A/N: Thank you for the wonderful response to my story. A special thanks to my first 5 reviewers, greygirl2358, I-Am-Nerd97, Elenothar, Bow down to me peasants, and YvonneWearsPyjamas! You guys are awesome! I wanted to update right quick for all you guys, so I wrote this in a day. Please read and review
When Clary opened her eyes, the world was blurred and slowly came into focus. The room was darkened, but she could see dark blue curtains pulled tight over the windows. A crease formed between her eyebrows, she remembered those curtains being closed.
She recalled a blurry memory of being woken a few hours before, and being asked questions about where she was, and what her name was. She assumed Luke was concerned about the knot on her head, and was checking for a concussion.
She had gone to bed, in the mid-afternoon, and woken twice into the night. She was embarrassed to realize she had slept through the day and night, and now it was presumably morning. She heard the deep timbre of Luke's voice outside her room, he sounded as if he was talking to someone. The house creaked and groaned, and she could hear machines whirring out in the fields.
She knew she didn't have much time before Luke decided to check on her, she glanced at an old wooden clock on the bedside table and it read a quarter till six. She took a deep breath, shook her head back and forth to wake herself up.
Clary swung her feet off the bed, and pushed herself up. She nearly fell to the floor, her muscles aching from all the running and her whole body weak. She cursed, steadying herself on the bedpost.
In the mirror, she saw her face with a purplish yellow bruise on her cheek and a large knot on her head. Framing her banged up face, was a wild rat's nest worth of hair. She pulled a face at her jungle woman look, and smoothed her hair with her hands, then pulling it back with the hair tie around her wrist.
She saw that Luke had placed her sneakers by the dresser and she slipped them on, hastily tying the laces. Then she opened the curtains, the sun pouring on her, causing her to squint. She unlatched the lock and slowly lifted the window open, cringing at every squeak it made.
When it was above her head, she let go, making sure it didn't drop. It stayed in place as she put her leg through and lifted herself over. She toed the air until she reached solid ground.
The sun was still rising but it was bright and she was easy to see. She looked to see tractors in the distance. She couldn't head south, back to her father's home, so she was forced to head in the direction of the fields. She ducked low, taking care to be out of view of the windows.
She heard two low voices as she walked past the window of the kitchen. She wasn't so sure that Luke was a killer any longer, but she wasn't willing to bet her life on it. She felt guilty repaying his kindness with leaving so suddenly, but she didn't owe him anything. He practically forced his care on her.
When she got past the house, she darted out to the corn stalks and slunk through the tall maze, effectively hiding her from plain view. She exhaled with relief, wiping the sweat that had beaded on her forehead.
She began walking in the direction of the corn's path, happy to see this would funnel her right into the forest. She felt a chill breeze and rubbed the goose bumps from her arms. She wished she wasn't wearing the equivalent of pajamas.
Further in, the corn stalks were much closer together, and she began weaving her lank arms and legs through them. With a grunt, she struggled to get past a particularly dense part of the fields. She stuck her hand through the tight spot, attempting to push the plants out of the way.
Suddenly she felt someone grab her hand and pulled her forward, causing her trip and fall to the ground.
"Shit!" Clary yelled out, staring angrily at the floor before looking up to see a guy chuckling, amused.
"Who are you?" A tall boy, maybe a year older than her at the most, stood there with a piece of corn in his hand and a bucket on the floor next to his feet. He looked to be shucking the corn and putting the clean ones in the basket.
The boy had high cheekbones, piercing amber eyes, and pulled back blonde hair. Clary opened her mouth, and then shut it with a click feeling nervous all of a sudden.
"Do you speak?" He pulled at a sheaf of the corn and threw it to the ground, before gripping another. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. His face and arms were tanned, and he had a slender but wiry build.
Clary pulled at the edge of her hair and began fiddling with it, "I-," she paused, letting go of her hair, "I'm just walking through."
"Well, Idris is that way." He pointed north, and then dumped the shucked corn into the half-filled bucket.
Clary bit her lip, "I'm not going to Idris."
He stopped pulling the corn a part and gave her a hard look, "I've never seen you in Hollendale."
Clary had remembered that place; she had been there once to pick up hunting supplies before her and her father headed to the mountains to hunt. It was a small town, about 20 miles from her home, and consisted of maybe a couple hundred people.
She frowned, "You ask a lot of questions. Are you going to let me pass?" He stared at her, and she realized she was playing with her hair again and let go.
"Do I look like a bridge troll?" He smirked. Clary has a very different idea of what he looked like, but she kept it to herself.
"You can say it, I look like an angel, a model, hmmm, am I getting close?" He taunted while sticking the corn in her face. She pulled back with a disgusted look on her face.
"Get over yourself." She stomped around him pushing angrily through the stalks. She heard crunching behind, but she kept on going.
