Speak Powerfully on Behalf of the Powerless
Two weeks ago, Magnus Bane was a perfectly healthy individual living off of his parents like any other high school student would do. Two weeks ago he had access to food, water, clothes and showers. Two weeks ago he had parents who loved him and doted on him. In two weeks, his entire world shifted.
Stand up for someone in need
Clary gripped the paper. They just don't make this easy don't they? Clary sighed as she closed her eyes, the sound of pedestrian traffic and the city melting away. She never had anyone do that for her. Clary wasn't really one to be bullied but she was never noticed, or when she was she was just the weird girl who painted and didn't have any friends except for that nerdy kid.
Crash! "How does it feel to sleep on cement faggot?" Clary's eyelids flew open. She got up and started to head towards the cause of the noise, barely registering the annoyed grunts and exclamations thrown her way as she pushed her way through the crowd. Why is it that the good deed always finds me? She thought as she came to a small clearing of cement.
She gasped as she took in the scene. He looked so vulnerable, not even putting up a fight with his head tilted down. They were gathered around him in a semi circle; it was like putting on a show. Clary wanted to puke at the sick display.
"So your parents finally put you out huh? That's good we need to quarantine people like you from your disease." One of them spat at him. The figure on the ground only chuckled.
"We all know that you got syphilis from Sara Banner at the Christmas Party Marcus, the only person that should be quarantined is you." Clary held her breath as the boy reached back and smacked his across the face. Clary glanced around looking to ask anyone, anyone for help.
But to her dismay, most people just averted their eyes or walked quickly in the other direction. Stand up for someone in need…It echoed in her head over and over again. Her mother used to tell her: As an artist, you make visible, the invisible.
Clary took a breath. That didn't exactly have to pertain to art either. "Hey!" She snapped. Oh god, hey? What kind of entrance was that? But there was no time to falter as they turned to her. "L-leave him alone!" She cursed herself for the slight tremble in her voice.
"Piss off little girl. This isn't any of your business." Anger rose in Clary. Nobody calls her little girl.
"My name is not little girl and I will not 'piss off' as you put it. Obviously you're too immature to handle adult words so I will use your vernacular" Clary thanked god for her mother putting her through those extra English lessons at school. "Any reason that you have against him can be settled in a calm conversation which illuminates how pointless this fight is and how stupid you are for picking one."
One of them stepped up to her. "Are you calling us stupid?" Clary gulped her pride and anger faltering. Speak powerfully on behalf of the powerless… This is going to get my ass kicked. Clary thought. She took another breath as she stepped back. Come on Clary, be brave. She told herself.
"I don't want any trouble. But I would appreciate it if you would just leave him alone." She said as calmly as she could.
"Why should we let this pathetic faggot live?" Fag- oh god Clary's thoughts came to a startling halt. She would never guess, in New York…She glanced at the man on the ground, his eyes cast downwards. He looked pitiful. She had wandered in the midst of a hate crime.
"Because your reason is a horrible one." She couldn't stop the shaking in her voice. She had heard of them but now she was in the middle of one. "Because it's sick and twisted and depraved."
"Oh so now we're the monsters?" The other one stepped up, Clary could smell the foulness on his breath, and she turned her head and gagged.
"Leave them alone." She could feel his presence as he stepped behind her. He's just everywhere now…
"Herondale…you know these guys?"
"Even if I didn't, what gives you the right to mess with them?" His question hung in silence for a while. By this time, we had attracted quite a crowd that had clustered around us, eyeing the boys with suspicion.
"Is there a problem here?" Relief flooded my veins as I saw a police officer step through. The boys looked around.
"This isn't over faggot lovers." They turned and pushed through the clusters of people. I walked over to the guy sitting on the ground.
"Are you okay?" He looked up and I was most surprised to see annoyance in his cat like eyes.
"You really didn't need to do that, I don't want your pity."
"You seemed like you needed help Magnus." Jace said as he stepped beside me. Magnus snorted.
