Author's Note:

Thanks for waiting and please review.

Chapter 4:

His eyes keep blinking in disbelief and his mouth won't stop opening and closing. He just started today. I think to myself. He can't know him, can he?

"Jace," I try to get his attention. I nudge his arm but he stays frozen with an expression of pure horror on his face. Why is he scared all of the sudden? My hope was that he would be afraid and leave quickly but he wasn't. How does he know Valentine? I can't think of any way the two would've met. I'm brought out of my thoughts by unappealing sound of my father's drunk voice.

"Get inside you piece of trash." my he spits. "Move your ass before I punish you!" he bellows. This scares me to my core. His ways of punishment are too awful to even think about. I start to move away from Jace but the yelling must have woken him up. He pulls me close; almost behind him all while still cradling my arm, in a protective almost cat-like stance. He looked ready to pounce.

"You're not gonna touch her." He says. He starts pulling me back slowly, but he's stopped by Valentine, whom I'd thought to be drunk. No drunk man could move with the grace he just displayed. What the hell is going on? I think. When Valentine speaks again his voice is no longer hoarse from alcohol. His words are no longer slurred but clear and deadly.

"Who's going to stop me?" he asks. "You? Your parents were no match for me, and neither are you boy." he taunts. What is he talking about? Jace slowly moves one of his arms behind him. He reveals the object he had been reaching for. I can't tell what it is. It looks like a clear, tube-like object. He whispers a name that sounds familiar. Where have I read that before? The object grows until it's almost 3 feet long and glowing a radiant blue. He turns his head and whispers in my ear a short message I almost don't hear, but the I register the word he says and react quickly. Run.

He swings the blade at my father in one swift motion causing him to jump back and I take the momentary pause as my signal to move. I sprint down the street without a word. My legs start moving faster than I ever thought possible. My feet smack the pavement so quickly that it almost feels like I'm flying. My arms move back and forth but I'm too focused on my speed to notice the throbbing. Run. That's all I can think about now. I faintly hear what sounds like a relatively new engine purr to life and become louder as it closes in. I begin to run faster until I hear Isabelle's shrill voice yell my name.

"Clary!" She screams. I don't stop, I can't. For some unknown reason I felt I could trust Jace with my life, but I didn't feel that way about anyone else. I don't even think I can register my own name right now, all I can think is of Jace's calm soothing voice telling me to run. I no longer hear the sound of their car, but the sound of heeled foot steps moving very quickly and getting more prominent every second. Within the next few moments Isabelle had not only caught up, but expertly pinned my arms behind me and pushed me up against the wall in an iron grip. If her grip and her strength are anything like her brother's, I'm not going anywhere. I accept this fact and let her manipulate my body's movements without protest. She pushes me into the backseat of the car where I feel another set of arms lock me into the seat. Does everyone in their family spend their lives at the gym, how is everybody so damn strong?

I look at the pale arms that hold me; a perfect match with Isabelle's. That makes sense since they're related. I wonder if one of their parents is tan like Jace. I look closer at his wrists, one of his shirt sleeves is pulled back a few centimeters. There, almost completely concealed by his shirt, is a design black as night against skin white as snow. His markings are the same as Jace's. They spiral into designs and shapes that look unfinished as half of them are covered by his sleeves. Without any control over my body, I lift one of my hands to touch the mark. Before I can reach his muscular limb, he whispers something in my ear that stops me in my tracks.

"Who are you and what are you hiding?" he hisses. I turn to look at his face. His electric blue eyes bore into my scared green ones with such hatred that all I can do is give him a slightly confused, very afraid expression. "Don't act so innocent," he whispers. "What are you and Valentine planning?" he demands almost soundlessly.

"I'm not acting" I whisper. "Up until today, I thought he was nothing but a useless drunk." My voice shakes. Alec's unconvinced.

"I don't believe anything you say." He spits. "If you get Isabelle, Jace, or anyone else I care about hurt, I'll kill you." he threatens. There's no doubt in my mind that he means it too. Knowing this, I have no idea why I decided to say something.

"Why would I want to hurt anyone?" I demand honestly not knowing why I would want to. "I don't know whatever cult you and your family belong to but I would never intentionally hurt you or your family." I state.

