"What's going on, ri-senpai?"
Roy was waiting for ri outside her dorm when he noticed Clary clinging to her arm as they ca downstairs.
ri gave Roy an apologetic look.
"Clary insisted on tagging along. I couldn't say no."
Roy's lips twitched, a mix of frustration and speechlessness.
He'd been hoping for a romantic date with ri, maybe even a chance to hit a ho run tonight. But now, what was this? A third wheel crashing the party?
Clary grinned shalessly.
"Hehe, Roy, just pretend I'm not here!"
Pretend she's not there? With a lightbulb shining that brightly? No way!
But Clary was stubbornly sticking around, and Roy and ri had no choice but to try their best to ignore her.
"ri, where do you want to go tonight?" Roy asked.
ri thought for a mont.
"How about we take a walk on Santa Monica Beach?"
"Sounds good."
It was September in Los Angeles, still a bit stifling, but the ocean breeze was perfect for cooling things down. The beach was buzzing with people enjoying the evening.
Roy and ri played so carnival gas, and the chemistry between them started to heat up fast. If Clary wasn't there, ri might've already been cuddling up to Roy, whispering sweet nothings.
But ri, being a bit reserved, felt shy about getting too cozy with Roy in front of her friend. She was already thinking of ways to ditch Clary so she could have so alone ti with him.
That's when ri spotted the Ferris wheel by the pier.
"Roy, let's ride the Ferris wheel!"
Roy's eyes lit up. Perfect idea! Surely Clary wouldn't follow them onto the Ferris wheel, right?
"Aweso! I'll grab the tickets now!"
"Wait, what about ?" Clary asked.
ri shot her a pleading look.
"Clary, could you wait for us down here? Please?"
With her best friend begging like that, Clary couldn't refuse. Besides, a Ferris wheel ride only lasted ten minutes or so—ri wouldn't get into any trouble.
"Fine, I'll wait here," Clary said.
ri and Roy quickly hopped onto the Ferris wheel and shut the door behind them, half-afraid Clary might try to squeeze in.
Clary pouted, annoyed at her friend's "ditch the bestie for a guy" move.
"Phew! Finally, so alone ti!" Roy sighed in relief. Having a third wheel around was such a buzzkill.
ri smiled warmly at him.
"Don't be like that, Roy. Clary's actually really sweet. She's helped out a ton."
"I'm not blaming her," Roy said, pulling ri into a gentle hug. "It's just… her timing's a bit off."
He couldn't help but grumble a little. "Clary knows about us and probably heard about you and so other people. She's just worried I might take advantage of you."
Oh, so that's why Clary was being so clingy. Not a bad friend, then.
But seriously, if Roy did have bad intentions, what could Clary even do about it? Throw a punch to cheer him on?
"Alright, since she's so worried, I guess I'll have to take advantage of you while she's not around!" Roy teased, giving ri a quick peck on the lips. Her cheeks instantly flushed red.
"How's that? Like it?" he asked.
ri's eyes were dreamy as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Not enough," she murmured.
"Then let's keep going!"
Their Ferris wheel cabin reached its highest point, and the two shared a sweet, lingering kiss, completely lost in the mont, oblivious to ti and space.
Down below, Clary was getting restless. The Ferris wheel area was packed with couples and families, all glowing with happiness. Surrounded by so much joy, Clary started questioning her life choices.
Who am I? Where am I? Why am I even here?
The cold, hard truth of being a third wheel hit her like a ton of bricks. Ti dragged on painfully.
Thankfully, her phone rang, giving her sothing to do. It was her mom, Jocelyn.
"Hey, Mom? What's up?"
Jocelyn's voice was urgent on the other end.
"Listen, Clary! You're in danger right now. Find a safe place to hide imdiately. I'll co get you soon!"
Clary was confused. Why was her mom saying this?
"Mom, what's going on?"
"It's complicated! Just trust , hide now! I'll explain when I find you. Don't trust anyone!"
With that, Jocelyn hung up.
Clary scratched her head, totally lost. But if her mom, who she'd always relied on, said she was in danger, Clary believed her.
She decided to wait for Roy and ri to co down, tell them what was happening, and then find a place to hide.
Just then, a group of tall, pale n in black clothing appeared in the distance. They didn't look like they were here to have fun. Their faces were nacing, and they were shoving tourists aside, scanning the crowd like they were hunting for soone.
Clary's heart sank. Is this the danger Mom was talking about?
Did her mom piss off so gang, and now they were after her?
Her imagination ran wild with cri movie scenarios. Clary crouched low, trying to blend in and slip away.
But one of the n spotted her odd behavior and shouted, "Hey, you! Don't move!"
Oh no! They saw !
Clary bolted, darting toward the densest part of the crowd. Her slim fra quickly disappeared among the people.
"There she is! After her!" the n shouted.
The group chased after Clary, but the crowd slowed them down, making it hard to keep up.
As Clary was about to slip out of sight, one of the n pulled out a gun and fired a shot into the air.
