Hey guys :) We are nearing the end of Idris Academy, only a couple more chapters to go. I would just like to thank every reviewer, follower and favouriter, all your support and comments have really meant a lot to me. Thanks for understanding when I am late getting a chapter up or when a chapter isn't as good as it could be. I have enjoyed writing this story and I hope you have enjoyed reading it. Here is one of the last chapters on this story. I hope you have fun reading it :) I acknowledge that all rights belong to Cassandra Clare and Yoko Kamio.
Chapter Twenty Three: Dreaming
From the shore, the sea stretched as far as the eye could see, disappearing into the dark horizon. Ripples and waves continuously flowed towards her, eventually breaking into a surge of foam. The water was a grey blanket, mirroring the clouds above. Seagulls cried and shrieked, circling the skies whilst the smell of salt and brine filled her nostrils. Footprints were woven into the sand, some deep and carved, others erasing easily, washed away by the tides.
Clary stared beyond the breakers, out into the ocean and a sense of nostalgia overwhelmed her. How long had it been since she had been here? Two, three years? The landscape had changed, that was what time did to a place but it still seemed as beautiful as it did in her memories. The last time she had come here she was 14, now she was almost 17 and so many things had happened since then. So many things had changed
"Clary?"
She turned, knowing immediately it was Jace. He grinned back at her and put his arm around her shoulder. He stared out at the landscape and said
"What brought you to this place?"
Clary followed his gaze out into the ocean and said
"We used to live around here before we moved to New York. Every Saturday, we would walk down from our house, about three miles away and come down to this place. The locals don't like this place, too rough and bleak for the sunbathers, too weak for the surfers. We used to be the only people on the sand and it was like we had our own kingdom. Alone, secluded, we were the rulers of this mysterious place and nobody could take that away from us".
"I should have known you had some aristocracy in your veins' said Jace, 'it would explain why you had so much fire within you".
Clary's mouth quirked.
"I used to paint, you know. I used to draw huge, sprawling landscapes, faces, gardens, mythology, fantasy. That was my thing and when you are….what ten? You think you can have any job in the world. I always wanted to be an artist. This place was my inspiration. Then the jobs ran dry at the wharf and Dad had to relocate us to New York. We left this place and my inspiration dried up. I learnt that you can't have everything you want and sometimes what you want isn't a possibility in this lifetime".
Jace was looking at her now and she realised his arm had dropped down into his pocket. She didn't want to see his pity so she stared back out into the ocean. The waves swallowed her feet in water and she felt a pang of longing. She wanted to come back here again.
"One day' she said, 'I would like to bring you here. I think you would really like this place".
"Clary' said Jace, in a tone that made her turn towards him in surprise, 'don't shut parts of you away. Don't lose your past and your memories just because something has changed. I know you. Do you really feel that you are doing yourself any favours by pretending this doesn't hurt you? You may be able to push it down now, pretend that you can't but what about in five years, ten, twenty? Your art is part of you. It is one of the many things that completes you. Don't give that up".
She stared at him openmouthed and then said
"When did you get good at speeches?"
He smiled and the serious moment was over.
"Clary" he said.
"Yes".
"Clary".
"Yes".
"Clary' his voice was urgent, 'you are through".
"What?"
"You are through".
And then her world changed from the grey breakers and shifting sounds, the call of the seagulls and smash of the waves to the
The auditorium was echoing with noisy claps as Clary made her way to the line of successful girls. She was through to the next round. She could barely contain her excitement. She moved into line, beaming at the crowd, she was so happy. There was a pang of longing in her chest, her ocean memory fading away, Jace's words disappearing from her grasp. She wanted to remember them but right now she had to focus on the day at hand. There would be time for the past another day.
She gazed at the line of girls, the ones she would be competing with to the end, noticing Kaelie's wide grin as she waved to the audience. Then she froze. Her eyes had been searching for another person but this time, the space where they normally stood was empty. Clary slowly turned back to the group of girls who were unsuccessfully making their way back stage, having been eliminated.
She caught sight of red hair and a bitter face, and sure enough, it was Cecilia. Their gazes met for a second and Clary got a glimpse into the eyes of the lonely, unhappy, unconfident girl she had seen the night Cecilia had tried to kidnap her. Then she was gone hidden from view and Clary didn't know whether to feel sympathy or vindictive pleasure.
"Well done to all our successful contenders. We are now down to our final two competitions. All our remaining contestants will be competing together. Over the day we have managed to cut down 1000 girls to a mere 100. Please give your remaining contestants a hand, they all throughly deserve their places".