"You don't need to be so touchy. If you're looking to get to Hollendale, it's quicker going west."
Clary kept walking; there was no way she could head west. Everyone would see her, just walking about in pajamas and bed head. Unfortunately, this guy following after her was putting a definite wedge in her plans of going unseen.
"Go back to your corn. I know where I'm going." She grumbled but could still hear him right behind her.
Out of nowhere, he was in front of her and she ran head first into his solid chest. She grunted, nearly stumbling back and he grabbed her arms, steadying her. "You look worse for wear. I got a truck; I can take you to Hollendale." He paused at her untrusting stare, "My name is Jace by the way."
"No thanks." Clary could barely breathe being this close to someone her age, of the opposite sex. She felt her ears heat up, and she shrugged his hands off her shoulders.
He glared at her, "It's not safe out here and you look like you're going to faint." He leaned forward, scrutinizing her pale complexion. She pulled back, drawing her hands up on her torso.
She always wondered why people mentioned how unsafe the forest was. She never had gotten serious injuries from the forest, and was more likely to get beat up at home than in the forest. As if on a cue, there was quick crunching behind them and they both looked quickly to the direction of the sound.
Out of the green stalks, Luke came through, spotting Clary his eyes darkened. "What are you doing out here?" He took a few long strides to her and grabbed her by the forearm; she flinched at the quick movement. This startled Luke who then released her.
He took a calming breath. Jace had his head cocked to the side and was lightly running his hands against the husk of corn. He no longer looked easy and relaxed and was staring at her with his lips pursed. The long columns of corn were still, and to Clary it felt like everyone and everything was judging her silently.
Luke threaded his hands through his hair and clenched his other fist, "I leave you alone for 5 minutes and you decide to gallivant across the field?" There was edge of disappointment in his tone. Clary was reminded of her father, who was almost always disappointed in her. The compounded with the implication that Luke has been with her most of the night made her angry if not more confused.
Clary scoffed and made to turn away, but Jace was now blocking the other direction out. He was definitely less relaxed, but had drawn himself to full height and almost looked like soldier. Clary hadn't even seen him move. She glared at him, "Move." She said rudely, she took one step to the side and he mirrored it.
"You should answer Luke's question." Her eyes widened. This guy was on the murderer's side? What had she walked into, a creepy compound?
"You don't understand." She heard a few steps and Luke was now in view.
"I don't think I understand either." He said in a low voice, scratching at his beard. Clary noticed he was wearing the same clothes from the day before and if possible he looked more haggard. Clary brought her finger to her mouth and bit her nail. The sun was higher now, and even though it was fall, she started to feel her shirt stick to her body from the heat.
"I couldn't stay locked in that room." Clary said with a glare, "I'm not obligated to stay anywhere." She glanced nervously around; she felt trapped, and continued biting her nail. Jace had his eyes on Luke, expectant, he had dropped the corn and his legs appeared to be ready to move quickly.
"I'm obligated to call the police." Luke raised an eyebrow with his countering argument. Clary bit her finger instead of her nail at this, and winced. She brought her hand down and clenched, suddenly feeling herself tremble. If he called the police, they would most definitely bring her back to her father.
All color drained from her face, and she pursed her lips together, deciding not to say anything. Luke sighed and ran his hands through his hair again.
"You were running a fever all night, and you're obviously still injured. I called the doctor-,"
"I don't need a doctor." Clary interrupted in a subdued tone. She heard Jace give a short laugh, and she narrowed her eyes, not making eye contact.
She looked down to see her wrapped up bandages peeking out through her sweat pants. She felt like her father, who was firmly against any outside influence when it came to the matters of health. They had weathered every sickness without aid or assistance. To be honest, she was actually terrified to see a doctor.
"You need a doctor." Luke said firmly, she looked up to see him looking at her sternly, his hair was messy but rested behind his ears neatly, and his gold rimmed glasses had slid down to the tips of his nose. His arms were folded across his chest, and again his whole being was intense.
Clary couldn't draw her eyes away from his hands, large and frightening. She bit her lip, and knew she really didn't have a choice.
"Ok." She said quietly, and Luke rubbed the back of his neck looking exhausted but relieved.
"What's going on?" Jace spoke up and Clary didn't look him in the eye. She heard Luke sigh, "I'll tell you later, alright?" She didn't hear Jace reply, and she resolutely stared at the soft dirt, dirtying up her already faded white and black sneakers.
Before long she found herself walking through the open field towards the house. Luke walked a step ahead of her, and he kept looking her way as if to make sure she didn't bolt off in the other direction. Clary had to admit she was tempted, but seeing how she was having troubles keeping up with Luke's stride while walking, she definitely wouldn't be able to outrun him.
