***************** Chapter 3 *******************

"Jace." Clary whispered.

He made a sleepy grunt in response. Clary couldn't help but smile at her golden eyed brother. She admired how Jace could fall asleep almost anywhere. Today it was nestled between two branches high up in an old tree next to her.

"Jace do you think Jonathan will find us?" she whispered.

They had been training ruthlessly all week and were finally given the day off to relax. Clary still had the bruises from yesterday's sparing match laced up and down her arms. Jace went easy of her during sparing but Jonathan refused to baby her. He always told her that a demon wouldn't go easy on her so why should he? Though Clary bet that most demons would not be as fast or as strong as her biological brother.

Her mother was out of the house visiting allied shadowhunter families whom her father had drawn to their cause today. Clary loved her mom more than anything and she knew her mother enjoyed anytime she got away from the house but training with Valentine was so much worse when she was gone. Despite it being almost nine years since Clary and her mother were brought here, her father was still paranoid that his wife would leave him again. Jocelyn wasn't allowed to leave without Emil and Samuel escorting her. She promised Clary that she would be back in time for her birthday this Saturday. Oh her birthday. A part of her was not looking forward to getting older.

Her father was still looking for the Mortal Cup and he couldn't wait till his children came of age in order to help him in the endeavor. He had already dragged Jonathan and Jace off on a few missions to 'get there feet wet.' The boys would come back telling her stories that made her skin crawl. She wasn't looking forward to the day she would join the circle. No, as a matter of fact she hated the circle and what her father was doing; they all did. However there was nothing that she or her siblings could do about it.

She looked down at the beautiful young man in front of her. Clary was turning sixteen and was starting to fill out as a woman. She found she needed to start wearing bras and that she had to deal with other monthly problems. She was hoping her body would curve out more but overall everything seemed confusing. She was still a shadowhunter but now she kept noticing that things were different. Jonathan and Jace looked at her differently now. She often caught them or other boys looking at her chest or butt. She couldn't help but feel annoyed by it.

Clary was glad that her father didn't hold her back from anything because she was a girl. He still trained her fiercely and allowed her to participate in anything her brothers did. However, she had noticed that he never beat her like Jace or especially Jonathan. As a matter of fact he had never beaten her at all. He had given her mild spankings when she was younger but never went beyond that. She wished she could say the same for her brother Jonathan. Her father had told them that Jonathan had demon blood in him when she was ten and that he needed a heavy hand to guide him.

Jonathan struggled with that knowledge and she knew a part of him hated himself. After all Shadowhunters are supposed to kill demons and here he had greater demon blood in him. This didn't make Clary or Jace love him any less. Ragnor Fell and Magnus Blane were half demon and she didn't think they were evil. Of course she never really met Magnus Bane since she was a very little girl but she knew he was one of her mother's good friends. Ragnor Fell would make her special treats when she was little and her mother would take her along on her errands. That didn't seem like something someone evil would do. No she didn't think Jonathan was evil but she could never say that to her father. The kids and their mother didn't share their father's hatred of Downworlders.

Jace sighed lightly still deep in sleep as Clary brushed a stray lock of hair away from his face. Jace was handsome and caring. She couldn't blame all of the girls for chasing him. Hell she would probably jump in bed with him if he wasn't her brother. Lately Clary had been getting a lot of attention from many of her father's friend's sons. A part of her was flattered at the idea of being desirable but another part was just annoyed. She wasn't interested in any of them despite their best efforts. Her father seemed to encourage these meetings and get together where boys were present. His eyes were always on her analyzing her movements and waiting to see if any of these men stirred a reaction in her. Valentine was obsessed with blood purity; the irony. He wanted strong heirs and apparently decided to start from youngest to oldest on the betrothal negations. His constant pushing was putting her in a sour mood where everything seemed to annoy her lately. Spending time with her brothers put her in a better mood though. Which gave her a devious idea if Jonathan would ever come and find them.

