Hello everyone, I'm back with the newest installment of The Mortal Instruments: Parallel Universe! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and be sure to review. Thank you to all the new people who followed and favorited my story too! Enjoy!

Clary huffed as she made her way up second avenue towards the old Catholic church that was the Institute. She would have opted to take the subway but apparently didn't have her metro card with her or any form of cash. The air was chilled and she wished she would have brought a coat but her stubborn-self refused to turn back, even though at that point she was only a few blocks from her home. Clary shoved past buzzing people, coughing as a tattooed man blew vape in her face.

She rolled her eyes as she struggled between stages two and three of grief: sadness and anger. Less than fifteen minutes ago, she had let a few tears slip out, relieved that she was still capable of the emotion. She wished she could have sank to the ground and cuddled herself in a comforting manner but that wasn't an option. Now, frustration was taking over. Everything had practically sunk in after the revelation of her mother's death. Fake death. Clary tried to take her mind off the mental pain and focus on the physical pain. She may have been training a lot with Simon but even her legs ached after running for nearly an hour straight.

Clary stopped for a minute to catch her breath before looking up. She glanced around her atmosphere and recognized she was only a few blocks from the Institute. She ran forward and skirted to a stop in front of the old church. She squinted her eyes and the glamour peeled off and revealed the building she had grown so used to seeing for over a year.

She took an inhale and stepped forward, closing the distance between her and the front gates. Her hand grazed across the iron gate and she felt cold sweat roll down her back now that her body temperature had cooled smoehwhat. A sense of familiarity washed over her for a moment as she walked up the front steps and to the grand, arched door.

She placed her hand on it and sighed. Her eyes fluttered shut and she whispered. "Clary—" Before she could finish, the doors swung opened and Clary stepped inside. She felt thankful she didn't have to finish her sentence because what surname was she to use? She'd grown up a Fray, turned into a Fairchild when she learned about the Shadowhunter universe. But here, she had always been a Morgenstern. It didn't matter though, what was vital was what was going on right now. Figuring out what was happening.

Clary entered the nave of the church as a chill ran down her spine. In the dim light her breath was visible with each exhale. Her steps creaked despite her effort to move silently; if she had her stele she would have drawn on a soundless rune. Looking now at the candelabra, a spark of hope filled as she noticed that it wasn't candles lighting the interior but rather witchlight.

She hadn't registered that she had lost any ambition. But now, looking back at her run, her mind had drifted to some deep, dark thoughts about how things could become disarray. How the Lightwoods or Jace may not recognize her. How she may get trapped here forever. How she may come accustom to all of this if she stayed longer. Clary couldn't afford to think like that though, she had to stay optimistic.

Clary strode down the center aisle and to the front of the church. Reaching to the side of the wall, she pressed the call button. A mundane would believe she were crazy as she stood in front of the wall like something was going to happen but she knew. Clary could see the iron doors that would glide open when the elevator reached her. Only people with the Sight would see it and for a moment that frightened her. What if she was imagining the entrance from how many times she had been here? What if here, she didn't have the Sight and she was losing her mind. Maybe what she thought had been the last year of her life was a dream and this was home. She stopped. She had too.

She tapped her foot impatiently and fidgeted with her fingernails as she stood. The recognizable creak of the elevator sounded as it lowered and came to a halt. Clary gingerly stepped inside as the gates clanked shut.

Clary was staring at herself in the mirrored-wall, she turned slightly and took in her figure. Clary felt nervous about herself suddenly. Her hands were pulling her hair down and letting it fall in loose curls at her shoulders. She wished she didn't look so sweaty and exhausted. She felt self-conscious about her narrow hips and slender build and her small chest.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the gilded doors separated and Clary froze in her spot. Three people stood in front of her. A girl and two boys. Isabelle. Alec. And Jace.

Clary sucked in a breath, about to speak but couldn't find her voice. A grin spread across her freckled-face that quickly vanished. These people were alien to her. Isabelle gave her a curious look while Alec offered her a small smirk. Her gaze averted to Jace. His jaw was tightened and his eyes appeared darker than usual, and he glared at her maliciously.

"How did you get in here?" Alec asked, his smirk fading as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I-I…" Clary's mind was buzzing and she couldn't string together a sentence. Her gaze fell on Isabelle. Her eyes widened as she took in the dark-haired girl's attire. She wore a pale-yellow sundress that flowed loosely on her body. The sleeves were capped and the collar was high. Her jet-black hair was barely visible as it was pulled back into a tight and neat bun and she wore minimal makeup. She looked nothing like Isabelle Lightwood, she seemed…delicate.

