JACE'S POV
Monday morning Jace woke up an hour before he had to leave for his first class. He sat up slowly and could hear that Jonathon and Alec were already in the main area.
As Jace swung his legs over the bed his arms came into view. But it wasn't some drawing that made him pause when he saw them. It was a bruise. On his right wrist was a vivid bruise. Further up that arm were two more. Jace looked over to his left arm to find another two bruises. Each worse than the last.
Jace jumped out of his bed and ran into the bathroom. He swung around the door frame and flipped on the light. His eyes widened at what he saw.
His collar bone was all purple. Along his right side was a huge black and blue bruise. It was stretched on in a thin line and even circled around to his back a bit. Like it was from a belt. There were finger marks on his shoulders and even a cut across one of his arms.
But what stood out most to Jace was his eye. All around his left eye it was purple, blue, and even a little red. He brought his hand up and touched it. It didn't hurt him but he could imagine what it was doing to her.
Jace took one last look at himself. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. But as he thought back to the weekend he remembered noticing that parts of his arm became a little purple. He had thought it was just the lighting because they didn't really look like anything. But now...
"Hey guys," Jace called out to his friends who he could still hear getting ready. "Do you remember how I said I didn't want to go out of my way to find the girl?"
There was a mumble of two yeses. Jace stepped out of the bathroom and walked into the main room where the two were. They didn't notice him until he spoke though.
"Well, I changed my mind." Alec and Jon looked up at Jace. They both froze when they saw him, their mouths gaping at the bruises and the shiner Jace had acquired overnight.
"Holy shit," Alec whispered as he took a few steps closer. "What happened?"
"I don't know," Jace said. "But this isn't just some normal level ran-into-a-door type shit. You see this?" Jace pointed at his side. "That's from a belt. And this," Jace pointed at the cut. "If I had to guess I'd say that was from glass, it doesn't really look like a knife did it."
"I feel so bad for her." Jon was also whispering.
Jace nodded. "Yeah, so do I and I'm not going to stand for this. Soulmate or not I don't want this," He motioned to himself. "Happening to anyone. I don't give a shit about what I said before. I don't even give a shit that I'm going to have to walk around like this. I'm going to find her."
CLARY'S POV
Clary had gotten home late Sunday night. Long after Isabelle had gone to sleep. She had taken a hot shower as quietly as possible and then snuck into her own bedroom, passing out almost immediately when she hit the matress.
Now Isabelle was knocking on her bedroom door telling her she was going to be late for her first class. Clary was not in the mood to deal with the black eye she already knew she had. Isabelle's knocking wouldn't stop though and Clary knew she had to deal with her eventually or she would come into her room and drag her out.
"Iz, I'm not feeling well again. I'm staying home." Clary called out as she clutched her blanket around her waist.
"Clary really? You're going to have to go class at some point or you'll start falling behind." Isabelle called back.
"I know," Clary yelled. "Just today and I promise that I'll go tomorrow well I feel bad or not." In reality, Clary just planned to go out today and buy some makeup to cover her eye up. She used to have a small kit but she lost it a while ago.
"Clary," Isabelle suddenly opened to door and Clary had not been prepared for that. She immediately drew her blanket over her head but could hear Isabelle walk closer. "Clary?"
"Go away Izzy," Clary mumbled through her comforter. "I'm really really sick."
Isabelle tugged on Clary's blanket until she finally let go. Clary kept her head down though so that her hair was covering her face. Isabelle put her hand under Clary's chin and lifted her head so she was looking up. Her mouth fell open.
"By the Angel, Clary what happened?" Isabelle asked. She put her hand next to the bruise as she studied it and Clary flinched slightly. "I thought you said you were at your parents this weekend?"
When Isabelle dropped her hand Clary turned her head back so she was looking at Isabelle again. She stayed quiet for a long time before nodding her head.
"Yeah, I was." That was when Isabelle noticed Clary's arms and neck. She was wearing a loose tanktop so all of her cuts and bruises were very noticeable, especially against her pale skin.