"But you would hurt other people?" he presses. Why is he trying so hard to get me to slip up?

"No! I mean…" Sebastian comes to mind. That asshole has been all but raping me for the past year and half. Can I really say I wouldn't want to hurt him? I restart my statement. "I mean...I wouldn't hurt anyone who didn't deserve it." That's not exactly what I want to say, but it sounds convincing enough. Alec doesn't seem to think so. The argument made me forget that Isabelle was in the car. The vehicle stops and she looks back, her eyes glaring at Alec.

"This isn't the time or place for this Alec." she scolds. "We can talk about it when we get to the institute. The institute? What have I gotten myself into? I never should've gotten in this car.

"What's the institute?" I ask in a frightened voice. Alec glares at me, for once with not only anger, but confusion.

"Our new home." Isabelle sighs like it pains her to say it.

"What about Jace?" I ask. "I've never seen my fa...I mean Valentine so...evil. And what did he mean by your parents were no match for me? What did he do to Jace's parents?" I demand. "What's going on here? Why is everyone acting so weird now that you know who my father is? What are you guys?" I yell. I hate that they know more than me and they're acting like I'm some delicate flower that can't handle the truth. It's because you can't handle the truth. That stupid little voice in the back of my head screams, but I ignore it. I want answers and I want them now.

"We've already called for more shadowhunters to help him." Isabelle informs me. Shadowhunters?

"And don't you mean what are we-little girl?" Alec scoffs. You're one of us too Valentine's daughter. This pisses me off.

"Look, I don't know what I did to make you act like such a dickhead but I have a name and I'd appreciate it if you would use it." I yell. "I'm not a shadowhunter-whatever that is and I have no idea what any of this is supposed to mean!" I bellow. "Let me out of the car now!" I scream.

I probably sound hysterical but I can't help it. I'm confused and scared and I don't have any idea what's happening. What the hell is a shadowhunter? Where the hell are these people taking me? What are these people? I'm in a full on state of panic and I can't control the sudden shaking that takes over my entire body. I feel a blow to the back of my head, delivered by a very strong fist. It doesn't take more than 2 seconds for the blackness to completely envelop all of my senses and I let it in gladly. Anything to get away from the hell I just entered.

I wake up what seems like minutes later. I hope with every fiber of my being that it was all a dream and my life is back to normal. That I'm back in my shabby room in my awful home with my abusive father sleeping off a hangover in the next room. God my life sucks. I think. But I soon realize that walls of this room are not the off-white plaster of my Brooklyn townhouse, but sky blue with white puffy clouds. My artist's eyes admire the careful brush strokes and clear purpose of the different blends in the white. I almost don't notice the gentle stroking of a callused thumb caressing my hand. I try to turn my head to see the face that gentle touch belongs to when I feel a stab of pain in the back of my skull. I cry out and I see black spots in my vision.

"Damn it Alec!" I hear a silky voice curse quietly. "Why did you have to hit her so hard?" he demands to himself. I know that voice. A weird sense of joy and relief fills my body at the sound, and I'm angry that I can't see his face. Then my eyes catch a second glance at the ceiling. I'm instantly afraid again and all of my muscles begin to tighten with unease. He notices this and leans over me, stroking my cheek with his unexpected gentle touch.

"Jace?" I whisper. "Where am I?" I ask in a shaky voice. I'm on the verge of tears now. I just want this to be over. He sees my panic and he pulls me up and gathers me in his arms, holding me tight in a comforting embrace.

"Shhhhh, you're ok, everything's gonna be ok, you're safe now." He soothes. This doesn't answer my question, but I don't care. All I care about are his arms around me and his calming voice whispering words of comfort in my ear. I feel tired and my head is throbbing, but his touch seems to make my pain go away. My muscles relax and I feel his lips on the top of my head. They kiss the source of my monstrous headache and it finally takes me. The confusion, fear, and pain that took me the first time, is replaced by comfort, tenderness, and some other emotion I don't recognize allow me to fall into a gentle sleep, leaning my head and body into the strong and safe chest of Jace. It's the best sleep I've had in years.