Five minutes till midnight.
How it happened.
As I lay in my bed, I can't help but wonder how Jace is doing. He seemed so happy the last time I saw him. But he was with her. How I wish I could switch places with her. I want to be the one to run my fingers through his blonde locks. I want to be the one to entwine our fingers and happily swing our arms together as we stroll through the park. I want to be the one to jump into his strong arms and feel like nothing could touch me. I want to smell the fresh-cut grass and smoke on his shirt. But no, god has denied my one wish.
A loud pounding on my door pulls me out of my day dreaming.
"Who is it?" I call out. the pounding continues and I rise from my bed to open my wooden door. I tug open the door and immediately I feel a hand grab a fistful of my hair and it yanks me into the hallway.
I cry in surprise and pain as I make impact with the hall wall. The big and rough hands hold my wrists and pin them above my head.
"Miss me?" a voice hisses. I try to turn my head to face my attacker but one of his hands lets go of my wrists and shoves my head back into the wall. The voice is familiar to me, but I cannot remember from where.
"Tell me, how long did you think you could run? I know I was looking forward to finally seeing you again." He forcefully pulls my head towards him, inhaling the scent of my hair. "My, my, you smell the same as before. Vanilla and a hint of sandalwood. Delicious." He purrs.
He used past tense so that means we have met before. He had to have been close enough to smell me, and he also stated I have run away from him. His voice is familiar and so are his hands.
"Simon?" I whisper. He laughs and it is a hallow shell of what it used to be.
"So the little bitch remembers me." He grits out. my body begins to tremble as his hand, the one who rammed my head into the wall, begins to trail along the right side of my body. Why would my best friend do this to me?
"so soft…" he murmurs into my hair. He starts to feel me up but then he, for some reason, changes his mind. 'Thank god' I think.
It was twenty minutes till midnight.
Simon lets go of me and as I begin to let out a sigh of relief as I turn around, he kicks me hard in the chest. I start to cough violently as pain shoots down my spine with every breath I take. My vision went fuzzy for a few seconds before I started to regain focus. I can see his tall frame stalking towards me.
"Why?" I manage to croak out. It felt like that single word was the hardest I have ever had to speak.
"Why you say?" another lifeless chuckle. "you left me, abandoned me. I loved you! That's why. And tonight, I am going to show you just how much I love you." I see him pull out a small device from his pocket and I see him flick it open with a flick. It's a pocket knife that I bought him before I left. He then reaches into his other pocket and pulls out a small rectangular black box with silver at the top. He then uses his thumb to run it over the top and a small flame lights at the top.
He begins to walk towards me like a lion does to its prey. I lay on the ground motionless. I feel helpless. My chest feels like it is being stabbed every time my heart beats. His footsteps thump against the hardwood flooring. The surface is cold against my partly bare skin.
He reaches my body and pulls up my shirt, revealing a black lace bra. His fingers dance over my skin, making a light trail of filth across the small of my back.
"You look pretty." He comments with desire laced into the venom in his words. I shiver as he rakes his hands up towards the clasp.
"No…" I pathetically whimper. I can hear his low growl vibrate from the back of his throat. His cold hands undo the hooks and I feel the fabric fall.
"The lighter, symbolizes the fiery passion I hold in my heart for you." He flicks it on again and I feel the warmth dance across my bare skin, pleasant at first but then growing in intensity as it lowered closer and closer to my skin. Soon enough, the flame fell upon my bare skin and I cry out in agony. Pain focuses on a spot below my shoulder blades. As soon as it starts, it ends.
Fifteen minutes till midnight.
"And the blade," he presses the cool metal upon the burn, providing a cool relief from the intensity of the heat. "represents the knife you drove into it when you left."
He lifts the blade from the burn and lightly creates a strange pattern across my bare back. I take a sharp intake of air and he then pierces my delicate skin with the sharp edge.
I produce a blood curdling scream, met with extreme pain in my chest, along with my back. Searing pain runs from my waist line, going on until it reaches my right shoulder. I cannot tell how far the knife pierced the skin, but blood is pouring out, so I know it is serious.
Simon lifts the metal device from my shoulder, only to plunge it back in on the opposite side. He takes another long drag up my back. I can feel the thick liquid pooling around me. After the long cuts made from top to bottom, a bunch of small incisions litter around them, sometimes crossing each other in agony.
As more and more cuts are made, more blood is lost and I can feel my grip on the painful reality slowly slipping.
