[She Needed the Saving]
Characters: Clary Morgenstern, Jace Wayland, Lily, Jordon Kyle, and Jonathon Morgenstern. (Side characters are not mentioned.)
Genre: Drama, Romance.
Length: Story, slightly short chapters
Chapter One: I Followed
"I would like to be the air that inhabits you for a moment only. I would like to be that unnoticed and that necessary." (Margaret Atwood)
He tossed the empty bottle into the trash can nearby and immediately pulled on his hood. His long tendrils sprung out and he pushed them away in irritation. Taking a breath, he trudged to the end of the sidewalk, the wind beginning to chill his body. He waited. Soon she would arrive to her normal bus stop. Then hop on. His back was tense and he was nervous. Would she know who he was? He hoped not. He would most likely resemble a stalker.
Stuffing his cell into his pocket, he kicked at the curb in anxiety. The day he was dreading was here. The whole morning, he busied himself by hanging out with Alexander, his half brother. Yet, Alexander didn't know about the girl. Nobody knew and he intended to keep it that way. His mouth curled in anticipation and he heard the abrupt sound of footsteps. It was her there was no doubt about it. He decided not to turn and felt the girl shift to his right side. From the corner of his eyes, he could see her hair was in a loose braid. She wore a long yellow dress that reached just below her knees. On her arms balanced a thick book and a small wooden basket. He averted his gaze quickly, afraid she would notice.
The bus came rumbling by and halted with a deafening screech. The doors rattled open and Jace stepped aside for the girl to climb in first. She walked up the small stairs, her belongings tightly in hand. He stared after her and nearly forgot to leap in the bus if not for the driver's gruff voice yell, "Get in!" He hastily continued down the rows and realized there were some empty seats but she was sitting at the very front.
He acted like there were no more spots and asked, "Mind if I sit here?" He hoped his voice sounded normal. She didn't glance up and simply nodded. He almost sighed in relief but collapsed lighty beside her. The few residents in the bus were somewhat silent with occasional whispers. There was no air conditioning or heating so he was left zipping his coat in attempt to capture warmth.
Her feet dangled in the air while his touched the ground. He snuck a look at her. She was reading that thick book again. He tried to read some of the words but drew away from her, not wanting to accidentally knock her over. She was quite small to his larger size. With a jolt, Jace realized he didn't know where he was going. His eyes searched the window's view and saw that they were in some run down city. "What the-" He mumbled.
That's when he became aware that they were the only ones on the four-wheeler. Where were they going? Was this another town? The auburn haired girl looked peaceful, her head leaning towards her book. He double checked for his phone and simply went with the plan. Just see where she goes. He nodded curtly to himself. That's when the inevitable happened. The worst thing that could happen next to a girl. His stomach growled. He squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. 'I guess that soda didn't help', he thought.
That's when he saw her arm move towards the basket. She probably didn't want to sit next to him. Jace felt some hurt. Was he that annoying? "Here." He faced her in slight surprise only to see that she was offering him something. The small bin was filled with sandwiches, maybe a dozen. Surely, she didn't need that many for herself. He must've been eying the snack strangly for she smiled and said softly, "It's not poisoned, I assure you. For some particular reason, poison doesn't taste that amazing."
His lips broke into a grin at her playful sarcasm. Her voice was soft, a rare quiet to hear. Jace grabbed one of the sandwiches and thanked her. She didn't say anything, only returned to reading her book. They remained silent after that, Jace munching and the girl scanning over words. Her statement kept repeating in his head and Jace almost felt dazed.
Then she stood up and gathered her possessions. She was leaving. He stared at the window and saw that the driver had stopped at a train station. His eyebrows knit. Was that where she was going? A train? Before he could make a last minute decision, the doors closed and she was gone. Her printed flower dress gone. Her hair of fire gone. Her basket and book gone.
He didn't ask for her name. Instead of trying to make it out of the bus, Jace called to the driver. "Brooklyn!" The driver honked and they rode off, forgetting the electric eyed girl.