Sorry for the very short chapter, the next one will be a lot longer

Disclaimer: The poem is written and owned by Maya Angelou and the riddle is one form of the riddle of the sphinx written by a play wright Sophocles. The characters are all owned by Cassandra Clare.

On a bright day next week

Just before the bomb falls

Just before the world ends

Just before I die

All my tears will powder

Black in dust like ashes

Black like Buddha's belly

Black and hot and dry

Then will mercy tumble

Falling down in godheads

Falling on the children

Falling from the sky

~ On a bright day, next week by Maya Angelou

For the first time in her life Clary feared what the day would bring. It was a funny thing, fear. It was an emotion that had the power to entrap and enthral countless civilisations. It was something she had seen her father inflict upon the minds and souls of those who he deemed fit. And yet she had never explicitly felt it herself, sure she had been scared in the younger years of her life, in the same way any five year old is afraid of what lurks beneath their bed. But she had never felt fear, never tasted the sweat stench of sweat or seen the alarmed eyes ablaze with fear, never seen the life literally drown out of someone and seep into the ground beneath their feet. But as Clary looked around at the wreckage that was their supposed safe heaven she saw just that and so much more, she felt and saw and tasted the almost tangible fear around her. She saw the future for a world which had none, she saw the past of a world in flames and as she stood there in the present she witnessed a world that would be her home for what was looking to be a very short lifetime.

-one week previously-

Clary walked to school alongside her brothers, the trio gave of an air of confidence and to the untrained eye they seemed completely cool and collected they walked swiftly and gracefully up the school steps in a way that could only come with years of practise. Three pairs of eyes appeared to be fixated on one common goal, the banner above the school that advertised that days competition served as a reminder to not only the siblings but the entire school body, a reminder of what was at stake. Clary was interrupted out of her train of thought by a hand landing on her shoulder; she schooled her features into a practised scowl and turned to the accuser ready to tell him where he could go stick said hand. But as she turned she was met with the kind brown eyes of Simon, she let her face relax into a smile and leaned back on her locker.

Simons hand dropped from her shoulder as she leant back and with his now free hand he pushed the middle of his glasses back into place, "So how are you feeling?" he asked curiously. She bit her lip and looked around seeing the majority of people running around excitedly speaking animatedly with their friends, "I'm not entirely sure how to feel, excited or nervous, or a bit of both I guess." He sighed and passed a hand tiredly down his face only serving to knock his glasses off completely, "well that makes one of us, I'm just downright terrified. I mean I don't even understand why I was picked? Yeah I'm smart, but athletic? I don't stand a chance of winning, I'll just be glad when all of this" he gestured to the surrounding halls "is over and I can go home and sleep" he said as he picked up his fallen glasses. Clary simply snorted and started walking towards the hall where the contestants would be sorted into groups to begin the first phase of the trails.

During the first phase the forty contestants were divided into ten teams of four. Within each team there was one member of each respected school house, giving them a wide range of abilities. Only five teams would make it to the second round, eliminating half the contestants by day one. Around the walls of the hall there were the numbers from one to ten, she was handed the number two and told to go and stand by her number. She sat down with her back to the wall and closed her eyes, she was utterly exhausted both mentally and physically. She hadn't noticed just how much of a toll the constant practising had had on her body and mind up until now. Her eyes fluttered open as she felt someone sit down next to her. She was only mildly annoyed to see Jace smiling down at her as he held up a number two in explanation. She shook her head and let out a long exasperated breath in response, surprised that he didn't make any sarcastic comment as to how they had been teamed up together, or how lucky she was to be teamed with his oh so wonderful self. She ended up in a team that consisted of her, Jace, Maia and a lanky looking kid with freckles and a round face called Chris.

They waited around for about thirty minutes talking amongst themselves before their headmaster came into view to announce the day's events. She got on well enough with those in her group, although the same could not be said for Jace and Maia who seemed to either be glaring or arguing with each other. Chris appeared to be a very quiet guy who looked at clary with a mild sense of hostility, but seemed perfectly fine with Maia and Jace, she frowned, wondering what she had done in the past to offend him. After about another twenty minutes of their head teacher droning on about the risks and cautions that should be taken they were told information about what the first phase would entail, or lack of information. They were simply told they would be given an envelope and had to find some sort of key, the first five teams to complete the trial would go through to phase two.

Jace went up to collect their envelop, bringing it back to the huddled group before opening it. Inside were the words "A thing there is whose voice is one; whose feet are four and two and three. So mutable a thing is none, that moves in earth or sky or sea. When on most feet this thing doth go, its strength is weakest and its pace most slow." Let the 100th annual EARTH trials begin.