*Disclaimer: This is my work, and the characters are the solely work of Cassandra Clare. All that is mine is the plot. Prologue
"Why?" That one word had long haunted Clary's thoughts, evading answer, an endless cycle, never stopping, and swirling like mud in water. She remembered her desperation as he left, as she fought the panic that overwhelmed her at the thought of being alone again. She remembered finding out they were siblings. This was a hundred, no, a thousand, no, a million times worse. Because this time… they had a choice. What they had… it wasn't taken away by some hateful, malicious, father. No, this time…he threw it away. He hurled into the murky abyss of the ocean, where it was irretrievable.
"Clary, I'm leaving," Jace had deadpanned with such finality, that Clary didn't even look up from her copy of Fullmetal Alchemist, too absorbed in thoughts of Max to register the words. Then, the phrase hit her with such force she thought she would double over and choke.
"What?" she forced out. It couldn't be. After everything they had suffered through, Jace wouldn't just leave.
"I said: I'm leaving. Do you need me to spell it out for you?" he sneered down at her, without a trace of remorse in the bottomless gold eyes.
"Why?" Clary asked, tears streaming down her face, lips quivering. She stiffened her resolve, repeating, Shadowhunters don't cry. They do not show weakness, over and over again like a litany, the same way Jace had whispered her name in Renwick.
"Still a mundie, I see. When will you ever learn?" With that, Jace turned gracefully on his heel and walked out the door.
Clary dropped Fullmetal Alchemist on the coffee table by her couch on the foyer. Briskly, she rose and walked over to her messenger bag, which was hanging on a hook by the door. She rummaged through her bag until she found her cell phone. Clary flipped it open and scrolled down the contacts until she found the person she would normally never call unless she wanted death by shopping.
"Yes?" Isabelle's melodic voice came through the speaker, sounding a slightly tinny due to the bad reception.
"Izzy." Her voice was flat, emotionless. Clary was shocked at her own impassivity. Her hands were steady and her palms were dry. She was normally the most emotional of the Shadowhunters that lived in the Institute. Her greatest weakness, Jace had once said during a training day. Weakness and emotional equals useless, Clary thought bitterly. "He's gone. Jace. He's the one who led the demons to us. He's the reason Alec is dead."
Short, I know. But this is the prologue; they're typically shorter than the average chapter. Please review, this is my first fanfic and I would love constructive criticism so I can improve.