Why should your heart not dance?

C.S. Lewis

Jace tucked in deeper in his bed and shivered when he felt a cold chill tickle the back of his neck. He shut his eyes but after a measly minute, he opened them again. Huffing angrily, he faced the ceiling and thought of what his mother and father would have done in this situation. They would sing to him. Or let Chairman Meow sleep with him for the night. But he didn't have any of those options. They were all gone. Jace sat up just in time to hear his door creak open quietly. Goosebumps formed on his arms and he scrambled back in surprise and fear. To his amazement, it was Clary.

She was ushering him forward silently, her hands moving rapidly in different gestures. He grabbed his coat and slipped on some dirty sneakers and shut the door to his room as quietly as possible. The hall was dark and spooky but Clary was holding his hand, telling him in a hushed voice where exactly they were heading. The forest. Adrenaline rushed through his body. For some reason, it felt good doing something that wasn't allowed especially when he was with Clary. The two turned to the right side of the stairwell and pushed open an exit door. He expected to hear some sort of alarm but everything remained soundless.

Their shoes scrunched against the hard grass, winter on its way to meet them. Clary finally turned to him. Her green eyes were wide and sparkling and it looked like her mouth could split from smiling so brilliantly. "Raph, Seb, and Ewic are waiting for us." He nodded his head and stared at the way her red curls floated in the night air. How her freckled cheeks kind of looked like the lights he stared at outside his window before going to sleep.

Jace wondered what they were going to do. Play? Eat? He had never broken the rules like this and his heart was beating wildly at the thought of being captured by a furious Mrs. Seelie. There was no turning back now. Even if he did run back to his room, what would everyone say about him? He wasn't a scaredy cat.

The forest was getting nearer and nearer now. The trees looked like they were reaching for them and Jace inched closer to Clary who was starting to walk faster, her expression excited. The path they were using was covered in dead logs and broken up twigs of branches. Jace thought he heard something but when he peered at their surroundings, he found nothing.

"Thewe they are!" Clary gushed, pointing a small finger at the three shadows in front of them. She started forward and launched herself at the tallest figure. When Jace caught up to them, he realized it was Sebastian. He frowned but stood near Raphael who was trying to warm the palms of his hands by blowing warm air on them. The fat boy was there too, sucking on the biggest lollipop Jace had ever seen. When Eric caught him staring, he gave him a nasty smile and a small wave.

Sebastian led them through a few bushes and tree stumps to a place where light was shining and the air smelled like something was burning. It was a nice scent and Jace continued to breathe in the fiery atmosphere. "Woah!" He heard Clary yell. He rushed ahead to see what was going on and caught sight of large billows of smoke atop an extended fire that burned so vividly, Jace pulled away.

"How did you..." Raphael stared to marvel at what Sebastian had apparently made. Eric was sitting down on the ground, eating a chocolate bar in some boredom. The tallest boy settled himself too and they awkwardly formed a small circle around the source of heat centering them. Clary was in the middle of Jace and Sebastian, her eyes reflecting the orange-red flames she was gazing at. Raphael sat closer to Eric and they whispered to one another things Jace couldn't hear.

It was no longer that dark outside and Jace felt this overwhelming urge to just run around. He didn't want to sleep anymore. Sebastian tugged a plastic bag from behind him and handed it to Clary who jumped in delight. She pulled out two brownies and two bottles of coke. "Hewe Jace." She gave him one of each as everyone else started to munch on some of their own snacks.

Eric was making werewolf howl noises and Raphael was rolling on the wood chips laughing. His curly hair had tiny, little twigs and leaves in it but he didn't care. Jace took a bite of his brownie and rapidly ate some more. It tasted so good. Almost like the ones his mother made back home. He whirled to face Clary and watched in alarm as she coughed and coughed. Before he could lurch forward, Sebastian lightly tapped her back a few times. He was smiling as he spoke to her. "Calm down, Clary. Don't drink that much." She made a face at him but he only laughed and took his own sip of soda.

"How old are you?" Eric asked Jace, his mouth splattered with spots of hot chip powder. His chubby cheeks were enormous and his eyes were so small, you could barely see them.

"Seven." He was turning eight in a few more weeks.

Eric raised his fingers up so that Jace and everyone else could see. Nine fingers up. Raphael pushed him playfully. "Just say you're nine years old."

Clary was the youngest out of all of them but nobody seemed to mind. She was six years old. Raphael was eight. Sebastian was ten.

"Ooh. I know what we should do now." Raphael started, a light glinting in his eyes.

Sebastian nodded. "Alright. Hide and seek it is." Eric volunteered to be 'it' which Jace guessed was because he could eat more of the leftover food leisurely. This wasn't a normal game. Now it was night time. It would be difficult to find someone particularly in the dark.

