Lets just say being tied to a chair is not fun. Your arms start to cramp and then the patterns in the stone tiles start to look like faces. Then you get to a weird reflection stage where you go over memories, like right now it's my last words to my mum "go to hell" of course I wonder what shes thinking, probably something like "damn there goes the child benefit" or "I wonder if her jeans will fit me".

I know for a moment I went a bit crazy and started singing 'hushaby mountain' from chitty chitty bang bang, I started counting sheep and for a moment I fell asleep.

I opened my eyes to be looking at my lap, with some serous painful neck issues. I stretched my neck to find I wasn't alone in the room. A blond boy was sat opposite me. A cool little walking stick with him. Jem. It was a bit weird waking up to see a face of a book character especially as the face it probably not what you expect.

"Miss …Poison?" he asked the name like it was some stupid joke

"Jem?" I wondered if it was him, not just because he was different to what I was expect but also because he looked nothing like the cover of clockwork prince, where as Will had some similar facial features, Jem just looked different. He was wearing loose grey trousers and a red thing… a waistcoat? What ever it was it was it was upper class or what ever they call it. He was definitely pale; his eyes were angled showing his Chinese steak. His jaw line was familiar as it was…something about it was similar to Toby's and the nose, his forehead it was all so familiar. I could help but stare at him, hoping that he would change into Toby and we could laugh it off. He sounded nothing like Toby. Yes, the eyes were the same colour, but the shape was different. It doesn't matter, I mentally kicked myself, hes not here, it's 1878 and …I'm still in denile, how the fuck was it 1878?how the fuck was I here? I was getting angry. How? Why? Shit that never ending questions in my head.

"Yes I am Jem Carstairs." His voice was low and broke me out of the cycle, I had forgotten that I had asked him a question. I was staring at his mouth, it opened and he continued, "Mr Herondale asked me to watch over you while he was gone; he has an investigation to uphold. You also asked to see me" He talked so formally, he'd be slaughted if he ever went to our school, but I did care for that.

"Translation: Will has gone to a brothel." I said the word seriously deflecting my feelings of confusion and anger.

"He was right you do speak rudely, but that is not what I said Miss. Poison."

"Lighten up, you were thinking it." I bent my head back, trying to untie the knots in my neck.

"I do not think of him that low." He looked insulted, and then smilied "he only does that on week ends."

"So how long is Charlotte going to take to lug Brother Enoch up here? My necks killing me" for some reason I had taken up my friendly tone I normally talk to friends with.

"Charlotte is away till the evening but I have been given some quick questions to ask, that way Brother Enoch will not have to dig deep in your head, but confirm you are telling the truth, making the process…faster" Jem hesitated. That was not a good thing. What the hell was Brother Enoch going to do?

"Okay shoot." The faster this was over, the faster I can get out of here, the faster I can plan to escape.

"How did you enter the institute?" Jems voice was softer then Wills and more tonal.

"err, yeah…about that … I have no idea…one minuet I shouting at my mum in my room, then I turn round and it's a corridor and then bang I'm not in my room."

"Okay…what are your parents?" Jem gave me an odd look, as if I were mental or different.

"Well my mums an over reactive bitch and my dads an abusive wanker." I looked at Jem, he looked shocked at my explaination, I remembered the fact it was a odd 100 years before I was born, people, apparently, don't shun other people so openly. "ooohhh, you meant as in are they humans? Well in that case… I think my dad might be An alien and my mum… hmmm that's a hard one" I started thinking would my mum suit, I came up blank "she can just stay a bitch."

"Allow me to rephrase are your parents down worlders or humans?"

"You're taking the fun away, Jem… there humans."

"I would prefer for you to refer to me by my surname, carstairs, we are not of first name statuses. What year were you born?"

"1993"

"How old are you?" he leaned forward interested.

" In dog years I'm gonna say 150-200, give or take."

"Human years?"

" About 365 days, 366 for an allep year" I gave him another vague answer

"How old are you in human years?" The poor guy looked annoyed

" Fully mature."

"A number not a cheese type." He gave a small smile. It looked forced.

"72" he gave me an odd look " 83, 765, 12, 56…" I trailed off still looking at his blank glare, "what you said 'a number" I covered for myself just to receive a cold glare "… fine I'm 17, but technically I'm kinda not existing right now…and neither are my parent or their parents parents or their parentes parents parents parents or…you get the idea"

"Are you hungry?" okay this one caught me off guard

"Hmmm am I hungry?" I'm freaking starving

"Answer the question." He looked pointedly at me.

"No I think'll starve." I looked at the door; it wasn't locked, so maybe the window wasn't.

"So you are hungry?" he pushed on

"I didn't say that."

"Are you thirsty?" he tried a different angle

"What happened to the hungry question?"

"Would you like anything?" he tried again

"Everything."

"Be more specific."

"Untie me from the chair?" I pulled at the ropes to highlight my point.

"I can't do that." He shook his head slightly

"Cant or wont" I had to ask

"Wont because it's your escape plan, yes I saw you look at the door and can't because you're a danger institute" he shook his head slightly

"At least your honest Jem, that's cool" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"How is that cold?" he looked confused slightly.

"Not 'cold', 'cool' it means rocky, good, a thing I admire, something that is just…cool" I said. I don't think I'm going to get used to the language here. Where was here? "Jem am I in London?"

"Why?"

"Do you know Tessa?"

"Tessa?" he looked confused again

"Translation: no" I stated out loud and he lean back slightly worried about me. I tilted me head slightly sideways, giving my self an intense insane look "found any dead girls, lately?"

"How…what?" he looked speechless

"Translation: yes" I now knew where I was in the novel, the start. The death of Emma Bayliss. Wills investigation to the finding of Tessa. My problem had only just started.

"Look I have to go." He said walking out of the room.

Once again I was on my own.

And then the thought hit me, I have to deal with this neck pain till Charlotte returns…it say 3 hours…give or take. Okay I don't really have an idea.