Jace was on his way home from baseball. It was near the end of his sophomore year at school so the weather was hot. He had ridden the subway as close as it got to his apartment but he still had to walk a few blocks to get home. His baseball bag was heavy with bats but he almost didn't notice it. Jace was probably the most athletic person at his school. Sports came almost as natural to him as breathing. At every time of the year he had a sport to play. Jocelyn said that being sporty and athletic was in his blood. But he had never seen her do so much as one physical activity.
Usually Simon would be walking home with Jace or Jace walking home with Simon. But today Simon was unusually excited about getting home to read a new comic book he had gotten. So hadn't waited for Jace after school. Simon was Jace's best friend. Sometimes he questioned why, they were almost completely opposite. But Simon was fun, and he often just needed a normal friend. Sure there were the baseball guys he could hang out with, or the football guys, or even the basketball guys. But Simon was Simon and a good friend.
Jace turned onto a new street. The street was completely empty besides a lone figure down the street. Jace didn't pay much attention to the figure at first, until it stumbled and almost fell down. He narrowed his eyes to try and get a better look at the person. It was a girl. Her hair was just as red as his moms. Even from this distance you could tell she didn't look too good. Her hair was disheveled and her clothes dirty and messed up.
The girl straightened up and tried to walk straight but quickly stumbled again. Her hand flew to her stomach. Was she drunk? It was a strange time of day to get drunk but he had seen it before. He decided to keep his distance so he moved the other side of the street from the drunk girl.
The girl couldn't seem to walk straight. Finally the girl stumbled and fell down. Not bothering to get up. She rolled stomach up and looked at the sky, breathing heavily.
Jace took three more steps but then faltered. This was New York. No one was going to help her if he didn't. It was stupid and he didn't even know what he would do to help her. But he crossed the street over to her panting form.
He stood by her small form, and cleared his throat. Her eyes flickered to him but then went back to looking into nothing. He knelt down by her, wondering what the heck he was doing.
"Hey are you okay?" which obviously was a stupid question. She was lying in middle of a street looking like she got mauled by a bear.
She laughed bitterly, but stopped quickly, it seemed to hurt her to laugh, "You can see me, pretty boy?"
She must have been more drunk then he originally thought. "Yes," he nodded as if talking to a child. But as he studied her more closely he realized she was about his age.
The girl winced again. Her hands were clutching at her stomach. Before he thought it was because she was going to throw up. But now he saw red seeping through her fingers. "You're hurt," Jace stated.
"Well isn't that something. Pretty boy's got more then looks."
Jace didn't know what to do. Should he take her to the hospital? But he had no way of getting her there. The first thing he should do is to see how bad she was hurt. Jace gently moved her hands away from her stomach. She winced. But she didn't protest. The shirt underneath her hands was ripped. It looked like a lion had taken a swipe at her stomach. Her shirt was clinging to the wound and he still couldn't tell how bad it was. He started to pull her shirt up to get a better look.
"Woah," the girl interjected, "We just met and you're already trying to undress me." Jace rolled his eyes but kept going. The girl kept taking. "I knew I was attractive but I'll admit I'm not looking my finest at the moment."
Jace had pulled up the shirt only as high as it needed to see the whole cut. It wasn't deep but the edges gleamed with something purple. "Why is it purple?" Jace muttered to himself.
The girl must have heard him. "Demon poison." As if that explained everything.
"Uh-huh." He agreed, unbelieving. Finally he made up my mind, "We got to get you to the emergency room." Jace was thoroughly convinced this girl was hurt and delusional.
"I'm fine. I just lost my steele." Jace just looked at her with my eyebrows raised. As she kept talking it just convinced him more that she needed help.
At the look he gave her she sighed as if he was the one who was out of it. "Help me up." She insisted.
Jace was about to protest but then he realized that there was no other way. Either she would have to stand up or stay lying down in middle of the road.
Jace set down his baseball bag and scooped his arms under her pulling her up and cradling her in his chest like a baby. In his arms she seemed so small and fragile. Up close she was very pretty, her features small and delicate. He noticed the small freckles that were littered across her nose. Then his gaze landed on her lips. They were so beautiful, pink and soft.
"Put me down, I can walk." She snapped. Embarrassed he looked away from her lips back into her eyes. And any thoughts Jace had of delicate vanished. Her eyes were fierce staring into his. By her look, he could tell she was a warrior.
Gently Jace set her back on her feet. The girl took one step then swayed on her feet and started to fall, Jace quickly caught her.
The girl starts to say something but then looks into his face. She stops and a look of recognition crosses her face. "Jonathan?" She asks, her voice unbelieving.
Jace was shocked. How did she know his name? Then the girl shakes her head and her eyes clear up. "Sorry, I thought you were someone else for a second." But that was his name. How did she know?
Jace opened his mouth to accuse her of knowing his name when two people run out of an alleyway. "Clary!?" they call, clearly panicked.
She turned her head there way and a grim smile breaks across her face. The two people quickly spot her in his arms and jog their direction.
"She's hurt." Jace explains without need. There is a girl and a boy, the girl is tall and strikingly beautiful. She points an accusing finger at Jace.
"You can see us?"
Jace lets out a frustrated sigh, "Of course I can see you. I'm not blind you know."
The girl shot daggers at him with her eyes, "What happened to Clary?" The girl with black hair obviously didn't like him and was only tolerating him only for this moment.
The girl in his arms now had a name, "I don't know, I found her like this." The girl with black hair stared at him as if he had done it.
"Izzy," The guy piped in. "He's just a mundane."
Just then Clary decided to add into the conversation, "I'm not dead yet, even though you guys talk like I am." Izzy continued to glare at Jace until Clary continued, "But I will be unless you don't give me a healing rune."
Izzy finally broke her glare at me and pulled out what looked like a long thin stick. She approached Clary with it.
Jace shifted his body so he was in front of Clary. "What are you doing?" He accused Izzy.
She rolled her eyes as if it was obvious. Clary pushed away from Jace, he was so startled he didn't resist. "I can take care of myself, pretty boy." He could tell it was taking her a lot of effort just to stand up. The scratches in her stomach must be killing her. Izzy handed Clary the stick.
"What should we do with him?" The boy, who Clary addressed as Alec said.
"Just let him go," Clary said.
"But he can see us," Izzy interjected.
"He's just a mundane." Clary said firmly. The other two didn't look happy about it but it looked like they respected Clary enough to not push it. "You need to go now." Clary said.
Defiance flared inside Jace, they were crazy. This is what Jace got for trying to be nice and helpful in New York. Jace told himself that he didn't care if Clary got to a hospital or not. He didn't know why he had even cared in the first place.
His pride hurt and so with out another word Jace snatched up his baseball bag of the ground from where it lay. He gave one final look back at the strange people. Clary was leaning on Izzy now and it looked like she was drawing on her. Strange people with strange markings on there skins with weird weapons at their sides. He should call the police.
Right as Jace was going to turn around to walk away Clary looked up. "Maybe we will see each other around pretty boy." Jace doubted it but walked away without a word.
I know you all hate me. I warned you this would happen though. Anyway. I'm sorry is short and lame. But I just need to get the next part down and written then it will go pretty fast from there. Or at least I hope so.
Thank you to all that keep liking and following even though I haven't updated in forever. You guys are the ones that make me keep going. (:
And I want to say thank you to Burritoyum for the idea I kind of took and improvised(: