Hey, FanFiction-ers!

So, I've been reading for a long time now, but this is my first story, so take it easy on me. Is it weird to be nervous? I guess it just feels weird to have people seeing my stories.

This is about an OC and an OC, but the TMI characters are main characters as well.

Wow, getting more nervous, okay, I better hurry up.

I really hope you guys like it. Comments welcome, and if you don't have anything nice to say...

You know the drill.

I guess I have nothing else left to say...

Bon appetit.

- EasyIsTheDescent

Disclaimer: I don't own The Mortal Instruments or any of its characters, they all belong to Cassandra Clare.

If I did own them, I wouldn't currently be watching a paused picture of Jamie Campbell Bower with his shirt off, a gallon of chocolate ice cream sitting beside me, and dreaming of being married to Jace.

Chapter 1

"Are you dead yet?" Jace asked me, and I groaned. I was standing in the middle of a trash-infested alley in lower Manhattan, and I was covered in demon blood.

"No more than usual," I replied with a groan, and he laughed. I had a small earpiece attached to the back of my ear, and it disrupted the peaceful silence that was usually around at night.

"That's reassuring. You know as the most talented Shadowhunter at the Institute it is my job to teach you, and so far you have been doing very well." He reassured me as I walked, and I rolled my eyes.

"I've been there as long as you have. I could take you on any day," I reminded him, and I knew that would earn me more sarcastic comments than one could believe possible.

"Just give me a time and a place, Nightlock." He muttered distractedly, and I cringed. How come whenever he said my last name, it sounded even more like a poisonous plant?

"Don't let your houseguest touch any of my things, alright? One thing out of place, Wayland, I swear."

"Clary isn't the high heels, ear and nose piercings, black leather sort of person like you and Isabelle, Rosie." Jace said this with something I could only recognize as admiration. For the mundane. This was… strange.

"Bye Jace," I turned the earpiece off, and I kept my head down against the heavy wind. It was getting progressively colder here in New York, and all I had was my Shadowhunter gear, which consisted of black, stretchy shirts and yes, black leather jackets and pants. My high heeled boots were black leather as well, which I had borrowed from Isabelle's closet years ago and never returned, and they clicked harshly against the sidewalk, disturbing the empty silence.

When I reached the rusty gate with "The Institute" engraved across the top, it took only a matter of seconds for the glamour to disappear, and I swung the gate open, stepping inside. The door creaked open the second I walked up to it, and I happily greeted the warm air from inside.

The angel Raziel was everywhere inside, from the paintings to the statues, and it sent a shiver down my spine as usual, but I just pulled the protesting screen on the elevator closed, tapping my heels against the floor impatiently. I was absolutely starving. I turned left, straight in the direction of my room, when a voice stopped me.

"Oh, Rose! Perfect timing! Please, come meet our new guest!" Hodge, our trainer and teacher for as long as I had been here, ushered me inside the library, and my gaze immediately focused on a girl that was standing next to Hodge's desk. She was a tiny little thing, with fiery red hair and green eyes. They widened slightly when she saw me, and I could understand why. I probably looked flat out frightening, covered in demon blood and ichor.

"Rose Nightlock, this is Clarissa Fray, our new houseguest." Hodge introduced, and I smiled politely. I had been out fighting demons when Jace brought Clary to the Institute, and I haven't had the chance to meet her until now.

"Nice to meet you," I greeted, and the girl nodded in agreement, smiling.

"Same here. It's just Clary, by the way," She added, and I nodded. "Well I better go find my friend Simon," She announced, and I stepped out of her way.

"I'll see you later, Clary." I promised, and she looked at me in concern.

"Are you okay? Your voice-" She started, and Hodge sent me a warning look when I narrowed my eyes at her.

"I'm fine, thank you." I dismissed it firmly, and she nodded in confusion, disappearing out the door. I whirled around to stare at Hodge, who seemed to be attempting to shrink away. "What is this Hodge? The Institute Tour for Mundanes? Do we have a special going on, buy one pass get one free?" I hissed, and Hodge sighed.

"I do not believe that Clary is any ordinary mundane, but that is yet to be discovered. Now I was hoping that since you were the only girl here to befriend her besides Isabelle…" He trailed off, and I glared at him.

"What does that mean?" I asked, suddenly feeling defensive for my feisty stepsister.

"She just isn't as kind as you are with mundanes. Please, just make her feel welcome. She has been through much trauma with being attacked, her mother being kidnapped…" He left the end of the sentence hanging, and I groaned in defeat.

"I don't have time to argue, I'm about to pass out from food-deprivation." I explained, and Hodge smiled lightly.

"Also known as hunger, my dear." He corrected, and I shook my head as I approached the door.

"Yes, but food-deprivation sounds more severe," I reminded him, and I swear I could hear his laughter as I left, which was odd. Hodge wasn't a laugher.

When I got to my room, the theme consisting of an elegant blend of black and gold chandeliers and the Eiffel Tower (Isabelle and I had each gone through about a hundred home décor magazines last year) I made a beeline for the shower. Once I was clean, refreshed, and smelled of orchids, I changed into a pair of sweatpants and a loose black tank top, tying my long brown hair up on the top of my head in a messy bun. I had brown eyes as well, and I looked just like my mother had, before she and my dad had died during a large fight with demons back when I was twelve. I also had what Jace would call "face weapons", which included four pairs of earrings and a nose stud. I honestly believed he was just jealous. Jace was the absolutely anything weapons type.

