Sooo, I know that I haven't updated in a while… I'm sorry! I really do suck at updating… so, for now on, I'm just going to post when I have a chapter done... sorry if you don't like that style, I just can't update on the right time… Thank you everyone who reviewed, fallowed, fallowed the story, fallowed me, and favorite me! I'm so happy that I have people reading my story, it means a lot! See you at the bottom!

I woke up the next morning stiff all over and my body acing. My head throbbed, but the part that hurt me most, was my arm. I was sprawled out on the wooden floor, my back half on the wall, and half on the floor. My right arm, (the one that dad cut the X on.) was lying still above my head. I managed to look up with little pain; I saw sticky red blood dripping from the cut. The blood traveled from my wound, onto the floor. When I finally got done tracking my blood loss, I saw that it ended where my rug started.

Now, that's a lot of blood…

Blood that I lost…

Blood that I need to survive…

Crap, crap, no, no, NO! This is bad! I thought as I bolted upright, but instantly regretted it. Two different types of pain washed through my body. From the lack of blood, I instantly got dizziness. I laid back down on the floor in attempt to stop the world from spinning around me. It had no effect. The second type of pain was coming from my arm. It didn't help ease my dizziness, just make it worse.

I tightly closed my lips together, biting down on them, trying to muffle my screams that came out in a line of pain. I knew if dad where to hear me, he would be here in an instant and then bring on another beating. It seemed like everything I done equaled a beating.

I clutched my wounded arm closely to my chest, making sure not to touch anywhere near the real cut. I knew if I were to touch it, I would sure scream and that would result with dad and Jonathan in my room in seconds, yelling at me for screaming and waking up from there oh so pleasant dreams. I hated them for thinking I could deal with this when I couldn't. I hated them all, but I knew I would never disobey them... I was sure to be dead if I ever did.

As I started to take slow movements, trying to lessen the pain as I went, (Which didn't work at all,) I steadied myself on the wall with my legs crouched painfully underneath me. My body was shaking with pain as I struggled to stay upright. The intense pain from my bruises and cuts where enough, but with my head catching up with all the pain, dizziness hit me like a bullet to the head. I fell back against the wall, my legs going out from underneath me and my head hitting the wall with a loud, 'Bang!' I prayed that Jonathan who was just next door didn't hear me making banter in here. Then, when no one came running out to pound on my door, I worried about my state of wellbeing.

I couldn't go to school if I felt like this, but at the same time, I knew I had to. If I wasn't to go to school, dad and Jonathan were to know about it when the school calls, they would be mad at me, and I just couldn't take any more of it. I was sick of it. I was tired of it. I was beaten enough times from it. I was yelled at a lot of times from it.

I was broken...

I lived with a broken family, a family that didn't care about their 14 year old daughter or there little sister who is supposed to be protected by the older brother. No. That would never happen. I would never be some normal everyday daughter to Valentine; he had made that choice ever since my first yelling and beating. I would never be a little sister to Jonathan, just a girl who he despises and wish would die already... who didn't give a crap about me.

This was a true messed up, broken family; like the types I would read about at the library whenever I could get my hands on one of their books during school hours. I lived in a book that there was no happy ending to. I lived in a book where I was a mere character, and Valentine and Jonathan was my writers. They wright out what's going to happen to me next. What my next murder would be at, when my next beating would be at... They took control of my life. I've never been in control...

'No that she's back in the atmosphere,

With drops of Jupiter in her hair,

She acts like summer and walks like rain,

Reminds me that there's a time to change,'

Sang the song 'Drops of Jupiter' by Train. I had set up my old flip phone to tell me to wake up in the morning. I had thought that I wouldn't be out of bed until the alarm woke me up, but if I would have known that I was going to have a manger beating that night, I would have thought differently…

I started to sing along with the song as I slowly pulled myself up from the floor. I tried to use the song as a distraction form the pain, which it did take my mind off of the pain. It was my favorite song and had to listen to it every time I had the chance, which wasn't much.

I was able to make it over to the bed while limping and giving off little squeals of pain that I couldn't quite cover. I gently sat down on the bed and bend over from the waist, hoping the pain would disappear. It didn't. New shocks of pain went through me every other second. I started to lean back, just wanting to go back to sleep, forgetting about school and what I had to do, but my alarm went off again, waking me up fully.

I bolted up from the place I was lying down on the bed and looked at the clock. It read, 7:04.

