They All Want You

Chapter 1 (Jace)

A shout out to MidnightRose55 for the amazing cover!

This chapter is 2 years before the prologue and the story will continue until it circles back to the prologue. Also, the chapter will alternate between Jace's POV and Evelyn's. Hope this clears everything up!

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I raced down the hallway as fast as I could, my lungs burning from running for so long. My shoes squeaked loudly and I skidded a little across the overly polished tile floors. As I zig-zagged through the hallways of the massive school, I let my thoughts wander to the events of this morning.

"Get the hell out of here!" he screamed, shoving me out the door, his pudgy face red as a tomato and his beady eyes bloodshot after drinking the whole night. I started walking away, shrugging my backpack onto my shoulders and rolling my eyes as he continued shouting at my retreating figure, "You should've been grateful I took you in, boy, and this is what you do? I won't have you staying under my roof till you decide to give me some damn respect!"

And with that he slammed the front door with such force that the entirety of his tiny, rundown house trembled due to his fury.

"Respect my ass," I grumbled to myself then ran a hand down my face in frustration and sighed. I had gotten myself kicked out of this foster home in one day. Granted, the guy was a class-A jerk - he only took me in because he'd get tax refunds for caring for a foster child - but still; Gigi would be so disappointed with me.

Gigi was my adorable grandma. With her worn out woolen sweaters, wire spectacles, curly gray hair, and frail body; she was the classic American grandma, meaning she was the sweetest old lady I'd ever met. And of course, I thought the world of her. That was why I couldn't bear to think of the sad, disappointed look she'd give me when I walked into her hospital ward that day and told her I just got kicked out of my seventh foster home and in record time too.

She'd understand that I couldn't live with a 50 year old man who got piss drunk every night, but she would still be worried about my situation. Ever since the hospital admitted her for her lung cancer, I've been shifted from one foster home to another, each place even shittier than the one before.

I groaned and plopped down on the bench I came across. I didn't want Gigi to worry about me; it would just make her condition worse. After just sitting there for fifteen minutes, staring blankly as the rising sun peeked out over the hills, I decided I might as well catch up on some sleep since the loud music playing in pudgy-faced-man's house kept me up the entire night.

Which was why I was late to my first day at the prestigious Dalton Prep. I overslept (the bench was actually quite comfortable) and even though I supposed Dalton was just like any other school - except the fact that everyone here would be a filthy rich snob instead of a regular snob - I assumed the teachers would be more strict about attendance and tardiness.

So when a homeless fellow shook me awake, saying I was sleeping on his bench, I immediately raced towards the school, pumping my legs as fast as I could. It took me a good thirty minutes to reach the school and find my class and by then, I was completely winded. What? Running five miles in one go is pretty hard, okay?

I entered my first class with a bang; literally, I was so tired that I accidentally slammed into the door causing it to open with a loud BAM! and making everyone in the room turn to stare at me. Luckily, the teacher was pretty chill, so she didn't glare at me or anything but instead gave me a warm smile. The students, however, were all gawking at me like I was some sort of alien species.

All except for one girl. She had her wavy blond hair pulled into a messily done braid and had the most startling gray eyes I've ever seen. She was sitting in the back and unlike the other students, she was instead looking at me like I was a puzzle and she was trying to figure me out. Her sad eyes reminded me of Gigi's and for a moment, the pain of seeing Gigi lying in the hospital bed all day and not being able to move overwhelmed me.

I quickly snapped back to reality and with all those eyes glued on me, I straightened up and plastered a smile on my face.

"Sorry, Mrs. Rhodes," I apologized, rubbing a hand on the back of my neck.

"I was running late, so..."

"No problem, Jace," Mrs. Rhodes replied kindly. "My students here are taking a quiz right now, so seeing as this is your first day here, you are free to either stay here or leave and get more acquainted with the school."

"I think I'll stay here for now. I need a nap," I muttered the last part to myself; the three hours of sleep I got last night wasn't enough. I walked to the back of the class and slumped into the seat next to the blond haired girl since she was the only one who didn't look at me weird when I walked into the room.

I gave her a small smile when she looked at me, and once again, her soulful grey eyes reminded me of Gigi. My heart clenched in despair; Gigi was the only family I had left, and the thought of her leaving me soon was too much to bear.

I squeezed my eyes shut and got myself to relax after a few seconds. I kept my eyes closed and was about to fall asleep when I felt something lightly touch my arm. I straightened up in my seat and blinked a few times, adjusting my eyes to the glaring lights that lit up the room.

That's when I noticed two things. One: the blond haired girl was gone and two: there was a blue sticky note folded neatly into a tiny square right next to where my hand was. I carefully unfolded the note and what I read made my blood run cold.

I'm really sorry about your parents. Losing them must have been really hard for you.

Also, give your grandma my best wishes. Cancer is tough to beat, but it's not impossible.

Keep your head up Jace and don't forget to smile :)

Without thinking, I jumped out of my seat and dashed out of the classroom. Mrs. Rhodes called after me but I wasn't paying attention to her. My mind was racing, a thousand questions whizzing through my brain.

How did she know so much about me? Did someone tell her all this? Did she know my parents? Did she know me? Why did she ...

But all those questions lead to one single question:

Who was she?

I turned around in a circle trying to figure out which way the girl went, but by then, she was long gone.