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ONE; WICKED GAMES

     THE MARKS FAMILY — known for being completely regal and proper, never making a mistake in the public eye. Christian and Taylor Marks raised their only son, Ethan, to never falter from his duties and take full responsibility of himself. Although teaching Ethan lessons often led both persons to never make a full connection with him. Ethan never felt like he was truly a part of his family, just another pawn in their wicked games.

     He finds solace and comfort in his two best friends, Simon and Clary, who have stuck by him through thick and thin, for better or for worst.

     He will always confide in the two, even when he struggles with accepting his sexuality and the pair are there to pick up the pieces of his heart. He is so grateful to have the both of them in his life, but he has to admit — there's usually something missing. He doesn't know what it is, but he feels that when he finds it, his whole life will fall into place for once.

     Until then, he'll continue to drink coffee with Clary and Simon and brush away his worries.

     "Hey, man," Simon greets him, sliding a coffee mug over.

     "Hey. Clary isn't back yet?" Ethan questions, eyebrows furrowed when he doesn't see the redhead in her usual spot.

     "No," Simon hisses. "I'm getting super worried. Like, mega super ultra insanely worried."

     It was no surprise that Clary was excellent in her art. Ethan could remember Clary doodling works of art when they were just children, and her talent followed her all the way until she was eighteen. She currently had a huge meeting with the principal of her dream art school, and Ethan and Simon were waiting for her to return with the good news.

     "Relax, Si. You worry too much," Ethan chuckles, taking a sip of his coffee as he watches Simon fidget in his seat.

     Ethan knew about Simon's everlasting crush on Clary. It was obvious to everyone except Clary herself. Ethan swore that girl was smart but he didn't know how she could be so oblivious to Simon's apparent feelings.

     Speaking of the devil, Clary walked in, a disappointed look painted on her face. Ethan's heart fell. If Clary couldn't get in, then who could? Simon stood up, sensing her aura. "Give me the professors' names and I, I will end them."

     Ethan's eyebrows shot up. He had seen Simon try to kill a fly before and it had to be the most hilarious incident he had ever witnessed.

     "You know," Ethan smirked. "With a scathing email to the dean." Simon and him exchanged glances. They tended to have banter between each other.

     "Don't bother," Clary shook her head, setting her bag down. She occupied the seat across from the two boys. Simon took his place again. Ethan snatched the letter from Brooklyn Arts, chuckling when he saw the bold faced congratulations printed at the top. It was so like Clary to play a trick on them.

     "The sad face?" Ethan laughed. "Nice one, C." He high fived her, watching the little handshake her and Simon did afterwards. They made it up a few years ago and Ethan refused to partake in such a nerdy thing.

     "Thank you," Clary beamed. "You know, it's weird. They kind of liked my assigned work but they flipped out over the drawings of our graphic novel."

     Another nerdy thing Ethan did not want to be a part of.

     "You're welcome," Simon said. They had been working on the novel for quite a while. Ethan didn't think it was that bad, just something his parents wouldn't want him spending his time with.

     "This day will go down in history as the greatest eighteenth birthday I ever had."

     "Clary, it's your only eighteenth birthday," Ethan raised his eyebrows.

     "Which is why we are celebrating tonight," Simon nudged his friend playfully. The waitress came over, delivering more coffee for the group. "Yes, with Maureen after our show."

     The love triangle inside the group amused Ethan to no end. Maureen liked Simon, Simon liked Clary, and Clary had no idea that Simon liked her. It was Ethan's own personal Twilight.

     "So what's the deal with you and Maureen?" Ethan asked.

     "What deal?" Simon chuckled. "No deal. We sing together."

     "You seriously don't know she's been crushing on you this whole time?" Clary questioned. Ethan could practically see Maureen's eyes fall out of her head every time Simon spoke to her.

     "What?" Simon scoffed. "No."

     "Simon, how can someone as smart and perceptive as you not realize that the person sitting right there is in love with you?"

