hope you like this chapter, thankyou for all the reviews i really appreciate it!
Alec instantly looked to Jace, his face lighting up, but then his gaze drifted to me, and he saw I was wearing Jace's jacket. His eyes darken in jealously, and I realise he's gay. I smile at Alec, and some of the hostility melts away, and he smiles back.
"So, you ready to go home?" Isabelle asked, and I nodded, wanting to get home and see my brothers and Ryan as soon as possible. Alec pulled something out of his pocket, a black, square piece of technology with runes on the buttons. He switched it on, and it made a faint beep, before falling silent. A sensor, in case of demon presence. They were really taking that demons threat seriously. Jace guided me back to the elevators, Alec and Isabelle a step behind us, talking quietly. Max was on the sofa again, this time asleep. Isabelle ruffled his hair cutely, and he stirred, batting her hand away, grumbling slightly. Once we were out of the institute, I instantly recognised where we were. 103rd street. I stood, taking everything in. It was strangely cold, and I found myself wrapping Jace's jacket more firmly around me. The sun was high in the sky, shrouded in clouds, and I wondered what day it was. How long had I been out? 2, maybe 3 days?
"Are you going to show us the way, or are we going to stand here all day?" Alec's harsh voice cuts through my momentary lapse in concentration, and I jump slightly. Jace stands, arms folded across his chest, his eyebrows raised at me. I blush slightly, and then start walking. We walk for a while, then Alec protests when I turn away from the tube. I roll my eyes, and then we pile into the train car.
I sit apart from them, knees pulled up to my chest, gazing out of the window as we pass the Brooklyn Bridge, feeling cold and lonely. I could feel their gazes on me, but I hardly cared anymore, they could watch me all they liked. I leaned my head against my knees, watching the city pass me by. It's okay, I reassured myself as fear and worry twisted in my stomach, I'll be home soon, and I can forget it all. You'll never forget them, especially not him, the voice in my brain that always argued whispered, and I exhaled heavily, gripping my knees, hoping the pain would drown out that voice.
"What's with the sighing?" at the sound of Jace's voice I jerked up, smacking my head against the window. I winced, rubbing my head and looking at him through my hair. He stood, looking down at me questioningly. I looked around us, at the other people on the train, who all looked at me as they had heard the bang.
"Can they see you, or am I going to look like a nut job for talking to you?" I hissed and he laughed, drawing the attention of a bunch of school girls, two of which I knew. Well, that answered that then. Jace sat next to me, but I didn't move my feet. The girls I knew, Dianna and Kristy, both in my year, stared at me jealously, almost disgusted to see him with me. They were two of the more popular girls in school. Before I could answer his question, they had turned to me, focusing their cutting glances.
"Hey, slut, what happened to Ryan?" Dianna asked, and Jace's eyebrows went up in shock. I rolled my eyes, really not needing this today. They hated me because Ryan had rejected them; he was on the football team, though he had a bit of an unfair advantage. Most of the girls wanted him, which is why I got confused as to why he didn't have a girlfriend.
"You know them?" he asked, and I saw Alec and Isabelle looking at the girls curiously, wondering what was going on.
"Sadly." I whispered, and then raised my voice so they could hear me. "What happened at your STD check, I heard you tested positive." I shot back, and Dianna gave me the dirtiest look. She got around a lot; she never had a boyfriend for more than a few weeks, if that. Her nickname at school was the bed hopper, not that she was concerned by this. Jace looked at me, raising his eyebrows at me in surprise. I shrugged, I'm a Newyorker, insulting people is what I do.
"Go cry to mommy, loser. Oh yeah, you can't." Kristy said smugly, giving a malicious smirk, and the gang giggled stupidly. I clenched my fists, turning away from them, looking out at the city again, anger boiling in my veins. I felt tears prick at my eyes, and I tried to force them down. I wasn't going to cry in front of those girls, and I defiantly wasn't going to cry in front of Jace. They continued their string of insults, aiming them at my brothers and Ryan, until my insides twisted with anger and upset.
"Shut up, you Mu-Mindless idiots." I heard Isabelle shout, tripping over the word Mundane. I lifted my head and stared at Isabelle, her face cast in fury. The girls turned their glances at the now standing Isabelle, who was moving forward, Alec behind her. She stood next to me, her eyes blazing, and most of the girls seemed threatened. Not Kristy. She laughed, taking in Isabelle in her Shadowhunter gear.
