Disclaimer: Still no news from my demons, I think they are putting up a good fight with Cassandra Clare's!

Chapter 8: Torture can be Nice

Clary's Point of View

After we were done eating – which was quite tense and silent afterwards – we went to Izzy's room to hang out.

We talked about everything, well everything except her step-brother. Finally, Izzy stopped beating around the bush; Izzy never really just hung out with someone without doing something to them. Dress them up. Make them go shopping with her. Fix their hair. Something. Anything. But this time, Izzy didn't do any of it, which was quite a shock.

I thought that maybe because of my situation, Izzy might spare me from her 'fun'. It was basically torture. Everything was fine when Izzy had the need to ask me something as a 'favor'. A 'favor' for Izzy was do it or else you will get your ass whooped.

"Clary?" she asked me. From the tone she used, I could tell that something was already up. I had a feeling that she was beating around the bush before. Uh oh, I thought, panicking. This is not good.

"Yeah," I responded, struggling to keep my voice natural and light.

"I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to go shopping with me!" Izzy said excitedly, clapping her hands together. Normally, I would have been a sucker and done it because she looked so enthusiast and expectant that I couldn't refuse. Not this time. I really can't do that now, and she should know that.

I clearly stated to her on multiple occasions that I hate going shopping with her yet she keeps dragging me with her. It was like she didn't get the message. It was pure torture. I sighed. "Do I have to?" I asked, sounding defeated even in my own ears. At least it wasn't a totally yes yet which was better than usual.

"Of course you do!" Izzy exclaimed. I prepared myself for her speech. The boys don't have taste and I don't like going alone and blah blah blah. "You need something to wear!" Izzy babbled.

"For..." I trailed off, looking at her in anticipation.

Izzy clapped her hand over her mouth dramatically, as if trying to hold it in. "We are going clubbing! It's so going to make you feel better!" Izzy finally had burst out, looking like a little girl that got her dream doll house, eyes twinkling.

Then again, she basically did get everything she wants. She looked like she was trying not to do a little happy dance right then and there, thinking it was the best thing anyone could ever do to make someone feel better.

"Oka- wait, what?" I asked, bewildered.

"We are going clubbing! Aren't you excited?" Izzy glanced at me as if it was suppose to be a dream come true and that there was something seriously wrong with me if I didn't.

"But I don't want to go!" I whined, knowing that this was the best I could do to stop her.

"Why not? It's for you, and it's going to be fun!"

"Well, I don't want to go."

"C'mon!" Izzy pleaded. I shook my head. Pouting Izzy begged, "Please? I did you a favor, do me one. Pleaseeee?" She finally turned on her puppy dog face after I didn't say anything. She knew I was a sucker for those; I hate when people guilt tripped me. Her warm dark blue eyes melted my heart. Well, I guess I did owe her since she did save me from Jace.

"Fine," I sighed out. Izzy squealed, oblivious to my discomfort. "When are we going?" I asked, wanting to know when the torture was going to begin. Maybe I would just 'happen' to be busy during that day.

"That's the spirit! Well, we are going tomorrow but we'll go shopping today," Izzy replied merrily.

"Wait…we are going shopping today?" I glanced at the time. It was rapidly becoming late afternoon and I had to be home by dinner.

"Yeah, don't worry. If we take too much time, you can just eat dinner here but I doubt it will take that long."

"Are you sure?" I asked, not wanting to really wanting to stay over for dinner; that would mean that I would see Jace and I couldn't deal with that tonight. Maybe, if I had another night, I would bear it. Until then, I couldn't. I knew I was running away from this but I couldn't help it. I'm just simply delaying it as much as possible, I thought, trying to convince myself that I wasn't running away from it and failing miserably. I was a coward. A big one at that. I bet Jace could deal with seeing me. Yeah, well, he broke up with me! I thought bitterly.

"Yeah, you will get home by dinner, don't worry Clary," Izzy reassured me, guessing my thoughts.

"Fine. The sooner we go, the sooner we come back. Let's go."

.o.O.o.

"Here, try these one," Izzy commanded as she gave me an armful of dresses.

"Izzy, I don't have time for all of these!" I complained. "We have been to like thirty different stores and I still didn't find a dress! I need to go home soon."

"Fine, last store, and we have only been to ten!" Izzy paused. "If we don't find a dress here – that I approve of – then we are going to have to continue tomorrow," Izzy warned.

I groaned as I headed into the changing room, might as well try to get this over today. I don't know if I can handle another day like this! I picked up the first dress, a strapless black dress that looked about two sizes too small and extremely clingy. It could probably pass off for a shirt by the length of it. I self-consciously put it on, sighing. What did I get myself into? I thought warily.

I looked in the mirror. It was way too short. It did show off my delicate curves nicely but it was made for people like Izzy: big chest, skinny waist, nice hips. I had to resist the urge to pull the dress down every five seconds. It barely made it a fourth down my legs. I was pretty sure that it was suppose to be a shirt now.

