Dark Blood

by LittleDeeDee

This is a story I wrote about a girl and uses the idea of Shadowhunters but is about a different character

Dark blood

He's got me this time, there's nowhere to run and I can't call for help either. He grins an evil grin at me he knows he's got me cornered. I close my eyes. I have to think. I open my eyes and look up. I can see the next floor railing way up above my head but can I make the jump?

I've never been the most normal person walking this earth. I've always been... Different. Faster, stronger, smarter than most. Mum always says it's just me but I know there's something she's keeping from me. I can sense it. I'm walking down the road with my hands in the back pockets of my favourite jeans. We live in a little country town on the edge of nowhere. The only people you ever see out here are locals or the extremely lost. I go to the local school; Linton high, up the road and wish I knew what the word 'holiday' really meant. The closest thing I've ever had to a holiday is to mum's boyfriend's house in the next town for the weekend, which I might add is an hours drive away. I look up just as someone all in black almost crashes into me "Sorry" I say and step out of his way. He gives me the weirdest look that seems to say 'you can see me!?' and keeps walking. I turn to look at him in puzzlement and can't help but notice that no one else seems to detect him. If he didn't move they'd go straight through him. Someone's tapping my shoulder and I turn to see Kay, my best mate standing behind me "What you looking at?" he asks "That tall guy all in black can you see him?" I ask really fast. He gives me a dazed look and says "Whoa, who?" "Him! The guy in black standing on the corner of the alley" He puts a hand on my shoulder and says "Millie. There's no one there" I turn and he's there alright, all in black and silently laughing and waving at me "When did you start seeing people in black? Are you feeling alright?" He asks with an undertone of mockery in his voice "I... I..." I couldn't get the words out, why couldn't Kay see him? "Where you headed anyway?" He changes the subject "Nowhere" "Just trying to escape the house huh?" I nod "Come back to mine, I'm sure we'll find something to do"

I've always loved his place. His parents are filthy rich and there's at least a hundred rooms in this three story castle of his. It's very open though, despite being so big. It's got balcony on top of balcony with doors all the way along all of them but this isn't where we like to go. He's got fifty acres and at the bottom of the garden in a tall tree is a red and white tree house. His dad made it like a real mini size house and we've been coming here ever since I can remember. He climbs the ladder and I go up after him. At the top he reaches a hand down for me to take and hauls me up beside him. We sit down, dangling our feet out over the side. Kay puts his back against the door frame with one leg up, leaving the other one hanging and says "What's wrong? Is dad back again?" I never knew dad. He left before I was born or rather mum left him. He shows up on our door step every now and then to try convince mum to let him see me. She always says no, that it'd be too dangerous. How can seeing your own father be too dangerous? But all I say in reply as I stare at my swinging legs is "Yesterday" "Did you get a glimpse of him?" "No, mum stands right in the doorway" "Shame" He sighs "I bet he looks a lot like you?" At this I look up "What do you mean?" "Well you're not exactly a spitting image of your mum are ya?" He says as he leans forward on his elbows, crossing his legs in front of him. He's staring at me. His hair's jet black and smooth and his eyes are an insanely deep blue. I look down again. I'm short, mum's tall. My hair's wild, mum's hairs straight. My eyes are blue, hers are brown. We do both have long hair though, but still, I don't look anything like mum "Come on its getting dark. I'll walk you home" says Kay and jumps lightly off the edge.

I open my front door and turn back to Kay "Thanks" I say "No problem. Hey what you doing tomorrow?" "Nothing, why?" "Party down at Corner Club, wanna come?" "Yeah, may as well" "Great pick you up at six?" "Sounds good" "Great see ya!" "Bye!" I shut the door and lean against it putting my face in my hands. I'm so tired. I drag my feet up the stairs to the second floor and then up more stairs into my attic bedroom. It's layered all over with posters of T.V shows, movie stars, bands, books; you name it I've probably got something of it somewhere. I crash on my ever shrinking bed and pull out a book from under my pillow. Just inside the front cover like a little book mark is a folded up piece of paper. I pull it out and open it.

So party tomorrow tonight huh? Am I invited?
Either way I'll see you there.
-D

Who's D? And why was this person in my room? Could D be dad? Possible, but I doubt it. I sit up and scan my room "Hello?" No one here. I shrug, put the note down on my bedside table roll over and fall asleep still holding the book tight against my chest.

Getting ready in an hour has never been my specialty. I may be fast but I am still a girl. Three dresses to choose from or I could put on a cute top with leggings? I open my top drawer which is overflowing with tops. On second thoughts I think I'll stick to the dress. Now which one? Light blue fitted with sequins all over it; nice. Purple fitted with the massive flower on the shoulder; no way. Dark blue with the gems down the front; that's the one I'll wear. I put it on. The top fits nicely showing off my curves; that were possibly the only thing I inherited from mum; but the bottom of the dress spins out when I spin and comes to rest just above the knee. Perfect. I put on a little bit of makeup; I've never been great with that stuff, and head downstairs. Mum's in the kitchen on a stool reading the paper "Is Kay here yet?" I ask. Mum looks up "No he's not but oh don't you look gorgeous! Oh let me get a photo" she says all in the same breath and runs off for the camera "Mu-um" I drag out the word with a whining voice, but she's already back "Just one" I pose for her and hold up my index finger "One" "There" She says "And just in time here he is. Oh you have a wonderful time and keep yourself safe!" She cautions me "Yes mum. Bye mum!" I'm already closing the door behind me. Kay beeps at me from his white Ute. Ok we're only sixteen but out here as soon as you can work a car you can drive it. I yank open the rusty old door to the passenger side and swing up into the seat next to Kay "Nice" He says and nods his head a few times "Thanks" I say a little cockily. I put my arm down on the open window and he laughs as we start off down the road.

Kay comes round and opens my door for me "Mam" he says as he bows while I step out. He straightens and offers me his arm "This isn't a formal you know" I say to him but gratefully take his arm anyway "I know" he says. We're at the Corner Club, it's the annual monthly disco; probably the biggest thing that ever happens around here. The club's all done up in lights and balloons of every colour. There are two bouncers on the door; one on each side "I.D?" says the big burly man on my right; who is bald. We show him our student I.D cards and he lets us pass. In case you were wondering student I.D cards are little cards you get from school showing your date of birth, grade, things like that, it's instead of a drivers licence really. Inside the club you can't hear yourself think. People aged 16-21 are running around, dancing, jumping, drinking, laughing and talking. I've always been a party animal and the strobe lit dance floor sure does look inviting. One of the things I like about Kay is the fact that he too loves a good party and a dance. He spins me out onto the dance floor, catching me up in his arms as we start to dance together. The music's loud, my ears are ringing and Kay's dancing with me. What more could I ask for? Kay suddenly stops and looks at me "Drinks on me" He says as he neatly pulls me through the crowd towards the bar. Even the barman has his foot tapping and is polishing his glass to the beat of the music "What can I get you two?" he asks merrily as he sets his well-polished wine glass down on the counter "I'll have a Cider" says Kay "And I'll have a Vodka shot with juice" I say "I.D?" says the barman and we flash out cards at him "My head's pounding" I say "Your telling me" smiles Kay "But seriously a Vodka shot? With juice? Are you going completely insane?" "What wrong with Vodka?" I ask him "Straight Vodka can't even put my head right let alone watered down with juice" was his smart remark "Oh and I'm sure a Cider can, can it?" "At least it's a decent size" he mocks me jokingly. I open my mouth to retaliate but the barman's already returned with our drinks "Here ya go" he says "Have fun out there" "Back room" Kay says. We duck around the crowd and sit down on one of the big couches in the dimly lit back room. There aren't many people in here yet. Most people tend to dance the night away then come in here. We tend to dance for a while, come in here then go back out again. We set our drinks down on the little coffee table in front of our couch and I huddle back in the softness of one of the fluffy cushions as Kay says "Dare ya to take down that shot straight" "What would that prove?" I ask him "If you do I'll buy you another shot for the juice. Come on I'm offering to pay for a second shot" actually Kay doesn't generally offer to pay for drinks full stop so yes his offer was a pretty good one "Why?" I ask him "What's the point of this?" "I've always wondered if you were tough enough to do it" he says in a matter-of-fact way. I sigh as I sit up and Kay hands me the Vodka. It's already a hot night and Kay's hairs gone all wet with sweat. I stare at the drink for a moment and wonder if this is actually going to work "Come on your killing me here" says Kay and start pretends to choke himself. I laugh and knock the shot back. I gag as it goes down; feeling as if it was burning my throat. Kay looks as if he's genuinely proud of me "How'd that feel?" he asks "Wow" was all I could choke out before I lurch forward into a coughing fit. Kay laughs and ruffles up my hair as he stands up "I'll go get you another one then shall I?" and he disappears out the door "I must say I wasn't expecting you to get that down" comes a voice very close to my ear. I jump and spin around. It's the guy in black I nearly bumped into yesterday "Get my note?" he asks "Your D? You were in my room! You can't just go walking into people's rooms because you nearly crashed into them on the street, how'd you get in there anyway?" All eyes are on me and I suddenly feel like I want to sink into the couch. The guy called D laughs "That is irrelevant and the louder you talk the more of an idiot you'll look" he says "Can't they see you?" I almost whisper "And who are you anyway?" "Oh sorry, how rude of me. My name's Damien Moonhawk, but everyone just calls me Damo" he bows to me, then sits on the arm of the couch "And you are Milliana Jade Vivanie; that's quite a mouthful isn't it Millie? You live on..." "Ok" I cut him off "Enough I know you know where I live" "And your phone number is..." "You know that to!" I stare at him startled "No, but I knew you'd cut me off" he laughs. I sigh "Am I the only one who can see you?" I ask him "Apparently" he says looking around the room "Unless she's staring at me" he waves at the only other person in the room that I haven't scared off yet who doesn't acknowledge that she can "Or maybe not" I say "Well your boyfriend surely can't" "Kay!?" I stumble over his name "He's not my boyfriend" "Not yet" says Damo but before I could ask him what he meant by that Kay was back with my drink "Sorry it took so long, the cue was terrible" "That's ok" I reassure him and as I mix it with my juice; out of the corner of my eye I can see Damien's gone.

