The Keepers: Earth, Iron, and Blood ~A Shadowhunters Fanfiction ~

Chapter Five

It feels like I just fell asleep, but when I glace at the clock I discover that I've been asleep for almost two hours. It's just past three in the morning and I'm hating myself for waking up. I feel my stomach growl. You never ate dinner. I sigh inwardly and roll over. I just want to sleep but I'm freaking hungry. Getting up slowly, I go over to the closet and pull down the blanket that sits up on a shelf. I wrap it around myself. It matches the color of the sheets. It's a fleece blanket and it feels like a million soft feathers on my skin. I find pleasure in the simplest things, like a freakishly soft blanket.

Quietly opening the door, I ease out of my room. I saw the kitchen as we were heading to the library earlier, so I know I'm not going to get lost. Hopefully. Just as I had thought, I follow my instincts and they lead me to the kitchen. It's dark with just the light from the hallway shining in. I flip on a light over the stove. It's hard to know what's what. Surely the ones who reside here have their own personal stuff and I don't want to take anything that isn't mine. I get a glass down and get some water from the tap. If anything, at least I'll have fluid in me. The aches have really set in now. Every muscle in my body is sore. I haven't moved as fast as I did tonight in a long time. It has been years since I fought with a demon or any kind of creature. I'm out of shape when it comes to Shadowhunter standards. Plus, I don't have my runes. There is nothing on my body to help heal itself. What Jace did earlier was just to help stop the bleeding, that was it. Maybe you should go get a stele and do one healing rune. It can be put somewhere that can be hidden. I shake my head at my own thoughts. I know I've got bruising, but my back hurts more than anything else. From the gashes to the pure muscle ache, I know I will hurt more in the morning.

I lean against the counter, thoughts from tonight flowing back into my worn-out mind. If I take the tree woods, the precious metal, maybe some gemstones, and combined them all into one weapon, maybe that would make it strong enough to kill Aspen. There are more materials available now then there was when Elijah made the first weapon. Perhaps— I glance up as something catches my eye. I'm met with a dark figure standing in the doorway. I almost drop the glass as I jump back, suddenly ready to attack.

"Whoa!" His hands fly up. "I didn't mean to scare you. Don't kill me." As he spoke, it took me a second to realize who it was since he'd barely said a word to me the entire time I've been here. Alec.

The words that fly from my mouth would make a sailor proud. I place my glass on the counter as well as my shaking hands will allow. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in," I state while noticing my voice is as shaky as my hands.

"It's fine. I should have knocked or something," he replies, his voice somewhat flat, somewhat apologetic. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

I snort. "I wish." I take a breath and readjust the blanket. "It's hard to sleep when you've got a lot on your mind." I look over at him. His hair is ruffled and he's in his PJs.

"Yeah, I know how that is." He walks over to the fridge and pulls something out. I drag a hand through my hair. Something seems different about him, like he's more relaxed. Maybe he's just tired.

I take another sip of the water and look down at my still shaking hands. "God..." I mumble to myself. I was never this easy to scare. I've been living the same life for the past few years, doing the same things. I hadn't realized just how much I've changed until tonight. And, I don't mean changed in a good way.

"Do you want one?" I hear him ask. My head snaps up and I see him looking into the freezer, holding a bag of waffles over his head.

"Please? I'm starving," I respond, surprised at the slight whine I hear in my voice. I place my glass into the sink and lean back against the counter. Maybe I had him wrong. When I first saw him at my apartment, it looked like there was some sort of hatred in his eyes. Resentment, you could say. Now, I'm getting offered food. You don't offer food to someone you dislike. You would let them starve. To say that this isn't a little awkward, would be a lie. It's hard to have small talk with someone you just met. He did help save your life though. That should be enough. I go from watching him to watching the floor. "Do you need any help?" I offer.