They reached the house, and Luke opened the door and ushered her in before herself. She walked in, rubbing her muddy feet on the entrance rug and looked to the kitchen where she heard clinking of glass plates.
There was man in there, tall with short jet black hair, styled expertly. His eyes were almond shaped with a golden shade to them, and with lashes that made Clary feel jealous. His lips were twisted with a smirk, and placed the stack of plates he was holding back in the dishwasher. He dried his hand on a green tea towel by the sink.
He was wearing dark boot-cut jeans that framed a pair of black boots with silver lion emblems on them. He were a shiny button down shirt that was tucked into his jeans, with a belt that also has a matching lion buckle.
He walked up to her and laid gentle hands on her shoulder, looked extremely pleased, "Ah! Here's our little convict."
She flushed, "I'm not a convict."
She heard Luke laugh behind her, "You get more out of her than I do, Magnus." Magnus raised his nose, "You just lack subtlety." He replied.
Clary pushed passed them and sat on one of the chairs in the kitchen, looking at both men expectantly. She assumed that this man was the doctor or a lion tamer from Las Vegas, but either way, she just wanted to get this over with.
Magnus followed after her, this time grabbing at her chin and tilting her head. He pulled back her fringe to reveal the bump on her head and tsked in disapproval, "These bruises on such a pretty face, a crying shame." He looked to Luke, "Definitely not from a cliff dive." His voice was low, and Clary felt irritated at being talked about when she was sitting right there.
Luke ignored Magnus and opened the fridge, pulling out a bowl, plastic wrapped closed.
"It's nothing." Clary reassured but Luke responded by placing the bowl none-to-lightly by the microwave. Cary jumped at the noise, and Magnus began tugging her pant legs up.
Clary was startled to see red blotches seeping through, and Magnus shook his head while peeling the bandage away. She felt the cuts sting and the unraveling revealed the source of the blood, a particularly nasty cut caused by the chains that her father had whipped at her a week ago.
"Now how did you get this, hmm?" He eyed her with his penetrating gaze and she shifted nervously. He took a wet cloth and wiped away the dried blood, and then he took something that looked like a towelette from a plastic package and cleaned the wound. It burned, and she jerked like she did the day before.
He grabbed a black bag from the table and opened it, pulling out a kit. He assembled a shot, placing a sterilized needle in the plastic tube. "I'll need to numb the area so we can stitch this together."
Clary nodded, watching the shot curiously. She never had a shot, but she didn't really have an aversion to needles. He pushed it the skin near the area of the cut. It felt odd, feeling the metal slide in, but it didn't really hurt.
When he was finished he began to expertly sew the cut together, she only could feel phantom tugging.
She looked to Luke who was still heating stuff up in the microwave; he was leaning on the counter, watching Magnus as intently as she was.
When Magnus finished that, he check her other wounds, cleaned them and re-bandaged them. He checked her vitals with his cold stethoscope, a crease of concentration on his forehead. He stuck a thermometer in her ear, and then marked down the results in a note pad, which he had been marking most of the check-up.
He took her blood pressure and frowned at the results, "You really should eat; your blood pressure is way too low." He reproved. Luke was now at the table, placing steaming porridge on the table next to her.
She furrowed her brow. Why were they going to such great lengths to take care of her, maybe her father didn't want her dead, maybe he wanted them to return her to him? She shivered at that thought.
"Your fever has gone down, but your vitals are not where I want them." Magnus interrupted her musings, "Luke told me he found you in the field, but it appears you may have been in the field for days, even weeks, judging by your lack of nutrition." He said this carefully, and put his medical devices in his black bag.
"I don't feel hungry often." She lied, her hair falling across her face. She took the spoon from the bowl and stirred the brown sugar that was on top of it, into the porridge.
"You need to understand, you're not overweight." Magnus said suddenly his voice was firmer, and she looked at him startled then flushed, "I'm not anorexic." She replied, incensed at the implication. She took a healthy bite of her porridge as if to confirm the reply.
Luke sat in a chair next to her, leaning back; he looked like a weary pile of bones. He scrubbed his face, "Excuse Magnus here, he's just trying to get answers." He gave her a wry smile, "Hell, I'm trying to get answers, but you're pretty intent of being afraid of me."
Magnus stood up, "If you weren't a grump most of the time, maybe she would warm up."
"I'm not afraid!" She blurted out; annoyed with them talking again, like she wasn't there. It was mostly an automatic response, because fear in her family was met with punishment.
Magnus raised an eyebrow, "You jumped out a window a few hours ago."
Clary licked her lips, "I decided my stay was over and you-." She looked to Luke and then broke off, unsure if she should even mention what he already knows. She then took another bite of her porridge to cover her words; she decided that whatever Luke made was amazing. It melted in her mouth and she wished both with just leave her to eat in peace.