"Crap," I muttered to myself as I thought of how the time could have passed my so quickly, innless I axially did pass out in between walking over here to the bed. Who knows, in the state I'm in at the moment, anything could happen to me without me knowing. That would be nice if my life could be in auto pilot. I wouldn't have to be in my body as I go through with the beatings. I took a deep breath in, counted for five second, and let it out, hoping to calm down my nerves… no luck…

My heart was beating at a million miles an hour, my head hurt from an upcoming head ace, and my body shook along with the nerves. It was like my whole body was protesting from the strain. But, I had to do this. I eyed the pain killers sitting on the night stand; beckoning me to take them so the pain could have a sweat escape. As I went to grab the pills from the nightstand and was about to stand up to make my way to the bathroom across the hallway to get a glass of water, I saw that there was already one sitting on the nightstand, filled halfway with water. I squinted my eyes and knitted my eye brows together, thinking if I had gotten that glass some time yesterday, but came up blank. I hadn't. And I knew Valentine hadn't given it to me when he gave me the other stuff. But who ells would have done it? I already knew that Jonathan was out of the question since he would never to anything like that for me. He practically treated me like a stranger that he already hates. It was a mystery yet to be solved.

Shaking my head, trying to clear it, trying to think about what was going on right now, what I had in front of me, and the thought that I had to be ready and be at school at 8. I still had to conceal the bruises and do something for the deep cut that had reduced to a constant sting. I knew I was getting used to it already, just as long as I don't touch it, it won't hurt anymore then it had to.

I grabbed the glass in one shaking hand and the two little white pills in the other shaking hand and placed the pills in my mouth and washed them down with the water. I was thankful that I didn't have to get the glass of water. That would mean I would have to walk more, and I would have to leave my bedroom. Even though I knew this wasn't the safest place for me to be at, but it was to me. It was the closest thing I could have at the moment. I had to deal with it.

A couple minutes later, the pills started to take effect on my small body. I could feel myself slowly growing stronger and the pain going away. All I could feel from the bruises and cuts where numbness, just how I liked it to be. By then, I had pulled myself into a pair of dark jeans that flared out at the bottoms; a lime green and white striped T-shirt with a little pocket on the front and a hoodie at the back, a light jean jacket and my usual blue and white sneakers. My red hair was brushed out and left to hang around my shoulders and back. I looked myself in the mirror that was hung up in my bedroom, reflecting back a girl who I didn't recognize.

Deathly pale skin with bright red hair and dark green eyes. Nothing but an ugly match. My cloths looked awfully dark against my skin too. I hated my reflection. I was embarrassed of it. Ashamed. Fear and pain was clear in my eyes. I could never hide that part of me. That would be the scar that wouldn't be hidden by conceal. But, the rest had to be concealed. I couldn't let anyone see the scars I bared on my skin that wasn't covered. They would ask questions, then it all would turn to gossip and rumors, then it would end up in the hands of a teacher, and then it would lead to home. They would know that daddy had done it, and then he would be put in prison. I couldn't let that happen to daddy. If that were to happen, Jonathan and I would have to be put in foster care and I didn't know what would happen from there. Even though I knew my brother could be mean sometimes, I know that deep down he's a good guy, and that I couldn't bear to be separated from him if we were to be split apart by two different families.

Shaking my head, trying to rid myself of such thoughts, I grabbed the bottle of conceal and started to rub it in on the places that the marks shown on my skin. I made sure to apply it carefully enough so it wouldn't hurt as much, but I couldn't avoid it. There still was the sting where my fingers touched my blemished skin. After I was sure I was all covered and that my arm was wrapped in a big, thick bandage, I headed back into my bedroom and gathered my book bag together. I already had prepeared my book bag with the supplies I would need for school in my bag earlier that morning, and I had made sure to slip in my art supplies that I always needed to bring with me. I carefully pulled it over my left shoulder, not daring to let it rest on my right where the straps where sure to straight my nerves and travel down to the cut. I slipped my small, black and gray flip phone into my back jean pocket and took a last glance at the clock. 7:24…

"Crap!" I yelped when realization stuck in. I had a little bit more than thirty minutes to walk the four miles, but with my sour muscles, it would take double the time it would usually take me to walk there. I had to hurry out the door, or I was sure to be late. I couldn't let that happen. I bolted out of the room, shutting of the light and then gently shutting the door. I didn't want either Jonathan or daddy to hear me coming out of my room for school. I already was frightened from last night's beating… and the extra part of it…

A cold, dead, shiver went through my spine, racking my body with cold shivers that wouldn't stop. I continued on down the hall, first passing Jonathan's room, then heading by daddy's room. Each step I took closer to the door, I could feel the shivers picking up, like I was a ticking time bomb that would explode right when I get to the door of Valentines room. I didn't want to lose it right in front of his door, he would surly here me through the crack of the door. He would be out in an instant. So, instead, I just ran the rest of the way down the two flights of stairs, and to the parlor that I had first came into when I first moved here just a couple of short days ago. Everything still looked the same. We've done nothing to decorate any part of the house yet. I was only able to get to my room. I still had the rest of the house since neither Jonathan nor daddy would want to be in charge of that job. I was the only one who could make the house look livelier. Like someone axially lived here. That had always been my job, ever since we first moved away from our original home in Washington D.C. We had lived there for my four years as a child with my father, my brother, and my mother. We were a whole happy family then, but when she left, everything went downhill. I had to say, Washington D.C. was the only place that I would love to re-visit again. I had so much good memories there. No one was killed by the hands of me there, and I was thankful because of that. I knew I wouldn't be able to go there under Valentines influence, though.

