I woke to the sound of dripping water resonating through the room. When I opened my eyes I saw that there was only a little bit of light filtering into the room from a single window high up on one of the walls. It was numbingly cold and an intense shiver worked its way down my spine. One of my hands was resting on the floor, which had the rough texture of stone. I sat up abruptly and clambered up to my feet, panicked. Where the hell was I? The light was so sparse I could barely pick out any details of my surroundings. I staggered around groggily, my hands searching aimlessly in front of me for any kind of object. I collided with some metal bars suddenly. I had to squint to see through them properly. As soon as I saw what was on the other side I wished I hadn't looked. A man was suspended above the ground, chained by his arms and throat. Blood was surging down his body from several ragged slices latticed across his bare chest. Slowly, almost against my free will, I turned my face upwards and saw a clump of chains hanging from the roof of my room as well. My heart gave a lurch. I felt myself wobble and I careened away from the bars until my back slammed into one of the stone walls and my legs buckled beneath me. Then the hysteria took over. A cry wretched itself from my throat and my face was soaking wet with the tears streaming down my face. This couldn't happen to me, I couldn't end up like that... I sank further down on the wall until I was on the floor again. I jammed my fist against my mouth to stop the screams. My chest was heaving and convulsing as the tears wrecked their way through me. I jerked out my legs and slammed them against the floor repeatedly, taking out my fear and frustration. Eventually, when I realised that crying would make no difference, I staunched the water from my eyes. I leant my head against the wall, still hiccupping occasionally. I curled myself into a ball and began to cradle myself. The gentle rocking back and forth motion helped me calm myself down and allowed my mind to clear. I thought of Simon, of his warm, dark chocolate eyes that always seemed so kind and intelligent. I wanted to feel his arms around me, to feel his lips mould against mine. Another gasp ripped itself out of my mouth. But I would never feel any of those things if didn't think. If I didn't try. I had to formulate a plan; I had to draw on strength not only from myself but from Simon. He made me strong, he made me feel alive. More so than I had ever felt before. I wouldn't let that slip through my fingers again, not knowing that he was out there. The droplets running down my face were not of self pity now- they were of determination. I pulled myself to my feet again and strode up to the metal bars. Of course, metal- they could be melted. With all the emotion and power I could implore myself to do; I grabbed the bars and tightly gripped them. The effect was almost immediate. I felt the metal, which had once been hard, go tender beneath my touch and sag. I could simply pull them away now and they bent to my will. I made large gap and squeezed through it. Hope was blossoming in my heart now, as if it had been a once wilted flower that had been repressed by a cold winter's night. I gave the man suspended from the chains a rueful last glance, then took off sprinting down a corridor behind him. I was already aware of the fact he was dead and if I stayed here I would join him. The corridor was lined with hundreds of chambers similar to my own. Occasionally I would see another corpse dangling from some chains. The world swerved suddenly and I had to slow to a jog and allow myself to throw up. My face was slick with ice-cold sweat and I was trembling with revulsion. Everything about this whole compound was disturbed, some kind of distorted version of a jail. Somehow, eventually, I straightened my legs up again and carried on running. I could see a pale light looming ahead of me, my escape. I put on a burst of energy and picked up my speed. I pumped my arms faster and lengthened the stride of my legs. My muscles were screeching in agony, my heart hammering, exertion searing through my lungs. Finally, I came into contact with a spiral of stairs, from which light was shining down. I took the stairs two at a time, my pulse drumming in my throat. They seemed to go on for eternity. Vertigo hit me suddenly, a blow to my side, sending me teetering around with disorientation. Stay calm; remember why you're doing this. Another wave of tears washed over me, this time from desperation. I wanted to see Clary and Maia, to hear Jace's cynical remarks again. My arms twitched, aching to be wrapped around Simon. And so I jolted back into action, racing up the stairs. I had the determination, the passion to do this. I had to do this. When I reach the top of the stairs dizzying relief showered over me, sending a flush of hot air down my body. I was now in an expansive, wooden hall, mirrors lining the walls. I was bizarrely reflected in each of the mirrors, each warping my appearance. Gaudy Halloween decorations were swinging from the ceiling. Is this some kind of a sick Halloween joke? It occurred to me I was still wearing my dress from the masquerade ball. I realised there was another person in the hall with me, their head hung low. I recognised them straight away.

"Simon?" I breathed; my voice and expression sceptical. His head whipped up at the sound of his name, disbelief written all over his face. Before I could say anything else, there was a flourish of movement and the mirrors around us opened up like doors and people came flooding in. What the hell? A man brushed past me and with horror it dawned on me that it was the man who had been hung outside my cell. But he was supposed to be dead. A stain of blood was visible through the crisp white shirt he was wearing. Andhe was moving none-the-less, talking animatedly with the other people who had come in with him. This was becoming increasingly familiar... And then it clicked. I had had a dream about this. Music began to eerily echo through the hall. It was supposed to be sound slow and romantic I guessed but, like everything else in this place, was twisted. It sounded more like the shrill music you would find in a horror movie. Alarm gathered in my chest, and a stormed towards Simon, shoving the suddenly energised corpses out of my way. Simon was still stood frozen on the spot, not a single hair out of place. Something was wrong, very wrong. Tears were welling in my eyes again and when I reached Simon I threw myself at him. The pressure of his body against mine felt rigid and the next thing I knew he had shoved me away. I stammered away, shocked and hurt.

