Chapter 1
This wasn't where she wanted to be. On the first warm day of spring, the sun illuminating the delicate blooming daffodils and wildflowers, Clary Fray was stuck inside the bright fluorescent lighting of a 24-Hour Photo, Pharmacy, and Convenience Store. It was cleverly named the Duck In n' Go, bearing images of a yellow cartoon duck with a camera around its neck everywhere you looked. The lights gave her a headache and the endless dinging of cash registers and squeaking of shoes made her flirt with the idea of a nervous breakdown. It was all so asinine and routine.
She wasn't even supposed to be scheduled for work today! She should be out there, in the warmth, getting ice cream or taking a nap or sketching the flowers. Her fingers itched to draw the purple henbit and the yellow dandelions; damn Pauline for asking her to cover her shift. She knew Clary was too nice to say no.
"Ahem." A woman cleared her throat loudly and angrily tapped the silver bell on the counter in front of Clary, making it ring harshly.
"Oh!" Clary jumped, startled out of her reverie, and knocked over a cup full of pens. "I'm so sorry! How may I help you today?" The woman was heavyset, with small, pursed lips twisted to the side in annoyance. She had mousy brown hair pulled back with a scruncï and toted a bag so large that Clary imagined she could crawl inside and escape.
"I need to pay for these photos I just developed." She slid a package onto the counter. Sifting through photos, Clary attempted small talk.
"Wow, these are beautiful photos of Times Square-"
"Could you just hurry and ring me up? I've waited long enough already."
"Of course, I'm so sorry for the wait." Clary apologized, feeling her face blush red with embarrassment. "That will be $5.67, please."
Clary slid the woman's debit card, and returned the photos. As she watched the woman flounce away, she imagined herself sneaking into the tote and being carted outside to freedom as a stowaway. She had little time to daydream, however, as another customer slid a package of photos onto the counter.
She didn't even glance up as she slid the photos out of the package and began sifting through them. She didn't get far before she froze. As she was shuffling the pictures, she noticed that several were semi-nude photographs of a fair-haired young man. He was wearing low-slung boxers, stretched out on a large mahogany bed, with his golden hair fanned out slightly on the white down pillow. Clary felt heat growing in her cheeks as she snuck a peek upwards through her lashes.
Yep. Of course. It was the man from the photographs, standing casually with his hands in his pockets, as if he traumatizes a convenience store clerk with semi-nude photographs every day. He was smirking slightly, the left corner of his mouth turned up in amusement.
"Like what you see?" He asked in jest, nodding towards the fanned out photographs.
"Um, I-I wasn't looking, I, uh..." Clary struggled for a polite response, nervously gathering her red curls off her neck and into a bun. The boy laughed, tossing his hair back confidently.
"Don't worry about it, sweetheart, just tell me how much it'll be."
Sweetheart?! Clary felt a surge of anger at being patronized by this stranger at her own job.
"I'm not your sweetheart," she sneered, "and from the looks of things I wouldn't care to be. You don't have enough room left in your ego for anything but yourself." She slammed the enter key on the cash register. "That'll be $7.87."
"Of course I don't, I'm my own true love." He grinned and slid the photos back across the counter, then handed her a ten dollar bill. "Keep the change." He said with a wink.
"Oh wow, two dollars and thirteen cents! I can buy two whole packs of gum with this; how ever can I repay you, kind sir?" She retorted, her tone dripping with sarcasm. To her surprise, he laughed, and when he smiled, Clary noticed that it made him look much less intimidating. Almost childlike.
He removed a sheet of paper from a miniature legal pad in his pocket and scribbled something on it. Sidling up to Clary behind the counter with unsettling boldness, he spoke into her ear, "By calling me. I have a thing for redheads, you know," and placed the note in the breast-pocket of her uniform before sauntering off.
Once he was out of sight, Clary pulled it out examined the piece of paper.
It read,
Jace - 555-2697
Hey everyone, thanks so much for even reading this far! This is my very first fanfic and I'm really nervous and excited about it so reviews would be immensely helpful! Good or bad I don't care, if you had any opinion at all of this story please take a second to drop me a quick review, I would so appreciate it! thanks! Xoxo