Here's the next chapter! It was just over 2 weeks between this one and the last one, so it could have been worse! I had a rowing regatta then a swimming meet on Saturday and an assignment to finish on Sunday, so I didn't get an opportunity to type this up and post it until today. I hope it's not too late! More at the bottom!
CHAPTER 7 - CLARY POV
I flopped onto the bed in the exact position I had been in thirteen days ago. My phone lay suspiciously quietly next to me, like a loud outburst would finally make me explode like the tired, short-tempered ticking time bomb that I was. As I pressed the home button to light up the screen, I was shocked to see 28 missed calls from Jace, 4 from Maia, 3 from Sebastian and 7 voicemail messages, courtesy of Jace. I was touched that they were concerned, but it made me feel even worse that my absence hadn't gone unnoticed and that I had probably scared everyone. I had a funny feeling, like something bad was going to happen to me soon, but then again, exhaustion and little social contact often does that to me. Even though it was pretty late, now was better than never to read through and listen to the messages before I gave someone a heart attack.
I prepared myself to run through the voicemail messages one by one, wondering what had been said and if I should reply to them. I just steeled myself and pressed 'call'.
Clary? It's Jace. I tried calling Izzy because I figured you would be avoiding me, and I heard that you will be missing for two weeks. Is that true?
Hi, it's still Jace. Clary, I need you to call me back soon.
Clary, you weren't in class today. Can we please talk? It's Jace, by the way.
Clary, you've missed two days of school. How deadly is this stomach bug? Jace.
Clary, where are you? I'm worried now. Please call me.
Clary, I'm sorry about the lunch date, but I need you to talk to me.
Clary... Are you okay?
I almost cried from the despair and concern in his last message, so I wrote a note to myself to visit him tomorrow and fell asleep, not caring how soaking I was from the water. Not caring that I looked like I had a flock of birds nesting in my hair. Not caring about the tangy taste of salt in my mouth or the crusty salt crystals around my eyebrows and cheekbones. I thought of Jace, and only Jace, and soon enough, I fell into a deep sleep.
JACE POV
I was so worried about Clary, I couldn't think about anything else. I knew it was pretty late at night and I had school in the morning, but I was so worked up about her that I ended up researching her on the Internet, under 'Clary Fairchild'. I know, a little stalker-ish, but what else was I supposed to do?
Clarissa 'Clary' Fairchild, 30 Orchard Avenue, Miami, FL…
Clary Fairchild, 13 Angel Cove, Los Angeles, CA…
Clarissa Fairchild, Chevalier College, Massachussets, MA…
Clary Fairchild, 28 Beach Drive, Orlando, FL…
Clary Fairchild, 58 Florence Street, New Orleans, LA…
Clary Fairchild, 104 George's Head Road, San Francisco, CA…
Iz TruBlud3 said: "Clary Fairchild is such a babe!..."
The results went on and on. There couldn't be this many Clary Fairchilds in the world. Clary wasn't a common name, but Fairchild was practically unheard of, and there were pages upon pages of results for 'Clary Fairchild'. So maybe...
Maybe it was the same person.
CLARY POV
I woke up bright and early for school the next day, throwing on a floral sundress and brown leather boots almost randomly. I was like a Zombie waiting for Jace; I had barely slept last night in the anticipation of seeing him again. I missed him a lot, and I hadn't seen him in two weeks. Had he had his hair cut? Is the chip in his tooth fixed? Is he back with Aline? That was the point where I tried to cut off my train of thoughts before I "accidentally" murdered Aline next time I saw her. I'm sure that would go down well with the Principal. Not to mention what Camille would say…
I felt horribly guilty for not calling him back last night. He probably thought I was dead! But I had had things to do, and as much as I liked Jace, my kingdom and my people always came first. I had a duty as Princess – and future Queen. As did Izzy and Ella. We needed to make the right decisions at the right times and learn how to prioritise. Ella pretty much had that down, and Izzy was… Izzy. And I knew that although Jace was important, my country came first.
