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Chapter 1: Starting Over

Two years ago, Clary Fray stood in Central Park under the gleaming moonlight, in a cocktail dress, her mascara running down her face.She had been crying. Clary didn't know why she was in Central Park that night, or why she had been crying.

She wasn't one to wear a dress usually, many things about that night made her curious, but none made her the more curiously shocked then finding her apartment torn to shreds; her bedroom looked like it had a mini bonfire burned in it. Nothing was left. She called the police, they said it was a home invasion, nobody survived.

She had no one left. Luke and her mom were killed in the raid, and Simon had gotten into a car crash. Eric's van stalled, and he got hit by an oncoming Mercedes. Poor Simon, she visited his grave once a week.

The next day she formally enrolled at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Then she went to many places to give them her resume.

One month later she was holding down three part time jobs, one on Saturday evening, one Monday, Wednesday, Friday, mornings before, and after school, and the last one was Tuesday, Thursday, after school. Clary rented an apartment in a dingy neighborhood because it was all she could afford. She had to pay for school, food, rent, clothes, since hers had been burned in the fire.

One year ago, she met a charming man, he was at the art show the school was putting on. He stared so intently at her, she walked towards him, she spoke to him, and he made the strangest remark: "you can see me." Then he walked away, Clary followed him into the alley. Yelled "hey I'm talking to you!" He stopped. "Jace, right?" She asked, "Yeah." He replied. She had never met this man, but she felt connected to him somehow. Clary noticed the tattoos on his neck, and asked about them, he just smirked. He asked for her number, she gave it to him, in return he gave her his.

Jace phoned Clary the next day, to see if she wanted to hang out.

Clary's POV.

Jace was so amazing, so kind, so cute. We had been dating for nearly a year now. I was getting ready for my date with Jace in an hour. I tried on my purple flowy dress, not this time. I tried on my black dress; this was the one. Jace always dressed in dark colors, I on the other hand liked to wear every color of the rainbow. I latched my charm bracelet to my wrist that Jace had given me for our six monthiversaries.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! It was Jace at the door to pick me up, what a gentleman. I opened the door, Jace gave me a kiss.

"You look so gorgeous." Jace said, it made me blush.

"You look very handsome." I said.

"YOU TWO QUIET DOWN OUT THERE, SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO READ THEIR HOROSCOPE!" Yelled Mrs. Beesly, my neighbor. She was always complaining about other people's noise, when in fact she always was yelling. It was like she was born tone deaf, and on max volume. She played her records insanely loud, when I came to ask her to turn it down, she asked me to put a muffler on my microwave, or something else weird. I am not kidding, it is like she wants everyone to be silent, yet she is the loudest person in the building. Mr. Beesly died from ear drum rupture five years ago.

"Hi Mrs. Beesly." Jace said in a voice that could melt honey.

"KEEP IT DOWN BOY!" My ear drums already hurt so I just waved at her.

"Sorry. How are you." Jace whispered.

"FINE! MY GRANDDAUGHTER IS COMING WITH HER SON TOMORROW, HE IS THE CUTEST THING IN THE WORLD!" I could tell Jace instantly regretted speaking to Mrs. Beesley.

"That's nice, have a good evening." Jace continued to whisper.

"BY THE WAY COULD YOU PULL YOUR CRISPER DRAWER OUT QUIETER, I NEED MY BEAUTY SLEEP!" Mrs. Beesly went back into her apartment, and we continued to walk down the narrow hallway. The checkered linoleum floor was chipped, the wallpaper was an ugly mustard yellow with fated lime green stripes and was peeling. I had started selling my paintings for some money, so I got to quit one of my jobs, the Saturday one.