So mini celebration, I finally finished all my essays! But I still have two exams and a presentation. Anyway I hope you enjoy the chapter, I did not get time to really read it properly so sorry for any mistakes. :)
Jace's p.o.v
After school we had our detention with Mr Wayland the art teacher. We reported to his room and he directed us to the Fearless room that was going to be used as the gallery for art work. There were fake half walls against the walls and art work was divided on either side of the room. Mr Wayland walked in behind us and pointed to the left side of the room.
"So that is artwork from here, all the names of the pieces and of the artist are on plagues next to the work. They are also sorted so all of one person's work is together. On the right is art work from St Xavier's. Similar set up. St Xavier still has one more to come. I'll help you set up the walls then I'll leave and you can put up the artwork. We are doing this quickly."
With that we dropped our bags near the door and started to set up the half walls around the room where Mr Wayland told us. It did not take long before all the walls were set up.
"So I'm going to leave you to put the artwork up and the plagues. I'll be back with the last painting soon," said Mr Wayland as he left.
The door closed and we all grinned at each other it was time to put our plan into action. We could not make it obvious until Mr Wayland had brought the last painting so we started with the Alicante artwork while Jonathan got the paper we had brought out of our backpacks.
It was at least twenty minutes before Mr Wayland came back with other man carrying a large canvas. We had made sure they would not be able to see anything wrong with the artwork from St Xavier's but we still had to finish it off.
"It's looking good boys," Mr Wayland smiled. "This is Mr Garroway."
We all stopped to say hello, we might be complete pricks most of the time but we were still polite when the occasion called for Garroway stopped and looked up to greet us when he froze his eyes landing on Jon. He frowned before snapping out of it and smiled at us.
The men put the painting on one of the half walls and stepped back checking it was straight. I stood and admired the painting it was a collection of people all at a picnic. I noticed Mr Garroway was in the painting making me believe it was a personal painting.
"It is quite an amazing painting by Miss Clarissa Fairchild," Mr Wayland read off the plague as he put it up.
"Yeah, it is my favourite painting. Her mother's too, we are really proud."
They stood there for a moment longer before Mr Wayland said he would show Mr Garroway to the reception where he could meet those from St Xavier's.
They left the room and we carried on setting up our prank. We exchanged paintings and drawings from the ones we quickly drew that looked similar hiding the originals. We also hung a couple of them upside down and covered them with toilet roll. On some we used a pencil to draw horns and moustaches. I knew it could damage the work and I felt slightly guilty but this would beat anything they were planning for our other prank yesterday. It was when we got to the big, amazing painting at the back that had just been brought in that we disagreed. Sebastian was looking at it pencil in hand. Alec went up to him and put his hand on his arm.
"No, not this one. Even pencil could permanently damage the painting. At least with the others it can be taken off as there drawn in pen."
"Why not this one? We don't care about St Xavier, getting this painting would prove we are the better school. I mean we have to get this painting the best one cannot come from them," explained Sebastian with a sneer.
Jon, Alec and I all exchanged a look; we had messed with everyone's paintings sure but the one at the back was different. It could be easily permanently damaged. It would be going over the line.
"We want to be funny not completely evil," reasoned Jon.
Sebastian scoffed "You are all too soft."
"We aren't messing with this painting," I declared, "Now come one we are finshed and need to go get changed."We left the room to get ready for our performance.
We had just gotten changed when we had to greet the students from St Xavier. Jon, Alec and I where stood at the front centre of the Alicante crowd been the most popular people at the school.
"Where's Sebastian?" asked Alec.
"Not a clue," I muttered.
"I'm here," a voice suddenly said from my left as Sebastian appeared from the crowd looking far too pleased with himself. I frowned what had he done. I was then distracted by the St Xavier pupils entering the main reception. My eyes where instantly drawn to a small redheaded girl. She was gorgeous, wearing high-waisted shorts that made her legs look a mile long. I noticed she looked uncomfortable and wondered whether it was from having to come to Alicante until she seemed to get unbalanced. She straightened herself out and glared at the high heels she was wearing. My brain screamed Mine!
(Clary's p.o.v)
I swear Magnus is trying to kill me, I mean making me wear these ridiculous high heels when he knows I would not be able to walk in them. We were walking into Alicante Academy when I nearly tripped for the fifth time and I glared at my feet. I could not fall over in front of them. I looked up to see a crowd of people at the front in dead centre was the most beautiful boy I had ever seen. He was golden, yes golden, gold blond hair, gold eyes and a golden glow around him. He was staring at me with the weirdest expression on his face; he had probably seen me stumble and was trying to hold back a laugh. It was then that Amatis pulled me and the rest of The Mortal Instrument and the other musicians to the side as everyone else seemed to be herded into an auditorium. Amatis took us through a side door following a teacher from Alicante. I glanced behind me and saw the beautiful golden boy following along with various others form the crowd of Alicante students.
