I've always wanted to do an Anastasia (1997 Fox Animation) inspired fanfic but never decided which fandom I should base it in...but I've decided it would be TMI. Hope you enjoy, A/N at end of chapter x
FULL SUMMARY (Read, includes important background information):
When the dark shadow of revolution falls on Alicante, the Morgenstern family's youngest daughter, Clarissa, barely escapes the siege. Clarissa and a young hero who helped her out of the battle attempt to go through a portal, but in the process, Clarissa loses her grip on the boy's hand, where she hits her head and goes unconscious. She made it through the portal as she fell, but it separated the two children.
Ten years later the Shadowhunter knows herself only by the name Clary due to amnesia caused by hitting her head that night. She still holds onto some memories, dark and light, but she doesn't know of the Shadow world, nor does she know her true identity as the last Morgenstern other than her father who's the cause of the downfall.
Clarissa has grown up in a Brooklyn orphanage, under the name of Clary. She has recollection of her past life remains, except for the necklace that held onto a ring with a simple star pattern and the letter M printed in the center.
August 2007 is where our story will begin.
Chapter One: Parent-less
Morning light made it's welcome into the crème yellow painted room, shining onto the not-so-sturdy bunk bed. The room is small and simple, the orphanage hasn't been making much money in the last couple of years, and so simple is the best they can get. A peak of red stood out of the white sheets on the top bunk, it tossed and turned every few minutes, the figure aching to pull down the blinds so she could sleep for longer, but the girl is not much of a morning person. Especially when her fellow-orphan roommate wakes up at the peak of dawn just to catch a glimpse of the sunrise floating over the Brooklyn Bridge.
"Clary, wake up!" A loud male voice entered the room, shaking the frame of the bunk bed repeatedly. Clary knew immediately whom the voice belonged to, her room mate, her best friend and one of the few orphans that she can talk to without getting death stares, Simon. Clary mumbled something that sounded along the lines of 'Shut up' and tossed over onto her stomach, digging her face into the pillow.
"Wake up!" He spoke again, this time closer to the small figure.
"What—" Her voice barely audible, "—Day is it?"
"Sunday." Is all Simon said for Clary to shoot up, just missing the ceiling unlike all the other times where she bumped her head on the chalky ceiling. It's Sunday, the day where adults visit the orphanage in search of a child to take home and care for. Oh, how Clary longed for a home, or even to find her real parents.
After Clary cleaned herself up and got into her Sunday outfit, she ran into the hallway to meet Simon who wore a somewhat formal outfit, like all the other orphans.
"This is our day." Clary smoothed down her white peter pan collared blouse and black skirt.
"You say that every Sunday." Simon muttered but smiled. The two waltzed down the stairs, anxious to see the child-less couples waiting in the most-decorated room of the dull orphanage. As always, Clary expected there to be lots of adults. Instead, there were only two; a man and woman sitting on the leather couch holding each others hands while talking to Octavia, Liz and the other orphans who stood in a line next to Susanne, the head 'mother-figure' of the orphanage. Clary sighed at the disappointing view, but continued to walk down the stairs.
"…Ah, and these two young adults are Clary—" Susie gestured at the short red-head standing next to the taller teenager wearing glasses, "And Simon. Clary's fifteen turning sixteen tomorrow, and Simon is already sixteen. They are our oldest."
The couple's eyes scanned the two teenagers, the man not showing any particular interest, but the woman's eyes glowed a shade of…yellow? Clary tried not to stare, but she started to notice the pink tint through the blonde hair of the woman. Her facial structure was almost perfect, her skin clear of wrinkles, her eyes big and bulging but her pupils glowed a yellow color. Clary's eyebrows drew together for a brief moment but she shook it off, she always noticed weird things in random people. But, the strange thing was that the woman was staring right back at Clary, like she'd seen a ghost. The woman's eyes and body quickly turned back to Susie, acting like the stare-off never happened.
"Actually…we were hoping for someone a little younger than your children. I do apologize but we must leave." The woman shot up, pulling her husband out the door. The red door almost slammed shut if it weren't for the rug that got caught underneath.
"What was that all about?" Simon itched his forehead.
"Beats me." A blonde boy, Peter, rolled his eyes and returned to his room, followed by the three girls and other two boys. Simon, Clary and Susie were left in the lavender scented room.
"Another day where these children go without a family." Susie's voice is hoarse, she's put so much work into raising these children, it has weathered the poor woman to make her look older than what she is. She's as tall as clary, her hair ash blonde and her face like a cracked porcelain doll, wrinkled. Clary put her hand on Susie's shoulder, comforting her.
"They have family, we are all family."
"Clary, you make yourself have no choice but to live here. Don't you want to go find your family? I remember the night I found you lying out in this very street, marks up and down your body. Your face covered in dirt and your forehead plastered with a wound. I took you in, I took you in Clary and cleaned you up, when you woke you said you couldn't remember who you are. Don't you want to go find yourself?" Susie's voice broke into a soft but broken tone. Simon had then excused himself and left the two alone.
"I'd be lying if I said no. But, it's not my time. I'm nothing but a little fifteen-year-old girl. When I graduate from high-school I'll go, not only because that is when you stop taking care of me, but I'll go because I must find my past. For now, we wait." Clary smiled.
"Could you do something for me?"
"Anything."
"Go out tonight, with Simon, no curfew; you have money, do whatever you want. It is your birthday tomorrow."
"Are you sure you'll be alright with the other chil—"
"I'll be fine, go on." Susanne smiled and dismissed Clary who skipped into the kitchen where she saw a glimpse of Simon.
