CHAPTER FOUR: CAUGHT

Why couldn't I wake up? I was on the verge of it, I could tell. My consciousness was back, but my eyes wouldn't open. And where the hell was I? I was actually laying on something soft and comfortable, not anything like the cold stone that I remember.

Oh God. The Chapel. Jonathan. Shadowhunters.

My thoughts broke off when I begun to hear footsteps, they were faint, but close enough. It sounded like footsteps on wooden floorboards. It just confused me even more.

"Any change?" A heard a voice say, the footsteps had stopping.

"Nope," another voice, I swear I've heard it somewhere. "She's just laying there. You took her stele right?"

"Yeah. How did she open a portal with a rune?"

"Your asking me? I'm as dumbstruck as you are."

"Alec, I'm pretty sure, I'm smarter than you."

"Then why don't you answer your own question."

What are these lunatics on about? There was silence for a moment before one of them spoke.

"Well, she better come around soon. We need answers."

"And mum's hasn't summoned the Clave, yet."

"Why don't we use an itraze? If it's only a head injury keeping her asleep, than she should wake up."

"No way Jace, if her head is still out of it, then she won't be that much of a risk."

"Good point."

"Yeah and you think your smarter."

More silence.

"Where's Iz?"

"Asleep."

"Good. Even more reason for this one to wake up. Iz really doesn't like her, does she?"

"She hates anyone that knows Sebastian."

"Um... We know Sebastian."

"Not what I meant."

There voices eventually drift off, the last words I hear only murmurs.

My eyes felt like they were heaving themselves opened. I cringed, feeling the pounding in my head again, but it only made it worse. It was worse than any hangover I'd ever had.

The weight of my eyelids returned but I forced them open, finally realising I still didn't know where I was. Holding my head, I pushed up into a sitting position to find myself on a white bed. Many, just like this one, lined the walls of the room I was in.

The large room was empty, I supposed the owners of the voices I heard had left. Slowly, I swung my legs over the bed. Gently placing them on the ground, I went to stand up.

Too quick, I thought as black spots clouded my vision. But I stayed standing, trying not to sway too much. Eventually the spots faded and I was able to move without feeling that I was going to faint.

I moved around the bed to the large window. Moving the long curtain aside, I readied myself from great rays of yellow light, instead it was more subtle. The light of dawn.

Outside the streets were still busy. It was New York after all. But I wasn't looking at the various people on the side-walks. I was searching for some clue as to where I was. I already had an idea, but I wasn't liking it.

My gaze followed the large iron fenced that surrounded whatever building I was in. It suddenly turned a corner, but not without me catching a glance on an edge of a gate. A large one at that. I quickly found the latch on the window.

Lifting it up, I fitted my head through the opening and stretch my body out as far as it could go. Finally I saw the backwards letters on the gate: The Institute.

I held so many curses in my brain, it like exploding. What was I expecting. Of course those shadowhunters brought me here. That's what I get for being too reckless. I should've known. I mentally hit myself across the face.

I reached for my stele, but already knew my pocket was empty. So no portal.

Maybe I could jump? Looking down, I think better of it. At least three storeys, there's no way I would survive a jump like that. Only one other option.

I guessed I would have to go straight through the front door.

No body was in here, they have no idea I was awake. Slipping through the open double doors, I decided stealth was the way to go. If I was quiet than they wouldn't get suspicious and check on my now empty bed.

I had never been in an Institute before. My family and I had only ever lived in Idris. There was so many corridors in this place. I turned a corner and came to a very long hall, the wall lined with doors. I hoped they were all empty.

I hurried, yet tried not to make any sound. But when I heard voices in front of me, I set my eyes on the nearest door. Please be empty.

Inside it was completely dark, apart from the light through the window. Thankfully it was empty. I moved to the side of the door so my I wouldn't cast a shadow under it. The voices came closer, before fading again.

Hoping they were gone, I took my chance and quietly turned the knob. Peaking my head out, I was only caught glimpses of their backs. Two men, one with blonde hair. I kept seeing that everywhere. They turned the way I came, not looking back.

The were probably headed to wherever I came from. Which was not the best.

Now I had to be quick. I quickened my pace, still guessing where I was headed.

I stopped mid-step. There was something in my path. I almost laughed to myself. Why had I been so paranoid? In front of me was a small ball of grey fur. The cat was just standing there, staring. I went to take a step. Suddenly it hissed, making me jump the slightest, before taking off down the corridor.

I scoffed to myself, "Alrighty."

A short time had passed and already I found no trace of an exit. Brilliant. Eventually I just started taking random turns, which was the reason why I got lost.

Turning down another hall, I slowed to a stop. Standing in the middle of the corridor was that cat again. Standing there, staring. It started to really gives me the creeps.

"Church, where are you taking us?" I froze, and so did the boy. He just rounded the corner, freezing when his eyes met mine. Black hair, piercing blue eyes. Alec. I won't lie, Magnus did have some taste.

