Detained [2] 《SHADOWHUNTERS》

Chapter Eight

Andina was teetering on the edge of sleep when footsteps from the hallway outside of their cell coerced her to open her eyes. As she did so, her brother stood tentatively from his position on the stone floor.

"Jace," a familiar voice breathed. 

Andy was just as confused as her brother as she spotted the redhead in the hall, but she stayed in the shadows that the corner of the cell provided. She allowed her hair to fall over her face to appear as though she was sleeping. "You shouldn't be here," Jace told Clary. "You have to go."

"No," she objected, stepping up to the bars. "I'm not going anywhere. Not until I know if you and Andy are going to be okay."

Jace sighed, but did not give her the very answer that she claimed would make her leave. He glanced back to Andy for a moment and she closed her eyes and kept her breathing steady until he looked away. "Is Alec safe?" He muttered. "Is he all right?"

"He's fine," Clary verified the condition of his parabatai. She took a long breath. "Jace, I feel terrible. You're here because of me. If I hadn't fallen under Dot's spell–"

"You're not what put me here," he cut her off. "I have to pay for my actions."

"Not by yourself," Clary reasoned.

Again, Jace turned his gaze to his older sister who he believed was sleeping. "I'm not by myself," he sighed heavily.

The redhead wrapped her hands around the steel bars. Jace flinch away like she had drawn a weapon when he noticed. Clary frowned. "W-what can I do to help?" He didn't answer. "Please," she begged, "tell me. I will do anything for you guys."

Jace turned and kept his gaze to the floor between them. "You can stay away from me."

For a moment, she could only stare at him in shock. Andy didn't blame the girl, as she had not been expecting her brother to say that either. When the redhead found her words once again, all she could utter was, "What?"

"No matter what happens, never come near me again," he insisted, stepping further into the dark cell.

"Jace, what are you talking about? You're my family," she argued, voice straining with desperation.

"I am Valentine's weapon," Jace snapped suddenly, confusing Andy. "You think he's just gonna let me go? He knows that you–" He paused before realizing that there was no better way to phrase his revelation, "that you're my weakness. If I ever get out of here, he'll come after you again."

"Let him," she stood her ground. "I'm not afraid, we'll fight him off together."

"There is no together for you and me, Clary. There never can be." He said, shaking his head.

"Jace..." The small girl trailed off, not wanting to leave him on that note. "I didn't mean–"

"We're done here," Jace told the Silent Brother who had escorted Clary down to the prisons.

"Jace, please, don't do this–" She started forward, but the Silent Brother began to pull her away. "Jace, tell him to– Let me go!" The Silent Brother didn't listen, and soon they no longer heard Clary or her footsteps, just the occasional wails that echoed throughout the City of Bones.

Jace turned away from the cell's entrance and surprised Andina by addressing her. "You heard all of that?"

Andy glanced up, shaking her hair away from her face as she realized her act was up. "What do you mean, you're his weapon?" She asked immediately, pushing herself up from the floor. She needed to know that their father had not done anything to her little brother.