I flew down the stairs, downing a cereal bar as I went. I whirled out of the door and practically tackled Izzy, who was quietly reading on her iPad at the kitchen counter, looking gorgeous and sophisticated as usual, insisting that she needed to get the car going and drive to school. She nodded and seemed to understand, walking gracefully down the pathway leading out of the house and to the car before leaping into the car with Ella gliding into the backseat after her as I hastily jumped into the passenger seat and buckled my seatbelt while Izzy carefully drove off.
As soon as we arrived at the school parking lot, I leapt out of the car, slamming the door behind me. I then hastily snatched my tote bag from the boot and dashed towards the old building, a total nervous wreck about seeing Jace again after so long.
CLARY POV
The building seemed suddenly ominous, like I wouldn't like what I was about to discover. I didn't know if that was true. I had been away for two weeks and I really didn't know what to expect. The azure sky of the Wednesday morning lit up the grounds, almost teasing my dull mood. I scowled at the intimidating doors where I knew I would be the centre of attention – in the wrong way.
I went in anyway.
As soon as I had passed through the glass doors, conversations stopped and the only thing that I heard was the soft thud of the doors closing behind me. Then the whispers began, and the stares bored into me as I stood near the entrance awkwardly and I suddenly felt very alone. Then I saw Jace. Gold halo of hair, brilliant tawny eyes, and the leech otherwise known as Aline stuck to his arm.
She saw me out of her peripheral vision, making a show of wrapping her arm around Jace's waist and tugging him towards me. His eyes lit up as soon as he saw me, and then dimmed as if I was the last thing he wanted to see. It stung. A lot. But Aline kept on mercilessly dragging him to me until she was right in front of me, her Nutmeg perfume making me gag. How Jace actually managed to get that close to her without suffocating, I had no clue.
Aline smiled a sweet, saccharine smile. A smile that was fake. But the look in her eyes told me there was more than there had originally seemed. I turned my burning gaze to Jace. He looked disappointed - in himself? - and gently pushed Aline away after whispering something in her ear that made her go deathly pale. Jace backed away from me with a look that said, Not now, Clary. And sped down the hall through the throng of gathering witnesses. After he had left, conversations started up again and traffic in the hallway resumed as if nothing had happened, apart from the occasional unfriendly and suspicious glance in my direction.
But at the moment, I couldn't have cared less. I followed Jace discreetly and hopefully quietly, padding softly down the hallways in pursuit so that he wouldn't notice me and only onlookers who were specifically scrutinising me would realise who I was following, and where. But I continued shadowing Jace undetected and grew more nervous and the crowd thinned out and it would become clear that I wasn't just wandering aimlessly; that I was, in fact, following someone. Jace. His destination was a complete mystery to me, and he just kept walking through the practically deserted corridors and I tried to make myself stealthier so that I could see the end result of this expedition into seemingly nowhere.
Jace walked out the side exit of the block into the commons to one side of the school. No windows looked over here apart from fourth floor science labs, and the thick foliage of oak and pine trees covered the area in speckled patches of light. It was quiet and secluded, and I hadn't even known that this place existed. It was beautiful; someplace I would love to draw. The contrast between the green summer leaves and the freshly fallen browning leaves was hypnotic, and I had to force myself not to stop and to keep quiet. I decided to make my appearance known, because there had been enough silence and if I said nothing then I would just get angrier and angrier with Jace. So I finally stopped and steeled myself.
"What was that?" I asked, deliberately slowly.
Jace froze and slowly, slowly turned around to look me in the eye. However, he didn't look me in the eye; he looked at a point just above my left eyebrow. I observed the dark bags under his eyes and his slightly sunken cheekbones, as if he hadn't been eating enough or sleeping enough. "I broke up with Aline." he replied in a monotone. His gaze didn't waver from its fixation on my forehead.
"Did you sleep with her first?" it just slipped out; I couldn't help it. If I could have taken it back, I would. I cast my eyes down to the leafy floor underfoot in embarrassment at my private and personal question. Because really, it wasn't any of my business. And he shouldn't feel obligated to answer.
"Before I met you, yes. After you left? No." at least he answered truthfully. I think. But I had already gathered that he wasn't a virgin, so I tried to overlook who he did it with. And failed miserably. My expression must have given me away, because Jace cast his eyes to the ground in what looked like shame. But it could have been worse, and thinking about it, I was glad that he hadn't done it with her after he had met me. Jace lifted his gaze back to my face, looking at me. Really looking at me, in the eyes, his gold eyes sad and desperate.