They all ran and dispersed in different sections. Jace darted deeper into the forest, his hands feeling along the woods and textures of the tree trunks. He stopped when he reached two giant stumps that appeared to be stuck to another. Smiling, he sat and hunched over his head so that he wouldn't be seen.

For a few long moments, Jace heard nothing out of the ordinary. Then footsteps scurried near him and Jace tried to make himself smaller. He didn't want to be caught first by Eric. He would be the loser. But the steps stopped just behind him and he held his breath by pursing his lips tightly. Then the figure was right in front of him but it wasn't Eric. He stared closer. It was Clary. She ducked down and sat next to him. "What are you doing here?" Jace whispered. She clasped her arm over his and told him to be quiet. Eric was coming closer.

Soon they heard the sound of Raphael laughing and talking with Eric. He was found first. Clary was smiling, tucking her head even closer to Jace.

"Got you guys!" Eric shouted, slapping his leg and chuckling. Clary groaned and rose up, wiping away the grime on her lap. Jace rolled his eyes. They walked as a group through the beaten track, searching for Sebastian. "Okay, Jace go with Clary that way and me and Raphael are goin' this way." He pointed to the left side of where they stood.

The four agreed and separated decisively into pairs. Clary led the way, her steps brisk and quiet. "He's gonna hide up on a twee." She told him, her tone sure of herself.

"How do you know?" Jace asked curiously, pushing his hair back into place.

"I know him. He always does that." She stayed silent and he followed suit, staring upwards at the wavering branches to maybe catch a glimpse of some sneakers. Clary halted abruptly and Jace crashed into her. She turned and there was an idea written across her face. She leaned into him and whispered things in his ear. He nodded.

They trudged slowly this time and the air around them was getting warmer. Jace wondered what time it was. Probably still late. Suddenly, Clary fell to the ground. She screamed this loud, high pitched sound. He rushed forward. "Clary! Clary!" Her eyelids were shut and her pink lips were parted. He searched around the forest for any sign of Raphael or Eric but he didn't see anything other than looming plants of nature. "Clary's hurt!" Jace shouted and to his astonishment, he saw Sebastian jump down several feet away from him. The boy ran towards them and he brought his hand to Clary's face, his expression worried.

"Clary? Are you alright? What happened?" And in that second of complete silence other than Sebastian's echoes, Clary reeled forward with a muffled squeal and stood up, laughing in short gasps. Jace shook his head in amusement but he was still smiling. Sebastian wasn't so happy.

"I got you Seb! I win!" She was leaping up and down just as Raphael and Eric appeared, watching the scene in front of them in interest. Sebastian rose from his spot and stomped off, surprising them all. Raphael's eyebrows rose and he mumbled something to Eric. Clary frowned. She watched the tall boy's retreating figure and her leafy orbs glistened in the moonlight.

She chased after him and the rest of them followed quietly. "Sebastian gets like that sometimes." Eric burped afterwards and Raphael punched him in irritation. "He loves that girl." Shaking his head, he let out a hearty breath.

"Why?" Raphael turned to Eric and waited for an answer, his dark eyes unusually sharp at the mention of Clary.

Eric sighed. "How should I know? He's known her before we all came here." They arrived to the dying fire and saw Clary talking to Sebastian. Jace inched closer to them acting as if he was collecting food wrappers to throw away.

Sebastian flicked Clary's forehead and she yelped. "Don't do that again, Clary."

She rubbed the space above her eyebrows and scowled. "Why? It was just a joke."

"Because you scared me." Clary laughed and Jace didn't think she could make sense of what Sebastian was trying to make her understand. "Let's go." His blonde hair was wild and his eyes were red. They threw away any evidence of them being in the forest and quickly rushed back to the orphanage.

Eric and Raphael waved goodbye then vanished. Sebastian gave Jace a smile and a high five then smacked Clary lightly on the head before entering his own room. Jace took Clary to her hall and she grinned, her face bright and happy.

"Night, Jace." She told him. He nodded his head and left. After all the things he had done in his time in the orphanage, today's adventure had been the best he had ever had.

Author's note: [Hello, readers! Long time no see. *Hides in the corner* Don't hurt me, I swear I'll update! I still need to work out a schedule which will be on my bio sooner or later. Hopefully sooner. It's summer now! Yay! Meaning I'm free to write. Send me prompts, requests, one-shots, and any other ideas you want to write and I'll be happy to comply with your wishes! I'll be writing Harry Potter fics soon so those who are interested, you'll be in for some fun! See you! Please review.]

Review! I'll respond to any questions or comments in your reviews in the next chapter! Bye bye, faithful readers!