Lost part 1

I

It was dark, the glint of dawn showing a little in the small window.
The room was small, neatly organised with a bed, a set of drawers and a desk. Nothing out of the ordinary if maybe a little too clean. A picture of a woman and a young boy in a cracked frame adorned the nightstand.

The alarm of a cell phone started ringing through the silence and a prone form shifted underneath the blankets of the bed. A hand crawled out and hit the phone, hard, to stop the sound.
Jace sighed, pushing himself up on his elbows. His blond hair fell in a tangled mess over his eyes and he wiped it impatiently aside. Sliding back his covers he got out of bed. He winced, his entire body hurting, but he pushed through.
He had to hurry to get in the shower, get ready for school. Another day, another chance, his mother would have said.
It was the one thing that kept him going, the thought of his mother and hoping against hope he might see her again one day.




II

Going to school wasn’t fun…
Having to change schools in the middle of the year was pure torture!
Clarissa Fairchild, daughter to Jocelyn and step daughter to Luke, was in a seriously bad temper.
“Mom, really, why do we have to do this now? It’s the middle of the year, just let me stay here for the last few months and I’ll follow you and Luke later! Please, don’t make me do this!”
“Clary,” her mother replied,
“I know you don’t want to. And believe me I understand. But they don’t leave me a choice. I don’t want to go any more than you do. But if we don’t do this, I’ll be out of a job in no time. And there is no way we can make due just with Luke’s pay check. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yeah I do mom.” Clary sighed. Her mom had been reassigned to work in Washington, making it impossible to stay here in Brooklyn. They had to leave everything behind, start all over… the thought alone made her want to vomit.
Luke, being a cop, could start over in the local police force with little to no trouble. He always did an amazing job and they were happy to have him.
But it was she, Clary, who would have to start over from scratch in a new school. Trying to make new friends really wasn’t her favorite pastime and she hated the thought of having to leave her all time best friend Simon.

She and Simon had grown up together. They had shared all their sorrows and victories together for as long as she could remember, and now all of that would have to end.
Feeling a little depressed she turned back to her bedroom to continue packing her stuff. Most of it had been done by now, just some clothes, music and most importantly her sketchpad and pencils. Those would have to stay within reach during their journey, just to keep her mind off things.
It wasn’t school so much she was going to miss, but just the feeling of coming home to someone. Clary didn’t have a lot of friends at school. She spent her time either with Simon or in the art department.
A knock on the door distracted her.
“Yeah, come in.” Clary said.
“Hey you.” said Simon’s voice behind her. “How are you doing?”
“Oh you know, just perfect.” Clary said sarcastically. “ I only have to move to another state and leave you behind.”
“Don’t worry Clary. You’ll be just fine. We can still chat and use facetime and stuff. It’s not like we won’t be able to keep in touch, right?”
“I know, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it, does it?” Clary sighed.
“I just really don’t want to go. I don’t want to have to start all over again, you know?”
“I understand, but I know you’re going to be just fine. I heard they have a really good art program there. You’ll love it! And I’m sure you’ll make new friends in no time. You just have to have some faith in yourself.” Simon said, and gave her a hug.
“Thank you Simon.You’re the best, you know that right?”
“Yeah, you’ve told me a few times already.” Simon answered with a wink.
“Now go get ready! I want to take you out one last time before you leave in the morning.”



The water from the shower was scalding hot. As always it was just about the only thing that helped the muscles in Jace’s back to relax slightly. He checked his reflexion in the mirror, scowling at the bruises and welts that covered his back and shoulders. A harsh reminder of what had happened the night before.
“Jace!”
A shout from downstairs pulled him from his thoughts.
“Yeah Alec, what do you want?” Jace yelled back.
“It’s almost time to go. Hurry, you haven’t eaten yet. Izzy is making you breakfast.”
“I’ll be there in a minute.” he said, and turned the shower of.
He dressed, carefully checking all the bruises were covered, and downed some painkillers before he left the bathroom.
Neither Alec, his best friend, nor Izzy, Alec’s sister, knew about it. And he preferred to keep it that way.