Clary heard the raucous applause from all around the room and she grinned, her face hurting from this much smiling. She had improved her position, out of the remaining girls she now ranked 21st. Apparently she had impressed the judges so much she had placed 4th in the third round. As they walked off stage, she thought about what was ahead. She didn't know what the future would hold for her or her family or Jace but right now the best she could do was prove herself.
"What do you mean you just saw Isabelle?" hissed Jace and Sebastian, who was sitting on the sink, gave him a sardonic look.
"Well the possibilities are endless. What exactly could I mean?"
"Alright, alright' said Jace, 'no need to go spastic".
"No need to go SPASTIC?' Sebastian said loudly, so loudly that Jace looked at him sharply, 'your best friend's childhood friend who he also happens to be in LOVE with has returned without even bothering to tell him. Not only that but she has appeared at one of the most heavily publicised events of the entire YEAR. There is no way she is going to get out of here alive without him realising it. Actually there is no way she would get out dead either unless she was chopped into small pieces and shoved down the sink".
"You are losing the thread" said Jace, feeling nauseous now.
"Me?' said Sebastian, 'he's our best friend. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?"
Jace had never seen Sebastian so agitated before, he was sweating, speaking loudly and without a doubt nervous beyond belief. Strangely he felt calm, which was probably a good thing, since he had about forty billion other things to be nervous about. Calmly he said
"We aren't going to do anything' he said, 'Simon and Isabelle are both old enough to know their own feelings. If he finds out that she is here and didn't bother telling him, then we are going to be behind him the entire way, supporting him. However if he doesn't, then fine. He doesn't need to know. So calm down and let's go support Clary and him".
Sebastian stared at him and said
"Do bathrooms normally have this effect on you?"
"I just feel calm" said Jace.
"That makes one of us' said Sebastian wiping his sweaty head, 'how girls can converse in groups in these places is beyond me".
"Maybe their bathrooms are nicer' said Jace, 'maybe a couple of plasma TV's, couches, a good cleaner".
"Or maybe they are just crazy' said Sebastian, 'that would explain so much".
The door opened and a man came into the room. Upon seeing Sebastian sitting on the sink, looking like he was about to faint and Jace standing across from him, arms folded, a serene expression on his face, he gulped, seeming to think he had walked in on a relationship crisis and hurried out again.
"All contestants report to the stage, please".
Clary stood up, wearing her initial outfit of blazer and jeans and wedge boots before picking up her bag. As she did, something fell to the floor with a clatter and she quickly bent down to retrieve it. A oblong black leather case was sitting in the palm of her hand and she opened it to reveal a ballpoint pen. On the side were the engraved initials:
Clarissa Fray, Teen Of New York 2014. She opened her mouth in surprise and read the scrawled note next to the pen.
To help with your contribution to the group.
I know you will do well in the next two rounds.
Good luck.
Another present, with meaning and thought behind it. She still didn't know who it was from but she appreciated it. Someone was her guardian angel, looking out for her. Slipping it into her bag, she left the room with the other contestants. When they were on stage, the host said
"Every year, girls are asked to demonstrate their leadership skills in a competition. This can range from a debate to a business proposition. This year, the judges have been asked by a former competitor to do a mock law case. Each group of ten will be designated one case out of five. There will be five prosecution teams and five defence teams and two of you will versus each other. You will be marked on your leadership skills, your ability to work as a group and whether you win the competition. On the panel, we have a lawyer and she will be assisting the other judges in the legal side of things".
As the girls moved to their designated groups, Clary was pleased to see she was in the same group as a couple of the girls she had been with in the intelligence group. They recognised her as well and the one who had written down their questions whispered
"Hi, I'm Tessa".
"Clary" said Clary back.
After the host had announced several more elements to the competition, cases were handed round and Tessa took the case for their group.
"You have one hour' said the host, 'your time starts NOW".
"Alright' said Tessa, 'we are...the defence in a civil case".
Clary along with the other eight girls listened intently. Tessa took a deep breath and said
"Right, basically this is a case of negligence. Basically the prosecution, Jackson Wood, was setting up an art exhibition for school with his friends, realises he is late home and has to sprint home. He takes a short cut across the shopping centre car park, where he falls into a hole and breaks several bones in his body. Now he is alleging that the shopping centre did not have any relevant signage to inform him that they were doing repairs and there was no way of knowing the hole was there".
