Hello dears! So many wanted to read more of this, so... here you are! Tada! Chapter two. Or the official chapter one? Idk you decide. I'm glad you like this story anyway! Everything will kick off sooner rather than later, so bring it on! Again, it's rated M. Because how does one write a story that ISN'T rated M? Anywhooo, enjoy and don't forget to review! Next chapter should be soon x


Three months later

It's comforting and soothing, watching mom paint. Back in New York, she would get up especially early and transform the dining room into a place where she could work in peace. By the end of the day the room would be littered with sketches, watercolors and so much more. The house has never been a blank canvas, but filled with art and beauty. But here she has her own art studio.

Mom beams triumphantly, flicking her wrist and at long last, completing her painting. "There! What do you think?"

I cock my head slightly, squinting. "The left eye is a little off."

She blinks, startled as she looks back to her painting of her client; his left eye is a little too pale brown. Mom hisses and instantly returns to work. Fifteen minutes later, it's perfect. The entire painting is flawless.

"When is dad coming home?" I grumble when she starts packing up. "Jonathan won't stop asking me."

"I don't know" mom says absentmindedly, eyes still fixed upon her finished painting. "He's really very busy."

We've only seen him six times since moving out to Nevada. He literally lives up at the facility at his workplace in Area 51. Why couldn't we have stayed in New York while he came out here?

At school, the students gape at the fact my father is such an important man. "Area 51-?" my friend Simon Lewis had whimpered when I'd first told him. "How high up is he?"

How high up? I've no idea – work isn't a topic talked about when he does make an appearance. And if by some small chance he does say something, mom instantly puts her foot down.

"You're going to be late" mom suddenly says, glancing up at the time. "Simon will be here in a minute."

As if on cue, the doorbell rings. Mom flashes me a smile, setting her brush down as she steps forward and tugs me into her arms. "Go nowhere by yourself, yes?"

"Mom, I'm not going to run into the city and become a stripper." My boobs are too small.

"You know what I mean. It's not… safe here." Mom shivers slightly, no doubt recalling the phenomenon of three months ago. The blinding blue light; Jonathan's agonized screams; the scorched land outside our home the next morning and the cracks in the hot, dry earth.

Simon grins when I open the door, folding his arms. "Are you ready?"

We're going into Vegas, to the outskirts for lunch. It still feels weird saying that.


Simon's van –or rather, his friend Eric's– splutters and bangs softly as he drives. People on the sidewalks jump in surprise and stare as we roll past. I sink down so I'm not recognized. It's embarrassing.

"You know, we're getting really good" Simon grins as we walk into the café. "With the band."

Simon's band is atrocious. It's stuff that than make your ears cry and bleed at the same time.

When I say nothing, he groans. "Oh come on Clary, we're not that bad!"

"Simon" I sigh, closing my eyes as we reach the counter. "Please tell me you're not that delusional." His band, Alienation, is as bad as its name.

He waves a hand and snorts in amusement, smiling at the girl who asks for our order. "Yeah, regular coffee and a bacon baguette. Clary?"

"Black coffee and the same thanks." As soon as we have our order, we walk over to the cheap plastic table and chairs in the corner next to the window. This part of Vegas is practically deserted, the view from the window nothing but dirty brown and golden land, the occasional house or store. It reminds me of our house here in Nevada.

Not home. This place isn't home; New York is.

"Anyway" Simon says after a bite of his baguette. "I say you and I watch the skies tonight. You know, for the aliens."

"There are no aliens, Simon." He's actually obsessed with seeing one. Every single night he sits outside and waits with a telescope and camera, hoping, praying for pretty much anything. So far he's seen a hot air balloon and endless airplanes. And that memorable time the others from school deliberately let off some Chinese lanterns just to laugh at him.

He groans, eyes closing gently. "They are real Clary. I've lived here my whole life and the stories I hear. Wow. And don't forget that light you saw!'

The morning after the lightshow and earthquake, there had been a knock on the door. Stood on our doorstep had been Simon with his camera hanging around his neck, brown eyes bright and excited as he asked if he could take some photos of the shattered earth and scorch marks. At school we'd chatted and now here we are; an alien hunter and his skeptical accomplice.

"They're just stories."

Simon groans in annoyance, tapping a finger on the surface of the table. "How can you say that when you've already seen one?"

"All I saw was that light. I told you before Simon; it was just an earthquake rupturing the electrics."

"Total and utter bullshit" Simon laughs, taking a sip of his coffee and wrinkling up his nose. "This coffee is bullshit as well. Anyway, how is Jonathan? Eric said he had to go home from school because he collapsed in the entrance hall?"