As I stood there in the parlor, thinking in my own hazy, I was suddenly broken out of my dream world with the pounding of rock solid feet pounding on the stair case just up ahead.

My eyes nearly popped out of my head as my head jerked to the side to look out at the stairs leading up. No one was waiting there… at least yet. I knew I had to move, of either Jonathan or daddy would fine me here, and I knew I wouldn't be able to get to school then. So, I quickly snapped back to focus, turned my body towards the door, shoved it open, and started to jog out of the house. Jogging was the fastest I could muster at the moment. I was ungrateful because of that. I jogged until I just couldn't any more. By then, I could still see the house, but it was a good distance away. I was about to cross the side walk to head into the other neighborhood. I wouldn't be able to get hurt where other houses where nearby. So no matter what, this was my safe place. The city was my safe place. The only danger place was the house we currently live in, and Jonathan, Valentine, and just any other Shadowhunter in general are all danger spots. I wouldn't dare get close to a Shadowhunter. They would know who I am right away, and then I would be as good as dead. I had to stay away from all Shadowhunters.

I started to walk down the side walk, getting closer and closer to the school with each step I took, but I still couldn't seem to get there on time. My body aced already and I swear if I had to walk any further, I would likely collapse with pain. Each step granted a grunt of pain. The chilly breeze of the New York morning was nice on my skin. It helped with some of my problems, but the wind couldn't take all of my problems away from me… I wish, though.

When I finally ended up at the front of the school, I was beyond relieved, and I only had about eight minutes to spare. That should give me enough time to head to my locker, get it nice and ready for the next couple of months till I had to leave, get to my class room, and hide in the shadows for the rest of the day. Not the worst plan, I think. I've heard worse, like planning who to punch at lunch time and stuff like that. While those stuff plays on, I will be far from there.

I walked through the fence that separated the school yard from the busy city streets. The middle school and high school were connected at this school, so that would count for the thousands of teens that swarmed the yard and the school. Most people tended to stay out at the cars and talk, but there were the many who wanted to get away from these people, just like her… or kind of. No one at this school would have a life like her. A killing, beaten, Shadowhunter. Not even close would they come.

I headed up the crowded path to the school doors; I had to squeeze through the crowd, which was difficult with my skinny and small frame. I was practically buried with all the other people surrounding me. I was able to get into a clear patch where only a couple nerds stood by, talking about equations and other math stuff that I would suck at. I continued to push through the crowd until I was standing in the school. I started to head down the hall, thinking that I would go to my locker to unpack when I forgot that I don't even know what locker or classes I have.

"Ugh, stupid." I mumbled to myself as I turned back around trying not to catch any of the people's eyes that were at this point staring at me, probably thinking who the new freak was. I tried to ignore the most majority of it, but I couldn't help it. I heard some of them talk amongst each other, talking about me, I knew. My checks heated up as I walked through the office doors and walked up to the lady behind the desk, politely asking if I could get my locker number and classes.

"Name, please." She said in a less then happy voice.

"Clary Mo-" Oh, Gosh. That was a close call. I pretended to clear my voice, trying to cover my mess up. "Excuse me. My name is Clary Fray." I said. Yes, I got it right that time around. She handed me a slip of paper and rushed me off out into the hall again where everyone ells was at, continuing to stare, point, and whisper. Great.

"No, there's no way you could have dated that many girls, dude." Bradley exclaimed, leaning up against the car. He shook his head and crossed his arms. I stared back at him, opposite from him.

"I'm not kidding. I was a lucky man this summer. Ask Rebecca, Lilly, Olivia, Luisa,-" I started to say, but was cut off by Bradley. He put his hand up in front of his face.

"No, Jace, please. I would rather not know which girls you brought to you bed. The least I know the better." He said with a look of pure disgust on his face. I had to smirk at it.

"Hay," I began to say. "I'm just stating the facts." A cocky smile grew on my face when I looked past Bradley and the other guys that were crowded around us, and saw a tall, skinny, blond hair girl walking past wherein a mini cheerleading skirt and a tight white tank top. Everything that suited my needs. Bradley and the boys looked at the direction I was staring at, and they all started to make whistling noises. The blond looked our way, gave off a kiss and continued to walk like she had something better to do then to talk with the most popular people in school.

