A/N: This chapter is quite a bit longer than the last, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS (I really wish I did though), they belong to the lovely Cassandra Clare.

The usual walk to school became as familiar as if they had never left. Clary hugged her jacket to her the cold October breeze sending shivers through her and she hopped across a long crack in the sidewalk and walked closer to Simon. "You ok Fray?" he asked, "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just so surreal." She said, they had been gone since March and during the time they had left they had been in numerous battles, she found out who her father and real brother were, she had fallen irrevocably in love with Jace, started her shadowhunter training and had her best friend turned into a vampire. All whilst the people they knew finished the school year and went to camp.

"This just seems so pointless now." She said as they walked closer to the school.

"I know. But this is what your parents and Rebecca think we should do and I agree. I want to go to college and you should finish what you started." He said pushing his glasses back up onto his nose. It was strange seeing him with them but Isabelle suggested he should wear them to avoid questions. She could see they were messing up his vision.

"You're probably right." she said, Simon glared at her, "I'm always right." She laughed, "You're starting to sound like Jace."

His face dropped, he pushed his shoulders back, "Hell, no. I am a tolerable person."

They approached the gates of the school and Clary's mundane life came flooding back to her, it washed through her like a summer wind, warm and comforting. But unusual because this was Brooklyn and the summer breeze usually consisted of pollution. "You ready Simon?" He took his glasses off moving his eyes in ludicrous motions trying to see again.

Her eyes flickered across the street at the students milling about; she stiffened all over nerves flooding through her. Why was she so nervous she had fought in a war for God's sake? She saw Simon doing the same his shoulders hunched. She longed to be back with Jace at the institute but she had promised Jocelyn. With everything that's happened she couldn't let her down again.

"No."Simon said putting his glasses back on. She practically dragged him through the gates, causing him to trip over a tree root. Great start she thought.

Simon kept his head down as they walked through the busy parking lot to the entrance. Clary still had hold of his arm, her fingers digging into his skin despite this her presence comforted him. People starred with curious looks on their faces.

Clary kept her head down and walked at a fast pace. Simon heard the whispers though,

Is that that Simon guy?

I thought he was ill?

That's Clary; she went visiting relatives in Europe I think.

That was actually true but it was not a very joyous occasion and Simon knew never to mention Valentine or Jonathan. "Sounds like our cover stories worked a treat." He said detaching Clary from his arm as they walked towards homeroom. "Really? What did they say?" she said looking at Simon intently. Just a few short months ago that look would have his heart in his throat.

"They think that I was ill and that you were visiting relatives in Europe." Her face turned into a grimace and Simon saw a look of revolt flash across her face. She moaned, "By the Angel I wish that wasn't true."

They walked into to homeroom together, Simon walking close to her back. He was being very protective of her and Clary thought that Jace had had a word with him, it wouldn't surprise her.

The room was half full and their teacher , was sat filing through papers at his desk. He looked up as they walked in, "Simon, Clarissa. Lovely of you to join us again." He said happily but his smile dropped as he looked at Simon. Clary looked back at him. He raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "You feeling better now Simon, you're looking a little pale?" he asked.

Clary saw Simon push his hair onto his forehead nervously as if trying to hide his face. "I'm fine." He said hastily.

"Seating chart is on the desk. Hurry and take your seats."

It was true, he was more attractive now, and even the way his dark hair curled against his forehead made him look paler and striking rather than mousy and shy. His light tan that covered him was gone and his eyes darker. But other than that he was just Simon, the one she had always known.

Or maybe she was just used to seeing vampires on a weekly basis.

Simon took his seat behind Eric, slumping his rucksack on the floor he watched Clary do the same. She pushed her messenger bag closer to her chair keeping it slightly open. So she could get to the dagger easily Simon knew. Now that she had started her training Simon had noticed her become more wary of people and she was constantly on edge. Unless she was near Jace of course.

Eric turned around to him; he was wearing a white T-shirt with "Millennium Lint" scrawled across the front in marker.

"Good of you to join us again Simon, how's that sexy vampire mojo working out for you?" he said loudly holding two fingers up to his mouth making them into fake fangs. Simon shifted uncomfortably, faking a smile at him, making sure to show his teeth.

"Pretty great actually."

"Really?" He asked." But when you kiss them do you not want to like bite their head off or something?"

"Them?" Simon asked, he had not meant to come off as a player. Not forgetting what Isabelle said this morning. "There's only one girl. And, I only bite people who annoy me." He said since no one was listening and Clary was talking to a girl beside her. Eric's eyebrows shot up, his eyes wide like a deer in headlights.

"It was a joke Eric!" he said, holding his hands up.

