Clary POV

I glanced out the cab window, looking up at the house in front of me. My new home, I grimace. Turning towards the cab driver, I hand him a few bills and reach for the door handle. Sighing, I climb out of the car, heading towards the trunk to fetch my suitcase. I close the trunk, watching the cab drive away until it's out of my sight.

I have a sudden craving to be in my mother's arms again, with her whispering her reassuring words that always had the ability to calm my nerves. She's gone. She abandoned you and she isn't coming back, I remind myself. I turn back towards the house, taking it in. It looked more like a mansion with the three stories I could make out and the huge lawn I was currently standing on. Way bigger than our house back home, I think.

With great effort, I drag my suitcase behind me as I climb the steps. Reaching the top, I press the doorbell, waiting patiently for someone to let me in. I can hear quiet voices nearing the door and straighten, curious as to who would open the door. I've only spoken to Maryse a handful of times, discussing my stay and such. However, she'd told me that she and her husband, Robert wouldn't be present for my arrival. I didn't remember much from our discussion, except that Maryse had taken in other children in the past. I vaguely remember her telling me that she'd taken in about six others, but I couldn't be certain.

The door opens, revealing a tall, dark-haired girl. She could've been a model with her looks. She's beautiful, I think jealously. She gives me a bright smile, showing off her perfect white teeth. "You must be Clary! It's so nice to finally meet you! I'm Isabelle by the way." I begin to raise my hand as she steps forward, expecting a handshake, only to be pulled into a bone crushing hug.

I give a small squeeze, and then proceed to wiggle my way out of the embrace as politely as I can. "Hey," I mutter, trying to give her a smile, though it probably looked more like a grimace.

She returns the smile, understanding flashing through her eyes briefly. "Come in," she ushers, opening the door wider to allow me to enter the house, my suitcase in tow. I gasp quietly, taking in the interior of the house. As I walk in, I see a spiraling grand staircase, high ceiling and beautiful chandelier before me. It looked amazing and it was only the front room. The house looked so neat and fragile that I was scared to move from my position by the door. I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn back towards Isabelle, "I'll show you to your room. You can leave your suitcase down here - I'll get one of the guys to bring it up for you later."

I nod, following her as she ascends the staircase. As we arrive at the top, Isabelle takes a left, walking along a short hallway and stopping at the second door on the left. She turns toward me, giving me a small smile, then opens the door, showing me my new room. I look around, taking it all in. It was beautiful, way better than my old room and three times the size too! The first thing I see is the wall across from the entrance to my room. I couldn't really call it a wall though, considering it only consisted of a large window with dark curtains on the side. Looking out the window, I could see that it had a beautiful view of the Lightwood's backyard, which looked over undisturbed land that looked more like a small forest. Turning away from the window, I continue to look over the room, spotting a king sized bed to my right, a nightstand located on each side. Across the room, I see two doors and move towards the one to the left to investigate. Opening the door and looking inside, I see that it's an en suite. Holy shit! I get my own bathroom? I walk out and move to the door beside it and quickly peek in, seeing a huge walk-in closet.

I turn to face Isabelle again, seeing her leaning against the wall with a small smile on her face. "Is it okay?" she asks. "We didn't really know what you liked, so we decided that we'd leave it up to you. Mom said just to let her know when you want to shop around for stuff, so we can go out and get whatever you want."

"It's more than I expected. Thanks," I give her the first real smile I've had in the past week. "I'll let you know if I need anything, but it's unlikely. I'll probably just get a job or something, and give my room a little makeover." I give a small laugh, looking around my room again.

"It's no problem really," she waves it off. "Mom and Dad have a bunch of money. They're not going to mind spending a bit to make your room a little livelier," Isabelle laughs. She turns towards the clock placed on my nightstand, checking the time. "Dinner should be in about an hour. Did you want to stay here and settle in? Or did you want me to show you around?"

"I think I'll stay in here - wash up, then lay down for a bit. It's been a long day."

"Okay, I'll get Jordan to bring up your suitcase right away. Let me know if you need anything - I'm just next door."

"I will. Thanks again," I send her a grateful smile. She sends me a smile in return, closing the door behind her as she left. I walk towards my bed and decide to lie down, the exhaustion from the events of the past week catching up to me. A few minutes later, I think I hear my door open, but darkness has already taken over my vision as I fall asleep.

Knock, knock! Knock, knock! "Clary? You coming down for dinner?" I groggily rise into a sitting position, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. My eyes scan my surroundings, the day's events coming back to me. I spot my suitcase near my closet. Jordan must've been the one who opened my door as I was about to sleep, to bring in my suitcase. Leaving the comfort of my bed, I walk towards the door, coming face to face with Isabelle. "Hey," she greets me quietly.

I give a nod, still rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "Hey," I mumble. "Let's go."

"Follow me," Isabelle directs, retracing her steps from earlier when she'd shown me to my room. Isabelle takes a left once we arrive at the bottom of the staircase, making her way to the dining room, I assume. We enter the dining room seconds later. I glance around the room, which consisted of a huge dining table with numerous chairs surrounding it. Isabelle makes her way towards a seat, and I follow, taking the seat next to her.

Suddenly, I hear multiple footsteps nearing the dining room. Looking up, my gaze lands on a group of boys - eight, from what I can see - entering the room. They begin to settle in the seats around the table. Once they'd all sat down, my eyes began to wander around the table, taking in their faces. As my gaze turns to rest upon the person sitting across from me, my eyes meet with beautiful golden eyes, that just so happen to be glaring right at me.

A/N:

This is my first ever FanFic! I've been reading Fanfic's for a while, but I haven't thought of writing one myself until recently.

My sister gave me some ideas for stories and I kinda liked this one, so I decided to go with it. I'm not quite sure where it's going, so if you'd like to share some of your ideas, that'd be great!

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!

-MC