"This is going to be so much fun!" Isabelle said and Jace grinned at her.

"What, getting to beat up transfers and show them how it's done? Yeah, it will be," He replied, meaning it.

"Oh quit it, I mean actually testing our skills against real people. We get to see just how good we are compared to everyone, not just the transfers." Isabelle replied, shoving him lightly. "Although, I'm sure you'll be watching the transfers very closely."

"What? What's that supposed to mean?" Jace asked defensively, turning to her instead of watching the doors.

"Oh come on, Jace. We've all noticed you staring and taking every opportunity to talk to her. It's the redhead, isn't it? She seems so soft for your taste…" Isabelle trailed off, shrugging.

"We'll see soon enough if she's soft or not," He muttered in response, turning back to watch the doors as the other initiates slowly trickled in. She hadn't arrived yet, but he knew she would. He couldn't wait.

…

"Clary, you'll be fine. Remember what Uriah said last week?" Maia said. "They'll underestimate you. Because you're a transfer. Because you, in particular, are so small. You can use that to your advantage. Surprise them, be faster than them. You've got this, even with a delicate head!"

"I know, I know! I'm just nervous, okay?" Clary replied, pulling on her shoes. "I really don't want to end up back in the medical wing."

"You won't. They aren't hardcore about these fights or anything. It's practice, not meant to seriously maim, injure, or kill anyone. And there aren't any weapons right now, so the worst you'll get are maybe some small cuts and some bruises." Maia reassured. "And if anyone puts you in the medical wing again, I will personally put them in there with you." Clary couldn't help but laugh.

"Thanks, Maia, that's very nice of you," Clary said, shaking her head but meaning it. "Now hurry up, or we're gonna be late!"

…

"You can hit how you want, where you want, but I expect to see good stances and the past months' training show. " Uriah explained to all the initiates. They were all gathered in a large room, fairly empty besides a whiteboard, clock, and bell. The main decoration of the room was the large, raised ring in the middle of the room, like a boxing ring. Uriah continued.

"This isn't a fight to the death, and probably won't even be a fight to the knockout for most of you. When someone's down, they're down. These fights are to practice your skills, to make you better. This is not a competition, there are no prizes. You will each eventually fight every single initiate at one point. We try to make the fights fair, we'll watch you and keep track of your skills at all times. So do your best, prove you're here for good and sharpen your skills to the best they can be. Use this time to your advantage. Questions?" He looked around the room, waiting for questions or challenges, making sure he had everyone's attention. No one spoke up, so he continued, "This will last a month and a half. Nine fights a day, a total of 18 of you, 7 transfers, 11 Dauntless born. Each fight is timed and lasts for 20 minutes, and the bell will ring to let you know when to begin and end. It doesn't take as long as the past training, so you have around half of the day to yourselves. I expect you to use it wisely, even taking the time to do some more training if you need it. The pairings and order will be posted every day when you come in here, on that board over there. Start warming up, we begin in 15 minutes." Everyone quickly made their way towards the board, eager to see who they were paired with and when they would be going. Clary crowded towards the board with everyone else, just as eager to find her name. She was too short to see anything besides the names at the top though. With a sigh, she backed out of the crowd, deciding to wait until everyone else dispersed.

"Clary, did you find your name?" Maia asked, bouncing up to her. She glared in response. "Oh, right, you probably couldn't see. You're fighting someone named Isabelle. She must be a Dauntless born since I don't recognize her name. You're so lucky! I'm fighting another transfer, Kirk. He's the one that almost got you killed though, so I'm okay with kicking his butt."

"Since when are there only 7 transfers? I thought we had 9?" Clary asked, thinking of it just then.

"Oh, yeah that happened while you were in the medical wing. One of the Candor transfers dropped out, just couldn't take it. He looked like he was gonna be sick when your head got cut, so it makes sense. Then an Erudite girl left, said he wished she had stayed at Erudite so she could read instead of fighting. Nothing real special about those though." She explained with a shrug. Then after a moment she said, "But anyway, you're fighting fourth, and I'm third, so we should practice!"

"Sure, sounds good to me. Lead the way," Clary replied, gesturing for Maia to do so. Maia grabbed Clary's arm and pulled her through the small bit of the crowd that was lingering, finding an empty space for them to stretch and practice in. Clary felt like she could win, no matter who she was against. Her muscles were strong, and she had her stance, punches and kicks down. She had practiced hard, and hadn't lost her strength from being injured. Glancing over at Maia occasionally, she could see that the other girl was slightly nervous, but still very determined.

