Charlotte. What would she do? Is Jem getting worse and they don't want her to know?

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  19. I LOVE JEM AND WILL'S BROMANCE. My first impression was that they would go to many lengths to take care of each other.

    I do think Mortmain knows more than what he is leading on.

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  20. Wow. This is so hard having already read the book. Jem. I absolutly adore Jem. I actually got upset when the story ended because there was no more Jem. I don't know what it is about him, but he is such a perfect character. His relationship with Will surprised me. Will seems like such a bad person, but I guess that makes Jem his perfect foil. I don't like the relationship he has with Will because I'm not exactly Team Will. I wish Jem didn't have to rely on someone like Will, which leads me into question 2. I don't think Will told Charlotte because she seems to be overprotective and semi-controling. I think Jem wants to be able to do things and dosen't want Charlotte or anyone else to think of him as an invalid.
    I also enjoyed how the chapter transitioned from serious and heavy content to a little lighter and more amusing content. I didn't like Mortiman from the second his name was said. He seems dark and shady and I never know what to make of him. Knowing how the book ends, I don't think we have seen the last of Mortiman. He will be back and worse than ever, and no matter what happens, I still don't like his character.

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  21. *Will and Jem's bromance is just perfect,my first impression of their relationship was that they developed a relationship so strong that they're as close as brothers,and is really interesting to see how Will cares about Jem.

    *At first I didn't think that Mr. Mortmain knows more than what he told Charlotte and Henry,but he knows too much about Downworlders and Shadowhunters and wouldn't just say everything that he knows for nothing

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  22. I think Will and Jem's relationship is very brotherly. They seem to care about each other and look out for each other.

    I think there is something very wrong with Jem and Will doesn't want to worry Charlotte.

    I think Mortmain is the Magister and definitely knows about Tessa's brother.

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  23. Alright only answering the first question tonight because it's nearly 2am and I am very tired, plus the other two I'd spoil if I answered (:
    -------------------------------------------

    Will and Jem's relationship. Well like I said from the prologue I love the two together. I love how they act and move around each other. It's like they know each other inside out and you get a real sense of closeness between the two. Jem is so gentle and beautiful in a fragile way while Will has that burning bold presence and though they contradict one another, the contrast is rather wonderful.

    The way Will instantly sobers at the sight of Jem in need only further proves how much he means to him. Though he wasn't drunk in the first place, but I just mean he drops all acts and moves in to help. So much so that he forgets Tessa is even there for a moment. Even in the way that Jem ignores all of Will's little comments and things, because he knows him well enough to know they are empty words. Truly, a strong bond. Kinda obvious to say that though seeing as they are parabati, but compared to Jace and Alec.... Will and Jem's relationship is a lot more solidified in my opinion. And much more apparent too. Only once do I think Jace and Alec had anything similar, and that was when Alec was struck by that demon. But Jace seemed more panicked that he'd forgotten about Alec rather than that he'd been hurt.
    Whereas Will forgets about Tessa and runs to Jem. Says a lot, no? :D

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  24. Jem and Will seem like they are almost brothers. Clearly Jem is sick and Will is concerned about him. It's intriguing that Will is lying about his night activities -- perhaps he is doing some investigation that he doesn't want Jem to know about, because he feels that Jem should stay home while he is not feeling well instead of coming out with him on Shadowhunter business. Whatever he is up to is probably personal -- either about Will himself, or maybe in regards to Jem?

    Mortmain seems like an obvious candidate for the Magister. He is obviously a Downworlder, just from the fact that he knows that Charlotte and Henry are Shadowhunters. Because of this, I think he probably knows something about where Nate is, if not being responsible for his disappearance. I hope Nate is still alive, it was so sad to hear about Tessa's story, about losing everyone in her life.

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  25. There certainly is something mysterious about Mr. Mortmain. I'm almost inclined to think that he may be involved with the Dark Sisters in some way, yet he seems so friendly...Will and Jem's relationship seems so deep, deeper than any of the other guy friendships I saw in the Mortal Instruments. Will must care a lot for Jem, but I think it's a sort of selfish caring if he doesn't want to get Charlotte to help.

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  26. I think there is a lot more to Mr. Mortmain than meets the eye. He knows right away that Charlotte and Henry are Shadowhunters. He is hiding something.

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  27. In this chapter you get to see another side to Will. Jem brings out the side of a Will that shows he has compassion. Jem is obviously a very important part of Will's life.
    Will probably did not want Tessa to get Charolette because he did not want her to know how bad Jem is getting. Will may not want anyone to see Jem that ill and weak.
    Mr. Mortmain seems very shady to me and should not be trusted. Mr. Mortmain (a mundane)knowing about shadowhunters and downworlders proves to me he has something to do to Nates disappearance.

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  28. * It is very apparent that Will & Jem are close. I enjoy their banter with each other. I like how Will is very protective of Jem. They both are definitely keeping something from Tessa.
    * Mr. Mountmain appears to be untrustworthy right from the beginning. He knows about Shadow Hunters, and most humans do not.

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  29. Opposites definitely attract and I think Jem and Will's relationship is awesome. You can tell how much Will cares about Jem. Jem seems like such a great guy that you know he cares for Will too.

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  30. I LOVED Will and Jem! :) They obviously care for each other, and they're like brothers! And oooh... Jem's secret.... I have to admit it shocked me- I certainly was not expecting it once I found out... But I totally understood why Will didn't want Charlotte to find out!

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  31. Ah Will and Jem, love love love. I love the way Cassie writes such clever banter. And it is interesting to have another character introduced who has secrets. He is unwell maybe, but we saw him fit and out working as a shadowhunter in the first part of the book. It left me thinking that even after reading TMI series, there were things I still didn't know about shadowhunters.

    And I wasn't sure how to make out the intro of Mr Mortmain. When I first read this I thought he might be someone to help Tessa, but may not like the shadowhunters, so could cause conflict between them.

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  32. I think Mr Mortmain does know more than he's saying. He's very shady to me.

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  33. I love Will and Jem together. You can tell they love each other and would do anything for each other. It makes sense these two are friends because Will is all mischief and Jem is very pratical. It's a great balance and it shows in how they talk and act to each other.

    Whatever Will is hiding is connected to to Jem because that's just who they are. Even if he doesn't always show it, Will cares for Jem so whatever is wrong with Jem, Will is all over that. Even if he goes at it alone and lies to cover it. I like how Tessa can see through Will like with the drinking because she knows drunk and Will never smelled drunk. But it was also good she didn't question on it because who know what Will would say when "drunk". I'm sure the secrets have a lot to do with why both boys live at the Institute without their parents and as for not telling Charlotte, that's just Will being himself and wanting to figure things on his own.

    Mr.Mortmain is pretty sketchy. He acts like he would like to help but he doesn't like shadowhunters in general. Plus the fact he knows about shadowhunters at all is shady so I guaruntee he knows way more about Nate and everything else but of course he will deny it.

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  34. - My first impression: they are close and love each other. I like their relationship a lot, and their interactions too. And I do like the balance between them and how funny they both are. And I especially love how Jem seems to keep Will "on the right track".

    - I know about Jem, and don't know about Will. I thought it was so odd of Will to lie about his drinking, I want to know where all his lying is going (HIS STORY AKBFAKJFA).

    - First time I read he didn't seem sketchy to me, but I didn't like how he knew they were Shadowhunters, you know right away he might know "too much".

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  35. Their relationship is really good. YOu can tell everything is just easy between them. It seems like they would be able ot tell each other anything. Ok i am not going to comment about the Jem thing since I already know what it is so lets just skip to last question. Mr. Mortmain is very unsettling. Not only do I think he knows more about Tessa's brother i think he knows mor ebaout what Tessa is herself

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  36. I absolutely ADORE Jem hes very sweet and nice, but Will on the other hand is rude and sarcastic, i love there relationship and i also love how much Will cares for Jem its sweet.

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  37. I agree with the others that Will and Jem balance each other out perfectly. I'm curious though how they got to be hunting partners. If they were the only shadowhunters their age in London, or if they were close friends first.

    When Jem starts coughing, Will asks "where is it?", and not "what's wrong?". He already knows what is going on with Jem. With all the Shadowhunters living together, I'm surprised Charlotte doesn't know what is wrong with Jem already.

    My stomach just dropped when Mortmain called Charlotte and Henry out as Shadowhunters.

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  38. i love will and jem's relationship. they're more than brothers and friends. they understand each other (to an extent) and of course they have secrets from each other and themselves. it's heartwarming to know that despite will's sarcastic attitude to everything, he cares so much about jem. they remind me of jace and alec, except i think will and jem are closer. jace and will are secluded people who hide things from others, but i think jem understands will more than alec understands jace. oh whoops, didn't answer your question. my first impression was that they are an amazing duo. :D

    well, obviously will is keeping something secret from tessa. when he tells tessa to not get charlotte, i get the impression that he just doesn't want to concern charlotte. this thing that he's hiding, and whatever's wrong with jem, is something that just seems to be between the two of them. i think will also is the type of person who likes to operate alone - he doesn't want to 'trouble' others about whatever is wrong with jem, and will finds himself perfectly capable of taking care of jem.

    mortmain is highly suspicious.. when i first read about what was happening i wasn't really particularly paying attention (because i just wanted to keep going and find out what happens next), but when i went back to read it again you can tell mortmain knows something the shadow hunters don't. it's sketchy that he seems to be one of the only people who has seen nate and knows nate pretty well (apart of tessa) because nate has worked for mortmain (or so he says). and also the fact that he knew that charlotte and henry are shadow hunters is strange, since he's a human, and yeah, i think the shadow hunters should keep a close watch on him. (well obviously they will, since he knows something about nate, but also because of his knowledge about the shadow hunters)

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  39. I really think they make a good parabatai, wait are they parabatai? I think I haven't read it yet or did I miss it? but my first impression of their relationship is that they compliment with each other, they are balance just for the fact that when Will is cracking up Jem is there to keep the peace and vice versa.

    I think Shadowhunters have their own agenda back then, tho I really think that Will want to help Tessa on finding her brother so I think Will was out looking for more information.

    I think Mortmain's association with the occult makes him a danger, knowing stuff I beleive is a bit of dangerous specially when he's a mundane. I think he know's where Nate really is.

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  40. Will and Jem are as close as brothers and I think that's made clear by the easy way they tease each other. Jem is clearly ill and I would have been surprised to see Will act any differently when he saw his friend cough up blood.

    I think that Will may not have wanted Charlotte to know because she may insist that Jem is too ill to continue on with the others in investigating for Tessa's brother.

    Mortmain knows that Charlotte and Henry are shadow hunters and that seems odd. How could he know that? If he truly knows about shadow hunters and what they do I would think he would be afraid rather then pleased, and why with hundreds of employee's does he remember Tessa's brother? something doesn't seem right.

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  41. I love W&J's relationship. You can tell that they really care about each other.

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  42. In one word: D'awwwwwww! That duo is just so friggin cute together, real words can't describe it. They really balance each other out perfectly.

    Yikes. This chapter scared me. At the time, I first thought that Charlotte didn't know about whatever was wrong with Jem, and Will was trying to keep it hush-hush.

    C'mon, he's a mundane that knows about Downworld and Shadowhunters?! He's up to something bad.

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