Sometimes I wondered why I even bothered.

It was freezing cold outside, rain dripping down my back as I sat in the woods, waiting for him to come and find me. Sebastian would make me wait for hours sometimes. He had no sense of time, or at least that was what I tried to tell myself. I knew, deep down, that he just took pleasure it being late.

Clutching my coat closer to my body, I mumbled a few curses under my breath. It would be easy, oh so easy, to just give up and end it all. But wasn't that the easy way out? Sebastian and I had been going on now for a year and a half, and it wasn't out of love. He wasn't a big believer in the whole affection thingy between boyfriends and girlfriends. He wasn't the type to put his arm around me or whisper words in my ear. Jokes that he knew that only I would understand. No, he wasn't the kind of person to kiss your cheek or make you laugh.

The exact opposite, actually.

Sebastian was one of the most respected people on the east coast. He was ruthless and crushed everything in his path, and people cowered before him. With his eyes the color of charcoal, with matching hair, and skin paler than white snow, he didn't exactly scream I come in peace!

But he was protection, protection for my mother and I.

My older brother, Jonathan, had left us when he had turned eighteen. Nearly two years ago now. I missed him more and more everyday, and the sounds of my mother crying could be heard at night sometimes. Jon had been protection enough for us in this world of Shadowhunters. He was the only one who knew what he was doing in my family. My mother hadn't been a Shadowhunter since she was crippled in her late twenties, right after she met dad and had Jon and I. Then there was an accident one day while she was out, and now she spent her days in a wheelchair, painting.

But Jon had been trained.

Dad hadn't trained me, probably because he'd never gotten the chance to. When Jon was sixteen, dad vanished, leaving us to fend for ourselves.

There were very few of our kind left, and no one else within a five mile radius had a drop of Shadowhunter blood. Sebastian had made a bargain with me; that I be his. . .girlfriend for all intents and purposes out in public, but in private, he could do with me as he pleased.

I told him that if it meant my mom and the rest of the village was going to be safe, then I would do it, no questions asked.

And so that was how I ended up here.

Sebastian loved his little games. Nothing gave him more pleasure than playing with people, mind tricks, leaving them alone or doing the simplest methods of torture designed to drive people crazy. Some of them even went out of their minds.

I was no exception.

And so that was how I ended up here, sitting in the woods with my legs aching and my face starting to feel like an ice cube. He had to come soon. He'd never been away for more than two hours, tops.

I had no idea where I was, truth be told. He had blindfolded me and brought me out into the forest and told me to sit tight, he'd be back soon.

Bastard.

It was getting less and less common for him to pull things like this, and I was guessing it was because he had other girlfriends somewhere. Prettier, taller girls who probably had blue eyes and were probably blonde. Hell, he probably had a girlfriend in every little village like the one mom and I lived in. It wouldn't surprise me.

Seb didn't use me for sex all that much anyways. I had no idea what I was doing half of the time, and I was skinny and covered in freckles, as he had pointed out numerous times.

Lately, he'd been more wound up. Snapping at the littlest things, and treating everyone worse than usual. My best guess was that he was most likely butting heads with Jace Herondale once again.

Jace was The Leader. Everyone in America knew of him, and he was one of the greatest Shadowhunters to have ever lived. It didn't help the fact that he was gorgeous, which basically meant that he had girls falling at his feet and had an easy time making deals with other surrounding countries. His cousin, Will Herondale, was second in command, although they didn't live together. They were plastered all over the television stations and whatever else, magazines that no one in my neck of the woods could afford, and they were unstoppable.

Even for someone like Sebastian.

Speaking of, I could slowly start to make out his shape coming towards me through the foliage of the forest. He was hard to see, since he was always dressed in the Shadowhunter black, and his hair and eyes blended in.

"Hey," I called out, forcing a grin onto my face. "I thought you'd forgotten about me or something."

He shrugged. "A few times. But then I remembered your hair," he flicked a stray strand into my face. "And all was well." He frowned. "Have you ever considered maybe dying it? Brown would be good, but blonde would be better."

I pulled one corner of my mouth up, trying not to show how much his comment stung. "What can you do?"

He scowled. "Not talk back, for one. You know I don't like to argue. It's so. . .pointless, Clary. Especially when you know, and I know, that I'll win every time."

I forced out a laugh. "Believe me, I know."

. . .

"Mom?" I called as I stepped into our small, one story house. "Where are you?"

There was a muffled reply that came from upstairs, and I hurried in that direction.

She was sitting in front of one of her homemade canvases again; made mostly out of old, white T-shirts and old newspapers that she'd managed to soak the ink out of before she let them dry. They were an impressive size, and I knew that it made her happy to have something to do all day. Something other than wonder about what had become of her husband and son.

"You look cold, Clary." She said, scolded me as if it was my fault. "Where have you been?"

I shrugged. "With Sebastian. You know he likes to take his time."

She sighed and turned back to her painting. "You shouldn't have to do that, Clary. Not for me and not for anyone else. It's not your responsibility to take care of the whole town you know."

"I know, mom." I answered with a sigh. "But if I can, then I should, right?"

She turned and looked at me, green meeting green. "You do what you have to do, and that's all."

I nodded as she kissed my cheek. "I know, mom."

Hello PEOPLE!

So welcome to my very first story on Fanfiction! I've been trying to come up with a plot line for a long time now, and I knew that this story was just going to suit these characters! I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter, it took me like, forty five minutes to write, which isn't saying all that much.

Happy Thursday!