“The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” is coming to the big screen in August – and many fans of the book series wonder if they could ever capture the excitement of that first book.

Imagine this: you’re sitting in line at the midnight premiere for a movie you’ve been looking forward to for months (or, in the case of us Hobbit fans, years).  You’re grateful for the break in the monotony of summer vacation, and for the fact that you don’t have to worry about class in the morning. It’s starting to get a little chilly, because even though it’s summer it still dips down to the low sixties this late at night. You’re really glad that you brought that folding chair but wish you had remembered to grab a blanket. Your friend checks his phone –got an hour to go.

You sip your Starbucks coffee, grateful for the sugar and caffeine boost. You start playing a trivia game with the group next to you, asking about ambiguous details that only die-hard fans would know. You watch and re-watch the trailer on your iPhone. The adrenaline and caffeine in your veins sends thrills down your spine. How much longer? Fifteen minutes. Your heart’s pounding. You’re practically jumping up and down. How much caffeine was in that mocha?

Five minutes. They start letting people in. Theater five. You are practically pushing people out of your way as you find the best seats possible. You sit down. You made it. You grin over at your friend. This is it.

Sit through the trailers. You really wish they would hurry it up. 12:15am.

The movie begins.

So imagine that, and imagine that you had just had a fight with your mom. Imagine that you just want to focus on something else, and you drag your friend along, and all he wants to do is make you happy. He doesn’t even like the movie that you’re seeing, but he doesn’t mind. It’s what you like. And you are sitting there, trying to get into the moment but still thinking about your mom.

Then you look up. And you see this tall, ethereal girl walking away, a blue-haired boy following her. Something doesn’t seem right. You get up, make the excuse that you’re going to use the bathroom.

You’re outside the theater. There they are, near the dumpster. The hairs on the back of your neck are standing on end. Something is definitely not right. Then you notice…

They’re not alone.

Two boys, clad all in black, step out of the shadows.

Adrenaline is flooding your system, giving you an energy boost twice that of the mocha you downed twenty minutes ago.

One of the boys pulls out a knife made of glowing silver glass.

And you do the only thing that you can think to do – scream.

That is the “City of Bones.”