Sofa? Couch? I went with couch!
I think only one chapter this week cause of exams :(
Sneek preview of the next one in the authors note at the end

Enjoy.

Clary's POV

Following Isabelle into the house Clary was shocked by the shear proportions of it. A huge sweeping staircase-straight ahead as you walked in, marble floors, huge doors leading off to even bigger rooms.

Isabelle noticed the shocked look on Clary's face and laughed.
"It's a little bit big!"

"A little bit! That's an understatement much!" Clary was impressed. She thought her house was big but this, this was huge!

"There's to many rooms! Half of them we never even use!" Isabelle smiled at Clary's reaction.

"Don't you guys ever get lost!?" Clary asked incredulously. Addressing both Alec and Isabelle.

She wondered how you could have rooms in a house you never even used? She wondered why Isabelle and Alec's parents chose such a big house, she personally didn't think she could ever live in a house this big, it seemed such a waste of rooms.

"Not any more! We did at first!" Alec smiled.

"It's so big!"Clary still couldn't get over the sheer size of it it was huge! Just then she heard Jace laughing behind her.

"What's so funny?" She turned to ask him.

"Your reaction, it's exactly the same as mine when I first came here!"

That softened Clary up a bit, she thought he was laughing at her cause she was a 'city kid' with no experience in big country houses. And he'd compared her to him! That was good right?

"Well, It is HUGE! And a really beautiful house!" She said to all of them.

"Thanks!" Isabelle smiled.

"Do you ever even see your parents in a house this big?"

"Yeah, but they travel a lot... so they're not here all that often." Alec said a little sadly almost wistful.

"Oh, sorry!" Clary said, and she genuinely meant it, she didn't mean to hit any nerves.

"Are they here today?" she asked.

"Yeah! And Max, our little brother." Alec cheered up a little at this.

"Aw, how old is he?" Clary asked, sensing this was a topic they would be comfortable discussing.

"Nine." Isabelle smiled proudly.

"Alec come with me and we'll do drinks and Jace and Clary can talk about their project and I'll talk to you about what you can tell Jace..."

"What do you guys want to drink?" Asked Alec.

"Just a diet coke please... if you have one! Clary added hurriedly.
"Of course we do! And sure. Jace?" Isabelle asked.

"Oh. Yeah, I'll have the same please!"

Alec followed Isabelle out of one of the many doors leading off the main hall.

Clary watched as Jace seemed to disappear into his h e ad, thinking deeply about something, but all she really wanted to do was talk to him! She decided to stick with safe topics, so she took Isabelle's advice and said.

"So... History partners."

Jace's POV

She was so cute, she was almost bowled over by the size of the house.
And she was so worried that she'd upset Alec, and she seemed genuinely interested in everything people had to say, maybe she was one of those genuinely nice people. He seemed to attract all the bitches to him. It might be nice to date a nice girl for a change.

Although he didn't want to hurt her. And she probably wouldn't want to date an orphan anyway, and if she did go out with him it'd be out of pity. And he Hated pity with a Capital H!

"So... History partners." Clary's melodic voice snapped him out of his negativity.

"Yeah, about that... sorry for snapping at you." he managed to put genuine feeling in his voice and was really pleased when she said.

"That's fine, just promise you'll work WITH me on this!?" He loved the emotion that naturally came through in her voice when she spoke, her had to work to put emotion in and sound normal but she naturally emphasised the words she needed to, she was adorable with the way she spoke. Her red lips forming the words and her eyes showing all her emotions.

"Sure. Course I will!" He said, quickly, realising he needed to reply.

"So when do you want to meet to work out the presentation?" She said, smiling, as she waited patiently for his reply.

That was when he knew it was going to be hard to explain why they'd never go to his 'house.'

He knew he sucked at explaining, maybe he should get Isabelle to explain his situation to her? Yes, he reasoned with himself, he definitely should,
seeing as she was getting Alec to tell him the reason why she'd moved, it seemed serious, especially as she seemed like she was going to cry when they were in the car and he asked about it.

"I don't know I'll have a think and text you later."

Clary smiled at him at this, maybe she did actually like talking to him? He really hoped so!

"Come on then Clary let's go on up to my room." Isabelle suddenly appeared in the doorway, and handed them both their drinks.

At that moment he hated Isabelle. Just when he'd been properly talking to her!

"Isabelle could you explain to Clary where I live please?" He asked stopping to call over his shoulder, a pleading look on his face as he followed Alec through the door to the living room. Clary and Isabelle going up the stairs.

"Um. Okayy." Isabelle seemed a little baffled at why he would want her to say, and if she thought it was a bad idea she didn't say.