I swallow hard and nod, hands tightening into balls beneath the table. "He's not very well. Mom says she and dad are thinking about pulling us both out for home schooling." That would mean confinement to that prison of a house. Both me and Jonathan. Not good.

Simon frowns, brows furrowing. He sets the coffee down. "What's wrong with Jonathan? Eric said he was… screaming in agony."

"Nothing" I tell him coldly, appetite for the rest of my baguette gone. "Nothing at all."

"Bu-?"

I hoist my bag up onto my shoulder, coffee forgotten. "I'll see you whenever." The door of the café tinkles as it closes. It's a long walk home, but at the moment I don't care.

It tinkles again a moment later. "Clary!" Simon calls after me, running after me in his haste to catch up. "Hey, wait! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

That makes me stop dead, expression blank as I turn to him. The hot desert wind blows, ruffling and tangling his chocolate-brown hair. "You didn't upset me."

It's a total lie, of course; Jonathan had been dying right before my eyes this time last year, and there was nothing I could do about it. I had to watch my big brother wither away. Had to watch as he changed both physically and mentally as my father worked on looking for a cure.

And then one morning I woke up to find him in the kitchen, his eyes no longer emerald but midnight. They may have been dark, but they were bright like a starry sky. He was completely and utterly better with a smile on his face. He'd healed overnight. Something of a miracle.

Now? It's like he's descending into madness again.

Had our father found the cure? Was it because of him that Jonathan had recovered? I think so, but how is that possible? That is insane. Yeah, they have all sorts of technology and miracles in the secret levels of the government, but nothing of this sort. If they did, all the world's illnesses would be fixed.

Nothing makes sense.

"I'm fine" I tell Simon, sighing gently. "I just worry about him. He's my brother and I love him."

He smiles sadly and nods, holding out the baguette in his hand out for me to take. When I do, it's still warm. "I get you, Clary. If this was me and Rebecca, I'd be freaking out about her all day every day."

I want to tell Simon about Jonathan. That once upon a time, he'd been dying from some incurable disease in his blood, but I can't. Just the mere thought of saying exactly what had happened out loud is impossible. Right now shivers creep down my spine and I want to run and to never stop running. But even if I reached the edge of the earth, that still wouldn't be far enough.

"Um, excuse me?"

Simon blinks at someone behind me and I turn to face a small boy with glasses before bright blue eyes and black hair, a smile on his face. He holds out a flyer for us to take; on the front is a picture of a young man with ragged golden hair, a handsome face and piercing, dark golden eyes that seem almost black. The writing on it says HAVE YOU SEEN THIS PERSON?

"This is my brother" the boy says to us both seriously. "He's been missing for two years."

Two years? Poor kid. He can't be more than maybe eleven.

I take the paper and shake my head. "I haven't seen him." And then I notice something is missing. "What is his name?"

The boy shrugs. "He doesn't have a human name and I'm not allowed to tell your kind his other." He looks to Simon. "Have you seen him?"

Simon looks like he might start laughing. "Uh-" he tilts his head at the picture, gazing at the handsome blond boy. "Sorry."

With a sigh, the boy leaves without another word. Simon chokes out a laugh. "What was that all about? Little alien?"

"Always with the aliens" I tease him. "You should go and live on Extraterrestrial Highway."

Simon's eyes glaze over. "You think I could?" he asks, voice longing. I punch him in the arm just hard enough to make him rub at it, muttering "ouch. Bully."

My eyes follow the boy as he asks a woman to take the flyer, but she ignores him, growling for him to move. That saddens me. People can be such bastards at times.

When the woman walks past me, she glares as if she can read my mind.

"Come on. Let's go." Simon says, taking a bite of his baguette and finishing it off.


We leave the café and retreat to the cool shade of the car, the windows rolled down completely all the way back to my house. The music blares and we bang our heads in time to the pounding drums and screeching guitars. Simon is fun. So very fun.

Mom is outside her car when we arrive, scrabbling on the ground for her fallen keys. She swears and straightens up, them back in her hand.

"Oh" mom next to squeaks when we get out of the car, cheeks red and expression flustered. "You didn't hear that, did you?"

"Hear what Mrs. Morgenstern?" Simon says innocently, but we all know he's lying. Mom turns her gaze on me. "I was just about to call you. I need you to look after Jonathan while I head up to see your father."

Simon twitches next to me and I wait for him to start begging on his knees for the chance to accompany her.

"What's wrong?" She sounds worried; since when does mom drop her keys?

Mom shakes her head. "It's nothing really. Just… Valentine is in hospital."

My heart drops through my chest and onto the ground. Me and dad aren't close, but he's still my father. "What's happened? Mom?"