     Ethan snorted, almost choking on the coffee. He coughed a few times and Simon glared at him. Ethan gave him a subtle wink.

     "Guarantee you I'm not the only smart, perceptive person to make that mistake."

     Ethan choked again, waving his hands around. "Stop guys, please. You're killing me here."

     Clary furrowed her eyebrows but Simon hit Ethan on his shoulder as a warning. They had a silent agreement that Ethan would never tell Clary about his crush unless it was of dire importance.

     Ethan noticed that Clary's vision drifted to the paper below her drink.

     "That's a latte," Simon pointed out. Clary shook her head.

     "But I could've sworn I got a biscotti," she muttered. Ethan leaned over, seeing that there was a biscotti drawn on a piece of paper, but no actual biscotti. He had once seen Clary draw an animal without even realizing she had picked up her pencil, so it wasn't worrying him.

     "Maybe you ate it really fast and didn't notice. Happens to me all the time," Ethan joked. "When I'm happy, when I'm sad."

     Clary laughed. Simon grabbed his own biscotti, placing it on Clary's plate. "I will replace your mythical biscotti with an actual one."

     "You know what?" Ethan raised his cup. "Here's to Clary Fray, the birthday princess."

    They clinked their cups together and giggled wholeheartedly.

⊗ ⊗ ⊗ ⊗ ⊗

     "My mom is so overprotective lately," Clary complained. The four of them sat on top of Simon's van. Ethan was twiddling his thumbs as he listened to Clary. He wished he had a mother like Jocelyn, who would care for him and didn't judge him no matter who he loved.

     However, he was intently eyeing some boys below, one of them having the most beautiful green eyes. Ethan almost swooned.

     "So, do you remember in Aliens when the alien queen was defending her eggs from Ripley?" Simon inquired. He was holding his guitar that he was going to play when him and Maureen would perform their show. Ethan thought their music wasn't all that bad, considering it was Simon.

     "In this scenario, is her mom Ripley or the alien queen?" Ethan shot back.

     He was nudged in between Maureen and Clary. Maureen was making it very obvious about liking Simon, since she was laughing at almost everything he said.

     "Both."

     "What?" Maureen chimed, her eyes sparkling as she watched Simon move his guitar back and forth like it was a weapon.

     "A mother defending her young."

     Ethan rolled his eyes at Simon's geeky ways. "Defending me from what?" Clary asked. "I spend all day in an art studio. My life couldn't be more mundane. Besides, I really don't know much about when she was young."

     "Just do what I do and get all the dirt from your relatives," Maureen suggested.

     Ethan nodded in agreement. The only viable information he received about his parents' childhood was the occasional stories at family gatherings. They had the simple fairytale — boy meets girl and they fall in love. They had Ethan and decided not to have any more kids, leaving him as an only child. He sometimes wished he had a brother or sister to confide in, but remembered he always had Simon and Clary.

     "Well, I would if I could, but she doesn't have any. And my dad died before I was born."

     "So you have no one?" Maureen pried. Ethan was curious about Clary's family history. She had to have someone related to her by blood. "No uncles? No aunts? No third cousins, twice removed?"

     "No, just me and my mom."

     Ethan didn't press further on the subject, even if he did think it was false information. "It's why the Lewis clan has added four chairs to every seder since preschool." Ethan wasn't very informed on Simon's Jewish customs. "One for Clary, one for Jocelyn, one for Elijah, and one for Ethan."

     "Of course."

     "Yes, obviously."

     "You guys don't think that's a little bit suspicious?" Maureen looked over at the trio. "You not knowing anything about your family? Your mom could be hiding some deep, dark secret."

     "Maureen, it's not possible," Clary dismissed.

     "No, no think about it."

     "No, seriously. My mother is incapable of concealing anything from me," Clary assured.

     "Well, c'mon," Ethan jumped down from the truck. The rest followed in pursuit. "Let's go see Simon sing his heart out."

