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"Good morning, Good morning! Good morning!" Jace sang loudly, pointing at me with a brush as his microphone. My eyes widened in shock that this boy so sure of himself would sing a good morning song.
Isabelle burst into the room, her whip uncoiled. "What the hell is going on in here? Do I need to be worried? Who screamed?"
"Jace's voice," I replied, standing up, having slept off what had happened last night. "He tried serenading to wake me up."
Isabelle giggled. "Well, let's pick out your training clothes. The ointment on your ankle should've healed the twist by now."
Forget me saying I slept everything off. I most definitely did not sleep everything off. In fact, it crashed down on me like a giant wave, and I was basically drowning.
Mutely, not wanting to open my mouth even the teeniest manner, I followed Isabelle to my new closet that was body free.
"Out," she snapped at Jace. He held up his hands as a sign of surrender and backed away slowly. Isabelle snapped her whip and Jace ran off, his peal of laughter heard all the way down the hall and a door slamming shut.
"Spill, what happened between you two?" She practically squealed, going from the bad bootay kicking self to an actual sixteen-year old girl. She lied back against my bed, her arms behind her head.
"Nothing really," I said nonchalantly. "I mean we just slept together. Literally slept. Nothing happened at all."
"Oh please," Isabelle said. "When I dropped your clothes off, your head was on his chest and his arms were wrapped around you."
My cheeks were small-ignited flames, and Isabelle threw some clothes at me. I peered cautiously at the green tank top and tight white shorts with a green stripe.
I changed cautiously before squealing in shock at my appearance that I was going to go out in public.
All I'd ever worn were dresses and pants whenever I went to bed. It was a law in our community to always be completely covered except for our head, hands, and certain parts of our feet. The only person to ever see you in any way uncovered was your Found One.
The Katon Books: Modesty
Section 8 - Article 24:
You are never to see above the ankles or below the neck. This part must be covered with the exception of the hands, but it is considered to be a form of taunting if the hands are uncovered or the dress hugs any curves on the woman's body.
Only your Found One may see you naked, or with a dress on above the ankles.
If a woman is seen with any violation of this law, they will be immediately arrested. But do not fear, for you, ladies, will never do that because you are trustworthy.
I examined myself in a state of shock, noting how tiny I actually was. I'd never seen myself unless I was taking a shower, and even then it was illegal to look in the mirror. I never even dared to peek.
"Clary?" Isabelle asked, her voice light. "Are you all right?"
"Fine," I said, my voice catching. "Isabelle, do you have anything more appropriate?"
She giggled. "You look fine Clary, trust me. Most girls will be wearing sports bras and booty shorts."
The bathroom door flew open and I set my eyes on her outfit in shock. She was wearing a skintight gear looking thing with a belt full of weapons inside of it. Her hair was pulled back into a long ponytail, the end of it reaching her butt. She had a small smile, as I looked her over in shock.
"This is for the experienced ones. We've passed all of our physical training so we spar now," Isabelle said. "We have this gear just in case a weapon penetrates our skin. You, however, will be working with flexibility and gracefulness – which you need severely."
She took my arm and led me down into the kitchen and Meadow sat at the table, her eyes red rimmed as if she'd been crying. Jace was at her side, rubbing soothing circles into her back and I stopped, my back going rigid as I gazed at the pair.
"I didn't mean to," she sobbed. "I just – Clary!" She got up, her arms wrapping around my small frame. "I didn't mean to scare you. You see, I have a mental condition and sometimes a whole new; violent part of my brain takes over. Jocelyn thinks it's because I stopped the pills so abruptly. If you have them often, and then suddenly stop, your brain goes into overdrive."
Jace sooths her off of me, whispering words of comfort into her ear. She slumps down in a wooden chair, sobbing into her arms.
I panted heavily and Isabelle pulled me away and Jace began to follow her quietly.
They pulled me into a room.
"Jace her eyes!" Isabelle screamed. "She's becoming an Addicted!"
My breathing was labored as pain ripped through my body. I'd felt this pain before. Somewhere. Sometime.
I felt my wrists being restrained as my eye vision became sharper. "C'mon Clary," Jace murmured. "When'd you last have the pills?"
