Disclaimer : I do not own TMI.
Wow ! Over 300 reviews ! I feel so blessed to have you all as my readers ! Thank you so much ! I hope I won't disappoint you !
One month later..
Clary was slowly pushing the shopping cart which was laden with thousands of baby clothes and accesories that Isabelle planned on purchasing. She had to be very careful with maneuvering it , cause with every roll of the tiny shaky wheels everything in it threatened to topple over and make a mess of the whole store.
Isabelle scurried from shelf to shelf giddily picking everything she wanted. And she wanted a lot. The colourful cheery items seemed to make Clary feel rather morose than excited. It had been a month since her ominous dream and she thanked Providence for not having to go through something like it again. But she couldn't shake the feeling that her every move was being watched and had developed a habit of constantly peeping over her shoulder. Sometimes she wondered if she was slowly losing her mind. She had become obsessed with that red and black shawl, up to the point that she was imagining seeing it -on her bed, on the back of a chair while doing her make-up, hanging in a loop next to the towels in the bathroom while she was showering , or sometimes even amongst the flickering flames in the grate . But was she imagining it ? Was her mind playing tricks on her? Or was someone else playing tricks on her mind ?
Then she felt a pat on her shoulder, which made her snap out of her reverie. It was Isabelle, who had been trying to catch her attention for the past five minutes.
"It's been very difficult to talk to you lately, Clary" Isabelle said, her voice laced with concern."Are you sure you're okay with .. you know, being here ?" she inquired, pulling her eyebrows together .
"Oh, I'm sorry , I was just.. daydreaming , I guess. You know how I am."Clary tried to reasssure her."And, yes, I'm okay with being here." she added , rubbing Isabelle's arm affectionately."I'm happy for you, you must know that."
"Of course.." Isabelle smiled."Maybe you should buy something ,too" she added, showing her a green onesie."It's neither pink nor blue, so it's okay "
"But I'm not.." Clary hesitated, the backs of her eyes starting to sting.
"But you will be.. I'm sure of it." Isabelle said, adding the onesie to the cart.
"It's been three months, Isabelle.."
"Well, these things take time ..You shouldn't lose hope." she comforted her, pushing the cart towards the registry.
"I'm beginning to. And I've had a really strange dream.. and it seemed so real.. I haven't even told Jace about it."
" Ugh, dreams .." Isabelle tsked, making a waving gesture with her hand."That's your subconscious messing with you, Clary. Don't ponder upon them , really."
"I guess you're right.." Clary replied , lost in thought.
"Have you called upon the Silent Brothers ?" Isabelle inquired, her voice barely a whisper.
"Not yet .. But I will, soon.."
"Clary ?"
"Yes?"
"You do want a baby , don't you ?"
After a few seconds of hesitating , she answered."Three months ago I thought I didn't.. but , now.. I think I do.. I really think I do." she said, a ghost of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
After an entire day of shopping with Isabelle , Clary felt as exhausted as if she had been training or fighting hordes of demons all day. Isabelle's overexcitedness could do that do a person, apparently. She placed the small bag carrying the onesie on her nighstand and laid down on the bed, looking above her. She soon began seeing red and black patterns forming on the ceiling , expanding down to the walls like splattered paint until they reached her bed. She tried to scream and run , but she had no voice and her limbs were limp at her sides as if being under anesthesia. When the red and black pattern made its way to her body , it engulfed her , wrapping Clary in a tight cocoon. Her eyes went to the whites and then fluttered closed. She found herself in utter darkness, unable to twitch a muscle , or mumble a sound.
"Clary.." a husky lingering female voice sounded in Clary's ears, making her snap her eyes open. "Clary ..." the female beckoned again.
Clary blinked through the blinding light around her , and she found herself staring directly at the blazing afternoon sun. She shielded her gaze with her hand and slowly took in her surroundings. She was in a beautiful bright meadow, wreathed in small violet flowers and blades of fresh grass. She took a deep breath , filling her lungs with fresh clean air. She got on her feet and noticed she was wearing a long-sleeved white dress, with a long train trailing in her wake, crushing the plants underneath it as she walked. Clary's body shook slightly , as she realized white was the shadowhunter colour for mourning.
The wide beamful opening was surrounded with tall thick trees beyond which nothing else could be seen but complete darkness. The meadow had an eerily triangular shape , as if traced by an extremely accurate eye.
