Author's Note: This idea struck me while I was staring into space. Oh, and I know I don't need a break from all the MaLec, but I thought I'd give this a shot. Ha ha.

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. Thank you for Miss Clare for creating such a wonderful world.

Chapter 1: Now

"Clary, please. Just roll the dice," It was Jace, his voice opting to be more pleading, rather than commanding. She could see, behind her closed eyelids, his face, his hand, stretched out toward her, imploring her to just let go of the dice.

But Jace seemed so far – though his voice carried toward her. She tried to swallow past the lump in her throat and her fingers tightened their grip on the dice.

"Jace…Jace? Are you there? Is…Is everybody there?" Clary called, her voice ringing out in the darkness.

She could hear a scuffle, and feared that they had gotten into a fight, but then Isabelle's voice came, clear, and Clary, much like with Jace, felt like she could see her.

"Drop the dice, Clary. That's why you're here,"

Clary shook her head, red locks flying to her face. Her hands were trembling, and she, entirely, was trembling. Fear, perhaps?

"Remember your training? Remember? It's gonna be like those tough nights when we decided to take you out with us when we hunted Demons. Don't let fears of the unknown grip you!" Isabelle called again, this time, there was a rising hysteria in her tone, and Clary's eyes snapped open.

She could see darkness, nothing more beyond her. Looking down at her pale hands and opening her palm, she could see the dice, just waiting to be thrown. But she didn't know – she didn't know what would happen. "I don't know what'll happen to you guys," Clary called, panic in her own voice. What if something had gone wrong? What if this was all just a twisted joke?

It wasn't a joke, by all means. This was heavy magic. Too heavy for a single Downworlder. And Clary…Although she was not very sure, had a feeling to who was behind this.

"Just let it roll, Clary." It was Jace again, and as Clary tried to look around the darkness, she could see nothing. Not the faintest glint of gold from Jace, or the flash of electric from Isabelle's whip.

"I can't see any of you!" Clary wasn't coping well with panic, but this was insane! They couldn't just think she could do what they wanted without feeling like she was losing something – because something would go wrong, and they would all be screwed eternally because of one failed dice roll.

"It's just me and Izzy," Faintly, Clary could hear the clashing of metal against metal, could even hear a sort of spark somewhere.

"Where is…Everyone else?"

She dreaded the answer, but she knew she had to ask.

"We don't know. But we can't move unless you roll that dice, Clary. This is…A game," There was poison in Jace's tone, and she could see his face in her mind, his eyes not the same honey, but darker, colder. His mouth in a grim line, his golden hair like a halo above his head.

"Oh for God's sake. Clary you better get us moving or I swear I will cut off Jace's pretty little hair on his pretty little head-"

"Izzy!" The redhead hissed, and then she let the dice roll, allowing them to fall from her grasp.

And in that split second, the darkness faded into something of more color. If white was a good chance of color, then it would count, right?

Everything was clearer now, and she could see, as if from a TV screen, Jace and Isabelle, standing on what seemed like an empty black space, trapped between walls, their only route to go forward.

Gulping, Clary glanced down at the dice, and saw that she had rolled a five.

"Five," Clary called, and as if something had released the two of their bounds, they started to move. One…Two…Three…Four…Five steps.

And stopped.

A wall had suddenly given away, crashing down on the two Shadowhunters. Isabelle whipped around, her long hair swaying in the movement, boots sliding against gravel as she took her whip and then brought it down on the demon that started to come at them.

Clary wanted to be there, to fight with them. She saw them fighting against three demons now, and Jace had just pulled a Seraph blade out, taking down one of the demons.

"Clary the dice!" Isabelle didn't know where to look for Clary, so she just yelled, and Clary picked the white marbles on the floor, her eyes fixated on the strange scene in front of her.

And then the last demon went down, and Clary threw the dice again. She crossed two fingers, hoping against hope that in this wild game – this game board like game – her friends would not come upon danger.

But not only Isabelle and Jace – there were others. Where was Alec and Simon? She remembered Maia, too, and how she was sucked into this twisted game.

They were all like sitting ducks. They were trapped, just like that. And nobody had seen it coming.


Is it all confusing? If it is, then good! I'll be explaining everything else on the second and third chapters.

Basically, though, they are in a sort of game. Where Clary is the only player who can roll the dice, and the others are all pieces of the game.

Reviews would be great.