Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones

Heartless-x-Love: Estelle Garroway is Clary Fray's other best friend and is staying with Clary for the weekend. Things start to turn bad after a visit to the Pandemonium Club, when Clary begins seeing things. Clary's decision may cost her the life of the ones she holds most dear.

-x-

PANDEMONIUM CLUB

"Is this a good idea? I barely know her" Lucian ran a hand through his hair and looked at the small child in his friend's arms.

"Please take her, we don't have much time until Valentine finds us" Fiona pleaded as heavy steps sounded in the hallway.

"Please! She'll be safer with you" Mark said as he braced himself against the door.

Fiona kissed her daughter on the top of the head and placed her into Lucian's arms.

"Fiona, I-" Lucian looked helplessly at his friends and suddenly the door flew inwards, knocking Mark to the ground.

"Go!" Fiona yelled taking out her sword.

Lucian nodded and headed out the door on the other side of the room. He looked back and saw Fiona and Mark struggling with Valentine's goons.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Lucian ran out into the night and disappeared into the fog.

...

LUKE

"Stella, come on" I called up the stairs to the second floor of my house.

Jocelyn had given her permission for Estelle to spend the weekend with her and Clary and the girls were very excited; Estelle in particular. She'd come home from school the day before the holidays started complaining about a boy she'd said was following her and it was stressing her out. I had called the school and complained but they said they had no idea who I was talking about, and that she must be trying to get attention. I'd sworn down the phone and pressed the hang up button so hard the screen cracked.

"Stella!" I called up the stairs again and this time heard footsteps rushing around.

I smiled to myself and headed upstairs to see what had taken her so long.

When I reached the landing, I saw that Estelle's door was ajar and a wailing melody was streaming out. I leant against the door frame and peeked into the room.

Stella was hurrying back and forth throwing random clothes into a bag and muttering to herself.

...

STELLA

"No-one else could see him, but I can" I mumbled, rushing around the room.

The song I was listening to finished so I moved to the CD player and rummaged around in a box for something else to listen to. I closed my hand on an old My Chemical Romance CD and smiled at it. I removed the Florence & The Machine CD and placed the new one in its place. I started singing along and continued to pack my bag. I danced around with my eyes closed and lost myself in the music.

"Packed yet?"

My eyes flew open and I clutched a hand to my chest. Standing in the doorway was my dad, and he had an amused look on his face.

"Dad! warn me next time" I pouted.

...

LUKE

"Well I called you twice" I stepped into the room and my eyes zeroed in on a picture hanging on the wall.

I walked up to it and looked closer. It was a drawing of a boy dressed in black clothes. He had weapons strapped to his back and my stomach dropped when I saw symbols peeking out from under the boy's shirt.

"Who is this?" I asked pointing at the picture.

"That's the guy that was following me at school" Stella replied hugging herself "I've never seen him before but the symbols seem familiar".

"Familiar? You mean you've seen them before?" I asked turning around.

Stella made a face and scratched her head.

"Well I kind of remember seeing them when I was really little" she nodded "I think my birth parents were covered in them". She looked up and registered my expression. "I won't draw him or them again if it's upsetting" Stella rushed over and wrapped her arms around me. "Seriously though, do you know what the symbols are?"

I patted her on the head "yes I know what they are". I pulled out of her arms and sat down on her bed. "I think it's time you knew the truth about your parents" I patted the bed beside me and Stella sat down with an apprehensive look on her face.

"Your mum and dad were people known as Shadowhunters; people who hunted demons" I said watching her face for her reaction.

"Demons aren't real Dad" Stella replied with a small laugh.

"Yes they are!" I countered and rolled up my sleeve. There were faint, but still visible, lines on the skin of my forearm. "These are the same symbols that you drew on the picture and the same symbols that your mum and dad had".

"What are they?" Stella asked running her fingers over the lines.

I took a deep breath and sighed.

"They are called runes, and they help Shadowhunters increase their power" I replied rolling my sleeve down. "They can also heal wounds and allow Shadowhunters to become invisible". I looked at the carpet and back up at Stella "your mum and dad were two of my best friends along with a man called Valentine and Clary's mum".

"Aunty Joss?!" Stella exclaimed "does Clary know about that?"

I shook my head "no, and she doesn't need to know okay, so don't tell her".

...

STELLA

I nodded and looked up at the cat-clock on the wall "crap look at the time, Clary's gonna be wondering where I am".

I stood up and picked up my bag. I turned around and saw Dad had a pained look on his face.

"Dad? what's wrong?" I asked grabbing hold of his hand.

"Do you want to know the reason why your parents died?"

"I guess so" I replied.

"Valentine thought they knew where the Mortal Cup was hidden and kept demanding they give it to him. He didn't believe that they had no idea where it was, so he sent his henchmen after them and they…they held him off for as long as they could but they weren't strong enough".

I blinked away the tears that were forming in my eyes "r-really?"

