Chapter 8

Jace's POV

Clary wasn't at dinner that night. When Jace went to look for her afterwards, he couldn't find her, even after searching the whole house. Jace was beginning to panic. It was getting dark, it was raining, and a thunderstorm was imminent. He ran up the stairs to Alec's room, flinging the door open dramatically.

"Alec, I can't find Clary"

"Where have you looked?"

"The entire house" Jace was almost shouting now.

"She did say that she was going to make sure the lambs were alright, what with the storm coming tonight"

"She should be back by now!"
"Jace, calm down. She probably just got stuck in the barn - remember how she told us that happens sometimes? Go get Izzy and meet me downstairs. I'll get Magnus."

Alec's POV

Alec didn't believe the story he had told Jace. In actual fact, he was worried about Clary, but he couldn't have told Jace that - he was already worked up enough. By the time Jace came downstairs, looking considerably calmer, no doubt thanks to Izzy, Alec had already called Magnus' number, which Clary had given him earlier in the day 'for emergencies', and Magnus was on his way - apparently he was picking up someone called Simon along the way.

"So what's the plan Alec?"
"I'm not sure yet Izzy, we're just gonna wait for Magnus to show up, he'll know what to do"

As if on cue, Magnus chose that moment to burst through the door, with a nerdy looking boy close behind. "Phew, it's wet out there" Magnus said, looking around the room. "This is Simon, by the way - Clary's best friend."

After a brief round of introductions, Magnus split everyone into groups - Izzy, Jace and Simon for one, and Alec and Magnus as the other. Of course, when Magnus had said he would be going with Alec, there had been a few eyebrows raised, and Alec couldn't deny the slight feeling of excitement it put in his stomach. After arming everyone with flashlights and phones, they agreed to meet back at the house an hour, and then walked out into the cold, stormy night.

Clary's POV

Earlier

Clary had been about to head down for dinner when it first began to rain. After checking the weather forecast and seeing the thunderstorms scheduled, she'd decided to quickly check that the new lambs would be warm enough that night.

After a brief inspection showed that the lambs were going to be fine, she began to head back up to the house.

The half hour walk was one which Clary had safely walked hundreds of times in her life, and tonight would have been no different, had lightning not struck a big oak tree just as she was walking under it. Clary heard the loud crack as the tree's largest branch snapped off, heading towards her, but by the time her mind registered it, it was too late. The last thing she remembered before losing consciousness was an intense pain encircling her entire lower body.

Jace's POV

Jace didn't like Simon. It was something about the way he talked about Clary, with clear affection in his voice. It raised an odd feeling in Jace's stomach, that he wasn't used to feeling … Jealousy. After an hour of listening to Simon rambling on about some stupid comic books he read, Jace reached the end of his short supply of patience when he heard Simon say to Isabelle, "He looks like he's thinking of something serious, but if you ask him what it is, he'll punch you in the face". At that, Jace said, "Actually Simon, that's the first correct thing you've said since I met you. It just so happens that I'm in an especially bad mood right now, after having had to put up with you for the last hour, so how about you shut up, before …"

Jace never got to finish his sentence, because he had just spotted what had been his worst nightmare ever since he discovered Clary was missing.

Simon's POV

Clary had been Simon's best friend ever since they first met when he was just a few weeks old. When he followed Jace's gaze, to see her small, unmoving frame being crushed by the massive branch lying across her lower body, he felt his heart drop. He vaguely heard Jace calling her name, and his legs were carrying him towards her, but all his thoughts seemed so far away, apart from one question. Did he just lose his best friend?

Disclaimer: Anything that isn't mine is Cassandra Clare's. If this sounds like anyone else's work, I apologize - it wasn't intentional :)

Hey guys, not the best chapter sorry, please let me know what you think, and review :))