"Simon, what the hell is going on?" I demanded, failing to disguise the accusation and heart-break out of my tone. He shook his head vigorously, throwing one hand up to warn me away.

"Don't come any closer," he said quickly, his face contorted in a grimace "Just go, you need to get out of here" Suddenly my chest was heaving as if he had given me a physical blow- my heart felt as though it was shrivelling up. Tears were trickling down my cheeks. I was too tired and weary for this back and forth thing with Simon.

"Laura, I'm sorry I didn't mean-"he began, seeing my face, but I cut him off sharply.

"No, don't bother," I said venomously, not bothering to wipe away my tears "There's nothing to say, I get the message," Simon didn't move an inch towards me; instead he stayed glued to the spot. Doesn't he care about me at all? His eyes were anxious, flitting around the room nervously. This infuriated me even more.

"You never tell me anything," I screamed at him, my voice becoming increasingly shrill as I yelled "and I'm fed up of it!" Sobs were wrecking their way through my body now but I didn't care anymore. The animate bodies around us continued to sway, completely unaware of anything going on. I let out a wail of fury, all of my emotions suddenly becoming overwhelming. Confusion, hurt, fright... Everything was just too much. I wrapped my arms around myself, allowing the pain to turn into lividness and lose control. It was so much easier to hurt those around me than to be the one hurting. And I had hurt enough.

"Laura-"

"You don't care about me so stop pretending you do," I spat out bitterly, "You're just using me to make Clary jealous!" I was being stupid and unreasonable but I was past caring. All I wanted was for him to show me attention, show me that he actually acknowledged my existence.

"Laura, shut up and listen to me!" Simon was practically shouting at me now and I flinched. If it were possible, I was aching even more now. All I wanted to do was sink into his arms but I couldn't now- I'd pushed him too far.

"It's a trap" Simon burst out suddenly, his voice sounding panicked "Please, just go," I blinked up at him and saw the fright etched upon his features. Embarrassment suddenly flushed in my cheeks, I had been so foolish and stupid. He looked broken. Someone who had been put back together, only to have everything fall apart again. I had been so caught up in my own self-centeredness and emotion I had forgotten the danger we were in. Gingerly I took hold of Simons hand and tugged at it, but he wouldn't budge.

"Simon, you just said we had to go..." then my eyes drifted down and saw the shackles attached to his wrists. His throat was mangled, his wrists covered in lacerations. The blood leaking from the gashes made a chilling dripping sound as it collided with the floor. How hadn't I noticed that before?

"What..." I started to say, but the words were suffocating me. I looked down at my hand and saw it was wet with blood. I studied it with a peculiar fascination- someone else's blood on my hand, as if I had been the one to inflict the wound. I took a few unsteady steps backwards, away from him, my other hand that had been clasping his own sliding from the grip. Everything suddenly felt entirely detached and surreal now, as if I was dreaming. My vision became blurred, all the noises around me suddenly sounding muffled. I blinked several times to try and ward away the nauseating sensation that was now settling over me. The sweat coating my skin was icy, clinging to me like a cold, clammy second skin. Feverish shivers were now coursing their way through my body. I collapsed to my knees, taking huge swallows of air into my lungs to try and calm myself down. It was as if I was intoxicated with terror, feeling heady and disorientated. My stomach lurched and I started to retch, this time spitting up blood. I turned my face up to look at Simon. All this time he had been consulting my face with a look of defeat and sorrow. There was a tilt of sadness to the corner of his lips that had not been there before. He knew he was going to die. But I wasn't going to allow him to, not ever. With this thought in mind, I clambered clumsily to my feet. Once steady, I stalked over to him, determination plastered across my features. Simon gave me a disbelieving look, and watched in doubt as I took the manacles imprisoning him in my hands. The metal, as had the metal from the bars before, sagged in my grasp. I easily tore the molten substance away from Simon's wrists and tossed it onto the floor where it writhed and sizzled. Simon looked utterly enthralled, his eyes wide. A crooked, incredulous smile was spreading across his lips. Before I even realised it, Simon had pulled me into his arms and I could feel the vibrations of his sobs of relief rumbling throughout my body. Then there came a deafening crack. We both whirled around and watched in fright as all around us the surfaces of the room began to split apart. Each mirror had a large split down the middle and the ceiling above us was crumbling. I heard a growl from below me and only had time to cry out Simons name and grab hold of his hand as the floor collapsed beneath our feet. My hand was ripped away from his once again as I was sent spiralling into nothingness.