5 days later- 30th of October

The autumn's breeze had turned cold recently; there was more of a bite to the air. Leaves that had left the trees bare scuttled across the pavement, making dry, rattling sounds as they did so. With a shiver, I pushed the door of the coffee shop open and was met with a pleasant rush of warm air. It had only been a few months since I had moved to New York from England, so I was still unfamiliar with all of the cafes in Brooklyn- and there were a lot of them. This one appeared to be called 'Java Jones' as the tacky, mouldering sign outside had depicted. Still, it had a nice atmosphere to it, with comfy sofas scattered around the shop and an aroma of coffee grounds floating through the room. I settled down on a soft seat towards the back of the shop, next to the window and a radiator. After ordering a cup of tea from the waiter- an addiction that had stuck from England- I snuggled down into the chair, enjoying the warmth and comfort. A good place for reflection. I hadn't been able to muster up any kind of 'mystical' flame since the night I went to Pandemonium and it had become increasingly frustrating. Nor had I encountered any 'supernatural' presence recently- I was completely disheartened. The promising puncture wounds I had found embedded in my neck were now an irritating reminder to me that either I was going insane or there was a secret world. A secret world I could not be a part of. No matter how much I wanted to escape the boring one I was living in. I didn't care about the danger, or the hurt, I just wanted something more to my life. The shop assistant had already come and gone after delivering my tea and I gratefully curled my hands around the mug. The burning sensation from the cup reminded me of the fire I had once made myself. I took a few sips of my tea, allowing myself to relax further in the chair and feel the liquids warmth seep into my veins. I examined my surrounding, simply curious as to what the people around me were doing. A small girl with bright red hair and strange, almost Aztec tattoos on her arms had just stalked into the coffee shop, followed by a taller boy with golden hair and eyes. My heart jumped at the sight of his appearance- he was gorgeous. Tattoos were also entwined up and down his body, I observed. A muscle in his jaw bobbed up and down as he looked around the room. I hoped his eyes would land on me. My dreams were scattered when the red-headed girl latticed her hand through his and planted a quick kiss on his cheek, whispering something to him as she did. He seemed to relax, but still looked slightly rigid and uncomfortable in his surroundings. Almost as if he belonged somewhere else. I shuddered out of my revere and tried to avoid staring, but my eyes kept on dancing over to where he was. He and the girl had sat down fairly near-by, so I was able to vaguely pick up on their conversation.

"Jace, stop acting so uptight, he'll be here in a minute" the red-headed girl muttered, sounding annoyed, but there was playful look in her eyes.

"As entertaining as the bloodsuckers drama is Clary, I'm not going to wait around for him forever," the boy- Jace- replied venomously.

"Don't call him that, after all that's happened," Clary replied, sounding taken aback "After Isabelle," she practically spat out the last two words and I had to strain to hear them they were said so quickly. The tinkling sound of the cafe bell rang through the room and I was yanked back into reality, not catching the rest of Clary and Jace's conversation. Having said that though, it seemed to have stopped altogether, as their attention had turned to whoever had just come into the shop. The person had dark brown hair, cut short with thick curls atop his head and a tall, supple build. Simon. My heart lurched as soon as I had slowly registered who it was. I hadn't quite seen it so much in the dark night sky, but in the artificial light coming from the lamps in the room I could see how truly ethereal he was. I involuntarily let out a gasp and Simon snapped his head around to look at me. How the hell had he heard that? I saw his eyes widen, and I must have looked stricken too. I whipped my head around and noticed that Clary and Jace were also staring at me with the same quizzical expressions. Simon's mouth opened to make a sound but apparently he was torn, unsure of what he could say. Suddenly I felt a rush to get out, to get out of this coffee shop and never come back again. Maybe I was wrong; maybe I didn't want this life. There was something about Simon's expression that had upset me, more so than having a vampire lodge its teeth in my throat. I really need to sort out my priorities. It was the expression of someone who didn't want me there, who... hated...me? So I left. I gathered all my belongings with haste and hurriedly made my way out of the shop, not bothering to clean up the tea I had spilt. Once out into the bitterly cold air again it occurred to me that it was now fast-approaching night. I ducked my head down, and started taking long, fast strides down the pavement. I wanted to get home. I didn't want to be anywhere near Simon. Don't lie to yourself a persistent voice at the back of my mind jeered.

"Shut up," I scolded myself, seething inside. How could I just walk out of the cafe without demanding anything? I feverishly thrust my arms into the sleeves of my jacket, suddenly feeling a fierce chill in the air. I swerved off down an alleyway as a shortcut home. The alley prodded at the memory of me and Simon catching our breath after Pandemonium, of me looking into his dark eyes with golden brown flecks in them. Then I lost it. I shrieked in frustration and slammed my palm against the cool wall of the alleyway. I let the sobs that had been aching to come out of me be free, not caring for the tears streaming down my face being visible to anyone walking by anymore. Suddenly, I heard a crunching sound; someone behind me had obviously stepped on some rubbish in the alleyway. Grudgingly, I turned to face them, pulling my face into what I hoped was a scornful expression. I let out a yelp of surprise as a hand clamped down over my mouth. My hands flailed out to push them away but found only empty space. The hand was now covering my nose and mouth, preventing any air filling my lungs- they were trying to cut off my air supply. I had to formulate a plan in my head, fast. I allowed my body to slump and my eyes to close, in pretence that I had been subdued. The attacker, obviously fooled, removed the hand from my mouth and I was free to move. As I was being lowered to the ground I snapped my eyes open, thrusting my knee into the person's chest and swinging a punch at their jaw. Taken by surprise, the person staggered back, swearing furiously. I didn't wait for them to recover. I took off down the alleyway, feet hammering against the concrete, my whole body feeling like a string about to snap from tension. My lungs were already burning, each breath searing in my throat and my legs becoming slowly more and more despondent the further I ran. Rain was lashing down at me, making the earth below my feet slick with water. A scream wretched itself out of my throat when without warning I was hit from behind, sending me sprawling to the floor. My head hit the concrete with a blood-curdling crack. My vision clouded over, my thoughts became sluggish and I couldn't breathe. The only thing that felt real to me was the pain resonating throughout my body, my senses pulsating with agony. I could hear someone wailing in anguish in the background. Maybe it was me. The world was spinning at a dizzying rate and yet I remained solidly connected to the ground, tethered to this earth only by the damp concrete pressing into my side. A shadow fell over me, blotting out the moons light. My eyes followed the trail of the shadow and found it connected to a young man. He loomed imposingly above me, his face a mixture of triumph and contempt. He had startlingly white hair and impossibly dark eyes. Dark, similarly to Simon's eyes. But this man's eyes were cold and unfeeling- they were like an endless black void that I was plummeting down. The pain in my body seemed to lessen and I was able to drag myself up into a sitting position, propped up against the alley wall. The man made no move to help or stop me, looking as though he were contemplating something. But behind the thoughtful and calculated expression, I could see a menace and greed in his eyes that terrified me to the bone. I knew there was no point in running- I couldn't even see the exit of the alleyway and my ankle was most definitely sprained. All I could do was scowl at him. Finally, the man spoke.