"What is taking him so long? Maybe we're just too good at hiding from him?" She muttered at the unconscious Jace.

She heard a low chuckle from above her as her head shot up to find out the source of that noise. Her eyes quickly met with a pair of dark eyes filled with mischief.

"Or maybe your brother is just too good at finding you." He replied slyly jumping down on the branch to join her.

He was so quick and graceful like a cat. She hated how easy he made everything look.

"How long have you been up there?" she demanded crossing her arms in a pout.

"For a while now." He grinned.

"Cheater! I know you used a silence ruin!" she scolded.

"All is fair in love, war, and hide and seek my dear sister. Though I think we might be getting too old for this game." He added sweetly.

"One is never too old for hide and seek Jonathan." Clary smiled. Jonathan always seemed to put her in a good mood.

"What do you think we should do with Sleeping Beauty over here?" she asked mischievously. Jonathan chuckled once more and grinned proudly.

"You are so my sister!" he replied.

She smiled in return. Lately she had felt the urge to pick on her older brother Jace. She often felt like hitting him or just doing anything to get his goat. Jonathan was quite the prankster and didn't mind helping her in the least. Though he didn't seem to question why Clarissa would also pick on Jace sparing him the torture. Then again Jonathan was the master of pranks and had won the title fair and square. Clary still remembered the time Jace and she had replaced one of his sparing blades with a rubber one. He went to attack a sparing dummy and the fake blade flew out of his hand. Valentine let him have it before picking up the blade and realizing something was amiss. Their father looked directly at the two, shook his head and left telling Jonathan that he entrusted his sibling's punishment to him. It so wasn't worth the payback. Jonathan had dyed both of their sparing gear pink the night before a hunt. Try blending into the forest wearing bright pink.

"We could put a duck on his lap?" she giggled trying to whisper into Jonathan's ear.

"Only if you want to die a painful death." Jace replied sternly.

Oh darn it! He had woken up. That's what they get for not acting quickly.

"Good morning Sleeping Beauty. Did you have a nice nap waiting for your prince to wake you?" Jonathan grinned.

"Rather be Sleeping Beauty than Snow White pale face." Jace jested.

"Well if your waiting for Clary or I to kiss you and wake you from your slumber you will be waiting for a while princess or should we go find some faeries?" Jonathan countered.

Clary blushed slightly. The idea of kissing Jace should disgust her but lately she was feeling weird around him. Little things made her jumpy and felt awkward. She could sleep in the same bed with Jonathan no problem but Jace was another story. Even a hug sent unfamiliar shivers down her body. Jace seemed to catch on that something was off and they rarely touched anymore. She just chalked it up to hormones but it was still frustrating.

"Oh go eat a poisoned apple Jonathan!" Jace snapped back.

Jace got up and leaned on the trunk grinning at his brother.

"Well…" Clary started. "If you're both cross dressing princesses does that mean I should be the prince?"

She never got an answer because at that moment they spotted their father walking through the brush. Valentine looked up and motioned for her to come down. Clary hesitated.

"Clarissa Adele Morgenstern!" her father called impatiently. Clary was feeling gutsy and jumped down to the lowest branch. Being around Jace for too long made her lose her common sense something.

"Valentine…uh," she hesitated looking at her father. He didn't look pleased at being addressed by his first name.

"Do you even have a middle name father?" she asked curiously.

Valentine just nodded his head in exasperation. Clary looked at him and took the final leap to land beside him.

"I want you to practice creating ruins, let's go." He commanded sternly.

Clary sighed. "Really dad! I thought you said that today was a day off." She complained.

Only Clary could get away with back talking to her father like this. Jace and Jonathan would have been smacked. It probably had to do with that fact that she looked so much like her mother. That and he didn't want to anger Jocelyn.

"I remember telling the boys they had the day off from training. I don't seem to remember including you in that decision." He replied intently.

"But you work so hard father. You deserve a day off too. Why don't we all go somewhere and have a nice relaxing dinner or something?"