     Apparently, other people enjoyed Simon's music too. When they entered the place, Simon got set up and they began to sing their cover of Forever Young in no time. Ethan watched the lingering gaze of Maureen on Simon, and Simon's on Clary. He was highly entertained as he sat on the small couch. The duo sang a few more songs before leaving. Ethan congratulated them for doing so well.

     "Thank you guys for being our roadies," Maureen smiled. They had already loaded everything inside the van.

     "Yeah, and thanks for being our artist in residence," Simon directed to the redhead. He peeled off his shirt and Ethan watched Maureen's pupils dilate. He couldn't help but sneak a peek as well. Simon definitely wasn't ugly but Ethan always thought of him like a brother.

     "Of course," Clary spoke, leaning against the open back door. "So, you went on stage tonight as Champagne Enema."

     Ethan cringed at the awful band name. He persisted that they rename it. "What were you guys thinking?"

     "Hey," Simon interjected, picking up a new tee. "Now, we're Rock Solid Panda."

     Ethan shook his head in disagreement. Simon was the worst at picking band names. If Ethan got to choose, he would pick something simple like Common Culture.

     "Rock Solid Panda coming up. I'm feeling inspired."

     Clary reached for the spray paint Luke had given to her earlier. They followed Clary and watched her decorate the van. Ethan frowned when she started to paint an unknown symbol. He narrowed his eyes, swearing he had seen it before. He must've doodled it or seen it around the apartment.

     "What's that tag?" Simon pointed to the symbol next to Champagne Enema.

     "Weird, I didn't even mean to draw that."

     "I've seen that before," Ethan voiced.

     "Really? It's the second time today I've drawn it subconsciously."

     "You know they have confirmed cases of people waking up in the morning speaking French, and they never even studied the language," Maureen told the two. Simon put the spray paint in the back of the van.

     "Do you think that's some kind of language?" Ethan's eyes grazed over the symbol again.

     "Sanskrit, maybe."

     Ethan observed as a blonde guy walked past, bumping shoulders with Clary's. Ethan grabbed his arm. "Hey, can you watch where you're going?" Clary hissed. It was one thing to hit someone but another to not apologize for it.

     He walked closer to the two, his eyes wide and alert.

     "You can see me?"

     "Yeah, that's kind of the point, but you obviously didn't see me," Clary stated.

     "You have the Sight," the blonde continued to speak nonsense.

     "Wait, the what?"

     "Seriously, dude. What kind of drugs are you on?" Ethan asked, one eyebrow raised.

     "How can I not know who you are?" The man countered back.

     Ethan scoffed. Clary spoke sarcastically, "Has that line seriously ever worked for you? Even once?"

     "Jace!" Someone called out in the distance. The blonde took one last look at them before he turned around and walked away.

     Clary and Ethan returned back to Simon and Maureen. "Can you guys believe that blonde dude?"

     "I know, right? He was totally flirting with me!" Ethan said.

     Clary's eyes narrowed. "Pretty sure that was me you're talking about, Ethan."

     "Are you guys talking about the imaginary dude you two were talking to?" Simon asked.

     "No, the guy right there, running into the club," Clary pointed out. However, it only caused Simon and Maureen to grow more confused.

     "Clary, Ethan, there's nobody there," Maureen said gently, figuring out how to approach the situation.

     Clary continued in her argument. "The guy covered in tats, like-"

     "What guy are you talking about?"

     "You guys seriously don't see him?" Clary questioned, puzzled. Ethan was also dumbfounded, wondering if he and Clary were the ones in the wrong or if it was Simon and Maureen.

     "No."

     "Okay, could you stop making me feel insane?"

     Ethan hummed in agreement. "Yeah, you guys are seriously making me question whether or not there's something wrong with us. Well, besides the fact that Clary thinks the dude was hitting on her instead of me."

     "Could you guys stop acting that way?" Maureen shot back.

     "Seriously, what was in your latte?"

