Hey guys :) Thanks so much for understanding, I have been very busy this week. Here is the next instalment of Idris Academy, I really hope it lives up to your expectations. I acknowledge that the rights belong to Cassandra Clare and Yoko Kamio. Please enjoy.
Chapter Twenty Two: Round 2 Begins
"This is better than High School Musicalsaid Luke, agog as he watched his daughter hastily scribbling down answers to the host's questions. Jocelyn, Jonathan, Camille and Magnus all looked at him and he quickly said
"From what I have heard"
"Rightsaid Jocelyn, in a disbelieving tone and Luke pretended to search the floor for his wallet. Something caught his attention and he pulled it out from underneath his seat; it was a package full of freebies. He stared down at it and said
"Hey...free stuff"
A guy in front of him turned and said in a bored tone
"Yeah, everyone has a present from the sponsors under the seats. It gives them more of a chance to force consumerist propaganda down the average person's throat and because the person is so unaware of this constant manipulation, doesn't realise that this is an advertiser's dream. They can add more unsuspecting consumers to their clientele list".
Everybody regarded him with some surprise and Magnus said
"Wow, all I got out of that was free shampoo"
The girl sitting next to boy gave a snort of laughter and said
"See Velasquez, not everybody thinks you are God's gift to mankind"
She turned and said
"Maia Roberts. I work for the New York Times. I am reporting on this event"
She stuck out her hand and Magnus shook it.
"Magnus Bane"
"Bat Velasquez" said the boy and Maia said
"Nobody asked you your name"
"Oh' said Camille, 'you are that musician"
"DJ"said Bat.
"Who works at that warehouse"
"Nightclub"
"And dated Lily Black, that model"
"Actually, it was Eva Witch"
"Yes, I know exactly who you are" continued Camille, hardly listening.
"Evidently' muttered Magnus, 'you could practically write his autobiography"
"Actually' said Luke, 'it's a bibliography. An autobiography is when it is written by the person themselves. A bibliography is when it is written by someone else"
"Actually' said Jocelyn, 'it's a biography. A bibliography is a reference of works you have used"
"We have completely lost the thread of this conversation' said Bat, somewhat annoyed, 'this is exactly what the advertisers wants us to do. Ignore the situation. When really they are part of cog in the round the clock, all pervasive media machine aimed at exploiting the vulnerable and untrained"
"But' said Luke, 'this is really expensive shampoo. Apparently this is specially designed to meet my specific hair needs and help keep my hair strong, healthy and looking fabulous. Now I really can look like Zac Efron"
Jocelyn, Jonathan, Camille, Magnus and Maia all looked at him and he said quickly
"That's what the magazines say"
"Is anybody listening to me?" asked Bat.
"No' said Maia, 'who are you supporting?"
Magnus and Camille held up their sign and recognition flickered through Maia's eyes.
"Oh Clarissa Fray"
She turned facing the stage, where Clary was writing down her second last answer, her face flushed, her neck tilted and her hair all over her face.
"Isn't she getting support from Jace Wayland and his friends? Wow! She is so lucky. She is guaranteed to win then"
Jocelyn said slightly coldly
"She is perfectly capable of achieving a high score without their help. She isn't stupid or dependent, you know"
Maia blushed slightly and said
"Sorry, that was the wrong thing to say. All I meant was that she is lucky to have them behind her"
"Yes' said Camille, her voice echoing Jocelyn's tone, 'but then again, she is lucky to have us behind her as well"
There was a small silence before Magnus said
"I agree with Camille"
Camille turned to Jonathan and said
"Now, young man, you need to record that down on the calender"
Clary stared down at her answers as the host reeled off the correct ones and her feelings of dread and trepidation slowly lessened as she ticked a large majority. When she had finally finished, he said
"Okay. Who received 50 out of 50?"
He progressively went lower and lower until Clary put up her hand for 41 out of 50. She heard cheering from the same two places in the room and saw the banner flying. She couldn't help smiling, she was just so pleased. Finally the host said
"Alright. Now as you know, twenty of you have to be eliminated. Twenty of you will stay in the competition...for now. When the rest of the groups have been through, your scores, which have been added together from the first two rounds, will be tallied and we shall eliminate half of the remaining group"
He continued with more of the rules, drawing it out for the cameras and Clary found herself bouncing up and down on her feet. Could he just hurry up? Finally he said
"Alright, in numerical ascending order. 300. 304"
He shot out a rapid succession of numbers, some girls bursting into tears, others grinning with jubilance. Kaelie was number 342 and her number was called out immediately. She grinned and waved at the audience, which cheered loudly back at her. Clary clapped for her but forced herself to stay focused. She wasn't going to let Kaelie beat her.
Cecilia, unfortunately, got through as well and her gaze caught onto Clary, a look of amusement and disgust flickering in her eyes. Clary decided that she was tired of being magnanimous and simply sent her the evils back. At least that got Cecilia to stumble on her way up to the line of successful contestants.
"379"
They had almost reached her.
"381"
She had to get through. She couldn't lose.