After 15 minutes, Uriah let them all know the fights were starting, and several people went to watch, but most continued practicing and warming up.

Across the room, she recognized Jace, his blond hair as bright as ever. She could see he was fast as he practiced with a girl with long, black hair. The girl kept up with him though, which surprised her; She would hate to be the one fighting him on the first day. She wouldn't want to fight either of them, really. Clary watched them both, amazed. It was like watching a dance, the way they moved so fast around each other, dodging and hitting and blocking so fast and so smooth. She couldn't even tell if they were actually landing kicks or punches since neither of them stumbled or was thrown off. They looked like a great pair, evenly matched. Clary wondered briefly if they were a couple. Before she could ponder it further Maia got her attention.

"Clary!" Maia snapped, punching her arm semi-softly. "Quit watching pretty boy and come on. The second fight's starting and I want to watch and rest. Prepare myself, you know?"

"Yeah, okay. I'm coming." Clary replied, breaking her gaze and following Maia to the outside of the ring where two Dauntless born were beginning to fight. She was quickly reassured that these two weren't as good as Jace and the girl— they weren't as fast and didn't seem nearly as ferocious or deadly. Their kicks, punches, and stances were all the same as the ones Clary and her fellow initiates had learned the past month, although executed better and clearly better practiced. How are any of us supposed to beat them?, Clary thought, more and more doubtful she was going to win her fight today. She got so lost in her worry she almost didn't notice the fight end (even though there was a bell and louder cheering), until Maia started fidgeting and bumped into her.

"Sorry," Maia said. "I'm just a little nervous."

"You'll be fine! You know what you're doing, really Maia," Clary reassured.

"Okay, okay. You're right. I've got this. I've got this!" Maia mumbled. "Wish me luck."

"I doubt you need it," Clary said honestly. "But good luck." She smiled as reassuringly as she could, and Maia grinned as she walked into the ring, showing nothing but confidence. Her opponent, Kirk, looked nervous, but like he was ready to fight. Like he didn't think he would win but was going to try his hardest anyway. A bell rang and they were off, meeting in the center of the ring. They both hesitated, and Maia struck first, aiming a punch for his face. Kirk ducked, losing his balance for a minute before leaning back on his hands and tripping Maia. She fell hard, and Clary could hear her short groan. She rolled quickly though, aiming a kick at Kirk's now standing legs. She hit his shins and he stumbled back, almost falling over. Maia took the chance to stand, throwing her hands up in ready position once more. Kirk aimed a punch for her face, but Maia blocked it with her arm, wincing slightly. Maia tried to knee him then, while he was still close, but he caught it with his hands and pushed, throwing Maia backwards. She stayed on her feet though, and regained her balance quickly enough to make the next hit. She faked a punch on her left, which he went to block. She used the opportunity to deck him in the face. Clary winced in sympathy; It looked like that would leave a nasty bruise. He retaliated blindly, forcing Maia to step back while he regained his composure. Kirk threw the punch then, aiming for her stomach. The hit brushed her side slightly as she dodged, and she used the momentum to roundhouse kick him. It took him by surprise and hit him square in the chest, throwing him backward and onto the ground. Maia waited a moment, but Kirk didn't stand, he just laid there, trying to catch his breath and coughing. The time was up and the bell rang, and the small crowd cheered, patting Maia on the back as she entered the crowd once more. Someone helped Kirk up and led him back into the crowd too, and Clary realized with slight panic that it was her turn. Butterflies twisted her stomach, but she took a deep breath, meeting Maia at the edge of the ring.

"Good job!" Clary congratulated, hiding her own nerves.

"Thanks! That was so great!" Maia replied, exhilarated. "You be careful, and good luck!" Clary nodded and finally climbed into the ring. She had expected her opponent (Isabelle was it?) to already be there. She was, it seemed, but not in the ring. The girl she'd seen with Jace earlier, with the long black hair and dark eyes, was arguing with Uriah. Isabelle looked annoyed, but Uriah looked pissed. What's going on here?, Clary wondered, going to join them. As she got closer she could hear what the girl was saying.

