In the Eyes

Prologue

Prologue

*~*~*~*

"What do we got?" I glanced over my shoulder to see my brother, Alec, joining me in front of a monitor. Displayed on the screen were pictures of dead mundanes, all having been killed by demons.

"A whole lot of fun." Jace, Alec's best friend, grinned widely as he looked over the seraph blade in his hands. I rolled my eyes at the blonde's words. In the years I'd known Jace I had come to expect comments like this, the blonde having always been cocky.

"Where's Izzy?" I asked, noticing the absence of my younger sister. "We need to get moving before we lose the trail."

"Someone needs to relax." Izzy's voice filled the air, causing us all to look towards the hallway that led to the weapon's room. Walking towards us was Izzy, her hips swaying in her tight black jeans, wearing a matching black crop top. Her long raven hair, identical to Alec and my own, fell down in loose curls. "I swear, I don't know who's wound tighter, you or Alec."

"I'm gonna go with Cecile." Jace commented, sending a smirk in my direction.

"Funny," I scoffed. "Let's go."

*~*~*~*

It was only an hour later that the four of us crept through a dark warehouse as quietly as possible, our weapons raised and ready. My hands gripped the loaded bow tightly, tight enough for my knuckles to turn white.

All of us were on edge, listening for any sign of the demons, having tracked them here. My cobalt eyes trailed over to the others, taking in their tense figures. I couldn't help but feel as though something were wrong. My stomach felt as though it were in knots. So far, everything about this mission seemed too simple, too easy.

"Alec-" I didn't get the chance to finish before it happened. Out of seemingly nowhere a handful of demons appeared from the shadows, charging at us. We all jumped into action instantly.

I let my arrow sail through the air, hitting one of the demons square in the head, causing it to combust into thin air, returning to hell with its death. I reached to the quiver on my back to grab another arrow, but I never got the chance to reload my bow. As I reached for the arrow I felt a large hand wrap around my wrist, throwing me through the air, as though I weighed nothing. A groan escaped me as my body collided harshly with the wall.

"Cecile!" I heard Jace yell my name. My head pounded as I pushed myself to my feet. My left wrist ached from the demon's harsh grasp, but I tried my hardest to push the pain aside. My jaw was locked as I pulled my seraph blade from my pocket, having lost my bow when I was thrown.

Glancing around the room I saw the others all fighting their own demons. I saw Izzy struggling and moved to go help her, but before I could take two steps two demons came rushing in my direction. My actions were slower than normal as I struggled to keep going through the aching pains from my head and wrist. Still I managed to kick one of the demons back before spinning around and sinking my blade into the chest of the other one, killing it. As its ashes floated to the floor though, I heard a scream fill the air-- one that seemed to make everything else melt away.

"Cecile!" My eyes flickered over to look at Alec. I found him still fighting a demon, but his hazel eyes were wide and focused on me. I could see panic filling them as they started to gleam with unshed tears. I saw his gaze trail down me and I looked down myself, finding what had caused him to cry out my name.

Through my stomach was the stinger of the demon, it having pierced clean through my body. My head felt foggy as the stinger was pulled from my body. It that instance it seemed as though my legs had lost all sense of function and sent my body falling to the hard ground beneath me. I could see the crimson blood spilling from the wound as my already black shirt seemed to somehow darken even more, the thin fabric clinging to my skin from the sticky liquid. It was strange though, despite the obvious wound I didn't feel any pain. In fact, the pain that had once filled my wrist and head had seemingly vanished.

I looked up to see the others still fighting. Their gazes kept flickering my way, clearly trying to make their way over to me. All of them desperate to try and help me-- to save me. I could see the fear clear in all of their eyes. They knew that I was in trouble.

That I was dying.

I could feel liquid creeping up the back of my throat as I struggled to breathe, making the simple task that much harder. As I watched my siblings and friend fight I couldn't help but think back on the past seventeen years, of everything that had led me to where I am now.

I had never wanted this, any of it. I had never wished to be born into my family, to be a Shadowhunter. My whole life I had wished to be different, to have been born just a simple mundane, to have a simple mundane life. I had always wanted a life where I wasn't raised to fight demons, as well as other creatures that were supposed to be mere stories told to frighten people. This wasn't the life I had wanted to lead, to live for and now die for.

I was dying for a life I had never wished for myself. A life that I had often found myself hating, wanting nothing more than to run away from. I had always wanted to run, but I couldn't. I could never bring myself to run away from my family, my siblings. We had all always been so close, our bond only extending when Jace was brought to live with us, becoming another younger brother to me.

Now I lay here, dying, as I watched three of the people that meant the world to me fighting for their lives. Fighting to try and get to me, to save my own life. I could vaguely hear their voices, calling out for me to stay awake, to fight the venom and the blood loss. Telling me to just hang on a little longer. I wanted to listen to them, to fight for them, but I couldn't.

How could I fight and hang on when I'd already let go?