"384"
What if she didn't? What would happen to her family then? What would happen to her and Jace's relationship? It felt like an age, she could hardly breath. She could see his lips moving but her ears had stopped working. She stood there, staring at the audience, trying to gauge their reactions before someone hissed
"Move. You are through"
Clary turned and saw her family cheering loudly and a feeling of complete bliss descended onto her. She was through, she had got through. It seemed to take forever to reach the successful contestants but finally she took her place next to Number 384, able to breath once more. She was through. She still had a chance.
"MY GOD' said Sebastian, 'do you have a bladder infection? What took you so long?"
"Sorry' said Jace, 'I only got knocked unconscious, kidnapped by my mother, taken back to her office, trussed up like a pig, argued with her about accepting Clary as my girlfriend and made a deal with her. Sorry I took so long"
"Oh' said Sebastian, 'that's alright then. When you put it into perspective, it is easier to understand why you took that long"
"Dude' said Alec, 'he made a deal with his MOTHER. What did you agree to? Please don't tell me you said Clary was going to win. Please don't".
"Shut up' said Jace, 'what happened in that office, stays in that office
"Hmm"said Alec, disgruntled.
"Anyway' said Jace, 'what have I missed?"
"Clary is through for now' said Simon, 'once the others have finished their rounds, half of them will be eliminated. Kaelie and Cecilia also got through so that is trouble"
Alec was looking over at where Magnus was sitting and said
"Why do I feel they are having much more fun then we are?"
All four of them gazed over where Jocelyn, Luke, Jonathan, Camille, Magnus and two other people were in the middle of a heated debate and wildly cheering for Clary at the same time. Jace said
"It must be a commoner's thing"
There was a long silence before Simon said
"That doesn't detract from the intrigue"
"Cheer your contestants on as they leave the stage' cried the host and Jace roared.
"YOU CAN DO IT CLARY"
Clary may have heard him because she turned back towards the crowd but pretty soon she was swallowed up by the rest of the girls, backstage. Now they all had to wait until the elimination.
Forty minutes later, the elimination round was over. And Clary was through. She was still in shock. She was robotically getting dressed into her training clothes and just staring at the wall in front of her, a cheesy grin on her face. The room was emptier now, she had her own dresser. And she was through. She had ranked sixth in her group and out of the 400 contestants still left in, she ranked 37th. Which wasn't as good as they hoped for but maybe that had been wishful thinking. She still had three more rounds left. She was determined to make them count.
"Contestant 385called someone and she stood up, dusting herself up. She was ready. As she walked onto that stage, ready to show everyone her talent, she found herself walking past Cecilia, who was now the contestant before her. Cecilia had done a dance routine and she was more than certain she had impressed everyone.
Both of them looked at each other and both of them didn't say a word. Clary remembered their brief and seemingly lovely friendship, the lunchtimes, their girly talks, their jokes, helping each other with study and the way all that had brought her to the Shadowhunters. As Cecilia walked past her, Clary stopped and said
"I just wanted to thank you"
"What?" said Cecilia, stopping and turning around.
"Well' said Clary, 'it is really all thanks to you that I am dating Jace now. Ironic, given how much you wanted him"
She then started walking again towards the stage and thought how sad it was that all that was left between her and Cecilia was bitterness. And then she stepped onto stage and forgot all about it.
The backstage crew had dragged some mats onto the stage and her fellow opponent was standing there, looking slightly amused. Obviously he had only been told a couple of minutes before he was going to be beaten up by a teenage girl. Clary walked forward and said
"I am going to demonstrate one of my talents today. I will show how you would defend yourself against an attacker"
She then turned to her opponent and said
"Whenever you are ready, you can hit me"
He looked at her in disbelief and she said
"Don't worry about going easy on me"
He approached her carefully before swinging at her. Clary ducked and swung around to face him, just as he grabbed hold of her arm and twisted it behind her back. She gritted her teeth and slammed her foot back, kicking his kneecap, one, twice and third time, before stabbing her elbow back into the soft flesh of his stomach. He let go swearing underneath his breath and then approached her again, this time slower. Clary and him circled each other like a pair of angry dogs, before he feinted to the left and kicked her hard in the side.
She stumbled to the side and he grabbed at her, pining her arms to her side. She struggled for a couple of seconds before realising she was in the arms of a much stronger man. She relaxed and he seemed to take this as her surrender. His grip loosened and she twisted her foot around his ankle, forcing him to stumbled backwards. As he was off balance, she slammed her back into his own and they went tumbling into the mats.
He tried to get up but she was already there, holding him to the ground, placing both knees on his thighs and holding both arms down with her own.
"Give" she muttered and he nodded, in pain from her knees and she stood up to the cheers of the crowd. She bowed and the host said
"I'd better hope I never meet you in a dark alleyway"
Clary helped the man to his feet and retorted
"What makes you think I'd be in a dark alleyway with you in the first place?"
As the crowd laughed, Jace muttered
"What a prick"
And Sebastian said
"Jealously is an ugly colour on you"
Then he froze and Jace said
"Bloody hell, you look like you have seen a ghost"
"What?" said Sebastian and Jace repeated what he had said. Sebastian looked over at Simon and Alec who were watching Clary and said
"You cannot tell Simon. But I think I just saw Isabelle in the crowd".