After another long dance Kay leads me outside and stops once we get to his Ute. He leans on the door and pulls me towards him "Millie" he says to me with a quiet breathlessness to his voice "You look beautiful tonight" I look down at myself "Thanks" I say "Welcome" "Kay..." I start but he's eating my words. His mouth pressed against mine is soft; his hand under my hair is gentle. He's kissing me. My arms reach for him and try to pull him closer, but he's already lifting his head away from me. He pulls me tight against his chest and says "Sorry, I didn't mean to be so forward but I... I think I love you Millie" I bite my lip as I look up at him. His eyes are on me, they look scared; almost like he just did the worst thing imaginable. I feel like I want to cry. I reach a hand up towards his face, meaning to stroke his cheek but he grabs my hand and starts kissing the inside of my palm instead. He holds onto my hand for a moment before releasing it and running the back of his hand down from my forehead to my cheek, his finger just touching the corner of my mouth "Millie" he starts as his thumb brushes my cheek nervously "I'm so sorry, I didn't want to start it this way I just... I meant to give it time, I don't wanna rush you, I didn't mean..." But I'm already pulling him down again. As soon as his lips touch mine his shoulders relax and he starts kissing me with a fierceness that I never thought he had in him. Had Damien seen this coming?

I crash on my bed beaming; still in my dress. I can't believe what just happened. Did Kay really just say he loved me? Did he just kiss me? Did I just kiss him back? "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" I scream; thinking it was only to myself "Now that was one hell of a first kiss and you do look absolutely stunning by the way" I sit up, startled as Damien emerges from the shadows on the other side of my room and comes to sit down on the end of my bed "But we really must get going, they're expecting us soon" he states, looking at his pretend watch "and you've still gotta pack" I feel my jaw drop "What?!" is all I manage to splutter out. Damien's already found my suitcase and is packing my clothes while I stare at him in shock. He begins throwing clothes at me; jeans and a t-shirt "And you most defiantly cannot go like that no matter how gorgeous you look" he says "And just when exactly are you planning on telling me where it is we are going and why it is so important that I have to come? Is this because I can see you? Is that it?" "That's part of it yes, we think you're... Different. Special" "Who's we?" I ask "They're people that you're gonna meet but we have to go now" "What about my mum. What about Kay?" I say Kay's name slowly "Your mum will be taken care of" "What does that mean and where are you taking me!" My voice is steadily rising to a shriek "Why now!" "You don't hesitate to ask questions do you?" He says to me. His voice is very light yet commanding at the same time "I'm not coming" I say to him firmly, crossing my arms over my chest "I don't know anything about you and you haven't even told me where we're going" He sighs "Good thing it's not a matter of choice then isn't it?" He eyes me "And you do know something about me; my name's Damien and I am 17. Now is that all you want or is there something else you'd like to take?" "No that's probably enough" I stare at the bulging suitcase with sheer distaste "Good" He sighs again "Go on then, get changed" I stalk into my ensuite bathroom and change. I stall and take off my makeup whilst wondering if there's any way I can get away from this guy. Nothing comes to mind apart from jumping out the window but I'd likely break a bone or two in my body and even knowing him as little as I do now I still think he'd jump too. I stalk back out and throw the dress at him "Happy?" I ask. He puts the dress in the case and snaps it shut "Always like a girl in jeans" He says. There's a loud crash from downstairs but before I can scream he's got a hand over my mouth "Shhhh! Let's go" He picks me up under one arm; suitcase in the other and jumps out the window. How ironic.

We make it up the back alley where I first saw him. He puts me down only to produce a white metal cylinder from his pocket. There's a black tip on one end of the cylinder and he starts drawing on the wall with it. He's got a very careful hand. Big elegant black swirling lines appear on the wall and I start to feel a little dizzy. I lean up against the adjacent wall and he stops to look at me "You ok?" He asks with a hint of real concern colouring his voice. I turn my head to look at him, like really look at him. He's got caramel coloured hair with chocolate brown tips and blonde highlights. His eyes are a deep brownie gold with long dark eyelashes. He's a tall boy; all muscle and 17 so he tells me. He's completely dressed in black from head to toe and his skin has a gold tint to it. He's quite stunning to look at really "Millie?" He calls to me, an edge in his voice "Yeah I'm fine" I manage to say as he continues to graffiti the wall "Those lines are making my head spin" He looks sideways at me but carries on drawing. When he's done the black lines expand out to form a big swirling, glowing circle "There" Damien looks especially pleased with his work as he reaches out a hand for me to take "Come on. This is it" I take his hand, more because I can't be bothered arguing with him again then anything "Now we're gonna step through this door and you're not going to let go of my hand you hear me? Don't let go. Clear your mind completely but if you must think of anything let it be me" He gives me a cheesy grin "Ready?" I nod "Then let's go" And with me in one hand and my suitcase in the other he pulls me through the shining door.

I feel like I'm falling through a rainbow. Every swirl is a different colour. I feel my hand slip from Damien's, but he manages to catch it again. I try as hard as I can to keep my mind focused on him as we keep falling into the endless swirl. Suddenly we fall out of the swirling mass and I land on top of Damo. He grunts as I roll off him; panting. There's a high ceiling way above me. It's all carved with more big patterns and my head starts spinning again. I sit up and look around me. Right in front of me is another swirling door; obviously the one we just came through, with books surrounding it all along the wall. I spin around to face a long room. On my left is a massive mahogany desk with a weird looking globe on it and a great wooden chair behind it. The chair has two little angels on top of it each holding a sword that is stuck point down into the marble looking wood. On my right is a large window that is almost floor to ceiling and around it is some expensive looking couches "Where are we?" I ask still a little breathlessly "This is the study" Damo says as he hauls himself to his feet and lends me a hand to help me up. I take it and he pulls me up with a little too much ease. Just then a smallish man walks in through the grand double doors opposite us. He is wearing a long dark red open robe that's rimed with gold, a dark blue top, black pants and polished, formal black shoes. He's carrying books under one arm and has got very big, round glasses that seem to take up much of his chubby, friendly looking face. He comes behind the desk and sets his books down as he sits in the high backed chair, practically beaming with excitement "Well" He says rubbing his stubby hands together "I knew the Vivanie's had one child but two!" "Uh, yes Millie this is Hector Hodge, better known as Mr H. He runs the place and is also a tutor here" clarifies Damo "But where is here?" I ask a little sheepishly "Oh Dame you didn't tell her?" Scolds Mr H "Well uh….. Sorry what's your name sweetie?" "Milliana but please call me Millie" "Yes Milliana Jade Vivanie. Fancy name for a so called mundane don't you think Hector?" says Damien "Indeed. Anyway this is the Dynasty; it's a place where young Shadowhunters like yourself come and learn what they are capable of. Most are orphans though" "We're in North London by the way" adds Damien "LONDON!" I exclaim "Yes, is that a problem?" asks Damo "I live in the middle of Australia so that makes it a problem. How did we get to England and what's a Shadowhunter?" "You got to England via that" Mr H points at the swirling door "It's formally called a Lectoris Animum which means mind reader but you can just call it a Divider. It takes you to the place or person you're thinking of although there are some exceptions to that last one" "So that's why you told me to think of you" I say as I turn to look at Damien "Yes well I couldn't very well say 'think of the Dynasty' now could I? Goodness knows where you'd end up" says Damo, his voice dripping with sarcasm "Yes well I really must get on I have people coming so Damien if you'd be kind enough to show Millie to her room and get Marta in to see her that'd be great" says Mr H "Yep, come on Millie" says Damien as he leads me out of the room.

