I could recall many memories over the past nine months, how my life changed in the most unexpected way. Applying another layer of soft baby pink matte lipstick, I smacked my lips before wiping away any excess. Stepping out of the bathroom I reminded myself that this was for them, for my baby siblings Valerie and Leo. I couldn't let them down, putting on an act of poise I regarded the cameras with a smile, a simple wave whilst keeping my eyes on the path in front of me. For nine months I had lived a double life, and if anything were to come out of this was the unexpectedness of it all. Not that I was complaining, this life was far better than the one that my baby siblings and I had originally come from. Turning the corner, I made my way down the stairs, the corner of my eyes reminding me of the flashing camera lights that followed me everywhere. This was to be expected of the new it girl of the fashion industry.

*Nine months ago*

Rushing down the stairs, laptop bag and all, I grabbed an apple with one hand whilst kissing the foreheads of Valerie and Leo, both of them were merely five but acted much older for their age. Hearing the smashing of another bottle I froze at the front door, my hand on the door handle, outside I could just make out Devin's red mini and Lola who sat next to her. Turning around I listened and heard the weight of footsteps that I feared most, moving away from the door, I pushed Valerie and Leo behind me as our mother in her drunken state approached us in the kitchen. Her eyes were bloodshot, the dark green eyes glared into my soul. She ignored Valerie and Leo as she turned the corner leaning an arm against the wall, I noticed the hints of blood on her shirt, she must have had a bloody nose. Typical for someone who was a permanent crack addict. She opened the fridge and slammed it shut when she noticed it was empty. She then swayed towards the alcohol cabinet. Valerie squeezed my arm and flinched as we heard the honk of Devin's car. They were getting impatient, the thing is though was that so long as I stood in front of my siblings our mother would not say anything, she'd merely see only me. This was how it was. The woman grabbed one of the bottles of red wine, unscrewing it, she took a big swig before slowly but surely making it back down the hallway and to her room at the very end. She didn't bother going upstairs anymore, she just let herself waste away in the guest bedroom and the guest bathroom smells like vomit, blood and tears most of the time that I just didn't bother cleaning it anymore. Five years ago, our father died. Right before Valerie and Leo were born, he like my mother was considered good for nothing wastes of space, both of them addicts to their own vices. The man I called my father was found with a bullet to the head in a ditch a week before my siblings were born, my mother went livid and lost her sanity but because of my father's gambling and smoking habit we had nothing, nothing to pay for medication, nothing to pay for anything really. It was through my pleas that we kept the house, though we only had electricity for up to an hour a day, hot water was not an option which meant boiling water with matches, matches that I had to be careful to hide. My siblings let go of me, just as Devin honked the car for the final time. I lowered myself down and kissed both of their foreheads head. Before ushering upstairs and to my room. I kept most of the food inside my room, so there was a steady stockpile of canned food, bread and long life milk. Shoving my desk in front of the door and locking it. I watched as my two siblings who practically shared my room with me cuddled up on the bed with their toys. Approaching the window. I blew them a final kiss and a reminder.

"Call me if she wakes." Addressing the phone that sat next to them on my desk

They nodded as I pulled back the fly screen, climbed out of my window onto my porch. Leo replaced the fly screen and shut the window, locking it I smiled warmly. Slide down the wooden post I brushed myself off. Devin and Lola noticed my presence and rolled down the car window.

"What took you so long?" Devin's voice was impatient

"Sorry about that, just bathroom issues. Blocked pipe." I lied without hesitation

"Get in." Lola chirped

I climbed into the car, as we began to drive away I looked up at my room window where Valerie and Leo were standing by the window on their tippy toes waving, I sent them a small wave back before focusing on the discussion before me. Like most of the town, Devin and Lola had been instructed to not care about my sibling's wellbeing seeing as most of the town agreed that they were unwanted mistakes. Extra mouths to feed, thus burdens on everyone.

"So Clary, have you asked anyone to the dance yet? It's in a month." Lola chimed

"I'm not going, I already made this clear months ago." My voice cracked

"It's senior prom, it's your last chance to you know ask Sam out." Devin snorted

Sam Aston, Captain of the school's lacrosse team. He was good looking and all, but he was in no way the type of guy I wanted intelligent nor personality-wise, he only cared to have a trophy wife to be at his very beck and call. Devin had for the longest time had the biggest crush on him, but seeing as I was the School's student body president as well as captain of the netball team, it was only fair that I was the one to go out with him. Besides, he wouldn't care about my siblings either, no one ever did. I didn't have the time for a boyfriend regardless.

