Hey guys! I got back from the Choir Conference a few days ago, and it was amazing! I made some new friends, and it was awesome. I wrote out the skeleton for this chapter in the car, and part in the hotel room. I think that this is the longest chapter that I've written so far. Here you go!

Chapter 5

Izzy and I made our way out of the mall. With our dresses for the party, we were ready to take the subway home. I was a ball of nerves due to Magnus's party. He was more than likely to remember me, and if he didn't, he'd see the resemblance to my mother Jocelyn.

I haven't ever forgiven her for what she did to me. I mean, I had fantasized about leaving the place, and I understand why she did it. She was even beaten more than me, and that was saying something. I had more lash marks on my back than you could count. Yes, I understand why she wanted to get out. What I don't understand, however, is why she didn't take me with her. By then, I had already gotten my first few lashes, and I'm sure she knew that I had more coming. Why didn't she save me, too?

A lot of people said that I looked like my mother, and I suppose that it's true. Even though she went missing from the face of the earth, everyone that's anyone still remembered her stunning auburn hair, and dazzling green eyes. She was curvy and pretty, unlike me. People say that I look like her, and I don't see it.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I saw a hand come over my line of vision. "Earth to Jessie!" Izzy said.

I put a hand on my head subconciously. "What?" I asked.

She smirked, putting a hand on her hip. "You just zoned out for a while. I've been trying to tell you, we're here."

We both got out of the car, purchases in hand. We made our way to the front doors of the Institute. Jace answered, his gaze resting on the numerous bags in our hands. He smirked. "And I thought that Izzy couldn't fit anymore clothes in her closet."

"Well, most of these clothes are for Jessie here," Isabelle said, "And if there's ever a time that I run out of room in my closet, I will use yours."

Jace put his hands over his heart and mockingly gasped. "Not my closet!"

"Yeah, like you have more than two shirts," I replied.

He nodded his head. "True, true. Do you guys need any help with these bags?"

I nodded, and he took about four of the seven bags that I was carrying. "Aren't you going to carry some of my bags?" Izzy asked.

He shook his head. "If you need any help, you can yell for Alec. I'm only taking Jessie's bags."

I blushed. "Thanks," I mumbled.

We made our way upstairs and put all of the bags, including mine, in Isabelle's room. She decided that we were going to makeover my room first, and then when we were done, she would help me get ready. After clearing all the plain furniture out of my room and putting on some painting clothes, we were almost ready.

"One last thing…" Izzy started, before going to her room. She came out with her iPod and speaker.

"We need music!" she stated. She bent over and scrolled through some of her songs. "What do you like to listen to?"

I shrugged. "I don't really care. I like a lot of stuff."

She started off with playing Demon's, by Imagine Dragons. "Ironic, isn't it? I love this song, and it's about demons!"

We got to work painting, rearranging, and decorating my room. It took us about two hours to do the room, thanks to the rune that we used on the walls to dry the paint (don't ask me why there's a rune for that). When we were done, I was impressed.

The walls were a soft teal color, which was my color. On the side nearest the door, my crisp white sleigh bed was pushed against the wall. The bedding was a green-blue paisley print, and the pillows were again white. There were drawers for extra storage on either side, modern chrome fixtures for the handles.

On the left side of the bed was an end table, with a fuzzy lamp for reading purposes. On another side was the desk, with drawings and art supplies stored in the drawers. Also on the overhead part of the desk, my TV was mounted. On the last side was my chest of drawers, which Isabelle filled with my new clothes.

Overall, it was perfect. Everything I could have hoped for in a bedroom.

"Okay, time to get ready!" Izzy said when we were done. My forehead was glistening with sweat, and I was tired from all the hard work. Izzy, however, seemed unfazed by the last two hours. She hardly had a drop of paint on her.

She pulled me across the hall and into her pink room. She went into the bathroom.

"Iz, the party's not for another three hours." I said, running a hand across my brow.

She came out with a straightening iron in one hand and a brush in the other. "Exactly! That's why we need to get ready now! Beauty takes time, you know.

I sighed. I wasn't going to get out of this. Izzy motioned for me to follow her into her bathroom, and plugged in the straightening iron. She brought a chair into the room, seating me in it and spinning me around so that I wouldn't be able to see my reflection in the mirror.

After what seemed like an eternity of her poking, prodding, brushing, and pulling my hair, she stopped and admired her look. I put a hand on the chairs side, moving to get up and see myself but she put a hand on my shoulder. "No, no, no. Not until I have completed the look."