Outside I'm confronted with a long corridor. Damien leads me down it and around corner after corner. I'm sure we're going to end up lost but he seems confident enough. "Hey Damien, what's a Shadowhunter?" I ask him "The Shadowhunter's or the Umbra-venator's are an extremely old race that have been protecting normal mundane people for centuries" "Umbra-what?" "Umbra-venator, it's Latin. Most of our words were originally Latin" "So what did Mr H call that door thing?" "The Lectoris Animum or Divider. Also Latin" "Right and that means mind reader?" I say still not too sure I'm going to remember much of this "Very good" praises Damien. We turn another corner into yet another long corridor but the difference with this one is that it's lined with doors. Damien walks up to one of them and swings it open "This is your room" he announces "Right and if I leave it I'll never ever find it again. How did you…?" "Find the room? Years of practise sweetie and you'd better start learning 'cause I won't always be around to guide you" "You sound like something out of a movie" I smile, he laughs and chucks my suitcase neatly onto the bed "I'll go get Marta" he says and I'm left alone.

I close the door and take in my new room. Plain white walls. Single bed with plain yellow covers and a little bedside table with a lamp on my left. A dresser next to an average size window opposite me and a tall wardrobe on my right. There's another door almost right in the far left corner leading into... A decent sized bathroom which is again all white. Well at least I didn't have a worry about finding that in this big maze of a place they call the Dynasty. Is there a kitchen hidden in here somewhere to? That would just set my life up completely, but there are only two doors in here; one to go back out into the maze and one for the bathroom. Looks like I'm going to need a GPS when it comes to meal times. I sit down on my bed and open my suitcase. I stare at it dully then up at my plain white walls. I so wish I'd thought to bring some posters or something but all I've got now are clothes and a few books, besides the necessities. I tip my suitcase out onto my bed and start picking up anything that goes in the bathroom. Shampoo, conditioner, hairbrush and whatever else I could carry and arrange them in the little mirrored bathroom cabinet, above the plain white sink. When I come back out someone's standing in my doorway and makes me jump "Sorry" says the woman "Didn't mean to startle you. I'm Marta, Hector's wife" "I'm Millie" "Yes, I know your brother" "I have a brother?" "Your parents never told you?" I shake my head and sit down on my bed. Marta comes towards me. She's the complete opposite of Mr H. She's tall and lean, but not too tall, with long strides and a long face. I imagine the saying 'like a bean pole' would suit her perfectly. She's wearing jeans and a casual top with a high collared cardigan which is the most normal thing I've seen since I got here. The only similarity between her and Hector was the smile on their faces. She sits down next to me "How much do you know Millie?" she asks "Well this place is called the Dynasty, the door thing I came through is called a Divider and you call yourselves Shadowhunters" "Is that all you know?" "I was bought here because I can see Damien" "Yes and no. You see untrained Shadowhunter's are easy prey for Demons like the Vachi" "What's the Vachi?" "The Vachi are tracker Demons that find and kill untrained Shadowhunters before they reach 17. Damo says he saw one watching you" "Really?! So why am I the only one who can see Damien?" "Because you're a Shadowhunter darling" "But what does that mean though? People can see me perfectly fine" I don't like this conversation very much or the direction it's starting to head "Being a Shadowhunter means your stronger, more agile and faster than the average human. The angel made us to protect man. Here read this book it's the Shadowhunter code. It'll tell you all the basics. Now I'd better get going. Bye sweetie" and she was gone. I drop the book onto my bedside table and start putting all my clothes in my wardrobe. Everything fit with loads of space left over. I slide my suitcase under my bed and crash on my covers, falling into a deep sleep.

By the time I wake up its two pm. I stare up at the blank ceiling, still to dazed to really take in any of this. I sit up and pull my cell out of my pocket. 4 new messages. Mum, Mum, Mum, Kay. I open Kay's first 'Hey Millie I'm down on the corner of your street. Meet me ASAP Kay' received four hours ago. Shit he'd be thinking I hate him or something. I hastily write a sorry message and attempt to send. No signal. I throw my phone at the wall in frustration just as I hear the door open behind me. I spin around. There's a boy standing in the doorway this time "It can't be that bad here surely" he says, gesturing with sarcastic exasperation at my phone "No it's not here, well not in that way. My phone doesn't have signal" I explain a little nervously "Common thing round here. Best reception's out back. I'm Archer by the way" Archer looks nothing like Damien. He's scrawny but still manages to look strong. His golden blond hair falls over his left eye. His eyes are pale blue with a little sparkle that makes you want to get to know him. He's dressed in jeans, a low cut tank top and runners. One thing that makes him stand out more than anything though is the amount of swirling tattoos that cover his arms and neck which look like they've been drawn on by Damien with his cylinder pen that I still don't know the name of. Archer looks down at himself then back up at me "What?" he asks innocently but his mouth curls up at one corner. He walks almost gracefully across the room and picks up my phone "Still works" he shrugs and tosses it at me "Come on let's go see if we can find you some reception before you break that phone shall we."

Archer leads me down two flights of stairs and out the back doors into a decent sized garden area. There's a large greenhouse on my right and some small flower gardens scattered around with a different stone bench in each one. There's a high red brick wall surrounding the place. Archer leads me over to the far garden, closest to the wall the sits down on the little bench, gesturing for me to join him. I sit down next to him and pull out my phone. It goes off like crazy. Ten messages in thirty seconds, that's a record. Mum freaking out and Kay worried sick. He says he'd been to my house and the place had been turned upside down and stank like old rags, dirt and filth. I write back to him telling him I'm alright and that I'll see him soon. Then I open mum's messages. 'Don't come home', 'where are you' and 'I love you' are the top three things that come up in her messages. Then I open the last one; 'have they found you?' 'The Shadowhunter's yes is my reply. Archer's sitting silently next to me watching me type "You know Damien hasn't shut up about you since he got back" he states still looking at my phone. I look up at him in confusion "What?" "You heard me" he says meeting my gaze "Millie this and Millie that. I don't know how Dre puts up with him to be honest" "Dre?" "Damo's best mate. Practically brothers those two" "Do you know my brother?" I ask "Blake? Who doesn't is a better question" "I don't" Something flickers in Archer's eyes but he says nothing. There's a massive clang that makes me jump. Archer laughs and gets up "That's the dinner bell" he points to the roof which has a big bell tower on it "They couldn't be any more conspicuous?" Archer laughs again and stumbles happily around on the grass. He's got a laugh that leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy inside "It's all glammed up" he says and waves his hands at me in a playful manner then says "Come on, time to meet the others. You ready for this?" "They won't eat me will they?" he laughs again.

Archer shoves open a set of double doors and walks boldly into a ginormous dining room. In the middle of the room is a fancy wooden dining table that could seat about 12 people, but today there are only five people seated around it, three of which I recognize; Marta, Hector and Damien. The other two, a bitchy looking girl and another guy who I'm guessing is probably Dre, I'm sure I'll be introduced to later. The guy who I think is Dre stands up and wolf whistles as I walk in "Archie" he calls. Archer just waves nervously. I walk further into the room. The whole room is bordered with a bench which is laden with food. Archer's beside me in a second "That's Dre" he points out "I figured" I say sarcastically and he giggles. Damien's throwing dinner rolls at Dre who's catching as many of them in his mouth as possible. Archer rolls his eyes and leads me over to the table, pulling out the chair next to Damien for me then sitting on my other side "Boys" says Marta "Enough." Dre and Damien sit back down laughing "Millie this is Dre, Dre, Millie" introduces Archer "Ey" Dre tips his head up at me. He's got quite a soft face really. He's got spikey dirty blonde hair with dark brown tips and soft brown eyes "And that right there is Porsha" Archer indicates the girl at the end of the table. She's sitting sideways in her chair, with her legs over the arm rest. She's bright blonde with green-blue eyes and covered in makeup. She's wearing a frilly pink mini skirt and a glittering light blue tank top. I don't even want to try and imagine the 6inch heels she's probably wearing. The funny thing about both these people are the tattoos that remind me of the one's Archer has twining his arms. They suit Dre and Damo's got them too, but they really don't suit Porsha. I wonder if Hector and Marta have them too. "That?" Says Porsha raising her eyebrow "Don't you mean she or her name is?" "No, I think he meant it Porsh" replies Damien. Porsha gives him a dirty look and Dre's in fits of laughter "Dame. Isn't that another word for girl" Porsha says "That's why they put the o on the end to make it masculine, Dame-o" Damien drags out the last letter "Didn't you listen in Italian Porsh?" Damien retorts "At least a Porsh is a nice car" she pokes her tongue out at him "Enough! Go get your food" Hector waves everyone off and instantly everyone's up and scattered around the bench, scrabbling for food.

