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Chapter 4 – The Garden

That afternoon, Hodge called for a meeting at the library. Allison grabbed my hand as we walked towards the library. We opened the creaky double doors and Clary was sitting on one of the couches. She looked up and my breath hitched while my heart started pounding super-fast. She glanced back down, a bit of a blush forming on her cheeks. Allison tugged hard on my hand towards the back of the room and we sat on a loveseat. She lifted her legs onto my lap and smiled at me. I smiled back. But I knew that it didn't fool her. Her smile dropped and looked away with a hard face. A few minutes later, Isabelle and Alec walked in and sat on one of the couches. Someone cleared their throat and Hodge stepped towards the front of the room.

"Thank you for coming on such a short notice but we have something we need to discuss." He glanced towards Clary. "I have learned that our unexpected guest, Clary, is in fact not a mundane but a full-blooded Shadowhunter."

Allison leaned forwards. "What? She has no marks. She can't be a Shadowhunter."

"And there's an explanation to that. Clary's mom moved away from this life when she was pregnant with her. Now, the next thing I am going to say will come as a shock but we need to have an open mind about this and put ourselves in her shoes." Hodge continued.

I glanced at the back of Clary's head and saw her make small movements as if she hated being in the center of attention. He looked back at Hodge as he started to speak again.

"Clary's dad is…. Valentine."

Allison and Alec gasped.

"What the hell is she doing here then?" Alec yelled. "If every demon here is looking for her, she needs to go! We can bring anything in here!"

"Alec…" Isabelle whispered as she put her hand on her brother's arm. Isabelle glanced at Clary and so did I. She was standing up and staring at Hodge.

"What? Demons? Demons are looking for me?" she said in a soft voice. "Why didn't you tell me this? What do they want with me? Why is this happening?"

She started to panic and I reflexively stood up, throwing Allison's legs off.

"What the hell!" Allison yelled. She grabbed my arm and pulled down. "Don't you dare go with her."

She pulled me down on to the sofa and grabbed my arm hard. I saw something in Allison that I've never seen before. Something that I did not like, at all. I heard Hodge trying to console Clary while she was breathing super-fast with tears in her eyes. I had the strongest urge to tell Allison Fuck you, but that would not have ended well for any of us. Hodge finally got Clary to calm down and sit down. He looked over to us all.

"We can't let any harm come to her so I decided that Clary will be staying at the Institute."

"WHAT!?" Both Allison and Alec stood up. Allison looked like she could kill and Alec just looked worried. This time, I grabbed for Allison but she pulled her arm away and stormed out the library.

"Hodge, this is insane! She cannot stay here." he glared at Clary.

"Alec, please. It's the best for us all." Hodge tried reasoning with him.

"No, it's not. We're keeping the thing that Valentine wants the most. And once it gets to him that we've been keeping here, hiding her, we'll all be dead." Alec had a point but I still couldn't help but wince and wonder what Valentine will do to Clary.

"That won't happen, Alec. As long as she stays here, she will be safe and that way, we can teach her and have her learn her real identity. We can teach to become a strong Shadowhunter. After all, it runs in her veins." Hodge looked determined. He glared at Alec after a moment of silence. "I run this Institute, so if you don't like any of it, feel free to walk out the door. We all know what a great house you have waiting for you."

Alec winced. He looked beyond angry. Isabelle looked hurt as well. Everyone knew that the Lightwoods had left their kids at the Institute with Hodge while they became part of the Clave a few years back. They had nowhere to go. I the same, but for some reason, I always felt the Institute being my home. Nowhere else. Alec walked past Hodge and looked down at Clary. He gave her an ugly stare and walked out the library. I got up and walked over to Clary. She looked up with tears in her eyes. I held out my hand.

"Come on, let's go look for your room." I smiled at her. She smiled back and grabbed for my hand. I looked back at Isabelle and she looked at me with a hard stare. I looked away. We walked out the doors, not before I heard Isabelle back in the room.

"Hodge, we have a problem I need to discuss with you."

The doors closed before I could hear anything else. I will deal with that later.

I showed Clary every part of the Institute. She never let go of my hand, as if she was scared that if she did, it will all fade away. Every time she saw something that fascinated her, she would gasp and have a complete look of awe on her face. I couldn't help but stare at her every time she would do it. It made me feel whole. And that never happens to me. We got to the Garden at the roof of the Institute.

"Wow." She finally let go of my hand but only to look all around her. She knelt over every flower she liked and touched every petal. I felt like petals were falling all over my stomach as I looked at her. She looked up at me and smiled. "Who grew all this?"

"Every Shadowhunter that has come to learn here at the Institute." I told her. "That's my spot over there." I pointed towards one of the corners. She got up and ran to it. I laughed and ran to it as well.

"It's so beautiful." She said. I bent down and grabbed one of my favorites. A white rose.

"Here, this is for you." I offered her the flower. She took it and smiled a big smile.

"Why are you so nice to me? Everyone here hates me." She looked down.

"They don't hate you. They just need to get used to the whole idea. It's a lot to take in." I reassured her.

"Huh. Tell me about it." She sighed. "And why have you gotten used to it so fast?"

I looked at her and grabbed for her hand. "I don't know."

I got closer to her and looked down at her while she looked up at me. I brushed a strand of her hair out of her face. I traced my fingers against her cheek and she closed her eyes while breathing in. I caressed her lips and she opened her eyes. Without thinking, I bent down and smoothed my lips against hers. They were the softest and sweetest lips I've ever encountered before. Suddenly, the kiss became more urgent. I grabbed her by the waist and pressed her against me. She lifted her arms and grabbed my hair, making me want to kiss her harder. She pulled away and looked me in the eyes. We were both breathing fast. I grabbed her by the face and gave her a small kiss. And we stood there, looking into each other's eyes.