"Clary, where were you?"
And the weight of all those voice messages came flooding back. All of the desperate and concerned words, and images of Jace in a thousand different angles and lights flew through my mind, and I pushed away my negative thoughts and hesitation towards Jace as I dashed through the crunchy autumn leaves and tackled him.
He made a little oomph sound, a few pitches higher than usual which I found extremely endearing, as I knocked him to the ground. I wrapped my arms tightly around his broad shoulders, holding him tight as if letting go would mean losing him forever. My heart hammered in my ribs as I breathed in his familiar scent and basked in the feeling of the mere proximity of Jace. He ran his calloused, warm, soothing fingers through my wild fiery curls, burying his face in the locks, holding me just as tightly as I held him. I looked up at his face, and he looked at me. And I knew then, that even with leaves in his hair and mud smeared on his cheek, that Jace Herondale was the most beautiful boy I knew. Both inside and out, because I knew that it must take a hell of a lot of patience to put him through what I'd put him through and then forgive me right afterwards. I was happy. Really, truly, happy. And although today had started terrible, it was perfect right here, right now.
Then the only thing that could make this moment better happened; the most beautiful boy I knew kissed me, right on the lips.
EULYSAE FEMALE POV
Oh, dear God, those two are disgusting. I watched them from my hiding place, wrinkling my nose. If anyone saw me here, I would be in deep shit with Clary especially because of the compromising position I was watching them in. Aline and Jace were okay, but there was none of this sappy, girly stuff going on in the background. It was mainly Aline trying to jump Jace. All. The. Fucking. Time. I learnt a lot from my secretive spying, and I felt that the more I knew about Jace Herondale, the more confused I got.
It never worked though, with Aline trying to jump Jace. And I had orders to tear these two apart – far, far apart – so that they could never restore what they have now and to kill the Calypsaï princes. Tonight, I would make my move. For good or for bad. So Jace and Clary had better watch themselves… because you never know when the shark will attack.
JACE POV
I don't know what came over me with Clary. I just... Kissed her. Like I'd wanted to for ages. Like I meant it. And since she hadn't punched me in the face yet, I figured that it was going well so far, but hey! Only time will tell.
Her lips were soft and warm, and all the emotion that kissing Aline had lacked was there. It wasn't hot and heavy or anything like that - just comforting, peaceful, and loving. It was different to what I usually experienced, because all of those girls had been attracted to my looks, and the relationship was purely physical. But the emotional level with Clary was like nothing I'd ever experienced before, and I was seriously thrilled at what would happen between us next.
But while Clary had been gone, things with Aline had gotten worse and worse. I had found a note taped inside my locker with a photo of Aline kissing another girl, just as passionately as I would kiss Clary. The caption under the image was named 'Aline and Sandy, Lesbian at Last'. It was a terrible line, but if it was spread, Aline's reputation would be ruined, and I couldn't do that to her. So we had agreed to fake date. This façade had been kept up during the time that Clary was away, and all that I had said to Aline when Clary had re-appeared was 'I'm sorry', because I figured that Aline had deserved the warning.
I hadn't been planning on telling anyone anytime soon about Aline's secret but I figured Clary had a right to know, and I doubt that she would intentionally spread the rumour just to get back at Aline, because that was one thing that Clary wasn't – cruel.
I gently broke off the kiss, looking into Clary's eyes as she said one word. A very important word.
"Explain."
So I did.
DRAMA CLASS - LATER ON THAT DAY
Clary and I, much to everyone's surprise (and relief) walked into drama class together, hand in hand. It was ten minutes into second period, but the teacher still hadn't turned up. Kids were throwing paper planes, shouting, laughing and texting. Aline stood out, ghastly pale and completely still in the corner next to Kaelie.
I had explained everything to Clary, but I needed to tell Aline about the changes in our current predicament. I lead her towards the cupboard doors and spoke in hushed tones so that no one could overhear, because that would be disastrous for both me and Aline.
"Aline, I think you need to come out. If not now, soon." she stared up at me blankly, like my suggestion was so terrible that it wasn't even considerable. This may be the case, but I really hope not, because an uncooperative Aline is the last thing the world needs. So I braced myself for the answers she may give, the majority of them probably disastrous.