After dinner Porsha takes me to her room saying she wants to try something on me. I do not like the sound of this but tag along anyway. Her room in set up similar to mine except her walls are blue and appear to be covered in glitter. Her bed's all fluro colours and her dresser's stacked with makeup. She walks over to her wardrobe and throws open the doors. How all her clothes stay in there I will never understand. She pulls out loads of different skirts, shorts, sparkling tops and jackets and one by one throws them onto her bed "Pick something. Oh and for heaven's sake wear shorts under the skirts" she orders me. I put on a dark blue sparkling top and the longest mini skirt she has. She gives me a pair of shinning blue 4inch heels that do my legs no justice and I pick up a pair of plain black shorts off her bed and put them on. I don't think I've ever worn anything so revealing in my whole life, but there's something different about these shorts apart from the fact that they feel like they've been made from fake leather. Attached to the top of each leg is a little holster "Hey Porsh? What are these for?" I ask pulling at the holsters "Weapons, duh" I look up at her confused "Pardon?" she sighs and flicks up her own skirt displaying a wicked looking knife. She then turns around and shows me what looks like some sort of Lightsaber on the other "I know what a knife is but what's that?" I point "This" she says taking the Lightsaber like thing out of its holster "Is an Angeli Lamina aka Angel Blade" she hands me the blade and I turn it over and over in my hands "It's so light!" "Yes well if they were really that heavy you wouldn't be able to use them properly would you? Don't tell Damo I let you hold it, he'll kill me" "Why?" "They're extremely dangerous" but before I could ask what made them so deadly dangerous there was a knock at the door. Porsha had the Angel Blade out of my hand and back into its holster just before the door swung open "Milliana?" inquires a pretty normal looking guy "Yeah?" "Damien wants me to take you to the training room" I turn to Porsha who says "Let the girl change first." The boy bows low and closes the door while he waits in the corridor "What are we doing this for?" I ask looking down at myself "Party tomorrow night. You're coming" Porsha says smiling at me while doing her hair in the mirror "Your brother will be there." Ok I'm in. I get changed and open the door to find the boy waiting for me. He inclines his head at me, turns and leads me silently through the maze to the training room.

"Thanks Cedric" says Damien when we finally make it to our destination. Cedric bows low and walks out with a stiff backed walk "Does he ever talk?" I ask. Damien raises an eyebrow "Only when you talk first. He's actually really nice. He's our top serving boy" "Right" I look around the rectangular room. Above me are long wooden beams that only cover the back half of the ceiling, making it sort of like a split level. The walls have hooks lined with all kinds of weapons and sharp objects and on the side of the wall is a rope ladder leading up to the beams. The floors got a square mat on it and then I look at Damien. He's standing on the blue mat spinning a sword from one side to the other, dangerously close to his bare sides. He's only wearing three quarter shorts. My mind starts to wander as I watch every muscle in his perfect body ripple as he moves. A tattoo on his back runs up and over his neck, shoulders and sides. He holds the blade in front of his face and closes his eyes before flipping the sword point down into the mat and placing one hand on top of the other on the hilt, show off "This is the training room and I will be your trainer" he says looking up at me through his dark lashes "Trainer for what?" I ask "Combat training, weapons training, you name it. You can't be a Shadowhunter unless you know how to fight." I look at the wall in dismay and he laughs at me. My phone goes off in my pocket. It's Kay. He wants to know where I am and when he'll see me again "And we'll have none of that" says Damien, neatly plucking the phone out of my hand and reading the text "Hey!" I say "And you can't tell him where you are either" "I'm not that stupid" I say "When can I see him then" "When you can flip gracefully off that" he points up to the beams and I cringe "But that'll take me ages" I whine "Well then better start practising" he says walking over to the ladder and giving it a little shake.

I crash on my bed, completely exhausted after running up and down a rope ladder and across beams for an hour. Lucky for me there was a bungy rope you could clip into so you wouldn't break a bone every time you fell. This in my case was a lot. Damo sure got a lot of entertainment out it at least. Damo demonstrated the flip I had a do for him before I could see Kay and it didn't look at all easy. He ran flat out across the beams, pushed off the wall with one foot and arched down through the beams, landing a perfect flip without a rope. It's going to take me ages to learn how to do that. I bury my face in my pillow. Then I have an idea. I'm not a prisoner here. Why should Damo be the one to tell me who I can and cannot see and when. I'm determined. I get up and walk out the door. I turn right and run down the first flight of stairs I come to. I turn left and wander around getting myself more lost by the second. Finally I sit down in a corner and curl up crying. All I want to do is go home. I want to see mum, Kay and go back to school. Live a normal life. A shadow moves over me and I feel a soft hand on my shoulder "Millie?" I look up into Archer's pale blue eyes and he wraps me in a tight hug "Where were you trying to get to?" he asks pulling away so he can see my face "I wanted to go for a walk" "Down here?" Archer looks unconvinced "Outside" I say "You know where the back door is. I showed you earlier remember? Or where you looking for the front door?" his eyes have a 'know how you feel' look in them "Millie" he says taking my face in his hand and forcing me to look at him "Tell me honestly, where were you going?" "I need to see Kay and Damien won't let me." Archer stands up and offers me a hand to help me up before walking off back down the way I came. I follow and he leads me down another flight of stairs into a big candle lit entry room. He walks over to a big old set of carved doors and pushes them open letting in the cool evening air "As long as we're back by nine we should be fine" he looks at his watch "It's seven thirty now" and he hops off down the front steps. I bound off after him and we walk out the front gate. He turns down the first ally we come to and pulls out his cylinder pen "Do you know what this is?" he asks holding out the pen. I shake my head "It's called a Librarius or Scribe. It creates runes. Like these" he says and holds out his arms. I touch the swirling patterns lightly with my fingertips. I let my hand fall and he turns around and starts drawing on the wall. A Divider appears and Archer says "Now you think of Kay and I'll think of you. You do know how a Divider works right?" "Yeah that's how I got here" I reply "But actually..." I trail off "But actually what?" "Maybe I should think of a place instead, 'cause like what if he's having dinner or something. We can't just show up in the middle of the dining room" "Good point" he laughs and reaches for my hand "After you" he says and follows me through the swirls.

We hit the pavement and I look around. We're on the corner where Kay said to meet earlier. Archer lets my hand go and starts hastily drawing on himself "I need to go somewhere any way so I'll see you just before nine" "What are you doing" I ask looking at the arm he's drawing on "Putting up a glamour. It's the reason mundanes can't see us. Only Shadowhunters and Demons can see through Glamour's" "So Damo was wearing one when he nearly crashed into me?" "Probably" "Where are you going?" "I'll explain later, but I'm hanging around till Kay gets here so go on and text him." I text Kay and tell him I'm on the corner. 'Be right there' was his reply. A little while later Kay comes round the corner and his eyes light up "See ya later, oh and by the way you can't tell him where you've been" says Archer and disappears. Kay runs at me and scoops me up in his arms "Oh my gosh Millie I've been so worried! Where have you been?" "Around" I say looking up into his happy eyes before burying myself in him. He holds me tight against his chest. One hand on the back of my head and the other around my waist. He lightly kisses the top of my head "What happened?" he asks and takes a step back but doesn't let me go "I don't know. I was out before anything happened" "How did you get out?" "The window" at least this wasn't a lie. I hate lying to him "Your bedroom window?" he asks unbelieving "You can do some pretty amazing things under stress" I justify "Come with me" he says, offering me his hand. I take it gratefully and we set off down the road "Where are we going?" I ask him "You'll see"

We round the corner into the local park. It's getting late so there's basically no one here. He leads me down a bank towards the stream running along the west side of the park and pulls me into the willow trees. It's beautiful down here. The sound of the stream, the whistle of the few birds that were still out singing and the weeping willow branches all around us "This place is beautiful" I exclaim turning to look at him. Kay's standing behind me holding back some of the branches. I'd never realised just how gorgeous he looked. Maybe the light was doing him justice. He drops the willow branches and walks towards me "You like it then?" he says "Of course I do" I reply, reassuringly "The tree's climbable" he says, gesturing towards the huge willow tree. He knows I love climbing trees. He boosts me onto the lowest branch and hauls himself up after me. We climb higher and higher until the branches get to flimsy to hold our weight. He sits down on the thick branch and rests his back against the trunk of the tree. I sit facing him between a fork in the same branch "I'm nowhere near as confident as you are with this stuff" Kay says sheepishly, looking down at the ground that seems eons away. I laugh "You should be used to it by now. You spend plenty of time in trees when I'm around. When did you find this place anyway?" "Oh about a week ago actually. I was going to bring you here this morning but that's when I found your place destroyed" He gives me a look that says 'I know there's something you're not telling me' and sighs "Millie, where have you been all day? Why didn't you just come to mine? You know I will always look after you" "I've been..." I bite my lip. I know I can't tell him the whole truth, not yet but surely bits can't hurt "I've been walking the town in a daze all day, took a back street in the dark last night and got disorientated. Ended up in wopwop" "Right so when did the house get turned into a junk yard. It was fine when I dropped you home last night" He's really concerned "It happened like half an hour after you left. What happened? I don't know. I was out the house before anything major did happened so" I shrug half-heartedly and he nods, giving me a half smile and looks down "It's getting so dark I can barely see the ground" he says "Come back to mine tonight, mum won't mind you sleeping on the couch. Or if you'd prefer a bed then I'll sleep on the couch and you can have mine" he adds throwing his hands in the air. I laugh "Thanks but I'm staying with an old friend tonight. I bumped into him today and promised I'd be at his by nine" Kay gives me a funny look "And who is this guy?" he asks "Archer. Mums friends son. I'm staying there 'cause there's a good chance mum'll show up" If she's still alive. I add to myself "But I'll stay at yours another night if that's alright?" "Sure" he says and starts making his way down the tree. At the bottom he looks a little disappointed and I take his hands in mine "We'll be ok" I say way more confidently then I feel. He takes my face in his hand and kisses me soft and long "So where am I taking you then?" he asks leading me back up the bank onto the street outside.

