Overwhelmed [3] 《SHADOWHUNTERS》

Chapter Two

"Hey!" Jace's voice rang out through the hall as soon as he spotted his parabatai's back, racing down the last of the stairs. Alec looked up at the sound, halting and waiting for the blond to catch up. The insulation of the New York Institute was true to its age, a draft coming from the large window beside Alec. The morning light that slipped past the curtains gave way to the dust in the air. 

"Have you seen Andy?" Jace questioned once he'd reached him.

Alec was quick to respond with a shake of his head, "not yet." That was a lie. She had woken up on Magnus' couch. And he knew that because he had thrown the blanket over her the night before when she'd fallen asleep reading. He didn't know where she was at the moment, though, so he didn't feel entirely guilty for lying. "Why?"

Jace brushed it off quickly, "Just wanted to ask her something." He muttered. Alec figured it was best not to pry, especially when Jace had been so short with him lately. He had been keeping their conversations brief, and their time alone even more so. Alec was determined to find out why.

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Music blasted into Andy's ears, matching the drum of her foot on the concrete sidewalk. She stretched her neck before reaching up to tighten her ponytail. Her shoulders rose with a deep breath as she sized up the rusty fire ladder in front of her. It seemed to stretch up for miles along the red brick skyscraper.

She took the first step cautiously, testing her weight on the metal. It held. Just to be sure, she shook it against the building. It rattled under her assault and a few crumbs of mortar fell free, but it otherwise stayed in tact. Certain that it was sturdy, she started her ascent and quickly scaled the building.

It wasn't long before she was staring out at the rooftops around her. They dipped and rose like a mountain range. She wasn't too far from the Institute – far enough to not get caught by anyone that mattered. The wind caught the stray hairs around her face and chilled her skin, the perfect weather to run until her heart was tested to its very limit.

She had already stretched, yet one at a time, she pulled each of her feet up to her back to loosen her knees. She checked the laces on her sneakers before pacing up to the edge of the building, chest out to the blue sky speckled with white. 

With no more anticipation and quite a bit of pent up fear, she backed up a few feet.

Falling was something she had always been good at. She loved racing around New York where she could without risking her life too much. It was all about knowing where her center of gravity was and how to land without hurting herself. She hit the next rooftop with ease, just ten feet lower than the last. A smirk lit up her face and she was instantly moving her feet again.

The bass in her headphones hit her eardrums, matching up with each smack of her shoes against the gravely pavement. And suddenly, it didn't. She was in the air again, curling her head and legs in. She somersaulted and landed roughly, a bit too eager to make the landing and move on.

She stumbled forward and caught herself against one of the vents, smacking against the metal. She was quick to glance down to her legs where her skin was exposed, runes twisting and twirling like a dance among the porcelain. Nothing hurt, but nothing usually did when her blood was pumping so violently that she felt it in her palms, so she was pleased to find herself visibly uninjured.

She steadied herself and shook out her hands, glancing back up to the building she had leapt from. She had dropped a good eight stories at least. And she was fine. The curl on her lips was instantly back, a triumphant laugh escaping her as she counted the windows along the wall.

Her phone skipped to the next song, the beat picking up again. Her feet went with it.

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