My head pounded like I had been hit by a baseball bat and I groaned as I stretched out my limbs that burned like fire. I dared to open my eyes after a few moments to find myself in an unfamiliar room. I was in a bed with black silk sheets and a silk duvet cover. I shakily sat up and began to look around as my heart began to beat out of my chest. I had no stele, no gear, no weapons and even my clothes were gone, I was butt naked in a mostly plain room. The carpet was a cream white matching the walls and ceiling, with dark mahogany furniture. On the right in a corner was a canvas with art supplies, to my left was a door that led to I hoped a bathroom, and there was a second door that I assumed led to the rest of the house. I decided to try the first door and breathed a sigh of relief as it opened to a walk-in closet with another open door that led to a bathroom. However after a quick look around I saw that the only clothing items were lingerie. Baby dolls mostly and thongs. Whoever my capture was had a sick mind. I decided that it was better than being naked and found a black slip with lace underwear to climb into. It was better than being naked. I inspected the bathroom and found a towel that I decided to wrap my body in for extra warmth and protection from prying eyes. I then started looking for weapons but there was nothing, a coat hanger but they were so flimsy they wouldn't do much damage so I decided it was time to find out who my captor was. The last thing I remembered was staring into green eyes upon a freckle face with red hair.
Well with a shaky breath, I turned the glass handle to my door and made my way down the hallway looking for answers. I was met with a spiraling staircase that went up a level and down. I decided to descend hoping I would find an exit to this nightmare and could make my way back to the institute. Not sure what everyone would say about my attire but at least I'd be home and safe. I made it to the bottom floor and was met with a beautiful massive kitchen. There was a massive slab of white marble for an island with black stools to sit at. White walls with pillars and black marble cooled my bare feet. The kitchen flowed into an elegant dinning room but the front door is where my eyes landed as I started making my way towards it. I swung it open and was hit by a blast of cold air. As far as I could see we were next to the woods. It was dark and the only light came from the snow falling fresh on the ground, no sign of civilization in sight. I glanced around for some boots, a jacket, a wardrobe that might contain those items, nothing.
"You might get five minutes in the snow before frostbite begins to kick in" said a voice that I vaguely remembered. I spun around to face my captor to see the boy barely older than me, red hair, green eyes with freckles upon his cheeks.
"Johnathan" I breathed as fear began to take grip over my heart.
"Clarissa, it's good to finally meet you, welcome to my house if you can call it that" he said.
"I want to leave" I tried.
"Go ahead, here are some boots but that's all I'll give you" he said as he tossed a pair of leather boots in my direction. I put them on knowing this was a trap but if I didn't try I'd hate myself forever. They were soft inside and surprisingly warm. I bit my lip wondering if he would give me a jacket at least as I opened the door once again and let in the cold air. It was freezing and even after five seconds it was hurting my bare skin.
"It is however negative forty, If you want to take a step outside you will feel the burn on your eyes of the cold freezing the saliva upon your eyes" he said with a smirk in his voice. I did take a step out and could feel it after a few seconds as well as ice forming in my eye lashes. Even with a jacket, even with the proper clothes, I wouldn't make it far. The snow also was so deep and fresh that my boot fell straight through to what felt like a step, chances are it was knee deep if I were to venture further out which would slow me down. In what I was wearing, I probably wouldn't make it to the forest line before wanting to turn back. "I guess I could give you some extra clothes if you really want to try" he offered which peeked my interest. I turned to find in his hands, shadow hunter gear, with snow pants and a snow jacket with mittens. My face would still be exposed and these boots weren't meant for tracking through snow but it would be better than nothing. He tossed them at my feet and I wondered if this was another trap. I didn't have many options so I dressed quickly and ignored his wondering eyes and his smirk when I bent down. After everything was on I opened the door a third time. "Of course those woods are full of feral wolves so it wouldn't be fair of me to not give you a weapon" he said as he glided over to me with the biggest smirk on his face. He handed me an old mundane knife, nothing special about it.
"Course should you need help, you will have to say my name with conviction" he said with his face inches from mine with the most perverted look in his eyes I had seen.
I stepped out into the cold and began trudging through the snow. As I suspected there were two stairs down from the porch to the front garden and after pushing through the snow to the mail box, it fell up to my knees, white fluffy snow. But I was determined. Wolves had to be kinder than him right? I made my way to the trees and breathed a sigh of relief. The snow wasn't as deep here as the woods were thick yet potentially full of its own predators. I started making my way through the woods keeping the outskirts in sight so I wouldn't get lost. It was cold but the forest offered shelter from the winds, the cold, and the snow. I could do this, who knows where I am but I could do this.
Ten minutes later, I could not do this, my face was freezing, my feet were ice cold, everything felt like it was burning in pain from the bitter cold. Even out from the wind, the air still caused me to cough from how cold it was. I thought about making a few marks on trees in case someone out there was looking. But that would be obvious, if he was able to hear me and come to my rescue that meant he would be watching right? So if he was watching, how could I subtly leave a mark. Exhaustion was beginning to kick in as my body began to start shutting body limbs down because of the cold sinking into my bones when a thought occurred to me. I could pull a few strands of my hair out as I fell and hide them under the snow, maybe I could push them into the dirt. It wasn't much but it would be something. If I pulled it off, it would be something that might be found in a few months or if someone were tracking me. If someone were tracking me. I left a lot of items behind but if someone were tracking me, wouldn't they have found me by now? But then again why would someone track me? Jace was the only one who really cared for me, Alec always found me a thorn in his side. Maybe Isabelle was looking but if she was, why hadn't she found me yet? Exhaustion was turning my thought process into mush so I decided to risk my endeavor.
I found a rock in the distance and pretended not to see it as I drew closer to it. I managed to pull off what I hoped was a convincing fall from hitting the side of the rock with my right foot and falling face forward. I had my hands held up to my face already, blowing air into my face to keep warm, so pulling out a few hair strands and pushing them into the snow looked natural or at least I hoped so. I cried out in pain after rolling over from my stomach to my back as my numb knee connected with the rock. I couldn't see much as the snow was now falling onto my face in chunks. The snow was becoming heavy, I would be lost soon enough if I waited any longer with my now injured knee. I couldn't possibly go any further so I decided to call his stupid name but no one came. I tried again a few more times and began to wonder if this was the trap, to let me die as simple as that. In the distance I could hear wolves howling as I thought about his words. Conviction, he wanted me to beg, the sick bastard, that was something I refused to do, to give up my dignity like that, I couldn't, I'd rather freeze to death.