     Clary steps forward, unzipping her green jacket. "Where are you going?" Simon inquires. She throws the fabric to him.

     "To get some answers."

     "Remember, your fake ID sucks!"

     Once they entered the club, Pandemonium, Clary had quickened her pace and vanished from Ethan's sight. "Clary!" Ethan shouted, trying to get the girl to slow down. He was attempting to identify her brightly-colored hair in the crowd of people.

     "Clary!" He called out again, pushing a drunk woman back to her date. He grumbled quietly when someone stepped on his foot. He only bought the shoes yesterday.

     The blonde disappeared behind a closed curtain, and Ethan finally caught up to Clary.

     "C, what the hell are you doing? We should go back to Simon. Him and Maureen are probably failing at getting your birthday drinks."

     "They didn't see him, Ethan," Clary stated. "Only we did. I want to know why."

     "Is it that important to you?" Clary just motioned to the guy in front of them. He was their ticket to get behind that curtain.

     "Flirt with him."

     "What?"

     She pushed him forward and he stumbled, grasping the person's arm. The guy stared down at the unknown teenager.

     "Hi," Ethan chuckled. He gulped back what he had earlier that day and tried to gain confidence. "Somebody works out. Cool contacts."

     Ethan and the man disappeared behind the curtain and the first thing that caught Ethan's attention was the girl dancing on top of a table, men surrounding her. The blonde stranger from earlier was stood behind another girl wearing a pink dress, whispering in her ear.

     Clary stepped forward and Ethan's eyes widened when the guy pulled out a glowing blade. Ethan took his arm off the stranger that led him in and tried to warn the girl.

     "Watch out!"

     Clary rushed to push the woman out of the way and the blonde stared down at her with a confused look in his eyes. He immediately shoved Clary backwards to protect her from the demon, tentacles emerging from where its mouth used to be. Ethan felt his heart racing as the glowing blade hit the creature, turning it into ash.

     "Clary!" He came to her side, checking to see if she was alright. He helped her up and the guy looked at the both of them.

     "Are you hurt?"

     Clary couldn't even choke out an answer before someone hit the stranger, his blade falling onto the black couch behind them. The glowing sword withdrew its place back to the handle. Ethan accelerated his pace and grabbed the blade, watching it light up at the touch of his fingertips. He wasted no time in hauling the blade deep into the man hurting the blonde, watching him crumble and evaporate. Although he was sure he had never murdered someone before, the experience of holding the weapon felt familiar to him.

     "Ethan!" Clary shrieked. He had just killed an innocent man. "What did you just do?"

     "I-I don't know, I just-" he stuttered, staring down at the weapon.

     The blonde retrieved it back, an amazed look painted on his face. Ethan watched as the stranger killed more innocents around him. The girl who was dancing on the table was now doing the same. Ethan's eyes darted up when a figure came down from the ceiling, driving his blade into someone who almost hurt the dark haired girl. Ethan grabbed Clary and pulled her away, afraid for their safety.

     "We have to go, Clary. Now!"

     They ran out of the closed area and Ethan apologized when he bumped into someone else. The Asian man had expensive rings adorning his fingers and other pieces of jewelry decorating his body. He was wearing makeup on his eyelids and a nice suit. Clary also stopped to stare at the man. A flashback took over Ethan's brain and he shook his head, clutching the fabric of Clary's shirt to leave. He needed a long nap and time to think over who he just killed and how they dissipated into thin air.

     Ethan pushed past the crowd and followed Clary outside.

     "Clary!" Simon yelled after his two best friends. A cab was waiting outside for the driver had been thinking he could earn more cash by parking in front of the club.

     "What the hell was that?" Ethan exhaled. He felt like he was being suffocated and he couldn't breathe. "Who were those people? Why did nobody say anything about killing them?"

     "I don't know!" Clary responded, grabbing at her seat. "We need to see my mother."