"Yes, your mum gave you over to my care just before they died. At first I wasn't sure if she'd made the right decision considering my condition, but the fact you needed me gave me a reason to try my hardest".

I brought a hand up to my face and wiped my eyes properly "she must have loved you heaps to give away her baby".

Dad nodded and stood up and wiped his eyes "we should get going; Jocelyn is probably waiting for the canvas she asked me to get for her".

"Okay" I replied adjusting the bag on my shoulder.

I followed Dad down the stairs and through the bookstore, and then waited on the curb outside as he locked the door. Once we were inside the truck a thought suddenly struck me.

"Dad, what is the Mortal Cup?" I asked as we started down the street.

...

LUKE

"The Mortal Cup is a magical object" I replied as I turned the corner "it can create a Shadowhunter from regular person, also known as a Mundane".

"Am I a Mundane?" Stella asked.

I laughed "no, you were born to two Shadowhunters, so that means you have the ability to become a Shadowhunter if you were trained to be".

Stella was quiet for a while as she digested that information but she soon had another question.

"Dad, how would I train to be a Shadowhunter? Is there a special school or something?"

"You could say that. There's a place in the centre of the city called the Institute; I'll show on the way" I replied turning onto the street that went past the building in question.

I parked next to the building and left the motor running. I pointed up at the building "what do you see on the other side of the gate?"

"Wow! This place looks amazing, but I don't understand how everyone walking past doesn't seem to notice" Stella replied twisting around in her seat.

"That's because everyone out there is a Mundane, they don't have the same abilities as you and me" I said pulling back out into the traffic.

"How would I learn to be a Shadowhunter?" Stella asked as we drove down the road.

"All you'd have to do would be to simply state who your birth parents were and ask to join the Clave" I replied tapping my fingers on the steering wheel as I waited for the lights to change.

...

STELLA

I chewed the inside of my cheek for a minute as I thought about what Dad had just told me.

"So all I'd have to tell them is my parents were Mark and Fiona Roseivy and that I want to be a Shadowhunter?" I looked up at Dad and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, they may send you to the Silent Brothers to confirm your identity and hopefully being raised by a werewolf wouldn't screw up your chances".

"Why would your condition have anything to do with it?" I asked confused.

"Even though I was a Shadowhunter and a member of the Clave, the fact that I became a werewolf got me thrown out and into the world of the Downworlders".

"Downworlders?"

"That's what the Clave call werewolves, vampires and warlocks. It's not recommended for Shadowhunters to have much to do with Downworlders".

"Oh" I didn't like the thought of becoming this awesome demon-hunting badass if I could no longer see my dad.

...

LUKE

"We're here, so you wanna come back to earth now?" I said as I pulled up on the curb outside the Fray residence.

"What?" Stella lost the vacant look on her face and opened her door.

I was surprised at how well she was taking this monumental revelation about her birth parents. Then again, she knew I was a werewolf and that didn't bother her one bit, so I shouldn't have been surprised.

"Hey, Aunty Joss!" Stella called as the front door of the apartment block was opened.

"Hey yourself, how are you?" Jocelyn said coming down the steps to the sidewalk.

"I'm good thanks, is Clary in her room?" Stella hoisted her bag higher on her shoulder.

"Yes, I think she's on the phone to Simon about his friend's poetry reading tonight" Jocelyn replied.

"Thanks; see you later Dad" Stella wrapped her arms around me and headed inside.

"You still haven't snapped her out that habit Luke" Jocelyn said moving closer to my truck.

"Believe me, I've tried" I picked up the canvas from the back of the truck "here's the canvas you wanted; I found a few other things as well".

After placing the canvas on the ground, I pulled down a couple of bags full of odds and ends that I thought Jocelyn would be able to use.

"Thank you" Jocelyn said picking up the canvas "could you bring those bags up?"

I nodded and followed Jocelyn up the stairs to her apartment. I put the bags down on the kitchen counter and could hear Clary and Stella talking loudly in Clary's room.

"Look at this" Jocelyn said suddenly tearing a page off the notepad on the counter.

I looked at the piece of paper in her hand and saw the rune scribbled there.

"It's started again" Jocelyn said scrunching the paper into a ball "what should I do? Do I take her to Magnus or tell her?"

"That's not my call to make" I replied as the sound of talking moved towards the door. I looked at Jocelyn and back at the door "you do what you think is right, like you've always done".

...

STELLA

"So has the poetry got any better since last time?" I asked Clary as we emerged in the kitchen.

"Simon seems to think so, hey Luke" Clary said when she spotted the other person in the room.

"Hey Clary".

"We're gonna go now" Clary told Jocelyn as she picked up her keys "we'll see you later".

"See you Monday, Dad" I said wrapping my arms around his waist.

"You have fun now, and be careful coming home you hear".

"We will, don't worry" I kissed Dad on the cheek and followed Clary out the door.

"What to do you say to going to that awesome nightclub to celebrate your birthday?" I asked my friend as we walked down the street to the place we were meeting Simon.

"I don't know; Mum has been a bit clingy recently" Clary looked at her feet as she walked.