"How about you go with him instead Devin, he's had his eyes on you all Spring. It's only fair seeing as I won't be going and without a partner, you can't attend."

Her eyes lit up, she cracked a wide grin. As soon as we pulled into the school, right into the spot reserved for us because of our status in the school hierarchy, she skipped on over to where Sam and his group were as I made my way inside the building. I was at my locker collecting my books when Sam stormed over to me, I had barely any chance to react when he gripped my wrist and pulled me towards him. His voice was low, harsh and he was clearly angered.

"You're not going so you sent Devin in your place? What kind of Queen Bee is that! Am I not good enough for you."

His other arm reached for my breast, I stepped away from him, but found myself cornered by the rest of his friends, and behind them were Devin and Lola as well as the rest of the Netball team who were trying to break through the wall of male muscle. His grip started to tighten as I remained silent, his grip would most certainly leave a bruise, a bruise that I didn't need, I was only grateful he had enough sense that he hadn't gripped my left arm which was my scoring arm. Another male voice punctuated the tense environment.

"Mr Aston, let go of Miss Fray's wrist this moment."

Sam turned, furious at whomever this new voice, it was a voice that none of us recognised. We both turned and we were met with a break in the wall of muscle and a man. He was taller than most of the other males, who had taken a step back. His arms were crossed, he looked at Sam before looking at me, and my jaw near dropped his eyes were a piercing dark blue. Sam let go of my wrist, instinctively I rubbed my wrist and sure enough, there was a bruise starting to form. Sam approached this unknown male ready to swing a fist but was caught by off guard by this man dodging and flipping Sam onto the floor. There were gasps. Sam croaked

"Who the fuck are you? Do you know who I am!"

"Yes, Sam Aston the son of the Sheriff I am well aware of who you are. I, on the other hand, am Alexander Lightwood. Your new school principal."

"Where the fuck did Jonesy go?"

Sam was referring to our old principal Mr Jones.

"He had to leave, urgent family matters. I'm his replacement."

The bell rang, Mr Lightwood then barked at everyone to get to class, which they did quite impressively. Till it was just Sam, myself and him. He let Sam up who quickly left for class, but not without glaring at me, this was not over. Shutting my locker door. I moved to the left in hopes of getting to Literature, I was already late and whilst Mr West didn't care if you were late or not, that however was no excuse. I had a perfect record I couldn't have it tarnished in my senior year. Mr Lightwood walked in the other direction, I think he knew that I was late enough as is. Sneaking into class just as Mr West started the roll. I let myself relax and for my mind to wonder whilst still keeping focused on the notes and to the discussion ahead. Literature was one of the only classes that I shared with no one in my social circle, and it was something I was glad for. Literature was something I enjoyed a lot, I wanted to get out of this miserable town with my siblings and to do that I had to get perfect grade and a scholarship. Our town was in itself a dead end town, most that came never left, rarely anyone from here left, but I knew that this town was suffocating and was useless for a person like me.

A knock at the door had our heads turn. The class was about to finish, Mr Lightwood stood there at the door. Mr West stopped speaking before letting Mr Lightwood address the room, what did he need now?

"Rick could I please borrow Miss Fray."

"Sure, Clarissa, further reading and a summary are due tomorrow."

"Yes, Mr West."

I gathered my things and followed Mr Lightwood out of the room, much to the looks of many of my classmates. As I followed him down the hallway, my phone buzzed. The emergency number was lit across the screen, picking it up I was met with the sounds of gunshots and screaming in the background. Leo's voice was trembling.

"She's awake, the monster is awake… she has a gun and she keeps shouting for you Clary."

My heart dropped, trying to remain calm I thought for a moment before giving my baby brother precise instructions.

"Remember how I taught you both to climb down to the porch, I need you to do that as quickly and as quietly as possible. Once you've done that I want you to run. Run away from our street and wait for me at the end, stay hidden behind the bushes there. I'll be there soon. Love you."

As soon as Leo ended the call, I ran to my locker away from Mr Lightwood, putting my laptop bag away, I slammed it shut, and bolted out of the building much to the shock of not only Lightwood but everyone who was on the field, this was why I was grateful that I also did track outside of school. I continued to bolt, not slowing for a moment until I reached the start of my street, halting at the bushes. I called out:

"Vale? Leo?"

