I'm running, faster than I ever have before. My body was high on adrenaline. Behind me were large, poisonous spiders and deadly clockwork creatures, grabbing for me. I could see a portal in front of me, its bright, white light illuminating the dark railway bridge next to Black Friar's Bridge.
There was a laugh from behind me, compelling me to run even faster, towards the safety of the bright white light. Suddenly, there was a black cat with human eyes, running beside me, a blue lightning bolt on its neck. "Run, Annabeth! You have to get to the light, it is life, it is the key to who you are!" Magnus's voice shouted from the throat of the cat.
Soon, the feline Magnus and I were joined by Tessa, her body shifting every other second or so, and Will and Jem, brandishing multiple seraph blades, throwing them at the clockwork creatures and the spiders. A figure suddenly darted in front of us and stared at me. I stopped running, the others fighting off the spiders and the automatons. I stared at the figure.
He looked about the same age as I, but I felt he was older than he appeared. He had pale, flawless skin and bronze colored hair, his brown eyes staring intensely into mine. His tallish figure was draped in a loose, midnight blue shirt, tucked out from his black trousers. He was barefoot.
The boy bared his fangs and lunged. I cried out but he seemed to have targeted someone else behind me. I turned to see another boy with black hair and murderous eyes, dressed similar to the bronze haired boy, but his shirt was white with dark red blotches. He hissed at the bronze haired boy as he was tackled.
I stood watching the two before I heard an inhuman cry of pain. I whirled around and gasped as I saw the Demon. "No! You're dead! Mother killed you." I shouted as he made his way towards me. I looked to the ground and saw Magnus in his human form, lying dead on the ground. I screamed and started to run away from the cackling Demon.
The moon came from behind the clouds and I stopped, the bridge coming to an abrupt end. I looked down into the murky water of the Thames River and huffed, my breath coming out as a puff in the chilly air. I whirled around and froze. Everything was gone. The spiders, the automatons, Jem, Will, Tessa, Magnus, the two unknown boys, even the Demon who fathered me.
The only thing that remained was a man with red hair dressed in a black shirt, black trousers, and a black vest with a white spider web design. "Please don't." I whispered as he came closer to me, his scar obvious in the moonlight, his fangs giving off a terrifying glint. He wrapped his cold arms around me, baring his fangs and—
The carriage had stopped and Larten pulled his attention from the towering steeples of what must have been the Institute and gave it to the pale young girl in a light blue dress stained in blood. Her pink curls fell across her shoulders and her face. He smiled softly. She seemed so peaceful.
The door to the carriage was pulled open by a small woman who seemed to be in her early twenties whom he learned was Charlotte Branwell. She stared at Annabeth, lying across the bench, her soft pink lips slightly parted.
Mrs. Branwell started to lightly shake the girl's shoulder. "Annabeth, sweetie, it's time to get up, we're home." She murmured gently. The girl didn't respond. Charlotte sighed and turned to Larten. "I'm sorry, she's a heavy sleeper. You can go ahead into the Institute, I'll just have to carry her to her room again." She told him, smiling tiredly. Again. That means this must happen often… Larten thought, gazing at the girl.
"It is alright, let me carry her." Larten said, leaning towards the girl. Annabeth shivered under his touch and scrunched her nose. As he stepped out of the carriage with the girl in his arms, her face scrunched up with fear and she started wriggling in his arms.
"My god!" he cried as she started kicking and screaming. Charlotte and the silver haired Shadow hunter— who Annabeth had called Jem— came racing towards him. She slammed her fist into his nose and with a cry of surprise; he dropped her, his hands covering his now broken nose as a stream of profanity flowed from his lips.
As she fell to the ground, her eyes snapped open. Charlotte gasped when she saw that the girl's eyes were completely black. The girl shrieked and arched her back, yelling in some sort of demon language, writhing on the ground in pain. "Anna! Anna, wake up! It's just a dream!" Jem shouted, shaking her. Larten stopped swearing then.
She was just dreaming? Having a nightmare? He thought, astounded. Her back arched one more time, her eyes rolling forwards, the pink burning fiercely and she stopped speaking. She stayed like that for a long time gasping for air, her heels digging into the ground beneath her, her hands clenching and unclenching into fists until she finally whispered, "I am Nephilim, not a Halfling."
With that, she slumped back to the ground, her face becoming peaceful once more. Larten stared at the girl and bent over. He reached across her and pushed her curls out of her face and behind her ear. He looked up at Jem. "Perhaps it would be best if you took her." He said. Jem hesitated and nodded, carefully picking the girl up.
Larten and Charlotte stared at the two as Jem carried her up the stone stairs and into the Institute. Larten looked down at his blood covered hand and frowned. He turned to Charlotte. "Is this usual? Her nightmares I mean." He asked. Charlotte sighed and nodded, beckoning him to follow her as she walked towards the Institute. "Yes, sadly. No one knows why, though, except Jem perhaps. But…" she trailed off, frowning as she shut the doors behind them.
"But what?" Larten asked, worried for the girl. She stared at him, a confused yet thoughtful look in her eyes. "She's never said anything about Halflings." She said quietly. Larten froze. He recalled the girl being confused as he told her she must be a Halfling. She must have been dreaming of me…but why? He asked himself. He slowly shook his head and looked at Charlotte.
"I think I would like to turn in, if you do not have any questions for me now." He told her warily. She nodded. "Of course, follow me." She led him down a few halls until they came to a rather large door. Charlotte pulled out a key with an angel on it and unlocked the door. Larten stepped inside. It was brightly lit with strange glowing stones and it had a fountain in the middle of the room of a crying angel. He turned to Charlotte and smiled.
"Thank you, Mrs. Branwell, for your hospitality. I doubt you like vampires here." He smiled. She blushed and he could tell this was partly true. "I should be thanking you, Mr. Crepsley, for allowing us to be able to access whatever knowledge you may have of de Quincey." She replied. He smiled once more. "Anything to help out Camille." He replied turning towards the room and walking in. He sighed as he heard it click closed.
He sat on the edge of the fountain and sighed, staring at the angel. "I do not think I shall be getting much sleep today." He muttered, thinking of the assistant he had left at Camille's house and of the pink haired girl who was staying just a few floors above him.