"It's always so quiet these days." Isabelle huffed, plotting herself down on the Library's couch.
"That is because we are in a Library." Jace replied, studying the large collection of Demonology books that Hodge always leaves lying around.
"Shouldn't we be in Idris? Tomorrows—"
"I know what tomorrow is. I'm not sure if we are going this year, we didn't go last year."
"It's the ten year anniversary." Isabelle picked up an old magazine that she left on the coffee table a while back.
"Of what exactly? Tomorrow is the day where we are either celebrating Valentine's death or mourning those lost." Jace still had his hands brushing over the cursive writing in the book he held.
"You have a good point, Jace. Especially since it's the ten year anniversary since Clarissa—"
"Alec, Clarissa's dead. We all know it." Isabelle whispered, aiming for Jace not to hear. But, he did. He clapped the book shut and placed it loudly on the counter.
"Jace, it's not your fault. It's Valentines—"
"If I was careful, she wouldn't have fallen into the portal—"
"You did all you could. You were, what, seven?"
"Doesn't make a difference." Jace stalked out of the Library, he will never forget that day.
"Where are we?" Simon asked, the sun had fallen and the moon had made itself present.
"We, my friend, are lost." Clary replied, stopping in her tracks. They were so lost, that the streets were almost empty, on the occasional jogger or homeless person went by. You could see the skyscrapers in the distance, but on the street the two teenagers were in, there's nothing but old warehouses and apartment buildings that seem to be abandoned.
"Let's just turn back—" And they did, but not from Simon's words, from the crash coming from behind them.
"What…was that?" Clary asked, her body tense and afraid. She pressed her back against Simon's front. She felt his warm and quick breath.
Another crash, this one more like a trashcan knocking over, it came from in-between two warehouses. A large, wolf-like dog ran out of the alleyway…and stopped. Looking straight at Clary. A brief moment, nothing happened. Clary could swear for a moment she stopped breathing, it defiantly wasn't a dog. Then, it ran away. As if the 'dog' didn't see the two.
"Let's get out of here." Simon walked in the opposite direction, his pace hard to follow. Clary, out of breath, caught up soon after.
"Demon sighting in Brooklyn." Isabelle launched into the dining room where Alec and Jace sat opposite each other in silence, eating Chinese food.
"We just sat down." Alec, rolling his eyes, stood up from his sitting position.
"A sighting is a sighting, get the weapons ready."
"Finally, civilization." Simon sighed; they had been walking for hours. They had finally found their way back to the main roads where people actually go this time at night.
"Right, where to now?" Clary asked with a huff, New York gets cold this time at night; thankfully Susanne made her bring a jacket.
"Your choice, it's your birthday in—" Simon checked his wrist-watch, "—Fifteen minutes."
"How about we just go to a diner, get some dinner and take a cab back home. I'm starving and even though tonight we have no curfew, I'm defiantly tired."
"Alright fine, you pick the restaurant." Simon smiled, tucking his slender hands into his red hoodie.
Isabelle, Jace and Alec patrolled the streets of Brooklyn, using the sensor and Isabelle's necklace to track down the demon.
"Let's go here.." Clary stopped, pointing to a diner with a big glowing sign spelling 'TAKI'S DINER'.
"Where?"
"Tah…keys?" She tried to pronounce the unfamiliar word.
"Where?"
"Ugh, keep walking." Clary continued to walk down the street with Simon at her side.
"We're not far from Taki's. The sensor is picking up something a few blocks ahead." Alec sped up, Isabelle and Jace following, weapons at ready.
After a quick, and horrible, dinner from a road-side hot dog stand which apparently is open 24 hours, the two decided it was time to head home. Clary and Simon literally did nothing on their 'field-trip' to the night life of New York, nothing but walking around getting lost. But, hey, they had each other's bad jokes and company, which is better than feeding hungry restless orphans.
"Well, would you look at the time." Simon stopped in the middle of an empty street, "Happy Birthday, Little red." He smiled, embracing her in a hug. Clary said nothing; instead she smiled in his arms, his familiar arms. He is her brother, blood related or not, he is family. The two separated slightly, Simon looked into her green eyes that looked bluer with the full moon reflecting off the pair. He decided this was the time; he's going to tell her, tell her he loves—
Suddenly, he felt Clary tense.
"Did you see that?" Clary saw a dark shadow jump across the street, twice. She pulled further away from Simon, following the shadow. It disappeared every few seconds, then re-appeared.
It came closer and closer with every jump.
Clary turned around, Simon's gone.
"Simon!" She yelled, her heart speeding. She ran towards the street lamp, so she could be in light, where she though she'd be the safest, "Who's there?"
No reply, not even Simon. The shadow jumped once again across the street, still no sign of a face, it just looked like a mass of blackness.
Suddenly, a hand was around her neck, pushing her up against the cold brick wall of the empty office buildings exterior. She let out a yelp, almost a scream.
The hand on her neck belonged to a shadowed face, the street lamps light is too dull to illuminate the face, and it's defiantly a male, though.
The three stopped once they heard a name being called, it sounded like Simon, but it was hardly audible from such a distance. Alec held a hand gesture so they would all keep quiet, there was another yell. This one was harder to hear.
"Damsel in Distress." Jace whispered, then a scream was heard. No one replied, instead the three ran.
A/N: Okay, I needed to get this chapter off my chest. It hasn't been proof read (my bad) but I just wanted to get it up.
It will be edited in the near future though so don't worry.
Plus, this chapter jumps around a little considering no one 'knows' each other yet.
If you want more, review. I won't update if you don't review, x Leave suggestions and questions if necessary!
Lots of love, -E