"Nice try but your persuasive arguments will not work on me Clarissa." Valentine retorted before turning to leave.

Clary knew better not to test his patience any further. She looked up at her brothers faces. Clearly they didn't like the idea of losing her company either. She waved a swift goodbye to them before and following her father into the house.

"So, now what do we do?" Jace asked his brother ten minutes later.

"I think we should break our sister out." He sighed.

"Why do you always want to do stuff that will get us in trouble? No offense but I don't want to get beaten… again. Is it too much as ask to space out the beatings just a little bit?" Jace said.

"I can take it." Jonathan shrugged.

"Come on Jonathan! Are those whip marks even healed yet? Do you want to make Clary cry again?" Jace snapped.

Last time Jonathan snuck out their father gave him one of the worse beatings of his life. He whipped him with a demon whip so the cuts wouldn't heal. Clary had come into the room just as their father was finishing. She rushed over to Jonathan and began sobbing hysterically. Jonathan hadn't heard her cry like that since she was a little girl the first night Valentine brought her here. Jace was frozen and couldn't seem to move. Their father just stood there, cold and unmoving looking down at his daughter. Clary slowly got up from the floor and turned to face their father. Wet tears flew down her face as she slowly approached Valentine. It all happened in an instant. Clary lunged and hit their father in the face. Valentine was completely caught off guard which allowed her to get another good hit to his face in before Jace grabbed her and held her back.

Their father was furious and for the first time in Jace's life he feared for his Clarissa's safety. Jonathan obviously felt the same way.

"Clarissa!" Jonathan yelled.

Clary seemed to lose it again. She looked at her bloody brother on the floor and began to sob; hiding her face in Jace's chest. Jace held her tightly and still keeping a protective stance.

"You will pay for that my daughter." Valentine hissed.

Clary was still sobbing into Jace's chest. Taking a moment to comprehend what he said before turning to look at their father. Her eyes were puffy and fresh tears still streamed down her cheeks.

"Now I know why mom left you." She whispered.

Valentine's eyes widened in shock and anger. Jace tighten his grip on his sister.

"How could you hurt your own son like this? You're not my father, you're a monster!"

Their father's eyes were furious and wild. Jace prepared himself for a fight when Jocelyn stepped out from the doorway. Clearly she just got home and had probably been listening to the fight.

"Valentine." She called.

He looked at his wife trying to control his anger. It was clear he was losing the battle of his temper.

"Come here darling, before you lose your temper. We can talk about this in the morning." She said as soothingly as possible. Their father hesitated and seemed to be fighting to come to a decision. Jocelyn walked up and kissed her husband on the lips softly.

"Please darling."

Valentine nodded not trusting himself to speak. Jocelyn smiled as sweetly as she could manage.

"Clary, Jace and Jonathan you are all grounded until your father and I discuss a proper punishment for your actions. Do I make myself clear?" she commanded.

The kids knew when they're mother was lying and when she was not. She often covered for them so their father wouldn't punish them. They knew this was an act and they knew it was in there best interests to play along. All three bowed their head and nodded submissively.

"Good now get him cleaned up." She commanded leading their father out of the room.

Jace had helped Clary lift Jonathan up and took him to his bedroom. They laid her on the bed on his stomach as Clary got soap, clean water, and a sponge to clean him up. Jonathan stayed still and didn't move or say anything. Clary slowly took the sponge and lightly cleaned the fresh blood away. Once done she picked up her Steele and drew a powerful iratze on each whip line. The cuts seemed to close themselves but did not heal completely. They all knew that they would never really heal given that they were inflicted with demon steel. It was only thanks to Clary's powerful ruins that they were healed at all.

Once that was done Clary leaned down and kissed each lash mark softly; finally realizing the tears she had been holding back since entering the room.

"No amount of kisses will make them better love." Jonathan said softly.

This didn't detour Clary at all. She continued the trail until she leaned down and kissed Jonathan on the cheek.

