Clary stormed into her room and slammed the door behind her. Tears stained her cheeks as she ran to her bed and buried her face into her pillow. How could Jonathan be such a monster? He'd pushed someone she'd known since childhood into suicide.
A soft knock at the door caused Clary to lift her head and wipe the tears from her eyes. She cleared her throat and called, "Who is it?" Her voice was broken and strained.
"It's Jace." A voice spoke from the hallway. Clary released a breath she never knew that she was holding. She ran a shaky hand through her orange curls and stood up from the bed. She crossed the room and paused, hesitant, at the door.
"Now isn't really a good time, Jace," she whispered. She pressed her cheek to the door as more tears escaped. At first, Jace remained silent. Clary could feel the air around her thickening with tension. And then he spoke. "I'm coming in, Clary."
Clary turned the lock on the door and sank to the ground, her back to the wall. Her jeans dampened with tears as she sobbed, her head resting on her knees. She could taste the saltiness as her tears ran down her face and into her mouth. Valentine made Jonathan into the monster he is. He manipulated him just as he did with her and Jace. He influenced his hate toward her and the others of their kind. She refused to believe that Jonathan couldn't be saved; Jace and Alec had tried to convince her otherwise. There had to be some good left inside of him. There had to be.
Clary couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if her mother was still here. Maybe Jonathan would listen to her; maybe they could be a family again. Her thoughts then trailed to Simon. He never wanted to be a vampire, and she could have saved him. But she didn't. She blamed herself for what happened to him; she should have never brought him into their world.
She had made so many mistakes. So many problems could have been prevented. Maybe there's still a chance to fix things…
Clary's hand closed around the stele in the pocket of her jacket. She could do this. She was sure of it. At first nothing happened. She let out a ragged breath and clenched her eyes shut. And then it happened. The golden shape of a new rune flashed before her eyes. It twisted and turned in ways Clary had never seen before. She immediately lifted her stele and traced the pattern of the rune that had appeared to her. Her stele left thin, white lines in the air.
She waited patiently, bringing the memory of that night to the front of her mind. The room whirled around violently, and she could no longer feel the ground beneath her. Her stomach dropped and Clary felt as though she was going to puke.
She forced herself to remain focused. She was helping Simon redecorate his van after yet again changing the name of his band. Someone slammed into her, almost knocking her off balance – Jace. His blond hair seemed to glow in the faint light of the evening sun. Two other people dashed past her and ran into the Pandemonium – Izzy and Alec.
After a few moments, the room stopped spinning. Clary could hear distant music around her. The ground was rough beneath her fingertips. She wasn't in the institute anymore.
She had another chance to go back and fix her mistakes. And this time, she would be sure to protect the people she loved.
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