Jesse, hand gripping the hilt of her sword, glared at Aiden, who was gripping the hilt of his. They both stood on a ledge overlooking what was believed to be the Void, up in Sky City's castle. Rain pelted down on them both, as they prepared to fight.

"Why, Aiden?" Jesse whispered. "Why do you have to be so bitter, so jealous?"

"Why? WHY?" Aiden hollered at Jesse. "I think you know. You always hog up the spotlight, Jesse! You get everything, and leave nothing for those who actually deserve it!"

Aiden charged at Jesse, blade raised, and Jesse brought hers up to block it, causing a loud clang to resonate off the ledge as the blades met, Aiden grunting as he struggled against Jesse's sword.

Aiden's blade retreated, and he brought it up again to attack, only to be met again by the obstacle that was Jesse's blade.

"Just DIE ALREADY!" Aiden yelled.

She felt a vibration go up her arm because of the impact. She lifted her blade against Aiden's, using every ounce of strength that her arm could muster.

The blade flew out of Aiden's hands, flung into what was thought to be the Void.

Aiden's green eyes widened as he visibly grew incredulous. Like the coward Jesse knew he was, he slowly raised his hands in surrender as his demeanour suddenly changed.

"I surrender, Jesse. J-Just, please don't hurt me..." he croaked.

Jesse glared at him, and grabbed him by the collar of his soaked shirt.

"This is more than you deserve," she said, in a dangerously low voice, and pushed.

Aiden fell, but, to Jesse's surprise, caught the edge of the ledge, lip trembling, his tears mixing with the rain.

"Jesse, please. Forgive me." He implored in a tiny voice almost drowned out by the patter of the rain.

The word forgive melted her. She looked at him, bruised and unfathomably sad-looking.

She could see the potential in him. He could be made into a good person.

Maybe I could do that...

She reached down and hauled a grateful Aiden up onto the ledge.

"Thanks Jesse..." he said, and moved to hug her.

"For being so dumb," he spoke up and pushed her off.

Jesse felt her stomach drop, and the wind brushing her face as she fell, her back facing the water.

She fell into the lake she and the Founder had discovered earlier, with the splash she was expecting.

She felt so stupid.

She should have known Aiden would try something like that. She heard a splash beside her, and saw her sword.

She must've loosened her grip on it as she fell. Dazed and annoyed, she grabbed her sword, and waded out of the water.

She started punching trees to muster up wood. A few trees demolished, and she used the wood to craft a workbench and a couple of crappy shovels. As she moved to collect dirt to build her way back up onto the now-ruined Sky City, she caught a glimpse of the portal frame that would lead her home when ignited.

She sighed. She'd have to kick Aiden's arrogant ass to retrieve that enchanted flint and steel.

The rain had subsided till it was just a drizzle, and Jesse began to dig up dirt, stashing stacks upon stacks of it in her inventory.

She remembered the bridge that she and her friends had built to get to Sky City.

"The law is hard, but it is the law," the Founder had said, defending her anti-building laws, when Jesse had tried to tell her they had no choice but to build.

A bad law is no law, Jesse had thought.

But now, she understood the reason behind the formation of that law.

She dug till sundown. Upon seeing the night's first zombies emerge from the woods, she decided to start building her way up.

One block.

Jump.

Another block.

Another jump.

Block.

Jump.

She repeated this till she lost count, not looking down, over the tower, lest she trigger her fear of heights.

Jesse continued her routine till she reached the mass of floating land that was Sky City. Heaving herself up on said mass of land, she found herself looking at a higher degree of havoc she had witnessed earlier. Except, this time, heeding to the Founder's orders, people were jumping into what they believed was the void. She squinted to see Petra, who was running toward her like she'd seen a ghost, a heavily bruised and cut Aiden staggering behind her.

She strode up to Aiden, who was looking at her through swollen eyes. Petra must've beat him up.

What's one more bruise when he has so many?

She raised her hand, closed up into a tight fist, and struck him in the face, as hard as she could.

Aiden fell to the ground with a thud, nose bleeding, face tear stained, whimpering like a kicked puppy.

"Jesse,"

"What," Jesse said, turning to face Petra.

"We can't get home." She said.

"What? Why? Does Aiden not have the flint and steel?"

"I-I flung it into a p-pit of lava so you couldn't—"Aiden sputtered, interrupted by a violent fit of coughing.

"WHAT!?" Jesse yelled. "You fu—" she began, moving to hit Aiden again, only to be stopped by Petra's hand on her arm.

"He's low on health," was all she said, shaking her head.

Petra grabbed Aiden, dragging him by the arm, and flung him over the edge of the city.

"Where are the others? Ivor and Lukas, I mean." Jesse asked before Petra could fling herself off after him.

"Look there, they're jumping."

Jesse looked, and sure enough, Lukas had just jumped after gesturing at Petra and Jesse to do the same.

Petra then grabbed Jesse's wrist, and pulled her off the edge with her.

Hi! So, a little about me: I'm 13, and this is my first fanfic, so I really hope you like it. I like how the book's going so far, so I plan on continuing it. Updates are not going to be organized for now... but I'll try whenever I can.

For those of you who read The Shadowhunter Chronicles... there are references... see if you can find them, and tell me in the comments!

Constructive criticism is appreciated, but, please, no hate.

Anyway, see ya next chapter,

~A conflicted burger.