Chapter 4: Welcome

"Jace, get your ass out of bed!" Isabelle's voice rang throughout the hallway, and Alec, inside his own room, flinched. He heard the footfalls of his sister, the heels digging into the carpet, and knew that she was just about as ready to yank the door to his room open, right after she'd kicked Jace's own down and dragged the sorry boy out, probably after throwing him down the flight of stairs.

Instead of Isabelle, who always liked the first day of classes, it was Max who stuck his head in Alec's room.

"Mom and Dad left for London last night," Alec yawned, reading the question in Max's eyes. Max, all dressed in his cute little uniform of white and blue, his backpack strapped behind his back, stepped into the room.

"Max, your glasses," Max reached a hand to his face, as if to inspect if he really did forget about his glasses and then blinked several times.

"Max! Don't leave this lying around, I could have broken them," Isabelle was now by Alec's door, a sleepy Jace, whose hair was ruffled and looked like he'd thrown on the first articles of clothing he could get his hands on, was standing behind her.

The youngest took the glasses from Isabelle and smiled at her, then grinned at Jace, before finally giving his other brother the same grin.

"We'll drop you off," Isabelle pushed a brown paper bag into Max's hands, and she sighed, running a perfectly manicured finger through her hair.

"It's okay, that's just a burger. You can buy lunch at school, right?" Trust Isabelle to try and take the motherly duties into her hands. Though Maryse never really did much mothering: One, because she and her husband were, most of the time, not home, always in another country for their business. Two, she wasn't very soft. But those moments of gentleness in their mother was just as great, if not, even better than if she spoiled them with kisses and all those sweet things. And three, because there was Hodge (who stood as their driver, well, if the kids would actually let him drive. But they liked to drive on their own. So aside from driving, he also acts as a tutor. This only applies to Max, though.) And Madeleine, the house-keeper.

"Isabelle, you do not give your brother a burger for lunch," Speaking of Madeleine. She was already by the foot of the stairs, having caught up with the four. She took the brown bag from Max and then gave him a blue bag. "Lunch,"

And before Isabelle could take the burger from the woman and then just bring it in for her lunch, Madeleine was already heading to the front door, ushering them all out, as if forgetting that the garage was in the other side of the house.

"Hodge-" Madeleine started, and Jace coughed, a pair of keys twirling in one finger. "Okay, fine. But Maryse's instructions were clear last night: Max gets drove to and from school by Hodge." Max shot his older siblings a glance, disappointed that they couldn't see him off in his first day.

Jace ruffled his hair, and Max huffed. "Tell Hodge we'll pick Max up,"

And before Madeleine could really correct them – That no, Hodge would pick Max up – the three had already started to the garage, Alec waving at Max, who seemed more excited at the prospect of driving home from school with his siblings rather than the actual school.

Magnus had tried, very hard, to pry Chairman Meow from clinging to his legs, and the wicked thing's claws actually managed to scratch him through the fabric of his pants. Magnus cursed, holding himself back from kicking his leg, in fear of actually hurting Meow.

The war with his own cat had only lasted for a good three minutes before he ran out of the door, but not before he blew an air kiss towards Chairman Meow, who just turned around, his tail held high in the air.

Magnus slipped behind the wheel of his ever Audi A8, the only car he ever really loved. Superficial as that love was. Throwing books and everything else that was in his hands earlier to the backseat, Magnus drove off, his windows rolled down, enjoying the early morning air. Of course it wasn't fresh air. This was New York.

As he turned the radio off, Magnus's fingers drummed idly on the steering wheel. He was stuck in traffic. And the school? Where was it again? Not very far from his place, that was for sure. Because he was certainly not going to be stuck an hour or longer in his car, just to get to school!

And he'd thought he'd already escaped such dreary normalities such as school. But here he was, making his way to The Blessed Angels. He rolled his eyes at the mere mention of the school's name. And yes, he was actually expecting actual saints to walk those halls. And he? What would he be? An out-right, dressed in such loud clothing, attention grabber.

Of course, that was what he wanted.

But what he did not want was school.

"No, I am not going back to school." Magnus had ground out; he was close to chucking his phone to the nearest wall.

"Magnus Bane," A very controlled voice on the other end of the phone. Magnus tried not to tense. "If you do not comply, then I have no choice but to cut you off."

Magnus closed his eyes, tried to think of the time when his father didn't drive him off the edge. Nope, there weren't a lot of times when that didn't happen.

"I don't want to," He was never much of a brat – granted, he was the only child, and so he didn't know what a brat was and wasn't. So it wasn't his fault he whined sometimes, bitched. That was who he was. And who he was was actually screaming at him to flush the phone down the damn toilet and shut himself in his condo.

"So you do not agree?" His father pushed on, eerily calm. Magnus hated the old man.