"By the Angel, why is everyone so weird today?" Another boy stopped next to Alec. This one with golden hair, same as his eyes. His gaze laid on me for a while before he muttered, "That'll be why."

I cursed through my clenched teeth, before bolting back down the way I came. I heard shouts from behind, but kept running. I ran, having no idea where to go. I could hear thumping behind me, it was probably from whoever was chasing me.

I came to a hall where on side the wall was completely lined with windows, same in the room I woke up in. My body abruptly stopped. Why didn't I think of this before?

My fingers fumbled with the latch on the window, before heaving it upwards. But before I could even get myself through the window, arms caught around my waist, yanking me back from my only escape.

I struggled against whoever had hold of me, kicking with my legs and trying to throw a punch into the person's face.

"Alec!" he grunted. "A little help!"

The boy, I was pretty sure it was a guy, got grab of my arms, holding them behind my back. I kicked against him. But then there was a burning sensation on my shoulder. I knew a stele was pressed to my skin.

"No!" I shouted but it was no use.

My legs quickly began to tingle, before turning limp. The person behind me let go of my arms and I dropped to the floor, my legs now just useless weight.

I pushed myself up with my arms. The blonde boy came towards me, but there was no way I was going without a fight. I threw a fist into his jaw. He jumped back from me, letting out something between a growl and a yelp.

His rubbed his cheek, glaring down at me. Suddenly two sets of hand were on me, pulling my wrists together. I watch as they drew another rune, causing a glowing band to wrap around my wrists. I try to move my hands, but they stung, as if getting burnt from fire.

The 'golden-boy', I was just going to call him that since I didn't know his name, threw me over his shoulder as if I was nothing.

I could've elbowed him in the back, but I was caught, there wasn't much of a point. And all thanks to that blastard cat.

"Can't believe you got beat up by a girl," I heard Alec chuckled from ahead of me.

"Shut up, she's tougher than she looks."

I couldn't help but smirk.

I got dumped on a chair in a small room, it looked like some sort of study. No windows, so there was no way I could escape out of one, even if I did have control over my legs.

The two boys looked at me before Alec said, "Come on, Jace, let's find mum."

So his name was Jace. I watched them both leave. I won't lie, I was worried, and even a little scared. I didn't want to be found out be the Clave, didn't want anything to do with shadowhunters.

And after a short while the door creaked open again. In came a middle-aged woman, her hair dark, same as Alec. She walked towards me, looking down at the runes on my arms.

She sighed. "You put that rune on her," she looked accusingly towards the door, which Jace and Alec both had their heads peeping in.

The woman took a stele out of her pocket, and my body became rigid, thinking I was going to get given another rune.

"Don't worry, I'm getting rid of this rune," she pointed towards the one that took any feeling in my legs away. Alec and Jace moved to protest, but she waved them off. "She's not going to attack me. She's not an animal."

She place the stele to my skin, and in only a second, she was done. I twisted my head to see, all the woman had done was burn a line through the rune. The feeling in my legs had returned. So that's how get rid of those type of runes. All she did was disfigure it.

If it was either Jace or Alec, well, I might've attacked. But she was nice. Though she still kept my hands bound.

"Now," she spoke, "Do you have a name?"

Even if she was nice, I wasn't giving away my identity. And there was no way possible, I was going to tell her I was a Morgenstern.

"Mum, she's not going to talk," Alec said.

But Alec's mother looked at me before turning away, "I suppose your right. I'll have to send word to the Clave."

She begun walking out the door when I heard myself yell, "Wait!"

All three of them slowly turned back to me. "Y-You can't."

The woman said, "What is your name?"

I averted my eyes to the ground, what am I doing? Telling them will put me in reach of the Clave, but in danger of Jonathan. The thoughts terrified me.

"If you tell us your name, then I will not summon them," she spoke.

I suppose one thought terrified me more. At least here I could get protection.

"Cl... Clarissa," I breathed out.

"Clarissa...?"

Which name? Which name should I use? Be truthful and gain their trust, or keep my real name a secret and pretend to be nothing more than a girl no longer part of the shadowhunters. Maybe I could still gain their trust that way.

I breathed in before saying, "Clarissa Fray."

So I realised, the whole plot thing might be unclear. So Clary deals with life as a chess game. If you've never played chess, it might be confusing. Anyway, she uses or sacrifices pawns to protect herself, so basically everybody she's given up (her mother).

This chapter, she was thinking of gaining their trust to use them as pawns if the time will ever come. Clary sees herself as the king in chess, or, in simpler terms, she's just really selfish and wants to save her own skin. But I'm not giving away any spoilers.

If you want anything else explained, then don't hesitate to ask (PM me). Because, I've got it all figured out in my hand, but I'm not sure if I'm explaining it in my writing.

Ok, thanks for reading. See Yas!