"She's just some stupid mundane that wandered in here." Alec said in a bored tone, half turning around, Isabelle gripping his shoulder and speaking lightly, immediately retracting her hand from his touch. "We have to inform the Clave. She has the Sight."

Alec seemed standard dress wise. He wore a loose hoodie and ripped jeans and his hair was shaggy and untamed. Like usual.

Jace was still staring at her. His tanned face was a bit red and from the white tank top and baggy shorts he wore, he must've been mid-training when he was notified of her arrival.

Of course, the elevator let anyone in the Institute know when there was an arrival. They must not have been expecting anyone if they all gathered to greet her. Clary's heart sank, they were oblivious to the relationships they once had to her. She felt her temperature boil as she became angry with them.

"I'm not some stupid mundane. I'm Clarissa Morgenstern." She rudely spoke, eyeing each of them harshly.

She watched the three of them exchange glances and Jace nodded his head. For a moment, there seemed to be hope. Jace stepped forward and placed his hand on Clary's arm. "Clary," He spoke gently in his husky voice.

Clary's heart sped up and she met his gaze, smiling softly, "Jace," His eyes widened for a moment. She felt her skin tingle at his touch. No, it wasn't a tingle. It was a burn. A burn that Clary was familiar to. A rune. She let out a gasp and glanced at her arm before turning to Jace. He wore a sinister grin and muttered 'sweet dreams' as he stepped aside to catch her falling body.

Clary groaned as her eyes fluttered shut and the last thing she felt was Jace's arms gripping her petite figure and preventing her from smashing onto the wooden surface below.

Jace's eyes darted from left to right. He squeezed his hand tightly around the silver chain in his hand. His breathing was heavy from excessive running and his legs were sore, but he barely seemed to notice. One thing was on his mind.

He had spent nearly an hour searching Central Park for Clary. The park was deserted with only a few strays straggling around, trying to stay warm. It was late October and the temperature was dropping as winter neared. Snow was still far off, but the breeze that made people shiver in the daytime now howled at night.

After a while, Jace's senses returned to him and he realized the best way to find Clary was a tracking spell. He had left the park and found the shortest route to Clary's apartment. The subway would've taken to long, so he ran instead. It took forty-five minutes, but he never stopped. People eyed him oddly, but he ignored their glares. Clary was all he could think about.

He skirted to a stop I front of the abandoned apartment and took the front steps two at a time. He twisted the knob, which was unlocked. However, as he pushed the door wouldn't budge. The bolt was locked and keeping trespassers from entering.

Jace groaned and kicked the door harshly. He spun on his heel, looking around for another entrance. It clicked in his brain as he ran around the other side of the building to where Clary's bedroom would be. Her window was about four feet above the ground. And unlocked.

Of course, Jace had already known the window would be unlocked. He had managed to sneak into Clary's rooms countless times late in the night. They could never get enough of each other. And the thing was, he would simply come and lay down and hold Clary. They would talk quietly about everything and then drift to sleep. It reminded him of that night in Alicante. Except now he could at least hold her in his arms and he knew they had more than one night together; they had a lifetime.

Jace smirked, and was tempted to snicker as he pushed the panes up and easily hoisted himself over the ledge. He landed softly on the wooden floors and glimpsed around. He inhaled and could smell the scent of laundry detergent and paint. He couldn't help but smile to himself as he took it in.

His mind focused again and Jace treaded slowly towards the door. He had to check to make sure nobody was here. He guessed Luke and Jocelyn were in Alicante for some Clave meeting since Robert and Maryse were gone too. And Simon wasn't in the house; he should be looking for Clary. Him and Isabelle should still be searching if she is missing.

And then, when they find her, they'll bring her back to the Institute. That's when they will know Jace is gone, that's when they'll go looking for him, that's when Jace will know Clary's back.

He creeped into the hallway, stepping on several particularly creaky floorboards. Jace sighed relentlessly, giving up on trying to keep quiet. If anyone was home, they would have heard him by now. In the silence, the screeching sounded like thunder to his ears.

Jace did a thorough search of the house, which was empty as he had suspected. He stalked back into Clary's room and looked around. He could use anything here to track her but nothing seemed to work in his eyes.