I heard them before I saw them, they hugged me, their hands and faces damp from tears. Picking them both up I accessed them both just in case they had been hurt. It was clear, our house was no longer safe for any of us. Turning on my heel I carried both of them back to the school where Mr Lightwood was standing by the gate. He opened his mouth to shout at me, but after noticing the twins he silenced himself. I walked past him and into the school all the way to the cafeteria. I had a spare period that was left unattended most of the time, so I knew I wouldn't be marked absent regardless. Placing my siblings down at one of the tables near the counter, I handed them both tissues and cups of water before approaching the lunch ladies. All of them were in their mid-fifties and all of them were sweet. They cared about my siblings and me, and although they could not provide much support they were the reason we had food on our table most of the time.

"Morning Jenny. Morning Lucy and Morning June."

"Are those your siblings?" June asked

"Yes, Valerie and Leo. Six this year."

"Oh my, they must be hungry, the three of you look starved. We'll make something up for you. We have spare ingredients, anything in particular?"

"Eggs and Bacon if that's not much to ask. Leo likes his bacon super crispy, Vale likes her's chewy. Both of them enjoy sunny side up eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper."

"How about toast?"

"Oh, that's too much…"

"Nonsense, and what kind of juice?"

"Umm… buttered white toast and orange juice for the both of them please."

"What about you sweetheart?"

"I'll just have some buttered raisin toast and some apple juice please."

"Alright, you go sit down and comfort the poor dears." Lucy waved me away

I sat down with my siblings, letting them sit on my lap, I pecked both of their foreheads and rubbed their backs as they blew their noses and drank their water. Mr Lightwood sat down opposite the three of us. He placed a business card down. I picked up the card curious.

"When you're ready, call this number."

"What's this for?"

"They'll provide a safe place for the three of you to stay whilst things are being sorted out."

"Pardon?"

Lucy placed the plates of food down as Jenny places the cups of juice down, both Leo and Valerie thanked them, which emitted awes from the lunch ladies as they dug into their first hot breakfast in a long time. I wiped their mouths as I finished my owl meal. They both leaned into me, their hands on different parts of my outfit, neither of them having noticed the bruise, thank the lord. Lightwood explained.

"Clearly you need a place to stay, so call this number when you're ready, they'll arrange something for you. A safe place to stay with your siblings, whilst they get help for your mother."

"How do you know about… my mother?"

"It's still quite the talk of the town, everyone by some miracle seems to know a lot about the three of you and how you've managed to keep the house afloat with two waitressing jobs and one job as a part-time receptionist for the local motel. Your siblings you've taught them to read and to write seeing as you cannot afford child care."

It was creepy how he knew so much, he then stood up and left. We returned our trays before the three of us moved to somewhere, where no one would disturb us, a break was next and I would be damned if I let anyone near my siblings after this morning's events. Stroking the black business card, I traced the numbers, gold embellished ink. It seemed so unlike the usual business cards. Picking up my phone, I input the numbers. Before pressing the call button. Placing the device to my ear, I kept an eye on the twins as they played in front of me. A posh British accent left me stunned.

"Hello, this is Regal enterprises. How can I help?"

"I… was told to call this number?"

"Sorry you must have the wrong number miss." the woman sounded annoyed

"No, I was given the number by a man named Alexander Lightwood." biting my lip

"Oh, how terribly sorry. Where are you now miss?" She was typing something

"Outside Maplewood School of Sports." I was confused

"Right please stay there, a black range rover will be there shortly. The driver's name is David. Your name please miss?"

"Clarissa Fray, I have two others with me."

"Two others?"

"My five-year-old twin siblings. Valerie Fray and Leo Fray."

"Alright. Please wait there."

She then ended the call, placing my phone back in my pocket. I waved my two siblings over and soon found them back in my lap. This part of the school's area was only for deliveries which means that no students would come around here, this was also the back of the cafeteria, it was where I was given hot plates of food to take home most nights. A range rover did show up eventually, it's plated, however, were European. It came to a halt a few steps away from me, the twins stood up and by my side, they took my hands as a tall bulky what appeared to be Greek man stepped out of the driver's seat, his shades were dark as to conceal his eyes.

"David?" I asked

"Yes, miss. Please" He opened the door

I let the twins hop in before I did before examining the vehicle, climbing after them, it was surprisingly spacious, there was a small basket of goodies. Mostly snack foods and a wax-sealed letter, picking it up I broke the seal and read the note within, written in a sapphire blue ink.

Welcome to Regality Enterprises.

Enjoy the selection of family-friendly sweet treats. We will see you in London.

Isabelle Lightwood {Head Stylist}

My jaw dropped, hitting the panel that separated David from us, my mouth was dry as I asked.

"This is a joke, right? You're taking us to London?"

