The Book of Demons

Chapter 2

They're surrounding us. We are alone and weaponless. I can feel my hand being crushed by someone else's. I wonder whose it was. I don't dare turn to look to see who it is. I can't turn my eyes away from the impending doom that awaits me. I can feel the heat coming off of the hundreds of horrific creatures that are getting closer to us by the second. The stranger next to me started to whisper. I cannot hear what he is saying. I don't care. I looked away for one moment, and I felt claws scratch my face and something burning my skin.

Clary woke up in her bed, her body covered in a layer of sweat with her covers kicked onto the floor. "Another nightmare," she said to herself. She got nightmares like this almost every night. She had talked to doctors and therapists and no solution given to her ever worked. She had learned to deal with them, and tried not let them get to her. Sometimes it worked, other times she was scarred by the fear they caused.

Clary walked to her kitchen to find Simon already awake and making himself breakfast.

"Another nightmare?" he asked as he took in her disheveled appearance.

"What else would it be," Clary defeatedly sighed. Simon was the only person who knew about her nightmares. He was the only one she trusted not to judge her for them.

It was Saturday which meant no places to be. She could stay home and lay on the couch in her sweatpants to watch netflix with Simon all day.

"I think we should stay in today. I'll watch criminal minds with you. I have no inclination to go outside and socialize with anybody but you."

Simon laughed, "As much as I would like to do that with you, I have to go to lunch with my mom and my sister. The invitation is still open to you if you want to come."

"Oh crap. I forgot about that." Clary couldn't help to feel sad about her made up plans to do nothing all day. "I guess I'll go with you. It's not like I have to be anywhere anyway."

"Great! I'm sure my mom and Rebecca will be thrilled that you're coming."

"I miss them a lot, besides Rebecca is definitely cooler than you."

"Hey! I find myself to be one of the coolest dudes I know." Simon said as he flung the dish towel he was holding at her.

"I'm sure you do," Clary responded as she walked back into her room to get dressed for the day.

Only then she had remembered the forgotten book that she had flung into the corner. She looked over at it with its pages open facing down on the floor. She decided it would be best to not touch it for a little while longer to try and keep those creepy demon killing rituals out of her head.

Simon and Clary walked to a cafe a couple blocks away from their apartment. This was Clary's favorite part of the city. The cafe was filled with comfortable chairs and couches, and plants were hanging from the ceilings and decorated the walls and windowsills. There was a large brown bookshelf on the back wall that anyone could take from to read while you sit and drink your coffee. It made her feel calm in her life that was so filled with unreachable expectations and stress.

Rebecca and Simon's mom, Elaine, hugged them both when they walked in. They expressed their joy of not seeing each other for so long. Elaine and Rebecca moved out of New York City into some New Jersey suburbs a couple months ago to get a change of pace in their lives. A change that shocked both Clary and Simon, but Elaine seemed to be happier in her new home, and that's all that mattered.

"How is art school going, Clary?" Elaine asked.

"It's good. There's a lot more work than I expected, but it's helping me grow as an artist. I just hope I don't get burnt out too fast."

"That makes sense," Elaine said after taking a sip of her coffee, "You have to make sure that you're taking some time away from working on it to enjoy other things, so you won't get as burnt out as easily. What about you, Simon? Have you actually been doing your homework?"

Started by his mother's blunt question, Simon replied, "If you must know, yes I am. I am spending way too much money on college to screw around, and not learn all the things that I am being taught." His mother looked at him with disbelief before turning the conversation over to Rebecca, who had many things to say about her new boyfriend.

The lunch was as normal as anyone would have expected. The light conversation and bickering of the family made Clary happy that she decided to not lay on her couch all day. Although, her mind kept travelling back to that leather bound book in her corner. She wanted to find out what else was in it. If it was some sort of prophecy or just a load of crap. She decided that once lunch was over she would walk back to her apartment to grab the book and walk back to read in her favorite chair in the cafe. She thought she would feel safer if she was surrounded by people in a place she was comfortable in, as if it would protect her from the demons inside that book.