Clary's POV

"Isabelle could you explain to Clary where I live please?" Jace asked Isabelle stopping suddenly as he went to follow Alec through a door into an unknown room .

Clary was a little confused by this. Granted she'd asked him when they should meet to discuss the project, although why where he lived needed explanation she didn't know. But she figured she'd find out soon enough.

Following Isabelle up the stairs, careful not to spill her drink. She glanced back hoping to catch Jace's eye, maybe share a smile, help keep there earlier "almost" friendship going. Share one last smile before he found out what happened to he. But he'd gone. Already followed Alec through the door.

Feeling slightly disappointed she followed Isabelle down a long corridor and into a room she assumed was Isabelle's bedroom seeing as there was clothes, make up and jewellery over every available surface, including the floor.

Trying to look as though she hadn't noticed the mess Clary carefully picked her way across the room, and as she reached the bed Isabelle said.

"Sit here." pointing to a space on the bed, sweeping what could possibly be her pajamas? Onto the floor where they settled onto a pile of what looked to Clary like clean ironed clothes, although she could be wrong.

"Yeah... it's a little messy!" Isabelle smiled.

"So what did Jace mean, tell me where he lives? Why does it matter where he lives?" Clary asked, confusion on her face as she turned to Isabelle.

"Well, the things is, Jace doesn't really have a house as such to live in." Isabelle began.

Clary was confused, if he didn't live in a house where did he live? An apartment? Surely that wasn't something big that he'd have to get Isabelle to tell her?

"The thing is well, Jace is and Orphan... and he lives in the Orphanage on the edge of town."

Of all the things she'd been expecting Clary could honestly say she'd never expected this, if Isabelle hadn't told her she would never have known or even guessed.

Then she wondered why he thought that she needed to know. Also why he couldn't tell her himself? Maybe he was ashamed? No. Why would he be.

"To be perfectly honest. I wouldn't have guessed! And no offence to him. It's no big deal."

Isabelle seemed surprised by her response, it took her a minute before she said.

"Wow. Um. Normally people think it's a big deal. He doesn't normally tell people in case they treat him differently."
Recovering from the shock a bit she said.
"Good. Well I'm glad to know your not going to be a bitch to him about it."

Clary had to smile at this. She was a bit like Jace's sister. Protective of him but disinterested in some parts of his life.

"So who does know?" Clary asked.

Seeing suspicion on Isabelle's face she said.
"So I don't say the wrong thing to the wrong person!" And she genuinely meant it. She didn't want to spill secrets. And if no one at school knew then she wouldn't say anything. She didn't want to destroy any chance she had with him by being a complete bitch.

Something in Clary's face made Isabelle want to trust her. She normally didn't trust new people but something about Clary made her like her and especially seeing as she told her what was probably her biggest secret at lunch. That was when she decided to go against her head and go with her gut instinct. So Isabelle said.

"No one at school knows so don't say anything there. If you do I will personally kill you!"

And Clary knew Isabelle meant it just like at lunch when she said if she ever saw Sebastian then she'd kill him, Clary knew she was 'deadly' serious.

Jace's POV

He glanced behind him after he'd called back to Isabelle but Clary wasn't looking. He had hoped to catch her eye, before she found out he was an orphan. But she didn't turn around so he quickly followed Alec into the living room.

Alec threw himself down onto a couch and Jace did the same placing his drink on the coffee table.

"So. Your problem first?" Alec asked.

"How about you tell me about Clary first, then we talk about my crappy problems?" Jace tried to sound nonchalant when mentioning Clary's name.

"Okayy sure. I'll tell you exactly how Izzy told me."

Jace wondered how bad it could really be. Granted it had made her cry, now he was really curious.

"So... come on then. Tell me." He tried to subtly hurry Alec on.

"Um. Okayy!" Alec looked a little confused but said.

"Okayy. So at her previous school Clary was dating this guy Sebastian? I believe his name was. But no one else knew."

Seeing the confusion on Jace's face Alec elaborated to the best of his ability.

"Cause he was a jock and she was a... well. Not a jock I guess."
He took a deep breath before continuing.

"And then this one time they were making out and he tried to take it further and well she said no. But he persisted and um she tried to leave but he like grabbed her wrist, where she was wearing a bracelet and twisted it deep into her wrist screaming obscenities at her." Alec explained. "And when he did let her go her wrist was badly bleeding and now she has a horrid scar there. Which she then apparently got a tattoo above the scar that means fearless."

There was a pause before Alec added.

"And she thinks she may have seen him at school today, in the cafeteria."

Jace just stood there staring at Alec...

And? Don't hate me...

Next chapter
Jace~ "Don't you think it's disgusting though?"

Review for a Pm of the next line, hopefully that's some incentive ツ
Amelia xx