He stood at her desk and rummaged through the drawers, which mostly had art supplies and a spear stele besides the one she had brought with them earlier that night.

Jace found a sketchbook on the top and grabbed it quickly, flipping through the pages. He was careful not to rip the delicate paper with the beautiful drawings on them. Most the sketches were attempts that Clary had made to draw Jace. He knew she had difficulty with it since there had to be over a dozen of him in the same style. Some looked like they had taken hours, others looked rushed and hasty. They were all magnificent and drawn in a professional way. Just seeing these sketches made Jace love Clary even more, which made him even more determined to find her.

Jace sat down the sketchbook after a minute, he couldn't waste his time. He could have grabbed a hairbrush, shirt, or even a paintbrush she had touched but he couldn't. It felt odd to take Clary's belongings in such a manner.

Jace put everything back in its place and walked to her bed, plopping down on the mattress sprawled with blankets and pillows. His gaze landed on her wall where some of her artwork hung. There were also a few pictures that had been taken and pinned up; mostly of her family and friends. The one on the end was recognizable as it was the same photograph he had of him and Clary. They were so connected.

Jace bit his bottom lip, a physical pain he had grown use to and used to suppress his feelings.

Something shimmered on Clary's nightstand that caught Jace's trained eye. The moonlight from outside shined down on a silver chain. Connected to the chain was the Morgenstern family ring. Jace reached forward and lifted the chain in his hand. It glistened in the moonlight as he moved it closer to him and held the ring in his palm. He closely examined the ring. It had a 'M' engraved in it and stars around the band.

Jace himself had worn this ring for over half a decade, believing the 'M' was a 'W' for Wayland. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but in reality, it had only been little over a year. Once he found out he wasn't a Wayland (or a Morgenstern) he had given the ring, on the silver chain, to Clarissa.

She had worn it every day since, for him. And today, she had gone without it. He wondered why she would do such a thing, had she planned this? His mind was so cluttered. He wanted to find Clary but he kept letting his mind rift off.

Jace closed his eyes and clutched the ring. Clary had used this same ring to track him when Sebastian had captured him and taken his soul.

But now, it belonged to Clary. A girl with Morgenstern blood in her veins. This is what Jace needed to track Clary.

Jace grinned and swiftly ran outside, throwing himself out the window and pulling it shut behind him. Jace ran a little way down the road before ducking into a dark alley.

He pulled out his stele and applied a glamour rune on his upper right arm before stepping out of the alley. There was only one or two people in sight but Jace took the precaution anyway. Jace then lifted his stele and on the back of his hand he drew the lines of a tracking rune. Jace had grown immune to the sting from applying the rune and slipped his stele back into his pocket.

Jace pulled the necklace with the ring on it from his pocket and held it in his left hand and closed his eyes. He focused and thought only about Clary while the rune took effect. After several minutes, nothing happened. Jace wouldn't accept that the tracking had failed.

He ran back to Central Park and tried it again there in several places. His hand burned and the rune now vanished more quickly after so many applications. The shape of the ring had made an indent in his skin from how tightly he held it.

Jace threw the ring down on the ground and collapsed to his knees. The spell couldn't have failed. He was going to find Clary with it. Either Clary had applied a rune herself to keep others from tracking her, or she was… No, Jace told himself. He had to stop letting his thoughts get fogged with an outcome like such. Clary would fight, and now, so would Jace.

Jace grasped the ring, pulling it from the wet grass and stood. He hated to admit it, but he needed help in finding Clary. She had plenty of other people who loved her. Simon, Isabelle, Alec, Jocelyn, Luke. Himself. With a heave, Jace began walking back to the Institute. He could no longer run and he knew it wasn't that far of a walk so he paced himself. He stared ahead, glancing at the sky. The moon was lowering, he'd manage to stay out most of the night. Maybe Simon and Isabelle had been successful and were back at the Institute with Clary.

The thought made Jace smile a bit, but he knew it wasn't true. He would know. But what he did know, was that Clary was in danger.

The elevator creaked and groaned as the doors flew open and Jace stepped inside his home. Church was at the entranceway and rubbed against Jace's legs. Jace rolled his eyes and reached down to pet the cat's back, causing him to purr. "Where are Isabelle and Alec?" Jace asked the cat whose purring paused and he began leading the way.

