I love this chapter, but I don't know why. Anyways hope you all had a wonderful spring break!
Black spots swarm in front of Isabelle's eyes as she gained conciseness. Nothing about the world around her looked familiar. Towering trees grew all around her with sounds of buzzing insects. Vines strung from the tress, showering her eyes in a world of green. Using more effort than should be necessary, Izzy tilted her head to get a better view. All she could see was the murky, vine strung trees. Tilting her head to the other side, which resulted in a groan of pain, she saw a metal gray building, no more than 2 stories, that looked like it was built out of scrap metal. Only then, looking down on the forest floor, did she notice that she was strapped up at least 40 feet in the air, tied to the tree.
"Fuck," she grumbled against the restrains. The more she struggled, the more the ropes dug into her wrists and ankles.
"Struggling isn't going to help."
Isabelle nearly had a heart attack at how close the voice was. Tugging once again at the restrains which were the only difference between her life and death by fall, she managed to twist her head up just enough to see a wood made platform that wrapped around the top of the tree, with a rope ladder leading off to another tree, no doubt a way for getting to her without her getting at them.
"Oh, course you probably can't see me."
The platform creaks above Izzy even so slightly, giving her the impression someone moved. Suddenly blond hair flopped in front of her face. A girl who would give Regina George a run for her money was hanging upside down near Isabelle's face with the biggest grin ever. Makeup, bright pinks and purple, decked out her face which should have made her look like a Barbie doll overdone, but she looked perfect.
"I'm Brenda. So nice to see that you are finally awake," she curled her lips when she spoke and her eyes light up to bright burning green.
Isabelle sucked in a breath and spat in the girls face. Anger swelled up inside her knowing that she was responsible or at least helped with her kidnapping.
Brenda growled and splattered the spit off her face. "Well that was rude! Nice to meet you too!" She sputtered, and grinned devilishly at Isabelle.
"Why," Isabelle cried as loudly as possible growling back at the model of a girl in front of her face.
"Well you see there is something you have that we need. Unfortunately for you, we don't know where to find it. If you care to cooperate, this can be over much soon."
Isabelle racked her mind for anything that someone could want from her other than her demon necklace which was still hanging around her neck, so they didn't want that.
"What could you want from me," Izzy sputtered again slowly losing energy.
"Oh sweetie," Brenda sighed running a finger down Isabelle's jaw, which to her would be running it up her jaw. "You really don't know how far deep your family is on this do you?" Blood was started to rush to Brenda's head, making her cheeks light, up making her even more perfect. Isabelle groaned, despite being tied up a tree and kidnapped having no idea where she was, she was still jealous.
Izzy looked at Brenda through her eyelashes. "Who brought me here and where exactly am I?"
"Not who, what!" Brenda smiled. "Though I will choose to choose to let you think over that, you will need something to do tied up to this tree any who. As for where you are," she titled her arm out and turned her head to look at the scenery.
"Welcome to the Demise."
"I hated the bathroom, it was so small!"
While looking at houses, Jace had stumbled on one that he loved, but Clary seemed to only have complaints.
"And the backyard, it was non-existent! You agree with me that the kitchen was so outdated right?"
Jace tugged on the wheel of the car and pulled on to the shoulder of the road (yes, I have been studied for drivers Ed and know what that means Star!)
"Clary, I love you, but please shut up! If you don't like it just say that, there's more to look at," Jace sighed turning to Clary who had her lips clapped shut. Of all the things in the world, at least he got a girl who shut up when he asked.
"Sorry," Clary mumbled and darted her eyes away. Jace had 2 options now, since there was obviously something bigger here. He could pull back into traffic and drive or consult his girlfriend. Even though first seemed easier, but he choose the latter.
"Clary, what is it?"
She turned back to look up at him and shook her head.
"Hey, if this is about Isabelle we are going to find her. I promise. I am not going to let my sister and your future parabatai just vanish."
Clary makes an effort to smile at Jace. "I know," Clary mumbled. "It's just this feels wrong."
Jace sputtered a little. Wrong? Their relationship wrong? Buying a house together wrong? "What do you mean by that?" He didn't mean for it to come out as snarky as it did.
"Well buying a house and Magnus and Alec getting married. We could be out looking for Isabelle, but we are looking at houses! She has been gone for 2 days Jace, where could she have gone?"
Jace flattened his breath and leaned over the center console to a hug a teary Clary.
"Okay, let's start looking then. Where do you want to start?"
Clary seemed to ponder this for a moment, nothing left in her brain to say. Then her face light up with excitement. "Erik!"
Jace scrunched his eyebrows together.
"Simon said that her phone went straight to voicemail," Clary started to explain. "Erik is awesome with computers; we could get him to track her phone. I mean he plays mine craft and league of legends all the time with Simon."
"What the fuck is that," Jace asked giving Clary a weird look. "I agree it could work, but you have been hanging around that bloodsucker too long!" Clary stifled a laugh while pulling out her phone to call Erik and Simon.
