City of Time

Chapter 1: Late Dreams

(What Venice Looks like from Clary's POV)

We all stood gathered around the mirror, staring at our reflections. I reached over Jace's shoulder trying to get a good look at it. The mirror itself was grand, about 5 feet tall and a couple feet wide. A wooden frame surrounding it, carvings of strange beasts cut into it. Satyrs with pipes dancing around it, faeries looking mischievously at the whoever would be looking into the glass. From time to time the glass would ripple, like a rock being thrown into a pond.

"Come on Jace, let me see" I whined, only to have Jace's elbow jab my ribs. I gave up standing back, watching Isabelle, Alec, and Jace look at the glass with interest. I crossed my arms over my chest like a child whose block tower had been knocked down. Max waddled over to my side, tugging at my shirt. His little chubby 3 year old face staring up at me. I sighed, uncrossing my arms to pick him up. He clung to my neck, laying his head down on my shoulder. I held him while watching the others. All the adults were in the hallway of the Institute, while they left the children alone in the Library. The council himself had brought in the Mirror, I only caught small snippets of the grownups conversation. "Old Portal", "Magic", and "decades", leaving me to wonder why they had brought in the Mirror in the first place.

The doors of the library opened suddenly, causing Izzy and Alec jump but only causing Jace to turn around to see who had come. Maryse Lightwood, Izzy, Max, and Alec's mother, rushed over taking Max from my arms and shooing the kids away from the mirror.

"Come on children, stay away from that. Its not safe for you" Her voice echoed off the walls of the room, bouncing back and repeating a couple times. None of us moved, we only stared up at her. She groaned, "Go. Rooms. Now" She said sternly walking away with Max, her body language showed she was stressed and annoyed.

"Nid wyf yn deall yr hyn y mae'r cytundeb mawr yw , ei unig drych" I said to no one in particular. My welsh came out in a jumble, either way no one in the room would have understood. I was alone with my language, sometimes i felt like it was the only thing I had left of my father. Jace laughed, walking over to me and flicking my forehead slightly. "No one can understand you dork" He said, his voice was humorous and sarcastic but it made my cheeks burn up in embarrassment. Alec was now pulling a struggling Isabelle away from the Mirror.

"Alec!" She whined "Its pretty-"

"You heard Mom, its not safe for you" Their voices died out as they headed towards the doors, leaving my glaring up at Jace, who just grinned back at me.

After a few seconds of this, I pushed passed him and walked over towards the mirror, finally able to get a better look at it. My reflection was the same as it always was. My clothes hung loosely off my 8 year old figure. My long brown hair was frizzy and knotted from not being brushed, Izzy always tried to put it in some extravagant braid but I always eventually took it out. My dark brown eyes stared back at me. I watched as as Jace came up behind me, and leaned over whispering into my ear "I heard the adults say it's evil" By his voice I could tell he was trying to scare me, I only scowled at him through the reflection of the mirror.

"It is not" I said, quietly. He nodded "yeah huh, it might hold a demon. Maybe it's the one that killed your-" I quickly turned around, shoving him hard in the chest. Because of his years of training he had balance, my shove only made me lose my own balance, tripping over my own feet. Jace's eyes went wide as I tumbled back toward the mirror.

"Ven-!" His voice was cut off as I was consumed in cold darkness.

***

My eyes snapped open. I quickly sat up in my bed, looking at my surroundings. I was in my room, messy as always. Bra's, books, cd's, and other various items were across the floor. My body was sweaty, tangled in the sheets, my comforter was in a crumpled ball at the end of the bed. I attempted to jump out of the bed, my legs still tangled in my sheets caused me to fall on my face. After a few minutes of struggle I managed to free myself from my death trap. I jumped up rushing to my bathroom, somehow avoiding all the things on my floor. Reaching the bathroom, I gripped the counter my breathing was heavy, my heart pounding. I looked at the Mirror.

I breathed a sigh of relief. My hair was shoulder length. My eyes golden copper. My ears pierced, several times in different places. I was 14. I was me. Those dreams had haunted me every night ever since the first rumor that Valentine was back. Dreams of that Mirror, of Aidan and John's body's, dreams of Jem and Will. Even after all these years those memories come to haunt me.

"Oh Raziel!" I yelled as I gave myself a mental slap. I rushed back into my room, glancing at the ancient clock that hung above my door. It read 10:23. I was late.

"Dammit Dammit Dammit" I mumbled to myself, grabbing random clothes from the floor and quickly undressing and redressing. My mind raced as I threw my hair up into a weird knot-ish hair style and pulled my boots on. As soon as I was done I raced out the door, running down the hall as fast as I could (which is not fast what so ever). It seemed like hours before I actually reached the training room, the New York Institute was like a big maze. I've been living here for 6 years and yet it still never gets any easier. I crack open the door of the training room, peaking my head in to see....