Archer's already standing on the corner waiting for me "So where is this guy?" asks Kay. Archer must still have his glamour up "Archer should be here soon" I say, loudly enough so that he gets the point that we're waiting for him to visibly pick me up. Archer dives round the corner and returns in a second, walking boldly straight up to Kay "Archer" he says, extending his arm out for Kay to shake his hand "Kay" he replies. Kay seems a little uncertain about Archer, almost intimidated, even though Archer's a whole head shorter. It might be the tattoo's he's covered in "Alright Millie let's go. My curfew was about 15 minutes ago and if we're not back soon someone's going to notice" says Archer "I'll talk to you later" I say to Kay and we wave as Archer drags me back in the direction of the Dynasty "So what does he know?" inquires Archer "I told him you were my mum's friends kid and that we bumped into each other earlier" I explain "Yes more detail, what does he think happened last night?" "I told him I jumped out my window before anything happened, took a back street and got lost" "Good cover" he praises and raises his hand for a high five which I accept "So where did you duck off to then?" I ask "Oh I have someone I'm watching. He's 13 at the moment. Just checking for Vachi. You know what that is right?" "Yeah, Marta told me" I say confidently, finally glad I could say I knew something. Archer smiles at me "So how did you end up at the Dynasty?" I ask Archer "Oh uh that's a long story. I'll tell you some other time?" he looks a little nervous "Why not now?" I ask impatiently "Because we're already down the alley" he says but I get the feeling his past isn't something he generally likes or tends to talk about. He pulls out his Scribe and draws a Divider "Your room" he says and we step through the door.

We tumble out next to my wardrobe. All this swirling teleporting business is starting to make me dizzy. Archer's head snaps up as we hear someone walking down the hall. He hauls me to my feet just as the Divider disappears and there's a knock at the door "Make it look casual" Archer whispers to me "Like we've been here the whole time" I sit crossed legged at the head of my bed and Archer sits on the end "Yeah?!" I call and Damo opens the door "Oh sorry" he says when he sees Archer "Am I interrupting anything?" "No, no, she's all yours" says Archer "I was just leaving" he gets up and makes his way to the door "See ya Mills" "Bye" I wave to him. Damien bumps Archer as he passes him in the doorway and a silent message seems to pass between them. Damo comes in and shuts the door behind him. I pat the spot where Archer was previously sitting and Damo sits down. I look at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something but all he's doing is looking at my room "Your walls here are so bare compared to your old room" he says "Tell me about it" I say "It's sooooo annoying" "I'm gonna find you some posters" states Damo with a finality to his voice that you just wouldn't dare to argue with "What kinda things do you like?" he questions me "Oh anything. As long as I know who or what they are" "And if you don't?" he squints at me with one eye like a pirate and makes me laugh "Then I'd Google them" I say putting as much attitude into my voice as I could through my lingering laughter "Are you ticklish?" his eyes are shining with mischief "Mmmmmaybe" I say as my legs start to rise up in front of me to protect myself from what I knew he was about to do, but I was to slow or rather he was too fast. As quick as a cobra strike he had his arms around my waist from behind and was pulling me around so my back was to him. His fingers were digging into me hard and no matter how much I squirmed and thrashed about his grip held "Can't breathe" I gasp through the squeals and laughter. He stops tickling me but his grip on my waist holds. It's almost like he's holding onto me to protect himself. I rise up on my knees and turn around to give him a playful backhand across the face but I misjudge how close he is and we end up with our noses almost touching "Whoa!" I start and fall backwards into a ball. I hadn't realized I'd almost been sitting in his lap. Damo's laughing so hard he's almost crying and it makes me laugh too. Damo's laugh is nothing like the gorgeous peel of Archer's but it's still catchy. He crosses his arms over my knees and rests his chin on top, looking at me with an uncontrollable smile on his face. He starts walking his right hand down my left leg like a little person and I feel a bit uncomfortable but before I have to say anything his little two finger man jumps onto my stomach and starts dancing "Dada, dada, da, da" he starts singing and we laugh again as we both sit up "So, I guess that wasn't what you came in here for" I say "No but it was fun" he laughs "No more laughing. My chest hurts" I say but we're already laughing again "Ok" Damo tries to compose himself "I was wondering if you had any plans for tomorrow?" "Only in the evening. Why?" "I just wanted to show you around the local town that's all and maybe get in some Street Running practise. That stuff's important you know" he says nodding. One thing I notice about Damien and Archer compared to Kay is the maturity level. Despite all the childish play from Damien, both he and Archer have a good head on their shoulders. They're more responsible and mature. Kay on the other hand goes with what he wants and feels rather than what is right, which isn't always a bad thing but it does mean he's more prone to sooking if he doesn't get his way. I can't imagine Damo or Archer sooking "There is something I wanna show you tonight though" says Damo "Come with me" and he leads me out the door into the torch lit hallways.

He takes me up some stairs and up a ladder through a hole in the roof. We step out onto a long flat area on the roof. The roof behind me is a huge sloping triangular shape with the ginormous bell tower on top. A waist high black fence with swirling designs keeps us from falling off this 4 story church. I walk over to the edge of the roof and lean on the railing, looking out at the beautiful city. It's all lit up in blues and yellows and those other city colours you can't describe. We're not too far out of the inner city but we're far enough away to not get all the traffic and noise of it, or is that just another glamour thing? I look up at the stars and can see all the constellations and a full moon. There's always something special about a full moon. I'm acutely aware of Damo standing right behind me. I don't know whether to turn around or move or just stay put. He's giving off a vibe like he's about to do something. And he does. He takes a step forward, closing all distance between us and wraps his arms around me from behind. I'm not sure what to do but I feel comfortable and safe in his strong arms. I lean back on his chest. I'm not cheating on Kay because technically we're not dating "Beautiful" Damo breaths "It's an amazing night" I reply. He turns me around slowly, looking me straight in the eye and says "But that's the best view in the world" "Cheesy" I laugh "You don't like my line?" he says mocking hurt. We smile at each other for a moment "Come sit" he says and sits down heavily on the concrete floor. I plonk myself down next to him and he leans back on his hands "You tired?" he asks "Yeah" he lays down and pats his stomach "Wanna pillow?" I sigh and rest my head on him, feeling his whole torso rise and fall with every breath. Damien's quite romantic really; under all the tough guy bravado he does have a soft side. My mind wanders to Kay and I start to think this is already getting out of hand. I can't have both boys. Well I can but I'm not that kind of girl. A relationship is between two people not three "What are you thinking?" Damo says quietly looking up at the stars "About life" I say "More specifically" "What's happened and what's gonna happen now" Damo's hand strokes my head "It'll be ok, I'll look after you. We all will, but that's not quite what you were thinking was it?" he says. He guides me into a sitting position and sits up crossing his legs before guiding back down again so that I was lying just above his knee "I think I know what you're thinking because I'm thinking the same" he says, his eyes look distant and almost lost. He looks venerable. Damo never looks like this, it's like some part of him has opened up and I'll have to be careful not to let it close again. I sit up and cross my legs in front of him and look him in the eye "What are you thinking?" I ask "About us" he says "And Kay and about not getting you into trouble" "Trouble?" I ask confused "Well you don't think Kay, your lifelong friend who has loved and waited for you since the word go is just gonna roll over and let some guy you recently met have you do you?" "You. Want me….? Like that?" I say carefully "Of course I do. Mille I have never met a girl like you before, you just….." he sighs "You drive me crazy. The question is….. Would you ever go for an ass like me?" he hangs his head. I reach forward and slip my hand into his "Ok first of all you're not an ass or if you are I haven't seen that side of you yet" "Thanks" he says sarcastically but he's laughing "And secondly…. Yes I would but I need time to think. I need to work this out first. We need to give it time. Is this why you said I could only see Kay after I did that flip for you? Because you knew it'd take me ages and then I'd grow to love you over Kay?" "That was a motive yes, but it wasn't my only reason. The other was I knew it was a good incentive to get you to do it quicker than most people would" His hand gently grabs my cheek bone and he pulls me into a kiss. It's soft and tender and hesitant but has more power and feeling behind it then his words or even the venerability in his eyes. I reach for him. Wrapping my arms around his neck. Unlike Kay, Damo doesn't even remotely try to stop me but instead uses it to get closer to me. One arm's around my shoulders and the other my waist. He kisses me harder and I tangle my fingers in his hair. He pulls away from me with his eyes closed and opens them slowly. They have a dreamy sparkle in them. His hands grab either side of my face gently and he kisses me softly once more. His arms go back to my shoulders and waist and he lifts me up with him to standing and pulls me tight against him. His mouth leaves mine and travels down my cheek and under my jaw before he kisses me on top of my head "We should probably go to bed now" he says, still dreamily with his eyes shut. His eyes suddenly fly open "Not together. I don't mean…." He laughs nervously "I understand" I tell him and he takes my hand, leading me back down to my room.