"It better be. I'm not having a murderer in MY band Simon?" he said. Simon laughed, for real this time leaning closer to Eric.

"Since when is it your band?"

The next few lessons passed in a blur and Clary's mind kept wondering to distant places. She and Simon didn't have any lessons together until after lunch and Biology so Clary tried to make conversation with other people. She quickly realised that conversation so mundane just didn't hold her interest anymore.

"So how was Europe? Go anywhere nice?" Eve, the girl next to her in Biology asked. Clary flinched, her hand clutching the desk so hard her knuckles were white. Eve's face turned to a frown and a look of concern flashed across her face.

"Yes, actually. I went to Venice. It was lovely." She said, that wasn't a lie for some parts and it was lovely to be with Jace in Italy, more than lovely it was indescribable.

"Earth to Clary." She said, her look more exasperated than concerned now.

"Sorry, what?" she had drifted into her memories of Venice only to be met with Sebastian. She shivered.

"It doesn't matter the bells gone anyway." Eve stood up and left Clary gathering her books and shoving them into her bag.

She hadn't even heard the bell ring.

"You ok Fray?" Simon asked as they walked into English together, checking the seating chart at the front of the room. Simon couldn't help but notice how bored Clary looked. She smiled at him, it wasn't a happy smile. She looked tired.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about training later." She said checking for her seat.

"Remember to kick Jace's ass for me. Tell him that was for selling my Star-Trek DVD on eBay."

She laughed, punching him in the arm, "You should never had taught him how to use eBay in the first place." He rubbed his arm faking the pain. She pouted, "Did I hurt you Simon?" Her voice mocking. He turned her round by the shoulders. "We have books to read and over analyse."

Clary sat down at her desk by the window facing the yard, where the last few students were walking to class, most slow and lifeless. She smiled at the normalcy of things. She realised that now to her and Simon too that Shadowhunters and Downworlders had become mundane and the normal mundane things had become foreign and she felt slightly excited to be back.

A teacher Clary didn't recognize sauntered in, placing his briefcase on the desk and turning immediately to write his name on the board. Mr. Ragnon. He was abnormally tall, his slim figure buried underneath a neatly pressed suit. Despite this, his face was ageless and his eyes a strange shade of grey.

"Afternoon everybody, I am Mr. Rangnon and I will be your English teacher for the forthcoming year. I'd like to get started straight away. But first, any questions?"

Every one sat silent apart from a few mumbles and whispers going round.

"Right then. Simon can you hand out the books?" he asked a polite smile spreading across his face. Clary looked at Simon who agreed unwillingly, how did he know his name? He never took the register. Clary pondered on the thought before slipping the dagger out of her bag and onto her desk.

Simon took the books and handed them out as quickly as possible, avoiding stares from the people he walked by. He stopped abruptly when he came to Clary. He clutched the last books hard in his fists bending the pages. Isabelle's dagger was lay on Clary's desk her small pale hand resting on top of it. Her face was white and her lips set in a firm line.

"Clary?" he whispered raising his eyebrows. He handed her a book cautiously, her eyes stayed fixed on the teacher.

"Look at him again Simon. Look closer." Her voice barely a whisper but it was loud enough for him to hear.

He handed the last books out hastily returning to his seat, he looked at Mr. Ragnon, taking his glasses off and focusing on his face. He felt his mouth drop as the glamour stripped away from him.

The glamour stripped away falling from his mundane face. Underneath was a skin grey and shiny, scars covering him, deep into his skin. His eyes were black and when he smiled he showed rows of sharp black teeth. He snapped them at Simon, who felt his fang teeth snap out in defence. He covered his mouth with his hands and saw Eric pass a worried glance at him from the front of the room. His head spun and he took his glasses off stroking his forehead. This could not be happening, not in school! He thought his head on a swivel.

Clary sat in shock, holding the dagger with the balance that Jace had taught her during training. She wanted Jace, he would know what to do and frankly she had no idea. She felt sick watching this demon teach a class of oblivious teenagers, talking quickly and taking questions like any normal teacher.

She saw Simon across the room his hand pressed firmly against his mouth. She knew he saw the demon know and he sent a quick look over to her. His face worried. "What do we do?" she said so quietly that she wasn't sure herself that she heard it.

Simon shook his head tentatively taking his hand away from his mouth, Clary saw the flash of white that was his sharp incisors poking into his bottom lip. She was about to speak to him again but she was interrupted by Mr. Ragnon.

"Clarissa, can you read the next passage, after that paragraph I would like Simon to read thank you." He said smiling sweetly at her. Bile rose in her mouth and she raised the dagger slightly so she was sure he could see it.