They were standing in line outside Pandemonium, the music pumping out of the building and fading into the sounds of the city. When they were only a few people from the door, the line got held up at the front.

"You can't bring that thing in here." Jace could barely hear the bouncer saying. He tried to see who he was talking to, leaning around people to get a better view.

"Why not," he heard the boy ask. He had blue hair, spiked up in all directions, and he was holding something. It glinted when he moved it. A knife. "It's fake. See?" Wait, it didn't look like a knife at all. It was fake wood and he watched as the boy bent it to a ninety degree angle. "It's fake," he told the bouncer with a cruel smile, "I'm a vampire slayer." The boy went in, and they were finally walking through the doors into the dark club. Jace couldn't shake the image of the knife from his head. He swore he'd seen it…

"Dude, you look like you ate a bad taco or something," Maia was saying to him, "Come on, let's go watch the bands." She grabbed his hand and dragged him through the crowd.

The second band had just finished their set and was packing up their equipment, and Jace and Maia were dancing to the music the DJ was playing. Mostly, Maia was dancing and Jace was swaying. He wasn't into the pop stuff they played; he was more of a piano guy.

Maia grabbed his hand and tried to get him to dance, but he just spun her, ballerina style. Mid-spin, he let her go, a boy catching his eye. He had jet black hair and was wearing all black. It was surprising that Jace even saw him in the dark club. The boy had pale white skin, bright blue eyes, indescribably blue, and those eyes were staring across the room at the spiky, blue haired boy from before. The blue haired boy was looking in a different direction, at a girl, dressed in white with the same jet black hair, pale skin and very, very blue eyes. Her white dress had long sleeves and it was very old fashioned. She was extremely beautiful, super-model beautiful, and Jace watched as she beckoned the blue haired boy over to her. She practically glided while she walked. She opened a door that read Employees Only written in red, and slid inside. Only a second later, the blue haired boy went in after her.

Jace would've ignored this scene he'd watched, if it weren't for what he saw next. He heard Maia talking, but ignored her. He was too busy watching the dark haired boy walk up to the door and signal across the room. A small, redheaded girl followed him over, both wearing all black and bearing knives. They shared a look, opened the door and carefully shut it after sliding in.

"Oh my god, Maia!" he turned, interrupting her. "Did you just see that?"

"Thank you for listening to me in my time of need," she dramatically wiped a fake tear from her cheek, "Did I see what?"

"There were a boy and a redhead girl," he said, frantic and panicky, "They had knives! They're in that closet!"

"I didn't see anything, but I'll go get the security guard." She ran off toward the entrance. Jace tried to wait for her, but he got so fidgety. He had to do something. Who knew what was happening in there?

He shoved his way through the crowd towards the door. He mentally prepared himself for whatever would lay behind that door, and went in. Silently, he shut it behind him.

"What's your name?"

She turned and smiled. It was dimly lit and musty smelling room. He could still feel the life and energy pulsing around her, could already taste the phantom sizzle of her soon-to-come death on his lips.

"Isabelle."

"That's a nice name." He moved closer. In this lightning, she looked drained of color, wrapped in white like an angel. It would be a pleasure to make her fall… "I haven't seen you here before."

She giggled, moving her hand to cover her mouth. The boy noticed a bracelet, but it wasn't a bracelet, but a pattern of ink on her skin, a matrix of swirling lines.

He froze. "You—"

She moved so fast, handing him a hit to the chest, sending him staggering backward. As if from thin air, a whip had appeared in her hand, and she brought it down, around his ankles. She yanked on it hard, bringing him tumbling down. Still wrapped around his ankles, she pulled the whip tight, securing it.

"My work here is done," she said. Two figures emerged from the shadows behind the shelves.

"Are there anymore with you?" a redheaded girl asked him. Her hair was medium length and curly. She stared at him with those fierce, green eyes.

"Anymore what?"

"Come on," another voice said. It was a boy, maybe a year older than Isabelle, with the same exact looks. Probably her brother. "You know what we are." He raised his sleeves, revealing black lines, intertwined into all different intricate shapes and symbols.

"Shadowhunters."