"Why should I?" She asked. Her question was petulant, like a young child whining, and her brown eyes bore into mine as she pouts and frowns to try to sway my decision. It doesn't work.
"Because the longer you pretend, the worse it's going to be. My advice is to get together with your current girl - Sandy, is it? - and explain the situation. Then, just discreetly act like you're together. Don't act suspicious or completely blank Sandy, because that will make things worse because no one will be able to understand why you are together. If you act like close friends, then people may be able to understand why you fell for each other. When you have the courage, kiss somewhere public on school grounds." Aline sighed. I waited for the worst, because let's face it – that's generally what you got from Aline.
"Fine. But if everything goes horrible, it's your fault." and with that merry thought, Aline went back to her conversation with Kaelie back at her table. I stood still, fretting about the attention, before Clary pulled me out of my daze by pulling me towards our friends at their table. Izzy looked up at Clary and I's interlocked fingers and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh, hallelujah, praise the lord! You guys finally—" She cut off abruptly as everyone's gaze was drawn to the doors as the drama studio suddenly quieted as the double doors creaked open and a tall man strode in with confidence practically radiating out from him.
He was unlike any teacher that St. Xavier's had ever seen before; tall, Asian and flamboyantly gay. St. Xavier's had a tendency to hire the straight A graded, sexually straight and perfectionists who were recipes for disaster in the world of teaching. This man was the exact opposite, and must be pretty spectacular to even get a job interview with the staff. The Principal was a rumoured homophobic, so it was odd but also strangely refreshing to see a new, unique face around here. But change isn't always good, so we'll have to see.
The substitute - or new - teacher was extremely tall, around 6'5", and his height was accentuated by his lanky build. He looked to be of Asian origin, with exotic and almost leonine looks that consisted of almond shaped startling green and gold eyes, olive skin and pink and blue dyed glossy black hair. His powerful gaze swept over the student body before him, lingering especially on the 'attractive' men with darker hair in general. I was straight as can be, so of course I felt a little uncomfortable when the teacher looked me over, but it was over almost before it had started when his gaze moved on to Alec.
Poor Alec looked like a deer caught in the headlights under the extremely familiar new teacher. His cheeks were flushed scarlet and his eyes were wide in surprise and the new teacher stared and stared at him for a fairly extensive period of time. And that was when I realised that maybe Alec's sexual orientation may not have been what I had originally assumed it to be.
CLARY POV
I watched the new 'teacher' scan the startled audience filling the tiered auditorium, trying not to laugh at the straight boys' shocked expressions as he blatantly checked them out. Alec was the one that our new drama teacher focused on, and he was clearly alluded but uncomfortable under the familiar man's scrutiny, and I had doubted Alec's sexuality before, this really sent alarm bells ringing. Truth be told, I had never seem Alec with a partner - guy or girl - so his sexuality was still open to judgement. Then the familiar drama teacher introduced himself.
"Hello, darlings. I'm your teacher this year until your Principal finds a 'suitable' replacement. I am Mr Bane, but feel free to call me Magnus the Magnificent." My great Calypsaï friend took an over exaggerated bow.
The class snickered, with Jace chuckling behind me and Isabelle accidentally snorting on my left. This just made me laugh harder, even through my anger at Magnus feeling the need to supervise me. Or was he on the hunt for more Eulysae in disguise? Either way, it was a little insulting to find that he didn't feel that I was responsible enough to deal with it along with Izzy and Ella.
Ella was reasonable and responsible, probably more so that Izzy and I combined. Izzy was the joker of the group, who 'let loose' with alcohol at parties and had dated half of America's attractive male population. The only attractive men she hadn't dated were gay men and guys from Las Vegas, because we'd never actually been there. I was... In between, the least attractive, and the shortest. Sometimes I wonder why they even stick with me, but then I think of the reasons why they can't leave me.
I don't have the most reassuring thoughts.