"And who are you? Some gothic girl wonder wanna-be?" Kristy taunted, and Isabelle started to advance forward, but Alec stopped her, restraining his furious sister. Kristy laughed mockingly, and I decided I'd had enough. With Alec too busy restraining Isabelle, and Jace getting to his feet to help him, there was no one to stop me launching at Kristy, knocking her to the floor, delivering a harsh slap to her face. She screamed, and the scream brought everyone's attention to us, including Jace's. I slapped her again, all my inner fury pouring out of me. She rolled, pinning me to the floor, clawing at my face, pulling at my hair. I grabbed both sides of her head and smashed it into the seat, earning another scream from her. I could have easily beaten her, but showing my skill would lead to suspicion, so I let her punch me. I slapped her again, but then she did something unexpected. She knotted her fingers in my hair, hauled up my head, and then smashed it down, repeating the action several times. Before I could launch her off of me, she was gone.
I sat up, wiping blood from my nose before staring at Kristy as she struggled in Jace's grip. I smiled as I saw her face, scratch marks running down her cheeks, blood pouring from her nose, her hair messy. That had felt good, exceptionally good. Jace handed her to Alec, who walked her away awkwardly while Isabelle laughed mockingly at her. Jace held out his hand, his eyes laughing, and I took it. He hauled me up, and I ended up face to face with him, my nose almost touching his. I take a step back, giving him a mischievous smile, and he laughed, shaking his head at me. He reached forward and wiped blood from the corner of my mouth, where her punch had split the lip. I smiled gratefully at him, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. I made sure not to get blood on his jacket, then as the train stopped, pulled him toward the exit. We met Alec and Isabelle, who when she saw me, gave me a hug. I was surprised, but I hugged her back, because she had backed me up.
"You were so amazing. That girl totally deserved it." she exclaimed, and I smiled, pulling back out of her grip and staring at Alec over her shoulder, who had a scratch on his cheek. She'd scratched him! I pushed past Isabelle and went up to Alec, taking his face in my hands and turning it to the side so I could examine the scratch. He was taken aback, and he blushed a little.
"I can't believe she scratched you!" I whispered, and blood oozed from the cut. It was deeper than I'd first thought, and I cursed under my breath, brushing the blood away. His blush increased as he looked over my shoulder, probably at a giggling Isabelle and mocking Jace. He pulled out a Steele, and went to hand it to me, then hesitated, as if just realising I didn't have runes. I took the Steele, and he looked surprised. I may not have had runes, but I knew what they looked like, and I had an amazing talent for drawing.
I unzipped his jacket, pulled down his top and put the Steele to his skin. It jumped to life in my hands, and energy sizzled through my body. The healing rune spread in flowing, beautiful black lines, more fluid than charcoal or pastels. I was done all too soon, and I let go of his shirt, zipping his jacket up again. When I looked back up at him, his face was unbelievably red. I handed him his Steele, then turned back to Isabelle and Jace. Isabelle was staring in shock, not at me but at her brother, and that's when I remembered that he was gay. Or, at least, I assumed he was gay. I would have to confront Isabelle. Jace was looking at me with mild approval, and I knew he was probably surprised that I could draw runes.
I walked again, the familiar streets of Brooklyn feeling like home. Jace caught up to me, walking beside me, shortening his strides to match my pace. The streets were mainly quiet, a few people waved or called hello to me as I walked.
"You draw good runes." He complimented me, and I nodded, looking down the street. Usually, there was a van, a disgusting yellow beat up thing that belonged to a guy called Eric. He carted around his band instruments in it, now they were called Millennium Lint. I went to a few of their gigs with Ryan, they weren't that bad.
"Thanks, I've always been able to draw." I say, turning the corner on to my street. My house was at the far end, almost the last one. It was true; I'd always had a talent for drawing, ever since I was little.
"Could your parents draw?" he asks, and he seems genuinely curious.
"No, my mom was a singer though." I say, the words leaving my mouth before I can stop them. She'd been one of the best singers, in my opinion, and it was one of the things she had passed down to me. Seeming as Bach was a Shadowhunter; my mother had taught me the piece that exposed demons. After that, it had been clear I could sing.
