"In the Night."
Chapter 4 "What we lost in the Flames"
Clary's POV
The constant tossing and irritability awoke me from my pain induced sleep; I looked up to see an old Victorian chandelier swinging over top of me. It looked so familiar but I'd never seen it before, I sat up slowly and looked around the room I was in. There were two rows of white linen beds on each side of the room, it honestly looked like the hospital in Harry Potter, but I knew it wasn't, knowing my luck.
I stood up on my bare feet feeling the coldness from the ground shooting all the way to my spine; I walked slowly to one of the stain glassed windows where I saw the full moon. Fear struck through me I could feel my eyes start to change, and my skin felt like it was burning from the inside out. I grabbed both sides of my face and dug my nails in trying to forget about the pain, but it kept burning and burning.
Normally on a full moon only my eyes change into their sea blue color, but my skin has never burned like this. If I was going to shift I had to get out of here, but one problem I didn't know what here is. I ran towards the door feeling blood trickle down my cheeks from my scratches, I heard a heartbeat on the other side of the door. I stopped and listened to their feet; they made their way to the door and hesitated for a second then pushed the heavy oak door open to reveal an empty hospital.
The person looking into the room smelled of oil paints and sweet lemon tea, I sniffed in again and heard their heart beat pick up as they stepped in finding it empty. I would've remained silent but the pain kept hitting me like a train; I fell to my knees and pulled them to my chest trying to relieve some of it.
The person gasped and came to my side, I looked up to see bright red curls brushing my face as she place a cloth to my face. "Oh no you're shifting aren't you?"
I froze they can't know I'm a werewolf they will kill me, I started to kick away from the woman with the gentle touch. I stood up fast which was a mistake but I ran towards the door, throwing it open and ran fast down the hallway. I turned many corners and ran down numerous flights of stairs, until I came to a brass door that was in the entrance of a room that looked like a church.
I undid the gigantic lock and pushed open the door revealing the beautiful New York night. I ran outside and felt a weight lift of my chest as I ran faster than normal; I turned a corner and realized I was closer to home than I thought. I followed the familiar smell of stale bagels and old donut powder from the bakery across the police station.
I ran to the doors of the police station and looked inside to see desks turned upside down, papers thrown all over the floor. Panic set in my chest as I opened one of the doors and walked in and smelt panic; I closed my eyes and sensed panic and confusion from earlier. I walked over piles of papers and smashed glass from mugs and other desk objects.
I walked over to the office that said 'Detective Luke Garroway' I looked in and saw everything in place, even his brief case was still unopened. I walked over to his desk phone and shakily dialed his cell phone number.
It rang and rang until.
"Who is this?" I heard gruffly over the phone.
"Dad?" I squeaked.
"Clary? Is that you?" He said sounding relief.
"Yes, where are you?" I asked looking around the dark office.
"I'm at the apartment, I was trying to find a way to track your scent but every time it leads me to the Shadowhunters institute and I knew that couldn't be true since you're a werewolf." He laughed quickly and I heard him start tapping his foot.
"I'll be home in a few minutes I'm at the station." I said and hung up the phone.
I made my way to the entrance when I heard a car pull up to the curb. "I can't get a break today can I?" I mumble to myself as I ran into the back to hide, I climbed up into the ceiling tiles and moved one over enough to see who was coming in.
The door opened and the familiar scent of oil paint and lemon tea brushed my nose, I was confused why would she come here? She was a shadowhunter she didn't need anything here, unless she was looking for me. I cussed at myself internally for leaving my bag there she must have seen the address on one of my papers or something.
"Hello?" She called out hoping or an answer. "Lucian? I need your help it's about Clary."
I climbed down slowly and quietly, I walked slowly into the main room where the woman was standing. She was nervous I could tell by the way she was ringing her hands together, and how she looked back and forth from office to office. Her heart was skipping a beat as if she was prepared for something or someone to pop out at her.
I made my way to the main lobby where she was at I leaned against the wall due to the pain seething throughout my body. I hissed at the step I took, but I realized I was losing feeling in my body. I heard her gasp at me but then ran over to me, she laid me in her arms and stroked my sweaty forehead.
"Where is your father?" She said shedding a tear.
"Who are you?" I asked looking into her emerald eyes, something about her face seemed familiar but I couldn't focus on it at the moment. I hissed again in pain when my ribs started to contract on each other, I felt like my body was breaking from the inside out.
"I'm an old friend of your fathers, you need to stay clear of the Institute and school. Whatever you do stay away from Shadowhunters." She warned and tore a piece of her shirt and placed it on my forehead.
"Youre a shadowhunter, I can smell it on you." I sniffed again and smelt the hint of the church incent from the others. "You reek of the incent." I gagged thinking of the smell.
"Clarissa you need to tell me where your father is." She said sternly and started to pull out a stick like the others had before.
"Safe and far from here, every man for himself." I muttered as I was beginning to get more pain shooting down into my bone.
"I told him to watch and protect you, how could he just leave you like this." She hissed and placed the stick on my arm.
"Stop! Get that thing away from me." I hissed at her pulling myself out of her arms and crawled backwards to the nearest wall.
She watched me crawl helplessly backwards til my back collided with the wall, she placed her hands up in surrender and slowly walked over to me. "I'm not going to hurt you, this steele should've hurt you before but it didn't." She said and bent down to me again and picked up my wrist.
"Watch I promise it won't hurt." She said and started drawing on my wrist, I felt a burning pain and then I felt nothing at all. I looked down at the stick in amazement, I can heal myself but not that quickly.
I stood up slowly still feeling achy I looked the woman in the eyes and watched her back up a few steps still having her hands in the air. "see good as new."
"Who are you." I demanded, twirling a piece of glass from the floor in my hand out of sight of her vision.
"I am Jocelyn." She said and out reached her hand.
"How do you know me?" I questioned giving her a glare in the process.
"I've known you since you were born." She said simply, and looked down at her watch. "Shit, Clarissa listen to me you must find your father and get out of the city." She said and started to back away towards the door.
"Wait! Why did they take me I didn't do anything wrong." I asked.
"They think you are a Shadow hunter without the knowledge of being one, since you can posses the runes." She said and looked out the window. "Promise me Clarissa you won't go looking for trouble, just let it be." Was all she said and she was gone.
I sat there for another minute and processed her words again and made my way to the apartment. I banged on the door and listened for my dad's feet to shuffle to the door. He opened the door and threw his arms around me, which caused me to hiss with the pain of achiness.
He pulled away being weary and looked me in the eyes and his eyes went wide. "Clary your eyes are blue." He said and clipped my chin between his fingers and examined my face.
"I felt like I was shifting earlier, until the woman gave me this." I said and held up my wrist to him, he grabbed my wrist and let go slowly and started to mumble to himself. He backed away and went into the kitchen with confusion in his eyes.
I turned around and shut the door behind me and followed him. "Dad you need to tell me what this is and what the hell is going on."
"Watch your mother Clarissa." He snapped with a snarl.
"Dad, I have been kidnapped, put into a deep sleep, practically ran half of down town Manhattan barefoot, and met a woman who I know but can't figure out who the hell she is. So I have a right to cuss this once in my life, now dad what the hell is going on!" I snapped digging my nails into the table. I heard the wood snap I looked down and saw the big crack in the wood table; I looked up at my dad and detached my nails from the wood.
"Clary grab a beer from the fridge we have to talk about some things." Was all he said, and that's when I knew it was going to be a long night.