In so places, people might've thought it was part of a show. But in Arica, everyone hit the deck, hands over their heads, like it was second nature.
Everyone except Clary, who kept running.
"Stop, or I'll shoot!" the man yelled.
Clary was nearing a shop and gritted her teeth, sprinting to duck inside.
The gunman was about to pull the trigger when another man grabbed his arm.
"The boss wants Clary Fray alive and unhard. No shooting!"
"But she's getting away!"
"She won't escape. Keep chasing!"
Up on the Ferris wheel, Roy and ri were still unaware of the chaos below. That long kiss had left ri breathless.
"Roy, did you hear a gunshot?" she asked.
"Forget the gunshot. Let's keep going!" Roy replied.
ri, still a bit dazed, suddenly rembered her friend.
"I'm serious, I heard a gunshot! Clary might be in danger!"
Roy scratched his head and peered out the window. Below, he saw a crowd of people crouching and soone running in the distance.
"Is that a shootout?" he muttered.
"Where's Clary?" ri asked, joining him at the window.
"She's not down there!"
"Did she get kidnapped?" ri's voice was thick with worry.
Roy figured this might be tied to so plot involving Clary. He tried to calm ri down.
"Don't worry, ri. I'll find Clary and make sure she's okay."
"Be careful, Roy!"
"Once you're out of the cabin, head straight to Bumblebee and have it take you back to school. You'll be safe with Jennifer and the others."
ri bit her lip and nodded. "I will."
Roy slipped on his black-frad glasses from Nidi, opened the cabin door, and jumped out.
The dozens of ters to the ground were nothing for Roy. The tourists, already spooked by the gunshot, were startled again by his leap. But Roy was so fast that no one got a good look at his face—just a glimpse of an ordinary guy in glasses before he vanished.
anwhile, Clary had slipped out the back door of the shop and was still running through Santa Monica Beach. Soon, she spotted a police car.
As a popular tourist spot, Santa Monica Beach always had cops patrolling. Clary raced to the car.
Luckily, the officers were inside.
Her sudden banging on the window nearly made the two cops draw their guns. When they saw it was a young white girl asking for help, they relaxed.
"Ma'am, are you in danger?" one asked.
"There… there are ard guys chasing !" Clary panted, finally catching her breath enough to explain.
"Ard guys?" The cops tensed up. "Are you sure they had real guns?"
"I'm sure! They fired a shot back there. Soone's probably already called it in!"
Right on cue, the radio crackled.
"Attention all units near Santa Monica Beach: multiple reports of gunfire near the Ferris wheel. Officers in the area, respond imdiately!"
That settled it. The cops believed her.
One of them looked thrilled.
"Finally, a chance to make a na for myself!" he said.
"There are a lot of them!" Clary warned.
The officer smirked confidently. "Don't worry, I've got this!"
He reached under the seat and pulled out an AR-15 rifle.
Don't be surprised—Arican cops can buy their own gear. Departnts usually only provide basic sidearms, and with the U.S.'s gun culture, you never know what kind of firepower a criminal might have. A handgun might not cut it against a rifle-wielding thug.
So, many cops buy their own weapons—handguns, shotguns, even rifles—for situations like this. They often get discounts and access to police-grade versions of firearms.
Footsteps approached. Clary knew it was the n in black.
"They're here!" she cried.
"Stay back, ma'am. We'll handle this," the cops said, stepping out of the car and shielding her.
Five n in black reached the police car. Seeing the officers didn't faze them—they just frowned slightly.
Clary noticed sothing off. She'd counted about ten n earlier. Where were the others?
"LAPD! Drop your weapons and get on the ground!" the cops shouted, guns trained on the n.
Instead of complying, the five n laughed.
"Drop our guns? Hilarious!" one said.
One of them reached into his pocket, a move that instantly set the cops on edge. In Arica, you don't know if soone's pulling out a wallet or a gun, so cops are hyper-sensitive to that motion.
These two were no exception. They opened fire, riddling the man with bullets.
But he didn't go down. Casually picking bullets out of his body, he pulled a handgun from his pocket.
"You jerks! That hurt!" he growled.
"Quit whining, Sam. Take care of these cops!" another man barked.
"Why ? Why not you guys?"
"Because you're the best shot!"
The n started chatting like nothing was happening, leaving the cops dumbfounded. Before they could react, the man who'd been shot fired twice, dropping both officers with headshots.
Clary stared, wide-eyed. This was beyond anything she could comprehend.
"Alright, little lady, co with us quietly, and maybe you'll suffer less," one of the n said with a sinister grin, stepping toward her.
"Stay back!" Clary's legs were shaking, but she turned and bolted into a nearby alley.
At the other end, six more n in black appeared. The missing half had circled around to cut her off.
"Nowhere to run now, huh?" they sneered.
Trapped on both sides, Clary was overwheld with despair.
Soone, please save !
And then, a hero appeared!
ri Hill
This is a heavily modified version of City of Bones from The Mortal Instrunts series.
(End of Chapter)
User Comments
0 comments from readers