Hey guys! So I'm back with a new story! I am going on a bit of a hiatus after I post this, but I'll be back with a regular updating schedule next year!
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story. There's also a lot of liberties taken with the university in this one.
Clarissa Fray walked slowly around the room, humming under her breath to the music that was playing from the speakers in the corners of the room. The smell of paint and turpentine filled the room, the familiar scent surrounding her comfortingly. Her class was filled with humans and mutants alike, and her mind reached out and fluttered delicately over her students thoughts as she walked around. She passed by Darla Stewart, who was human, and had an incredible talent when it came to oil painting. The girl had problems with concentrating when it came to her book work, but when she was put in front of a canvas, paints and brushes at her elbow, she could do incredible things. Next was Kenneth Turner, a mutant, with the ability to shift into a tiger, either completely, or just parts of him, and was known to use his tail to push people out of the way when his hands were full. Jason Bloom and Stacey Rogers, both human, were flirting, and Clary winced at the thoughts they were projecting a little too loudly—apparently the flirting had actually gotten somewhere the weekend before and that was not an image that she wanted of two of her students.
She had good control over her powers, she had manifested when she was just a few years old, and while both of her parents were human, they fully supported her incredible power and made sure that she had the best teachers. For quite a few years, she was unable to stop herself from feeling everything that everyone around the people. It was unbearable, feeling the pain felt by adults that passed her by on the street when she was just seven years old, the weight on a mans shoulders after he had lost his job and didn't know how he was going to support his wife and three children. Or an older woman, who had been married for nearly sixty years, and then lost her husband after a long, horrific battle with cancer.
But she had learnt how to filter things out, to block peoples thoughts and emotions and feelings. Clary was one of the more powerful mutants around, and telepathy was a rare power to hold, but while the small percentage of the population like herself used their power to advance their careers and wealth, she loved the life that she lived. It was modest, and filled with limited people who loved her, her art, and of course, her students.
"Clary?" It was Darla, wrinkling her nose as she looked at her art work. "I feel like there's something missing, I just can't figure out what it is." Clary walked over to her, tipping her head to the side as she looked at Darla's painting. Usually she just drifted over her students minds, not dipping in any further, not wanting to invade their privacy. But she let herself settle over Darla for a moment, finding where it was the girl wanted to get with her painting from where she was now.
"You need a darker shade of colour," Clary said as she pointed to the upper right corner of the canvas. "Over here, maybe a darker green, or even a blue." She waited behind her student as the dark haired girl mixed a new colour on her palatte and then dabbed them onto her canvas. They were quiet for a few minutes as Darla painted, and Clary felt the frustration ebb out of the girl as the tone of the painting shifted to what she wanted. "That's good," Clary gave her a smile and a slight nudge with her shoulder.
"Thanks, Clary," Darla gave her a smile. A lot of the teachers and professors at the University preferred to be called by their titles, or 'Mr' or 'Ms'. Clary didn't care. She had a degree in Art, Art History and Visual Studies and she was technically a Professor, but she was only twenty-nine and she looked younger than a lot of her students, given her bright eyes, clear skin and petite figure. She got on well with her students and she had not problem with them calling her by her first name. She began walking back to her desk, looking up at the clock on the wall and saw that it was almost time for the bell to ring, signifying not only the end of the class, but the end of the day.
"Okay, everyone," Clary clapped her hands together, and reached out to tap her finger against her iPod, pausing the music that was playing. "If you guys could finish off and get your brushes soaking! Leave your art where it is, you'll be the first class in here on Monday." She was in her lecture hall for one of her art history classes on Monday morning, and then she would be in her office grading papers and trying to sort out some details for an upcoming exhibition until she had this class again on Monday afternoon. "Just remember, if you want to work on your art in the weekend or after hours, you need to let me know. I'm happy to make the room available for you, but I need advance warning."
"Why, so we don't walk in on you with your boyfriend again?" The tease came from a mutant, Geoffrey Arnold, who had pixie like ears and fur covering the edges of his face. The tease was meant in good spirit, and the rest of the class laughed as well, obviously remembering a few weeks ago when they had walked in on her with 'her boyfriend' as they put it, making out against her desk.
"Or you ungrateful brats can take your work with you and stink out your own homes, see if I care," Clary screwed up her nose at her students, and they all just laughed harder. They were third year students, and she had taught some of them for all three years now, and they were a good bunch. The bell rang as the last of the students were cleaning out their brushes and she picked up her phone from where it was resting on her desks. "I'll see you lot on Monday! Have a good weekend!" They all shouted out their farewells to her as they filed out of their classroom, and Clary checked her phone.
I want to see you.
She rolled her eyes at the message, but there was a smile playing with the edge of her mouth as she looked at the next message.
