For a week straight, Clary spent 8:00 am until 5:00 pm in training with Jace, Alec, and Izzy. Over the week, she could practically see her improvement as she got stronger, quicker, and was able to tolerate more pain. On the last day of week one, Izzy came in to wake up Clary when she saw that Clary was lying on her bed on her stomach. Her shirt had rode up and was showing Izzy her midriff. A huge gasp came from Izzy as she saw the marks that covered Clary's body.
All across Clary's back were bruises that were in various shapes, some of knuckles, feet, or hand prints. For the past week, Clary had always worn long sleeve shirts and full length pants. But now Clary was in a tank top and shorts, and Izzy could see that Clary had bruises all along her body and even a few bandaged cuts from daggers or seraph blades. Izzy clapped her hands over her mouth as she fled the room to get Jace.
"Jace! Wake up!" Izzy shrieked as she banged her fists on Jace's door.
A loud groan was heard coming from Jace, who lay in his room wishing to be asleep. "It is yours and Alec's day with Clary, meaning that I can sleep."
"It's not that," Izzy said, her voice cracking. "It's Clary."
A rustling noise came from beyond the door which flew open. Jace stood there with concern filled in his eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Just come with me," Izzy said as she led Jace to Clary's room. When Izzy opened the door, Clary was awake and already dressed in her gear, which hid all her bruises. Confusion flooded through Clary as she looked at the concern on Jace's face and worry on Izzy's.
Clary stood to face them and asked "Is something wrong?"
"I don't know," Jace said as he turned on Izzy. "I was woken up rudely by Izzy this morning as she said there was something wrong with you."
"I'm perfectly fine," Clary said, confused.
Izzy looked at Jace, then at Clary. "Roll up you sleeves."
A look of shock came on Clary's face. "Why?"
Confused, Jace asked "What's going on?"
"Show him Clary. Show him what he has inflicted upon you, that of which you refuse to heal," Izzy answered.
Clary didn't argue. Now that Izzy knew, there was no hiding the fact that she was covered from the neck to her ankles in bruises. She'd been very careful, making sure no one saw. But yesterday, she fell asleep on top of the covers by accident. Sighing, she rolled up her sleeves to the crook of the elbow. Jace sucked in a breath as he recognized his hand prints which were painted in bruises along her lower arms. Walking over to her, he gently ran his fingers across them. Pain sizzled through Clary, but she refused to show it.
Jace walked behind her and gently lifted her shirt, and sucked in another breath at the sight of her back. He didn't need to look for him to know that these bruises covered her everywhere. What scared him were that there were several cuts on her arms and back from blades. Never had he taken it easy on her, as he knew that she could heal herself. So why wasn't she? Voicing his thoughts aloud he asked "Why have you done nothing about this?"
Releasing a breath, Clary replied "I..." Stopping to take a breath, she continued. "I feel that my pain tolerance is too low. When I fought that demon, the pain when he flung me into a wall stunned me. It will need to improve anyways, so I decided to keep my bruises and wounds so that my tolerance for the pain will increase, and it has, drastically."
Izzy walked towards Clary with her steele. "This is one of those things that should be developed over time, not forced." Izzy drew an Iratze on Clary's arm, and could practically watch as Clary's expression grew calmer and as her muscles relaxed.
Flipping Clary around, Jace looked in her eyes and said "Don't do that, ever again. No Shadowhunters learn to withstand pain like that. We do so through study and meditation, not through forcing ourselves to endure pain."
Nodding, Clary blushed as she looked away. "Come on," Izzy said. "Alec should be waiting down in the training room."
Clary gave Jace a light peck on the cheek and followed Izzy down to the training room.