Tessa read out the case and after five minutes, she said
"There is definitely grounds for us. We can definitely argue that he neglected his own duty of care, that he failed to appraise the danger when entering the car park, that he failed to stop running at a speed, when he admits' she pointed at the page, 'that he couldn't see properly. Our cross examination will have to be strong but it is possible to get them to admit it was a breach of his duty of care".
Clary nodded and went to say something but Tessa was already standing up and moving to their white board. She turned it away from the prosecution team and started scribbling down points. Already she was mapping out the cross examination points and some of the girls were looking slightly flabbergasted.
"You've done this before" said Clary as she joined Tessa at the whiteboard.
"I do P and L' said Tessa, 'I've done mock cases before, so there is no excuse to lose".
She scribbled something else down and Clary felt the urge to grab the pen.
"Do you want to discuss this with us first?" she offered and Tessa said
"Sure. I am open to suggestions".
"No' said Clary, 'I mean literally. Stop writing and tell us what is going on. You have the knowledge. But we can help you. We aren't stupid".
Tessa's hand slowed down and she turned around.
"We don't have time to stand around getting a crash course in Law' she said, 'all you can do is try to keep up and offer advice".
"We don't have time?' said Clary, 'or do you just not want us to look good?"
Tessa snorted and said
"I don't have anything against you. Why would I want you to lose?"
"Good' said Clary, 'because we are being marked on how we look as a group not just how brilliant we can make ourselves look".
Tessa didn't say anything for a couple of seconds before finally she turned towards the group and said
"Okay. Fine. Here's what you need to know".
"Five minutes left".
"Holy hell' hissed Clary, as she finished scribbling down the witness examination, 'is everyone finished?"
There was a general ascent before Tessa said
"Okay. Everyone, we need to put this all together".
There was a mad scramble to shove together the pages and two girls continually checked and double checked to make sure they were in the right order. Finally Tessa said
"We didn't get time to practice but we should do fine if we follow what's on these sheets".
She grinned at Clary, who grinned back. They had worked well together once they got over Tessa's need to take control and Clary's need to question everything everyone did. In the end, it was decided both of them would be barristers, Clary taking Barrister One and Tessa taking Barrister Two. Clary was pleased, this gave her enough time to show the judges her skills at public speaking.
"Times up" said the host and everyone stopped, freezing in their places.
"We will be operating in this order" and he rapidly fired off the order, in which Clary found out her group was last. She marvelled at the host's energy to keep going on like this all day, his fast, quick responses, his ability to make the audience laugh and wondered if he was on a constant supply of energy drinks. That or he was born hyperactive.
As the cases got underway, Clary was astonished by fierce and driven competition. Everyone seemed to be talented at legal studies and the foundations in which their cases were built on, their cross examinations, the way they picked up on the mistakes their own witnesses made and helped them out, was mind-blowing.
"Wood versus Mandogalup Shopping Centre".
The sound of their own case surprised Clary and Tessa had to punch her in order to get her to stand up. They took their place at one of the tables, facing their opponents. Kaelie was facing her from the Prosecution Barrister 1 chair and she smiled at Clary. Clary almost rolled her eyes, it was like the gods were purposely doing this.
The lawyer judge called from their panel
"You may begin".
Kaelie stood up and introduced herself and her team to the judge, effortlessly and respectfully. The judges nodded before turning to Clary. Determined to make a good impression, she said
"If your honour pleases, my name is Clarissa Fray and I appear with my learned friend, Tessa Gray for the defendant. We are instructed by Harriet Darcy".
Tessa gave her a thumbs up and soon the case was off and running. Kaelie quickly went about her introduction before it was Clary's turn. She stood up and said
"If your honour pleases, this is a case of negligence on the part of the plaintiff, a high school student, who in a rush to get home, neglected his duty of care to himself. Jackson Wood sustained serious injuries when he tripped and fell into a trench, whilst traversing through the shopping centre car park. The defence submits that the contributory negligence of the plaintiff was the sole cause of the injuries sustained. The defence also submits that our client, Mandogalup Shopping Centre was not liable for the damages incurred on the 7th of June, 2012, because the trench, though 10cm wide by 50 cm deep, did not pose a threat to its patrons".
Tessa gave her an encouraging smile and she continued her introduction. Somewhere in the crowd, her family was there. Somewhere in the crowd, Magnus and Camille were there. Somewhere in the crowd, Jace and the other Shadowhunters were there. That was all she needed to keep going.
They reached the cross examination of the witness twenty minutes later and Clary stood up, facing the girl posing as the witness. She stared down at her notes before she said
"Mr Wood, you said in your witness statement that whilst you were walking with your friends, you remembered you needed to be home by 9, correct?"