The morning light streams in through my uncurtained windows and there's a knock at my door "What?" I grumble still half asleep, Damo opens the door "Morning sunshine" he says too brightly and walks over to get me out of bed. I'm wearing a singlet top and undies and am quick to grab my covers before he throws them off. He seems to realize why I jumped and slowly backs up towards the door again "Breakfast is ready" he says. I pick up the clock next to my bed; 6am "What?! Damo it's only 6am, uh" I groan. He winks at me and shuts himself out of my room. I get up and stumble over to my wardrobe to find jeans, a top and a jacket. Then I walk sleepily into my bathroom and shower. Once I'd finished the whole getting ready procedure and checked myself in my full length mirror about five times to make sure I looked decent, I walk over to my door. Then it hit me, how was I going to find the dining room? I open my door and look left; Damien's standing there flicking a knife that has an amazingly well patterned wooden handle. He tucks it into his belt the instant he sees me "It's now 6:30am" he says looking at his dark blue watch "Sorry, I didn't know you were waiting for me" I reply "You need an escort and I'm happy to help" he bows and offers me his arm, barely containing a smile. I accept, almost laughing. The whole formal act doesn't suit him at all but nonetheless we still walked arm in arm down to the dining room. We talked and laughed the whole way down and by the time we walked in we were very nearly in hysterics, Archer, Dre and Porsha turn to look at us. Porsha has a puzzled look on her face, like laughing was something she'd never seen before and Dre just laughs along. Damo ruffles up my hair and playfully pushes the back of my head as we part to separate sides of the room to get our food. Archer shuffles quickly over to me "I'm impressed. No one's made Damien laugh like that for ages, well ok apart from Dre but that's different" "Morning Archer" I smile "Good morning Millie" he replies, returning my smile before heading off to take his place at the table. I follow and go to take my spot next to Damo "Wait" he says and stands up to pull out my chair for me "Waaaaaaaay!" Dre yells as Damo and I sit down "Damo's got a soft spot, Damo's got a soft spot" Damien rips up the bread on his plate, rolls it into balls and starts throwing them across the table at Dre who does the same. Both boys are laughing and when they finish their bread fight Damo leans back in his chair and puts one arm over the back of mine. He then picks up a bread ball in front of him and chews it loudly next to my ear "Oh get off" I push him and he laughs "Awww, I'm sorry" he says and leans his arm back over my chair and kisses the side of my head "So what's everybody doing today?" asks Porsha attempting to give the next interaction some form of actual conversation "Training" says Archer and Dre at the same time "I'm taking Mille out…." Damo starts. Dre tips up his head "Oh yeah?" "Street running" He finishes "Just make sure she's back by 4, party starts at 7 and we are not going to be late" demands Porsha "I'm late, I'm late for a very important date" Damo sings "Don't worry yourself Porsh, we will be."

"Alright so what are we doing?" I ask as we walk down the main street in town "I'm gonna show you around a bit and then we're gonna do some street running. So tell me about yourself, what kinda things do you like doing?" replies Damo "Well, I like drawing, tattoo art to be exact" "Ah you'll have to practise on me sometime" Damo says and nudges me with his elbow a few times "If there's any room, you are literally covered" "I can show you a few places that aren't" he says suggestively "Uh no thanks. I'll stick to my book" "Your loss" he shrugs and looks up into the blue sky. A few fluffy white clouds dance around in the distance "I don't know much about you, what's your world like?" I try to sound as interested as I can because I genuinely am. Damo's starting to grow on me "How long you known Kay for?" "That wasn't my question" "I know but just answer it, please" he's got that venerable look in his eyes again but they quickly become guarded again "Since I was 5 or 6" "And how long's he liked you?" "I don't know, I expect about a year or two, why?" "Just sizing up my competition, so do you like him?" "Yes but I don't think it's in the way you mean and yes before you ask I do like you" "More so than him?" his eyes light up "I don't know yet, now answer my question" he sighs and I expect, like Archer, that he doesn't talk about his personal life very much. We stop at a little café called 'Sunrise' "Talk about it over a drink?" he guides me in and we sit down at a round table with a semicircular red seat in the back corner. A tall brunette waitress comes over to us "Can I get you guys something?" Damo looks at me expectantly "Iced-chocolate please" "Me too" says Damo. The waitress looks at us quizzically and walks off "What was that about?" I say pointing at the retreating waitress "They know me in here, they were expecting me to say 'the usual'" "And what is that?" I say leaning forward like it's a big secret. Damo leans it too "Scones with strawberry jam and whipped cream plus a strong coffee. I'll have to get you that next time, it's amazing" The waitress is already back with our drinks. She stands awkwardly for a moment thinking she interrupted something. When she recovers, she puts the drinks down and walks off. I pull my drink in towards me and take a sip, leaving both hands locked around the base of the glass. I look at Damo; he looks down at the vanilla ice-cream floating in his glass and sighs "I was brought up a fighter, locked in the Shadowhunter world ever since I was born. I was trained by a guy called Trevor from the age of two and started proper fighting when I hit twelve. I'm the youngest or three, all boys. We lived in a little house about 10 minutes' drive from here. When I was 13" he gulps "My parents were killed on a duo mission. It was just the two of them in a party full of vampires and other Downworlders. They were apparently eaten and their remains burned" he stops, swallowing a lump that's forming in his throat and looks at the wall next to him. I reach my hand across the table to him but he doesn't accept "What were your parents' names?" I ask in a hushed tone "Patrisha and Jason. My brothers Trent and Zac. Zac was the oldest, then Trent and then me. We were all taken to the Dynasty by Trevor, and Trent and I were practically raised by Zac. When I was 14 Trent ran into a burning house to save three kids that were trapped in their room. They were all badly burned, including Trent, the only difference is that all the kids survived but even with the help of runes Trent died in the hospital at the Dynasty. Then last year, back when I was 16, I picked a fight with some werewolves. They had me pinned against the wall and would've killed me. They should've killed me… Zac took the blow when they pounced and as they crushed him he told me to run. And I did. I ran. And I killed him. That's when the ground was officially pull out from underneath me and everything since then has been pretty much a blur" Damo's fists clenched together into balls of steel and I put my hands gently over them "Damo, you didn't kill your brother. The wolves did" I soothed "Ha, don't let them hear you call them that. They don't like it" he half smiles for a second and then it disappears as quickly as it came "But it was my fault. If I were half the Shadowhunter I should've been, I would've been able to stop it. I would've been smart enough not to get in a fight in the first place. I KILLED HIM!" he stands up and yells, banging his fist on the table. The whole room turns to look at us and I feel very self-conscious, but the minute they realize its Damo everyone turns back to their meals like robots, almost as if they knew Damien was prone to this kind of behaviour and tried hard to ignore it. Damo sits back down as I come around the table to him. I lock my hands behind his neck as he puts his head on my chest and his arms loosely around my waist. I kiss the top of his head and he pulls me sideways onto his lap and hugs me tightly. I feel his body shake as he tries to hold back the tears that I knew should've been falling. We sit in each other's embrace for a solid five minutes before he pushes my head up off his shoulder and takes my face in his hands, kissing me powerfully "Thankyou" he whispers and runs his hand down the side of my face "I didn't do anything" I say "No, you did everything" he smiles "So you ready to start some hard-core Parkour?" he says, putting me back on my feet "Whenever you are" I reply confidently. He stands up and pulls me into his chest, ruffling up my hair "This way" he says and I hesitate as he pulls me into the unisex toilet and draws a Divider on the wall "Is thinking of me hard this time?" he asks smartly "Nope not this time" he takes my hand and winks at me before leading me once again into the swirling mass.