"To the airport but then yes Miss Fray you'll be escorted to our headquarters in London."

"I wasn't made aware of this!"

"Perhaps you should have thought of that before you dialled the number." He rolled up the panel.

The twins, on the other hand, were quick to grab the sweet treats and began to pig out on what they had provided. I sighed. I glanced down at the black screen of my phone, do I tell anyone? I bit my lip. I would be missing out on practice. The practice was crucial to winning the games, we were heading into the quarterfinals. Without me, I wondered what would happen. I had to tell them right? I had to be a responsible captain and yet, yet no one had done anything, it had always been just my siblings and I. Asides the lunch ladies, no one ever cared for their wellbeing. Shutting my phone off, I pulled both of the twins back, shaking my head.

"That's enough, too much and the both of you will be sick." I cautioned.

"Where are we going, Clary?" Vale placed her hand on my wrist

"Somewhere safe."

Turning my head towards my younger sister, I shifted my weight as Leo yawned and placed his head against my lap. Falling asleep. Valerie, on the other hand, kept her focus on the world outside that we drove by, we were on the main street now. There were a few people out and about at the cafe, some at the grocer, a few in the small clothing store. Nothing ever changed in the town and whilst I had seen the main street a million times it was only the second time that Valerie had seen it, so she would point and ask questions, most that I gladly answered, the townspeople enjoyed gossiping and for someone like me who noticed a lot about everything, it wasn't difficult at all to be kept in the loop. Regardless of the fact that my siblings were not cared for, I most certainly was, because I was productive, I worked hard and I led our netball team to victory every year.

Our arrival at the private area of the airport was quite the surprise. David opened the door, dazed as he was Leo climbed out, rubbing his eyes. The three of us stood in a line, David motioning towards the white private jet, there a tall beautiful woman stood, her dark brown eyes were unlike most brown I had experienced, she put her phone in the pocket of her navy blue blazer, her hair in a tall-styled updo. It didn't help that she was also in stilettos, making her much taller than my siblings and I, it was unnecessary to be all but honest.

"Greetings, My name is Isabelle Lightwood. Yes, Alec is my brother. Nice to meet you."

"I, nice to meet you as well, I'm Clary and these are my siblings Valerie and Leo."

"Come aboard, I'll explain what's going on, and your siblings can get some rest. We'll be leaving once Alec gets here."

"Why is he umm coming?"

"Oh sweetheart, did he lie about the whole principal thing? Haha, well no he's not some replacement principal. He's a recruiting agent. He does that a lot, pretends to be the replacement for someone, your actual principal will be back tomorrow."

"Oh… and what about everyone else?"

We gradually made our way into the jet, the inside was as to be expected luxurious, the twins went somewhat ballistic as they ran around checking everything out before jumping onto the king sized bed at the very rear of the plane. It was during this moment I noticed the butler or what I assumed to be a butler standing by the drink bar. Isabelle gestured towards him, as he lifted his head up and a warm friendly smile appeared… like the kind of smile where you just know that you'll be best friends.

"Clary this is Simon Lewis, Lewis this is Clary Fray, and her two siblings who are on the bed at the back, Leo and Valerie."

"Good to meet you, Fray."

"Likewise Lewis."

We snorted at each other, Isabelle shook her head before taking a seat. I followed suit. Simon placed lemonade down in front of us both, Isabelle winced and Simon gave her a passive aggressive look just as Alec arrived. He was still in a suit, he looked at both Isabelle and me before disappearing to some part of the plane that I hadn't yet seen.

"He's not much a talker" Isabelle noted

"Clearly."

"So before we go any further, welcome to Regality enterprises."

"Pardon?"

"Regality enterprises. We're the dominant party in the fashion world but on the side, we offer our clients espionage services. Like many females we select the ones we think best suit our calibre, hence your selection. Your life is about to change possibly for the better."

"Wait, what, are you saying I'll become a model or something?"

"Why yes, and when you're not strutting down the runway, you'll be working for us as one of our agents, which is yet to be determined but will be soon enough."

"This is a joke." I went to stand up

"Oh please, we don't make jokes Clary. Even if we did, you'd never know."

"Why?"

"Because you would be dead."

A fourth voice entered the room, turning around, my jaw dropped. It was like a living angel had just decided to show up. He crossed his arms, eyes like molten gold, he was tall as he was toned. Goddamn, are these guys just all just meant to be visually pleasing? Isabelle broke the tension quickly.

"Clary Fray this is is Jace Herondale. Jace this is Clarissa Fray. Jace is the owner of Regality Enterprises and your boss."