Chapter 1
Clarissa trotted into the kitchen, clutching her stuffed bunny to her chest. Her long red curls hid her face and her tiny fist rubbed her eye.
"Dad?" She called out but she already knew he was gone for work. Being alone bothered her, a sense of aloneness seeped into her chest. Clarissa shook her head, she was four almost five and Dad said she was old enough to take care of herself now.
She entered the kitchen and set the stuffed bunny in a sitting position in her old high chair that her dad had yet to throw out. She scaled the counter with ease and grabbed a bowl from the top self. Cradling the bowl to her chest she climbed back down and placed it in front of Mr. Stuffles, her bunny.
Next Clarissa climbed to the top of the fridge and grabbed her cheerios. After placing her cereal by the bowl she headed to the fridge. As she closed the fridge with the milk in hand there was somebody behind the door.
Clarissa screeched and dropped the milk on the floor. Behind the fridge door stood a boy, with snowy white hair, a few years older than her, a grin stretched across his face.
She bent her knees in a ready to fight position, her fists at her sides.
He just smirked, "If you want to fight, I'd win."
Clarissa didn't relax from her tense position. He rolled his eyes and bent down in a similar position. Clarissa started to freak out. Who was this boy and what was he doing in her house? She knew she wouldn't win if they fought.
She had to think fast, he opened his mouth to speak again but before he could speak, she bolted, running out the door, snatching Mr. Stuffles from his high chair as she ran by.
She ran to her room and scaled her dresser curling up into a ball on top of it. Clarissa hugged Mr. Stuffles closely to her chest.
The safety of the top of the dresser only lasted a few moments. The snow haired boy pushed open the room's door and spotted her easily. He put his hands in the air as if to signal his innocents.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He sounded almost sincere
Clarissa clamped her mouth shut, unwilling to talk to the intruder.
He sighed, sounding annoyed, "Girls," he complained.
Dad always told Clarissa that she had a temper. But she didn't quite realize it was true until she was lunging at the snow haired boy.
She landed on his turned back, the force knocking them both to the floor. The snow haired boy made a startled sound as he hit the floor.
He tried to turn around to face his opponent, but she had pinned his hands behind his back, digging his face into the floor.
"Get off of me!" he growled.
"What's wrong with girls?" Clarissa asks hotly.
The door squeaks open and both children look over to see Valentine looming in the doorway. Clarissa and the white haired boy scramble to stand up at attention.
Clarissa glares over at the white haired boy, annoyed that he was pretending to know her father.
"What happened?" Valentine asks. Clarissa searches his dark eyes for an emotion but can't find one.
It's silent in the room for a second, neither child daring to speak. Finally Clarissa can't stand it anymore, "Dad! This boy is in our house!" She meant to sound strong but even to her own ears she sounded a little whiney.
"Clarissa, this is Jonathan." Valentine starts to explain.
"So? Make him leave." Clarissa didn't want and explanation, she wanted him to disappear.
"Dad," Jonathan butted in, "Clarissa is being rude."
Clarissa gaped at him. Did he just call her dad, dad? She looked in between her dad and Jonathan, bewildered.
"Clarissa this is your brother, he will be staying with us over winter." Somehow this gave Jonathan the nerve to look like he had won.
"But dad," Clarissa whined again, she didn't want to live with this snob, her, brother. She spat the name out in her head.
"Grow up Clarissa and go finish your breakfast." Valentine finished coldly.
Clarissa hated when her father shut her out like that. Her lower lip trembled, but she didn't want them to see her cry so she held her head high and walked quickly out of the room. Once she was out of their sight she ran into the kitchen.
She looked at the empty high chair, remembering that Mr. Stuffles was still in her room with… Her bother. She took a second to mourn the lost bunny. Because there was no way she was going back for him.
She finished her breakfast without disturbance and was washing out her bowl when Jonathan appeared in the door way.
"What do you want?" Clarissa sneered at him.
"Nothing," he looked offended as if she had suggested something awful about him.
"What's behind your back?" Clarissa asks, not trusting of him.
"Oh this?" He pulled a limp stuffed animal from behind his back.
Clarissa gasped, "Mr. Stuffles!"
"I just wanted to return your bunny," He says innocently.
Clarissa stretched out her had cautiously. Once her had was close to the bunny she snatched it up in a hurry, not taking her eyes off of him.
Reluctantly she looked down to see if her bunny was already. She flipped the bunny over in her hands so she could see the bunnies face.
Right under Mr. Stuffles nose was a mustache, one that curled up at the ends.
She looked up at Jonathan, a murderous spark in her glaring eyes. An evil grin that lay across his face grew wider.
A scream of rage broke from Clarissa's throat and she lunged for him. Jonathan bolted back through the door and Clarissa followed close on his tail, her bunny raised above her head as if a weapon of war.
Clarissa had her hand wrapped around the back of Jonathan's shirt when Valentine had to step in again.
He towered above them, glaring down at their cowering forms.
Clarissa never got in trouble twice in a day. Clarissa shot daggers at Jonathan with her eyes.
This was so not over.
oOo
"Dad!" Came the scream from the other side of the house.
Clarissa from her hiding spot covered her mouth to stifle her giggle.
She herd their muffled voices discuss something angrily.
