Here is the fouth installment of my story. This is where things get kind of slow, but it's where Clary's relationship with the other characters of MI builds. I want there to be some suspense so it might be at least another chapter before the action comes back. Maybe not. It really depends on how I feel about it. So, I'll let you all get back to the story and please enjoy! Review please!
Clary is back home and things have quieted down. Back home Clary decides to return to school after her ordeal. How will Clary deal when she sees the golden haired boy again? Will she tell what she saw on the island or will she keep it a secret? Read on to find out. Please read and review!
Chapter 4
The net two weeks things get a lot better. I can walk around on my own now. I've even been able to get in some exercise. Of course Luke makes sure he's right there just in case I need him. I just go out for walks. It's better than lying in bed doing nothing. I was bored out of my mind. I need to do something.
On one of our walks we decide to take a break on a park bench. I take in the fresh air. Luke glances over at me. "How're you doing?"
"Just fine," I run my fingers along the bench. "My arm still hurts, but the pain killers are really helping…"
Luke catches my hesitation. "What is it?"
I look over with a grin. "I want to go back to school."
Before Luke explodes with worry he catches himself. He clears his throat. "Are you sure? High schoolers can be bastards."
I tilt my head. "I know that. I'm one of them. I just want to get on with my life. Forget about what happened. It's been two weeks."
"Two and a half," Luke mumbles.
I laugh at that. "So what do you say?"
Luke sighs. "I don't think I can convince you otherwise. Alright. You can go back to school, but you need to promise that you will behave yourself. The new year doesn't start for another month. That will give you enough time to recover and me to convince the government to let you."
I smile happily. "Thanks, Luke. This means a lot to me."
We head back home afterwards. I go to bed while Luke calls the local school. I was never exactly popular or had friends, but I will feel a lot better mingling with people my own age who aren't trying to kill me. I think… teenagers are crazy like that.
The next month couldn't go by fast enough. When I was kidnapped it was right at the end of the school year. Another year of being a longer. Someone no one noticed. If they knew what I was then they would notice me in the worse way. Now that they probably do know thanks to that bastard Valentine.
The morning of my first day of school Luke drives me. I could have walked, but Luke was still paranoid that I would get kidnapped again. Not again. I learned my lesson. No letting down my guard while I'm walking on my own when it's dark out. Thinking back, I sort of set myself up for that one.
I look through the window of the car door as the school gets closer and closer. It's funny of thinking about Luke driving me to school. He's a Navy Seal. He's definitely one tough guy. I'm glad he lets the tough guy act fall when he's around me. It makes me feel special.
S we stop in front of the school I lean over and kiss Luke on the cheek. "Thanks, Luke. You don't have to pick me up after school. I'll take the bus."
Luke nods and unlocks the door. "Good luck. Don't get into any trouble."
"No problem," I laugh.
I grab my backpack and sling it over my shoulder. My arm is still in a sling, but it doesn't hurt as much anymore. The wound is already starting to heal. I've been doing a lot of physical therapy to help bring my strength in my right arm back up. It's a work in progress. I can't do much while it's still injured.
As I walk up to the school I notice people staring at me. It looks like some people here watched that show. I just keep a slight smile on my face. I don't want to appear threatening. I was seen hunting and killing people after all.
I'm surprised the government let me go to school. They agreed under the condition that I not talk about what I experienced with anyone and that I would not commit any crimes. I don't mind. I don't plan on doing those kinds of things any time soon again. I can't anyway. Not with my arm this way.
When I enter the school I find my way to the main office. The women there are afraid to come near me. I figured as much. I take the paper they give me for my classes. I start walking around the school trying to figure out where my first class is. I find all my other ones. I just can't find the first one.
I'm looking at the numbers on the doors instead of where I'm going so I run into someone. I wince at the pain in my arm. I look up and see a really tall, sparkly, Asian guy. I get a weird feeling from him, but nothing bad. I does look like a rainbow threw up on him. He's not bad looking, but it looks like of tacky.
The guy arches an eyebrow and cocks his hip. "Like what you see?"
I look up and smirk. "I would if you weren't so bright and I could see you. Do you think you have enough glitter?"
The guy grins. "I like you. I'm Magnus."
