SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE!
I've been buried by homework, group assignments and exams! I apologize to my lovely readers! I'll try to update much more frequently!
The little boy screamed as the chair flew over his head − barely missing his hair – and the sound of wood hitting the tiled floor. He fell backwards onto his butt, trembling visibly at Clary's attack.
"What the hell?" Clary's jaw dropped, just when the boy started crying. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" She squatted in front of him, moving her hands frantically to check any bruises. "A-Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah," He sniffed.
A sigh of relief escaped Clary's lips.
"Fray, who is it?" Maia stood behind her, eyeing the still crying boy. "Is he lost?"
"No," He pulled off his big glasses and wiped the tears from his eyes. "I-I came to g-get my sister's notebook." He held up the key that he had used to unlock the door.
Maia helped him stand up while wiping dust from his bottom. "Kid, now's not the time. You should go home right now."
"But the notebook−"
"Forget the stupid book!"
He cringed a bit at Maia's loud voice. Clary cleared her throat. "Look, it's not safe here, kid. You have to go home, okay?"
"But Izzy will steal my chocolate bar if I don't bring it back!"
"Listen, you little−"
Maia made a move to probably throw him out the door, but Clary stopped her.
"Izzy? As in Isabelle Lightwood?"
"You know her?"
Clary swallowed thickly. She first heard of him from the party at the Lightwood's house, when Alec had lashed out at Jordan about stealing his little brother's money. Was it possible for the other Lightwoods to be there? The idea both made her relieved and terrified. Daniel could come back at any moment.
"Did you come here alone?" Maia asked. "Do you have anyone to take you back?"
"Jace is waiting for me in the parking lot."
There was that name again. Jace. It made her stomach flip a little from the thought of him leaning against his car, expecting his little brother to come back after a few minutes. It was tempting to just run outside and let him take her away. But one look at Maia's hopeful face, she couldn't be selfish in this. She had to take all of them out.
"Let's go!"
~0~0~
The two girls ran for the exit, leading the confused Lightwood by the arm. So far, there was no sign of Daniel. Maybe he had left? They didn't know for sure, and they certainly couldn't take any chances. Their steps became frantic and wobbly from the fear of him coming back.
Finally, they pushed open the front door, immediately spotting Jace with his car.
And Daniel.
The boys were talking casually together beside the black vehicle.
"Jace!" The little Lightwood ran up to his brother's side, leaving Clary and Maia gawking at the impossible scene in front of them. Max looking up curiously at Daniel. "Who's this?"
Maia's face went white as paper when she caught her brother's eyes.
"That's Daniel. Just met him a couple of minutes ago." Jace tilted up his chin at him. "Daniel, this is Max."
Daniel gave him one of his sweet smiles. "Hey there, Max."
"Hi," Max said hesitantly. Weirdly, he wasn't mirroring the older boy's smile. Max had a line between his thin brows as he examined him. He took a step back. "Jace, can we go now?"
"Did you get the book?"
"No," Max glanced back to the girls standing motionlessly across from them. "Can we give them a ride?"
For the first time, Jace looked at them and his brows shot up. "Clary, Maia, what are you doing here?"
"Ah, they got detention." Daniel chuckled. "I came to pick them up, you see." He shot them a warning look with his eyes. "Right, girls?"
Clary's body wouldn't respond. Her voice was stuck in her throat. Her mind was whirling with thoughts but none of them made sense as they blurred together.
Before she could respond, Maia had nodded her head.
"So, I'll see you guys later then," Daniel waved politely at the Lightwoods before moving slowly towards the now zombie-like girls.
"Jace, can we give them a ride in the car?" Max suddenly repeated his question.
Daniel stopped momentarily, a dark look passing over his face but was quickly wiped off.
"But Daniel's giving them a ride." Jace said, his brows now furrowed in confusion.
Max looked at them again, a silent question in his gaze. With all the courage Clary had left, she nodded. "Jace knows where I live so it'd be best if we go with him instead."