"Clarissa.." the dreadful voice hissed again, urging Clary to step into the pitch black of the woods. She hesitated, contemplating her options. Everything was extremely still , and , in a strange way , alive and dead at the same time. The plants were beautiful, but not life-like, the rays of the sun were sharp and bright, but not warm.
She cleared out some of the tree branches in her way ,bent down , and went into the forest , following the voice that was calling her repeatedly, driving chills through her. The air was freezing cold and Clary fought to stifle her shivering. The ground was covered in dead crimson tree leaves rustling under her feet , and she could feel the dampness and coldness of the dirt through her thin shoes . The wind howled through the woods, making the bare rough tree branches engage in a ghastly brisk dance.
Clary rubbed her hands together in an attempt to warm up. She saw a dim light flickering from inside a small cottage and darted towards it , gathering her dress in her hands to run faster. The material of the dress ripped on several sharp branches and thorns, but she didn't care. She banged on the wooden door, slightly panting . An old short wrinkly lady with a hunchback and leaning on a gnarled cane slowly opened the door. She craned her head to look at Clary from under the heavy black cloak hanging on her head, concealing part of her face.
"Good evening" Clary breathed out. "I am so sorry to disturb you, but I seem to be lost.. Could you please tell me where I am?"
"That is for you to discover." the woman replied in a shaky weak voice which resembled the hisses beckoning Clary inside the desolate forest.
"Excuse me ?" Clary trembled.
"Only you know the answer to that question. " the woman explained. "Please, come in. I will fix you some tea." she added, giving Clary a condescending smile. Clary stepped inside ,her eyes sweeping through the tiny room. Fire crackled dimly in the grate, where the woman went to place a kettle of water. The air smelled of mildew and soot. She sat on an old wooden chair with a red blanket sprawled on it, making it more comfortable.
"Do you live alone?" Clary asked ,slightly shivering.
"Yes, my dear ." the woman replied, turning around from the fireplace to bring Clary her tea. She could now see the woman's eyes. They had sharp edges, no double eyelids , their colour was a dark brown , almost black , with short chipped eyelashes .
"Are you from around here ?" Clary asked, taking her cup from the woman's shaky grasp."I mean.. are you from Europe ?"
"I was born in Europe " she replied, sitting in a chair beside Clary's. The woman eyed Clary's cup , a wicked smile playing on her lips."Aren't you going to drink your tea?" she inquired.
"Yes, yes.. I will." Clary assured her, but something in the woman's familiar eyes made her reluctant to do so.
Then, Clary heard the silent cooing of a child and a small whimper. Her head snapped behind her where she saw a rocking bassinet , white downy blankets hanging from it. She paid no attention to the woman and stormed towards the bassinet. Inside it was a baby , no more that 8 months old , with big emerald green eyes, staring directly at her. The baby outstretched its tiny hands towards her and Clary took it in her arms, cradling it at her chest .She patted the child on its back, while it nuzzled its face into the crook of her neck. She seemed to bring comfort to the baby. A sense of warmness flooded through her, making her insides melt. She felt at peace , she felt complete .She turned towards the woman.
"Whose baby is this ?" Clary inquired , looking at the woman rocking in her chair.
"Do you really need to ask that question? Can't you see the family resemblance?"Clary looked again in the baby's eyes, an exact replica of hers.
"Is it mine ?" Clary's eyes widened, her lips parted in shock.
"Yes and no." the woman said, her voice suddenly becoming thicker, black smoke pouring from underneath her cloak.
"You." Clary said, her arm instinctually tightening around the baby , only to find that her arms were empty."Where is the baby ?" she demanded, searching through the room. "Where is my baby ?!" she roared, facing the beast of smoke, staring into its glowing yellow eyes, having shed the form of the lady.
"THERE IS NO BABY ! THERE WILL NEVER BE A BABY !" the monster once again growled in Clary's face."That was only a reflection of what you poor thing could have had. If you weren't barren."the creature teased.
"I am not barren !" Clary shrieked.
"Are you sure?" the monster cocked its flowly fog head to the side.
"Who are you ?" Clary narrowed her eyes at the towering creature, but in reply it only released a deafening mocking laugh , making Clary's ears ring agonizingly , until she was snapped out of her dream.
Clary woke up damp and trembling. Her eyes snapped towards the clock. Exactly three hours had passed since she had sat on the bed .The room was dark and cold and next to her on the bed was the onesie she had bought- blood-stained and covered in soot.
Please review! What do you guys think is happening to Clary ? Can't wait to hear your theories !
-Kisses!