Disclaimer: I do not own the mortal instruments.

A/N: So here we go. Brand new and ready to for you to delve into. Let's do this…

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White shirt. Black tie. Blazer. Pristine ironed trousers. Polished to perfection shoes. Well-groomed hair, not a blemish in sight. Eyes bright and smile, though not too much. Perfect posture and good manners. Never forget your etiquette. No TV. No movies. No staying out beyond school hours. Always studying. Practice your foreign languages. Practice your music. Classical instruments only. Study martial arts, karate, and the finer arts of fighting. Be strong. Be kind. Be quiet. Keep your head down, don't be rude. No fighting. You wouldn't want to get blood or dirt on your suit.

This was the life of Alexander Lightwood. Private school, uptight families of supposed nobility. Never setting a toe out of line. And staying far away from the real world.

But he didn't mind. He quite liked it actually. The solitude, the peace. It made life easy. Though there was a part of him that longed to be part of the world. The real world. The world his life of aristocracy avoided.

Maybe one day, he thought to himself, as he closed the lid of the piano. He loosened his tie and headed upstairs to begin to copious the amounts of homework from his ridiculously expensive private school, The Angel Raziel School for snotty little spoiled rich kids. Or something to that effect.

He sighed and shook his head. His school was fine. The students were all preppy and smart. No one broke the rules. And, quite frankly, it was boring. And what's more is the fact that they preached Christianity. Religion was key to his school, and all the families who had been attending for generations. Which left Alexander with a bit of a monumental problem.

He is gay.

Which may not seem like a big deal in today's society, but within his family, and the circles in which they live, it's a huge deal. Gay is not ok. Not to them.

Alexander pushed those thoughts from his mind with a frustrated growl as he sat at his deep mahogany desk and commenced writing with perfect form across the shining white paper. This is all he wanted. He wanted a normal life, freedom, and to write. He wanted to create stories, tell myths and pass on legends. It was his dream to one day see a book of his own creation sat on a hypothetical person's bookshelf amongst the Wuthering Heights, the Frankenstein's and the Harry Potters of the world. He wanted to make a story that would pass on for generations and be adored by many.

But that would never happen. His life was set. Finish prep school. Go to the most prestigious college his parents could afford, which was basically the best of the best. Get a degree in business or politics. And then join his father's multinational corporation and train to take his place at the table when he hits 21. He would run the business, become his father, and marry his Soulmate.

To the outside observer of Alexander's world, the idea of Soulmates may seem a little out of place. But let's clear one thing up: it does not guarantee love. It is not always romantic. A soulmate could simply be a friend, a sibling, someone to live for, to fight for. Someone who knows you better than anyone else. Though, it can be romantic.

Everyone has a Soulmate. Since time began, everyone, at any point after they hit 18, gets a Soul Mark. The initials of their Soulmate. There are three places on the body in which these marks appear, each location determines the type of relationship between you.

If the mark appears on your dominant arm, then the bond is that of friends, so close that you may be thought of as inseparable, as brothers or sisters. You would die for each other, your friendship would never be broken. Now, in the outside world, if you get this mark, you do not normally marry your Soulmate. You can still pick the person you love and marry them. Though, in Alexander's world, people have been known to marry from this mark to avoid any nasty, scandalous divorces.

If the mark appears over your heart, that is the mark of love. Pure, true love. Everyone who gets this mark marries that person. Though again, if you so desire, you can go against it. There will be no wrath of god or punishment. But you run the risk of never meeting anyone so perfect for you again in your entire life.

The final place is on the hip bone of your dominant side. If you're left handed, then it will be on your left hip, right handed, right hip. This mark is rarely seen by many as it is the mark of sexual desire. The bond between the people is not friendship, and it is not love. It is desire. Lust. Longing. Primal emotion. Again, these Soulmates do not usually marry.

There have been a few rare cases in which the marks have moved. From friendship to desire. From desire to love. Though it is rare. The way the world wants you to feel for someone doesn't normally change. That is why you still have free choice.

Most people cannot wait for their marks to arise. Though Alexander was terrified. He's gay. So what will happen to him if people see a mark over his heart with initials of a man? He hoped his Soulmate was a friend, a brother. It would make everything easier for him. Then he could marry a girl and live his lie.

The very thought made him want to vomit heavily.

He worked through the night, scribbling hasty answers to business questions. Solving maths equations. Doing physics, which meant he stared at the paper convinced that whatever he was trying to read was written in Elvish. He sighed and groaned as he flopped onto his bed, his eyes slipping shut as the night life thrived outside.

Tomorrow would bring another day of horror. Waiting out his days until his 18th birthday. Only three days to go.

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A/N: Love? Hate? Unsure? Let me know. Reviews are always read and always appreciated…

I love you all,

Anna…XXX