It's been a few weeks since Jonathan dragged Jace and I in, and to be honest, it's not as bad as it could be. We get up every morning, eat an amazing breakfast, and get ready for the day. Valentine usually had me doing stupid little things here and there, like filing papers or running errands around the building for him- but I'm not allowed to leave the building. I really miss everyone- Isabelle, Maia, my mother. Hell, I even miss Simon and Jordan. They probably think we're dead anyways.

Jace and I have been planning- every once in a while, we'll go to the top floor of the building and take the last flight of stairs up to the roof. Usually, It's pretty nice. You can see the city lights and the breeze is wonderful. The best part is that there aren't any cameras or microphones up there. Being constantly under surveillance, being forced to be the best we can, is so exhausting most of the time.

We haven't gotten very far, anyways, so I suppose it doesn't really matter. We currently have no way of contacting the rebel groups where Isabelle and her new family is, but we're working on getting in contact with the wolves. They have a sort of alliance with the shadowhunters, plus Maia and Jordan should be willing to help, too.

Jace wants to have a rescue party storm the place, but that just seems too barbaric and predictable. I think, since we're already half way there, that we should continue earning Valentine and Jonathan's trust so that we can get more inside information. We could learn things about them that they try to keep quiet; things that would crush them if they got out.

We could also get into their tech department; if we could do that, we could screw with the wrist watches and take them down from the inside. I personally like that idea the best- the wristwatches with all of a person's info on it and their soulmate count down is one of the strongest things keeping Valentine in power. Sure, the man power of the Clave helps, but if we could show the people that Valentine's plan isn't foolproof, we could start riots. People would hate him. They would rebel.

But, those are just ideas, and we are far from getting there.

"Jace!" I call, banging my fist against the door to his apartment room. I'd usually just walk in, but this time the door's locked. "We're going to be late for dinner!"

Valentine has arranged a formal dinner with a bunch of his colleagues and acquaintances, and I found a gorgeous aqua colored ball gown that brightens my hair, laying across the foot of my bed this afternoon with a pair or short-heeled nude pumps in a shoe box. It's actually a really pretty combination, and I'm so glad that the heels aren't tall. 'Father,' as he still orders me to call him, had wanted me dressed in black and white for work, but I refused to wear the high heels he offered. I guess he took that into consideration this time. How sweet, I think sarcastically. A selection of makeup was also set out on the bedroom vanity with a plethora of different hair products. Thankfully, I was allowed to do my own makeup and I didn't have to surrender to one of the staff to do my hair and makeup. This isn't the 1800's.

"Jace!" I holler again, getting annoyed with having to wait and the way the heels put pressure on my pinkie toe. I can practically feel the blister forming. I can hear a loud scrambling on the other side just before the door flies open.

"Clary!" Jace whisper-yells as he pulls me in and slams the door behind me, dead bolting it as well. I step back at the urgency in his voice and look him over. His hair is a mess as always, but he is dressed in a sleek black tuxedo, the bowtie carelessly hanging around his neck. "I've got it."

I look at him expectantly but he shakes his head, reaching a hand up to pull on his ear, then pretending to rub his neck. Someone's listening in.

"Well. We're going to be late, so c'mon," I say with an eyeroll even though I really am curious as to what he's figured out. I reach up and tie his bow, placing a kiss on his cheek when I'm done. He smiles and pecks my lips before running his hands through his hair in an attempt to tame it before opening the door for me and taking my hand. "Why didn't you come pick me up at my room?"

"Oh. I fell asleep reading so I barely woke up in time anyways. Sorry," he says sheepishly.

"Alas, the great Jace Wayland has to sleep too!" I proclaim in a false voice of surprise.

"Alas?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. It's a cool word. Very Shakespearean," I retort, looping my arm around his as we near the ballroom doors. A waiter in a discreet black uniform opens the door with a flourish, letting the sound of smooth string instruments flow out of the room. Through the door I can see tables placed strategically around the room, and a space cleared down the middle for dancing. It was all very nice, actually. The room was filled with people of all ages; I even believe that a few children were running around.