I smile in return. "I'm Clary."
Magnus waves his hand. "I know who you are. You're one badass chick. I've never seen someone so tiny being so vicious. Where did you learn to fight like that?"
I rub the back of my neck. "I was trained since I could walk. It was sort of a bad childhood."
Magnus nods, sympathetically. "I can guess. So, are you enrolling at this school? I would think you would have better things to do."
I shake my head and place my hand on his shoulder. "Nah. The government told me if I was caught doing my old job I would be put on their most wanted list again and I would have to go on the run again. I can't do that to my family. Besides, I gave it up on my own a while ago."
"It looked like you train at least once a day," Magnus crosses his arms.
I make a face. "My dad makes me. He's a navy seal and he makes me train with him and his team. It's hell, but it keeps me in shape."
Magnus nods slowly then snaps his fingers. "It's time for me to leave. School is starting soon. Did you need help finding your class?"
"Yeah," I mumble.
Magnus looks at my paper and smiles. "That's the last door of this hall, sweetie. Have a good day."
"You too," I call back.
Once he's gone I walk down to the end of the hall. The bell rings as I do so. When I get to the door it's crowded. They see me and some go silent. I sigh and push my way through. I get into the class and walks to the teacher. She signs me in then lets me pick a seat. I go to the back.
As I sit down I drop my backpack onto the desk. It's a two seat table. I really hope no one sits next to me. I want to take a nap. My pain killers are finally kicking in and they're making me drowsy. I put my head down on my backpack and groan.
I honestly don't know why I said I wanted to go to school. High school sucks. Everyone is a bitch. I have one of the highest IQs in the country. I really don't need to be here. I just needed something to distract me. Otherwise I'll get really bad nightmares if I linger on what happened too much.
When the second bell rings everyone enters and takes their seats. I'm able to fall asleep when I hear someone running into the class. "I'm so sorry for being late. I'm new and I got lost."
The teacher sighs. "Very well. You can sit with the other new student. She's sitting at the back with her head down."
I hear footsteps coming toward me. It sounds like she's wearing heels. I've never liked heels. They're way too painful to wear on purpose. I hope she walks past, but I hear the chair next to me being pulled back. "Hi."
I groan and open my eyes just slightly. I'm met by the sight of an extremely beautiful girl. I've never ran for the other team, but she seriously is one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen. Her long black hair falls to her thin waist. Her skin is smooth and light.
Like I thought, she's wearing four inch heels. She also has a tight, short, jean skirt. She's wearing a black tank top with a leather jacket over it. I close my eyes again and sigh. "Hi…"
"You sound tired," she sounds worried.
I turn my head so I can look at her. "It's my medicine. I shouldn't have taken it this morning. I should have waited until after lunch."
The girl smiles. "I'm sorry about that. I'm Isabelle, by the way. You can call me Izzy."
"Clary," I grunt.
The teacher starts the lesson and tells us to take out paper to take notes. I groan and sit up. There's a little pain in my arm, but it's bearable. I try to open my backpack, but it's hard with just one had.
A slender hand reaches over and helps me. I look over at Izzy and smile. "Thanks."
Izzy returns the smile. At that moment I feel a friendship growing between us. Then I feel something else. I had this same feeling with Magnus. There's something about her. I just can't put my finger on it.
Instead of lingering on it I turn to the front of the class and mindlessly scribble down notes. I eventually get bored and start drawing. I've never really tried it before now. I decide to draw a flower. It comes out better than I thought it would. I didn't know I could draw.
After class I stand and head to my next class. Isabelle walks next to me. "I saw your class schedule. It looks like we have class together for the next two periods."
"Great," I smile.
At least this time around at school I'm not completely alone. Isabelle seems like a nice enough person. Isabelle glances over and sees my arm in a sling. She makes a face. "So what exactly happened to your arm?"
I look down then back up. "I got shot?"
"Oh my GOD!" Isabelle looks like she's about to cry.
I hold up my good hand. "Whoa! Watch it with the waterworks. I'm fine. It didn't really hurt when it happened. Then the doctors gave me the pain killers to make it better. It's been a month now so I'm getting better."