     He opened his mouth to say something, but he knew it was the right idea to visit Jocelyn. His own parents would be no help. At the mention of the things he saw tonight, they would enroll him into a boarding school so none of their colleagues would hear his nonsense.

     The rest of the car ride was silent, and the driver said nothing about the fact that Ethan mentioned someone getting killed. He only asked what the address was and Clary gave it to him. When they arrived at her apartment, Ethan threw him some spare money in his pocket and told him to keep the leftover change.

    The duo hurried upstairs and Clary unlocked the door. Jocelyn's head shot up when she heard the lock click, watching as her daughter and friend entered. They both appeared frazzled and she frowned, setting down a book she was reading to ask what was wrong.

     "The most bizarre thing happened tonight," Ethan whispered, shutting the door behind him. He leaned against it, throwing his head back and taking deep breaths.

     "Are you two okay?"

     She sat down on the couch as Clary paced back and forth. Ethan clenched his fists, trying to contain the last nerve he was holding onto.

     "There was this blonde guy," Ethan explained, closing his eyes. He tried to reimagine the situation. "He bumped into Clary after Simon and Maureen's gig. I told him to watch where he was going, but Simon said that he couldn't see anybody. Like we were speaking to an invisible person."

     Jocelyn's palms became sweaty, well knowing what Ethan was talking about.

     "So, we followed them inside this club," Clary rambled. "Then before you know it, they were shoving these glowing blades into random people. And then these creepy tentacles seemed to come out of the bodybuilder's face and then the guy just vaporized! I mean, we were drugged, right?" She didn't even explain the full story, but her mother waved off that factor.

     "What did the markings look like on the blonde boy you were talking about?" Jocelyn asked, curious to know if they had met Shadowhunters that night.

     "Who cares, mom?" Clary panicked. "Are you even listening to us? I think Ethan killed a guy."

     Ethan couldn't even remember what took over him. It just felt like he had to jab that sword into the person's body. It was almost on instinct.

     "Clary," Jocelyn spoke, pulling out her stele. "Did they look like this?" Ethan opened up his orbs, watching as the tip of the item glowed up. Jocelyn ran it over her skin and a mark appeared. It was similar to the symbols Ethan always saw around his house.

     Clary was astonished. "Mom, what the-"

     "Everything you saw tonight has a meaning and an explanation and I've dreaded having this conversation with you since the day you were born."

     Clary shook her head, not comprehending what her mother had just done. "What is going on? Are we going insane?" Jocelyn stood up, walking towards her daughter. Ethan watched the scene unfold, afraid of what was to come next.

     "No, you're not, but the protections are wearing off. You're eighteen now and you need to know the truth."

     Jocelyn flashed a look of sympathy to Ethan. She had known he was a Shadowhunter since the boy was little, and begged his parents to reveal something of his heritage to him. They refused to listen to Jocelyn's pleads.

     "Protections? What does that even mean? Mom, you're scaring the hell out of me!" Clary announced.

     "I know, and that's why I've put this off until the last possible minute," Jocelyn attempted to soothe Clary.

     "I should go home," Ethan whispered, opening the door. Jocelyn was about to tell him to stop until Dot rushed inside.

     "Jocelyn, look out the window," the girl declared. A look of horror washed over her features. "Magnus called to warn us." Ethan stopped in his tracks when Clary's mother rushed to the window, her movements quick and alert. "They found you."

     "Dot, it's time!" She said, jogging back. "Okay, listen to me," she directed towards Clary. "You cannot be near me."

     Dot captured Ethan and dragged him inside, shutting the door. "What's happening?" He asked, noticing the growing tension filling the room.

     "I got a very powerful person angry," Jocelyn muttered.

     "What did you do?" Clary questioned.

     "I hid something from him and his followers."

     "Ethan," Dot clasped her hand on his shoulder. "You have to watch over Clary for me."

     "What are you-"

     "Ethan," she spoke with more urgency. "Promise me."

     He nodded. "I promise."

     Jocelyn was giving Clary a necklace, only sparking the girl's rage. She tossed Ethan a ring, knowing his parents would want him to have it. The ring was a shiny gold color, with jewels lining around the center. He stared down at it, a memorable feeling in his brain.

     "Only if you need it," Dot passed Jocelyn a green colored bottle. He watched Dot extend her hand, a glowing blue mist emerging from it. Ethan didn't even notice that Jocelyn was looking into his eyes.

     "Ethan, listen to me. You're stronger than you think you are. Find your real parents and Orion Storm. Be safe," she commanded, kissing his forehead as if he was her own child. He opened his mouth to question why Jocelyn had said real parents, but was amazed when Dot created a purple haze in the middle of Clary's living room. Jocelyn grabbed both Ethan and Clary and pushed them in front of the lavender wall. "Everything I've done, every mistake that I've made was because I love you more than words."

     "Mom, what are you doing?" Clary felt like she was bound to throw up any minute now at the rate her mind was processing things.

     "Luke will explain everything. He'll hide you both."

     "Hide us?"

     "From the Circle!" Jocelyn hadn't realized how clueless Clary was. She started to regret not telling her everything that morning. "He's the only one you can trust. Trust no one else."

     "Mom, I don't-"

     "Where's Luke now?" The tone of Jocelyn's voice was so commanding and Ethan cowered back. It was different from her normal endearing voice.

     "At the police station!" Clary could feel tears brimming her eyes.

     "Remember, I love you!" Jocelyn reminded. "Take care of my daughter," she nodded towards Ethan.

     He didn't say a word, only freezing when a new sensation passed over him. He closed his eyes and when he reopened them, he was no longer standing in Clary's apartment. They were both collapsed on the floor of the police station. Clary was clutching her wrist, spraining it in the process of teleporting. Ethan took in his surroundings, seeing a blonde woman walk up the steps.

     "Clary?"

     The redhead was quick to stand and Ethan proceeded after. She seemed to recognize the woman. "Captain Vargas," she addressed.

     "It's two in the morning. What are you and your friend doing here so late?" Susanna Vargas couldn't remember ever seeing Clary's friend before. Clary stumbled to make a response so Ethan stepped in.

     "Luke said he would drive us home if he was still here," he justified. She bought the excuse, a grin creeping on her lips.

     "Still doesn't trust those cabbies, huh? Well, he's in the middle of an interview. It could take a while."

     "Cool," he nodded, wrapping one arm around Clary. She was shaking badly, turning her head around to try and see if someone was going to appear, shouting that all of this had been a prank. "We'll wait in the cafeteria." They started to head towards the direction of the lunchroom, but Captain Vargas stopped them again.

     "Hey, is there some sort of problem?" She examined Clary, who didn't look like she normally did. Her hair was sticking out in random places and she was wearing an outfit that Luke would not approve of. "Guy trouble?" She examined the way Ethan's arm was draped around her shoulder. The boy didn't seem like Clary's type, but Susanna didn't know about Clary's relationships that well.

     "Yeah, sure," Clary agreed. She wanted to dismiss the topic as soon as possible. "Ethan's helping me out."

     The blonde nodded, not pressing her situation any further. She gripped her case folders tighter against her chest and left the two. Ethan was about to walk to the cafeteria as promised, but Clary stopped him. "We need to go see Luke."

     He nodded, almost forgetting the real reason why they were at the police station. He was still switching gears after what happened tonight. He received a few texts from his father, asking where he was, but he ignored them. His mind was still lingering on Jocelyn's words.

     They walked to Luke's office, but silenced their footsteps when they heard other voices.

     "The minute we found out Jocelyn Fairchild was alive, you were easy to track."

     "Fairchild?" Clary mumbled, never hearing that last name before. It was always Jocelyn and Clary Fray.

     "Turns out you and Jocelyn were never that far apart." The two people interrogating Luke was a man and woman. The dark colored woman sat on his desk, one eyebrow raised. The light skinned man was sitting on the chair across from Luke. "The Circle has her now. It's just a matter of time until we catch the daughter."

     "You can have them both if you give up the Mortal Cup," the woman offered. Luke leaned forward, taking a deep breath.

     "I don't care about either of them. They mean nothing to me."

     Ethan's eyes widened, not expecting to hear that come from Luke's mouth. Clary gasped at the harsh tone of his words.

     "Kill them both if you like. My people want the Cup. Why do you think I've been hanging around here all these years? Now, when I find the Cup," he stood up abruptly, causing the other two stand as well. "I'm gonna keep it. And you can tell Valentine and the Circle that."

     "No one mentioned Valentine," the lady pointed out. Ethan blinked twice, trying to understand who they were speaking about. Who was Valentine? Were they talking about the holiday?

     "You didn't have to."

     "Listen to me-" the man stuck his finger out as a warning, but Luke smacked it with rage.

     "No, you listen to me. Get out of my office."

     The man scoffed, buttoning his jacket angrily but complying to the order.

     Ethan and Clary ducked down and they both took deep breaths. "We have to go, Ethan."

     "But Clary, Jocelyn said-"

     "I know what she said," his friend growled. "You heard what he said in there. We can't trust him."

     So Clary and Ethan left, not knowing where to go or who to trust.

⊗ ⊗ ⊗ ⊗ ⊗

     "C, we shouldn't be here," Ethan whispered lowly. Clary ignored his warning, shouting for her mother.

     Clary's apartment was completely destroyed and Ethan felt like someone was stabbing his heart repeatedly. Clary emitted a pained cry, falling to her knees. He leaned over and moved her soaking hair to the side. The rain was pouring down heavily and Ethan had to keep pushing his drenched locks from distracting his vision.

     "We have to find what they were looking for," she responded. She took a few deep breaths before standing; Ethan was following after her. The redhead selected a weapon laying on one of the tables, and his eyes widened at how sharp the edges of the blade were.

     "What are you going to do, Clary? Impale someone?" He hissed. She strode forward and Ethan stepped over shards of glass from the broken window.

     "We need to scan the whole house. Grab something, Ethan," she demanded, ignoring his interrogation.

     He chose one of Jocelyn's kitchen knives, proceeding to the living room. He ceased his movements when he saw Dot standing in the center of the open space. Clary rushed to hug her, dropping the weapon, but Ethan extended his arm out to stop her from moving further. If Dot had found the both of them, she wouldn't be so frozen. Her first instinct would be to envelop the teenagers into her arms.

     "They took Jocelyn," she said robotically. Clary attempted to push Ethan away, but he kept his grip.

     "Who took her?" She frantically questioned. Ethan tried to step backwards as Dot advanced. Nothing seemed right about this situation.

     "Rogue Shadowhunters searching for the Mortal Cup."

     Ethan furrowed his eyebrows at Dot's explanation. It was yet another term he wasn't acquainted with.

     "What the hell are you talking about?" He spat.

     "Think, Clary," she instructed. Ethan clutched the knife in his hand, ready to lunge at the imposter in any given moment. "Did your mother ever talk to you about a cup? A very important cup. It's gold, almost like a chalice."

     "No!" Clary denied. "No, I don't know anything about a cup, Dot!"

     "Clary, we should leave," Ethan sibilated in a quiet manner. His hand left Clary to outstretch the knife to Dot. She twisted her head, challenging him.

     "Think, Clary," she ordered again, coming closer. "This could save Jocelyn."

     "Step back!" Ethan hollered. Clary didn't understand why he was acting so hostile towards Dot. She was trying to help. "Leave us alone! She can't think for herself, someone kidnapped her mother."

     "You know more than you think you do, Clary Fray."

     Tentacles emerged from Dot's mouth, knocking Ethan's knife to the floor. The creature smacked the side of his face, causing him to fall to the ground. He blacked out from the impact and the last thing he heard was Clary's screams of terror.

this chapter is 35 pages long omg