CHAPTER 1: Dream the Same Dream

I am Clarissa Fray. I'm 16 this year. I'm the princess of Trinphea.

One beautiful morning, I woke up to the sound of chirping birds. I stretched and walked over to the floor to ceiling window. I took a deep breath and sighed. Nothing is better than the fresh morning air. It cleared my mind. I was having this weird dream, but I can't seem to remember everything. I just remember the face of a very handsome guy, with golden hair and eyes. His cheekbones are prominent. He's muscular, but not too much muscle. In other words, he's perfect. I inwardly sigh, it was just a dream, I told myself.

My dear maid, Giselle, has prepared me my Monday breakfast: raspberry yogurt and orange juice. Giselle is really nice. She just started working here last year and we're already like best of friends. I went to the bathroom and took a very relaxing hot bath. And in no time at all, I forgot everything about the dream. Queen Penelope Isla Chrysler, my mother, wants me to live a normal life, thank god. So she's sending me to school. People probably won't notice me anyways. As a princess, I rarely go out in public so I doubt any of them would immediately recognize me as the princess.

As soon as I got dressed, Tyra, the driver, is already waiting for me. We try not to attract too much attention and just ride in a normal black-polished car. It took us barely 20 minutes to reach there. As we neared the school, I see the words HIGH SCHOOL OF TRINPHEA written on the walls. Below it is the logo; a cherry blossom tree with petals frozen in mid-air. I don't even know what it stands for but this is the best school in the country. Tyra wished me luck and drove back to the palace.

I stood at the entrance for several minutes. The garden was beautiful, no weeds in sight and a pretty fountain was placed in the middle of it, little bushes neatly surrounding the base. It was breath taking.

"Admiring the view, are we?" I heard a voice a high-pitched voice coming from the double doors. I regained my composure and turned towards the source of the voice. I walked towards the short, stubby woman stood clasping her hands in front of me. I held out a hand, "P…Clarissa Fray" I say and shook her hand.

"I'm very aware of who you are, milady. I'm Mrs Melinda," she said. "Please, just call me Clary," I smiled. "Very well," Mrs Melinda replied and led me in through the double doors. "Your mother, Jocelyn Fray, was a great friend of the principal. Let's have a little tour around the school, shall we? You're excused for the first two periods," she told me.

My mother goes out with the name Jocelyn Fray, I don't even know why. That was selfless of her, she must have wanted a normal name. We went upstairs and back downstairs, Mrs Melinda occasionally pointing out the places I'd most likely go.

And finally, we stopped in front of the principal's office. I stood at the door for a minute or two and knocked thrice. Mother told me that it's rude to knock so many times, not like I have done it before. "Come in," says a sweet voice. I opened the door slowly and walked in. The room smells of lavender. The room mostly consists of glass, except for the couch. The couch looks comfy.

"Have a seat," the tall, skinny woman behind the desk gestured for me to sit down. I pulled the chair near her and sat down. She was wearing a pair of glasses and her hair was pulled into a tight bun. She doesn't look older than 40. Funny how such a young person can become a principal, I expected someone older. "Clary, Clary, Clary. I don't remember the last time I saw you, probably never," she said smiling. I smiled a little but I couldn't help but ask, "Who are you? I'm sorry, I've never seen you before."

"My, my. Your mother didn't tell you anything, did she? I'm Francesca Morgenstern. Her sister in law, I'm your aunty. Yay!" she says. "She never mentioned anything, did she?" the principal asked. "Well, let's stop talking about family business. Let's talk about school stuff. This is your schedule," she says handing me a copy. "That's all I guess, nothing much we can say in school hours. If you need anything, I'll be here," she says and smiled. "Thanks," I replied and walked out of the room. What else is my mom hiding from me? I hurried to my next class, which is French. I'm pretty good with French, actually, having to learn it twice a week before I turned 16. I don't think I should bother paying attention.

Mother would be so upset with my attitude if she ever found out so I paid attention. No one said hey or anything, which is good I guess. But the guys are always staring at me, it's getting creepy.

. . .

That night, I had the same dream. About the golden boy. This time, he was smiling at me. I tried to talk to him but he just said a word 'Jace'. Hmm, I wonder if that's his name. As if, Clary. It's just a dream.

School was just the same, except that I made friends with a good-looking guy named Simon. He had dark brown hair and he's so cute but apparently, not my type. We became good friends but I'm not sure I'm ready to tell him about me being the princess. Sooner or later, he's going to find out.

In science, Mr Garroway asked us to find a partner and start on a project which is due next Tuesday. We have a week to finish it, no problem. I didn't expect school to be this hard but it's worth it. The bell rings, a sign school ended. I'm as eager as the other students to go back home but Simon stopped me halfway to the car. I turned around and faced him. "My mom's kind of busy. Mind if I go to your house? We could start on the project and finish early," he said. I hesitated. Finally, I nod. "Sure, come on," I said and lead him towards the car.

"Good Afternoon, sir. Nice daughter you have there," Simon said to Tyra. He chuckled. I myself stifled a laugh. "What?" Simon asked. "He's not my father," I told him. 'Oh' was all he said. I could tell he's blushing so hard he might turn blue. I ignored the thought and started to think what he would say if he found out I live at the palace. We reached home and he stepped out. "Woah, you live here?" Simon asked in awe. "Uhm, yeah." I replied. He doesn't seem to look at it as a big deal. "Your mom works here or what?" he asked. "Uh, something like that. Tyra smirked and went to park the car. We walked up the path towards the doors. Luckily mom opened it. Otherwise Giselle won't stop asking me about Simon. But later it hit me that my mom and Giselle are just the same.

"Clary! You're home! Boyfriend?" my mom asked. "No, just a friend. We're partners in Science," I said and pushed past her. Mom put her hands up in surrender. "You.. You're the Queen! And you Clary… are you the Princess?" he asked. Finally, he figured it out.

Sorry guys! I will add Clace soon, don't worry. Review please ~Shadeau4