"Yesterday," I breathed, panting. "At the Ceremony. If I didn't, we couldn't enter." A scream tore through my throat and I arched my back, tears streaming down my face.
My feet were tied to the bedpost as Jace let out a long whistle.
I couldn't tell how much time had passed, just how much agony I was going through. It tore through me in furious waves, going quickly through my bloodstream, but never leaving me, only adding on. The ropes at my feet rubbed furiously against my ankles, burning me.
The door burst open and all around me I heard vague shouts, but they didn't speak passed the blood roaring in my ears. All I heard were my own screams of pain.
"Please!" I whimpered and in my peripheral, I saw Jace's blonde hair whip towards me. "Just end it please."
I saw something swing at me until it all just ended.
Peace.
~Jace~
Her screams hit me in pain and I saw the way her eyes glazed over. It was torture waiting for Jocelyn. I poured buckets of ice-cold water over Clary, but I don't even think she noticed. It didn't even put a dent on her feverish skin. Her screams hurt my ears.
She yelled the same thing over and over again, almost sounding like blubber to the untrained ear, but Isabelle and I understood it just fine. "He will get you and he will kill you and he will torture you like he's doing me!"
It froze my blood as I thought of my father, his eyes transfiguring into black holes. I watched Clary's eyes do the same.
Jocelyn ran into the room, falling at her knees in front of her daughter. "Clary, Clary, baby can you here me?" Clary screamed the words over and over, tears spilling down her face like a waterfall. Isabelle, Alec, and Meadow watched helplessly.
I'd done this before with my father. Tamed his blubbering with a punch to the temple. But not Clary. I wouldn't do it to the innocent Clary restrained to the wall. Until she asked me to. They always asked me to.
"Please!" she shouted. Here it came. The moment of truth.
"What does she want?" Jocelyn yelled at me.
"She wants me to end it," I said quietly, my voice cold. "Because it hurts."
"Yeah, got that, thanks," Jocelyn replied sarcastically.
"Just end it please," she whimpered. I rubbed my knuckles, praying it would only have to be one punch. That she wouldn't be as strong as my father.
My fist flew but her screams stayed. Jocelyn had her hand over her mouth. Clary said the same things repeatedly, but quicker, her black eyes going from just the iris to spreading over the entire eye.
My fist twitched, but I couldn't bring myself to punch her again.
"Jace!" Isabelle cried. "Do it now!"
Why couldn't I punch her again? Why was this girl I'd watched grow up since she was twelve so much more different than my father who'd raised me?
It's not different. They're both in pain; just do it, I told myself.
My fist flew and collided with her and she slumped over, her mouth silent.
"What the hell was that?" Alec growled, grabbing my arm. My eyes closed. I knew exactly what he was talking about. "We don't hesitate, Jace, not with the Addicted."
My eyes snapped open, staring into his eyes that were so much like his mother's. "She's not an Addicted, Alec. We won't let that happen."
"She's close enough," Jocelyn said. "You know she is Jace. She's had the pills twice, if she gets another dose, who knows what will happen?"
Shivers ran down my spine. Jocelyn was completely right. After the third dose, you could go insane. Meadow insane.
"Then we won't let it happen," Isabelle said, unstrapping Clary and bringing her gently down. "She's with us now."
"We can't prevent everything," Meadow said softly. "Do you remember Jeremy? We had to put him down like a dog."
My throat closed up, and I slumped down to the floor.
"Why does she mean so much to you, Jace?" Alec said. "You've known her for a day."
Jocelyn leaned down. "No. He's known her for five years. She just didn't know him." She touched my shoulder lightly. "Isabelle's right. You won't let anything happen to her. I know you."
I snapped, and stood up abruptly. "I'm going to go see how things are going in town."
~Magnus~
I moved out of the way of Jace Herondale as he stomped down the camp, glaring at everyone who dared to make eye contact. Including me.
I kept moving, running my fingers through my hair and tugging lightly, irritation coming along.
How the hell did Clarissa Morgenstern get pills in this camp?
I walked into the cabin and saw Isabelle biting her lip at the kitchen table, not touching her food.
"Where is she," I asked and Isabelle pointed down the hall.