I stepped outside towards Izzy. "Well?" I asked as I spread my arms out.

"Twirl," she commanded. I twirled slowly for her once. Izzy shook her head. "Nope," she rejected, popping the 'p'.

I sighed even though I was secretly glad and robotically changed into the next dress. It was like this at every single store for every single dress and by now, I knew the drill. There wasn't one dress, not one single one that Izzy liked let alone loved. She found her dress in the third store we went to and I got to admit, it had looked perfect on her. Not that everything already didn't.

Her dress was a deep blue matching her eyes, setting it off perfectly. It had tiny spaghetti straps and it was a short clingy dress, showing off her curves beautifully. I sighed, knowing that I looked like nothing like how she would in a dress like that.

I looked up to see the dress that I had absent mindedly put on. It was a ruby red dress that was only slightly darker than my own hair that reached mid-thigh. This had to be the longest dress Iz has put on me so far, I thought. It was a halter that was backless. I had to admit, it was a pretty dress but I didn't think that it looked good on me.

I opened to door again and twirled in front of Izzy before she could tell me to. When I faced her again, she had a look that said 'I'm deep in thought, don't disturb me'. She stared at me again and I shuffled my feet uncomfortably. So this is how animals in zoos feel, I thought. Izzy finally slowly shook her head.

"It's okay but I don't think that it's the best it would be for you," she said, nodding to herself when she said that.

"You said its okay, then let's get it, it's the only dress that you liked so far!" I jabbered, not caring that I personally didn't really like the dress but apparently Izzy knows more than me. Okay, not apparently, more like a she definitely knows more than me. "I'm not trying to impress someone here." The look on Izzy's face said otherwise.

"Izzy..."I warned her.

"What?" I just continued looking at her. "You don't need to impress others, but don't you want to impress yourself? Look good for the sake of looking good?" she asked me, her tone implying that it was a rhetorical question. But really, she was taking me clubbing to make me meet new people, people that would take my mind off Jace. "Besides, too much red anyways," she added on. True that, I thought mentally, not wanting to admit it to her.

I mumbled fine and went back to in the dressing room to change into the third dress in the store that also happened to be the last. I was surprised that there weren't more dresses for me to chance into; Izzy usually picked out about a dozen. No wonder the load was considerably lighter this time.

I changed into the last dress, not looking at it until I was done changing into it. I gasped when I put it on. Somehow, it made me look impossibly good.

It was black and a deep green dress that matched my eyes and made them pop. It was black and skin tight until the end of my chest and it hugged the rest of my body in a velvety looking green. It was a strapless dress that had shining green and black beads – mostly green – that matched the colors on the dress criss-crossed down my otherwise bare back. It was slightly longer than mid-thigh and made my curves look curvier.

I gaped at myself a little longer in the mirror until I finally stepped out. I really hopped Izzy liked this one – it was the best by far. I stood there for Izzy to critique me and she made a twirling motion with her hand, and I obeyed. I heard Izzy gasping slightly as she took in my back and I smiled inwardly. I was so going to get this dress.

When I faced her, Izzy's face was emotionless. "No," she said and I felt my heart sinking. She continued, "one should look that good in a dress. It's unnatural."

I felt my heart leap out for joy. I calmly asked despite the excitement coursing through my veins, "A yes then?"

"Of course! Aren't you glad that you went through all those shops? Otherwise you never would have found this," she waved her hand towards the dress.

"Thanks Izzy," I grinned at her.

"Of course, my pleasure."

"I'm sure it is," I said out loud, not really meaning to voice my thoughts. Izzy just grinned, as if it was a compliment.

.o.O.o.

After we headed back to the Institution – we were actually early, surprise surprise – and Izzy insisted that she would keep the dress since it could, and I quote 'get ruined – knowing you – get stolen or you could lose it'. Psh, I bet she just wanted to admire it some more, I thought knowing that it wasn't really true.

Izzy found a perfect matching green and black bracelet that was made out of tiny little beads. At first, I thought it was two different bracelets that Izzy stuck together but turns out it's basically just a row of green tiny beads and a row of black beads that twisted around each other, making it look totally cool. It was like a braid with only two strands.

There was matching earring to it too, looking just like the bracelet except dangling down. Then, she told me to bring the black five inch stilettos that she had got me over tomorrow and if I didn't, she'll skin me alive which I didn't doubt for a second.

I headed home after that, passing the area that I got through this morning, whispering the words under my breath and then I was near the Hermes statue. I saw the sun sinking down and I walked faster, not wanting Jocelyn to be mad at me for being late. I wondered if Izzy told my mom about going clubbing but she probably didn't. Maybe I could stay over at the Institution, I hoped, crossing my fingers.

