Bzzz...Bzzz...Bzzz. That sound bounced off the walls of Clary's small studio apartment in Brooklyn. It was her phone vibrating incessantly and kicking her out of her pleasant sleep. Annoyed, she rolled over and pushed her tangle of red hair from her face to see that she had five missed calls. One from Simon and four from her art professor and mentor, Mrs. Skylar Caz. With an exasperated sigh, she called Mrs. Caz back, getting up from bed as she did so. The phone rang once and then Mrs. Caz's voice exploded from the other end. "She's coming early and you do not want to be late, Clary! Hurry up! She'll be here in like fifteen minutes!"
"Wait! Slow down! What? Who's coming?" Clary replied, throwing on a cute white crop top with checkerboard print along the middle and pulled on ripped jean shorts, letting her beautiful flaming hair fall down her back like a red waterfall, natural curls twisting it perfectly.
"Your model! Remember?! You're doing the body painting today and her manager just texted me to say she's coming earlier, in like ten minutes and to be ready but you're still not here!" Mrs. Caz yelled and Clary cursed, balancing her phone on her shoulder as she swung her messenger bag over her and jammed on deep red converse, stumbling out of the house.
"Shit! I'll be there in a second, do you have the paints?" Clary replied, quickly making sure her door was locked and running down the stairs and out of the building, heading full run toward the Brooklyn Academy of Art. She felt frustration towards this model. Who the hell did she think she was, changing the time of a scheduled meeting to earlier in the morning in like a half hours notice?!
"Yes! But hurry!" Mrs. Caz called back and then hung up, leaving Clary running alone. She texted Simon a quick apology about missing his call and that her stupid model decided to come earlier so she'd call him later and then focused on getting there. She got into BAoA with two minutes to spare, panting heavily as she entered her studio. Her legs felt like jelly as Mrs. Caz spun to see her in the door.
"Thank GOD you made it! I know you're probably all mad about this time change, and you have every right to be, and normally I would've fired the model who thought they could do that but, trust me, you don't want me firing this one." Mrs. Caz rambled as she dragged Clary to where the painting would occur and showed her the placement of all the colours.
"Who the Hell does she think she is?! I can't have added stress in a painting environment! It's hard enough that this is my first time body painting and now this?!" Clary sighed angrily, looking at all the colours.
"I know, I know, but trust me. You won't want to miss this. Working with this model… it could change your entire career. If this goes right you won't have to be in that small studio anymore… this could be your big break-" Mrs. Caz was cut off my a male voice Clary had never heard.
"She's here, Skylar," Clary turned to see the owner of the voice. It was a man who looked to be in his mid-forties wearing a suit and a serious look on his face. Lines seemed to be permanently engraved on his face from hours and hours of frowning.
"Well, bring her in, Tristan," Mrs. Caz said but the door from the private changing room opened.
"I have a name and a free will you know." Clary did a double take when she heard the voice. That was a voice she'd only ever heard on tv and once or twice over the radio. When she turned to the dressing room door, she saw a face that had graced television, runways, and the covers of magazines for around a year now. Isabelle Lightwood. "Hi, I'm Isabelle. Sorry for the mix up in times, I hope it wasn't too much of an inconvenience." She extended her hand for Clary to shake and Clary fumbled for a moment before shaking her hand.
"I… uhh…" Clary desperately searched for words, "I'm sorry. I'm just shocked, that's all. I'm Clarissa, but you can call me Clary." Isabelle's eyes brushed her up and down then she turned to look at the older man, Tristan, Clary recalled vaguely, and then to Mrs. Caz.
"You didn't tell her," Isabelle's voice had a hint of a smile in it and Mrs. Caz blushed, nodding while Tristan shrugged, his face still set in stone.
"Well I have another seminar to run, Clary. Give me a call if you need a hand or anything, I'll just be in room 290," Mrs. Caz declared and gave the two of them a wave before taking her leave, the door fluttering closed behind her. Tristan was close on her heels as he called over his shoulder.
"I have to be with your brother up at Bane's before the actual show. You know what to do if you need help, even though you'll be fine." Tristan sounded more bored and unimpressed than anything else.
"Yup. Call J or Alec," Isabelle mumbles the next part, "because it's not like you care." Tristan turned and raised an eyebrow but then parts, closing the door behind him. The two were left standing in the room alone, Isabelle still had her robe on and Clary's hair was still down.
"So… This is the first time I've ever done this, in case you weren't aware, so if you just want to… you know… pick a pose?" Clary was blushing and watched Isabelle scan her face, wishing she'd just say what she was thinking.
"Sure…" Isabelle paused, looking over Clary once more, a strange look that Clary couldn't place, in her eyes. Then she continued, "do you have a sofa? I prefer sofa poses," Isabelle turned and headed to the place that had been taped off for the painting. Clary nodded quickly and rushed over to get the sofa, pulling it out for Isabelle. When she turned to see Isabelle, she'd dropped her robe and was standing practically naked in front of her, with just the bare minimum coverage in the form of panties that were pretty much just a thong. She moved to the couch and she sat down thinking for a second before moving to pose. She sat half reclined so her legs were off the couch at her knees. She was laying back on her bent arm and her hand draped off the front of the couch. She turned her head slightly and put her other hand on her head. "Good?"