She sighs wearily, glancing at Simon. "One of the… experiments backfired. That's all I know. Just watch Jonathan, okay? He's fine right now, but you know how fast he can… you know…" she shakes her head. "I'll be back when I can." Mom drops a kiss on my cheek and then she's gone faster than a bat out of hell.

"Maybe an experiment got loose" Simon teases. "You know… testing on it and bam! Escaped to hunt down the world and destroy it along with it's creator."

I roll my eyes and hug him briefly. "Thanks for the lift home." Now I have to look after my potentially crazy brother.

Simon cocks a brow. "I'll be back tonight" he tells me firmly. "I'll bring my telescope."

I groan in defeat.


Jonathan is sat in a black t-shirt and white shorts upon the sofa, his legs crossed and a bowl of ice cream set before him as he watches TV. He looks up when I walk in, scoffing out "I don't need to be babysat. I'm older than you."

Instantly my eyes rove his body for telltale signs of him growing ill again. But I see nothing. He looks like the same old Jonathan, only with messier white hair and in pajamas which is a rare sight.

"What happened at school?"

He sets his spoon down, expression distasteful. "I see the riffraff have been gossiping."

I set my bag down, stepping over to the sofa and sinking down onto it. Jonathan leans back against the pillow, turning his head and gazing at me steadily, midnight eyes devoid of stars. "What have they said, little sister?"

Jonathan doesn't move as I swing my legs up and rest them across his folded legs. "Simon told me you collapsed. Mom was worried, I saw that outside."

He raises a hand and touches it to my cheek briefly, his mouth a teasing smile. "Were you worried about me? Cute."

I ignore him. "Jonathan."

My brother sighs, pausing his show. "I had a headache and it just got really bad, okay? It was like… something speared itself through my brain."

"Like… a hot poker?"

"A red hot poker." Jonathan frowns slightly. "It's not… what happened before, Clarissa. I'm not dying again."

My eyes narrow and I'm only half joking. "You swear it?"

Jonathan barks out a laugh, setting down his bowl onto the floor and tugging me into his arms, utterly ignoring my squeals of protest.

When he lets me go, we curl up together and spend the rest of the day watching TV until Simon arrives at half past nine with his telescope. I ask Jonathan if he wants to come, but he stares as if I've lost my mind, turning over the TV to the movie channel.

Take that as a no then.


The stars are so clear out here. Back in New York, it's impossible to see them from the smog and air pollution. We walk until the lights of civilization are no more, nothing around us but darkness and the light from our flashlights. It's more than a little creepy and I hold Simon's hand just in case we get separated. He has his telescope beneath his arm and a rucksack with sandwiches and drinks in. It's a little picnic in the darkness, our light only the sickle moon and stars.

"Right" Simon says happily, stopping dead and setting down his telescope. "We're here. We might see the Milky Way tonight."

I doubt it. With a thump I sit down upon the ground and snag Simon's bag as he tinkles with his telescope, pulling out sandwiches and a bottle of lemonade.

"Hey" Simon says excitedly as he checks where we are though the lenses. "I think I see a constellation I've never seen before. This star right… here. I don't know this one. And I don't think it's on the charter." He chuckles. "We'll name it Clary. A star called Clarissa."

"Boring. Name it the Death Star. Or Gallifrey."

"Gallifrey is a planet, not a star" Simon retorts, retreating from the telescope and over to me where I'm sat making a fire to keep away all the little beasties. He delves into the bag, shoving a sandwich into his mouth. It's like he has an orgasm as he swallows, and it sounds disgusting.

It's nice, spending time with Simon. Out of the house. I don't know who I am here in Nevada. Back in New York, I was quiet, but I still went out with friends and the occasional party. But… now I feel like curling up under my bedcovers and reading a good book all day and night.

Simon groans lightly. "Homework due in for tomorrow. And… I totally haven't done it. That Studio Ghibli marathon was on TV and it sucked me in. Princess Mononoke is amazing."

He's right there. That and Howls Moving Castle. Howl is hot. Freaky hot for an animation.

"So Prom is coming soon" Simon says now, nibbling at his sandwich. "And I was won-?"

But he never finishes. In the darkness, we hear footsteps. They grow ever closer and fear creeps down my spine.

Simon stumbles to his feet, eyes widening as he calls "totally overused, but who's there?"

I rise to my feet and aim my flashlight into the darkness, heart in my mouth and half a mind to run and never stop running.

The footsteps stop dead and I grab Simon's arm, whispering urgently "we need to go."

"My telescope –"

"Your telescope is the last thing you need to worry about!" I hiss, tugging at his arm. "Run!"

