Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instruments, just the plot-line.

From Ashes

Chapter three


Clary talked with Simon all the way to school. As it turned out, the school was only a short fifteen minutes away from where they lived and the school, Idris, certainly lived up to its name.

The High School before her appeared to be three stories tall and wide, far smaller than any public or private school her father and mother had sent her when she was smaller.

Clary covered her face with the palm of her hand from the bright, early sun.

"Well, this is it," Simon bobbed his head towards the building. "Idris was founded by Hodge Starkweather back in the early 1970's. It's been one of the top schools in the state ever since, or so to speak."

"Then how come I haven't heard of it, then?" she asked him.

Simon shrugged at her. "You could say the school's for special people."

Clary and Simon walked up the limestone lined path that led to the expensive grand entrance of the huge building. The doors right ahead of them were made of glass, the sun reflecting its' light blindingly on them.

Simon stepped forward and opened the door for both of Clary could see ahead of her were the bright, white walls of paint that decorated the lockers are a faded blue color with chips in the paint, revealing the original metallic gray underneath.

There were various crowds of people already populating the large hallway despite the almost lateness of the hour but the one thing that made her even more nervous was the way that they stared at her and whispered to each other as she passed by. Not to mention that they all seemed inhumanely beautiful. At least in her perspective.

"What are you all looking at?" Simon snapped at them, bringing Clary's focus back to the present.

"I swear," he muttered as they walked to the main office." They're looking at you like you're fresh meat."

Clary stifled the urge to turn her head back to see if it was true, but was relieved when Simon continued to talk.

"I'm curious," Simon admitted. "What did you do to get yourself landed in a foster home? Much less Rhonda's."

"I-I don't really have a good relationship with my family, or what's left of it anyway." Clary acknowledged." Then I did something bad . . . and the next thing I know bada-bing, bada-boom, I'm here in a house full of strangers."

Never mind that it was full of strangers, it was by far the nicest house she had been in since her mother had gone from the house, leaving her to notice that her father wasn't really acting much like one. More like exactly the opposite.

The foster-mother, Rhonda, was nice to her half the time and always left food for her and the other kids when she was able to. The rooms weren't exactly the 5 hotel star quality that she was mostly used to, but they were habitable. She would sometimes disappear for days but she never hit Clary or slapped her around to do something. The fact that she didn't treat Clary like gum beneath her shoe made her somewhat okay in her book.

"We're here," Simon announced abruptly when he noticed she kept walking ahead, almost passing the office. He then proceeded to open the door for her once again. "Ladies first."


"No thanks, you old hag," Simon muttered rudely as he snatched his and Clary's schedules from the rude lady who was working the desk.

"Simon!" Clary exclaimed, shooting him a wide-eyed look as they walked out of the office and leaned against one of the walls near the lockers.

"What?" he asked her, looking unaffected.

Clary sighed. "I rest my case. Give me my schedule."

He handed it over to her, his hand lingering on hers a second longer than what she would've liked it to last. Despite the fact that she had just met him the night before she felt that Simon was a person she could trust. But that did not mean that she still felt anxious whenever someone happened to talk or look at her. It just wasn't something you could turn off, like a switch.

Clary noticed a flash of gold from the periphery of her eye, but ignored it since she was busy starting to read her schedule.

Clarissa A. Morgenstern Student ID: 785526

P1- AP English Lit. – Mr. Vidales – Room: A18

P2- Art – Mrs. Bellefleur – Room: C12

Clary was about to read the rest, when she noticed from the corner of her eye that Simon's face was set in a sneer. She unglued her eyes from her paper and moved her head, on the verge of asking him what was wrong when she saw him. His footsteps echoed along the nearly empty hallways as he clearly made their way towards them.

He had the kind of face Clary would have liked to admire and draw onto one of her sketching pads. His face looked angular and pretty for a boy; his features almost making him look leonine. He looked like his skin had been washed in gold, his hair a similar but brighter color, and his eyes a dark tawny amber.

She couldn't help but also notice the slim but clearly defined muscles through his Ramones' T-Shirt as they rippled with each movement. She tried to ignore the fact that his jeans seemed to mold and fit him perfectly, too.

The boy continued walking as if he didn't have a care in the world, only stopping when he was in front of them. He looked to Simon and smirked.

"Long time no see, rat boy," the golden boy said to him, smiling when he noticed the irritation clearly etched on Simon's face.

"Lightwood," Simon sneered.