"Oh Clary," Isabelle whispered and then she pulled her into a very soft hug, careful not to hurt Clary. "I'm staying home today too," Isabelle announced when she let Clary go.
"No, you don't have to. I'll be fine."
Isabelle shook her head. "Not a chance, I'm ditching and we're having a girls' day. I'll even show you how to cover this up with some makeup."
Clary shrugged. "I already know how."
Isabelle's frown grew larger and she rubbed Clary's arm sympathetically. "Oh."
"Isabelle-"
"No, I've already decided and the first thing we're doing is ordering Chinese food." Isabelle picked up her phone and started dialing.
"Izzy it's like 7 am." Clary pointed up but all Isabelle responded with was a wave of her hand.
"And we're ordering takeout, shut up."
A few hours of eating, talking, and watching tv later Clary and Isabelle are relaxing in Clary's room on her bed. Clary had almost been able to forget about her horrid home life as she laughed with her friend. Isabelle strangely seemed to make everything better without even needing to try. Clary thought of it like her super power.
They were halfway through a movie when Clary got a call. She pulled out her phone to see it was Magnus and then checked the time to see that if she had gone to her classes her lecture would have just ended.
"Magnus hey," Clary said answering the phone. Isabelle motioned for her to put it on speakerphone and she did.
"Hey biscuit, where were you today? I almost died of boredom." Magnus said and Clary could hear the exaggeration in his voice.
"I wasn't feeling well so I decided to stay home," Clary replied.
"Didn't you stay home on Friday too?" Magnus asked and Clary raised her eyebrows to Isabelle.
She smiled awkwardly. "I may have told him you were sick Friday too." Clary rolled her eyes.
"Izzy?" Magnus questioned the sudden new voice.
"Yup!" Isabelle called into the phone. "You're on speakerphone right now, just an fyi."
"Gotcha," Magnus replied. "Well I have to get to my next class but text me later, I worry."
"I will," Clary laughed. "Bye Magnus."
"Bye Clary, bye Isabelle."
"Bye Magnus," Isabelle said before Clary hit the hang up button.
"You're so lucky to have friends that actually worry when you don't show up," Isabelle said but she was smiling. "This one time I was supposed to meet up with Alec and Jace at the park, we were around 13-14, but I didn't show up and neither of them even noticed."
"What happened to you?" Clary asked.
"Like half an hour before we were supposed to meet up, I threw up and couldn't leave the house."
"But," Clary ran her hand through her hair. "Isn't Alec your brother?"
Isabelle nodded. "Yeah, but he was already on his way when I threw up."
"But still, he didn't notice you weren't there?" Clary almost wanted to laugh.
Isabelle shrugged. "Not until he and Jace came home that night for dinner."
"Wow, what a great pair they are." Clary shook her head.
"Tell me about it," Isabelle sighed. "They're like brothers but worse. I only actually have two siblings but I managed to grow up with three."
"Two?" Clary asked. She knew of Alec but no one else.
"Yeah, I have a younger brother named Max," Isabelle answered. "He's great it's just that he's sort of always looked up to Jace so I worry for his mental health."
Clary laughed. "I probably would too."
After a little while, more of just the two talking Isabelle suddenly got up and went to the bathroom. When she returned she held a small bag. From it, she removed foundation, eyeshadow, and highlighter.
"Alright, we've been sitting around long enough," Isabelle said as she laid the objects in front of them. "I think we should go out."
"And do what?" Clary asked. Isabelle had already started putting some foundation on a makeup sponge.
"I don't know," She shrugged. "Anything. Now hold still and tell me if this hurts."
Clary closed her eyes and Isabelle gently dabbed over the bruise. Clary only flinched slightly as she touched her eye though. Throughout the day Clary had put an ice pack on it and figured the swelling had gone down a little but the color was still very much there. After about ten minutes of gentle dabbing and brushing, Isabelle sat back to admire her work.
"How does it look?" Clary asked since she didn't currently have a mirror.
"Like nothing ever happened," Isabelle smiled sadly. Clary thought herself lucky to have her as a friend. She didn't think that Izzy would be so easy to understand, but the girl hadn't asked a single question the entire day.
