"What's going on, Meri-senpai?"
Roy was waiting for Meri outside her dorm when he noticed Clary clinging to her arm as they came downstairs.
Meri 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 Meri, maybe even a chance to hit a home run tonight. But now, what was this? A third wheel crashing the party?
Clary grinned shamelessly.
"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 Meri had no choice but to try their best to ignore her.
"Meri, where do you want to go tonight?" Roy asked.
Meri thought for a moment.
"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 Meri played some carnival games, and the chemistry between them started to heat up fast. If Clary wasn't there, Meri might've already been cuddling up to Roy, whispering sweet nothings.
But Meri, 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 some alone time with him.
That's when Meri 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?
"Awesome! I'll grab the tickets now!"
"Wait, what about me?" Clary asked.
Meri 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—Meri wouldn't get into any trouble.
"Fine, I'll wait here," Clary said.
Meri 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, some alone time!" Roy sighed in relief. Having a third wheel around was such a buzzkill.
Meri smiled warmly at him.
"Don't be like that, Roy. Clary's actually really sweet. She's helped me out a ton."
"I'm not blaming her," Roy said, pulling Meri 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 some 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 Meri a quick peck on the lips. Her cheeks instantly flushed red.
"How's that? Like it?" he asked.
Meri'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 moment, oblivious to time 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. Time dragged on painfully.
Thankfully, her phone rang, giving her something 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 immediately. I'll come get you soon!"
Clary was confused. Why was her mom saying this?
"Mom, what's going on?"
"It's complicated! Just trust me, 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 Meri to come down, tell them what was happening, and then find a place to hide.
Just then, a group of tall, pale men in black clothing appeared in the distance. They didn't look like they were here to have fun. Their faces were menacing, and they were shoving tourists aside, scanning the crowd like they were hunting for someone.
Clary's heart sank. Is this the danger Mom was talking about?
Did her mom piss off some gang, and now they were after her?
Her imagination ran wild with crime movie scenarios. Clary crouched low, trying to blend in and slip away.
But one of the men spotted her odd behavior and shouted, "Hey, you! Don't move!"
Oh no! They saw me!
Clary bolted, darting toward the densest part of the crowd. Her slim frame quickly disappeared among the people.
"There she is! After her!" the men 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 men pulled out a gun and fired a shot into the air.
In some places, people might've thought it was part of a show. But in America, 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 unharmed. No shooting!"
"But she's getting away!"
"She won't escape. Keep chasing!"
Up on the Ferris wheel, Roy and Meri were still unaware of the chaos below. That long kiss had left Meri breathless.
"Roy, did you hear a gunshot?" she asked.
"Forget the gunshot. Let's keep going!" Roy replied.
Meri, still a bit dazed, suddenly remembered 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 someone running in the distance.
"Is that a shootout?" he muttered.
"Where's Clary?" Meri asked, joining him at the window.
"She's not down there!"
"Did she get kidnapped?" Meri's voice was thick with worry.
Roy figured this might be tied to some plot involving Clary. He tried to calm Meri down.
"Don't worry, Meri. 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."
Meri bit her lip and nodded. "I will."
Roy slipped on his black-framed glasses from Nidi, opened the cabin door, and jumped out.
The dozens of meters 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.
Meanwhile, 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 armed guys chasing me!" Clary panted, finally catching her breath enough to explain.
"Armed guys?" The cops tensed up. "Are you sure they had real guns?"
"I'm sure! They fired a shot back there. Someone'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 immediately!"
That settled it. The cops believed her.
One of them looked thrilled.
"Finally, a chance to make a name 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—American cops can buy their own gear. Departments 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 men 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 men in black reached the police car. Seeing the officers didn't faze them—they just frowned slightly.
Clary noticed something off. She'd counted about ten men earlier. Where were the others?
"LAPD! Drop your weapons and get on the ground!" the cops shouted, guns trained on the men.
Instead of complying, the five men laughed.
"Drop our guns? Hilarious!" one said.
One of them reached into his pocket, a move that instantly set the cops on edge. In America, you don't know if someone'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 me? Why not you guys?"
"Because you're the best shot!"
The men 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, come with us quietly, and maybe you'll suffer less," one of the men 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 men 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 overwhelmed with despair.
Someone, please save me!
And then, a hero appeared!
Meri Hill
This is a heavily modified version of City of Bones from The Mortal Instruments series.
(End of Chapter)