Here you go. Chapter five. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own MI, Cassandra Clare does. Even though I wish I did.
CHAPTER 5: CONVINCING
Clary's POV.
Ten minutes went by. Fifteen. No one had moved, especially not me or Jace. We stood like statues, just staring at each other. I didn't think he knew that I was waiting for him to break the silence. After another five minutes, I decided to.
"So, you must be wondering why I'm here," I said, trying to be nonchalant, because I didn't want Jace to see how messed up I was from seeing him again. I spun around slowly, looking for someone who would speak up. When I had completed a full circle, I clicked my tongue, and spoke, "Uh, I guess I'll just explain now." Everyone nodded at me, and they followed me into the living room.
The sat down on the couches, and I began. "The Clave sent me here because of the uprising. As you know, these past few years after Valentine's death, the demons are at an all time high, killing people left and right. The Clave is worried that the Shadowhunters will fall and the demons will take over this region. Now, they're sending the Boston Institute here to help with the fight, but the Boston Institute only, because it's the closest major Institute to New York." "Wait, wait, wait. How were we not informed of this?" Jace asked. Alec, sitting beside him, frowned. "Yeah, we weren't contacted about this from the Clave. They would have told us," he said.
"I thought they'd have told you already. I was sure that they had. At least that's what Avery and Trent told me…" I said, more to myself than to anyone else. "Who's Avery and Trent?" Isabelle inquired, leaning forward, possibly thinking she was getting into the latest gossip. "They are the heads of the Boston Institute. You'll probably meet them later," I told her.
"But why would they send you here?" Alec wondered. "Well, the Clave told the Boston Institute to send one person to New York to help negotiate the battle arrangements. And, upon hearing that, Avery immediately thought that I would love to go, considering I came from New York City," I answered, drawing attention from Jace and Isabelle. "So that's where you went when you left," Jace muttered, and I flinched. Seeing me flinch, Isabelle quickly covered up for me by saying, "Well, let's not talk about that now. Clary can go back and get the rest of the Boston Institute, and we should probably call Luke, Jocelyn, Mom, Dad, and Amatis." I quietly sucked in a deep breath, the weight of seeing my mother again pressing down on my shoulders. I couldn't even begin to imagine how heartbroken she must have been when I left without a word.
"Yeah, let's get to calling. See you in a little bit Clary," Alec said, standing up, wrapping Clary in a one armed hug. Isabelle did the same, and they went off into the kitchen, already dialing. I sighed, not liking the fact that I was alone with Jace for the first time in two years. I didn't know what to say to him, so I ended with, "Bye, Jace," and started to walk towards the door.
Surprisingly, I felt a grip on my wrist pulling me back farther into the room. "Wait," Jace said, his voice ringing out like a bell in the silence. "Why did you leave me?" he asked, and I finally found the strength to turn and look him in the eye. His face was just like I left it, extremely handsome, his blonde hair perfectly tousled. But, strangely, two things were missing. His famous smirk had left his face, replaced by a small frown, but not big enough to where you could tell that he was sad. You could tell he was sad from his eyes, which were the next thing missing that I remembered. The sparkle had left them, and was replaced by sadness, his usually bright golden eyes had faded, like how fire fades to embers, and embers fade to dimly lit rocks.
"I had a few reasons. But the main one was that I thought that my being there meant that I would be putting everyone in more danger, and if someone were to be hurt, I don't know how I could live with myself. Especially you. If you were hurt, I wouldn't be able to stand it. So, to save your lives, I left. It seemed like the best decision for all of us at the time. I never meant to hurt you," I said, my hand reaching up to touch his face, "Please, just understand that."
His hand covered mine, but before it could go any farther, I pulled my hand away. "I'll be back," I said, turning away. Then, as I was halfway out the door, I heard him say something I never thought I would hear him say.
"I've moved on, Clary."
I stumbled, the hurt hitting me like a ton of bricks, but I knew I had to keep moving. My heart was breaking, hearing him say those fatal three words, I willed my feet to keep walking toward the door. I slid open the metal door to the elevator, and stepped in, punching the ground floor button.
'Please, let him just be saying that to get back at me,' I thought as the elevator came to a squeaky stop.
Well? I didn't mean for the chapter to turn out that way when I first started writing it, but I knew I had to give Jace some leverage somehow. What will happen? Next chapter coming soon.