I'm sure this is the back alley where I first saw him. He looks at me "Recognise this place?" he asks with a smirk "Yes but why are we down here? I know this Divider can get you places quickly but why are we near my house again?" I ask, a little nervous "Two reasons. 1. Because it has sentimental value; it's where we first officially saw each other or where you first saw me and 2. Around here is actually the best place I know of to start Street Running" he answers matter-of-factly as he counts out the numbers on his fingers. I groan "Oh stop freaking out, you'll be fine. We'll start with a lap of the block. Keep up if you can" he says and starts running off into the street, turning left and I chase after him. I manage to keep on his heels for the first 200 meters or so and then my stamina gives in and I drop back. He's insanely fast and even though I'm faster than your average human he's much quicker than me. He slows down so he doesn't lose me even though I know the area like the back of my hand and we jog the rest of the way round "We really need to improve your stamina" Damien says without sounding puffed. I'm the opposite of him at the moment; he's standing upright looking like he'd just taken a leisurely stroll, whereas me; I'm bent double and panting hard. He laughs and takes a water pouch from his belt, handing it to me. I take a drink and their water's quite good. It's better than the water I'm used to drinking. Damo sit's back against the wall at the mouth of the alley and motions for me to join him. I settle next to him, the wall feels cool on my hot back. Damien drops his arm lazily over my shoulders and pulls me onto his shoulder "When you're ready we'll start some basic fence jumps" he says as he kisses the top of my head "Inspire me" I reply feeling as drained as I could possibly be. The block is quite big "Well when you can do Parkour properly it feels like the whole world is at your feet and you're completely unstoppable. I reckon with a bit of stamina improvement on your part you could quite easily get the basic Parkour down pat. However the hard-core stuff will have to be worked on thoroughly and then you'll be flying over things and running up trees with me before you know it" he finishes, looking quite pleased with his speech. I'm glad his attitude has changed for the better and now I understand his motivation for the importance of learning how to fight and be agile "Alright your speech has won me over" I say pushing up from the ground, using his leg. He stands up next to me "Let's do this shit." He leads me past my ruined house and over to the park. My house has 'police' tape around the perimeter. We walk over to the waist high black fence that spans the park. Damo vaults it easily and leans on it looking deep into my eyes like he's showing off and waiting for me to try doing the same. I shrug and walk over to the gate. I push it open and walk over to him, leaning my elbow on the fence "That was sooooo much easier" I say. He shrugs one shoulder and picks me up. I stifle a small scream as he drops me back over the other side of the fence. It's lucky there aren't too many people out today to witness my epic fails "We're never gonna get anywhere if you're gonna take that kinda attitude about it. Now come on. Jump it." I brace my hands on the fence and push myself up, putting one foot heavily on top of the fence. I wobble and nearly fall back as my other leg gets caught in between the bars. Damo's quick to grab my arms and help me the rest of the way over. Placing me down gently next to him "Have you never jumped a fence before?" he asks amused "I climb things, not jump them" I reply "Ok well firstly doing this" he jumps on foot on top of the fence and the other on the bars, imitating me "Is not gonna get you over. If someone is trying to catch and kill you, you would've just died. However I was there and you survived it. Now" I laugh "If you're gonna do it that way you need to use one hand. Preferably left, 'cause you're right handed. Now left hand goes on the fence, right foot comes up, left comes under and you drop to the other side. Alternatively you can do it my way; left hand on fence, jump both legs out to the right and you barely need to touch the fence but seeing as you're a beginner we'll stick to the first one" he says after demonstrating both slowly "Do it with me" he says gently "Left hand, right leg… uh" he groans as I slip back down the fence "I can't do it that slow" I say exasperatedly. Damo comes around behind me and prepares himself to grab me "Ok let's try this, one, two, three" he hoists me up so I'm stable on the fence before letting me drop myself over. He claps his hands "And again." We do it a few more times until it becomes a piece of cake "Alright" Damo high-fives me "You're making speedy progress, I'm proud-a you" "Race you cross the park" I say and take off. I can hear Damo laugh behind me as he races up after me. He catches me mid sprint and lifts me off my feet. We laugh as he sets me back down still holding me and shakes his hair across my neck, tickling me. I reach up and lock my hands behind his head so he has to stop moving it and I look up. Standing only a few feet away from me with a face like someone just slapped it is Kay.

Damo looks up and I can feel the cool, calm guardedness spreading across his body as he straightens but I can also feel a sense of power like he's saying 'yeah I win this time mundane.' I've come to know the word 'mundane' as an insult most times, especially when coming from Damien. I'm frozen to the spot, not knowing what to say or do "Can we help you?" Damo says casually, like he has no idea who Kay is. Kay is staring open mouthed at me and his eyes travel to Damo's arms still around my waist "Kay…" I start and try to go towards him but Damo has muscles of steal and no amount of force on my part could break his grip "Who's this?" Kay says with a voice like a child who's about to cry. At this Damo takes charge and walks forward extending a hand to Kay whilst strategically placing himself in between me and Kay "Damien Moonhawk" he introduces himself "Who are you?" "Kay" he says looking sceptical, intimidated and lost all at the same time "Oh yes Millie's spoken of you" Damien says "Millie? You two are on nickname terms already? I don't understand Mill…. You've only been gone a few days and now it's like I don't even know you anymore" he turns and slumps off "Kay" I call and try to follow but Damo blocks me with one arm "Leave him" "Don't tell me what to do he's my friend, you don't even know him!" I scream "I know enough" he seethes "That was a test; he's just as weak as I thought he was. Any man would have at least tried to stand up to me if he really did like you, he rolled over and died the minute he saw me. Mundane boys are such woosy babies" "You're the most intimidating looking person I know, it's no wonder he did what he did!" "And look at this, you have the courage to stand up to me but he doesn't. Says a lot about his character now doesn't it" I go quiet, ticking his words over in my brain. Why do I have the courage to be bold and yell and Damien and yet Kay didn't even try "It's because I know you" I retort "I don't think so Millie" says Damo as he grabs my wrist and yanks me roughly back towards the alley, out of the park "Ouch!" I yelp "Ok let go I'm coming" he releases me roughly and walks in protective body guard fashion next to me all the way to where he drew the divider.

Damien won't even look at me as he starts slowly drawing the Divider but his hands are shaking and he has to steady himself on the wall. I want to run over and help him but after the way he just treated me he doesn't deserve my help. I watch his features slowly break down as he turns to face me "Millie I'm…. Vachi" he almost whispers "No way" "What…" I start as I turn to see what he's looking at. Kay is standing in the entrance way. I run towards him "No Millie, don't!" but stop when I see two great hulking demons rise up behind Kay. I can only describe them as giant, brown crabs oozing with slime from every joint of their skeletal bodies. Kay turns and screams but is overpowered by the Vachi's supersonic buzz that comes from its fanged, bony, dripping jaw. Kay flops backward and passes out. I fall to my hands and knees, struggling to fight the weight of their noise. I can't hear him but I can see Damo's mouth moving as he screams something I can't make out and runs head long at the Vachi, pulling out what I think is an Angle Blade and launching himself at them, getting at least six-seven meters of air. What happened next can only be described as something from an action movie or in particular Star Wars. The buzzing became louder and more piercing and I wondered how Damo could stand it. I crumple over completely and faint as I watch one of the Vachi's heads fall to the ground at its feet.

