CHAPTER FOUR — A BAD DAY.

Chapter 04.

A BAD DAY.

Clary's POV.

“Clary? Clary!”

I flinched, my pen escaping my grip as I returned to the moment.

“What are you doing?” Gracie asked, speaking through her teeth as she glanced over her shoulder. “You haven't written a thing yet. What were you thinking about?”

I glanced at the answer sheet on my desk and realized that it was as blank as my mind. Exhaling sharply, I scrubbed a hand over my face. I could have sworn that I only glanced at my wrist for a moment. Or so I thought.

However, the thought that I'd some kind of black blood all the while and no one told me anything about it just didn't make any sense.

Besides, why couldn't I have figured it on my own? I mean, there should have been situations that would have helped me realize this sooner. But then again, it was rather strange that I couldn't recall any?

Nonetheless, the foot of my chair scraped the tiled floor as I pushed it back in an attempt to pick up my pen. However, as I lowered myself and extended a hand to reach for my pen which had rolled over to the foot of Gracie's chair, I noticed a pair of black heel shoes with pointed tips.

As I lifted my head, I found Mrs Johnson standing right in front of me with a raised brow.

“Damn.” I said, muttering the words under my breath.

Aside from the fact that I'd come to realize that I was lost in my thoughts, I literally had nothing to write. Reggie wouldn't stop telling me things about the pack, leaving me with no time to read at all.

And in later end when I decided to glance through my textbook, I eventually woke up to the sound of an alarm threatening to tear my eardrums apart.

“What are you trying to do?” she asked, the wrinkles beneath her eyes taking a deeper curve. “Get up.”

Heaving a sigh, I picked up my pen and reluctantly got on my feet.

“I was only trying to get my pen which fell on the floor.” I said, with a shrug of my shoulder.

As I spoke to her, I could already feel everyone's gaze boring into my skin. Perhaps, she thought that I was trying to cheat because most often than not, students found that particular method as the best to get whatever answers they wanted from their friends. Or do otherwise.

“Really?” she asked, dropping her gaze to the blank answer sheet on my desk. “Why is it still empty? You haven't written a thing yet. Do you think this test is a joke?”

“No ma'am, I just—”

“Hand it over.” she said, cutting me off as she extended a hand towards me.

It was then I realized that she was actually moving round to collect from the others, and she'd actually collected a few.

Mine was the last she had to collect before turning her attention to the final row which was to my right. I noticed Gracie shot a subtle glare at me to plead with her to give me some time to put something down.

Perhaps, she was thinking of giving me her sheet to copy from, but that wasn't going to do. Besides, judging from the look on Mrs Johnson's face, I knew that she wouldn't give me another minute.

So, without a choice, I picked up the empty answer sheet and handed it over to her. After I did, she turned around and brought her focus to the other row.

“Are you prepared to fail?” Gracie asked, in a measured tone as she turned back to face me. “What happened? Why didn't you write anything?”

“You can't understand.” I said, barely breathing the words as I settled on my seat. “Something happened.”

“Oh yeah?” she said, making a face. “And what's going to happen now?”

“I don't know.” I said, with a shrug of my shoulder. “I guess I'll have an extra year.”

“You know what I think?” she said, looking me straight in the eyes. “Go and meet with her later on. I'm sure there's something she can do for you.”

“Clary?” — Mrs Johnson called, as she was just about leaving the class.

“Yes ma'am.” I answered, righting myself from the chair.

“See me in my office right now.” she said, her voice as hard as steel.

That said, she walked out of the class.

“What are you waiting for?” Gracie asked, sounding like that was my only chance to do better. “You should get going.”

“Alright.” I said, with a brief smile on my lips.

I walked out of the class and arrived at her office few minutes later. Inside her office, I stood behind the chairs on the opposite side of her desk with both hands clasped behind me.

“Clary, what's wrong with you?” she asked, lifting her head to me while she leaned forward in her chair with both hands on her desk. “I clearly told you what would happen if you fail this test, right?”

“Yes, ma'am you did but—”

“You will be writing it again.” she said, cutting me off with an edge to her voice. “But this time, in my office. You're dismissed.”

“Thank you ma'am.” I turned around and exited her office.

Just as I strode through the hallway returning to the classroom, the sound of the bell broke the silence, signaling the end of the day.

Before long, the others who were in the class began to leave and by the time I got in, everyone had left. I picked up my back and headed home.

Few minutes later, I arrived home. However, as I opened the door and walked in, I found Reggie lying on the couch with both legs crossed.

“What are you still doing here?” I asked, blinking my eyes rapidly in confusion. “I thought that you would have gone by now.”

“Well, I wanted to.” he said, putting his legs down as he sat upright. “But then again, I thought it wouldn't make any sense if I left without saying goodbye.”

“Well, you didn't have to wait. However, I'm here now.” I said, settling on the couch opposite him. “You can say that goodbye and be on your way.”

“I am afraid I can't just leave.” he said, the look on his face suddenly changed to a serious one.

“And why's that?” I asked, narrowing my gaze at the words. “What changed?”

“It seems like I was wrong.”

“Wrong? How do you mean?” I asked, with a look of confusion masking my face.

“The red moon appears tonight, not tomorrow night.” he said, shaking his head. “Have you made up your mind yet?”

“Are you trying to make this up right now?” I asked, blinking my eyes in confusion. “Why should I even believe you?”

“Look I can't explain to you right now.” he said, his voice reflecting the urgency of the situation. “However, we need you to make that decision right now. So what would it be? The fate of the pack rests upon your shoulders, Clary.”

“I am not doing this.” I said, with a note or firmness in my voice. “I already gave you my answer last night. So, I still don't see any reason why you're here.”

“Are you really going to allow Eric ruin the pack?”

“For goodness’ sake, can you just let me be!” I yelled, gripping the sides of my head as a flash of amber lighted my eyes. “I just failed my test. You know what that means? It means an extra year.”

My eyes burned with tears.

“Should Eric perform that ritual, do you think you'll be alive to see through that extra year?” he asked, his voice matching the hardness of his gaze. “No, you won't. You'll be long dead along with every member of the pack. And no one would even remember you. Is that what you really want?”

Exhaling sharply, I lowered my head and pushed my fingers through my hair as I blinked back tears. If their survival didn't depend on my decision, then I would have left them all to die since they sent me out here to die too. However, thinking of my parents, I knew that I'd to do the right thing.

“Get ready, we're leaving.” I said, righting myself from the couch.

I walked towards the door as my eyes shone with unshed tears.

“Where are you going to?”

I paused and turned to face him.

“Where do you think? I've got a score to settle.”