"I made my reservation, I'm leaving town tomorrow,
I'll find somebody new and there'll be no more sorrow,
That's what I do each time but I can't follow through,
I can't breakaway, though you make me cry,
I can't breakaway, I can't say goodbye...,"
-Breakaway; by Irma Thomas
After Clary entered the school, she kind of just walked around until she found a spot where she could sit. There were a few other kids standing out in the halls, talking and occasionally laughing. Seeing them look so carefree, so unaware of what was really out in the world, made Clary feel a little jealous. How come they deserved a mundane life? She was risking her life every time she woke up. The possibilities of waking up to find her family dead seemed to cross her mind every morning. Had a monster broken into their motel rooms and slaughtered her family? But then again, she'd brush the thought out and do a little self-criticism. Why would any monster
keep her alive just to see her dead family? It made little to no sense.
But that didn't mean the pain of living the hunter's life wasn't there. Clary found herself wondering why she couldn't have had a normal life. Why had her mother's family been dumb enough to negotiate with a crossroads demon? Why had Grace cursed the Montgomery women? Clary wasn't even sure why her family was still hunting to begin with. Esther had said it was because of the curse that kept them coming, that if the Montgomery women could keep the world safe for as long as possible, then at least they did something good before the curse took them over. Abraham had said it was because Esther's family was looking for vengeance on the demon who ruined their lives, though Esther would never admit it. Clary wasn't sure what or who to believe.
Scowling, Clary sat herself down on a bench near a back entrance to a small courtyard. It was obvious that there were still classes going on, and the students who were scattered in the halls were either skipping class or had some kind of free period.
Felt like forever since I've been in a public school, Clary thought. She had tried attending as much school as possible while her family moved; but she got so behind she had to drop out and get a G.E.D. That was about as far as her education went. A hunter typically never went any higher than high school, if they made it through high school at all. Abraham barely made it through his junior year before he dropped out. Esther had been homeschooled her entire life but never got her high school diploma. Jocelyn seemed like the only one with a promising future, being the only one in the family who somehow maintained a school and social life plus the hunting life. Clary couldn't help but wonder how her little sister could maintain a stable balance like that.
"Are you okay?" A voice snapped Clary out of her thoughts. Standing in front of her was a youngish looking boy with curly, messy red hair and a face full of freckles. His greenish-blue eyes seemed somber for someone his age, and his boney shoulders were hunched over, trying to make him look smaller.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," she stammered, hoping she didn't sound too pissed off. "It's just been one helluva day."
"Tell me about it." When he sat down next to her, Clary couldn't help but feel a tad irritated, but there was a small pang of familiarity about him. "These past couple days have been rough."
"With the murders and everything?" As long as she could maintain herself as innocent and unaware, then she knew he wouldn't suspect anything.
A single nod. "My friend Elliot was one of the victims," he sighed. Shaking his head, he buried his face in his hands. "God, I can't believe he's gone."
With a nod, Clary looked at the boy with a solemn frown. A feeling of relief washed over her knowing she found one of the victims' friends. "I'm sorry about your loss," she said, hoping she sounded sincere enough. "Elliot was a really good guy."
"You knew him?"
"A little." Clary shrugged. "We're distant cousins. My parents got the call on his death and it hit them pretty hard. I've never seen my mom cry so much before."
"Dude, that must've been hard."
"It was. I didn't know Elliot all that well, but we knew each other enough to where we were at least good friends."
"I heard his sister, Marguerite, was there when the murder happened," the boy said. "She managed to get away, but she got pretty beat up. I heard she got locked up in some mental hospital."
Clary's interest piqued at that. She hadn't known about Elliot's sister — and whether or not Abraham or Jocelyn knew was something Clary hadn't been filled in with. "I heard about that," she stated. "I couldn't bring myself to see her in that condition, it hurt too much."
"Have you tried visiting her at all?" The boy looked at Clary with slight hopefulness. "I've tried, but they're only allowing family in. I haven't heard if she's okay or not."
"Not yet," Clary said, "but I will and I'll let you know."
"Thank you."
"You know, I never got your name."
"Benji." The boy, Benji, tried for a smile. "What's yours?"
"Cassandra."
"It was nice meeting you," Benji said, trying for a smile. "I'm sorry for your family's loss."
"It was a pleasure meeting you, too," Clary said. "And thank you, I hope things turn out for the better with you."
(A/N):
Sorry for this chapter's delay, but here it is! Hopefully you guys find some sort of interest in it. If there's anything you think needs improvement, don't hesitate to let me know! Constructive criticism is important, in my opinion.
Do I own anything in the SPN fandom? No. No I don't.
If you've got ideas on OCs or subplots you'd like to see added into the story, don't hesitate to leave a review or PM me. I've got no problem adding those into the stories. Any ideas you guys have for this story's development is fine by me. Even if they're only minor additions, I've got no problem with it.
Also, the whole curse thing that's plaguing Clary's family, I'll go into more detail on it and what it's doing to her family. Hopefully you guys caught on that the curse only affects the women in Clary's family; so herself, Jocelyn, and their mother will eventually succumb to whatever it is the curse does to them. And, like I mentioned, it'll be explained as the story goes on. Grace's roll in the curse's start will be explained as well.
Be kind to one another, don't text and drive, and here's to hoping you have a good start to a new week.
Thanks.
Bleu