When I left my room, I heard footsteps coming down the hallway, and I turned to see my thirteen year old brother, Ethan, who had picked up the pace to come and meet me. Ethan looked a lot like me, with the same brown eyes and dark brown hair, like my dad's had been. I felt kind of sad, thinking how no one would ever have the pretty blue eyes my father had. I had always wanted blue eyes that color.

"Hey, kid!" I greeted, and I caught him in a one-armed hug. I recognized something gleaming on his ring finger. It was our father's family ring. The ring used to be too big for Ethan, but he kept it close at all times, until he finally started wearing it on his finger. He never took it off.

"Hey Rosie. How were the demons?" He asked eagerly, and I rolled my eyes.

"It was great." I promised, and he nodded thoughtfully.

"Will you take me with you next time?" He asked, and I stopped walking.

"Of course, as long as you listen to me."

"I always listen to you."

"No you don't."

"I would, if you take me demon hunting." He negotiated, and I sighed, nodding in agreement. He grinned triumphantly.

We walked down to the dining room, and everyone was seated at the table, including Clary and a mundane I didn't recognize, who I guessed was Simon.

"Don't you look pretty," Jace commented mockingly, and I ignored him.

"She could always poison your food with faerie treats again," Isabelle giggled under her breath, and Simon's eyes widened.

"I told you, it never happened." Jace said smoothly, and I snorted.

"Oh, Simon, this is Rose." Isabelle introduced us enthusiastically, and I groaned inwardly at her happy attitude towards the mundane.

"Nice to meet you," Simon stammered, and Jace grinned wickedly.

"I bet it is. You met two stunningly beautiful Shadowhunter women, and you have absolutely no chance with either one of them." Clary shot him a poisonous glare, and I felt a spark of approval towards her as I sat down, piling orange chicken and noodles on my plate from the plastic takeout containers.

"Rosie, there's this thing called chewing…" Alec, Isabelle's brother and my stepbrother, teased, and I waved a fork at him in a threatening motion.

"Chewing is for people who are slightly hungry. I, on the other hand, have not eaten anything since three in the morning." I argued, and he put his hands up in defense, eating again.

"Why three in the morning?" Isabelle laughed, and I shrugged.

"I couldn't sleep, so I ate some old-fashioned PB & J," I explained, and she rolled her eyes, picking at her fried rice with little appetite. I wish I could go without eating like that. I just wasn't strong enough when it came to Chinese food.

"Hey do you have a cold or something?" Simon asked curiously, and I knew what he meant.

Ever since I was fourteen, my voice had been hoarse and low-pitched, a result of my vocal cords practically being destroyed during a demon attack. Everyone at the table tensed, especially Ethan, who had an angry grimace on his face, the goofy overprotective little brother he was. I gave Jace a look that hopefully gave the message, Control the mundanes that you brought, or I will do so for you.

It did.

"Some things are just none of your business, mundane. Now continue drooling over Isabelle, please." Jace said in a firm voice, and Simon muttered something under his breath.

Thank you, I mouthed to Jace, and he smiled. Clary gave us a confused glance, but didn't say anything. They continued into a conversation of which I only halfway paid any attention to. They were talking about the Circle, all the Shadowhunters who had fought alongside Valentine, and I honestly was afraid to hear what they had to say.

After everyone had finished eating we parted our separate ways, and I walked back to my room, but before I turned the corner I could hear voices, and I stopped.

"So what is the deal with Rose's voice?" Someone asked, and I recognized Clary, and the one who responded was Jace.

"There was a demon two years ago, and he messed up her voice forever." Jace replied quietly, and Clary seemed to be thinking over this.

"What happened?" She continued, and Jace sighed.

"Do you remember the demon blood that hit you when you killed that Ravener demon?" He asked, and from the silence I could guess that she had nodded. "Imagine having that demon blood being forced down your throat," Jace added, and I shivered. I couldn't take any more of this. I bounded around the corner, smiling at them as I passed, and from the surprised and upset look on Jace's face I think he knew I had been standing there.

"Goodnight, guys," I called, and I heard footsteps behind me, Jace matching my stride as he approached me.

"Rose I didn't mean to tell her anything you didn't want her to know." He reassured me, and I shrugged.

"It's alright. I don't mind. Seriously," I added when he glanced at me skeptically.

"Alright. Goodnight, Rosie." He said cautiously, and I smiled at him and Clary, who was standing at the other end of the hallway with a confused expression, and I turned to walk to my room.

When I closed the door behind me, I collapsed on the bed, extremely tired and no longer starving, and I felt my necklace fall against my chest in a familiar, comforting motion. It was my mother's necklace, and it had our family crest on it, a pattern of leaves with a dark, deadly swirl that identified it as nightlock.

Nightlock only grew in Idris, the Shadowhunter homeland, and it was extremely poisonous, but if you knew how to handle it, you could get good prices from warlocks in need. I curled onto my side, and I drifted into the dark, peaceful abyss of sleep.

Okay, so did you like it?

It may not seem very interesting for the next few chapters, and the (in my imagination, very sexy) OC won't come in until later in the story, but it will pick up.

Thanks for reading!

-EasyIsTheDescent