Maia's head whipped to the side, staring at the shorter girl with pure shock. Quickly, Clary added, "And Maia wanted to come over! You know, uh, for a project."
"Jace, can we?" Max looked pleadingly up at him.
At first, the fear of him declining was overwhelming. If Daniel really did beat his sister up, what was there to stop him from doing something so much worse to her? He could lock her up in the closet, never to see the sunlight again, and all he had to do was show off that fake smile and everyone would believe that he had done nothing wrong. Sweat trickled down her neck as she waited for Jace to answer. His expression was clearly perplexed. His eyes darted from his brother, to Daniel, to Maia (who was close to passing out), and finally to her. She held his gaze longer than necessary, and she prayed to God that he'd get the urgent message through her eyes.
"Okay," Jace said after the long silence. "Hop in the car."
If Clary thought those expert track runners in gym class were fast, then Maia's speed would be of a cheetah's. The girl was next to her one second, and the next she was throwing Jace's backseat door open and jumping inside.
Daniel, on the other hand, wasn't as excited. "My mom and dad had instructed me to take Maia home."
But Jace wasn't listening. He guided Clary and Max to the car, slowly opening the passenger seat open for Max. When Clary was sliding into the backseat next to Maia, Daniel's rough hands wrapped around her arm, pulling her out with a grunt.
"Clary!" Maia tried to grasp her hand, but their fingers barely touched.
"Get your hands off her!" Jace yelled.
Her back was pressed firmly to his chest, her arms locked at her sides. His arm that kept her in place by the stomach was as strong as steel. His other arm pushed at her neck, nearly choking her. "Just give me Maia!" Daniel snarled.
His arm pressed harder at her neck, making her gasp, taking in as much air as she could. The pressure was making her see stars.
Jace saw this, and it seemed to have broken his self-control as he lunged at him.
Daniel was a fast thinker though.
"You come any closer and I'll snap her neck!" He threatened.
Jace instantly stopped mid-punch.
"Now, be a good boy and hand over my sister."
Maia was quaking in fear, her face tear-stained as she curled up into a ball. "Don't!" She screamed. "Please, he'll kill me!"
Everything became a blur at that point. Clary's vision danced with black spots, her head already feeling heavy. She tried to inhale, but it came out a strained whine. Somewhere in the back of her head, she knew Jace was clenching and unclenching his fists, trying desperately to remain calm. But she could see the fire and rage in his eyes.
A shadow was emerging from behind him. It was so small and quick she barely saw it. It didn't seem like Jace nor did Daniel notice either. Was it her imagination?
"I'm going to count to three and you better get Maia out of that car." Daniel spoke. "One…"
His grip tightened on her, nearly crushing her. "Two…"
Before he could even take a breath, a loud cry of pain and shock pierced the air.
Clary fell onto the pavement, clutching her throat and coughing for air. Max ran to her side, tugging her arm frantically. "Come on! Come on!" He was screaming.
Her feet planted themselves to the ground firmly despite her exhaustion and they all ran to the car, slamming the door shut. Within seconds, the tires screeched loudly against the road, leaving a furious Daniel limping to the school gates and cursing loudly at them. But they were already long gone.
Clary was sitting in the backseat with Maia. The other girl hadn't calmed down. It seemed like she was in a big state of shock. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her knees which she had pulled close to her chest. She didn't make a sound as she rocked back and forth.
"Max," Jace suddenly panted. His knuckles were white as they gripped the steering wheel. "I love you for kicking that guy in the back of the knee, but never, and I mean never scare the shit out of me again!"
Max slumped against his own leather seat, clearly tired and scared, but his voice was clear as he said, "I couldn't let him hurt her."
"So you snuck out from the passenger seat and nearly gave us all a heart attack with that stunt you pulled?"
"What was I supposed to do, Jace?"
