Chapter Eight

"Will dad and papa come back?" Max asked as he looked up at Clary.

Clary stopped cleaning up and looked at him and Rafael. They both had faces filled with fear, worry and uneasiness which made Clary want to hold them and promise them that everything was going to be okay. But she couldn't make that promise. She had learnt that things can easily go wrong when you're a Shadowhunter and to always make sure you're prepared for the worst- even though you never will be. Alec was one of the best Shadowhunters she had ever met, but as she told the boys that he'd be fine, she remembered when Abbadon almost killed him. It was easier to tell them that Magnus would be okay as he was immortal and the worst Clary had ever seen him was when he was drained of energy.

"So, they will come back?" Max asked as he got off the chair and held Clary's hand,

"They'll come back," Clary smiled, "now let's get you to bed."

After tucking Max and Rafael in and making sure that Max had his teddy bear, Clary found herself a room and decided that she deserved a hot bubble bath. As she got it, she thought of Jace, closed her eyes and begged that he'd come back safe and sound. They had been spending more time together as a normal couple doing normal couple things like going out to movies, eating at restaurants and staying in to watch movies in bed, but now and again, they would go out for a romantic walk and then end up having to sort out mischievous vampires or out of control demons. While she remembered some of their dates she found herself drifting slowly off to sleep.

She dreamt of being in a field of black grass, trees with no sign of life in them and a sky of infinite darkness with no star in it. Her breaths were heavy as she walked through the field barefoot with the sharp grass staining her porcelain feet black. There was no wind and the atmosphere was permeated with a bitter smell and a bone chilling cold. She soon came close to a white flower that danced above the grass under a stream of light and despite its dainty stem, the flower held itself up with confidence. When Clary approached it, she felt its warmth cure her goosebumps and fill her with happiness, even though there was still darkness around her. She sat on the ground and watched the flower, but soon the black poison from the grass snaked up the once vibrant green stem and ravaged the pure white petals. Tears fell down her cheek as she watched the petals join the surrounding trees in death, the warmth she once felt disappeared and the light faded.

Clary woke up with her bottom lip in the slowly turning cold water and there was only a small cluster of bubbles left in the corner of the bath. Once she got out of the bath, she dried her hair with a towel and changed into a top and pyjama shorts she found in the wardrobe. The depressing, dark and disheartening dream stuck in her mind as she sat on the bed and thought of its meaning; all dreams meant something when it came to her. As she carried on wondering about it, she strolled to the bedroom Rafael and Max were sleeping in…to find empty beds.

Max was feeling sleepy when he got into bed, but when Clary left, a rush of energy went through his body so he decided to jump on the bed for a good five minutes. But that didn't work. Rafael also was wide awake and searching the bookshelf to see if there was anything appropriate for him to read.

"Jump on the bed, it fun," Max giggled as she sat on the bed,

"No, I want to read," Rafael replied,

"Why do people read?"

"To learn. There are books on everything. I once read a book about space,"

"What's space like?"

"It's the colour of the sky at night, but has lots of planets and galaxies and universes."

Rafael ended up telling Max everything he knew about space and occasionally had to explain a handful of words as well. Max loved it when Rafael agreed to teach him. Last time, Rafael taught him about musical instruments, how they can all make different sounds and how people can make the sounds of instruments with their own voices, prompting Max to attempt to sound like a piano and a guitar. As Rafael talked, Max heard a familiar voice call his name from the window. He instantly got up from the bed and ran to the window to see Alec standing on the ground outside with a large bag. Max didn't know if the window could open, but when he placed his hands on the glass and willed the window to disappear, the glass vanished and the cool morning breeze hit his face.

"Rafe, it's dad," Max waved at Alec,

"Come down and I'll take you out for breakfast," Alec smiled,

"But we just ate,"

"But I know you'd like some hot chocolate."

Max nodded and put his shoes on, but Rafael wasn't as enthusiastic. He got off the bed and looked out the window down at Alec waiting for him. Max didn't understand why he wasn't excited; Alec was, he was alive, had a bag most likely full of presents and was going to take them out for hot chocolate.

Max gave Rafael his shoes and looked at him, "Let's go,"

"I'm not sure, what about aunty Clary?" Rafael said,

"We leave a note."

Max could see the hesitation in Rafael's face, so he got a piece of toilet paper, took a pen from his pocket and wrote a note to Clary saying that they had gone out for hot choc with Alec. Once he showed the note to Rafael, he seemed convinced, put on his shoes and went outside to Alec with Max. They ran outside to find Alec standing by the gate.

"Where are we going?" Rafael asked as he grabbed Alec's hand,

"We'll get hot chocolate and then go anywhere you'd like," Alec smiled.

As Max held Alec's hand, he began to feel strange. The hand he held didn't feel as soft and warm as it usually did; it was slightly cold and damp, but it could've easily been because he had just fought a bunch of demons. They walked far away from the Institute until they reached a small café that had the closed sign showing, but Alec simply walked in. There was a stench in the café that made Max cover his nose, but Alec seemed fine with it and walked them past the counter and to the basement where there was something large and cube shaped under a black cover and were two strangers sitting on top of a counter. The strangers looked at Max as if he were food with their pupils dilating and licking their lips.

"Where's the hot choc?" Max's voice wobbled as he let go of Alec's hand and moved away from him.

The strangers got up to pull the cloth and reveal a large metal cage with the bars glowing deadly raging red. Alec picked up Rafael and threw him in the cage and when Rafael tried to get out, the bars shocked him and he cried in pain as he fell to the floor. Max became sure that whoever it was that brought him here, it wasn't his dad. The three strangers launched at Max and in fear he raised up his arms to protect himself. By doing so, he had created a protective wall which made the strangers fall to the ground, but they got straight back up. Max tried to keep the wall up as long as possible as he scuttled up the stairs and the strangers ran after him, but he soon found himself losing energy and he tripped over before he could reach the door. The strangers grabbed him and threw him into the cage alongside Rafael.

"Rafe?" Max sat by Rafael who still hadn't got up from the floor,

"It hurts," Rafael cried,

"I want dad and papa."