"Hello?" Simon calls again, taking a hesitant step forward. "Wh-?"

"Give it to me. Now." The voice comes from behind us and we spin around, keeping a tight hold of our flashlights. I'm scared. Really scared. Simon is too, I can feel it as I take a hold of his hand, terrified we'll get separated in the darkness.

"Take the telescope and go!" Simon yells, gesturing wildly at it with his flashlight.

Silence, then- "-your telescope-? I want your food… the bag-"

The b-? I frown, squinting through the darkness, raising the flashlight but I see no one there. "Show yourself."

"Are you mad-?!" Simon hisses next to me, but I stand my ground; we haven't been attacked and that voice… it sounds hungry and tired, not out to murder us.

My narrow beam of light illuminates the boy's face only slightly as he steps into the light. His face is thin and indeed hungry. Mud cakes his left cheek and lank golden hair hangs in his eyes.

His eyes. I jolt a little inside; they're glowing like chips of sparkling amber caught in the sunlight. They stare directly at me, unblinking and intense. He cocks his head slightly, then those entrancing and unusual eyes flicker downwards. I scoop up the bag and hold it out for him to take. He stares at it, but then hesitantly grabs it. Quite frankly he looks like he hasn't eaten in days, maybe weeks. Saying nothing else he delves into the bag and brings out a sandwich, shoving it whole into his mouth like a rabid animal. But then the boy retches and turns away from us as if his stomach simply can't take it.

When I shine the light back on him, his body is shaking and thin beneath the dirty grey t-shirt he has on. I can see his ribs through it. He looks… pitiful.

"Are you okay?" Simon asks apprehensively, like me, having no idea what to say or do. The boy coughs and nods his head. "Shut up. My head hurts…" with a groan he raises a hand to his head, body shuddering once more.

And then he fades away into the darkness and literally. It's bizarre, like he's a chameleon.

"Clary," Simon mutters. "Let's go. Right. Now." He lets me go and darts forward, grabbing his telescope, but his bag is gone. "Come on-!"

We both turn and abandon our fire, running back the way we came as fast as we can, our breathing coming out in heavy pants. My heart is still hammering against my chest and I throw glances back over my shoulder in case we have a pursuer.


Jonathan is still awake when we return. His shadowy eyes widen when they see us tumbling into the house and locking the doors behind us, both out of breath.

"Lock the doors and windows" I tell him hurriedly, running over to the living room one and fumbling with the locks. "There's someone wandering around out there. They took Simon's bag and… he looks crazy. A madman."

Jonathan's expression darkens and he rises to his feet. "Are you hurt?" he asks dangerously, walking forward until his hands are on my shoulders.

I shake my head, fear still coursing through my body. "No. He just wanted our food."

My brother sighs and rests his cheek against the top of my head, tugging me into his chest and muttering "you're safe now."

It's comforting, being encircled in my brother's arms. No one is going to hurt you, it says. I'll kill anyone who tries.

Woe betide anyone who angers my brother. He may be ill most of the time, but he has anger issues that come out to play at the snap of a finger. Jonathan is really rather violent. When I was eleven, this boy at school bullied me for my freckles and ginger hair. He would pull on my pigtails while snorting, trying to poke at my freckles with a finger. One afternoon, twelve year old Jonathan rearranged his face and got excluded permanently, his knuckles bleeding and face spattered with blood.

I was never bullied again.

Jonathan lets me go and starts locking up the house along with Simon and I.

"You're staying here tonight" I tell Simon seriously. "And we'll call the cops in the morning and tell them what happened."

When Jonathan leaves to shut the upstairs windows, Simon snags something from his car outside and thrusts it into my hands, face pale.

It's the missing person's poster from earlier. My heart skips a beat as I recognize that face.

The filthy boy in the darkness.

"What does this mean?" I mutter to Simon, staring at the picture; the boy looks much healthier in it, face less thin.

Simon shakes his head, eyes flickering down to the number on the page. "You think we should call them?"

"It's almost eleven."

"Okay" Simon says quietly as Jonathan starts to descend the stairs. "Tomorrow after school we'll ring them and tell them. And the police."

I intend on ringing up in the morning.

Jonathan stops on the bottom step and raises a hand to the side of his head. Then, without warning, he drops like a stone and crashes to the floor. He groans, rolling over onto his back.

"I feel weird" he gasps when I dash over, terrified he's broken his neck or something just as bad. At his next words, I pause. "There's a goddamn voice inside my head Clary."

"What is it saying?" Is he being serious? Jonathan leans his head back, closing his eyes with a flutter of pale lashes.

"'You will all burn for what you have done.'"

-Don't forget to review ;D