But then it went quiet. Clarissa strained her ears but couldn't hear anything.
Suddenly light streamed into the small cupboard under the bathroom sink.
"Get out," Valentine commanded angrily.
Clarissa fumbled to get out of the cupboard. "Yes dad?" Behind Valentine, Jonathan had a deathly look on his face. She could help the giggle that escaped her mouth, "I like you hair Jonathan."
Jonathan's hair was bright pink. All it had taken was some red dye from the kitchen in his shampoo. She honestly thought it would turn it red. But pink was so much better. It worked perfect on his white hair.
"You two are driving me crazy and it has been two days," Valentine growled, no matter how mad Valentine got, Clarissa couldn't help feel proud of herself. It had been the perfect revenge for Mr. Stuffles.
Jonathan caught Clarissa's eye.
She could read the message he was sending.
She was in for it.
oOo
"Clarissa?" Valentine eyed her feet.
"Yeah dad?" Clarissa responded shuffling her feet.
"Why aren't you wearing socks with your shoes?" Clarissa's and Jonathans pranks were frequent. They had stopped tattle telling on each other long ago because it had only gotten them both in trouble.
Clarissa looked down at her feet. "They're stuck," Clarissa mumbled.
"What?" Valentine asked dangerously. He hated when she mumbled.
"Johnny glued all my socks to the bottom of my drawer."
Valentine rubbed his temples with his finger tips, clearly annoyed, stressed and tired. "Jonathan!" He barked, "Get in here."
Jonathan appeared in the door way. "Yes dad?"
"Come here." Jonathan came and stood by the side of his sockless sister. Standing side by side the siblings looked rather funny, Jonathan had pink hair, under his nose was a faded sharpie mustache, all of Jonathans shirts had been replaced with floral printed button ups, his bare feet were a painted a strange purple color.
Clarissa's nose had been painted blue, her hair was shorter and uneven, and all of her teeth were light green, not to mention her sockless feet as well.
"You guys will learn to get along or so help me," Valentine trailed of and started rubbing his temples again. "Okay, here's the deal, you guys will learn to get along by tonight or you will be sharing a room until next year." Both children shared a look of disgust.
"That gives you eight hours. Don't bother me again." Valentine spun on his heel and walked away.
"Do you know what this means?" Jonathan asks Clarissa wide eyed.
"Yes," She says solemnly.
"Only eight hours left to get back at each other!" Jonathan yells and darts out of the room.
"You got it!" Clarissa yells after him, and runs to her room.
She was going to come up with the best prank that any four, almost five, year old had ever done.
oOo
"Jonathan!"
"What?" he called back cautiously.
"Come to the living room!"
"Why?"
"Just come here you wussy."
Clarissa waited anxiously on the couch. Jonathan cautiously opened the door to the living room, but it wasn't until he opened the door completely that the bucket of ice cold water emptied itself on his head.
Jonathan was soaked. He held out his arms from his body and looked down causing the water in his pink hair to drip onto the floor.
Clarissa howled with laughter, "I got you Johnny,"
Jonathan looked up slowly, Clarissa's laughing slowed, "Johnny, you aren't too mad are you? It was just a joke."
When they made eye contact, Clarissa saw something in his eyes that she had never seen before. He held out his arms, "Give me a hug,"
"But you're wet."
A grin grew on his face, "Exactly."
She squealed and started to run away, he chased her with his arms out stretched. Finally he cornered her and wrapped his soggy arms around her. She laughed and tried to break free in result they both ended up tripping.
They lay on the floor in each other's embrace laughing too hard to stand up.
Valentine heard their squeals from the other room, sighing he stood up. He couldn't stand this anymore.
Walking into the living room he was welcomed with a bucket of ice cold water on the head. Clarissa had put a bucket of water above both doors because she didn't know which one Jonathan would come in.
Jonathan and Clarissa's laughter died seeing their father looking like a drowned cat in the door way, but only to return, twice as hard.
Valentine found it hard to stay angry at them. It was the first time they were getting along since Jonathan had got here. They were on the ground in each other's arms, laughing with each other, and both the spitting image of their parents.
Maybe bringing them together wasn't such a bad idea after all.
Valentine started laughing, either from relief that they were finally getting along or if the stress of the day had finally broke him or just the fact that he was soaked, he didn't know but soon he was laughing just as hard as the children.
Hearing their father laugh the children finally forgave each other.
"You know Clarissa? You're okay." Jonathan says after the laughter had finally died down.
"You're not that bad either Johnny," Clarissa grinned.
That was the night, wrapped in each other's arms that Jonathan and Clarissa became friends.
Haha cheesy much? Me? Nah. Well you better get used to it.
Im sorry, I know I promised five hundred words for each review. This was a good place to stop so I stopped it here. But truth be told I wasn't expecting anyone to read my story. Eight Reviews? Thanks guys! You're the .
Okay, so I won't always be this consistent with updates. I will update when I finish typing the chapter. And chapter length will vary. Also, not all the chapters will be in third person. I'm thinking it will change to first person when Clary is the age she is when she is in the books. And I will be switching POV's I think you want some of Jace's thoughts, no?
Thanks for reading(:
PS Sorry that this is not edited. Please excuse any stupid mistakes. Thanks.