A loud knocking on my door woke me up from my restless slumber. I groaned and stumbled out of bed. Before I even got close, the door swung open revealing my twin brother, Jonathan. He had white-blond hair and dark eyes that seemed almost black. He was the spitting image of our father, Valentine Morgenstern. Valentine Morgenstern was a cruel, unruly father and husband. He beat his wife, my mother Jocelyn, and myself. Jonathan never knew what was going on because Valentine would abuse us while he was out. Fortunately for us, Jonathan had come back early from football practice and found Valentine giving us a harsh beating. Jonathan had kicked the crap out of him and called the cops.

It had been three years since Valentine was thrown in jail and our mother passed away. Valentine had hit a vital organ and given her internal bleeding. Jonathan and I have been living with our godfather, Luke Garroway, ever since.

"You ready for school, Clare?" he asked, stepping fully into my room. "Luke made French toast and black coffee for you."

I granted him with a small smile. "I'll be down in a few minutes. Tell Luke I said thanks."

Jonathan nodded and stepped out. I shut the door and briskly walked to my closet. I pulled out a dark green dress and silver heels. After slipping them on, I quickly ran a brush through my untamable curls and put some eyeliner on. Without looking at my reflection in the mirror, I ran down the steps to the kitchen. Luke was sitting at the table with Jonathan eating French toast. There was a place set for me across from the two of them.

Both Jonathan and I ate quickly due to the amount of time we had. Once we finished, we bid Luke goodbye and set out. Jonathan had to pick up his friend Jordan along with my best friend Simon. Simon and I said our goodbyes to the boys as soon as we arrived at Alicante High. The both of us hopped out of the car, but before we could really escape, Jonathan called me back.

"Be careful, Clare. If anyone says anything just let me know." I nodded as he kissed the top of my head.

The day that Jonathan had found Valentine beating me and our mother, I had been given a jagged scar that ran from my temple and down my cheek. The kids in school didn't so much mind it because Jonathan and I had come up with a cover story. Sometimes, though, there were kids that wanted to mess with me because they thought it would be funny. Well, it wasn't funny to them when Jonathan kicked their asses.

My first class of the day was History. It was taught by Mrs. Branwell. She was one of my favorite teachers because she had such an insight and passion for history. It was interesting to watch her teach. I sat in the back with empty seats surrounding me. There weren't many kids in this class since it's an AP class.

I was drawing in my sketchpad when I heard an angelic voice talking to Mrs. Branwell. A tap on my shoulder made me look up. Golden eyes stared back at me. The boy in front of me had golden hair and a strong, muscular build. He was smirking devilishly.

"No need to keep staring. I know I'm stunningly attractive," he said.

I scoffed. "Go away."

The boy raised an eyebrow. "My name's Jace Herondale." He raised his hand as if he wanted me to shake it.

"Clary Morgenstern," I said distastefully. To be honest, I hated my last name. "Now could you go?"

Jace shook his head. "Sorry, Red, but my seat is officially back here with you." I stared at him in disbelief. He had so many seats to choose from! Why did he have to pick one that was next to me?

"B-but─"

"Miss Morgenstern, if you would please let Mr. Herondale get to his seat."

"Sorry," I muttered.

As soon as the bell rang to alert us that the period was over, I gathered my things and rushed out of History. My next class was Art, which was basically a free period for me since I could finish the project in no time. Unfortunately, I couldn't get far enough away. Someone seized my bicep and I squeaked. It was Jace. I ripped my arm from his grasp and ran off.

Lunch came around pretty quickly. I was sitting with Simon when I heard whispers erupt from the kids around me. They were talking about my scar. Anger bubbled up inside me. Then the pointing started and the tears welled up in my eyes. Jonathan chose that moment to walk into the cafeteria. He saw what was happening and whistled loudly. Even from across the cafeteria, you could feel the fury radiating off of him.

"If any of you make fun of my sister again, you won't live to see the next day," he threatened.

Why were they doing this? They'd never done it before. I searched the sea of kids and spotted the culprit. Jace Herondale sat on the table smirking. I stood up and ran out of the cafeteria. The side of my face ached. I'm not sure why, but it did that at times. Always a constant reminder of what happened. I heard footfalls closing in on me, two pairs in front and two in back. They cornered me. Fortunately, it was Simon, Jordan, Jonathan, and Magnus. I collapsed to the ground and sobbed.

"I'm never going to be able to get away from what's happened! It's always going to haunt me," I sobbed.

Jonathan scooped me into his arms and tried to hush me. "Everything is going to be okay. Once we're out of school and out of this town, I promise that you'll get over it." Luke was moving into his farmhouse at the end of our senior year. Jonathan and I were excited to get out of this town and leave all of our horrid memories behind. Sadly, that meant leaving our closest friends.

Magnus bent down to our height. "You guys are really going to leave?" I nodded slightly. Magnus held his head high in defiance. "Then we'll just have to follow our little biscuit and her brother."