"Well then, she's playing hard to get. I sure do like that." I said, not really speaking to anyone. I pushed my fair hair out of my eyes as my eyes continued to look out at the crowd on the path to the school. It wasn't that I was searching for someone, just looking at who's changed since last year. This was the first day of school. As I continued to scan the crowd, a flicker from the right side of my vision caught my eye. I looked over and saw a small, skinny girl with bright red hair walking through the crowd quickly. I narrowed my eyes. There was something about this girl, something that I couldn't lay my hand on quite yet. She wore cloths that covered most of her skin which wasn't a shocker for New York with the rainy and cold weather we usually have. As she continued to walk and her back was to me then, I saw her lime green book bag slung over her left shoulder. In the middle of the back bag was a black letter C written on it in cursive. Then it hit me.

C. That had to mean something like her first name. And I have only known one person with quite some bright red hair. I instantly bolted away from the cars and over to the path where she was just at a couple of seconds ago. I headed straight through the crowd, like she had done. I ignored Bradley's and the other guy's yells, wondering what I was doing. I didn't care what they thought. I had a policy. Shadowhunter before mundane crap. Sure I liked the popularity I had when I acted like a mundane, but I loved being a Shadowhunter more. Killing demons, messing around with weapons, the feel of runes on his bare arms. He liked the rush. So, that's why this matter was more important than my friends. I fallowed the path into the school and saw her in the middle of the hall. She was walking down it, and then she stopped in place and mumbled something that took me a couple of seconds to figure out what it was.

"Ugh, Stupid." Was what she muttered. The girl then turned around, looked around the staring crowd, and then made her decent to the school office. Good thing she didn't spot me. My full cover would be blown if she knew I was a Shadowhunter. They would be out of here in an instant. No, I couldn't mess this up. I just couldn't. If I did, we would never be able to track them again. This was our one shot from the Angel Raziel to stop the Morgenstern's once and for all. As the girl disappeared through the office door, the students all stayed where they were, waiting for the new girl to come back. I, on the other hand, crept closer to the door and watched through the open doorway and looked inside. In there, I saw the girl talking to the lady behind the desk. The name, I could never remember. I barley know what my teachers names from last year, and defiantly not this year. I didn't care to listen to their talking, until she lady asked for her name.

"Clary Mo-" She suddenly stopped in the middle of what she was saying, and quickly covering it with clearing her throat. Luckily, I was the only one who caught that. I know all that I need to now know. I've done my job a well done. "Excuse me. Clary Fray." The lady took her name and gave her a sheet of paper. As Clary was about to turn around, I turned, stepped away from the office, blending into the crowd of other teenagers. This place is so not where I belong. Clary came out of the office and ignoring all the whispers, turned and walked down the hall, probably in hunt for her locker. I stared down the hall at her until she disappeared from the hall.

I thought in an instant. I speed walked through the hall and towards where Clary had gone. I needed to see what she was planning, or more, what Valentine was planning. As I went to turn the hall, the bell rang. That didn't stop me; I just kept on fallowing as Clary looked around, probably thinking where her class was. I stayed at the edge of the hall, peering over the corner.

"What do you think you're doing, Jace?" called Mr. Simmons from behind me. I turned around with a smirk on my face.

"Hay! Mr. Simmons, how's it going? Still got that girlfriend of yours?" I asked cockily. He glared at me.

"For you information, we broke up…" He said back, his expression becoming blank.

"You know, most people like to say, FYI. And you didn't have to share that information." Mr. Simmons didn't break his glare.

"Get to class, Jace." I put my hands up.

"Ok, ok. No need to go all out on me, ya know." With that, I turned around and headed to my first class. I stole one last glance at where I last saw Clary, but saw nothing. She was already gone, probably finally found her class room. Or, the other option is she went to plan the next step of her mission…I guess I would have to track her down during lunch time…

I hope you liked that chapter! I've got about 4,300 words and seven pages on font 11. For a chapter, I think that's kind of a lot. Like my other chapters, please review, fallow, and all that other stuff if you like this fan-fiction enough! Next chapter is going to continue on with the school day… and next chapter is going to be what I've been waiting to wright down. I'm not going to say when the next time I'm going to update, I'm just going to say that right after I post this, I'm going to start righting the next chapter. If I get it done in about a day, I will wait about 1, 2, or 3, more days until I post the next chapter. For me, it just matters how many people is reading and liking this story… See you guys on the next chapter!

In the meantime, read The Academy: Introductions by C.L. Stone… It's an amazing series!