"Perfect, if you can hold it for the time this will take," Clary remarked, getting her colours together as the ideas started to fall in place like puzzle pieces.
"I can stay as long as you need me," Isabelle breathed as Clary began to pick the colours she wanted and going to Isabelle, pulling her brushes from the brush holder. Clary tied her hair up and started on Isabelle's legs, gently starting to paint flowers up her leg. Starting with shades of green. She imagined she was painting on a canvas and began with each stroke purposefully meaning something different. After about two and a half hours, she'd painted the stems and bases of the flowers in bright or dull greens all up her body, up to base of her breasts. Right there was where Clary changed away from the greens, though she had a few stray stems reaching up, most of Isabelle's upper body had now been painted in shades of light sky blue, decorated with wisps of white for the clouds and kisses of pale yellow for the sun rays. Clary had decided after a moment to even paint her face in the sky color, but she'd done half a butterfly on her face that covered from her left ear to her nose, going right over her eye, touching right down to her chin and up tp her hairline. The details of the butterfly wing were done delicately with all shades of red, orange, black, and white imaginable. From the smallest of brushes to the largest of sponges, each movement and stroke mattered to Clary. Next, she went back to Isabelle's body, painting little flowers and little butterflies, something she did for an additional near four hours. After the final stroke for one of the many wings on the butterflies on her body, she settled herself onto her heels and smiled at her work. Stepping back and taking a picture of Isabelle on the red sofa against the pitch black background, she felt pride in her work and what she had done. It wasn't bad at all for her first time. Isabelle looked like a painting of the outside, her whole body adorned with summer colours and flowers while butterflies danced over head. Clary had placed a fake butterfly on one of her fingers and she had held the pose for the whole six and a half hours.
"There… You look gorgeous…" Clary mumbled, not sure how to feel, because in that moment, Isabelle was perfection. After the picture, she motioned for Isabelle to go and look at herself in the mirror. Isabelle froze as she looked at herself, moving in a circle to look at herself from all the angles possible.
She turned back around to look at Clary after a moment's pause, "Clary… this is incredible…" Clary felt a blush rise in her pale cheeks as she looks at Isabelle. Isabelle, who was already so beautiful, looked impossibly more beautiful with the colours and detail working on her, and Clary was proud to say she'd done it.
"Thank you," Clary smiled gently and Isabelle smiled her first real smile back at Clary, her eyes were a strange colour, Clary noted. They almost seemed black almost, like the night sky, but she'd never seen such black eyes with so much light in them.
"Do you have an Instagram?" Isabelle asked, walking over to the table to get her phone and unlock it. She looked up at Clary, who was shocked someone like Isabelle was asking her that question.
"Umm… yeah, yeah I'm sorry," Clary replied, laughing nervously as she pulled her phone from her back pocket. " , with an "a"" Clary said, smiling nervously. Isabelle nodded and opened her Instagram. Not 3 minutes later, a follow request appeared in her notifications.
"There you go. I'll talk to my brothers and see if they can give you a follow too. By the Angel… your art is phenomenal." Isabelle was scrolling through some of her art works. She motioned for Clary to join her while she still stood before the mirror. "Come here, let me take a picture with the amazing artist who has made this possible," Isabelle smiled and Clary nervously went to her side, unsure of how to pose.
"Where do you want me?" Clary asked shyly, not wanting to mess up Isabelle's picture, even though she'd been invited in it.
"Uh, you can stand beside me, point your fingers at me, like finger guns," Isabelle instructed, smiling, " and stand tall but also jutt your hip out to the right so your left leg is bent slightly… perfect!" Isabelle said as she did what was instructed. She watched as Isabelle, holding the phone, pointed to Clary, a look of astonishment on her face, and she stood at the perfect angle so the painted illusion held true. She took a few pictures then flipped it to selfie mode, taking a picture of them together. Clary felt like she was dying, she needed to wake herself up from this dream before she woke by herself in the hellhole that was her studio apartment. Isabelle had turned away and was writing something down before handing a ripped piece of lined paper to her.
"Here's my number. Text if you feel up to it," Isabelle smiled her model smile and posted the pictures to Instagram, Clary's phone vibrated notifying her that she'd been tagged in a photo as she jotted Isabelle's number into her contacts.
"Of course," Clary replied, smiling and putting her phone back in her back pocket. She looked to Isabelle and smiled brightly. "Can I go show you off to Mrs. Caz?"
"Ooh, I love to be showed off! Lets go!" Isabelle remarked, smiling. Clary makes her way to the other studio with Isabelle close on tail.