I giggled, tears dried up and everything that happened today forgotten. Magnus took my hand and helped me to my feet. Jordan gave me a lopsided grin. "He's right you know."

"Damn straight," Simon piped.

The clicking of heels echoed in the hallway, startling the five of us. A girl with long black hair and dark eyes stood in front of us. She smiled sheepishly and introduced herself. "My name is Isabelle Lightwood, but you can call me Iz or Izzy. I'm sorry to interrupt, but can someone point me in the direction of the cafeteria? This is my first day at Alicante High."

I opened my mouth to answer, but Simon stumbled to the front of the group and ran a hand through his hair. "I'd be happy to show you."

Both mine and Jonathan's head shook in amusement. "How about we all head back to the cafeteria? I'm sure that you'd like to finish eating." Jonathan directed the last bit at me. I nodded and trailed behind as everyone turned and headed back.

The new girl, Isabelle, fell behind to talk to me. "What's your name?"

"Clary Morgenstern," I replied with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Clary," Isabelle returned my smile. "Would you like to come over my house this afternoon?"

I bit my lip. Jonathan probably wouldn't let me. "I'll have to ask," I said.

She nodded and asked, "Can I see your phone?" Not seeing the harm, I pulled out my phone and handed it to her. Moments later she returned it. "There. Now you have my number." By now we were outside the cafeteria and I refused to go in. Isabelle gave me a questioning glance. "Why aren't you following your friends?"

Before I had the chance to answer her, Jonathan turned around and grasped my hand, pulling me forward. Isabelle followed closely behind. The six of us sat at a table that had just recently been emptied by Magnus and Jordan. Simon was too busy drooling over Isabelle to really notice anything else. I rolled my eyes and sat next to my brother, Isabelle taking a seat next to me.

"Oh!" Isabelle exclaimed. "Do you guys mind if my brothers sit with us?"

We responded with a chorus of 'we don't mind'. Isabelle gave us a nod as her thanks and texted who I guessed to be her brothers. Soon enough, two guys were sauntering over. One of them happened to be Jace. My eyes narrowed and my body tensed. The other boy looked similar to Isabelle. He had black hair and blue eyes, and their features were very similar. They both took a seat in front of us. Jace openly stared at me while the boy turned to Isabelle.

"Introductions?" he asked.

Jordan started. "My name is Jordan Kyle and I'm the wide receiver on the football team."

Next was Magnus. "Magnus Bane at your service." He winked at the boy. "I am the person in charge of all uniforms for the sports teams."

Then Jonathan. "My name is Jonathan Morgenstern and I'm the starting quarterback."

I stuck out my hand for him to shake. "Clary Morgenstern, artist and creator of the school's official design." The boy shook my hand.

Simon waved slightly. "Simon Lewis, key master." I laughed. He was such a nerd.

The boy blinked, absorbing the information given to him. "Well, I'm Alec Lightwood. It seems that you already know my sister, Isabelle."

We nodded and I chose that moment to turn to Jonathan. "Isabelle invited me over later. Can I go?"

He gave me a look. "Are you sure that's the best idea?"

I sighed. "Please? She seems really nice."

"She could be an ax murderer."

Isabelle said, "That's always an option."

Jonathan ran a hand through his hair. "Only for an hour."

I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him. "Thank you!"

Jace was still staring at me when I pulled away. This was getting annoying and rude. I shot him a look, but that didn't stop him. Instead of paying attention to the fact that he was staring at me, I absorbed myself in getting to know Isabelle. She was different than any girl I know. Isabelle wasn't interested in shoes or shopping. Yes, she enjoyed those things, but she wasn't obsessed. She was obsessed with fandoms, actually. Doctor Who, Sherlock, Divergent, and a bunch of others that I, myself, am obsessed with. We were going to get along great.

The bell rang before we knew it. Magnus kissed the top of my head before heading to Science class. He and Jordan had Science while the rest of us had Physical Education. That included Alec, Isabelle, and unfortunately Jace. Jonathan flanked my right while Simon flanked my left. That's how we walked to most classes we had together. It was just an instant reaction.

The rest of the day went by rather quickly. Before I knew it, I was standing next to Isabelle inside her gigantic house. Luke's bookstore seemed so tiny compared to this mansion. She led me up the winding staircase and into her room. It was bigger than mine by a landslide. She had a four poster, mahogany bed with ivory sheets laying on top. Her walls were a crimson red.

"Your room is so pretty," I whispered and spun on my heel slowly to get a good look at the entire room. There was a door on the opposite side of the room that led to the bathroom. The funny part about her room was the giant posters of Benedict Cumberbatch and Theo James. There was also a giant Tardis book case. "Okay, I'm so jealous. You have a Tardis in your bedroom that holds all of your books."

Isabelle grinned. "But, Clary, it's bigger on the inside."

My eyes widened. What could she possibly mean? Isabelle went over and pulled on one of the books. The shelves slid forward and out. It opened to a whole other room. "This. Is. Awesome!"

Should I continue?