"Cami..." Mom sighs, her head bowing low

This was clearly something bad or something really important, especially since neither Luke nor Mom had told me off for cussing

"This isn't going to be easy, Jocelyn" Luke stated as Mom drifted to the couch, sitting with her head between her knees, "It's best to be done with it before Clary comes home"

"You're right" she sighs, "Of course you're right"

"What in the freaking hell is going on?" I snap, frustrated and confused, "What is so important it can't wait for tomorrow or at least until Clary comes home?"

"Well...Actually, Cami, you're right" Mom redirects, standing from the couch and crossing over to Luke, who wore a look of pure confusion, "It can wait for your sister to come home, it's fine"

It didn't look fine but I was tired and sick of running around in circles.

"Fine" I huff before turning the corner and into my room but not before catching Mom's words to Luke

"Just let them be kids, let them be innocent for just one more night"

Too tired to reel back and ask what that meant, or even to snap at her for calling me a kid, I mean I'm 21 now come on, I stalk off to my bedroom instead, and as soon as my head hits the pillow the world goes black.

***

"MOM!" A scream wakes me up from my sleep and I snap upright in my bed.

Clary.

I shoot out of bed, whipping my door open and running straight to the living room where Mom had her arms tightly wrapped around a shivering Clary.

"Mom!" Clary breathes a loud sigh of relief, "Mom, oh my god"

"Clary? What the hell happened?" I ask, mystified, "Why were you screaming?"

"Oh god, Cami, I think...I think I just murdered someone"

"What?" I gasp, looking to Mom who looked scared...but also strangely calm

"Sit down and tell me what happened" Mom breathes, sitting Clary on the couch

I sit down across from my mother on the couch as Clary reels off the story from start to finish; from bumping into a guy covered in strange markings whom only she could see, to following him to a private section of the club she had snuck into and watching him stab a girl...or someone she'd thought was a girl...to having stabbed one of the 'monsters' herself...with a glowing sword.

"And then these creepy tentacles seemed to come out of the body builder's face, and...and then the guy just...vaporised" Clary trembles, now pacing back and forth along the chair, her seat now occupied by my intently listening mother, "I mean, I was...I was drugged, right?"

The whole story sounded like it had plucked itself from one of Simon's comic books it was so ludicrous.

"Well, of course" I interject, "What else could explain...no, nothing could explain that. Not rationally"

"What did the markings look like on the blonde boy you were talking about?" Mom questions, her tone level and still, unfailingly, calm

"Who cares, Mom?!" I interrupt again, suddenly livid, "This is not the time for 21 questions. You're daughter's been drugged, has potentially just murdered someone and all you want to know about it is the tattoo's the random guy had? I mean, are you even listening to her?!"

"Clary" Mom utters, pulling out what looks like the same family heirloom she'd given me, brandishing it above the skin of her arm, "Did they look like this"

As she glides the wand like thing over the skin of her arm, a marking appears over the spot she'd passed. It looked like a weird, Aztecian tattoo or strange marking, not unlike the ones Clary described...

Not unlike the ones Clary drew.

I leap off the couch in surprise, throwing myself over to where Clary is standing, wide eyed, her mouth gaping open in shock.

"Mom, what the..." Clary whispers, taking a tentative step back

"Everything you saw tonight has an explanation Clary" Mom explains, "An explanation I tried to give you earlier, Cami."

"Mom, what is going on?" I hiss, both scared and angry. Was she trying to trick us? Was this all a stupid joke?

"Am I going insane?" Clary stammers

"No, you're not" Mom assures her, "And it isn't a joke. But the protections are wearing off for you Clary. You're 18 now and you need to know the truth"

"Protections?" Clary whispers, "What does that even mean?"

"Mom, you're scaring the hell out of her!" I shout as Clary cowers into me

"I know, Cami, I know" Mom cries, "And that's why I've tried to put this off until the last possible minute!"

I open my mouth to shout at her some more before Dot comes hurtling around the corner, concerned and urgent

"Jocelyn! Look out the window. Magnus called to warn us. They found you"

Mom pushes her way to the window as I shriek shrill questions over to her.

"Who's they? Who's Magnus? Mom, who have you pissed off?!"

"Dot, it's time!" Mom calls from the window, anxiety lacing her tone as she ignores my frantic questions

Unlike my sister, in times of crisis, I don't get scared or worried or anxious...at least not on the outside. Inside, I was freaking the fuck out, but the outside? I was furious, aggravated and annoyed but I was also ready to take any action possible to protect my mother and sister.

I couldn't seem to explain it but there was a slow calmness spreading over me, as if I knew what I was doing, as if this was natural to me, something I'd done before. It was like a haze was falling over me, like muscle memory and I knew precisely what I was going to have to do.

Get Clary the fuck out of here.

