Fifteen-year-old Clary Fray and her best friend Simon wait in line for admission to the all-ages Pandemonium club. A kid with blue hair holds up the line, arguing with the bouncer about bringing a fake spear into the club. With a flash of his bright green eyes, the bouncer agrees, and the boy is revealed to be a demon, there to feed on human vitality. A dark-haired girl (Isabelle) lures the demon to a storage room, and the demon eagerly follows, already “tasting the phantom sizzle of her death on his lips” (3).

Meanwhile, Clary watches the disguised demon as she dances with Simon. She’s attracted to him and feels deflated when he starts following Isabelle, believing she’s no match for Isabel’s striking beauty. Two boys in dark clothing (Shadowhunters) follow Isabelle and the demon into the storage room, one of them wielding a knife. Simon goes to get security but is caught in the crowd, so Clary hurries after the group. In the storage room, Isabelle and the two male Shadowhunters (Jace and Alec) have the demon bound. The demon says Valentine is back, which irritates the group because demons always say so, even though Valentine has been dead for years.