"I just don't get why I have to be the one to fight a transfer. Everyone else is fighting with someone in their group, so why me? Why not someone who needs to practice more? Like, I don't know, Meliorn. He'd be a better match for a transfer, not me. This fight is over before it's even going to begin!" Isabelle hissed, trying to be quiet but struggling with her annoyance.

"Is there a problem?" Clary interrupted tersely before Uriah could explode on her. It wasn't the girls fault she didn't want to fight a transfer, a Stiff no less. Clary had noticed that the Dauntless born initiates were fighting the Dauntless born, and the transfers were fighting the transfers. But the odd numbers meant someone had to change it up today. She knew there was a prejudice against her to them, but it didn't bother her too much up until now. Now anger boiled in her veins.

"No Clary, there's not," Uriah said to her, stiff but kind. Then he turned to Isabelle, teeth gritted. "You will fight her, I don't care if you think it's unfair. Life is not fair. Deal with it." He stalked away then, to the bell and timer that would track their match. Isabelle made a noise of annoyance and glared at both Uriah and Clary before heading to the ring and taking her place at one end. Clary followed, making a quick wish that she could show this Isabelle girl that she was wrong. Clary was just as good as a Dauntless born. Maybe not as good as this girl, but still good. She took her place, butterflies gone and adrenaline already pumping from her anger. She would show this Dauntless born…

The bell rang, signaling for them to go. Clary moved immediately, but Isabelle was faster and met her quickly. She threw a punch at Clary's head, making her duck, then another quick punch met her stomach, winding her. Clary took a few steps back, annoyed. Isabelle was fast. But Clary could be fast too, she was small enough, she was good enough. She stepped back towards Isabelle, who looked almost bored, raising her arm like she would punch. Isabelle fell for the trick, raising her arms to block, and Clary took the opportunity to kick. It connected with her stomach, pushing her back and winding her slightly, but not knocking her over. Isabelle caught her breath and flew at Clary, angry. She aimed a high kick first, which Clary ducked. Then a punch aimed at her stomach made Clary step back to dodge. Another punch aimed at her shoulder made her turn, so her left side was facing the other girl. Isabelle faked a punch at Clary's stomach, which she aimed to block, leaving her head open. Isabelle punched fast, hitting the side of Clary's head, right at her still healing wound. Pain blossomed and she distantly heard herself cry out as one hand cradled her ringing head. Somehow, instinctually, Clary was able to block another punch with her free hand, grabbing Isabelle's wrist and using the girls momentum to throw her behind Clary. Distantly she wondered where that had come from, how she'd done it, but she didn't have time to think about it. Still seeing spots, and surprised she hadn't passed out, Clary straightened, facing Isabelle, hands up and ready. Before Isabelle could recover completely, Clary kicked, landing the blow on Isabelle's shoulder and knocking her into a sitting position. Clary stumbled but remained on her feet, cursing her dizziness. Clearly frustrated, Isabelle stood as quick as she could, glaring. She moved faster than Clary's slowing mind could keep up with now, faking a kick at her stomach and instead knocking Clary's feet out from under her. Clary landed hard, the breath knocked out of her, still seeing spots. Then the bell rang, to Clary's huge relief. She stayed on the ground, catching her breath and wishing her head would stop pounding as she squeezed her eyes shut. She heard the crowd cheer loudly and knew she needed to get up.

"Are you okay?" An unfamiliar voice asked. Clary peeled her eyes open and saw Isabelle leaning over her, concerned.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just give me a minute." Clary said shortly, shutting her eyes again and taking a breath.

"Cheater!" Clary winced at Maia's accusation, not loud but still there. "Get away from her!"

"What? I'm just making sure she's okay," Clary heard Isabelle reply, clearly hurt. "How did I cheat? This isn't even a competition."

"Oh please, you wanted to make it clear you won. Everyone's heard about her head almost getting cut off! There's no way you didn't do that on purpose." Maia accused. Clary sighed and opened her eyes. She saw Maia glaring, arms crossed defiantly, and Isabelle glaring back but looking slightly hurt, still kneeling next to Clary.

"I heard the story yes, I didn't know she was the one in it." Isabelle defended. "Sorry." The apology was sharp, but Clary could see the concern in her eyes as she glanced again at Clary. Before Maia could say anything else, Clary sat up and interrupted, "Maia, stop it! She didn't know, it's not her fault. Let it go. Jeez, I feel like I'm gonna pass out or something." She muttered the last part, but still loud enough for Maia to have heard. Maia hurried over and helped her stand.