The girl said
"Yes".
"And when you looked at the time, you realised you were late, correct?"
"Yes".
"You then began to jog down Anketell Road and decided to cut across the Mandogalup Shopping Centre car park, correct?"
The girl said
"Yes".
Clary looked briefly down at her notes and said
"Would you say you were totally focused on your surroundings?"
The girl said
"Yes, I was. I was aware of everywhere I was running".
Clary raised an eyebrow and said
"So you weren't worried about the fact you were getting home late?"
"I was' said the girl, 'but I was still aware of my surroundings".
"But you had to be thinking a little bit about your lateness in order for you to be worried" said Clary.
The girl processed this and then said
"Well, I wasn't that worried".
"If you weren't that worried about getting home late' finished Clary, a bit gleefully, 'why did you feel the need to run so fast in order to get home?"
Tessa grinned and the girl looked at Kaelie in confusion before saying
"I just...did".
Tessa whispered
"Good, keep discrediting her claims".
Clary stared at the witness and said
"You say in your statements, that the two car park entrance lights weren't working, correct?"
The girl said
"Yes" this time with an edge to her voice.
"You also say that the other lights were working, the ones in the car park, correct?"
"Yes"
"You state that because the other car park lights were on, that your vision was obstructed by the light?"
"Yes but..."
"You continued running despite the fact, you could not see?".
The girl swallowed and said slowly
"Yes but I still would have been able to see the trench if it had been there. I have..good peripheral vision".
"Right' said Clary, 'but if you found it hard to see, why did you continue running?"
"Because' said the girl, 'I was worried I would get home late".
"Didn't you say you weren't worried?' said Clary, getting into the swing of things, 'why did you run into the light if you weren't that worried?"
"I was just worried my parents would be mad. But I could still see" hissed the girl.
"Clary nodded and said
"Right. So you couldn't see the trench because the car park lights near it weren't working but the lights that were shining in your eyes were working".
"Yes' said the girl, 'I've already said that".
"So you were running in the direction of the trench".
"YES".
"And the light was shining towards you".
"YES".
"So the light would have been coming towards you and towards the trench".
The girl hissed loudly
"YES. Okay. FINE. I tripped because the light was in my eyes and I couldn't see the trench".
Kaelie's group all groaned and Clary and Tessa did a low five. Clary stared towards the judges and said
"That concludes my cross examination, your honour" and sat back down.
"Well done" said Tessa and Clary grinned as the crowd cheered.
For the next thirty minutes, the cross examinations went back and forth and Tessa and Kaelie both delivered outstanding cross examinations, before finally the defence had to examine their witnesses. Kaelie continuously called Clary up for something she had little understanding of and the judge kept agreeing with her. The prosecution closed, iterating their points and Clary wondered whether Kaelie's expert cross examination had delivered the cinch.
"Well' said the host, 'that is the final case. Let's hear it for all of our contestants for delivering a magnificent performance".
Clary barely heard the cheering, she was too intent on what the judges were going to say. They had to wait for four other teams to be discussed and allocated points before finally it was their turn. The judge said
"You all performed very well considering most of you would have had little legal experience. It was impressive to see your ability to dissect the cases given to you and..."
She continued in this vein for another minute before discussing the performances individually. Both Kaelie and Tessa were commended on the way they had helped their teams and allocated appropriate roles as well as their roles. The solicitors were also marked highly however none of the witnesses scored highly because of the way they had acted during cross examination, which was to lose their tempers. Finally the judge said
"Clarissa Fray. It is evident from your examination that you had never been involved in Law before. You continued to ask leading questions and were called out for by Miss Kaelie Whitewillow. It was also clear you relied on Miss Gray to help you write your speech, which was evident from the way you kept looking at your notes. This lost you points. However your cross examination was near perfect, you discredited and made your witness look like a liar, this definitely won you points. This was definitely your strength. So upon adding up your scores, you have received 16 out of 20 for the legal part of it".
Over the crowds cheering, she heard the judge say
"I feel that one team proved on the balance of probabilities that their client was correct. Congratulations to the defence for proving that Mandogalup Shopping Centre is no longer liable for the damages put forward by Jackson Wood".
Clary and Tessa threw themselves into each others arms, grinning broadly and she felt the thumps on eight other members as they danced around in a big circle. The host watched them smiling and said
"They are obviously excited. Well' he said, 'now to the other judges for performances of leaders and groups overall and..."
He stopped so suddenly that Clary wondered if his energy drink had run out. Then he fell to the floor clutching at his throat, his eyes bulging out of his head.