Do you Remember me?

Chapter 25

Jace strolled through the village mindlessly, enjoying the warm breeze as he made his way down the path.

He'd gotten up early this morning and had gone for a jog, heading all the way down to the beach and back up again, before deciding he'd go to the village for the day.

He'd been careful to avoid Aline's room, slipping inside only to grab his suitcase before heading back down to his new room once again.

He had showered, gotten changed into some old pair of sweatpants, slipped on a hoodie and placed a beanie on his head before all but running out of the house.

That was how he found himself now, hands stuffed into his pockets as he wandered the cobblestoned paths casually.

He wondered if Clary would be concerned as to where he went, the thought making him smile as his heart jumped.

He'd really fallen for her hard, the feelings seeming to have always been there for her, even from the first day he saw her.

Maybe it was destiny, he mused, smirking to himself as he stepped inside a corner shop.

The little bell overhead dinged as he entered, and he nodded his head towards the cashier politely as he scanned the aisles.

The middle-aged man stared at him with wide eyes, hands stilling in whatever action he was doing. Jace frowned lightly in confusion as he watched the cashier continue to stare at him, deciding to brush it off.

The joys of being an actor, he thought as he rolled his eyes. Would hate to be insecure.

He huffed out a little laugh at the thought, the word 'insecure' alongside the description of him seemingly alien.

He grinned, about to continue walking down the aisle when something caught his eye, glinting in the light.

He turned to face the necklace, admiring the golden cain that led down to a striking emerald gem, encased in a small golden heart.

Jace's eyes widened fractionally as he continued to stare at it, his hand reaching out to admire the delicate jewellery.

He took it off the rack, smiling a bit at it as he turned it over in his palm.

It was perfect, he could imagine the dainty chain hanging around a certain redhead's neck, bouncing as she laughed, causing the emerald to glint and bring out the green of her eyes.

With that image in mind, his idea was set in stone, and he made his way over to the cashier, gently placing the necklace down in front of him.

The man grinned, picking it up and inspecting it. "One of the nicer ones... good taste I must say." He commented, and Jace smiled at him proudly as he gave him the money.

"I'm sure Clary will love it." He continued, scanning it absentmindedly.

Jace's brows rose, jaw dropping fractionally... did he hear that right?

"I uh... um, sorry?" He stuttered, cocking his head at the man in confusion.

The older mans own brows rose, gaze flickering up to meet Jace's carefully. "Clary?..." He said hesitantly, as if Jace should know what he was on about. "You two are still together, right Jace?" He asked, handing the necklace to him.

"I.. you... What?" Jace stepped back slowly, staring at the man.

The man watched him, holding up his hands as if he was a frightened animal. "Everything okay, Jace?" He asked, before his gaze flickered down to the necklace, grinning a bit.

"Anniversary jitters?" He joked.

Jace stumbled back, "W..wh-I, uh.. need to go-" He said, before dashing out of the shop quickly.

Once he was outside, he broke into a brisk walk down the path, stuffing the necklace into his pocket.

Every face he seemed to stare at, stared back at him with some kind of familiar recollection, yet he knew for a fact he had never seen any of them before.

He slowed down, turning around in a slow circle as he watched all of them carefully, jumping when he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder.

He spun around to see an old woman staring up at him, smiling at him as she pulled him into a hug.

"Jace! So good to see you again! How long has it been?" She greeted, patting his back.

Jace pulled away as if she burned him, scanning her face quickly.

He had never seen this woman before in his life.

"W-who are you?" He mumbled, pulling the woman's hands away from his neck.

The woman gasped, looking at him with hurt eyes. "Is that some sort of joke, Jace? Wasn't funny, my dear! I'll be telling Clary that one, mind you." She chuckled, patting his arm as she continued walking past him.

"C-clary?" Jace stuttered, watching the old woman walk away.

"Jace?!" Someone called from across the street, and he started to back away quickly, staring at each one of the face's in some sort of terror before breaking into a sprint, out of the village.

His head began to sear with pain, and he held his temples painfully as he continued to run up the road.

He grunted against the pain, white spots starting to cloud his vision as he stumbled up the driveway.

Not now, not now.. not now. He thought hopelessly, dropping to his knees outside of the house as he clutched his head.

This one was worse than the others, and he groaned as it finally split through his head like a lightning bolt. The effects were immediate; stopping whatever thought that was going to happen and replacing it with pain, his vision going completely black.

Jace's body went limp, falling to the side like a rag doll on the ground as his twisted features relaxed in his state of unconsciousness.

Clary..