Night had fallen. Clary lay on the bed, her eyes shut tight, but sleep remained elusive. Despite tossing and turning, she couldn't shake off Astraea's words, which seemed to have imprinted on her mind. The mere thought of touching and destroying her favourite babies made her heartache. That wasn't enough. Astraea and Leandre's relationship cut the deepest, twisting her insides with a pain she couldn't describe. "I hate you from the depths of the deepest black sea."
A sudden knock on the door jolted Clary out of her thoughts. She sprang out of her bed and opened it. It was her father.
"Dad." She smiled.
Eugene looked at his daughter with concern etched on his face. "Your grannypie told me you have been upset since returning from college. You didn't even attend your Archery practice, Clary. Is everything alright? Are you not feeling well?"