I'm so sorry guys! After I posted last chapter I swear I was planning on posting regularly, but I went to work on a chapter for my other fanfiction and keep running all three, like I did last school year. But what I didn't count on was last school year I mainly typed on my phone so I could type whenever, and then I got my phone taken away and would type only on my computer, which I was always on. I didn't count on the fact that now I have my phone and my computer so to type I have to have "Oh yeah, type your fic" come to mind, it would have to be at a time when I had my computer around me, and then I had to have the willpower to get off Instagram and get on my computer. And then when I got on my computer I had to resist the urge to go on tumblr and type. And it just wasn't working.

So not that Im back on im going to abandon my other two fics for now, I'll maybe continue them once I finish this one, and only work on this one. Also Im going to type on my phone and then email it to my self and edit it on my computer.

Anyway, away from apologies I feel like I post EVERY CHAPTER, I don't know if I told you guys but I moved over the summer and am now in a completely new area, and I've started going to a private school. And I like the program there so much better because writing is a separate class from literature. Last year we hardly ever did any writing, but this year we have a whole class dedicated to it. My writing teacher is AMAZING! I love her, and now that I'm more of learning writing skills. She's really working on having us edit our writing, and she's completely opened my eyes andI've realized that, in my free writing, there are so many run ons and comma splices that it is disgusting. I'm not talking the run ons you had in your literacy text book you had to work on in sixth grade, My brother and I went swimming and it was really fun and we liked swinging from the rope hung from a tree into the pool, my brother liked it best but I really liked it too. I'm talking the goddamn COMMA AND. You cannot have to complete sentences connected by an and without a comma, and you cannot have a complete sentence and a dependent clause connected by a comma and. I mean, I learned that in sixth grade with my amazing English teacher (Mr. Lepetri you are amazing) but it was always with work sheets. I remember being like pshhhh why are you learning this? I know better than to write run on sentences, that's like second grade stuff! But doing it with my own writing is like, a light from the clouds is shining down on my work illuminating the truth I AM A RUN ON WRITER! Ahhhh! So Im going to work on that and she's teaching me really good habits like to edit my shit and when I edit not just look for repeated works or random thes in places they shouldn't be or missing thes, look for RUN ONS!

I've had people tell my author notes are funny, and im just like, *nasal voice* heh, thank you, and I'm sorry I have nothing to talk about today but boring grammar. Like who the fuck wants to talk about grammar?

THIS KIDDD!

I know I'm a nerd.

And I know sometimes when theres long authors notes at the beginnings and I want to get to the story im like WHY

But idk, maybe you doing give a damn about my story and just want to hear about my life

Or maybe you don't give a damn about my life or my story and are just really bored.

WRITING, a guide by Lauren: If you can't think of the right word just make one up

I should become a youtuber!

I honestly don't know where that came from

GOD FUCK THIS IS GODDAMN 700 WORDS THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THAT L0NG

I'm sorry

Adalyn yawned and rolled over, the rough blanket scratching her arm. She nestled her head on a flat pillow and breathed in...

That wasn't the smell of her shampoo.

Suddenly everything in the last two days came rushing back at her, the strange people in her house, Sebastian, her wild dash through the streets, and shot up in bed, gripping the sheets.

The room she was in was dark, only a small light sneaking in under the door and through the worn gray curtains, casting strange shadows around. The dark green comforter could have come straight from a motel and the crusty carpet straight from a classroom. It was only the clumps of discarded boys clothes that disclosed she must be in the house of the stranger who picked her up.

A flash of fear tore itself through her mind like a flash flood that didn't leave until she had checked that she was wearing all of her clothes and wasn't injured anywhere, and even then she wasn't completely at peace.

Cautiously she dropped her legs out of the bed and tip tied across the room after checking for booby traps. She creaked the door open a crack and peered outside.

Pale natural light from windows in the living room poured in the short hallway, revealing it empty.

Adalyn sniffed, more from habit than use. Because she didn't smell anything out of the ordinary, she took a step out of the room.

She creeped down the hall and into the living room. The guy from the other day sat on the couch eating cereal.

"Hey" he called to her. "I see a lot of homeless people around and normally don't do much but give a dollar or something, but you looked like you seriously needed help. What drugs were you on?"

Adalyn didn't understand. "I'm not homeless... And I don't do drugs."

He snorted. "That's bullshit. I've seen a lot of crackheads in my life and it's pretty obvious you were on something. As for the homelessness, well usually people with houses don't take naps on the street."

Adalyn didn't respond. She wasn't in the mood for explaining her situation, let alone making him believe it. She hardly believed herself.

