out of reach//TMI

Chapter Twenty Five: Almost Human

Songs:

Habits-Tove Lo

The Last TIme-Taylor Swift

I Won't Give Up-Jason Mraz

Drunk-Ed Sheeran

This is a bit of a short chapter, maybe a filler, but I promise the next one will be awesome:) Enjoy!

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Clary's POV

The floor felt cold as I sat in the dim dungeon, staring at the stone walls. Questions buzzed through my mind. What were they planning on doing to me? Are Jace and the others trying to find me? Will I ever get out of here?

I looked down at my manacles, and at the chain that bound them to the wall. It's actually quite long, I thought. My gaze went to the small window in the corner, and an idea popped into my head. I stood up, careful not to move my hands. I moved as far across the room as I could, and ended up right in front of the window. I raised up my hands, pulling the manacles tight against my wrists. Searing pain shot up my arms, and tears blurred my vision, but I brought the cuffs as close to the window as I could. The rusty bars looked weak, and I banged my wrists against them, hoping they'd break off. 

One of the bars gave way, and I silently cheered, despite the pain in my hands. The fire that circled the metal seemed to slowly melt the second bar, and although I was triumphant, I couldn't take any more of the heat before it burned my skin away. I let out a breath, then brought my hands back away from the window.

I clenched my teeth, swinging my hands as far as they could go in the opening. Then I hit the last remaining bar on the window. It broke off. 

But how would I get out if my manacles were still connected? I stared, unsure, at the fire surrounding my wrists. The skin underneath looked burnt raw already, blistered and red. 

I looked back at the flames. If they melted one of the bars.. I moved my hands against the chains, attempting to melt it. The metal burned away slowly, and I kept waiting patiently. Finally, the manacles were disconnected from the wall.

Yes! I sprinted back toward the un-barred window, thinking of a method of getting out without burning myself any more. I decided to go headfirst, with my hands out in front of me. I jumped up, wriggling through, seeing a long driveway and tall green grass outside. My legs still dangled inside, and I was almost out, until a pair of rough hands yanked me back to the inside of the cell.

Jace's POV

After another hour of heavy research, with no results, everyone decided to take naps. Lindsay, Tegan, Sam, and Justin went out to Taki's to get food, for when everyone woke up. I sat in the library, unable to give up on looking for her. I'd looked through almost all of the books held here, even though I've done it before. No secret locations, nothing even when I searched the internet. After banging my fist against the table, cursing colorfully, and eventually punching a wall (I may have to tell Maryse about that), I decided to blow off some more steam in the training room. 

I stood at the punching bag, images of the past flashing against my mind.

"He taught me there's a place on a man's back where, if you sink a blade in, you can pierce his heart and sever his spine, all at once." Sebastian said. His eyes mocked me, and he smirked.

I threw a punch in frustration.

"Sebastian is dead." Clary said sharply. "If he had this kind of power, he would have used it before." Doubt ran over her face.

I hit the bag harder, pure hatred coursing through me.

"Get out." Clary said to Sebastian. I sat up on her bed, everything seemed okay yet something I couldn't identify was nagging at me. "Now," said Sebastian, "is that any way to talk to your big brother?" He smirked at her, leaning against the doorway.

I hit the punching bag furiously one more time, knocking it off of the hook it hung from and onto the floor. I sank down onto my knees, and put my head in my hands. Sebastian had wrecked both mine and Clary's lives.

I raised my head, standing up slowly. I picked up one knife, then threw it at the target. It landed in the center.

Damian had to be stopped. Damian had to be killed.

Clary's POV

Damian's furious eyes stared back at me, blazing in anger. I was so close, I thought. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Wanting to leave, so soon?" His head cocked to the side, and a wicked grin spread across his face. He had a grip on the back of my shirt. I looked down to see that a few pieces of bread and fruit laid on the ground, discarded. "You were so well behaved, at least for an hour or two, and I was going to bring you food." His voice had a faint complaining tone. 

"You're not my brother. Why do you care so much?" I asked him. He looked away, with a quiet laugh. 

"Oh, Clary. Even your actual brother cared about you more than he should've. Why do you think I care about you?" he asked me, his eyes dark and mysterious. I did not want to answer that question. 

Instead of talking back to him, I wriggled in his grip, and looked away. "Please let me go." I begged him, bringing my eyes back to his. He narrowed them at me, loosening his grip a fraction, then shoved me back outside the cell. "We're taking a little trip back to Lilith." he said, glancing at me with a smirk. 

We walked fast down the vast corridor, up the same marble staircase. At the top of the steps, I looked to my right as we passed an open door with creatures inside. The same breed of demons that almost looked like humans. Almost.

We kept walking, until finally we came to the same room Lilith had talked to me hours ago in. She still sat at the long table, papers and journals laid out in front of her. My eyes itched to look at them, but Damian now held one of my arms in an iron grip. Lilith looked up from the papers, and shook her head at me. "Darling, what have you done this time?" she asked me with fake concern. 

"She burned the bars of the window and disconnected the chain of the manacles." said Damian. "She might be a stubborn little red head, but she's smart." I ignored the "compliment" and shot him daggers. He didn't seem to notice.

"That's the second time you've acted out. I think we should go for plan B. What do you think, Damian?" Lilith asked. He looked back at me with remorse in his eyes, and said, "I couldn't agree more."

Lilith smiled a devilish smile, then said, "Wonderful. Send her back to the nice room." Plan B? This won't end well. Damian nodded, then shoved me back out the door. I sighed, walking back the way I remember to my old room. "Damian, if you 'care' so much about me, why do you let Lilith command you around on torturing me?" For once, there wasn't a terrible smirk or look of volition in his dark eyes. They looked indecisive, so much it made me think there was more human in him than demon. 

"I obey Lilith, but I won't let her hurt you again. I promise." he said in a meaningful tone. It was like he was having mood swings, just a minute ago he dragged me out of my cell with an evil smile, and now he pitied me and wanted to protect me. "Your promises don't mean shit to me." I said in a cold tone, walking ahead of him.