Hey friends, so I don't want to spoil too much but hopefully, this chapter clears up some stuff about the overall setting of this story and the characters that are in it. But this chapter might also bring up some new questions. We shall see. Anyway, without further ado, here is the next chapter.

As the realization that I am dead sets in, my body fails me and I collapse to the ground. My heart begins to ache with grief as my mind drifts to the thought of never seeing my mother again or hearing Simon's laugh. Somehow, being surrounded by all of these people does nothing to make me feel less alone and subconsciously, I hug my knees to my chest in an effort to keep myself whole, as if my arms wrapped around my body are the only things keeping me from falling apart completely. I feel moisture on my cheeks and I bring my hand up to my face only to realize that I am wiping away my tears. It strikes me as odd that even in death I am able to feel emotion and cry as if I am still alive. I used to think that in death I would at least feel no more pain and I would have no suffering, but somehow my heart hurts more now than I could possibly imagine even though it's no longer beating.

I don't know how long I am curled up in this spot with my arms wrapped around my body and my head in between my knees before someone crouches down in front of me. With my head tucked in my knees, all I can see are leather boots but I can hear slow, steady breathing. I slowly lift my head and my gaze is trapped by a pair of amber eyes. I realize that I am currently face to face with the boy who was watching me from afar earlier. We are so close together that our faces are only inches apart and I can feel his breathing on my skin. I figure I should feel uncomfortable with our proximity but somehow his closeness brings a feeling of warmth and safety that I can't describe. I want to speak but no words escape me. Instead, I just sit and take in the curves of his face. The way his golden hair curls at the nape of his neck, the way his strong jaw curves to give his face a sharper angle, and the way his lips curve perfectly. Something in me wants to reach out and trace my fingers across his face as if looking at him doesn't do his beauty enough justice. However, before I can lift my fingers, he opens his mouth and speaks.

"How did you die?"

It's a simple question yet it takes me back. He asks it as if it is the most normal thing in the world. As if he is simply asking me what my name is. The thought of being asked that question is so ridiculous that I can't help myself from laughing. The boy is clearly shocked at my reaction and I think for a second that he is going to get up and walk away as if I am too crazy to interact with but instead he asks, "Did I say something funny? I thought I asked a rather morbid question."

As my laughter subsides I inhale deeply before I answer his question. "No your question was fine," I reply. "It's just so ridiculous that someone is asking me how I died before they even know my name."

His eyebrows pull up in surprise before his lips lift in a small smirk. "Fair enough. What's your name?"

"Clary. Clary Fray."

"Pretty name. Just for good measure, my name is Jace Wayland. I would hate to cause another hysterical fit of laughter just because you don't know my name."

My lips quirk up into a small smile and just for a moment, I forget that I'm dead. I forget that the boy sitting in front of me is also dead. For one small moment, I am just a 19-year-old girl talking to a cute boy. However, the moment is gone just as fast as it came and I can feel my face fall once more as the reality of this situation comes crashing back down. Jace seems to notice this shift and his eyes soften in sympathy. My mind remembers his previous question and I think for a moment and realize that I'm not sure how I died. I try and remember but it is as if there is a roadblock preventing me from seeing my last moments.

"I don't know," I reply. "I can't see it."

"That doesn't make sense. Think about it," He replies as his forehead creases and his eyebrows pull together in confusion.

I let out an exasperated sigh and close my eyes and focus. I begin to think about my life and my past memories. I see myself meeting Simon in kindergarten, my first day of high school, my mom sitting and painting, and countless other memories of my life but as soon as I try to remember anything past my junior year of high school, my vision goes blank and I see nothing but black.

I look back at Jace and meet his gaze once more. "I don't know," I repeat. "I can't remember anything after a certain point in my life."

Jace stares at me as if the words that are coming out of my mouth are incomprehensible.

Another long silence goes by but this time, I am the one to break it.

"How did you die?" I ask.

His eyes seem to close off and his face turns stoic. "Car accident," he replies curtly while he averts my gaze.

"I'm sorry," I say.

"I have never understood why people apologize for things that they had no part in. It's not like the accident had anything to do with you."

"I don't think people say sorry because they are taking the blame for what happened. Saying sorry is more of a way to empathize with the person in front of you. As if to say I'm sorry that this had to happen to you. Sorry that you had to feel that pain."

Jace remains silent, however, his gaze turns from cold to inquisitive. As if there is something in my face that he just can't decipher. Before either of us can get another word out, Hodge and Luke appear once more but this time they're facing Jace.

Jace looks up at the two men and a playful glint appears in his eyes. "Is it that time already boys?"

Hodge and Luke's faces remain unchanged but if they could portray emotion I think they would be amused. "Follow us, Jace," Hodge says.

"Lead the way, Hodge. You know Imogen is my favorite hello and hardest goodbye," Jace says with a smirk. Jace gets up and begins to walk behind Luke and Hodge but after a few steps he turns his head to face me and with a small smile says, "I'll be right back. Talk to you later Clary."