"I am an adult –" But that was a moot point.

"You are twenty two and yet you refuse to work an actual job, refuse to take hold of the business."

"Just because you got mother-" And there was viciousness in that one word, in a word that would seem maternal, a word that would touch the hearts of her children. But there was not a warm note in Magnus's voice.

"I understand."

And the phone went dead, Magnus regretting how he hadn't just stepped on the damn thing, or burned the batteries and gotten a new phone, all the while pretending to be dead to his too-big-to-be-associated-to-a-jobless-and-lazy-son father. But he doubted his father would buy it. Maybe he would be happy? No, he wouldn't have a dead son to tarnish his perfectly perfect reputation.

But wasn't that what Magnus was going to be doing? To put the school in so much hell? Just because he was forced into something he did not like didn't mean he had to enjoy it. The Blessed Angels!

"What the hell is that," He scoffed, glaring at his reflection in the mirror. But seeing how it contorted his features, he stopped, and smoothed his face into a calmer expression. His hair was in their usual spike, a very thin layer of glitter smacked to his face, barely noticeable unless somebody really looked at him, or he was under a very bright light. His lips were glossed, and painted an electric blue. His eyes, though, instead of the usually too-heavy eyeliner, he wore just a thin ring. It made his face even more stunning, striking.

"The Blessed Angels. I can just see them now," Magnus made a sharp turn, and with a sinking heart, realized that he was already finding a parking space in the school's lot. He just zipped by a Ford Explorer, who was now honking like hell behind him because he stole a silly little parking spot.

Gathering the books from the back and tucking a pencil behind his ear, Magnus put a booted foot out, and then closed the door to his car with a bang. Without even glancing back at the driver, he raised one hand, middle finger up as he strolled to the back entrance to the school.

Yeah, The Blessed Angels just met their worst nightmare.

And it wasn't even in the form of a demon, it was in the form of Magnus Bane, who strutted down the halls like he owned the place – and he damn well did! His father was co-founder. Which explained his rotten luck.

Alec tried to calm a pissed off Jace.

"There are other spaces," Alec said from the front seat. Isabelle was seated behind, pushing her hair back and then pulling it up front again – last finishing touches.

"Yes, well, obviously, because I finally parked." There was not much anger anymore in Jace's voice. And maybe it was because he was out late last night that his mood had suddenly gone sour, though he was affectionate with Max. But as he gunned the car down, slipped the keys into his pocket, he was the image of cool and golden.

"Doesn't matter anymore." Isabelle said, jumping down from the car. She slung her bag on her shoulder and watched as Alec and Jace moved out of the car, following her.

"I still need a schedule," Isabelle muttered, flipping her phone open. Nope, nobody had decided to e-mail her the schedule. She was expecting those head-over-heels for her beauty to have done so, already.

"It's not like we're late." Alec said, pushing through the double doors of the school. From outside, everything was a stunning black, like freshly polished black. But the inside was blinding – it was in pristine white.

The three of them walked down the hall together, occasionally seeing somebody wave at either of them – A few boys had greeted Isabelle, and some other girls gave Jace a coy smile, while others looked at Alec a little bit shyly. The looks ran in the family.

"This is where I leave you guys." Isabelle was reading off her schedule now, a schedule somebody had given to her, stumbling on his feet to catch up. "I have Algebra in ten," She rolled her eyes, before smiling at both her brothers and trotting off.

Isabelle was a Junior, just like Jace, though Jace didn't have the same first class as her. "I have Chemistry. What a great way to start the morning," Alec just gave him an apologetic smile, which Jace replied with a little shrug before he went on his way, and Alec was alone.

A minute later, Alec had his schedule in hand.

First class?

World History.

Not bad, seeing as he was interested in history. He was interested in a lot of subjects, actually, and in school and in learning. And maybe that's why he was feeling a sort of positive feel in him then, because he was finally back in his playing field, he was never good with parties or clubs, he was better with his books.

Sitting himself a little to the back, beside the window which basked his desk in warm sunlight, Alec placed his bag down, allowed it to slide to the floor and then sat down himself, the same time the teacher walked into the room.

There was hushed murmuring, and then the man shot the class a rather sweet look, so sweet yet it carried a venom in it, as if this was the best thing to happen to them, but the worst to happen to him. When he smiled, it was like little diamonds, his teeth. And when he swept the class with a look, Alec finally saw him full-on.

Tall, spiked hair, and clothes that were fit for a model - and maybe he was, but he was in their history class.

"Hello my darlings," He said, in an oddly (and scarily) familiar voice. "My name is Magnus Bane, and you are stuck with me for the whole year. Simply delightful,"

I'm actually pretty excited to write about all the other characters - I'll be including a few (hopefully) unexpected characters, too!

Review, review, review. 'Cause they make me update faster.