Jace and Clary have a picnic in the greenhouse, and Jace opens up about his childhood—how he spent most of his time alone and didn’t know any other kids until he was 10 and met Alec. Clary feels bad, but Jace tells her not to because he enjoyed spending time with his father. The conversation makes Clary miss her mother and Luke. Jace starts to tell her he thinks Luke didn’t mean what he said about Clary’s mom, but the stroke of midnight interrupts him. A nearby plant blooms into a gold blossom, looking like “a speeded-up film of a flower blooming” (312).

The flower sheds its petals, and Jace says they should go. Not wanting to leave, Clary confesses she thinks Isabelle hates her. Jace reassures her that isn’t true and that Isabelle is just insecure having another girl around. Clary isn’t sure she believes this and turns to go, almost stepping on a knife Jace used during the picnic. She flounders back into Jace’s arms, and he kisses her. Jace walks Clary back to her room, where they kiss again just as Simon comes into the hall. Simon flies into a rage because he hates Jace and thought Clary had better taste.