Isabelle nods then reaches into her purse for a mirror to check her make up. "Sorry about that. I just don't like it when my friends get hurt."
"Friend?" I look up.
Isabelle nods. "That's right. And at lunch, I'm going to introduce you to my friends."
I've never been good with people so I don't know how this is going to work. We go to our next class where Isabelle takes us to the back again so we can talk more. I need to make sure I don't mention anything too personal about myself. It seems like she hasn't heard of what happened. I don't want to ruin this new friendship before it even starts.
Once lunch comes around I just follow the flow of students to find my way. Isabelle finds me and gently pushes me over to the table her friends are occupying. I stand there awkwardly. I try a smile. "Hi."
Isabelle pushes me closer. "Okay, the one in the glasses is my boyfriend, Simon. The one in the black sweater is my brother, Alec. The brown haired girl is Maia."
I nod and wave. "I'm Clary."
The boy with glasses, Simon, stares at me with wide eyes. "Wait. Aren't you that girl?"
I arch an eyebrow. "Yes, I am a girl. Thank you for pointing that out."
Simon shuts his mouth. Isabelle makes me sit down and plops down next to me. "So, since this is both our first day at school we were able to bond. Why don't we go to the mall after school?"
"I guess… I need to call my dad first," I reach into my pocket.
After the call I nod at Isabelle. She squeals with excitement. "Yes! This is going to be so much fun. We're going on a spree."
I shake my head. "I don't know how much money you have to spend, but I probably don't have as much. I'm going so I can be somewhere other than on bed rest."
Before anyone is able to say anything else I feel someone walk up behind me. The others at the table get a look on their faces. I look over my shoulder. It's Jace. He has a wide, cocky smile on his face. "Hey."
Isabelle gives Jace a look then turns back to me. "Clary, this is my other brother, Jace. Don't let his angelic looks fool you. He's actually an arrogant jackass."
I look forward then feel my stomach growl. I'm so hungry. I look over at Isabelle. "Do you have anything to eat?"
Isabelle pushes her tray of food over to me. "You can have my food. I'm on a diet anyway."
Without a second thought I dig into the food. It feels so good to eat without Luke making me stop and take it slow. I wipe my mouth and hand with a napkin. Jace sits across from me and smiles. "So, how exactly did your arm end up like that?"
"I got shot," I mumble around the food in my mouth.
When I finish eating I lean back and let it all sink in. Then I turn to Isabelle. "I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?" Isabelle asks.
I rub my shoulder. "Nurse's office. I need to take my medicine."
Jace stands and comes next to me. "I'll go with you."
We walk in silence for a while before Jace breaks that silence. "Have you been able to remember anything about what happened? Anything that would seem out of the ordinary at all. Even the smallest detail is important. Well?"
I look up with a curious expression. "Why are you so interested in what I saw on the island? I've been trying hard not to remember. You have no idea what that kind of thing does to a person's mind. Especially my messed up mind."
Jace moves in front of me with a strange look of compassion in his eyes. "If you don't want me to bring up those memories then I won't. I'm sorry if I brought bad memories already. It's just that I wanted to make sure. Just forget about it. I'll let it drop."
I stare after Jace in confusion. What the hell was that all about? I snap myself out of my stupor and hurry toward the nurse's office. I get there and she's ready with my medicine. Luke left specific instructions for her. I walk over and take the pills. I drink some water and make a face. "I'll never get used to that."
Jace clears his throat. "Can I ask you something?"
I nod. "Sure."
We leave the nurse's office and walk down the hall back to the lunchroom. Jace takes it slow. "I, um, wanted to ask… maybe if you wanted to… um…"
Jace curses under his breath for not being able to say what he wants to say. My eyebrows go up. What's going on with Jace? I may not know him personally, but this really is strange behavior for anyone. I tilt my head. "Are you okay?"
Jace swallows hard and turns back to me with a disappointed look on his face. "It's nothing. Just forget about it."
The bell rings. I stare in confusion. Jace smirks then lightly pushes my shoulder. "I'll see you around, red."
My face feels as red as my hair. I stand there a little shocked before Isabelle appears in front of me. "Hey, Clary. Are you okay? It looks like someone splattered red all over your face. What happened?"