"Come on it'll be fun" I argued hooking my arm around Clary's elbow.

"As long as my mum doesn't find out, then okay".

I cheered and started describing the outfit I'd brought with me that would be perfect for the nightclub. I almost didn't see Simon as he was standing against the fence and was deep in shadow.

"Hey Clary, Stella" Simon called as he stepped out to meet us.

"Hey yourself" I replied throwing my arms around his shoulders.

"I just want to thank you guys for doing this" Simon said as we started off down the road "poetry means a lot to Eric".

"Don't mention it" Clary replied throwing me a wink.

...

"No offence Simon, but that was terrible" I complained as we left Java Jones a few hours later.

"Why, I am mortally offended by such an accusation!" Simon dramatically placed his hand over his heart and made a pained face.

"Jeez, you're such a drama queen" I nudged Simon's shoulder and pulled Clary towards the nearest public toilet "please wait the barest of moments Mr. Shakespeare" I told him.

"So you ready to hit the nightclub now?" I asked as I shut myself away in a cubicle.

"I guess, but I don't have anything edgy to wear in there" Clary complained from the other side of the door.

"Don't worry about that, there's a spare shirt in my bag anyway" I nudged my bag under the door and heard Clary dig through it.

"What do you think?" I asked stepping out of the cubicle.

I did a twirl that accentuated the fringe of the mini skirt and tugged at the top of my strapless shirt. I'd matched it with a pair of fishnet stockings and stiletto heels.

"Jeez, what would Luke say if he saw you wearing that?" Clary asked stepping into the cubicle herself.

I laughed "he'd have a heart attack I'm sure".

Clary didn't take long to change and the trek to the nightclub could begin.

...

"I am so underdressed" Simon said as we moved through the dance floor, weaving in and out of writhing bodies dressed in leather and studs.

"Hey Simon, what do you think about her?" I asked pointing at a girl in a long white dress.

"Do you guys want something to drink?" Simon asked avoiding the question.

"Yeah" Clary replied as she moved towards the mesh wall in the centre of the room.

"What are you looking at?" I asked standing next to Clary.

I looked in the same direction and saw the girl in white was dancing close to a boy with bright blue hair. I noticed two boys come up on either side and suddenly the blue haired boy was struggling to get away. I glanced around at the rest of the crowd and could see that nobody was seeing what was happening. I looked back at the small group in front of us and saw the taller boy had drawn out a large clear blade. I clapped a hand over my mouth as he plunged the blade into the restrained boy's chest. Next to me, I heard Clary scream out. The tall boy looked directly at us and I was shocked to see he was the one who'd been following me. Simon was suddenly asking if everything was alright and the tall boy and his friends melted into the shadows.

...

CLARY

"Did you just see what happened?" I asked Simon as he steered me across the dance floor.

"I didn't see anything, I heard you scream though, are you okay?" Simon was walking so fast Stella was nearly jogging to keep up. A difficult thing to do in high heels.

"You mean you didn't see that guy get murdered?" Stella asked once Simon had slowed his pace.

"You mean you saw them too?" I asked spinning around.

"Yeah, and I think we should get going" Stella replied checking the time on her phone "Aunty Joss is gonna kill us if we get home any later".

"Okay, I guess we'll see you tomorrow at Java Jones" I said turning to Simon.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Simon asked placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Yes, I'm sure your mum is wondering where you are as well" I replied.

"Okay then, see you tomorrow" Simon raised his hand in a wave and set off.

Stella and I walked in silence for most of the way home. I still couldn't understand why nobody else could see what had happened. Then there was the way Stella was acting; subdued is not her style.

"Are you okay?" I asked as we turned into my street.

"What? Yeah I'm fine, why?" Stella replied as we stepped into the lobby of the apartment.

"You look like you've seen a ghost" I said quietly as we made our way up the stairs to my flat.

"I'll tell you when we get inside" Stella replied as I eased the door open. We tiptoed across the living room and shut my bedroom door as quietly as was possible.

...

STELLA

"So, what's up?" Clary asked sitting on her bed after changing into her pj's.

"Well, you saw that tall guy right?" I said as I changed my clothes as well "he's been following me for the last couple of weeks now and I don't know why".

"Have you mentioned this to Luke?"

"Yeah, but he can't do much about something he hasn't witnessed himself" I failed to fight off a yawn. "I need to sleep, g'night" I said.

"Night" Clary replied as she turned the light off.

I curled myself into a ball and tried to ignore the face of the tall boy that kept invading my mind. His image shifted to focus on his arms and the symbols visible under his sleeves. The same ones that Dad had on his arm; the runes of a Shadowhunter.

-x-

Heartless-x-Love: Welcome to my newest story. I've only just got into this fandom within the past couple of weeks and this story popped into my head. If you haven't figured it out already, this is slightly different from the movie and that is because I'm mixing elements from both the book and the movie. So I hope enjoy my version of City Of Bones, please R/R.

May the Angwel watch over you.