"I'm wounded," the boy said dramatically, putting a hand over his heart like he had been offended in some way. "Didn't you miss me?"

"Not really. I'm busy," Simon voiced. "As you can see, I have to show my friend around."

He bobbed his head towards Clary and grabbed her hand. "Let's go," he whispered under his breath, but it was loud enough so that Clary could hear, and apparently the Lightwood boy too.

"Not so fast," Lightwood grinned at her, as if he had missed her while standing next to Simon and had just seen her for the first time. "Who's your friend here? Sorry I missed her," he shook his head. "She's just so tiny; I didn't quite see her upon my grand entrance."

Clary instantly felt some of her temper rise; she hated being referred in the third person when she was clearly right there in front of them. She knew it was silly to get mad from a small trivial thing, but Jonathan and her wretched father Valentine had always done it.

"What the hell was that?" Valentine snarled at her, slapping her hard enough to knock her off her chair and make her land on the ground. "You know well enough not to talk during business negotiations- especially in front of my company partner like that!"

Her brother's upper lip curled in disgust. "As if she has the right. Women are to be seen, but not heard."

'What was I supposed to do? Let you discuss me as if I'm an object to be played around with?!' Clary wanted to scream, but she started to feel a sudden lump in her throat, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to leak at the corner of her eyes. She knew that her father would hate it, because to him emotion was a weakness.

Valentine stared at her with a look that would have scared the calmest of persons. "You could have been of actual use to me. And now…." He said, his voice tinted with anger.

"Take her upstairs, Jonathan. Do whatever you like with her; I have no use for disobedient people in this house." Her father ordered her brother with such finality in his tone that chills made their way up Clary's back.

The next day, she woke up feeling sore along with fresh marks and bruises that had not been there the night before.

"This friend can speak for herself you know," Clary snapped at the boy. "She is right here, and can perfectly hear you just fine, thanks."

"Feisty one, aren't you?" The Lightwood boy grinned devilishly at her, scanning her so thoroughly that she flushed from his caressing gaze. Feeling like it was getting too uncomfortable for her to bear, she opted to go with Plan B and run away. Right now.

"Let's go," Clary blurted out. "We're going to be late for class!"

Without a second's hesitation she grabbed Simon's arm and managed to run through the long hallway until they were at a safe distance from the golden-skinned boy who was still staring at them. Seeming to regain his composure after a few moments, the boy walked away in the opposite direction.

"How did you know we had the same first period together?" Simon asked her when he finally regained his breath.

"I didn't," she admitted, spots of red adorning her pale cheeks. "I just kinda wanted t-to run away."

Simon laughed, loudly causing the few people around them to look at them. "That was brilliant," he said. "I don't think Jace has ever had a girl run away from him, just the opposite, you know?"

Jace, so that was his name.

"Yeah," Clary agreed.

Simon's face then turned serious as she had ever seen it in the short time she had met him. "You need to stay away from him, ok? He's pretty much gone through much of the school's female population. I don't you to be next."

"I'll be fine," Clary replied to him. "I think I can take care of myself."

He sighed. "Okay then. I'm going to have to go to the nurse's office for probably the rest of the period to register and take my meds, so if I don't see you for the rest of the day meet me on the steps outside of school."

"Oh, and by the way classroom's right up ahead first door to the left." He informed her once before leaving.


Clary rubbed her head in hopes of removing the migraine that had persisted since third period. School had been absolute hell, and now she stood by the school steps broodingly waiting for Simon. She couldn't help but feel like she was forgetting something.

And just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, she saw him.

"Thank god," Clary said. "I'm starving."

Simon smiled, revealing a set of white pearly teeth. "So am I. You in the mood for Chinese or Thai?"

Then Clary remembered. "Shit, shit, shit, shit on rye," she cursed out loud. She looked to Simon in a panic. "What time is it?"

"Three twenty P.M." Simon answered, looking at his wristwatch. "Why?"

"I forgot. I have a doctor's appointment."


Sorry for the delay, it's been a busy week. Only about a week or two before testing begins and the teachers are pushing us hard. Better late than never right? Anyways, I got some news earlier this week, I'm going to be a sister!

Artemisia Selene: You'll have to stay tuned to find out :P Yeah, I know the story's going a little fast but I sort of intended it to go that way, but this is where it mainly slows down.

Thank you all for supporting this story by reviewing it, favoring it, following it, and just by reading it. I hope to decent writer someday, so yeah.

Feedback/Reviews = Quicker chapters -IAD(: