Serendipity / A.Lightwood

Chapter Three

"Sorry, man." He said, not able to look away from him. There was something about him. Something he couldn't quite place.

"Charlie." The man breathed out, raising a hand to press against Charlie's shoulder. At the touch, he seemed to have snapped out of the trance he was in and he shuddered.

"Sorry for bumping into you." Was all Charlie could say as he turned and ran from the club in desperation, searching for his sister. He had spent too long already on staring at the unknown man. "Clary!" He called out, watching the door of the taxi close before the vehicle pulled off.

~

By the time Charlie had made it back home, he was sweating buckets and he was panting heavily. He wasn't sure how in the hell he had managed to get home with barely any stops for a breather, but he was there.

As was Dot, Clary and Jocelyn.

"They found you." Dot said, her tone breathless as the situation was dire. Charlie practically fell into the room, beathing even heavier now that he had stopped moving.

"Yeah, don't worry, i'm fine." He spat sarcastically, glaring at his little sister as she had been the one to abandon him. Jocely nran from the room, however, and look out of the window as a red car pulled up outside the apartment complex.

"Dot, it's time." Jocelyn said, her words holding a secrecy that neither Charlie nor Clary knew of. "Okay, kids, listen to me." Jocelyn rushed back into the room, her tone desperate. "You cannot be near me."

"What's happening?" The Fray children asked in sync, glancing to one another before they looked at their mother.

"I got a very powerful person angry."

"What did you do?"

"I hid something from him." Jocelyn answered Clary honestly. "And his followers."

"Followers? Mom, why can't we just call the police?"

"The policeman you need to call is Luke." Jocelyn's words were sharp as she stared at Clary in desperation, hoping the girl and her brother would heed to her words. She then roughly turned Clary around on the spot and clasped a necklace with a chunky purple stone on it around her neck. "Keep this with you and think of me when you wear it."

"Mom, you're acting batshit crazy." Charlie commented, folding his arms over his chest as he watched his mother's actions.

"This is not the time for more birthday gifts." Clary said angrily, flicking her red hair out from underneath the necklace chain before turning to face Jocelyn once more. Gone was their soft spoken, caring mother. The woman was frantic, afraid but determined. "What the hell is happening?!"

"Only if you need it." Dot suddenly said, handing a bottle to Jocelyn. It had a green liquid inside, to which made Charlie unfold his arms and shake his head.

"I agree with Clary. What's happening?"

"Trust your instincts. Both of you." Jocelyn demanded sharply, bringing her children closer together. "You're both more powerful than you know." Jocelyn took the chance to turn to Charlie and sigh. "Look after her, Charles."

"I will." He said softly, knowing it was now up to him to keep Clary safe. Something he had been doing for years now.

"Mom, we need to understand what's-"

"Dot, open it!" Jocelyn interrupted Clary, not wasting any more time. Charlie looked towards Dot, watching as a blue mist appeared in the woman's palm before the sliding doors opened and a massive purple and black portal to hell of sorts also appeared.