"First door on the left. Be careful. Jace will kill you if you're not," she sighed, picking up a piece of bacon and dropping it back on the plate.
This was the Omega cabin, the symbol of the Greek alphabet on each door. It was at the end of them all, and from point of view, the most beautiful. The end of things was always the best.
Jace kept it well cleaned, the wood always polished and you would see him every Saturday dusting and cleaning with determination in his eyes. I always thought it was what kept him sane.
Then again, everyone was insane in their own way.
I cracked open the door to see Jocelyn rocking back and forth, watching her daughter with interest as the pasty girl only wearing a spaghetti strap tank top and athletic shorts laid on the bed, her skin flushed and tear stains tracked down her cheeks.
"You called?" I asked, my grin like a Cheshire cat.
Jocelyn breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God. She had to take pills yesterday and they just hit about five minutes ago. Jace knocked her out. How long should she stay away from everyone? How long is it going to be in her bloodstream this time?"
I pulled out a needle and a medicine dropper. I pricked her skin, and blood flowed out of the wound slowly. I took the medicine dropper, and picked up the blood and examined it, noting the color of the blood and how long it took for her blood to stop flowing.
"Dammit," I muttered, staring at her, touching a cool hand to her sweaty forehead. "Three days. Shorter than last time, shockingly. Must've taken different ones."
"She took the mind control ones," Jocelyn whispered.
My eyes widened as I stared at her. "Shit."
~Jace~
I stomped into town before making my face emotionless, like everyone else. I stared up at all the cameras, watching my every movement and I tensed as I watched people pass by. There was a sudden blaring and a cold voice came through the microphone. Alec's mother.
"Everyone, please head to the lunch line immediately."
Three lines began and the world's populations began stomping through lines. I walked along the border in the woods, letting no one see me.
I sprinted to the front, wanting to know exactly what was going on. There was a boy, loneliness written so clear across his features, and his shoulders had a small slump.
I caught my breath. How was I going to catch his attention without drawing everyone's?
I slipped easily into the line right behind the boy. I heard a growl from behind me, but the Addicted wouldn't attack me without direct orders.
The boy took a tray, and stuck in under a disposer and hundreds of little blue and white pills fell and I could almost see the gears inside the nerdy boy's mind.
I pulled up a white tray, my stomach churning as I stuck the tray under and little pills fill down, all labeled with what they do.
My breath caught and I followed the brown-headed boy to a table, trying not to throw up as I watched people's eyes become hazy, as if they were on drugs, which they were, just not deadly ones. Not the ones they used to say were against the law.
The boy sat with a group of people slowly placing pills into their mouth, muttering quietly underneath their breath.
I saw the boy beginning to put a pill into his mouth, but grabbed his wrist from underneath the table. Hopefully he knew Morse code.
I tapped quietly and his eyes widened. Don't.
I knew he understood as he placed his hand back underneath the table.
"Are you not going to eat those?" a small girl asked me, her eyes bright green, like Clary's, but she had dull, short, brown hair.
"No," I said, my voice catching as I made it monotone. "I'm not."
She grabbed a handful of pills and stuffed them all down her throat, a small smile spreading across her face as she picked the ones that said happy.
"Thanks!" she said brightly.
We're going into the woods as soon as this is over, I tapped. Follow me and don't look at anyone.
He nodded incoherently as a robotic woman took his plate of pills and then mine.
The people across from us were quickly finished.
We all stood up at once, and slapped our arms four times, all in sync. I was used to this. This is how the Addicted said goodbye.
We all walked in a line out of the tent and a drop of snow fell on my head. We walked hastily towards the woods, our heads down.
"Attack!" the intercom shouted, feedback coming quickly after it. "Intruders."
Crap.
~Clary~
I was surrounded by snow, and next to me Jace was building a snowman, the head crooked, and little pebbles make the eyes and mouth. He didn't have a nose, but Jace smiled anyways.
"Clarissa," he said softly, giving me a kiss on the forehead, his lips cold from the snow.
I shivered from the name. "It's Clary, you know that Jace."