The teacher form Alicante turned and announced, "This is backstage, you will wait here until it is your time to go on. The Shadowhunters are going on first followed by The Mortal Instruments then the classical orchestra from Alicante Academy then the musicians from St Xavier. I'm not sure what musicians you have."
"I will sort them out," said Amatis with a smile.
"Okay then."
Amatis turned her attention to the other musicians.
"So that is the band we are up against," muttered Jordan.
"Yep, I think we can take them," Kirk joked.
"Unless the girls from our school decide they love them. I mean they're…" Eric gestured to the four boys all of whom where good looking.
"Nah," I said trying to make the boys confident, "School loyalty is better than that."
"Ahh, Headmaster here to wish your son good luck," the music teacher exclaimed.
Before anyone acknowledge the new people backstage a voice said, "Yes, Mr Morgenstern, Mr and Mrs Herondale along with Mrs Lightwood and I are here to wish our sons good luck."
I saw Amatis' head snap up which made me turn my head towards the new people but not before I saw her quick glance at me.
"Not that they need our luck," the man with white hair and dark eyes added as his eyes flicked over the room, when they landed on me I felt a chill go down my spine. Meanwhile the man who was clearly the father of the beautiful golden boy froze his eyes locked on Amatis.
It was at that point the door opened again and Luke, my mother and Mrs Lewis walked in. Luke was carrying a bag that I knew held shoes I could actually stand up in without killing my feet. He paid no attention to anyone in the room and rushed over to me.
"Clary, we've found you here," Luke passed me the bag that contained a pair of my converse while looking down at my feet. He rolled his eyes and muttered something about Magnus trying to kill me. I quickly changed my shoes noticing that the atmosphere was tense. All the adults in the room seemed to be glaring at one another. Luke had his arm around my mother's waist while the white haired man studied them. I felt his eye flit to me every so often. Luke moved closer to me almost blocking me from view.
"Jocelyn, Luke nice to see you again," the white haired man said though he did not sound like he meant it. How did he know my parents?
"Yes Valentine, likewise," Luke's voice sounded anything but sincere, "Stephen you too," he added.
"That's why you look familiar you're on the video. You're the drummer," exclaimed Simon gesturing towards the one Luke called Stephen.
The man in question looked fairly taken a back, his wife moved closer to him while his son turned to him frowning. One eyebrow raised in question. Of course he could do that, irrational irritation spread through me. I always had wanted to be able to raised one eyebrow. I got my irritation under control. Something was clearly up, now was not the time.
Mrs Lewis seemed to sense the tension and broke the silence that had settled after Stephen's startled look. "So is this the band for Alicante?"
Mr Lightwood quickly responded "Yes this is Sebastian Verlac, Alec Lightwood, Jace Herondale and Jonathan Morgenstern. The Shadowhunters," he sounded fairly proud as he gestured to each boy in turn. So the golden boy's name was Jace.
"And this is Jordan Kyle, Simon Lewis, Eric Hillchurch, Matt Charlton, Kirk Duplesse and Clay Fairchild. The Mortal Instruments."
There was silence once again before the music teacher from Alicante spoke. "We will be ready to begin in a minute." He was clearly trying to break the tension in the room.
Stephen cleared his throat before he started to user his wife out of the door.
"So are we all going to pretend that nothing is going on here?" questioned the golden boy, Jace I corrected myself.
Stephen sighed "It would be better."
The white blond haired boy, Jonathan snorted "I thought the point of all this was for everyone to get along."
"Well somethings cannot be forgiven," my mother said sadly with a hint of pain in her voice as if the situation was not already confusing enough.
"She looks just like you Jocelyn," Valentine said darkly.
I could tell my mother was glaring at him without been able to see her face. Before anyone else could say anything Stephen laughed slightly and said in a forced cheerful voice "Yeah she does and while I would never doubt my son…" I am pretty sure everyone in the room saw Amatis wince at the words, "but if she is anything like you when she sings well…" He shrugged but did not finish the sentence, he did not need to we understood. I saw the boys form The Shadowhunters all exchanged glances. Jace's eyebrow rose once again and I was pretty sure I was beginning to really dislike that eyebrow.
No one had time to response all the adults except the music teacher from Alicante and Amatis were ushered out of the door throwing good lucks over their shoulders. The Shadowhunters were ushered on to the stage to a cheer form Alicante students.
They started to play and …
Oh no they were good!