Chapter 2 - Abandoned

Usually, I never wake up before noon if I can avoid it. One time I literally slept for a full weekend; 48 hours and woke up on Monday thinking it was still Saturday. I should win an award for this crap. This time, someone disturbed my slumber by shaking me awake softly. Well, I say softly. Really, Clary was rocking my whole body by pushing my shoulder back and forth. Deciding she would shut up like my alarm, my arm shot up and hit her in the face. All that happened was I got a slap back.

Wake up! figuring pretending to be asleep would be fruitless, I turned over and gave Clary the dirtiest glare I could.

I was sleeping, you know, I snapped. She raised an eyebrow at me challengingly and leaned back.

Okay then. Would you rather I left for Portugal without saying goodbye to you? I squinted at her and then remembered her telling me that her family was going to make them move to Portugal to avoid the war. Her face softened and she sat on the bed, pulling me in for a hug.

Dont say goodbye. Its too final, I mumbled and she chuckled a bit.

Well Im not leaving just yet. You can help my family get the stuff to our car, I gave her a tiny smile then we got out of bed and slowly carried her bags downstairs, trying to savour every moment together. Her little brother, Daniel, was on his phone saying bye to his friends and her parents were sipping the lasts of their coffee. Soon enough we had all the luggage packed tightly into the back of their van and we were all standing on the driveway. I hugged her parents and ruffled Daniels hair, and the three of them went inside the car to give Clary and I some privacy. We had known each other since we were 2 and moved into this neighbourhood, and weve been best friends ever since. 14 years together, and we were finally being separated. I forced away the tears pricking my eyes as I hugged her tightly, trying my best to remember her coconut scented firetruck-red hair, her bright blue eyes, her ripped jeans and beat-up converse. She pulled back and swiped her bangs out of her eyes a bit, and grinned at me tearfully.

Well, if not goodbye, then see you later, she offered and I laughed sadly. She was trying her best not to cry so she didnt ruin her makeup, but I could tell she was struggling. Why she needed makeup, I didnt know – but she never even thought about stepping foot outside her house with at least her eyeliner on.

Im gonna miss you so much Clare, I hugged her again and she sniffed.

Ill miss you too Allie, she smiled, and held her hand up suggestively.

Goat? she said.

Goat. I finished, and put my hand on hers. When we were 12 and the book The Fault in Our Stars came out, we decided to create our own take on the iconic Okay? Okay. Clary was strangely into goats at the time, so that was what we were left with. She dropped her hand and with one last smile she got into the car and I waved at her family as they drove off down the road. My arm fell to my side as they turned the corner and I shuffled back into my house. Remus bounded down the stairs and nearly knocked me over, but other than that the house was silent. I figured Mom was still asleep. I stumbled into the kitchen and made myself a bowl of cereal while watching the news. It was all that played on the TV now anyways. Just news, news and oh! Wait, no, its more news.

By the time I was done eating, my mom had padded down the stairs and sat down on the couch. Her face was tear-streaked, her hair was a rats nest and I could smell her from here. I also noticed how pale she was. Looking at Remus curled up on his doggie bed, I had an idea.

Hey mum, I said. She looked over at me, startled, as if she didnt know I had been there.

Why dont you get a little cleaned up and then take Remus for a walk. Get some sun, I offered, and she frowned, trying to understand my words. She was a little slow because she just woke up, but her eyes lit up a little and she nodded.

Yeah she said, nodding again, Yeah, Ill do that. Fresh air, thats what I need. I smiled, seeing a bit of the old, happy Mom emerging as she made her way back upstairs to take a shower. I put my bowl in the sink and decided to clean up the kitchen a bit. It was a warzone pun intended. By the time I was done, Mom came down the stairs looking better than Id seen her in days. Her hair was washed and blow dried, falling to her shoulders in bouncy curls. She had just put a bit of natural makeup on and she was dressed in a purple jogging suit. She walked over and pulled me into a momma bear hug.

Thanks sweetie, she whispered to me and kissed me on the crown on the head before putting Remus on his leash and walking outside. I grinned to myself and flopped down onto the couch and decided to scroll through my Tumblr blog on my phone. I was pretty popular on the website, and a lot of my followers who lived outside of North America were sending me prayers and stuff because of the oncoming war. My mom hadnt even been gone for 20 minutes when my phone screen changed and Clarys face appeared. I answered the call and lifted the phone to my ear.