The rest of drama class was fun and games, getting to know each other, getting to know Magnus, and playing concentration games. One of the games involved a game called "Anyone Who" and involved a person in the middle calling out something they had in common with people around them. There was a circle of chairs for one too little people and the aim was to stay out of the middle more than three times. At one point, the theme was "Anyone who... Has killed their cat." and Magnus was the only one who stood up. He lost his seat and ended up in the middle and began the heart wrenching tale of how he ran over his cat, Chairman Meow, with a Bentley. The anecdote had the whole class in hysterics within seconds.
I think the class really like Magnus, mainly because of his easy humour and conversations, and the fact that after those games, they knew him better than they knew any other teacher. But the bell eventually rang, accompanied by a chorus of groans and complaints, but eventually the student body trickled out of the double doors to their next class.
When most of the class had dispersed and only the odd straggler was left behind, Jace and I approached Magnus with wide grins on both of our faces.
"Magnus!" I called happily. I bounded up to him, dragging Jace along behind me as I raced to greet my adoptive father. Even if I wasn't sure of his motives here at St. Xavier's, I still loved him as a father and treasured my time with him.
"How are you, Clary?" Magnus spun around to face me and crushed me to his chest in his signature bear hug, grinning and ruffling my hair affectionately. Once he released me and allowed me to breathe again, a waved Jace and I's interlocked fingers in front of his face with glee, my smile stretching ever wider.
Magnus smiled knowingly and winked. "So you're very happy, I see," he said slyly, waggling his eyebrows at Jace and smiling smugly.
"You could say that." Jace replied with a nonchalant one shouldered shrug. I smiled even wider, squeezing his hand gently in mine. He squeezed back before continuing, "It's nice to see you again, Mr Bane. How goes life in Brooklyn?" he asked with a cheeky little smirk, reminding me of Jace's last encounter with Magnus at my house. How could I have forgotten?
"And you, Jace. Life goes well in Brooklyn. But, as much as I live talking to Clary's 'hot' boyfriend, I have another class to teach, and the Principal only needs a tiny excuse such as me being late - again - to fire me on my first day." Magnus turned back to me. "I'll see you at home. Have fun with Jace, Clary. Don't do anything that I wouldn't do!" he winked coyly, the message clear.
"But Magnus darling, you'd do anything." I looked over my shoulder to see Izzy and Ella coming towards us, Izzy's mouth quirked as she waited for Magnus's reply to her comment.
"Exactly." and with that, Magnus the Magnificent strode out of the drama department and towards his next class.
Ella turned to Jace and I, making sure we were listening. "We're heading up to Idris again tomorrow night," she said slowly. "Invite your friends, Jace; the more the merrier."
MAGNUS POV
That Alexander boy was absolutely delectable. Gorgeous black glossy hair, beautiful creamy skin, tall frame - almost as tall as me! And those God-awful things he called clothes. A garbage bag would look better, but I suppose there is time to learn about the wonders of fashion. I could teach him an awful lot, if he'd just let me.
But my problem lay with Clarissa. Not that I didn't love her to bits, but she would castrate me if I hit on Alexander too much. And not to mention that Alexander may well be Isabelle's brother, if Camille's theories are correct, and although she may not be right, I should still treat him like eye candy and nothing more. But it was a nice little fantasy I had going, and even if nothing could come of it, I did enjoy toying with Alexander a little. His face was absolutely adorable when I was checking him out, as if he didn't know that he was gay! He's probably in denial, but seriously. Men these days...
I pushed all thoughts of Alexander Maciejowski out of my mind and plastered a fake smile as I walked into the classroom of pre-pubescent freshmen doodling on their tables and standing on their chairs and just generally. Causing. Havoc.
Damn it.
ALEC POV
Clary and Jace were a match made in Heaven, I had to admit. They just... Clicked, I guess, and it made me think of that hot Asian drama teacher, Mr Bane. Wait - did I seriously just think that? Crap, crap, crap, what will Jace say? I think I'm gay! Oh crap... But the teacher was certainly desirable, I had to admit. Even if he was flamboyantly gay and a teacher at my school. Yeah, the circumstances weren't exactly ideal.