"Together, they make for the most wonderful revenge don't you agree?" he maniacally guffaws. I hear the distinct click of the lighter, but there is no burning. I am too weak to turn my head and attempt to see what he is doing to me.
Ten minutes till midnight.
After what seemed like eternity I feel the slow heat of an object falling closer and closer to my back. I expect the severe heat of a flame but instead find the god awful combination of a heated metal dagger. I don't have the energy to even cry out anymore. My mouth is dry like parchment. I do find one sense of satisfaction out of this. I have not cried a single tear in front of this demon.
The terrible butchering of my skin has finally ended and he flicks the knife closed. 'is he done?" I mentally pray. I can feel his body looming over me and then his cold fingers gripping my mutilated shoulders. He flips over my weak body.
"Don't tell me my poor little whore is tired out already? Well I have to find a way to wake you up." He sneers. My bleeding back comes into contact with the bloody floor. It hurts incredibly but it is better than the knife carving into my back.
He straddles my waist, his large legs pinning me down. His large calloused fingers grip the sides of my face and he leans in close. I can smell the faint scents of cloves and smoke. I look into his deep brown eyes, his pupils so big black almost overtakes the brown completely. Simon leans in even farther and forces his lips to mine, prying my mouth open with is tongue. It slides in and roughly tangles with my own. I am too weak to protest so I lay unresponsive, whimpering into his slimy mouth.
Thankfully he lets up his relentless invasion of my mouth and heats the blade again.
"Don't worry beautiful, there is more where that came from." He smirks then gives a wink. He lowers his gaze down to my chest. He licks his lips and lifts his free hand to run over my untouched skin. Slowly his fingers rise until they reach the bottom and loose black fabric. 'God, no please don't do this.' I silently plead. He looks back to my face and sees the pain, fear and sadness etched into the lines of my face. He does not take off the fabric but instead pierces the fragile skin again.
From the little energy I have left, I scream in pain. Slice after slice he continues his tyrant upon my flesh until most of my skin is covering in ranging cuts. More blood seeps from the wounds, adding more to the floor.
"Sweet dreams beautiful." He purrs into my ear. He then gives another rough and forced kiss to my lips. The heavy weight from my waist lifts and I hear his heavy footsteps travel down the hall and into the main room. Then I hear the front door slam shut. I finally allow the tears come.
Five minutes till midnight.
"Clary?" I hear a voice call out. my mind slips in and out of consciousness.
I hear it again, closer this time. I pick out the footsteps coming closer and closer to my bleeding body.
"Oh dear god!" Jace exclaims rushing over to my side. My breathing has slowed exceptionally, slowing down to a deep rhythmic rise and fall of my disfigured chest.
A trembling hand is lifted to my forehead, brushing strands of hair from my face. Warm and soft hands glide across my cooling skin.
"Jace…" I croak out. it hurts more than anything I have ever experienced. A steady stream of salty tears fall down my cheeks, mixing in the thick blood around our feet.
"Clary what happened to you?" he cries. I pry my eyes open and see the bright artificial light coming from the ceiling. I adjust and see his angelic face. The gold of his eyes, welled up with tears.
"Jace… I…I…" I attempt to say, but dry throat rasps and my weak mind makes it hard to form the sentence that I have been itching to say for the past three years.
"Come on Clary, you can do it." he encourages sweetly. His small smile gives me the last spurt of strength I need to complete the quest.
"Jace, I love you. I have for the past three years." I manage to croak out, sounding strangled and dry.
"Oh Clary, I love you too. I just have not found the courage to tell you until now. " he replies, tears streaking his pointed features. His blonde hair glows in the light, giving the impression of him wearing a halo.
"Thank you god, for giving me this wonderful dream before I die. You have been listening after all." I cry. I know I am beyond help, and he knows it too because he has not gone for help.
My vision begins to blur and the warm, comforting hands of the man I love begin to stroke my dark hair.
I feel his warm breath tingle my skin as he leans in and presses his soft lips gently to mine.
I finally succumb to the darkness and feel the world slip from my grasp.
"I love you Clary." Jace sobs. With my last ounce of strength, I grab his hand in mine. I try to gently squeeze it but it falls limp. My eyelids flutter shut and my breathing stops. Death's cold fingers grip my soul and drag me from the world of the living to the land of the dead.
The far off chime of the clock signals the hour.
Midnight.