"I got a very powerful person angry" Mom, having decided to answer at least one of my questions, finally spoke as she headed towards a box in the middle of the room, pulling a large, purple crystal on a necklace chain out from inside of it, "I hid something from him and his followers"

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

"The policeman you need to call is Luke" Mom says, unfastening the link on the chain necklace and placing it around Clary's neck, "Keep this with you and think of me when you wear it"

"Mom, this is not the time for more birthday gifts! What the hell is happening?" Clary yells, finally finding her voice, "Cami, Cami, what is happening?"

"Only if you need it" Dot interrupts before I can say anything, passing a bottle of bright green liquid to Mom. I didn't need to know what it was to know that it was not good.

"Trust your instincts, Clary" Mom rushes, seeming to realise time was slipping away from them, "And Cami, I know you know what you need to do and I know that you'll be able to protect your sister. You two are more powerful than you know."

I nod curtly, like a robot acting on pure instinct. It was as if my mind had slipped into my subconscious, my body, my personality was absent, all I had become was pure, unadulterated instinct.

"Mom, I need to understand-" Clary starts before Mom interrupts telling Dot to open 'it'

Whatever 'it' was, I didn't know. But I frankly didn't care either, all I knew was that we were in danger and that I had to get Clary out of it. It was all that mattered.

"Clary, come on" I mutter, my tone almost stony, lacking any feeling

"Dot" Mom warned, looking from me to Dot and back again, "Get them through now"

Dot nods, raising her arm and concentrating on a spot in between two of our swinging doors. As she focused, her hand shook and an emerald green smoke appeared around her hand. The doors parted and a purple, swirling mass suddenly stood in between the two doors.

"Everything I've done. Every mistake I've ever made was because I love you both more than words" Mum whines, placing the two of us just in front of the swirling purple gateway

"Mom, what-"

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

"Hide us?" Clary cries shrilly

"From the Circle" Mom urges and at the mention of the world, 'Circle,' my ears perk up, my brain awakens and I remember.

Shadowhunters.

"He's the only one you both can trust. Trust no one else! Where's Luke now?!"

"At the police station!" Clary answers automatically

Some unknown, hidden instinct kicks in and I grab Clary's shoulder before pushing us both back into the swirling purple portal, thinking hard about the police station, about Luke, somehow knowing that if I thought hard enough, I would end up there. Air whooshes around us, swelling in big gusts and pushing our hair around wildly.

"Remember, I love you!" Mom's voice echoes as we fall back into the mess of purple. It's not long before Mom disappears from view completely and our surroundings switch from our boho apartment to the NYPD station.

In the absence of our mother and the approaching...what was it...some guy?...the weird sense of primal instinct had faded and I was back to being angry and confused, no longer silent, cold and stony, my personality and feelings slowly trickling back to me.

Weird.

I wonder what came over me?

"Clary...Cami?" a female voice asks, her heels clicking up the marble steps of the police station

"Captain Vargus" I breathe, scrambling to my feet, Clary following suit

"It's 2:00 in the morning, what are you two doing here so late?"

"Uh...um"

"Luke said he'd drive us home if he was still around" I lie quickly, thanking myself for not changing into pyjamas before sleeping earlier

"Still doesn't trust those cabies, huh?" Vargas chuckles, her suspicious expression disapperated and replaced by one of kindness and warmth, "Well, he's in the middle of an interview. It could take a while"

An interview this late?

What could be so important it couldn't wait until later in the morning?

"That's cool" Clary smiles, her composure returning, as she grabs my arm and begins to pull me away, "We...we can just wait in the cafeteria"

"Hey, uh...is there some sort of problem?" Vargas inquires, concerned

"Guy trouble" I shrug, rolling my eyes, "To be 18 and naive, right?"

"Hey!" Clary huffs half-heartedly, smacking me lightly

Vargas nods and we turn the corner, rushing away quickly before she can change her mind and become suspicious again.

"What was that back at home?" Clary rushes, panic setting in again now that pretences were no longer needed to be kept, "And why did you push us through that thing? What's Mom doing, what was that marking? God, Cami, what is going on?!"

They were all valid questions, well deserved of valid answers but I had none.

I truly, completely am just as mystified as she is.

*********

This chapter may seem confusing as it's alluding to Cami's backstory that will be explore later into the book.

Just to clear it up though in case I was too vague; Cami has no clue about anything but when her mum talked about the circle, her instincts kicked in...where those instincts came from and how Cami is over 18 but still has no memories will be explained later and just to be clear, when they arrived to the police station, everything about knowing what to do with the portal and knowing the word 'shadowhunter' completely left her mind and she doesn't remember saying it or even thinking it.

Yeah, it's a little cryptic and confusing but when it's explained, it should make sense.

Make sure you comment, vote and add this story! And please suggest it to friends!

As always,

Happy Reading!!!