"Mom! Luke! I'm home," I shouted as I entered through the front door.

"Clary, just in time for dinner!

.o.O.o.

After having a rather uneventful but pleasant dinner of mashed potatoes and chicken, I headed upstairs, wondering why my parents were acting all giggly during dinner and said that I could go clubbing and sleep at the Institution. I was shocked; they didn't even let me live in the Institution so it was easier to train. They never even let me sleep over at the Institution unless it was an absolute emergency when I was in the infirmary or something.

I bet if I asked them if I could live in the Institution they would let me. Partly due to the fact that me and Jace broke up – I cringed inwardly at that – but I had a feeling that whatever they were happy about was something big.

I grabbed my sketch pad that I finally got back. I was so sure that I left it in Jace's bedroom, but Izzy had said that Maryse had found it in the library or something of that sort. Either I was wrong – which I was pretty sure that I wasn't – or Izzy was lying to me for some reason. I guess she was trying to be a good friend and not tell me where it was because of what recently happened, but I could take it. Or maybe I really did leave it somewhere else but I really doubted the latter.

I decided to draw the picture that I took mentally. It was the night Jace broke up with me, when the moonlight was pouring into the house like sliver rain. It was a magnificent image and my fingers itched to begin.

After I was done drawing, I stretched out my fingers, pleased with the way it came out. I didn't get all the details but it still looked pretty amazing. The moonlight filtering through the window came out better than I thought it would. I made the curtains swaying a bit more to make it more dramatic and the stars bigger, making it look perfect.

My phone buzzed just as I finished. I looked down to see that Simon had texted me. My heart leaped before slamming back into my chest. I still didn't let him know what happen, and the later I tell him the angrier he'll be but I didn't know when to tell him!

I flipped open my phone and saw what Simon had typed Hey, what's up? My fingers rapidly ran over the keys. Hi! Nm, wbu? A few seconds later I got a reply back. Nm, bored. Are you going to Pandemonium tom.? Wait… I knew I was going clubbing tomorrow, but was it at Pandemonium? Probably, if Izzy was involved with this, she would definitely take her boyfriend. And we did go to the Pandemonuim a lot, but I wasn't sure if Izzy would take me there since that was the first time I saw them.

I'm going with clubbing with Izzy tom. I got a reply almost instantly. Yeah, so we are all going to the same place? Sick. I rolled my eyes. I really don't why boys say 'sick' instead of cool. Like, what's up with that? Just say cool if you mean cool, not that hard. Yup, whatcha wearing? Something nice Si! I texted him. Yeah, yeah. You know Iz would kill me if I didn't. Don't worry abt that. Hey, ctrn, I needa go. Ttyl Clary. Simon texted back. LOL, yeah! Aw, okay. Have fun with w.e. you're doing. Txt me later if you can =) I replied, sighing. So, hopefully, he didn't know yet otherwise he would be mad at me and wouldn't be texting me...but there was still the issue of telling him. I'll probably just tell him tomorrow, he's bound to find out sooner or later and he's going to notice that I wasn't with Jace.

Sighing, I decided to go to sleep early, it was getting late anyways. If I just stayed awake, I would think about tomorrow and training, and I couldn't do that just yet.

After ten minutes in bed, I couldn't take it anymore. I just couldn't fall asleep and letting my mind wander isn't a good thing lately. I picked up a book from my nightstand and started reading it.

Before I knew it, it was late at night and my eyelids were dropping. Yawning, I closed the light and crawled into bed, falling asleep instantly.

Okay, for all that don't know the abbreviation for the texting:

Nm- Nothing much

Wbu- What about you?

Tom. – Tomorrow

Ctrn – Can't talk right now

Ttyl – Talk to you later

w.e. – Whatever

txt – Text

I did it like this because I thought that people might not know but that's how people text these days so I thought doing that would make it more realistic.

Okay, so I know, one of my shorter chapters but it was sort of like a filler. I got something big planned out =) Please review? I was disppointed with the number of reviews I got since we didn't meet the goal =/ New goal: 57? Please? Note: I am having a secret word (btw, it's sliver rain) but I don't have in mind what the teaser might be as I usually do. But you will still get a teaser. Thanks to those who said 'waffles' last time.

If you have an questions, just ask =) And if anything is wrong or something, also tell me =D

P.S. Check out the stories I beta for: Bookninja's Raziel Academy, Coolxnerd's You Should Have Stayed and MollyGM's City of Bones Jace POV! They are all really interesting so check it out!

Reviews are like my oxygen, without it I will die. You don't want me to die, do you? So please review? (See, I even came up with a clever thingy) See, my notes have gotten shorter, I fulfilled my promise! Aren't you proud of me? I tend to babble aha.

Question: Anyone else's traffic get messed up?

***Reminder: This is set AFTER City of Glass and BEFORE City of Fallen Angels. And don't forget to review please!