"Can you sing?" he asked, and I wondered why it mattered to him. We were nearing my house, and there was another figure walking towards us.
"Here's my house." I replied instead of answering his question. He looked up at the windows, and something didn't seem right, the way he looked at the house. I was about to ask him what was wrong, when I recognised the figure heading towards us, his hands jammed deep into his jean pockets. I felt my heart rise into my throat, and then as the figure looked up, he spotted me.
"Ryan!" I exclaimed, running into his arms. He picked me up, spinning me around, and I squeezed him as tightly as I could. I buried my face into his shoulder, and then my stomach collided into his shoulder as he hauled me over his shoulder, laughing. I giggled; glad to be back in familiar arms.
"You're okay! God, do you know how worried I was about you? You've been gone for three days!" he set me back down on the floor, taking my face in his hands. So I had been out for three days. I wrapped my arms around his neck, smiling up at him as his face flooded with relief. He had grey bags under his eyes, and he looked worn. I felt guilt slam into me; obviously he'd been out looking for me. I felt his hands on my hips as he slipped my phone into my pocket, and I smiled gratefully at him.
"I know, I'm sorry, you had my phone." I replied, indicating to my pocket, and he pressed his forehead to mine, stroking my hair like he used to when I was younger, when I was afraid of the dark. I relaxed, almost forgetting about the Shadowhunter's behind us. Then, he pulled back, examining my face, his eyebrows rising questioningly.
"What happened to you?" he asked, turning my face, wiping blood from the corner of my mouth. I rolled my eyes, whining when he tried to clean me up. His brow furrowed as he seemed to register the people who had come with me, and he straightened up, his eyes going cold. I turned, and found Jace meeting Ryan's eyes steadily, a look of icy menace plastered over his face.
"Some girls were picking on her; she dealt with them pretty well." Alec answered, but it's like Ryan didn't hear. He stared daggers at Jace, who had that superior smirk of his ready and waiting. I looked back at Ryan curiously, and saw his jaw lock. I put my hand on his shoulder, shaking him slightly, until he looked down at me. I frowned at him, and then turned back to Jace, wiping blood impatiently from nose.
"I should have known it was you." Jace said, at that Ryan stiffened, his whole body going rigid. I looked between them, and finally Ryan's fear at Pandemonium and his hostility made sense.
"You two know each other?" I ask, unable to keep the shock out of my voice. Jace laughs mockingly, and Ryan just glares.
"Yes, he picked a fight with me once." Ryan said his voice taut. Jace gave a shrug as if to say 'what are you going to do about it?' and I was about to ask what over when I heard a scream. I spun towards the house, and in a second, I was flying up the porch steps and reaching for the door handle. When my skin made contact with the metal, it started to burn, the handle sizzling. I suck in a breath through my teeth, and pull my hand away, inspecting the scorched skin and blisters. I look down at the handle, noticing the delicately drawn runes. Jace was beside me, taking my hand in his, and he frowned. I pulled it free, stretching his jacket down over my hands, and then touching the handle again. I could feel the heat through the sleeve, and I wince, biting my lip, then when I hear the click of the lock, I jam my shoulder against it, the wood splintering around the bolt. My hand burns, but I throw myself against the door again, hoping to break the lock. Whoever was in there was hurting my brothers and I had to help them.
I throw myself at the door again, and unexpectedly, Jace kicks it. The door fly's open, and I ran, right into a wall of flesh. I looked up, and almost screamed. A tall, broad shouldered man with black lines burned deep into his face stared down at me, his eyes empty and black. He hauled up his right arm, and I saw the axe. I unzipped Jace's jacket and grabbed a seraph blade, calling its name before jamming it into the Forsaken's gut. Crimson blood poured over my arm, and I fought the repulsion that triggered my gag reflex. The Forsaken growled, flinging me across the room. I roll, then get to my feet, waiting for the next attack. I see Jace and the others flying around the room, a thick mist and stench leaking into the room.
The next Forsaken swings a mace at my face, and I duck, turning on my heels and slicing open its neck. I ran toward the stairs, hearing the scream again, and I'm on the third step when something grabs my leg. I cry out as I'm dragged down the stairs, my head making contact with the corner of the step. I lash out with my knife, blood pouring onto the floor. I kick the forsaken in the jaw, but he's persistent, his grip on my ankle too tight, the pain is blinding. I hear a yelp, and watch as Ryan, in wolf form, smashes into the banister.