I open my eyes to find myself staring up at the blank ceiling of my room. I try to sit up slowly but a sharp pain hits me in the temple and I'm forced to lie back down. I feel a hand on my shoulder. Archer's pale blue eyes are looming over me as he strokes my shoulder "Damien told me what happened" he says very gently "Don't try and get up yet, there's no hurry" "Did he tell you everything?" I ask weakly "Shhhh, don't talk. Savour all the strength you have" Archer puts and icepack on my head and places his hand firmly on top "What the hell is she still doing in bed, come on get up! The party starts in like four hours" Porsha says as she storms into my room, looking at Archer like it's his entire fault "I don't think she'll make it tonight Porsh" Archer says patiently "She has to make it. She cannot miss meeting her own brother. Uh, where is that jack rod? I'll kill him" Porsha states as she storms back out of the room "With Hector" Archer calls after her. Archer smiles apologetically at me and then suddenly I remember "Where's Kay?" I panic, sitting bolt upright and almost screaming because of the pain in my head. The piercing screech is still lingering at the forefront of my brain. Archer jumps up and grabs me, clearly shocked by my outburst "Stay calm, he's in the next hallway, please just calm down" the panic in Archer's voice seeming to hit its peak. Damo clearly overhearing the commotion comes running into my room. His brownie gold eyes have an urgent fire in them. He looks hesitant as he walks slowly over to my bed, but the hesitation was not aimed at me. Archer is giving Damien the death stare "Give us a moment please Archer?" Damien asks quietly. Archer stands abruptly up, pushing back his chair and strides over to confront Damo. They look each other in the eye for a moment before Archer growls long and low and walks out of the room. This is all so weird. Archer is usually so calm and composed. Today's events couldn't have been that bad, could they? Damo's shoulders drop as he relaxes, although until now I hadn't realized he'd been tense. He marches quickly over to take the chair Archer has just left and grabs my hand. His eyes look wet, like he's about to cry or has been crying. I raise a hand to wipe them away but drop it when I realize that it won't reach. Damo gives me one of those 'you're cute' smiles and leans his elbows on the bed "I'm so sorry about today. It wasn't meant to go so badly; I was just trying to help" he's got helpless puppy eyes, like he has no idea what to do next and he looks nervous or even slightly scared, which is not a good look on him. He's bitting the top of his knuckles which encase my hand. I push myself up slowly and gently "How's your head?" Damo asks guiltily "Buzzing" I shake it but that just makes it worse and I have to lie down again "It's weird, the Vachi don't usually track Shadowhunters once they're in the Dynasty" Damo leans over me and I can feel his warm breath on my forehead before he kisses it gently. The pain starts slowly ebbing away, letting me think more clearly. I sit up again; this time with more ease "Millie I have to tell you something. First of all we'll start with Kay, he's fine he's resting up down the hall but um, this afternoon was a test. Not the whole day, just the bit with Kay. I knew he'd be somewhere around near your house and I wanted to know just how much he'd fight for you and I'm sorry but to be honest he did a really shit job of it. He didn't even try, you can't just tell a girl you love 'em and then not have the decency to even try and fight for them when competition arises. What happened to loyalty and devotion? In my strong opinion you cannot have a proper relationship without love, trust, loyalty and devotion. It just don't work Mills" Damien says with the tiniest hint of pleading in his voice. Like he was pleading with me to see things his way "Damien, it doesn't matter what you were trying to do, you had no right to treat either of us so badly. Look at my wrist" I hold out my left arm so he can see the big bruise he'd left round my wrist. He goes to touch it lightly with his fingertips but I jerk my arm back into myself. Damo looks hurt "I'm sorry" he whispers so softly that I can barely hear him "You're so possessive!" I say to him "We've only known each other a few days and already you seem too think you have rights over me" "I was only trying to show you how much of a bitch this Kay guy is compared to me! I am the better one for you! I can protect you and look after you and….!" Damien starts shouting at me about how he's so much better then Kay and I cover my ears with my hands and curl over into a ball, trying to block him out as he continues to loudly make his point. The door suddenly bursts open and I look sideways to see Dre marching determinedly into the room, followed by Archer who stops just inside the doorway and leans up against the wall. Dre walks right up to Damien and slaps him across the cheek; hard. Damo turns around with his fist in the air, ready to punch whoever just hit him, but lowers it when he realizes it was Dre. Very gently Dre puts his hands on his friends' shoulders and Damien visibly relaxes. It's like Dre just sucked all of Damien's anger out of him "Calm down, can't you see you're upsetting Milliana?" Dre says and Damien hangs his head as Dre puts an arm around his shoulders and guides him towards the door as Damo starts muttering to himself about what a mess he's just made of things. Dre gives me a sidelong pitying look and says "I'll look after him" in a much more cheery voice then the occasion called for and guides Damo out into the hallway. All of a sudden Archer's at the end of my bed "Good thing I went and got Dre huh? Although a little sooner probably would've been ideal, am I right?" he asks rhetorically "That was weird, what happened with Dre and Damo" I say "It's like the instant Dre touched him his anger evaporated" "Do you know what a Parabatai is Millie?" Archer asks very suddenly "No I have no idea but I don't see what that has to do with…." "A Parabatai is a Shadowhunter who has sworn an oath to protect another until death but even after death the one remaining can never have another Parabatai. They are closer then siblings. They'd take a bullet for each other; quite literally and can have an impact on each other's mood" cuts in Archer "You just witnessed a prime example of that" "So those two are Parabatai" I say more as a clarification in my own mind then as a question. Archer nods "Kay's up by the way if you wanted to go see him?" I kick the covers off me and stand up much too quickly, making myself dizzy and I go to collapse back down on my bed but Archer has his arms around my waist, supporting me "I'll take that as a yes" he laughs as he helps me gain my balance.

Damo sat hugging his knees up to his chest on his big double bed rocking back and forth with his chin on his knees. Dre sat on the end of the bed, leaning his elbows on the rectangular, flat footboard with his right leg extended out in front of him and the other hanging limply across the floor "So, that went well" Dre says sarcastically "I've screwed it up already. We've only know each other a few days and already she hates me" replies Damien "Ah she'll come around" Dre leans forward and slaps Damo's leg "Chicks always do, you take things to seriously" Dre says as he reclines back into his previous position "I dunno about this one Dre, you didn't see the way she looked at me, she had so much fiery hate in her eyes she could've burnt down the city and so much venom in her voice she could've poisoned a snake" Dre throws his head back and laughs "Now that is the most over exaggerated speech I've ever heard. Did you practise that or have you just acquired lots of smarticle particles?" Damien smiles vaguely and relaxes a little, falling into a cross legged position. Dre's the only one who's ever really been able to understand him to the point of seemingly being able to read his mind and then knowing exactly what to say to help. It put him at ease to see how unworried by the whole situation Dre was, but then again even though Damo was generally; with today as an exception, able to hide his feelings well, he knew Dre was better at it. Was the whole calm thing just a show? "I think I might've rushed into things a bit too quickly with her" Damo says, trying to be diplomatic and take on Dre's calm demeanour "Ya think" Dre replies "It's just, I've never really….. Loved someone the way I love her and after everything I've been through I don't think I could stand to lose anyone else. I'm sorry to burden you with this Dre" Dre moves his dangling leg up onto the side of the bed frame that holds in the mattress and leans forward, putting his hand on his Parabtai's knee and looking down at the mattress "Damien Ametrine Moonhawk, under no circumstances will you lose that girl. I will not let that happen, neither for that matter will you ever lose me" Dre looks determinedly into Damien's eyes and taking lead for Dre the two boys say the Parabati oath together:

"Whiter thou goest, I will go;
Where thou diest, will I die
And there will I be buried:
The Angel do so to me, and more also,
if aught but death part thee and me"

"I do not take my vow lightly. If it's Milliana you want, then I will do everything in my power to help you win her over, but know this, if she does not want you and she chooses Kay, then I will not force her to change her mind, instead if I think you cannot handle her decision I will rip her from your life to protect you. Do we understand each other?"

Archer walks me over to the room that Kay's in and stops outside the door "I'll leave you alone with him for a while if you like. The party starts in about three hours or so, so I'll come back and get you in about an hour and take you to Porsha's room and then I guess you'll just have to let her have her way with you for about an hour and a half and then we'll head off. Only if you feel up to it of course, but you are looking much better" he says "Wait, you're coming too? Alright awesome, that sounds good and I am feeling much better now thank you" Archer smiles at me and gives my shoulder a friendly rub then heads off back down the hallway the way we came before turning around and walking backwards, spreading his arms wide and saying with a smile still lighting his face "Let's just hope I get to you before Porsha does so you don't have to suffer her wrath" he growls like a tiger and makes claws with his hands, turns back around and waves at me over his shoulder as he disappears down the hall. I laugh as I grasp the door knob and slowly push open the door. What I am confronted with is a large completely white room that looks strikingly like a hospital. There are three rows of beds; one down each side wall and another straight down the middle. The back wall opposite me seems to be made out of glass cut into three sections by pillars, which is actually just an illusion as really it's just three humongous windows on a wall. Marta looks up from the sink in the back right hand corner of the room she's washing a cloth in as I enter. Kay is lying on his side with his back to me in a bed right in the middle of the room; his baby blue sheet pulled right up under his chin stands out against the rest of the stark white room. Marta watches me patiently as I move over to stand at the end of Kay's bed, trying to see if he's awake or not. The suddenness of my arrival must have surprised him because he flips himself around to face me very quickly, propping himself up on his hands. Realizing it's only me he drops his head back onto his pillow with a 'thump' and places the backs of his wrists over his eyes "Please Millie, tell me I'm dreaming" his voice is partially muffled by his arms "That boy, the big creature thing, this room" he continues, looking over at me as I drag a chair with pretty pale pink flower patterns over beside him and sit down "I'm afraid I can't do that" I say as gently as I can and reach a out hand, that is still shaking from my previous confrontation with Damien, up to brush his cheek but he swats it away and crosses his arms over his chest, staring up at the blank ceiling. He looks confused and upset and he has every right to be "I'll explain everything" I start, making gestures or as mum used to call it 'talking with my hands' "Ask me anything and I'll explain as best I can" "What was that thing that attacked us?" "It's called a Vachi" I say and go on to explain what the demon does, followed by my failed explanation of Shadowhunters and the fact that I apparently am one. After that everything comes pouring out, how I first saw Damo, why Kay couldn't see him that day, the note, the club, the jumping out the window, Dividers, training, everything. Save the romantic times between me and Damo "So this Damien guy's your trainer? Just your trainer? Because you too looked a lot closer than that to me" Kay says, his voice heavy with accusation "Well he's becoming a friend too" I say but Kay's not really listening to me anymore "It's alright Mills, I get it" I stare at him incredulously. I'd expected him to whine and go all I'm a poor baby 1.0.1 on me but if he's going to be mature about it then maybe… "He's hot and tan and has great muscles. He's probably super smart and funny, strong and can protect you. Why would you pick a human like me over him? Just forget it Mills" Nope, I was right. He's doing exactly what I had expected him too. I so wish he'd just grow up a bit. To save me having to answer Marta comes over with the now soaking wet cloth and puts it on Kay's forehead "Shhhh, calm down and get some sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up" almost as if on cue, Kay's eyelids fall shut and he goes into a deep sleep. When I look more closely at the cloth I can see part of a swirling black pattern on it "It's a sleep rune" says Marta, noticing what I'm looking at "He'll stay asleep for a good couple of hours now. By the Angel is he always so me, me, me all the time or does he just save that for special occasions such as this one?" I choke back a laugh as Marta walks part way over to the sink, throws the cloth expertly into it and sits on the bed on the other side of Kay "Unfortunately yes, he's always like that. I keep hoping he'll grow out of it but so far it's only gotten worse"