Searching for Safety

Chapter 9

 As the day went on Izzy seemed much less energetic and talkative, and Ryder just wouldn't speak. He would just look at me with a pained expression and look down. I managed to keep a bored look on my face the whole time. When we got to lunch we, all sat down without bothering to get food. I sighed as they both sat down and rolled my eyes.

"Both of you, go get some damn food and stop moping around. I'm fine, I've dealt with the massive wave of emotions that flooded over me after reading the damn thing and this silence from both of you is helping nothing." I said much more harshly than I meant. Izzy nodded slowly and started to get up, hesitating when Ryder still didn't move. She sighed and walked away while I started to glare at Ryder.

"Go get something to eat Ryder, please." I said slowly. He shook his head and continued to look absently at the table. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my frustration.

"Ryder, if you genuinely care, and want to be helpful, I need you to stop acting like this. I get you feel bad, but this is just frustrating me at this point. Please stop." I said quietly. He snapped his head up to look at me and I saw the tears in his eyes as he started to glare. His irises were deep red, no trace of brown in them. I just stared slightly shocked for a second.

"Why didn't you tell me? I don't even care that you didn't let me read it, but why didn't you tell me?" He snapped in a harsh whisper. I raised my eyebrows and stood up.

"Because honestly, you're still a stranger to me, I know nothing about you, and it was my burden to bare, not yours. Nor was it your business. So, don't snap at me for wanting to deal with this myself, rather than going to a stranger and spilling my guts about something so secret I didn't even know until my mother killed herself!" I said harshly. His expression immediately changed, but now I was pissed off. I turned around and stormed out of the cafeteria as Alec and Clary got to the table.

I wondered around until I found an empty class room and I slammed the door shut behind me. I took a few deep breaths and pushed my hair out of my face as I paced around the room. Why did he care so much, like it was his business? We'd just met and he thought I was going to reveal something like that as soon as I found it out? Why did it matter? Whether he cared or not, that's not something one usually is exited to share, and he was taking it so personally. He'd already missed school for me, opened his home to me, and his bed, Izzy's car window got smashed, and he took a punch to the face. They'd already done enough for me, too much in my opinion. I sighed and stared out the window, finally starting to calm down. As I stared I noticed someone standing a few yards away from the window, slightly behind a tree. They were wearing black jeans and a black hoodie, with the hood up, even though it was sunny outside and almost eighty degrees outside. I could tell they were facing me, but I couldn't see their face. I squinted to try and see them better, at least to decide if I thought they were male or female. Suddenly my ears started ringing and I could hear Izzy and Ryder's conversation from last night.

"No, Isabelle. Someone, something, else had been there before us. Whoever it was, was watching the house when we went back to get her stuff too."

"You think someone's after her?"

"If I'm right, then yes, this is the safest place for her right now. We can protect her, a hell of a lot better than her father could."

I took a step away from the window, my eyes getting wide and I stumbled as I bumped into a table. I looked back out the window and the person was completely out from behind the tree. I gasped and backed up quickly, not taking my eyes away from them. I fumbled with the door for a second before throwing it open and running into the hall. I ran right into Ryder as I rounded the corner to head to the bathrooms. He caught me and helped me steady myself as I looked back behind my shoulder.

"Elaina, are you okay? What's wrong?" He asked holding my shoulders so I'd look at him. I took a few breaths and looked at him.

"Someone... Someone was..." I got cut off by the fire alarm going off, making me jump and look around frantically again. Izzy jogged over to us as the halls started to fill up and everyone headed outside.

"Hey, there you guys are, what's wrong?" She asked as we started walking toward the door. Ryder shrugged and shook his head. As we got outside Alec and Clary found us. I was still looking around, freaked out, and I made eye contact with Alec, who furrowed his brow before starting to look around too.

"Hey guys. You know, I would complain that it's too early to already be having fire drills, but I'm missing the beginning of Physics, so I'm actually not that mad." Clary said laughing. I was physically shaking now, my eyes scanning the area where I'd seen whoever it was through the window.

"Elaina, are you okay?" Izzy asked putting her hand on my shoulder. I jumped and raised my eyebrows before quickly shaking my head and nodding.

"Yep. All good. Great timing for a drill." I said laughing out of sheer panic. My eyes landed on the same person in the hoodie and I froze. They were in the crowd of students now, and I could see the bottom half of his face; definitely a he. He was grinning and facing me exactly. My eyes widened and I stopped breathing, too terrified to move a single muscle.

"Elaina?" Ryder said slowly. Alec moved Clary so she was behind me, and moved Izzy so she was next to me on my right, since Ryder was on my left. He then positioned himself mostly in front of me, but not blocking my view. He was also staring at the guy.

"Stay around her, no gaps." He said quietly. Ryder followed his gaze and his body tensed up.

"Alec we need to get her out of here... Now." He whispered, putting his arm around my shoulders. The pressure made me realize I needed to start breathing again.

"What's wrong?" Clary asked, not moving from where Alec had put her.

"Chase." Ryder said under his breath. I felt Izzy and Clary get tense.

"Is he..." Izzy started, Ryder and Alec both nodded. Chase, I assumed was this hooded guy's name, looked up, revealing the rest of his face. He had a long scar going down the right side of his face, that started slightly above the center of his eyebrow, and went down to his jaw. He was grinning menacingly, staring directly at me, and he licked his lips before he was suddenly gone. I took a step back and Ryder grabbed me.

"My car, now." He whispered intensely. We all started toward his car, looking around us carefully. As we got to his car Clary got in the back seat, then I got in and Izzy sat on the other side of me. Ryder and Alec quickly got in the front and Ryder pulled out faster than I thought was possible without stalling.

"Where are we going?" Clary asked looking out the windows carefully. I was slumped down in the seat with my head on Izzy's shoulder.

"My place." Alec said, putting his hand on the outside of his door through the window. I was still shaking and watching the rear-view mirror. Ryder watched Alec's hand for a second before nodding and speeding up. The back windshield suddenly shattered and both Izzy, and Clary put their hands over my mouth as I screamed and started sobbing.

"Shit! Alec why can he still see us!?" Ryder yelled swerving and speeding up even more. Alec leaned his arm even more out the window and stared at the side of the car intensely. I noticed in the side mirror that I couldn't see the car at all, a wave of confusion rushed over me before I realized the car was invisible, and Alec was making it that way.

"Warlock." Clary whispered, I looked at her and she nodded toward Alec. I pulled their hands away from my mouth.

"Just him or all of you?" I said after a second. I saw Ryder make a pained face.

"Let's not talk about this right now." He said glancing at me in the mirror. I shook my head and laughed.

"No no no, let's talk about it! I heard you and Izzy last night, it's quite obvious that Alec isn't human, or Clary. And definitely not this Chase guy, so someone start talking!" I shouted. Izzy's eyes widened at the mention of their conversation, and Ryder winced. Alec sighed kicked Ryder.

"I'm a warlock, as you've noticed. Clary's a vampire, and Izzy and Ryder are demons. We'll explain specifics and answer questions once we're somewhere safe. Chase, he's half vampire and half warlock, so he's not good news. Fucking drive faster Ryder!" Alec said half shouting. I nodded and put my head in my hands. My entire life was being flipped upside down and kicked down some stairs at this point.