Church stopped at the doorway to the library before striding away and halfway down the corridor, plopped onto his side, and sprawled out. Jace ignored the feline and pushed the heavy wooden door open and stepped inside. Izzy stood at the desk with a book in her hand while Simon and Alec talked in the corner, Simon was holding a book open and pointing at the text to support whatever he was saying to Alec.

Isabelle gasped when she saw him. "Jace," She sat the book down and crossed the room towards Jace, Simon and Alec on her trail. "Where have you been?" Alec asked, concern in his voice.

"I went looking for Clary. Is she here?" Jace spoke, his voice empty of emotion.

"No, Simon and I never found her." Isabelle replied.

"You told me you were going to bed Jace. By the Angel, next time consider using the front door and telling someone." Alec was obviously irritated, and stressed.

Jace ignored Alec. "We need a way to find Clary."

"That's what we were looking for." Simon chimed in.

"And? What'd you find?"

"Not much. Isabelle and I found no trace of her after you two left. But Alec suggested we use a tracking spell. I was going to go get something from the apartment—"

"I already tried that." Jace interrupted, pulling the necklace with the ring on it from his pocket. "Nothing happened. I can't trace her."

Simon pursed his lips and didn't retort back. Instead, Alec spoke up. "We can have Magnus try. He's a warlock, he might be able to find her."

Jace nodded his head. "Okay. When can we go see him?"

"I called him earlier. He had to gather some belongings to perform the ceremony. He said it would be several hours."

Isabelle stepped forward. "You should rest until Magnus gets here. We should all rest."

"No, I need to find another way to find Clary. In case this doesn't work." Jace insisted.

Isabelle crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. "Fine, okay. We'll all keep looking."

"All right then. Alec, Simon, what were you talking about when I walked in? Any idea on how to find Clary?"

The two boys exchanged glances. Simon looked pleading for a moment, but Alec's mouth was set in a firm line. It was almost ironic how Simon and Alec had grown so close. Before, it seemed they despised one another. But now they each had a common goal. Isabelle. They each loved her and somehow it had brought them slightly closer.

"No, we thought we had a lead but it was a bust." Simon answered.

Jace stared between the two for a moment before making his way deeper into the library. The next hour was spent analyzing various books about missing Shadowhunters, helpful spells, and even myths about how to find them.

They each scanned books and muttered things that were utterly unusable in the end. The group was tired, and the only thing keeping any of them going was Clary. And Jace. Because Alec and Isabelle knew how Jace acted when something terrible like this happened; he'd blame and torture himself. He'd done it before in the past, but this was the first major time Clary was involved and it had a major impact on his behavior.

All the books and information seemed pretty much useless. They needed something stronger, more concrete. They needed more evidence on what happened to Clary and what could have captured her. So far, all they knew was an Achaieral demon had flown in and swooped her up. Jace slammed what had to be his tenth book down and groaned in frustration. "This is hopeless." He grumbled, pacing to the front as Izzy walked in with a plate. "I made sandwiches. Figured we should eat something."

Alec and Simon joined Jace and Isabelle as they began to eat. Jace was the only one who didn't pick up a sandwich.

"These are surprisingly good Izzy." Alec spoke, his mouth half full.

Isabelle smirked, happy to break some of the tension that was clustered in the air. "I've been practicing more, actually following recipes and not adding my own twists to them." She gazed at Jace. "You should eat too."

"I'm good. I'm not hungry. When's Magnus going to be here Alec?" Jace asked impatiently.

"Soon, he texted he was on his way a few minutes ago,"

Jace leaned up against the mahogany desk and waited with his arms across his chest. The other three talked lightly, but it was clear nobody was exactly in the mood to discuss the weather on this early October morning.

Jace stood up straight and made his way across the library back to the book he had left. He figured he might as well be useful while they waited for Magnus. After scanning the same book he had earlier slammed down, the noise of a door opening and closing caught his attention. Jace perched the book on the edge of the shelf and paced to where the others had already gathered.

Isabelle and Simon stood next to one another with Alec to the right of Izzy and Magnus standing across from the trio. Jace crossed the floor and stood beside Alec. The rising sun gleamed through one of the windows high above and reflected off Magnus's bejeweled jacket, blinding Jace.