"You think you can do it?"
Erik had shown up at Simon's apartment an hour ago under the impression they were playing the online Star Trek game. Erik had agreed to do it under the terms that someone goes to buy him Taco Bell. Simon was last to touch his nose.
"Yah. A few things though, I need her name and phone number," Alec handed him a slip of paper with both written on it. "I would like to point out that my Taco Bell is still not here," Clary rolled her eyes. "And lastly should I be concerned for the man in the sparkly vest with no pants on sitting on the couch?"
"No," Alec, Clary and Jace said at the same time.
"Though he could put pants on," Clary hinted at Magnus.
"I don't wear pants at home," he shrugged.
"This isn't your home," She pointed out.
"Ah, but it is eh home, therefore I do not wear pants!" Clary rolled her eyes and flickered her hand at Magnus.
"Oh give the man a break, we men need to let our body breath a little," Jace stated defending Magnus.
"Breath from what, it's not like you Clary have done anything on that level yet," Alec snarled gaining a blush from Clary and a smack on the head from Jace. Meanwhile Erik was dumbstruck on his computer watching it all unfold.
"You guys have been together like 4 years and you still haven't done it," Erik asked shocked at Clary.
"Haven't done what," Simon asked walking through the door carrying a bag with a bell on it.
"Nothing," Jace and Clary sputtered at the same time then blushed.
Simon waved it off and focused back on Erik, too nervous about Isabelle more than anything.
"I was able to track down the cell tower it last binged off on which was 10 minutes ago; it's going to take a while to get the exact location though."
Simon was jittered with hope and despair, "How long?"
"Few hours, 2 at the least."
Groans erupted through the room and everyone shoot a glare at Erik.
3 hours later, Erik and Simon were attempting to teach Jace how to play Call of Duty zombie style, which was defiantly lowering his macho level as every time he saw a zombie on the screen he would scream as appose to kill it. Alec and Magnus had started a game of go fish and to make it more interested would play continuing games with the losing person taking off a piece of clothing. Clary was praying that Magnus won the next round as she was not looking forward to his purple boxers hitting the floor and getting to bear witness to his junk.
"Damn it," Jace squealed in a high voice as he ran out of virtual bullets.
"You're dead," Erik declared. Not entertained anymore by Jace, he decided to get up and check how the search was pending.
"Hey I think I found it," Erik shouted over Jace's girl screams. Clary blew a sigh of relief as Alec was one move away from winning again. Simon jumped up from the carpet and nearly killed everyone to get to the computer.
"Where?"
"32rd ave bay ridge," Erik squinted to read the street name.
Simon didn't even hesitate to grab his coat and go running down the hall.
"Guess we are going now," Alec sighed.
32rd ave was nothing like Jace pictured. It was a short street lining off an alley with dumpsters and an assortment of homeless people down the block.
"Why would Isabelle be here," He asked kicking away a Budweiser can.
"I don't know, but me, Erik and Clary will check that side," Simon said gesturing to the east side of the street with his thumb, "and the rest of you check that side."
Simon took off down the street wasting no time. Jace shrugged and started to roam the area, looking for any clues of Isabelle like an empty lip gloss or jewelry receipt. Not less than 10 minutes later, Clary hollered that she found something, only the thing she found was not Izzy. Instead in was a man with deadlocks asleep on top on a cardboard sheet clutching Isabelle's phone; sparkly case and all. The only difference was that it had a crack running up the front.
"Hey, hey you, you with the face, wake up," Jace started to poke the poor guy with the toe of his boot. The guy stuttered and woke screaming something about pine nuts.
"Hey, who the fuck are you guys," his breath was like being smacked in the face with onion, but what was worse was the condition he was in. A long dark bruise ran up the side of his face from his jaw to his forehead and cuts marked up his whole face. By the looks of it, it would look like he just died in the hunger games.
"We are here about that phone," Alec gestured to the sparkly Marilyn Monroe phone case and phone in the man's hand.
"Oh hell no! Little bastards tried to take it from me once, not going to happen, steal your own!"
"You stole that phone!"
"Ah no man, big J don't steal, I found it," He grumbled stretching out on his cardboard letting the New York air refresh possibly the worst smelling pits ever.
"Where did you find it," Simon asked nearly holding his nose. Magnus though had already magic-ed up a clothes pin on his nose.
"I don't know man, just let me sleep!"
"Would a little bit of money jog you memory," Magnus asked snapping his fingers to let at least $100 dollars appear in his hand.
"I think it could," The guy grumbled sitting back up.
"But we want the phone," Simon added.
"Oh no. Didn't you little weasels hear me, you're not getting it!"
"How about $800 to give us the phone and show us where you found it. That's more than enough to get a new phone," Magnus suggested.
The man rubbed his stumble and nodded in agreement. "I think that can be arranged."