The Dark Ones

Chapter One

As I walked quickly toward the Institute, my eagerness to get out of the brisk New York air only intensified. I approached the entrance, pulling my hair up into a pony-tail, noticing the soundless rune that was fading slowly on my arm. I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes for just a moment before making my way inside. I had walked through the halls countless times, yet my eyes were still drawn to the paintings that lined them. The intricately designed pieces, just staring back at me. I tore my gaze from the art and made my way toward Jace's room, knocking quietly on the door. I could hear faint shuffling, but no one answered.

I let out a sigh, my lungs still tingling from the icy air. I turned around to look back at the art on the walls as I waited, but instead of being met with the paintings, I was met with Isabelle who was passing by me. She was concentrated on a rune that looked freshly placed on her skin when I called her name, "Isabelle, is Jace here?" I asked. She looked up, doing a double take. When her gaze landed on me the second time, her eyes widened.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, her tone incredulous.

I gave a dry laugh, looking at her with a confused expression. "I practically live here, Isabelle," I reminded her, but her expression didn't falter. "I'm here to see Jace, but he might be asleep or something... I'm just going to go in-"

"Clary, don't." She told me firmly, taking a step toward me as if to stop me.

"You are acting so weird." I noted as I shook my head, turning away from her and twisting the doorknob.

"Clary!" She yelled, and I understood why as soon as I could see the interior of Jace's room. There he was, in all of his golden glory, passionately kissing a familiar girl sitting beside him. I watched in horror as his eyes opened and landed on me. He jerked away from her as Isabelle's voice resounded throughout the hall and his room. My gaze shifted to the girl, and I immediately recognized her as Kaelie. The icy feeling that I had in my lungs began to spread to the rest of my body, and suddenly I was cold all over.

"Clary?" He said, a look of utter disbelief on his face as he scrambled to his feet. "I thought you were out. I-I can explain." His shocked expression shifted to a desperate one.

"I can't believe this." I responded, and I could hear my own voice shaking. "What... What the hell are you doing, Jace?"

"Clary, it isn't what it looks like." He started toward me, reaching out his arms as if he wanted to touch me. I could see the desperation turn to fear, which is a look that I hadn't seen on him in quite a long time.

"Don't, Jace." I shook my head, feeling tears stinging my eyes. "Don't you dare." My voice grew more unsteady, and I decided not to say anything else. He stopped, his chest heaving up and down. I looked to Kaelie, feeling my stomach churn as I watched her gather her things together.

"Clary, I am so sorry-" He began to say, but as soon as my eyes landed back on him, he stopped.

"No." I told him. "Jace, listen to me. I swear, by the angel, I don't want to see you ever again." I took a step back, moving to leave, but just before I could I was met with Isabelle again. "And you..." I said softly, my voice breaking as the lump in my throat seemed to get bigger. "I trusted you. I can't believe you would lie for him..."

I walked past her, my shoulder brushing against hers, and I walked away from the three of them. I could feel tears start to splash onto my cheeks, and I was only glad that they hadn't come a second sooner. I could hear someone's footsteps behind me, and in an attempt to get away from whoever it was, I began to sprint. My vision was blurred with tears and my head felt cloudy as the past few minutes played on repeat in my head. It was only a few moments before I reached the entrance and found myself outside.

The air seemed colder and the night sky seemed darker as I stepped out into the brisk air. The cold nipped at my face and every single inch of exposed skin that I had. I continued on, running aimlessly, turning back only to see that the person who had been following me hadn't made it outside of the Institute yet. But I couldn't push down the fear of them catching up, and the fear of it being Jace, so I kept a steady pace hoping that whoever it was wouldn't find me.

As I ran, I thought back to the first time I had seen Jace in pandemonium. I remember the fear I had on that night, but there was something that made me feel drawn to him. That was all over, though. I could never go back to him, and I knew that. Regardless of the explanation, I couldn't get over him cheating on me with Kaelie.

Only when I felt as though someone was squeezing my chest did I stop and realize that tears were streaming down my face. I ran my hand through my hair, gasping in whatever air I could, even if it hurt. I was only there for a few moments before I heard someone shouting behind me.

"Clary!" I turned to see Jace following me. My heart dropped once again, and I started to run again, faster than I ever have before. I passed by an alley, then another. I was just about to pass by a third when I heard something.

"Shadow Hunter." It was faint, but it brought me to an abrupt stop. I turned toward the alley, and even though the flickering streetlight above barely illuminated the darkness, I could see a man standing in the shadows. "You look like you're in trouble," he said.

I looked behind me to see that Jace had stopped a few blocks away. He was squinting in the darkness, and I realized that the flickering streetlight above likely kept me concealed from his view. "Y-Yes, I am." I responded quickly, my gaze shifting back to the stranger. "I need to hide, I don't want him to find me."

"We can help." He told me, and my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"We?" I inquired. And suddenly, three other guys came out from behind him. The street light flickered on dimly, and I could see that the men were dressed in Shadow Hunter gear.

"You guys are shad-" I didn't get the chance to finish before my name was shouted again.

"Clary, please!" It's Jace, "I just want to explain!"

"Clarissa..." The guy in the front said, almost as though my name was familiar to him. "Do you happen to be Clarissa Morgenstern?"

"Yes," I nodded, and Jace started making his way towards me again. I was running out of time, and I could feel anxiety clawing its way through my body, "Please, I need help."

"Of course." The guy grinned, "I'm Noah." He held out his hand, but I ignore it.

"I don't think I need to introduce myself," I said, and he let his hand fall to his side, "so can you help me or not?" I couldn't help but glance in Jace's direction to see that he was nearing us. I felt my pulse speed up, but I somehow maintained my composure.

"Of course." He nodded, "Come with us."

In a desperate attempt to get away from Jace, I agreed. I stepped quickly into the shadows of the alley, watching as Noah walked to the wall and quickly burned into it with his stele. I tilted my head, my confusion likely evident in my features as I wondered what he was doing. It was only when I saw a glowing square appear that I understood.

"You're..." My eyes bulged, and I found myself unable to finish. I stared at the portal in awe.

When news originally broke out, it was a hushed topic. Only the most important people knew of them. After a few months, the stories spread though the Shadow Hunter community like wildfire. Some believed, some didn't. I knew better than to not believe. All the stories are true. It was something that stuck with me for a very long time.

The group instilled a fear within the community. So many people thought that it was going to be just like the Circle, rising again. The Clave was terrified at first. When no news came for a while, the fear subsided slightly. With nothing being amiss, people stopped believing. But I knew better. I never stopped believing.

"The Dark Ones," Noah answered, and I could feel a chill creep up my spine. "Come on, red. We don't have much time." Listening to him, I rushed over to the portal. Noah gave me one last look before grabbing my arm and pulling me into it with him.
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Hello! I'm Taylor, the author of this story. I really hope you like it. I'll be posting frequently, and you should go check out my other stories.
I do own most of the characters in this story, a few are owned by Cassandra Clare.
Xoxo