Bridges Of Time

Chapter 1

 2004                                                                                                                                     
  Idris High, Cooperstown

The school auditorium is abuzz with excitement, students and teachers alike. They have been waiting for an announcement for days now, if not weeks, although at this point, it is hard to differentiate if it is excitement or irritation since the Student Body has been notoriously building up the suspense for some time, without actually disclosing what they have been up to.

Alec Lightwood, the Student Body President, takes to the stage, impeccably dressed in formals.

“Who wears a suit to these announcements?” Someone in the crowd, another student, mockingly comments on Alec’s outfits. “We are in high school, not the United Nations,” she dismissively adds, with an unimpressed smirk on her face as she stands at the back of the auditorium, with her hands crossed on her chest. A few students turn their heads in her direction, but she doesn’t have it in her to command their attention.

A young Asian boy, almost the same age as Alec, squeezes her shoulder, “Let it go, Camille. You’ve know him long enough to know that he’s not going to change.”

His eyes are fixated on Alec, unmoving, and he cannot help but notice how the grey tweed blazer Alec’s wearing is hugging him tightly around his biceps. The boy has been working out; those muscles are anything but natural.

Not that he has been keeping a tab on all of the rumors surrounding Alec Lightwood. He hasn’t been. He couldn’t care less about the boy if he tried. It is just impossible to not notice. That’s it.

“You really should be up there with Alec and the rest of the council. You are the Vice President,” the boy comments, dropping his bag on the floor and weight on the pillar behind him.

Camille grabs the locks of hair on her shoulder and throws it back, showcasing an air of defiance.“Please, I want nothing to do with him or his stupid ideas,” she grits, biting her lower red lip that ends up staining the edges of her teeth. “And they don’t want to include me anyway. Besides, Isabelle and Jace will work their ass off for Alec. They are so smitten by him, it’s almost laughable. Lightwood is single-handedly ruining the legacy of Idris High.”

The crowd suddenly falls silent as Alec clears his throat and adjusts the height of the mic to suit his towering self, “Good morning, everyone!”

The young boy next to Camille rolls his eyes and takes a deep breath; in the 4 years that he has known Alec, he has never seen him not being chirpy and cheerful. It is one of life’s many mysteries for him. Alec Lightwood is always insufferably cheerful, and with the most angelic smiles a human could possibly have, which he flaunts every minute he is at school, charming every student into doing whatever it is he wants done. The boy taps his feet, intently listening to what Alec has to say. “This announcement has been a long time coming. I have to thank you for your patience all these days.”

Camille sniggers again. She hates not being there. The boy next to her deduces.

“…this project—event rather—is very special to my heart. A cause that the student council feels proud to back,” he runs a hand through his hair. Why does he do that all the fucking time? Alec’s tall (very tall, insanely tall) figure is bent down to reach the mic because despite his many attempts to pull the mic up to his mouth, the mic remains short of Alec. “I am proud to announce that Idris High will be hosting its first annual fundraising gala this year.” Amid a thunderous round of applause, a large banner drops, which reads: