City of Angels and Darkness (Contest Version)

Chapter 1

- Alicante, 2007-

Amelia Cross felt as if someone had punched her in the gut. No, it felt worse. Way worse than that. It felt as if someone had steeped his hand into her chest, ripped out her heart and left a big block of cold ice inside of her. She just couldn't believe what just had happened. Even in her worst nightmares, she never would have dared to believe that it would even be possible. Amelia leaned against the cold wall behind her and closed her eyes. She had to put her hands on the icy stones beside her body, otherwise she might not have been able to stay on her two feet. Her legs felt weak, her hands were shaky and in her head she heard the sound of her own circulating blood.

"Amy? Darling? Are you alright?"

With a worried look on her face Alexandria Cross stood before her daughter and held out her hand. Amelia opened her eyes and looked at her mother, her gaze was wild and furious. "That just ... that can't be true. Tell me that it is not true! You ... you must have gotten it wrong."

Alexandria dropped her hand. "No, darling. I am so sorry. The Clave has decided."

Stunned Amelia shook her head. When she spoke, her voice sounded as weak as she was feeling. "But that's not right. They are wrong. They have to change their minds."

"I'm afraid, but that is not going to happen," her mother said, a sad tone in her voice. "You know how this works. They have discussed it properly and have come to a decision. They won't change."

"But it is wrong!" Amelia felt the icy rock in her chest turn to a ball of red raging fury. "Let me talk to them. Let me talk to Jia. I have to tell her that she's wrong." She clenched her fists and pushed her body away from the wall. Luckily her legs seemed to be able to hold her upright. The last thing she wanted was to break down in the floors of the Gard.

"I don't think the Council is going to listen to you," Alexandria said. "You're not a member, only a teenager."

Amelia hated it when her mother talked to her like that. She hated when Alexandria treated her like a child, for she was already sixteen years old. Of course she knew that she was still young, but that didn't mean that she was stupid or that she had nothing to say. It didn't mean that she hadn't deserved to be heard. Like any other Shadowhunter she was old enough to fight with a sword or knew how to handle a bow. She was old enough to know how to fight and old enough to know how to kill. How could it be possible, that she was too young to speak in front of the Council?

Amelia took a deep breath. "Take me to Jia. She will listen. I will make her listen to me." Alexandria stood there as if she was frozen, so Amelia said, "Fine. I'll go alone." She wanted to walk past her mother, but Alexandria grabbed her arm. Amelia turned around and looked at her. "Let go of me!"

She was surprised herself how strong her voice sounded, for she felt as weak as never before. But something deep inside her made her feel confident somehow, made her stand up against her mother and made her believe she could convince the Council that they had come to a wrong decision.

"Amy," Alexandria began, but Amelia broke away from her. "No! I do not want to hear it! I do not want to hear that they give up just like that! We are Shadowhunters. Isn't that supposed to mean that we don't give up without at least fighting? Or trying? We don't give up, not having tried anything we can. That is not our nature!" Her voice became softer, almost pleading. "When did we begin to leave our kind behind?"

At the end of the long floor some other Shadowhunters, who had been to the meeting of the Clave, had stopped to see what was going on between Alexandria and her daughter. However, Amelia didn't care. She didn't bother whether the others were listening or not. It was her right to speak out her opinion - and she didn't care if anyone else in Alicante heard what she had to say!