I watch as Jace continues walking and in the distance, I see that the mahogany desk has reappeared and the woman who I assume is Imogen is sitting behind it. Jace's back is facing towards me but I can see in his posture that he is tense. Imogen's mouth is moving quickly but I can't hear anything she is saying. Minutes seem to pass until I see her eyes become the same stormy grey and although I can't hear her, I can easily decipher the word she says to Jace. Transition. And once again, she, along with her desk disappear.

Jace stands with his back to me and all I can see are his shoulders rising and falling steadily with his breath. I remain in my seated position not knowing whether I should approach Jace or not. After all, we just met but he also came over to me when I felt alone. After some more careful consideration, I rise to my feet and I begin to walk over to Jace. After a few steps I am standing directly behind him and I fully realize our size difference. Jace stands over a head taller than I do and only up close can I see the way his muscles seem to show through his t-shirt. Not in an unattractive oversized way but rather a lean and agile way. Even though I am behind him, Jace makes no effort to turn around or acknowledge me. I slowly lift my hand and place it on his shoulder tentatively. As soon as my hand makes contact with his body he seems to visibly stiffen under my touch and I quickly pull my hand back as if I was burned.

"Jace?"

He slowly begins to turn around and meet my gaze. I look directly into his eyes and for just one brief moment I see a world of pain swimming in his eyes. But before I can look further, Jace wipes his face clean of any existing emotion and his face turns into cold stone. Before I can even think, Jace brushes past me and starts walking away. For a moment I am too stunned to move but after a few seconds I turn on my heel and start chasing after him while calling his name.

"Jace!" I say through my labored breathing. No response. Instead, he just continues with his long strides, forcing me to run in order to keep up with him. "God damn it, Jace! Would you just slow down?" I stop running in order to catch my breath and I call out to him. " You know it's not like you can outrun me or get away from me. From what I know, we're both dead which means we're both stuck here."

Jace freezes which offer me enough time to catch up to him until I am standing behind him once again. He whips around so quickly I don't even have time to register the movement.

"What do you want?" He spits out. "You want to sit together and tell each other secrets and braid each other's hair?

"Jesus Christ Jace. What the hell? Where did this 180 come from? I just wanted to talk and return the favor from earlier."

"What makes you think I need you to help me out or return any favor?" Jace asks, his face remaining cold and harsh.

"Maybe you don't need my help but I figured I would offer. I didn't want you to think that you were alone," I respond quietly.

Jace lets out a sigh and runs a hand through his curly hair. He slowly sinks to the ground and sits down. I take his silence as a good sign and decide to sit down next to him. His face softens and he slowly turns to meet my gaze and I am stunned all over again by his eyes. By the amount of pain that they seem to hold and by the way that they capture me completely.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asks.

"Anything," I respond quickly. Pleased with the fact that the I was able to get any sort of response out of him. "Where are we? What is all of this? What are we doing here?"

"Slow down there. One thing at a time," Jace replies with slight amusement. "First things first, everyone in this field is dead. When they died tends to vary. Some died hours ago, some months ago, and on the rare case, years ago."

I feel my jaw drop at his words. "Years ago? You mean people have been here for years?"

"Well no. Time moves differently here. People may have been dead for years in the human world but that doesn't mean that they have been here for years," Jace replies calmly.

"Where exactly is here?" I ask.

"Judgement day. This place is kind of like the in-between area of heaven and hell. People come here right after they die and Imogen judges their entire life in order to determine what type of afterlife they deserve. Maybe an eternity of suffering, a lifetime of suffering followed by eternal peace, or an immediate one-way ticket to peace and happiness. Whatever it is, she decides this by having her two angels, Hodge and Luke, take people one by one up to her desk where she evaluates them. We are currently all in transition, also known as her deciding phase."

I inhale deeply, trying to allow of this information to stick in my brain. "So Imogen is God?" I ask slowly.

Jace seems to ponder this for a moment before responding. "No, not exactly. I don't think she's the higher being that people talk about when they say, God. She's more of the decision maker when it comes to individual souls. I don't know if this helps answer your question but she calls herself the inquisitor."

I process this information as best as I can before asking my next question. "How many times has Imogen asked to see you?"

Jace's face falls slightly and his cold persona creeps in once again. "More than I would like."

"Why do you say that like it's a bad thing?" I ask.

"The more difficult it is for her to determine where you should be placed, the more times she will appear and ask Hodge and Luke to take you to her. Trust me, you want to see her as little times as possible," Jace says.

The conversation trails off as I sit quietly next to Jace. My brain is being crowded by an overload of information that I find myself unable to ask any more questions, however, one thing remains clear in my mind. You want to see her as little times as possible.

This is the thought that I hear in my head over and over again. And this is the thought I remember as I look up and see Hodge and Luke standing above me.

"Clary. Follow us," Hodge says. And there in the distance sitting behind her mahogany desk is none other than Imogen the inquisitor.

Alright, so this was our first Clary and Jace interaction. Now I know some of you might be wondering about Jace's crazy mood swings and they are definitely crazy but you have to realize that Jace is still a kid who is dealing with being dead along with some of his own demons (more on that in later chapters). So bear with me here. Also quick point, Jace is 20 in this story. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and as always let me know what you think.

See you next week friends.