"Ryan!" I cry, lashing out at the forsaken again. Jace turned at my cry, dispatched the forsaken he was fighting and jumped over the banister, landing beside me. He thrust his seraph blade into the Forsaken's chest, and then hauls me up, checking me over. I pull away from him and run up the stairs, there's a forsaken in front of my younger brother Lucas' room. This one is female, and she grabs me, pushing me towards the banister, the gap between the stairs and the wall large enough for me to fall through. She pinned me against the banister, hands to my neck, squeezing the breath from me. My back arches as she tries to throw me over the edge, and I stab her, grabbed her shoulders and throw her through the wood. It splintered, sending shards into her flesh as she falls; right onto the three Forsaken Jace was struggling to defeat. He looks up, but before he can say anything, I'm sprinting towards the door, grabbing the handle...
The door explodes, sending me flying backwards, over the edge of the broken banisters. A half broken banister cuts into my stomach, and I grab onto it, dangling in midair. Blood pours down my trousers from the cut, and I try to swing myself up, my feet finding no purchases on the slick ceiling and wall. I look into the room and see a black figure, swirling and tearing through the air. I try harder, swinging back and forward, my feet slipping, and I realise it's no use.
"Jace!" I cry, my fingers slipping on the blood. He looks up, and then he's in front of me, so incredibly fast I'm shocked. He grabs onto me, pulling me up, and I almost fall onto him. He holds me up, and my vision starts to blur. I push him away, stumbling forward into the room. I see the figure, towering over my brothers. Ethan shields Lucas, his jaw set, determination in his eyes, and I rush forward, despite the pain and the dizzying mist that runs through my body. I draw out my other seraph blade, crying its name before driving it into the black figure.
The figure shimmered, and then dispersed, splitting into 10 more clouds of black, all taking the shape of a human. Their eyes were pits in their skulls, their jaws wide and filled with rows of razor sharp teeth. Jace joined me, standing at my side, holding his weapon out in front of him. Ryan bounded into the room, his hackles raised, blood staining his muzzle. He growled at the figures, slinking forward, baring his teeth.
The first figure flew forward, and Ryan pounced, ripping into it, the sound of grinding stones filling the air. I was about to go and help Ryan, when a figure flew right into me, flinging me into Jace, the warmth drained from my body. Ice crept through my veins, and my teeth chattered, my whole body shaking uncontrollably. I felt Jace's hands on my skin, and they burned, too hot against my stony skin. I blinked the haze from my vision, and walked with leaden feet into the black mist. I slashed at the blackness as it tried to suffocate me, pushing down on my body, sucking the air out of my lungs. When I turned, I saw Ryan in human form, using a splintered piece of the door as a weapon, blood rushing from a gash on his head. Jace was shouting at me, his mouth moving, and I cocked my head, hearing no sound. My senses were dulled, and as sound started to leak back into my ears, I heard him faintly saying to duck.
Before I can take his advice, I'm slammed into the wall, a black demon pinning me against it. It hissed, its jaw snapping dangerously close to my neck. I try to push it away, but I'm weak, blood pooling at my feet, my vision going black around the edges. I can see Ryan, lying unconscious on the floor, and I want to go to his aid, I want to help him. Jace is fighting off many more demons, and when he sees me, my feet dangling a foot off the ground, clawing at the demons arm where it pins my neck to the wall, his face drains of colour.
"Casey..." the demon hisses, and I recoil from my real name. The demon snarled, a harsh cackle escaping its cracked throat.
"Your father wants you. Your destiny calls." It growls, and I'm confused.
"My father's dead..." I croak, my voice hoarse. The demon laughs, its claws digging into my flesh, and I whimper.
"Casey... You have no idea..." I drop my hands into the pocket of Jace's jacket, pull out a kindjal, and jam it into the demons gut. It shrieks, and then bursts apart. I fall to the ground, my body going limp, and when my head smacks the floor, my eyes slide closed, and I pass out.
So what do you think of Keira/Casey's secret name? Just starting to get deeper into her story, so hope you enjoyed it.