Alexander and Isabelle Lightwood were his surrogate siblings. At the age of ten, his father had been brutally murdered and his mother disappeared. Ever since then, Jace had lived with the Lightwood family. Robert and Maryse had offered him a home and he had gratefully accepted thus avoiding the foster care system. Robert and Maryse were both top notch lawyers and that meant that they regularly left the three kids to themselves for a few days at a time. Neighbours and friends would keep an eye out for them and check if they needed anything.
“You came home late Jace” Izzy said when Jace entered the kitchen.
“Yeah sorry,” Jace replied.
“I should have called you. Things ran a little late at Valentine’s”
“Don’t worry, I just wondered if everything was ok. You seemed to come up the stairs quite heavily.”
“I stumbled, my shoelaces came undone and I hadn’t noticed”
“Sure...” Izzy said quizzically, “sure you didn’t just take to much shots?”
“Yes Izzy, I wasn’t drunk.” he replied a little tersly.
“Fine fine, I’ll leave it alone. But Jace, if you need to talk, just know I’m here, all right?”
“Thanks Izzy.” Jace said, and place a kiss on the top of her head.
He loved her, a lot. She was the sister he’d always wanted and had never had.
“Let’s go you two.” Alec said, popping his head around the door.
They set off towards school.



Clary, her mother and Luke, her stepfather were at the last part of their journey. All bags and suitcases were stuffed in a cab who was making it's way slowly towards their new home.
It was Friday, so they had the entire weekend to unpack and try to find their way around a bit.
“We're here Clary” Jocelyn said, and Clary looked up from her sketchpad. The cab had pulled up in front of a large detached house with white painted walls and lime green shutters. It was nice enough and the sun brought out the colors around nicely.
Clary got out and just soaked up the little sunlight that was filtering through the clouds. Just standing there for a moment, inhaling the fresh air. It felt nice and somehow she started to believe, just a little bit, that she might feel at home here at some point.
They hauled all their stuff inside trying to fit t all in the closets and drawers provided.
It had been a long day and Clary fell in her bed that night completely exhausted.



“Alec, did you hear about the new student coming next week?” Isabelle asked.
“No, didn't catch it. She's probably not in my year, Izzy. She'll be in your class then?”
“Probably… Jace, did you hear about it?”
“Yeah, Mr Starkweather mentioned it. She should arrive Monday, no?” Jace replied.
“Yes, I'm curious. Aren't you?”
“Not in particular. I mean, it's not the first time we get a transfer student is it?”
“I know, but it's rarely during the year…”
“Oh well, we’ll see. Anyway I have to go. Valentine is expecting me I half an hour.”
“He's tutoring you on a Sunday?” Alec asked.
“Yeah, I had some questions for our test next Wednesday and he doesn't have time before then. So I'll see you tonight.”
“Will you be home for dinner?” Isabelle asked.
“I'll probably be late, but make some for me if you want. I'll heat it when I get home.” he answered while getting up.
“All right. See you tonight.” Isabelle said and waved.
Both Alec and Isabelle went off doing their own thing. Neither of them noticed the dejected look in Jace’s eyes.

It was well passed ten at night before Jace got back home.
“Dinner is in the kitchen!” Isabelle said from the living room.
“Thanks, I'll eat later. Need a shower first.” Jace said, trying his best to sound normal so as not to alarm his sister.
His head was spinning, his back hurt and it took all he had to not faint halfway up the stairs.
He locked the bathroom door behind him. He didn't want anyone to come in seeing the state he was in now.
He turned on the shower, waiting a minute for it to heat up and in the meanwhile he gingerly stripped off his clothes. His shirt was soaked. Being a black shirt, it wasn't clear what the nature of the wetness was. Had it been any other colour of shirt, it would have been obvious that it was bright red. Stepping in the stream of the water turned the bottom of the shower crimson with running blood. He groaned when the water hit his battered back. The shower hurt like hell, but he had to get through it. He needed to wash away the feeling of the past few hours. He had to feel clean before he tried to eat something and collapse in bed.
School would be horrible in the morning...