Valentine, throwing a party? Let alone a party with children? This can only go perfectly well. Yeah, for sure.

We descend the grand staircase, the main feature of the ballroom, but thankfully there's no announcement of our arrival or anything. That would be awkward and I'd probably fall down the stairs. Jace squeezes the hand that is rested in the crook of his arm, which does a lot to give me a boost. I place the most genuine smile I can onto my face as we reach the bottom of the stairs, as does Jace, though I'm sure it's easy to tell how forced it is. Then again, maybe not, because Valentine strides up to us in a very confident manner.

"Clarissa, Jace," he says with a tight,obviously forced smile. Is that how I look? Jeez…

"Father," I nod my head with a smile. Jace shakes his hand, as always. He leads us through the room, greeting various colleagues and their children as we go. Several have familiar names; Blackwell, Starkweather, all people with high ranks in the Clave. Looking at the graying old man named Starkweather, I can see how fidgety he is. He's...he's afraid of Valentine? I wonder what else he's done; actually, he'd probably stoop low enough to threatening allies. If it's good enough for his own daughter, then…

Soon, we are all seated at tables around the room, eating a variation of steak, chicken, and all sorts of side dishes. The steak and potatoes are my favorite, and Valentine gives me a stern look when I start to eat, reminding me of my manners. Ah, well, who am I to impress anyways?

It's dessert that has me the most excited, though. The waiters bring out icecreams, pies, cookies, the whole nine yards. Everything seems fairly normal, which is pretty weird considering that this is Valentine we're talking about here. I would've thought that he'd have some weird foreign foods imported, but thankfully he didn't. It's very nice.

The waiters make another appearance when the last course is finished, and I'm chatting with Jace, who sits to my right, when an arm reaches between us to grab a plate, nearly bumping into me. A fork drops off of the plate he is carrying away, and as he crouches down to retrieve it, I see his face. Brown hair, brown eyes, glasses.

Simon Lewis. My best friend's soul mate. What the hell is he doing here?

I can't move, let alone say anything at all when he makes eye contact. Relief floods through me when he winks and drops a small slip of paper beside my foot before turning and walking away.

What the hell? I unfreeze when Jace nudges me, and step on the paper, covering it so nobody will see it. After a few minutes of listening to everyone chatter around me, I inconspicuously drop my napkin and lean down to grab it, slipping the paper into the side of my heeled shoes. Hopefully it won't get too crumpled up to read later.

After a few more minutes of anxious waiting, I have to get up and leave.

"Excuse me, father, I need to visit the ladies room," I murmur quietly. He nods and waves me off thankfully, so I give Jace a meaningful look and leave, heading over to the side of the room with the bathrooms.

The soft golden lights from the bathroom engulf me as I step in and check all of the stalls- they're all clear. I close and lock the main door before going and leaning against the tan marbled counter and taking a deep breath. When I am calm enough, I go to a cubicle for extra privacy, and lock myself in.

I put down the toilet cover and sit down. I pull the paper out from my shoe and look at the folded creases. With all the courage I can gather, I open the paper with shaky hands and stare at it for a while before tears slide down my face.

I'm so sorry that this happened, Clary. I have not abandoned you; I will come find you, no matter what happens. Find Simon again and he will explain. I love you. -Mom

HIhihihihihi. How are you guys? It's been over a month, sorry! No excuses, just finding it harder and harder to write lately. But, it's here at least. It's pretty short, but I have a question about length.

Would you guys rather I update more often, even if they're short? Or would you rather wait for a longer chapter? Because the only reason I'm uploading now is because I feel guilty about it being over a month. I wish I could have made this longer but I couldn't unless I had taken longer. Lemme know what you think! Love you guys so so so much and thank you for reading, following, favoriting, etc. We wouldn't be here without you guys (:

DISCLAIMER: Cassie Clare owns The Mortal Instruments, and LuminousFishy was the original author. I am continuing this (with her permission). Thanks!

-Emily X