Magnus Bane smiled down at Jace. His hair was spiked up with an abundant amount of hair gel (yet his hair didn't appear to look greasy) and he wore neon yellow pants with a dark blue blouse covered by one of his favorite purple jackets.

"What took so long?" Simon asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"Like I said, I had to prepare." Magnus spoke confidentially, gesturing to his bizarre outfit.

Jace frowned and clenched his fists at his side. "Clary's life is at risk and you spent the last two hours getting dressed?!" He stepped forward, tilting his head up a little to meet Magnus' gaze. "By the Angel, Magnus I swear I could—"

Alec intervened, placing himself between his brother and boyfriend. "Stop Jace. Magnus is here now and he's going to help us find Clary. Just relax, please."

"Everyone is just a little tense…" Isabelle muttered as Simon leaned in and whispered something to Isabelle and took her hand. Whatever he had said seemed to comfort Izzy.

"Anyways, Magnus did bring some important stuff. He's going to try and track Clary with a tracking spell but if that doesn't work he's going to summon a Greater Demon that can track people who don't want to be found." Alec stated as him and Magnus walked to the desk with the others trailing.

"It's a fairly simple ceremony, it shouldn't take long but let's try an easier tracking spell first." Magnus turned to face Jace after setting his bag down and held his hand out, palm outstretched.

Jace bit his lower lip and reached into his pocket and pulled out the silver chain with the ring dangling on it. He set it in Magnus' palm and crossed his arms over his chest. He felt uneasy that Magnus could so easily read him. Magnus grabbed a small bottle and poured a few drops of the mixture on the necklace. He began chanting in Latin and Jace could recognize a few words. Track. Find. Clarissa Fairchild. Search.

Jace watched carefully as Magnus finished his chant and his cat-like eyes landed on Alec. "Nothing, I can't find her."

Jace sucked in his breath and nodded his head. "Let's get this summoning over with then."

Magnus pocketed the necklace and turned to his bag. He pulled out at least a dozen candles which he instructed Isabelle and Simon to place in a dodecagon and light. He then took a piece of chalk and began drawing lines inside the shape.

Alec observed watchfully and studiously, as if he was memorizing the ritual. Jace sat at the desk and flipped through pages of the spell book Magnus had brought. Everything was in Latin but Jace could read most of it. They were simple spells; healing and such.

Jace didn't think summoning greater demons was exactly easy but then again, it wasn't his strong suit. He remembered the first time he had ever encountered a greater demon, Abandon.

It was at Clary's old apartment when they had first found the mortal cup hidden in a deck of tarot cards. Alec had tried killing the beastly creature and had been severely injured. In fact, it was Simon who killed the demon. He was a half descent Shadowhunter after all.

It was also the first time Jace realized what an important asset Clary would be as a Shadowhunter; how naturally it came to her. She was frizzled but like a glamour, Jace could see past her character and tell she was a truly amazing Shadowhunter.

"Jace, Magnus needs his book." Alec spoke, pulling Jace out of his trance and handing the book of spells to Alec.

"All right everyone, take a step back." Jace stayed put but did straighten up in the chair so he could watch the ritual. Simon, Isabelle, and Alec all stepped back as a few steps.

Magnus held up his hand causing a blue blaze to spark from his fingers. He aimed the flames at the book which disintegrated. Everyone's mouth gaped open and a vein in Jace's forehead appeared as his mouth closed shut and he was about to make a nasty remark.

Magnus smirked and glanced at everyone. He snapped his fingers and the ashes lifted from the ground and whirled through the air as they formed into a shape. The fragments shined and then a spell book reformed in his hand.

"I don't let anyone use my spell book without some sort of embedded lock on it." Magnus chuckled under his breath as Simon and Isabelle exchanged glances. "Now, back to what we were doing." Magnus focused his attention on the illustration below him and began chanting in Latin again.

Ahh Magnus, what's not to love about his charming demeanor?

So, I know I seem to constantly be changing the dates I upload, but I think I've got it this time. So recently, I realized putting out a four thousand word chapter every week is nearly impossible with school and a social life, so I just want to let you all know (if you even read this XD) that I'll post a new chapter every two weeks. It'll mostly be less than two weeks but I'll probably never have a chapter out one week after the last.
So, clarification: NEW CHAPTERS EVERY 8-14 DAYS

Until the next chapter, BYE!

Oh, and don't forget to try and guess which book this chapter was named after for a chance to have your name featured in this story! PM or leave a review!