Hey Clare, I greeted, but frowned when I heard her worried voice.

Alex, you and your mom need to take cover, now, she said immediately. My eyebrows furrowed tight and I clenched the phone a little tighter. It was slightly hard, considering it was nearly the size of my face. It was more of a mini-tablet than anything.

What do you mean? I asked, worried.

Im at the airport and there are police and soldiers running around everywhere. The Americans just deployed bomber jets from New York, and theyre heading for Toronto. My stomach plummeted into the ground and I ran to the front of the house, looking out the windows. My mom was nowhere to be seen, but the skies looked clear and blue. I heard some shuffling over the phone line and concentrated on my hearing.

Alex? my eyes widened as I heard Marks voice over the other line.

Mark?

Sweetie, I need you to get to the shelter in the basement with your mom right now, he said quickly, as if a bomb could be dropped on me at any second. Understanding the urgency in his voice, that could very well happen.

Mark, moms out for a walk with Remus! She doesnt even know! just as I said this, I heard screams and gunshots coming from Marks side.

Mark? Mark! I yelled, my eyes darting around for any sign of my mom.

Alex? it was Kylie again, shooting concern through my chest.

Clary wheres Mark? I asked quickly.

He ran off to help with our side. Alex, I have to go, theyre- I heard another scream and more gunshots, and a thud as if she dropped her phone. A bead of sweat ran down my face and I paced in front of the window nervously.

Clary? Clary! there was more screams and shuffles and then abruptly the phone line went dead. I threw my phone in anger and fear and let out a scream of my own. Silence rang in the house and I screamed again, but another loud sound drowned me out. A siren was blaring and I could hear it echoing around the city. I felt like I was in one of those old movies about World War II. I remembered learning about The Blitz in London, and how planes would fly overhead the city at least once a week and bomb it. The siren sounded exactly like that. The war movies we were forced to watch in history class did these sirens no justice; they were louder than anything Id ever heard before.

I knew immediately that the bomber planes had been spotted. My mom was still nowhere to be seen, but movement caught my eye. The planes had arrived, and they were heading in my direction. I backed away from the window, my heart leaping out of my chest. It felt like someone had an iron grip on my lungs and my breaths came in short little gasps. My mom was outside, she was going to get bombed! I knew I should be taking cover in our bunker in the basement, but I couldnt get myself to move.

While I was having a mini-mental breakdown in my living room, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye, other than the planes. I turned, and I saw my mom turn around the end of the street. Her eyes were wide and she was running at the house full speed, Remus at her side. Relief ran through me and I pressed my hands against the window. She seemed happy to see me, and started sprinting faster.

Mom! I shouted, RUN! I saw the plane too late. It roared as it jetted past overhead and I heard the whistling of a bomb dropping. I screamed and ducked to the ground, just in time to see my mom dive to her side. There was a deafening bang as the bomb hit the street, and the window above me shattered, raining glass over me and cutting my hands that I had protecting my head. I coughed after a moment and stood up slowly, my ears ringing. The world was spinning, and it took me a second to stop seeing double. I shook some glass out of my hair and looked out the broken window. My mom was lying on the ground on her back and she was struggling to get up. A row of electrical poles had fallen and lay on either side of her. In-between me and her, there was a huge crater where the bomb landed. I nearly fainted with relief – she was alive!

Remus was nowhere to be found, and I assumed he ran off when the bomb dropped. She continued to struggle and I peered closer at her. It actually looked like she was having a seizure; her body was having spasms. Upon closer inspection, I saw a black wire lay across her chest, and like a slap to the face I realized it was the electrical one that fell, and it was letting out sparks. With a pang my brain put the pieces together. I yelled her name, but it was too late. Her body went still, and it felt like I could hear the constant bleep of a heart monitor displaying a dead heartbeat. My mom lay on the street, electrocuted. I heard more bombs exploding in the distance, but only one thing mattered to me in that moment; my mom was dead. And I was alone. Someone was screaming, and it took me a moment to realize that it was me.

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A/N: Alright there's Clary up there! She's played by Georgie Henley. Hope you guys are liking the story so far :)