"And I what?" Luke regarded her eating with approval, but appeared unsettled with her tense recoil to any movement he made towards her.
She huffed, finally resigned to all these mind games, "Don't act like you don't know." She glared at her bowl, and flipped the porridge around on her spoon and then continued eating.
She could hear Luke sigh, and his hand strummed the table impatiently. "I really don't."
"Long lost daughter!" Magnus slapped the table with decisiveness, and both Luke and Clary jerked their heads in his direction.
"What?! No?!" Clary burst out, gaping like a fish.
Magnus smirked, "Well, if you're not going to answer the question then I'll keep throwing out suggestions."
Clary's face tightened, "You were sent to kill me, and stop acting like that's not true!" Magnus dropped his bag and Luke opened his mouth.
"What?!" His voice was raised, and Clary watch horror and disgust battling on his face. His eyebrows were knit tightly together and both his hands clenched. The severity of surprise caused her to falter a bit.
"I thought, I mean." She stopped, could she have been wrong. Magnus picked up his bag and dropped it on the table, "Clary." There was an urgent tone, to the doctor's previously light voice. It unsettled her.
"I mean why would you go through so much trouble to-," She broke off again, looking confused at both men. Luke stood up, and then got really close to her, crouching slightly so that they were eye level. He place his hand tightly on her shoulder.
"Who would send someone to kill you?" Clary's heart was beating faster. She couldn't tell them about her father, they would call the police, but he was above the police. He was manipulative, he could find her still, and he could hurt her brother. She had no proof.
Clary looked away, and Luke shook her lightly, "Hey, it's important. We can help you."
His gaze was soft, and protective – and she wondered why he cared so much. It was easier to think of him as a killer than someone who was genuinely trying to help her. Even if he could help her, he would just become a target, and she couldn't do that to him. She couldn't be responsible for another death.
Her eyes pricked, and she felt them get watery, "I can't say." She looked down.
Luke sighed; it was heavy and laden with exhaustion. His hand loosened on her shoulder. He got up and took her now empty bowl, and dropping it into the sink.
The front door opened and Jace walked into view, his hair shiny blonde, and his face red from working in the field. His arms were toned, and showing nicely as he lugged in a bucket of corn in, "The rest is being shipped to Hollendale. Here's the bucket you asked for." He dropped the bucket on the kitchen floor and wiped his hands on his jeans.
He then looked around, his angular face twisted in confusion at the silent, tense atmosphere. Magnus was staring at Jace with a pinched look on his face. Luke wasn't even looking in his direction, staring determinedly at the sink.
His amber eyes met Clary's and Clary felt herself blush, feeling stupid and tongue-tied whenever he was around. She quickly looked down.
"Who is she, Luke?" Jace seemed to not care that Luke didn't look like he was in the mood to talk. Clary bit her lip nervously, regarding the exchange.
Luke turned around and gave her a look, before leveling his glance at Jace, "She'll be staying here for a while."
"What, no-," She was cut off with a sharp look from Luke.
"Are you going to tell me who this person is?" Luke asked loudly, and Clary went silent. He shook his head, "It's out of the question then, you'll stay here and we'll figure this out." He grumbled before leaving the room, and then she heard a muffled slam as he exited the house.
Magnus sighed, "Don't mind him; you're an expert at getting under his skin, Clary." He gave her a wink, "He gets a little protective with people in you circumstances."
"What do you mean?" She looked to Magnus and then to Jace who seemed to be fully aware of what Magnus was talking about.
Jace looked out the window, "There's a guest house a mile that way, Luke is letting me stay there when he found out about my mother turning me out." He gave her a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "I was stealing his food from his crops when he found me."
Magnus laughed, "You still steal his crops."
"I have permission." He said coloring at this, but then looked to Clary, "He just doesn't like seeing people defenseless, I guess. I mean I could have handled myself, but it's nice, to have a job and a place to stay." The way Jace spoke about Luke was fond, and grateful. It made his hard features soften.
"Although, Clary particularly has hit a nerve, you must remind him of someone." Magnus said with a knowing gaze at Clary. Clary had no idea what he was talking about. Tired of all the riddles, and the awkwardness she felt for having an all too handsome boy in the kitchen, she got up quickly.
"I-gotta go," She paused, "Sleep." She finished lamely.
Magnus clapped at this, "Wonderful, we need to get you better quick. Luke's running himself ragged." He tsked and Clary tried to smother her guilt at putting Luke through so much. She nodded at this, and didn't look either in the eye.
She hurriedly pushed back Jace and entered the guest room through the hallway, before shutting the door. She slid to the ground and took a deep breath.
She would just stay here a few days, until they let their guard down and then she would get away. She reasoned that a few days to get better, she would have enough energy to disappear without either catching her.