"I love you." She whispered against his skin.

Jonathan's big dark eyes opened to look at her. She was small, loving and beautiful. His sister was perfect.

"I love you too Clarissa." He replied softly taking in her scent.

"Do you want us to stay and keep watch while you sleep?" Jace asked.

Jonathan hadn't realized that he was gripping Jace's hand. He must have grabbed it when Clary was cleaning his wounds. He quickly released it and sighed.

"No I'm good. I just need to sleep."

Jace nodded his head leaving the room but Clary refused to go. She crawled into the bed on his opposite side and slowly grabbed his hand; intertwining her fingers with his. That was the last thing he remembered before dozing off to sleep.

Things calmed down after that but Clary's disgust didn't. She hated Valentine from that moment on. She even asked Jonathan to teach her how to control her facial emotions so she could hide her emotions better. Now they were standing in a tree while their father would probably force Clarissa to practice ruins until she collapsed with exhaustion. No, they needed a plan.

Someone slammed the back door and was running towards them. It was Clary and she was visibly upset. She ran to the tree they were still standing in and stopped abruptly.

"Follow me!" she yelled before taking off again.

Jonathan and Jace were behind her in an instant. They must have ran a good three miles before Clary finally fell to the ground in pure exhaustion. She was trying to catch her breath as her brothers approached.

"Clary! What the hell happened?" Jonathan huffed.

She sat up and took another minuet to even out her breathing before answering.

"Father wants to send me to some finishing school that many of his follower's daughters are putting on." She spat.

The boys looked at her dumbfounded.

"Wait, What! Why?" Jonathan asked.

"He is trying to get me dolled up so I'm a good catch for one of his hormonal son's followers!" she hissed. "He wants me to go off for a few months and then marry me off when I get home."

Jonathan was turning red with anger but Jace didn't say anything.

"Maybe it's for the best." Jace spoke finally breaking the silence.

Jonathan and Clary looked at him dumbfounded. He looked at their faces and tried to explain.

"You know mom would never go for marrying you off to some stranger Clary but the school might not be a bad idea. I mean sure it will be disappointing for you to leave but getting out for a few months might do you some good." He stuttered.

Jonathan and Clary just continued to look at him, not knowing what to say. They couldn't believe he was agreeing with their father! Jace felt the pressure and began rambling.

"Ugh, I mean….it's not like we are never going to see you again and…. you could use some finishing! You're not like other shadowhunter girls….I mean your strong but you're not really a girl. You don't wear makeup, or get dolled up or look pretty in-"

Slap!

Jace fell backwards landing on the grass and holding his check in shock. Clary stood over him. Her hand was raised and she was struggling to hold back the tears that laced her eyes. Jonathan looked at her in surprised but didn't move.

"I'm sorry I'm not pretty or your kind of girl…." She left the sentence hanging in the air as she ran back towards the house.

Jace gazed after her. Jonathan took a step and turned to look at him.

"You just messed that up big time." He said. Jace didn't respond. "For the record, I think my sister is more beautiful than any of those girls you had fun with in Paris."

"Don't you mean our sister?" Jace asked.

Jace couldn't help but be afraid that Jonathan was going to disown him. He was afraid he would kick him out of the family now. Hell at this point Clary would probably pack his bags and throw them out the door. He couldn't lose both of them. Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut?

"I will always consider you my brother even if it isn't by blood." Jonathan replied guessing Jace's thinking.

"Thanks..." Jace signed in relief holding his hand out for his brother to help him up. Jonathan didn't move or extend his arm though.

"You see that's the thing about blood. One can't marry ones blood sister. However, it's not against the rules to love your adoptive sister is it?" He whispered.

Jonathan's black eyes pierced Jace's gold. His message was very direct and very clear. Jace didn't know what to say. Did Jonathan want him to marry Clarissa because he couldn't have her himself? Jonathan moved and began running after Clary leaving Jace in the grass full of questions and completely stunned.