I look down and shake my head. "Nothing. I need to get to class."
Somehow I manage to get through two more classes before getting to the last one. That's where I see Jace. He's sitting with his hands interlaced behind his head. The school slut, Aline, saunters up to him and sits on his desk with her legs crossed. Considering how short her shirk is that's a pretty bold move and I think she knows it.
Jace grins up at her. I sit on the opposite side of the class. I sigh then put my head down. The second bell rings and the class gets started. I hear footsteps moving closer. I groan and open my eyes. "What?"
The teacher arches an eyebrow. "I'm sorry. Is my art class getting in the way of your nap?"
I close my eyes and scowl. "I just took my pain killers. They make me sleepy."
The teacher sighs. "Very well. Just try to pay attention as best you can. I don't want anyone slacking off in this class. In this class we are going to take art seriously. We won't be drawing little cartoons or flowers. This is where your mind is free to wander."
I wrap my arm around my backpack to make it fluffier. "Right. Give me ten minutes and I'll be ready for anything."
After that the teacher leaves me alone. I do get in ten minutes of sleep before I'm woken from my sleep when I feel someone standing next to me. I open my eyes and look up. Golden eyes look down at me. "Morning."
"Shut up!" I snap.
Jace chuckles. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of this desk."
With that comment I manage to lift my head and run my fingers through my hair. "What's going on?"
Jace points his thumb at the teacher. "The teach assigned partners and you got lucky. You get to be my partner for the rest of the year. Aren't you just ecstatic?"
I stand and stretch. "I'm surprised you even know how to use the word ecstatic considering you're a blond."
Jace arches an eyebrow, but he grins. "You're feisty. I like that. Now, why don't we get back to what we're supposed to do. We need to draw a portrait of our partners. I've never really taken the opportunity to really draw something. I guess this is as good a time as ever.
As I try to take out some paper I have a hard time with just that. Jace reaches over and pulls out my notebook for me. I take it from him and mumble. "Thanks."
We get started on our portrait. Unfortunately, I have to keep glancing up at Jace for the portrait. He really seems to be enjoying it. I just feel really awkward when he does it. I get most of his face right, but there's something about his eyes that's almost impossible to catch on paper.
Somehow I mange to get close enough. We are told to show the other the portrait. Some people straight out start laughing at the attempts. I'm completely enthralled in the one Jace made. I set down my and reach for it. I look at it closely. I don't know how, but Jace has managed to make me look far more beautiful than I actually am.
Jace clears his throat. "Do you like it?"
I look up and nod. "Yeah. This is amazing. I didn't know you were such a good artist."
Jace smirks. "Yeah. I'm good at a lot of things."
I scowl. "Can't you take a compliment without letting it go to your head?"
"What fun would that be then?" Jace tilts his head.
There's no point in trying to fight with him on this. I shake my head and go back to looking at the drawing he made of me. Jace reaches over and takes my drawing of him. Jace's eyes seem to glow. I look up with worry building up inside. "Is it any good?"
"Definitely…" Jace mumbles.
At least I know it's not horrible. I don't really spend all my time with a pencil and paper in my hand. I just know I'm decent. Maybe I should try doing it more. It feels like I could really do something with this. It's a great way to get my emotions out.
Jace looks up at me. "Can I keep this?"
"Sure," I nod.
Jace carefully pulls out the paper then folds it and slides it into his pocket. I really want to keep this drawing Jace made of me, but I feel way too embarrassed to even consider asking. I hand the paper back to Jace. He looks at me. "You can keep it if you want."
I smile. "Thanks."
When we sit back down the teacher goes to the board. "Alright. I want all of you to choose one artist to do a short, two paper essay on. Then you will study their work and create a pierce of art in the same style. You have a week to do this and most of your time will be taken up by this so you should get started right away."
Jace turns to me. "So, who do you want to research on?"
"Da Vinci," I mutter.
"That's the old dude we'll be researching then," Jace grins.
I roll my eyes. "Whatever."
Jace and I discuss what the plan's going to be. We decide to go to my house because he doesn't want to have Isabelle bothering us. It's going to have to be sometime after I get home from the mall with Isabelle too. I don't think that will be a problem though.
There's only going to be one problem. Luke.
