The white walls were so blindingly bright that as Alexis opened her eyes she immediately squeezed them shut again, groaning at the pain. Lying there she focused on her other senses as she tried to get a grip on what had just happened; she remembered the creature, the darkness, the running... A random girl grabbing her, and then she must've passed out. Probably from the stress, she figured.
There was silence around her and her breathing felt thunderous as it quickened. As she sluggishly moved her legs she felt fabric on top of her. A quilt? Was she on a bed? That definitely felt like a pillow and mattress underneath her. Cautiously forcing her eyes open she sat up on her elbows and glanced around.
It looked like a hospital room. Only, there wasn't any medical equipment that she recognised - just a row of beds with a large machine next to each one. Squinting she was blinking furiously to try and clear the sleep from her mind when the door opened and a man walked in.
He looked about 25 and the first thing she noticed was his messy blond hair, styled casually in a way that made her think he loved himself a little. He was dressed in all black, wearing thick boots, combat trousers and a tight top that drew attention to his muscles – okay, maybe he loved himself a lot.
"Ah, Sleeping Beauty awakens. You were unconscious for a little longer than we expected. I guess Emily packed quite a punch. How are you feeling?" His voice was strong and confident, with a large dose of sarcasm mixed in. He looked directly at her with a slight smirk of amusement on his handsome face.
"Well, I'm feeling confused," Alexis shot back as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "Where am I?"
The guy smirked and and shrugged his shoulders playfully. "Emily also said that you ask simple questions. All in good time, blondie. Now, if you would follow me we need to get this thing started. Careful as you stand up, your legs might be a bit weak."
Pushing herself off the bed she had to grab the mattress as she landed on her feet as her knees buckled beneath her, whilst the man just stared. The floor was cold under her bare feet. Where were her shoes?
Gathering up her strength Alexis straightened up and took one tentative step forward, then another.
"Hallelujah, you can walk! What a miracle. Now let's go." Impatience was obvious in his voice as he took off down the corridor, not looking back to see if she followed.
Scrambling after him Alexis had to almost jog to keep up. They didn't talk as they walked and the only sounds were the heavy thumps of his boots and the padding of her feet. The hallway was long and wooden doors were at even paces along the wall. The house was decorated in old-fashioned English style – thickly framed paintings adorned the walls and were mostly portraits or luscious views of the countryside; thick red carpet was laid along every corridor with tall lamps lighting the way. There was no electricity or even candles here, but the lamps seemed powered by a strange white light that Alexis couldn't figure out. Overall the decor had a homely and comfortable feel to it. As they walked she got the feeling that they were in some sort of mansion.
The stranger in front glanced back as he hopped up a flight of stairs two steps at a time, and Alexis was beginning to lag behind. She still felt sluggish and exhausted. When she got to the top of the steps he made an impatient noise and strode off down the hall like he owned the place.
"I actually haven't got all day, you know. I'm a busy man."
This place sure didn't seem busy. What exactly did he do for a living? Eventually, after more twists and turns down corridors that all looked the same they came to a wide oak double door with a strange symbol engraved on it. Pushing the doors open they both strode inside only to be in a room full of people speaking in hushed tones. They all stopped when they entered and stared at Alexis, scrutinizing her.
Alexis stopped dead in her tracks and was about to walk back out when they blond guy grabbed her shoulders, steered her over to a chair and pushed her in to it. She had no choice but to stay, then.
There were about 8 other people in the room, which looked like some sort of library, and they were all seated around a large oval table. Everyone wore the same black outfit like it was some sort of uniform, and all looked like they could kill you in very creative ways.
A young woman with wavy red hair smiled at her from across the table and stood up as if to address everyone. But she looked straight at Alexis.
"I'm glad to see you are awake and looking well." Did she? Alexis was pretty sure she looked a wreck.
"My name is Clary, and the guy that you have already met next to you is Jace. We run the New York Institute."
"We're quite famous. I'm sure she knows who we are Clary." Jace shot Alexis a wink that only made her raise her eyebrows in disbelief at his arrogance.
"Actually, no, I have no idea who you are, Jace." Alexis snapped back as she sat up straighter in her chair. It was time to start speaking up for herself. "I don't know anything about some 'New York Institute' either. What even is that?! Last time I checked I was in London. And you can't hold me here against my will so I'm leaving this nightmare."
She started to rise from her chair but Jace placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You mean you have no idea where you are or what's going on?" Clary asked, confusion written all over her face. She glanced around uneasily at the others who seemed just as confused and even concerned.
"And you don't know who I am?" Jace added in a hurt tone. Was this guy serious?
"Jace, stop it. This is more complicated than I first thought." Clary sat back down and leaned back in her chair, deep in thought.
Someone fidgeted further down the table and caught Alexis' eye. The woman cleared her throat and spoke.
"I believe that this girl knows absolutely nothing of the Nephilim or our world. It was clear when I saw her last night. I don't think she knows who she truly is."
The woman looked directly at Alexis with piercing eyes and it took Alexis a moment to notice that her skin was a faint sky blue. She moved to leave again but Jace's hand was still clasped on her shoulder.
"Look, I've had a really tough time lately and I'm going to assume I'm having some sort of psychotic breakdown. So if you would just let me leave, I'll take myself to the nearest hosp-"
"Oh, you can't leave, Alexis. I'm sorry. It's too dangerous for you. I know this is a lot to take in, but you have to trust that we are trying to protect you. You need to know about us - about yourself – and we need to figure out why you are so important." Clary replied. Her voice was soft and reassuring, and she had a genuine look of kindness about her. But this whole situation was freaking Alexis out.
"How do you know my name?"
Clary smiled sadly. "We know more than that. But it's still not enough. You must be tired, you should rest for tonight and we can have a proper talk tomorrow." She looked at Jace who stood up again and nodded.
"I'll show you to your room, this place is like a maze." Striding to the door he opened it and raised his eyebrows at her. "Well come on then."
Alexis glanced at Clary and pursed her lips. She wanted to know more. She didn't want to be herded from room to room and not told anything like a child. Her feelings must have shown on her face because Clary spoke again.
"We will talk tomorrow and I'll tell you everything. I promise."
Alexis sighed and stood up, accepting her fate for tonight. Following Jace he led her up another flight of stairs and to a vacant bedroom.
"Here we go. Nice and comfortable. Bathroom is down the hall and to the right, the last door. You can wander around the house but try not to eavesdrop on any of our super secret meetings. Just don't leave the house. You're kind of our prisoner at the moment. Lucky you, eh?!" Jace gave one last dazzling grin before walking off and leaving her alone.
Sighing, Alexis closed the door and sat tentatively on the bed, her mind whirling, going over all of the events that had happened in thee last 24 hours. Trying to piece it all together and find some clue as to what mess she was in. What is a Nephilim? What do they mean by "our world"? They certainly knew who she was. Lying back on the bed she laid there for the next couple of hours before sleeping finally dragged her under.