Chapter 7

"Clary." A voice whispers to me. The voice sounds clouded and murky, muffled by some unknown source. I try to open my eyes but they don't seem to want to cooperate. I try for a few more minutes before I give up. They'll open when they want to and not a minute before. I feel a pressure on my hand. I squeeze my fingers as much as I can and I hear someone sigh in relief. The sounds are becoming clearer, so clear that I can hear someone scoff in the doorway. I decide I'm not ready to get up just yet. I shift and sigh to make it look like I'm still asleep.

"What's the problem Alec?" I know who was speaking now. I wonder how long Jace has been at my bedside. The events as of late have made me forget to question everything he's doing. Why is he always so nice to me? What does he want? Why do I trust him? For goodness sake Clary you've only known him a few hours! That little voice inside my head can be so sweet sometimes.

"The problem is that this girl you've become so buddy buddy with is not an annoyance we can afford to have right now. It's her fault that Valentine is doing all of this. She's dead weight Jace." I hear Jace let out a short, almost angry breath.

"She's not an annoyance Alec, she's a girl that needed my help. I know she has no training, but there's something about her. She's different. I know it doesn't seem like it from what you seen of her, but she's brave. I can't even put into words what we saw when we searched her house."

"It doesn't matter that she needed your help. She needed it. She doesn't need help anymore so we should just take her back to her life with the mundanes. Think about Max and Isabelle, our parents, Hodge. They need our help more than this stupid girl does so stop acting like she's god's gift to the world and everyone else is suddenly unimportant."

"Don't talk to me like I'm some incompetent child." His voice is laced in anger. "I care about our family more than anything. You know that. She has nowhere to go back to Alec. I'm not saying lets bring her demon hunting with us, I'm saying that she's going to stay here. We can try to find a family member, maybe her mom or an aunt or someone, but right now she needs to be here. Hodge needs her, to find out anything she may or may not know about Valentine's plans." I'm in horror. My mother? Send me away? It's too much. I open my eyes so they stop talking about me. I knew he was too good to be true. I knew that he was using me, toying with me to get what he needs all the while planning on getting rid of me. Sending me back into the world alone no less. Well, at least that wouldn't be a change. I"m always alone, that's the way it should be. The way it needs to be.

"Clary." He breathes. He's smiling. I fell in love with that smile, the one he only seemed to use with me, but I was a fool. I fell right into his trap, but I'm done falling. "I'm so glad you're awake, how are you feeling?" I don't answer right away. I move my head a little, shift my arms and legs. Everything feels fine, but the ultimate test will be getting up. I shake his hand off of mine and I swing my legs over the side of the bed. "No, Clary you should lay down. You need to rest." His words, filled with so much fake concern, it makes me want to vomit. I won't give him that satisfaction though. I won't give him another reason to coddle me as if he actually cares. I'm done with the confusion Jace gives me, the abuse I get from his ice cube of a brother, and the fear that Valentine has once again created. I'm done with all of them.

"Don't tell me what I need." I get up and I surprisingly feel okay to walk. He looks confused. What? Is he surprised that some stupid "mundane"- whatever that is- figured out his little scam. Screw him.

"Clary don't get mad I just want to help you." He reaches for me, trying to tug me back into the bed. His touch gives me a sense of warmth and I almost give in. Almost.

"Go to hell." And with that, I shake off his arm and start towards the door. Alec steps in front of me and moves every time I try to slip past him. "Get the hell out of my way you selfish prick." I spit. He smirks and it makes me even more furious. "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!" This ass hole has been on my case since the minute he and Isabelle yanked me into their car and I'm fed up with it. He's laughing at me now. He towers over me, and his biceps are almost the size of my head.

"I was wondering when I would see the part of you that grew up in Brooklyn." He's eyeing me with a predatory look. He's been waiting for me to slip up, to say the wrong thing. He wanted a reason to be a bastard without being penalized and this is it. I don't want to deal with his games. I feel hands wrap around my upper arms and I thrash. He's strong, but I want nothing more than to leave, and he's not going to stop me. I pull me leg back and kick him where it really hurts, his grip loosens for a split second and this allows me to slip away. I throw my elbow out towards Alec's face but he catches it at the last second. I use my other hand to punch him in the ribs. This knocks the wind out of him and he loses his balance just long enough for me to kick him in the stomach. He crashes into the wall opposite the door and I run like hell. I sprint through the corridors until I find the familiar doors that lead to the outside world and I jump through them. I hit the ground running and before anyone can catch up, I jump into a taxi and tell them to floor it to the only place I know no one will find me.