"Thanks, Izzy, you're the best." Just as Clary finished speaking the doorbell rang. Both girls raised their eyebrows at each other. "Who's that?"
"I don't-" Realization washed over Isabelle's face. "Crap, Alec was meeting me after his classes today. I'll get rid of him." Isabelle hopped of Clary's bed and ran out of the room.
As she answered the door Clary could still hear her speaking.
"Hey Alec, listen I'm really sorry but- By the Angel, do you bring him everywhere with you?" Isabelle cut herself off and Clary laughed.
"Sorry Izzy," Alec. "We had the same last class but Jon still has one more and Jace doesn't want to be alone."
"Pleeeaaase Izzy," Even from here Clary could hear the mock pouting in Jace's voices. "Let me stay."
"Neither of you can stay. Clary's sick, now go away." Isabelle said and Clary could hear her struggling to keep the boys out.
"I know just what to cure her then," Jace said smugly. "It's a known fact that if you're sick and you look at me you instantly become better."
"It's true," Alec laughed. "Doctor's hate him."
"I'm serious," Isabelle said. Her tone was, well, serious. "Leave, now."
"Nope," Jace replied and Clary heard Isabelle grunt as he undoubtedly slipped past her. Clary started to panic when she realized she was still wearing a tank top. She scrambled to find a sweatshirt and threw one on just as Jace's face appeared in the doorway.
"JACE!" Isabelle yelled and suddenly appeared next to him. "Go away."
"She doesn't look that sick to me," Jace shrugged and Clary glared at him.
"Cough cough," She said and Jace raised an eyebrow.
"Well, now that didn't sound very convincing." He joked as he walked further into the room and sat on the edge of Clary's bed despite Isabelle's efforts to stop him.
That was when Clary noticed Jace's arms. Without thinking Clary grabbed one of his arms to look at one of the bruises. She immediately thought of her own bruises hidden under the large sweater she had on.
"What happened to your arms?" Clary noticed that when she touched the bruises Jace didn't flinch back, it was almost like they didn't hurt him at all.
Jace shrugged. "Got in a fight."
"You should've seen the other guy." Alec sounded bored when he said it. Jace looked back at him and Alec shrugged. "What? I'm filling in for Jon, that's what he's been saying all day whenever you tell people that."
Jace rolled his eyes as he turned back to Clary with a smirk. "So tell me, are you cured yet?"
"You know what," Clary said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I actually think I am. I think you may have actually cured my sickness with just your presence in my room. It's a miracle!"
Jace sat back a bit and narrowed his eyes. "This may be a long shot but I feel like I was sensing some sarcasm there."
Clary grabbed her pillow and whacked Jace. "You were, and I'm not sick but I do want you two to leave."
"I'm hurt, I'm in pain, I've never felt like this before. Is this- is this how it feels to be rejected?" Jace put a mocking hand over his heart before smirking at Clary again.
"Yup," Clary said pushing Jace off her bed. She stood up and continued to push him out of her room. "And you better get used to it because as long as I'm around you won't be in a room full of people who love you."
Jace furrowed his eyebrows when Clary stopped pushing him. "Now I'm sure that was sarcasm, everyone loves me."
"Maybe when you're in a room full of mirrors, but if not then I'm sorry but that statement just isn't true." Clary smiled at Jace as they reached the front door, Alec and Isabelle trailing behind them.
"That's actually not a bad idea," Jace smiled wildly. "Alec I need a room of mirrors, stat."
Alec glared at Clary as him and Jace left the dorm. "Thank you so much for giving him that idea."
Clary laughed after he closed the door behind them. Isabelle was shaking her head with a large smile on her face.
"Alec will never forgive you for that." She laughed.
Clary shrugged. "If it means he spends more time at his house than here, I don't care."
"Evil girl," Isabelle said and Clary smirked.
"I know."
This chapter was definitely longer than the last one. I hope y'all liked it though. Comment what you think is going to happen or what should happen!