"No!" he shouted, shoving me into the powdery snow that had suddenly turned into ice, cutting little scratches into the palms of my hand. "We addicted use full names. I am Jonathan Christopher. I gave you a nickname, Clarissa Adele."
"But, Jace…" I said quietly, confusion coming over me. He always called me Clary.
His foot came down on my stomach and I cried out in pain and he quickly pulled out a knife and throwing it –
My eyes snapped open, feeling a quick headache coming on. My mother stared at me worriedly, her dark green eyes showing so much concern.
And then I remembered what had happened.
The screaming, the thrashing, and then suddenly, Jace knocking me out.
I was so tired. I just wanted to go back to sleep.
"Then do it," my mother said tiredly. "I'll do it with you."
I nodded and buried myself into the pillows, not even caring to ask how she knew what I was thinking.
~Jace~
"What's your name?" I shouted over the chaos, running through the woods, thinking how much more graceful he was than Clary.
"Simon!" he yelled back. "I was looking for my friend Clary, I haven't seen her since she went into the First Ceremony. Mine's supposed to be tomorrow!"
I almost stopped in my tracks. They had more than one ceremony now? The population of the Addicted was growing so much.
I dove underneath the electric fence and Simon went with me after a moment's worth of hesitation.
I stopped running and began walking casually. "What the hell are you doing?" Simon yelled.
"They'll shock themselves, and then, they're dead. That's the only part of the chain link fence that has a hole in it, and only The Wanderers know about it. Anybody that sees it is instantly dead because they're too stupid to realize it's electric," I replied.
We walked from there, Simon studying with amazement. I wanted so bad to make a snarky remark before remembering that this was Clary's friend.
Alec smiled warmly at Simon, and Simon looked surprised at the emotion. "What was that?" Simon whispered.
"A smile," I said. "It's an emotion. Something Clary should have."
A girl giggled at us and I winked at her. She was wearing training clothes underneath her long jacket. They trained indoors. I snorted at Simon's blush.
I led him towards the Omega cabin, knowing for sure that Jocelyn was watching over Clary. Simon looked at it in amazement and traced the symbol that reminded me of a horseshoe. It was the best-taken care of cabin, thanks to me.
"Freshly polished too," Simon murmured. "What is this place?"
"The place of the Wanderers. My home," I replied. "I polish it every Saturday. It's Monday."
He eyed the Psi cabin suspiciously. It was covered with vines and the stairs were starting to rot.
"Yeah, some of us don't take care of our cabins very well," I said, following his eye. "You should see the inside."
"I'm good," he muttered, opening the door.
I led him down the hallway, steeling myself to see a sleeping Clary and a sleepy Jocelyn, holding her daughter's hand.
Simon gasped and whispered her name and I noticed how horribly she was sweating, even on top of the blankets. Her cheeks looking to be a mixture of red and a sick, pale green, like she was ill.
"We found another one, and their gaining more Addicted," I reported, seeing Jocelyn suddenly becoming alert, "They have three ceremony's now."
"Seven," Simon corrected.
Jocelyn looked ill, putting her head in her hands. "That also mean there must be more Wanderers. We have to get the small ones and train them while there young. We'll set a person for each age."
"No," I said, sitting on the edge of the bed, Simon looking aware at how little of clothing Clary was wearing. "We need groups. They attack so easily."
"We need an army," Jocelyn said. "We'll start with the poor first. They won't be able to afford the dinner and breakfast pills."
She headed out of the room briskly with a shout to watch Clary. I scooted closer to her, smoothly taking the ponytail in her hair and letting it down, the sweaty curls framing her face.
"What happened to her?" Simon asked quietly.
"She had the pills. The mind controlling pills," I replied.
I noticed a piece of fallen paper on the floor, signed elegantly by Magnus, her medical conditions.
She has recently eaten the mind controlling pills
She will rest for three days straight
Must be watched closely for the next three weeks preferably by a trained person
Will drink strictly water and eat no meat for the next week
Will not be permitted to be trained for five days.
~Magnus
"Dear God," Simon whispered, reading over my shoulder. "She is going to be pissed."
SIMON'S HERE!
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Disclaimer: I do not own the Mortal Instruments or characters, but I do own Meadow and the plot of this fan fiction.
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