"It's okay, I'm not going to report you. I'm not that kind of person." He said and went back to his cereal. Adalyn stayed standing in the doorway. She didn't want to be there; she didn't trust him. After Sebastian there was nothing she put past even the nicest strangers. For all she knew he could have a stash of human meat in his freezer and could at any moment pull out a knife and add her to it.

He ignored her, and even though she was hungry, went back to the room. She wanted to call Ericka so badly. She knew her friend couldn't solve her problems now, yet just hearing her voice and listening to her endless chatter was always a comfort.

Adalyn poked around the room in search of a phone, and quickly found a badly cracked iPhone a few generations old plugged in by the chipped mahogany nightstand. Crossing her fingers, she unplugged it and swiped to unlock the phone, and let out a little squee of excitement in her head – there was no passcode.

She quickly taped the phone app and directed it to the keypad, grateful for that one day in middle school when she decided to memorize her number.

Heart in her throat, she put the phone up to her ear.

It rang once, twice, and Adalyn hoped she would pick up because she knew sometimes her friend didn't answer unknown numbers.

"Hello?" Ericka's voice came through the speaker on the phone, and Adalyn breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Ericka," Adalyn's voice cracked with emotion.

"OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD! Where are you? You weren't at school yesterday, and two nights ago your parents called me to see if you were at my house because they didn't know where you were, they said you disappeared out of your room! Oh my god Adalyn I was so scared, everyone's so scared. Your parents filed a police report. Everyone's looking for you!"

Adayln gulped. "I'm so sorry, the craziest stuff happened, I don't even believe it myself."

"AND WHY DOES THE PHONE SAY YOU'RE IN NEW YORK!"

This came as a surprise to Adalyn. "I'm in New York?"

"Where do you think you are?!" Ericka was the most agitated Adalyn had ever seen her in the whole seven years they'd been friends.

"I… I don't know. Everything's just been so confusing."

"Okay, everything's going to be okay, I'm calling the police – "

"NO!" Adalyn didn't know, but she had a feeling getting the police involved would be a bad idea.

Ericka sounded even more concerned than before. "Why?"

"I… it just seems like a bad idea."

"No, Adalyn, the police will help you, they're going to help you get home. I have a feeling you're not safe where you are." Adalyn agreed with that statement. Between the stranger's house she was in and Sebastian –

Sebastian would get in trouble if the police were called.

"No, it's okay, I'll figure it out."

From all the way across the states, Ericka bit her lip. She trusted her friend, but she also wanted her to be safe. "Adalyn, I don't think…"

"No, I'll be okay. I'll figure it out."

Ericka was torn. "Can you… can you call me if things don't work out?"

"I'll take some change for a pay phone."

"Okay." Ericka had never felt worse about a decision in her life than how bad she felt about this one. "I miss you, be safe."

"I miss you too."

Suddenly the door opened and the stranger walked in. Adalyn spun around, stunned.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" His face was twisted into an angry scowl. Adalyn quickly hung up and dropped the phone, fear twisting her insides.

...

Sebastian had been wandering New York's streets for almost ten hours, and he was exhausted. He didn't even know why, if he really wanted to find her he could just track her. And even if he did find her on the streets, he wouldn't know what to do.

Capturing her and forcing sense into her either with torture or the mortal cup had lost its previous appeal. Something in her horror struck face had shoved some humanity into his heart, whether it was her grief-stricken chocolatey eyes or the disgusted curve of her pale pink lips, he didn't know.

He wanted her to love him happily.

It was a very strange feeling he had never had before. In the past he had wanted Clary to love him, but her happiness never really seemed important. This had a completely different feel. It latched itself on to his heart with its sharp poisonous claws and stole his breath away straight from his throat. Just the thought of her and it would squeeze tighter and take more air. It wasn't at all pleasant, but it made him feel very...

Human.

A cool breeze rushed through the streets, catching in people's hair and coats. Sebastian shoved his hands deeper into his jean pockets and curled his shoulders in around himself. His thin t shirt wasn't doing much to protect him from the harsh temperatures of Manhattan, and he hoped Adalyn was somewhere warm.

His eyelids felt like there was ten pound weights attached to them, and he succumbed to his bodily needs and got a room at the nearest hotel.

…..

Okay, so I actually had this chapter finished long before I posted it, but the actual chapter part wasn't up to 1,000 words, and I like to keep my chapters at least that long, so it was sitting here on my computer for like two weeks before I got around to adding the Adalyn and Ericka part to make the chapter itself 1000 words. So I have a question for you guys, would you prefer chapters more often, but shorter, or longer chapters, with longer intervals in between?

Also, on November 21 my new little brother was born, and I convinced my parents to name him Jonathan Christopher. He's super cute, and if you want pictures you can pm me for my Instagram username. I have pictures on there.