"Oh gee, I don't know, stay in the damn car and let me handle it?"
"But-"
"GUYS!" Clary piped in. She attentively pulled Maia's head to her shoulder, hoping it would ease the fear from her. "We're right here!"
"Sorry," The boys murmured.
"Max," Clary touched his dark hair soothingly. "Thank you for what you did back there. You saved me."
"No problem," Max grinned. "It was so cool though! Like I was a super hero! Oh, or a ninja in real life!"
She laughed softly, hiding the sting that erupted in her still-sore throat. "The name's Clary, by the way. This is Maia." She squeezed her shoulder, sighing in relief when she felt Maia starting to relax.
"Okay, if you're all done, I'd like to ask a few questions." Jace interrupted. "There are a ton of them, as you may know, but the first one that I'm gonna ask is: Where are we heading?"
"My place." Clary said quickly. "We'll talk there. Um, Max?"
"Don't worry. I'm dropping him off at home."
"BUT-"
"No buts, Max."
"Aw, man."
~0~0~
After dropping the little Lightwood home, they sped up to Clary's house. They crawled out of the vehicle, helping poor Maia into the building without dropping her head onto the front steps. Clary instructed Jace to put her on the couch while she went into the kitchen to get some water for her. A minute later, Maia was slowly sipping it until some color returned to her skin. She dropped the cup with a thump on the coffee table.
"Thanks," She mumbled.
"So, Maia Roberts," Jace said slowly. "Let me get this straight. That guy back there was you brother?"
"Yes."
"Did he come out of mental hospital or what? The guy's deranged!"
"He doesn't show that part of him to anyone, usually. He only shows violence to me. I guess since Clary saw him beating me, and he thought she'll tell you and your brother about it, he panicked and started attacking."
"Yup, I rest my case. That Daniel boy is nuts."
Clary elbowed him in the ribs.
Jace winced.
"Anyways," Maia continued. "I suppose Max saw something fishy about him. I mean, I heard kids have this power to know if someone's bad and all that. It's a good thing he had the guts to defend us, or else we wouldn't be sitting here right now."
"Maia, we have to report him to the police," Clary touched Maia's hand gingerly. "I know he's abusing you. Jace knows. Max knows. Even Jordan-"
"No!" Maia suddenly yelled. "Please, don't tell him about today!"
"Why not? He's your boyfriend, isn't he? He can protect you!"
"I don't want to pull him into this! Not after…" Her eyes suddenly became glassy and distant, as if she was reliving a horrible memory of her past. A minute passed until she finally swallowed thickly and continued, "Jordan can't find out."
"Okay, one: You're making no sense. And two: How are you going to hide this from him? He's bound to find out sooner or later, what with your weird gloomy mood." Jace commented.
"I'll stay away from him," She stated flatly.
"Maia, Jace's right." Clary internally cursed when she caught his smirk.
"Fray," Maia looked at her desperately. "Can I crash at your place? Just until he goes back to college at New Years?"
"WHAT?"
"Come on! This house can fit three families!"
"You're seriously asking me to let you stay here? After you practically bullied me these last couple of days?"
"God, I'm sorry, okay? But I'm seriously serious here, Fray. I can't go back home, and staying at Jordan's is not an option anymore. Where else am I supposed to go?"
"But…but…" Clary looked at Jace in exasperation. Being the helpful human that he was, he simply shrugged and held up his hands in surrender. "…Okay, fine! But I'm gonna get some ground rules here and-"
"THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!" Maia launched herself at her in a tight bear hug that almost squeezed the life out of her. "THANK YOU SO MUCH, FRAY!"
The few minutes after that, Maia was running up and down the stairs, going back and forth from bedroom to bedroom and tried to pick the most spacious one. She tried to claim Clary's room, but seeing as she was already pushing things, she decided to go with the room next to hers. Luckily, they were almost the same size so clothes weren't that much of an issue. There was a spare toothbrush in the cabinet, too. So yeah, things weren't all that bad.
