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Disclaimer: You know the drill.
Chapter 1
Welcome to Hell
Penhallow High School's brochure didn't do it justice.
On the glossy front cover of the pamphlet, there was a picture of a contemporary brownstone with a manicured lawn packed with smiling teenagers, just waiting for the teachers to enlighten them with their bounty of knowledge.
In other words, the little booklet made it look like hell. But it couldn't have been farther from the truth; this place was at least fifty times worse than hell.
This is what Jace Wayland was thinking as he got out of his adoptive brother Alec's Mercedes C-class. He stretched after the ten-minute drive, careful not to let his sleeves slip down his arms. He sighed internally. Life at this place was already almost un-bearable. Sure, Alec wasn't bad—he'd become a pretty decent friend—and Izzy, Alec's sister, was fun to torment and hang out with, when she wasn't rambling a mile a minute about clothes and makeup and her boyfriend Simon.
Think of the Devil! Izzy tumbled out of the car, landing on her high-heeled sandals with a catlike grace. She flipped her silky, waist-length hair over her shoulder and quickly applied a fresh coat of lipstick. Even Jace, who was her almost her brother, knew how gorgeous she was. Tall, thin, graceful. If she weren't so goddamn annoying sometimes…
"So?" she asked. "What do you think?"\
Jace looked at her. "I think I've died and gone to hell."
Isabelle rolled her eyes. "It's not that bad. And besides, it's everyone's first day back. I bet you're not the only new kid here."
For the past month, Jace had been getting used to his new life in Manhattan. Coming here had been nothing more than a flicker of annoyance that seemed far off in the future. But now that he was here, he didn't care about the new kid. He was a junior. He wouldn't be as disrespected or disreputable as a freshman. But he was still new. And that meant questioning about where he came from.
Which meant talking about how he'd moved in with Isabelle and Alec Lightwood and the rest of their family because his father had ditched hi, and because his mother was dead. Which meant the past six weeks of attempting to repress the terrible memories was a waste. A fucking waste.
"Earth to Jace!" Alec waved his hand in front of Jace's eyes. "I asked if you wanted to go get your books and schedule."
"No, I don't want to. But I have to, don't I?"
"Yes. Unless you want to get kicked out of school."
"I doubt that would get me kicked out. And even if it did, I wouldn't mind. Hell, I'd throw a raging party, get wasted, and fu—"
"Jace! That's revolting!" said Izzy with a look of disgust on her pretty face. "Let's just go get your damn books."
"I can go alone, thank you," replied Jace. "I'll text you later."
And with that, he walked away from Alec and Izzy, heading toward the school.
I know this chapter was slightly rambly and incredibly boring, but all stories have a boring get-to-know-the-characters chapter, don't they? Jace will meet Clary in the next chapter, I promise. Thanks for the support. You guys rock.