The rest of the week had passed in a blur of Mr Bane and glitter (I swear that if he ever went missing, all we'd need to do would be to follow the glitter trail) and I could be doing homework or reading quietly in my room. But no, here I was wasting away in a black stretched limo as my friends chattered and laughed. Clary lay sprawled on top of Jace - he must have been loving that - and Ella was leaning on Sebastian's shoulder, much to his obvious delight. Jordan was kind of sulking because Maia had some kind of meeting for the school newspaper and she couldn't come along. He sat alone in the far corner, staring out of the window. Jonathan was sitting near me, rifling through the cooler filled with coke and vodka and Baccardi Breezers. Isabelle had her head in Simon's lap, and Simon looked alarmed, as if he couldn't quite comprehend that this gorgeous girl was sprawled on top of him.
I tried to participate in the easy banter, but I would keep thinking of Magnus and abruptly cutting the conversation short for fear of people working out my thoughts.
After hours of driving, we pulled over at Izzy's beach house in Alicante Cove. The area reminded me of the disaster at Cecily's beach house and I pushed it from my mind.
Our group leapt out of the limo, stretching our legs before dashing down the warm sand in the early evening, the sky streaked with red and gold. Everyone was peeling off their clothes and diving into the inviting emerald water. A cool breeze came off the tall, rugged cliffs and I briefly stared up at where the seagulls were nesting in the grass on the sheer cliff face. After a while, I joined in with the others, really getting into it and thankfully forgetting briefly about Magnus. But everything started going downhill after we swam out a little further, with Clary and Jace about fifty metres ahead of us. For all we knew, they were making out or drowning. Suddenly Ella started waving her arms and screaming, "SHARK! SHARK!" and that's when everything fell apart.
JACE POV
Ella frantically waved at Clary and I. She seemed to be yelling 'stop', so Clary and I paused to hear her. The swell lapped at my chest and made my hair curl, and I turned towards Ella, wondering what the fuss was all about. She looked pretty alarmed and I didn't have a clue why! Maybe she had forgotten something, or maybe there was a boat coming around the panoramic headland towards us. I strained my ears to try to hear her.
"Stop?" I called back to her, confused. She looked completely panicked and I had no clue why. I thought she said stop, but who knew what she was saying?
"NO! SHARK!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. I finally heard and understood her so I hastily spun around to warn Clary, when something that felt suspiciously like a hand latched onto my ankle and pulled me under the surface of the water.
Sorry, the cliffy was just so… Tempting! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, though. Thoughts? Comments?
And thank you very much to the following:
-Guest for reviewing
-mortalinstrumentsgurl1 for reviewing
-ByTheAngelIsThatWillHerondal e for her awesome review!
-Blackbloodvamp for following
-Fluffernutter21 for following
By the way guys, your reviews make my day. So keep it up and remember to review, follow and/or favourite! Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon. Stay tuned, and check out the links for the school outfits below (also on my profile).
Thanks once again,
-Physalie00
LINKS:
CLARY'S SUNDRESS:
. /search?hl=en&client=safari&tbo=d&biw=320&bih=356&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=floral+sundress&oq=floral+sundress&gs_l=mobile-gws-serp.3..0j0i24l3.3478.12419.0.13..2883.2-1j3j1j2.7.0...0.0...1ac.1. -gws-serp.7lxiSXUSBGc#i=11
CLARY'S BOOTS:
. /search?hl=en&client=safari&tbo=d&biw=320&bih=416&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=brown+leather+boots+tassels&oq=brown+leather+boots+tassels&gs_l=mobile-gws-serp.3...49014.55353.0.55..2040.3-3j1j1.5.0...0.0...1ac.1. -gws-serp.7Bjs6j9sD5E#i=6
CLARY'S EARRINGS:
. /search?hl=en&client=safari&tbo=d&biw=320&bih=416&tbm=isch&oq=+brown+feather+earrings&gs_l=mobile-gws-serp.3..0.62480.86715.0.87..7518.2-1j5j7j4.17.0...0.0...1ac.1. -gws-serp.-452jlsoTDE&q=brown%20feather%20earrings#i=4
CLARY'S NECKLACE:
. /search?hl=en&client=safari&tbo=d&biw=320&bih=416&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=brown+feather+necklace&oq=brown+feather+necklace&gs_l=mobile-gws-serp.3...4231.9528.0.9..1782.2-2j4.6.0...0.0...1ac.1. -ZqUxyY2k#i=3