Maia had passed out on her new bed, curling herself under the comforter. That just left Clary and Jace, alone, in front of the door. "Thanks for the ride. And the help." Clary said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Anytime, Red." He smiled slowly. "But, I have a confession to make."
"What?"
"Remember the party? Well, actually, you were invited. By Izzy."
"Wait, what? But I-"
"Yeah, I'm aware that you weren't told. That's because she gave me the job of telling you and your little glasses-wearing friend."
"And you didn't…"
"No. I didn't. I stayed quiet."
Clary took an involuntary step back. "Why?"
"For Simon, well, I don't really like him. As for you…"
"What, Jace?" Clary's anger was suddenly bubbling up in her chest. "What's wrong with me that you kept your distance all this time? Ever since the incident, you did nothing but ignore me! Really, what is wrong with me?"
"I never said that it was you!" Jace's own voice raised in volume. "If you would just listen-"
"Listen to your bullshit? Jace, didn't you realize that I was wondering? That I was asking myself what the hell I did wrong to make you push me away so suddenly? I kept seeing you in the hallway, in class, and you never looked at me!"
"I did!" He stepped closer to her. "And it was driving me insane! Since I saw you sketch in Garroway Café, I couldn't stop looking at you!" Another step. "Your fiery hair," His voice got lower with the third step. "Those grass-green eyes," He was whispering then. "And God, those freckles." Clary didn't realize she was getting backed up until she felt her back hit the hard oak of the door. His eyes bored into her skull, making her unable to look away. Even if she could, she wasn't sure she wanted to.
"You weren't my type," He continued. "Heck, you couldn't even be close to those I've been with-"
"Thanks for the compliment," Clary grumbled.
"But you showed this spirit. I'm still not sure what, but you were glowing with it. When you walked up to the counter that day, my eyes went to you like a magnet. I brushed it off once you left, but when you came again the next day, I wanted – no, I needed to know your name."
His lips were ghosting over her cheeks and nose, lightly brushing her freckles with his breath. It smelled like peppermint and spice. "I wanted to touch each of those freckles, you know."
"Jace…"
"No, let me finish." He silenced her with a finger to her lips. "But then, in class, when I tried to make a move, you freaked out. Shit, you scared the living life out of me! I came back to you and said I'd keep my hands to myself next time. But it was harder than I thought. I don't know why, but each time I saw you, I just wanted to…I don't know, get to know you better. That would completely shatter my promise of keeping things cool between us. So…I thought not seeing you for awhile would fix that."
"Did it work?" She asked breathlessly.
He shook his head slowly. "No, not even a little bit."
Feeling bold, she placed her hands on his strong arm. "You can, you know. I won't be upset if you want to know me. I'm fine with it."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I am. It's okay, Blonde Boy."
He chuckled. Unbearably slow, he pressed a tender kiss to her nose. He moved up until he was kissing her forehead. Her breath stuttered when he cradled her face in his hands like she was a precious jewel. She sighed his name when he put a little more pressure with his careful lips. But there was a nagging feeling in her heart. She tried to ignore it, but it was screaming at her to stop, to push him away, to slow down. Her selfish mind, though, wanted him to stay. She liked the way he held her so gently. She liked the way he smiled into her hair when she ran her hands to the tops of his shoulders. As wrong as it all may seem, she liked it.
Her conscience wouldn't cease its warnings. It rang in her ears, but she couldn't make out what was wrong with this. If anything, she felt content. She tried to search her brain for something wrong, but it was fuzzy. Only when he whispered, "Clary…" did she remember.
Clary suddenly pushed his chest back slowly, her face as red as her hair.
Jace raised his eyebrows in confusion. "What's wrong?"
"I…I have a boyfriend, Jace."
Quote of the day:
I don't want to say a quote I got from someone else. Wouldn't it be so much more beautiful if I told you my own sweet words?