"Mrs. Caz!" Clary called, poking her head out and into studio 290. Mrs. Caz turned and Clary pushed the door open further, gesturing Isabelle in. Isabelle walked in as graceful and skillful as a model, every movement purposeful. Mrs. Caz gasped and looked over Isabelle in amazement. The other students in the room stared wide eyed at Isabelle, for many reasons that Clary could respect and appreciate.
"Clary… It's… She's beautiful…" Mrs. Caz came over and looked at the fine detail work, her blonde hair hanging loose down her back. Mrs. Caz wasn't that old, she was only about 25, and she looked like it.
"Thank you. I got lucky getting a model like Isabelle. She's something else. Making someone like her beautiful isn't hard, she's already gorgeous," Clary said and smiled at her. Isabelle smiled and waved at Mrs. Caz.
"Isabelle, thank you for coming to be a model on such short notice. It really made a huge difference in everything." Mrs. Caz replied, glancing to look Isabelle in the eyes.
"Of course, it was my pleasure. I apologize again about the time mix up, thank you for being so understanding and accommodating. Sometimes Tristan just changes shit without any of us knowing. And Clary," Isabelle turned to her after directing her words at a smiling Mrs. Caz. "Can you do makeup as well as you can body paint?" Isabelle raised a single eyebrow and Clary felt jealous for a second that she could do that.
"Well, yes. I'm more comfortable with paints though," Clary concluded after a beat of thought. She could see the gears working in Isabelle's mind.
"Well then, Clary, I just had to let go of my last makeup artist and if you can do art like this… would you consider joining our team? After I run it by Tristan, of course." Isabelle spoke and Clary felt her heart stop.
"Are you joking?" Clary's voice was soft and shocked. She never in her wildest dreams imagined that the Isabelle Lightwood would be asking her to work for her. It was truly a big break for her.
"Not in the slightest. You're crazy talented and I would have had no idea this was your first time body painting if you hadn't have told me. I've had seasoned body painters do it on me and they didn't do half as good of a job that you've done. Serious." Isabelle concluded and Clary couldn't breath or think.
"Wow… Thank you, Isabelle. I'd be honoured to work for you if you'll have me," Clary quickly added and Isabelle smiled.
"Yes, of course. I'll talk to Tristan tonight. It would be a paid position of course, and seeing how amazing of a job you've done here, with any luck you can soon consider your debts for getting into BAoA gone. I have to be out of here in an hour though, I have something with Jace and Alec to do later. Walk with me?" Isabelle asked and Clary nodded, following the black haired goddess out of the studio, waving goodbye to a beaming Mrs. Caz.
"Are you and Jace… dating?" Clary asked as the door closed behind them, trying to follow some train of thought, but she'd always wondered that since the first time she's seen Isabelle and Jace.
"That's what they want you to think. Jace and I aren't dating in the literal sense. In reality, we're just really good friends, sometimes with benefits but most of the time, without." Isabelle said, smiling as she headed to the showers.
"Oh. Alright. Well, isn't it hard to look like you're in love with someone you aren't in love with?" Clary asked, tilting her head. Isabelle stepped into the shower, frosted glass covering every part of her from her shoulders to her knees.
"I do love him. Just in a strange way," Isabelle replied, washing her hair. "We talked about getting married and stuff like that, actually trying to live out what we have on camera, and it really is probably going to happen eventually and it's not like I'm being saddled with an ugly man, or someone I hate. It wouldn't be that terrible of a marriage if it needs to happen."
"That's still sort of sad. To have your life dictated by what the fans and the masses say? I'd imagine it's stressful at times." Clary replied, leaning back so her back was on the wall and to Isabelle.
"Hey. It could be a lot worse, Jace, Alec and I have it easy. Jace and I are lucky. We at least have more rope then plenty of other models and stars." Isabelle called back over the drum of the water in the shower.
"Yeah, I suppose. Would you marry someone else if you could?" Clary asked, curiously.
"Well… I guess you should know I'm bisexual so I have many options in the world, so just based off that, I think if I found the right person, I would be sort of sad I'd been stuck to Jace, but I don't think I'd ever really regret it. I have everything I could've ever wanted or needed right now," Clary heard the water turn off, "and Jace can give me everything I could ask for, love included. But don't think that I haven't been around my fair share of times. I'm no goody two-shoes, that's for sure." Isabelle smiled behind Clary and Clary nodded.
"Yeah. Well, I'll go and let you be. It was really great meeting you, and feel free to come by BAoA whenever you feel like it. Our doors are always open for you, mine specifically." Clary said, turning to smile at her. Isabelle laughed lightly and nodded.
"Thank you, Clary. It was really nice to talk to another girl for once. I'll definitely be by sometime. This isn't the last you'll be seeing of me, unfortunately." Isabelle teased and Clary laughed, closed the door to let Isabelle get ready. As she pulled out her phone to call Simone, she noticed that she had right about 100+ request notifications from almost all social media platforms, from regular and big name people. A few really well-known artists had requested to follow her, but her eyes locked in on two in particular and she couldn't believe this was her life. They read, " " and " J.C_Lightwood2.0".