"I can't believe I'm talking to the golden boy of Idris Academy." Clary froze. Idris Academy was the most prestigious private school in the city and if Jace-
"Things change high school differences hardly mean anything out in the real world." Clary knelt down. She closed her eyes, standing up means more than just fending off bullies.
"Do you want to shower?"
0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Steam escaped the doorway crack by the time Clary had come into the living room with the requested drinks. Jace was lounging on the couch, flipping through the channels.
"I could have handled it today." Clary said quietly as she set the drinks on the table.
"Oh really?" His amused voice infuriated her.
"Yes, I didn't need you to save me."
"Hmm…I think you did or the petrified look on your face must have been a total act."
"Look I don't need some pompous rich boy from Idris Academy to bail me out of any situation." Clary turned but was stopped by the sudden grab of her wrist. She gasped at how close they were. Jace's golden eyes glared into hers.
"Obviously acts of kindness still haven't made you less judgmental. What makes you think you know anything about me?" The door flew open.
"Ahh…it's been such a long time since a nice, long sh-" Magnus came in and glanced at our position. I ripped my wrist away and sat on the loveseat, blushing furiously. "Hmm..Herondale getting it in with the red head…nice." Jace rolled his eyes.
"Here's the tea you wanted Queen Magnus." He grinned as he sipped the liquid.
"Mmm…thank you darling."
"So uhm..what happened to you?" That question escaped Clary's lips before she was able to stop it. She blushed even more furiously at how rude that sounded. "I'm sorry I-" Magnus shook his head.
"No need, I hate people who tip toe around the subject. Now as to what happened that's a fairly easy explanation. My parents are- well they're good people but they're very strict in their views both morally and socially. I was the perfect son. The one who went to the best school, got good grades, had girlfriends etc...it was like The Cleavers on steroids.
"Anyway two weeks ago i-I uhm…I kissed someone." Jace raised his eyebrows.
"That's it? You kissed someone?" Magnus glared at him.
"I kissed a guy you insensitive brat. Anyway word out and reached my parents. On their short list of things morally acceptable, gay people were not on them so they kicked me out and left me with…" He laughed bitterly. "With noting really."
"How horrible...your own parents?" Clary gasped. She was disgusted at his parents, how could they do that to their own child? Magnus shrugged.
"What can you do? Prejudice and ignorance will always exist in the world. There's no stopping it." There was silence was his words, a deep and heavy one, mourning everything that Magnus lost on that night.
"So...where do we go from here?" Jace's voice cut in.
"Uhh...my mom will be home soon…" I glanced at the clock. As kind as she was, I wasn't sure how she would feel with a complete stranger off the street staying with us. "We can't just let you go back onto the street." I turned to Jace. "Any ideas?"
"You're asking me for ideas?" He raised his eyebrows.
"This is serious. Any ideas?" Jace sighed.
"Uhm..well my parents do have an apartment. That is if you don't mind my father's occasional hooker hook up." Magnus grinned.
"Happily." Jace slid the key out of the ring and handed it to him.
"Make yourself unknown and invisible unless you want to be caught for B&E." Magnus nodded and I walked the both of them out the door.
"Wait." I called after Jace. He stopped and turned around. "I'm-I'm really sorry for just judging you like that. It was wrong and-and I was wrong. I take back everything I said and I want to thank you for what you did today." I stopped and sighed. "I will deny this in the future but I really did need you today so thanks for coming through."
I looked up and gasped at how close he was. I could smell the scent of sunshine and metal that clung to him. I breathed in, closing my eyes. "It's no problem really." He said as he abruptly straightened up. He smirked at my shocked expression as he walked down the hallway. I slammed the door. Damn you Jace Herondale…
0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Thank you everyone for reading. I am so honored and happy to see that people have been inspired by this story and are trying to do this in the real world. Out of all of them I hope that you perform this task. In my opinion it is the most difficult. Standing up in the face of ignorance and prejudice isn't easy for you, much less someone else. But please, speak powerfully on behalf of the powerless and question the intentions of the walls that you build and break. Handle these situations with integrity and dignity because prejudice and ignorance will always exist, it's just how you deal with it that counts.