I'm picking you up from class, I know you finish at four today.
The smile dropped off Clary's face at that. He knew that she didn't like him coming by the University, she worked hard to keep her private life exactly that. Private. The other week when he had been there had been a one off, and it was early in the morning, he was meant to be gone before anyone had the chance of seeing him.
I'm in the parking lot.
Now her eyebrows pulled together in a frown, and she reached underneath her desk to pull out her handbag, and then into the right hand side drawer of her desk to find her keys. Clary put her iPod in her bag as she twisted her way through the trays and easels that were set up in the room toward the side door. The main door lead out to the hallway which continued to a couple of other art studios, and then on to the courtyard. However the side door went directly down the concrete steps and toward the staff's parking lot. She heard her phone vibrate again, but she ignored it. He wasn't too far away, and Clary let her mind reach out, easily finding his familiar mind and curling around his thoughts.
She caught an image of him looking up in her direction, and she could figure out where he was standing from that alone. He couldn't see her yet because of the trees and the wood and concrete fence that seperated the campus from the car park. But as she walked down the steps, she started catching snippets of some peoples thoughts. Most of the time Clary ignored them, but it wasn't as though she kept up a permanent mental block, so if people were thinking loud enough, she would hear.
There were the usual, several students worried about exams that they had coming up, trying to figure out where they were going to fit in last minute studying so that they could go out this weekend. And most of them were just excited for the weekend, making plans to go out, pretty much all of them thinking about getting drunk or stoned. As Clary walked down the steps, her phone vibrated again, but she didn't bother checking it, because she was almost at the car park, so he would see her soon.
He was thinking about her, and she felt the spike in his mood, the right side of his mood lighting up when he finally caught a glimpse of her. Clary felt an ever so slight tightening of the delicate metal ring on her thumb, indication that he had seen her.
There were a couple of girls gathered at the bottom of the steps, and they were shooting looks over at the black stretch limo that Clary would never dream about being seen in.
And yet here it was.
Waiting for her.
He looked incredibly handsome, as usual, in a tailored suit that probably cost more than her annual salary, his dark maroon shirt with the first couple of buttons undone around his neck and no longer wearing a tie. He had expensive leather shoes, two rings in one of his lower earlobe and shaggy hair hanging to the collar of his suit. Not only was he giving off a confident—almost arrogant air—but also a dangerous one, the gun on his hip showing despite being cleverly hidden.
"Lisichka," he greeted her in Russian, his lips quirking into a devilish smirk, and Clary felt his appreciation as he looked her up and down. "Did you get my messages?"
"I did," Clary dipped her chin forward. "But I have my car, I have my own way home." She made a move, as though to carry on past him toward where her was parked, but he stepped forward, blocking her path and leaning forward so that his nose brushed against her temple. She felt another pulse in his brain waves, as he breathed in, inhaling her scent, and he touched her hip lightly.
"Come for a ride with me," he told her, not leaving any room for argument in his tone. Even though Clary had the power to freeze him in his tracks, twist his mind upside down if she really didn't want to go, there was no way she was going to say 'no' to him.
And so Clary got in the back seat of the limo with Jace Herondale.
Alright! So, my recommendations this time...Songwise, the ones I've had on repeat are; Somebody New, by Cedric Gervais. Fucking loooove it, my husband hates it, but I play it loud as hell when I'm the only one in the car. Haha. First Time by Kygo and Ellie Goulding, this one is cute and sweet, makes me think back to being a teenager. Then there's Easy by Sky Ferreira, which is just beautiful, from the movie Baby Driver, and the last one is Too Much To Ask by Niall Horan, which is just so pretty.
Movie wise, I've recently seen Kingsmen 2, which was fucking great, although my favourite character...*quietly sobs in corner*. Also It, which was great as well, the kids were all so fucking brilliant in that movie, and I have to admit, I ship Reddie. I think they're absolutely adorable. Bill Skarsgard did an amazing job. And then tomorrow, I'll be seeing Thor: Ragnorok! It looks amazing, so fingers crossed.
And then in the TV show area, I've just started watching The Gifted, which is pretty good so far. Also binged the second season of Shooter, which I've really enjoyed, and I hope that there's more! Another one is Wynonna Earp, which took me a while to get into, but I love it now. Wynonna and Waverly are just fucking amazing. And then there's just the general shows that I've been keeping up with, like How To Get Away With Murder, Gotham and NCIS: Los Angeles, all of which are great.
So! Let me know what you guys think of the chapter, let me know if you guys have any prompts or songs you want me to write about (any of the fandoms I'm in, check my profile, and keep in mind I will try to write them, but can't guarantee all of them) and absolutely recommend any songs, movies, tv shows or fics to me!
There's a preview of the next chapter for a review... xxx