She was hit with a breath of fresh air as she entered the Glass City of Alicante. Clary didn't know what she had been expecting, perhaps a group of fighters, weapons drawn. Maybe a nicely dressed man to escort her to a place to stay.

Instead there was no one. No firing squad, no tour guide. Nothing but a dark-haired boy, about Jace's age, squatting in front of her with concerned eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked. Clary looked at herself, and realized her light jeans and yellow sweatshirt contrasted starkly to the people rushing around her, all dressed in gear or nicer clothes. She also realized she had come through the portal and landed directly on her butt. "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry," Clary said, standing and brushing the dirt off her clothes.

She knew enough about Alicante to know that no electricity was used here, so she wasn't surprised that the roads were dirt instead of pavement. She started to walk about from the boy, but he just walked with her, easily matching her stride. "I'm Sebastian Verlac. You must be Clarissa Fairchild," he said.

Clary stopped suddenly and stared at him. "I go by Clary Fray," she said, shaking her head, "How do you know my name?" Sebastian started walking again, and Clary followed, though she had no idea where she was going. "I'm a cousin of the Penhallows. And the Penhallows are very good friends with the Lightwoods, and Jace Herondale. They talk," he answered promptly.

Clary sighed distraughtly at the mention of the people who she had just found out practically hated her. Sebastian took notice of her mood change from curiosity and defensiveness to pain. "What's wrong?" he asked. Clary suddenly saw no point in lying to him, he seemed nice enough. "I just overheard Jace, the Lightwoods, and my best friend since childhood, who was recently bitten and Turned by a vampire, discussing how worthless I was and how much they hated me. And I ran from them and came here," she simply blurted it out.

He seemed hesitant for a moment, "Well, okay, but you also came to show the Council your "special talent", right?" Sebastian asked, making air quotes on the words "special talent". Clary looked at him, confused once again, and he gestured to the note from the Council she was still clutching tightly in her hand. "Well, nobody believes me about it anyway, and everyone thinks I'm a ticking time-bomb and that by trying to help or fight I only make things worse," she said, looking down sadly and shoving the note into the paper of her jeans.

Sebastian seemed to consider her words, then he stopped, and so did Clary, and looked at her analytically. "How about a deal?" he took her silence as an invitation to continue, so he spoke, "You tell me what your little talent is, prove to me that you have it, and I'll train you to fight so you can kick all the Lightwoods' butts." Clary smiled at his humor, then pondered his invitation.

On one hand, telling a stranger about her rune ability could be dangerous, if falling in the wrong hands, she would become a target and a threat to everyone.

But on the other, Sebastian came off as trustworthy, and at the moment, Clary was desperate to prove Jace, Simon, Isabelle, and Alec very wrong. So she agreed.

"Okay, but not here," she said. "Where? Do you have anywhere to stay?" Sebastian asked. Clary shook her head at him. He thought, then started walking again. Clary followed. "Okay, you'll stay with me. Right now, my parents are on assignment in Brazil, and won't be home for another eight weeks. The only other person in the house is my cousin Aline. She's kind of intrusive and offensive, but she means no harm. The house is just a minute away," he said finally.

Clary didn't say anything as they went, she didn't feel as though there were anything to say. When they stepped inside the house, Clary was astonished. The inside was just as beautiful inside as the outside had been. The wood of the stairs, doors, floor, and furniture was smooth, and a beautiful reddish color.

The house was open and bright from the countless windows pouring sunlight, but Clary could see witchlight lamps everywhere. The rooms were spacious, and Clary walked through slowly, observing everything. She looked at all the pictures of the family on the tables, some pictures with Sebastian scattered around. Clary stopped at a photo of the Lightwoods.

She looked at tiny Isabelle and young Alec, and neither looked different at all. Isabelle had a look on her face that said, If you touch me, I'll hurt you and look good doing it. Alec had the same stony look on his face, and Clary still wanted to stay far away.

Then her eyes floated immediately to Jace. A lance of pain went through her as she remembered the words he had said, forcing her to move on, refusing to remember his laughing eyes and superior stance. So Jace, Clary thought.

She looked at Aline, and studied her carefully in the picture. She looked nerdy, with glasses like Simon's and a light in her eyes. She had slender fingers, artist's fingers. "She's changed quite a bit," Clary jumped at Sebastian's voice behind her, noticing her looking at Aline's photo. "You'll be surprised when you meet her," he said.

"Meet who?" a sing-song voice came from the staircase. Clary whipped around, frozen in place, "You, Aline," Sebastian said, Clary relaxed realizing who it was, "This is Clary Fray, she'll be staying with us for a bit." Aline laughed, and came down the rest of the stairs.

Sebastian was right. Aline had changed, Clary was surprised. Aline was gorgeous, almost more so than Izzy. "Another one of your girlfriends, Sebastian?" Clary snorted, but Sebastian's cheeks reddened.

Sebastian looked over at Clary laughing, while trying to mutter his no to Aline. He looked at her astonished. "Don't worry," Clary said. "I'm used to it. I lived in the Institute, the one Jace Herondale lived in, for at least two months," Clary finally stopped laughing.

She stepped forward and shook hands with Aline. "Not at all," Sebastian assured Aline, "She's just running from the Lightwoods." At this, Clary turned and glared at Sebastian, and he looked back at her laughingly. Aline had a giggling look on her face, but said nothing.

"I'm staying in Mom and Dad's room," Aline announced, practically floating back up the stairs, "She can use mine." Sebastian showed Clary to the room, and also told her to be free to use any of Aline's clothes, obviously noting her current outfit.

He left her to her devices, and she immediately changed, fitting surprisingly well into Aline's clothes. Then she found Sebastian, in his room, messy compared to Jace's pristinely neat quarters. "So," he said, "Tell me about this talent of yours." She took a deep breath and launched in her story, telling him of her mother's secrets and her abduction, and of her rune ability. When she was finished, he held out his arm and said, "Show me."

Clary pulled out her stele, thinking of what to use. At the time, Clary couldn't think of a particularly new rune, so she simply traced the lines from her mind of the Fearless rune. When she finished, she asked, "What are you most afraid of?"

He shrugged. "The Easter Bunny, he creeps me out. Breaking into kids' homes and hiding things around their houses? Stalked psychopath," he spat out the last two words, making Clary laugh and shake her head.

She knew exactly how to test the rune; she had seen an Easter Bunny costume in Aline's room. It had confused her at first, but Aline seemed like the kind of person to put it on just to scare Sebastian whenever she felt like it.

She slipped it on quickly, only to find Sebastian was no longer waiting in his room. She stepped out and padded quietly down the stairs. Finally, she spotted him, preparing some food at the table downstairs.

She snuck up behind him, deciding it had become an even better situation. She stood silently and patiently behind him. He turned around, and Clary prepared herself to have food thrown in her face, even though she knew the rune would work.

He turned to face her, and just stared, not reacting at all. "Incredible," he muttered. "I don't feel anything except hungry." Clary smiled and backed away, starting to pull the suit off, revealing her regular clothes underneath.

"See?" she said, "Also, the regular runes I make are at least ten times more powerful than regular ones. I used an open rune and nearly blew up the door." He laughed at her as she stashed the costume back in Aline's room, who had not been seen since the stairway incident.

"Okay," Sebastian said, "Change your clothes because it's time to train."