I slumped back down into the chair while she went off and got some makeup from drawers in her bathroom. I sat there for a while, drumming my fingers on the chair handle. Izzy picked up a strand of my bangs, and before I could register what she was doing in my head, my scar was in plain view for anyone to see.

She dropped the makeup she was holding and gasped. "What happened?" she said, pulling up the rest of the bangs so that she could see.

I hastily turned away, causing her to drop the bangs. "Nothing I want to talk about." I snapped.

After I was done arranging my bangs, I turned to her. She had a sad look in her eyes. That was good, if she knew that Valentine's daughter had a scar on her head, then she would have a look of disgust on her face. "Look, I'm sorry I snapped at you Izzy, you have to promise me you won't tell anyone about this." I pointed to my scar.

"Not even Alec or Jace?" she asked. She looked a little scared.

I shook my head quickly. "Especially not Jace."

She ran a hand through her long black hair. "Okay," she said, barely more than a whisper.

I nodded. She went back to putting her makeup back on my face, the mood changed back to normal.

"Done!" she finally said. She looked really pleased, and I turned around to face myself in the mirror, but she wouldn't let me see until we were all finished.

She looked at me with surprise. "Let's get our dresses on! It's already 6:30, and we have to be ready by 6:45 to leave!"

So, we pulled on both our dresses and then Izzy handed me a pair of heels. "No way am I walking in these!" I say, exasperated.

"Oh yes you are! I hid all your other shoes, and I won't tell you where they are unless you wear these!" she said.

I sighed. "Fine. But I will get you back later."

"Yay!" she squealed. I slipped the black heels onto my feet and admired my look in the mirror.

She held up a finger and went to the other side of the room, rummaging around in a trunk. "Here!" she said, and held up two masks. One was red, with lots of sparkles, and the other was green with a few feathers and jewels.

I was confused. "What are these for?" I asked.

"I told you that it's a masquerade party, right?" she asked, furrowing her brow. I shook my head. She shrugged. "Well, now's a better time than ever to tell you."

I still looked like myself, just a lot more beautiful. My now black hair was straightened to perfection, but still glowing and shiny. My eyes had soft brown eyeliner enhancing them, and a bit of brown shadow and contour lines. My skin tone was a little more tan then normal, but not outrageously different.

My lips were a soft pink color, which went perfectly with the eye shadow color. The dress and heels pulled together the look. However, I couldn't help to think that it would look better with red hair and green eyes.

"Thank you, Izzy." I whispered, mesmerized by the person in the mirror.

Her smile lit up the room. "No problem!"

I played with my fingers. "I guess it's time to go downstairs then?" I asked nervously.

Yup," she said, popping the p.

We left her room and made our way down the hall. Waiting on the first floor were Alec and Jace.

When we popped out from the hall, both their eyes widened. Jace's went directly to me, and he looked mesmerized. He was wearing a dress outfit, which was fitting for the masked party. His mask was golden. 'Wow' he mouthed.

I blushed. Alec, on the other hand (who was wearing a rather similar outfit with a blue mask), had a different look of surprise on his face. He took a look at Jace, still staring at me, and a unfarmiliar emotion flooded his eyes. Was it… jealousy? Maybe he's gay, I thought. "No way are you two wearing those." He said, eyeing our dresses.

"Yea we are! Jes and I got these dresses today, and we're m!" Izzy fired back.

Alec shook his head. "No way is my little sister wearing that. And you two, Jessie. Yours isn't even that pretty."

My shoulder s drooped a little. Then, Jace came up and put a hand on my wearing theshoulder. "Hey, I think both of them look beautiful."

That made me smile. He smiled back, too. Not just one of those half smiles, or smirks, that he usually gives. A real, genuine smile.

He removed his hand from my shoulder, and I could still feel the warmth radiating from where his hand had been. It's like I was hyperaware of when he was close to me.

"Well, if that's settled, we better get going!" Izzy said, trying to lighten the mood that Alec's comment put us in.

We walked outside to two cars, both sleek and black.

"Okay, Jace and Jessie in one car and me and Alec in the other." Izzy said.

I nodded and Jace and I got into the car. We buckled our seatbelts and Jace started the car. "Hope you don't mind going a little fast," he said, and winked at me.

I laughed. "I live for it."

And with that, we were off to Magnus's party.

Tell me if you liked that!