When Alexander Lightwood opened the door to his small- yet treasured- second-hand car, grabbed his keys and bag, and stepped out onto the dirty gravel ground that was Alicante Academy for The Gifted's driveway, he couldn't help but stare. At the giant, literally two-storey high fountain, with the Angel and her cup, in the centre of the roundabout his car was currently resting on. He stared at the massive, ancient-looking boarding house looming ahead of him, though somehow it managed to look modern while still looking old.

The stained marble steps were framed with glittering glass walls, and the age-old balconies in front of what Alec could only assume was each dorm room each had metallic-looking railings. There were entire extensions of the place made entirely of glass-domed rooms. He stared at the forest situated all around the campus, and the –was that real silver?- ten-foot gates that separated the two. Alec stared at the few people he could see- all in uniform, and all kind of… glamorous-looking. Not one of them had a dipped head, or awkward pace. They were all perceivably perfect.

The last thing that Alec stared at was not something new to him, however. Nor was it a thing. Alec stared at his adoptive brother; Jace, before handing his keys to the chauffeur waiting patiently by his side. His best friend- and long-time crush- had a look of awe, much similar to the look he had had last year, when he had first come to the Academy. You see, Jace was not like the beautiful buildings, the sweeping forests, or the glittering water in the fountain. He was the most beautiful thing, aside from his sister- but that was different, that Alec had ever laid eyes upon.

From the way his muscles rippled under his perfectly golden skin as he lifted bags out of Alec's car- to the gentle rustle in his yellow-gold hair from the slight breeze- Jace Herondale was the definition of beauty, and he was also the precise opposite to Alec. He thought of himself as pale and sickly-looking, with permanent shadows under his too-bright eyes, being just a little too tall for his weight, therefore lanky and awkward. His teeth were too straight, his hair was too dull, and his personality was just a joke. But he preferred things this way. Because if he weren't ugly, and unnoticed, then Alec would have a harder time trying to hide his longing looks, disgustingly tragic nervousness, and overall want for his god of an adoptive-brother. He wasn't natural, and definitely wasn't proud of it. Nobody knew that Alec was gay. Well, he guessed that Isabelle knew, but she had never mentioned it. Fate had so far been kind to him, in his eyes.

He tried not to stare at Jace as he trudged along up the stairs behind him, hauling his luggage up to the large entrance of the boarding school. It was his second year at the Academy, seeing as he was turning nineteen this year, but Jace was only still seventeen. It had to be your eighteenth year for you to attend the school, and even then, you had to have the brains and the connections to get in. Alec had next to no friends here, apart from his room-mate, Kyle, his best friend Simon and Simon's room-mate and fellow band member, Eric. He had promised that this year he would try- put in at least a little bit of effort to meet some new people. But Alec had his doubts. He was glad that Jace was finally joining him here, though a year apart, which meant that they would share no classes, Alec was grateful that he could spend his breaks with him.

"Who's that old bag?" Jace muttered under his breath, nudging Alec sharply in the ribs.
"Her? That's the Headmaster's assistant, Professor Aldertree. She is married to the Head of Sports, Mr. Aldertree himself. You'll most likely see your fair share of him, I assume." Alec chuckled softly to himself. Jace was sure to just love the ridiculous teacher.
"Who's the Headmaster then, if she's just the assistant?" Alec quickly scanned the room. It was full of all the first-years, like Jace, the newcomers. There were also quite a few older kids, who were transferring into later years. One in particular caught Alec's gaze, just for a moment. A splash of colour, a head taller than the rest.. and sparkling green eyes. But it was gone as soon as it had come, and Alec dismissed it as his imagination. He finally spotted the Headmaster, standing tall and foreboding by the stairway to the boys' wing. Alec pointed, and Jace whistled under his breath.
"Wouldn't want to get on his bad side, eh brother?" Alec grimaced.
"Professor Morgenstern is.. harsh. Be careful with him, Jace. This isn't like High School, where Mr. Garroway let you off on everything. Morgenstern means business."
"Pfft, what's a little harm in having some fun? You ought to try it every now and again, come to think of it."
Alec proceeded to ignore the arrogant blonde's comment. "Come on, let's see where you're rooming." Alec grabbed Jace's sleeve and hauled him over to the giant registration board.
"H.. h… uh, here! Found it. Jonathan Herondale, dorm four, room.. sixty-two." Alec glanced at Jace, who was staring over his shoulder at a group of girls giggling in the corner of the room.
"Jace," He glanced up at Alec. "You're down the hall from me. Let's go before my arm drops off. This luggage has suddenly become much heavier than I remember, after spending the holidays with Isabelle around…"
"Lead the way, dear brother of mine." Alec hid his flinch at the word brother and turned without a word to the boys' wing. He didn't even check to see if Jace had followed him.

The stairs were a pain, but it was well worth it when they reached their dorm level. "So, the first floor is the Common room, there's tv, couches, video games.. then the second floor has the library and study area. The third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors are dorms, and the seventh is a gym. The room is off-limits to first years, but I like it up there. It's peaceful, quite, and has a great view." Jace simply nodded at the information, and looked down all the corridors they passed. "Are these originals?" He gestured to the paintings decorating said corridors, and Alec laughed.
"You bet they are. Worth more than the grounds themselves, I'd assume." Jace grinned towards the ceiling.
"Are we almost there? My ego is getting tired, and I want to dump my stuff so I can scope out the.. uh, other wings." He winked lazily at Alec, who felt his face heat up.
"No, Jace! You can't. It's absolutely forbidden for boys to even go near the girls' wing. One guy last year was sleep-walking, and accidently used their bathroom, and.. well, let's just say nobody is in contact with him anymore. Word is his family moved South."
Jace blanched. He was so not expecting that. "Seriously? But man, did you see how many cute chicks were out there today?" Alec blushed again, but said nothing. He definitely hadn't.
At least Jace didn't seem to be expecting an answer, so they walked on in slightly uncomfortable silence for a while, until Alec paused at the sixtieth corridor. He sighed, and patted Jace on the shoulder.
"Well, this is your stop. Just the second door on the left. I'm in ninety-six, so just down there." Alec pointed the direction. "Good luck with the room-mate. I'll see you for dinner, okay? Meet me out here when the bell sounds." Jace nodded, and left. Alec was left standing there for a moment, before making his way to his own room. Opening the door, he was assaulted by the rapid fire of a loaded nerf gun. Dropping his bags and throwing his arms up to defend himself, with a yell, Alec was greeted by an excited-looking Kyle.

Way to start the year, he thought glumly.

So, this is my new fic.. I really hope I actually stay motivated for it. All rights belong to Cassie Clare. there's not much Isabelle in this, sorry.. but she's underage, and Clary will be rare too. I hope you like the idea, please review :)