"Come on, you need to get out of the ring," Maia said, supporting her.

"Yeah, thanks. I think I'm good," Clary said, taking a step from Maia and making sure she could stand before walking to the edge of the ring. Somehow she made it to the ground and to an empty space of wall on her own, both Maia and Isabelle staying with her.

"You can go now, I'm sure you have things to do." Maia said to Isabelle after a moment, clearly annoyed with the other girl.

"Maia! Be nice!" Clary scolded, rubbing her head. Maia scoffed, glaring at Clary like she'd betrayed her, then stormed off without another word. Isabelle stood with her awkwardly, shifting, unsure if she should go or not.

"Thanks, Isabelle, it was a good fight." Clary said finally, meaning it.

"Sorry for hitting your wound." Isabelle said. "And for not wanting to fight you. You're good, I can see why Uriah matched you with a Dauntless born and not someone else. You've got natural talent."

"Thanks," Clary said slowly, hoping she was sincere.

"I mean it, Clary. I think you belong here. You're not a Stiff, no matter what anyone says." Isabelle said sincerely. "If you ever wanna hang out… Well, yeah."

"Yeah, sure," Clary said with a smile. For a minute, she watched the fight in the ring. It looked like Dauntless born this time, a girl with brown hair and a guy with bright blond hair… "Hey, isn't that your boyfriend in the ring? Shouldn't you be watching his fight?" Isabelle looked over her shoulder at the ring and laughed lightly.

"Who, Jace? He's not my boyfriend. He's basically my brother, actually." Isabelle said. "But I should go watch. Want to come? You just can't pass out on me or something." Clary laughed and said, "I won't, don't worry. Let's go." They pushed their way to a front spot, both watching the match closely. Jace was clearly the better fighter, being quicker and better practiced, but the girl was stronger than him (though didn't look it); it would take a decent bit to take her down.

"So the blond one's Jace. Who's the girl?" Clary asked, leaning over slightly to Isabelle.

"That's Maureen. She may seem like the fast but weak type, but she's actually freakishly strong, and not all that fast," Isabelle told her, still watching the match closely.

"Good to know," Clary said, then muttered, "Though I'll probably forget it."

"You bad with names or something?" Isabelle asked with a laugh.

"Oh, um, yeah sort of," Clary responded, surprised she had heard. "I still don't even know all the transfers names. That's Maia's job." Isabelle chuckled and said, "There's only 7 of you, and minus you and Maia that's 5. How hard can it be?" Clary shrugged in response and Isabelle shook her head. The match bell rang, cutting off any more conversation. Jace had clearly done better, and Clary joined Isabelle in cheering. He shook Maureen's hand and then jumped down from the ring, finding Isabelle quickly.

"Nice job!" She said, meeting him as he walked towards them and giving him a hug. "Uck, you're gross though." She backed up and made a face, which he laughed at.

"That's what happens when you fight for 20 minutes at full force." He shrugged. "You're dirty too."

"Am not!" Isabelle replied, mock offended.

"Oh really? And how would that be?" Jace asked, teasing.

"I'm pure at heart, it repels the dirt." Isabelle replied, huffing and turning to walk back to Clary. "Jace I believe you know Clary. Clary, Jace."

"Yeah, we've talked like once." Clary replied, crossing her arms. She still didn't know how she felt about Jace. He was really good looking, but Maia had warned her… "I should go find Maia. Nice meeting you Isabelle!"

"You too, we'll hang out soon!" Isabelle said, smiling and waving slightly as Clary walked away. When she was out of hearing distance, Jace turned on Isabelle.

"What the hell? You hated her an hour ago!" Jace said, confused.

"She's nice. And a good fighter. You were right, I think she belongs here." Isabelle replied, watching Clary still. "And I like her."

"One hour? That's all it took?" Jace asked, still perplexed by her. "You're one weird girl, Isabelle, seriously."

"You better hope I'll always take that as a compliment, Jace Herondale." She said threateningly, turning to glare. He just shook his head and laughed.

…

It didn't take Clary long to find Maia, chatting away with a small group of transfers, Kirk being one of the few she knew. When Maia spotted Clary she looked away as quick as she could, trying to ignore her. Clary sighed and approached anyway.

"Clary! We were just talking about you. We all saw your fight," Kirk explained when she came nearer. "It's pretty unfair that you got to be the one transfer to fight a Dauntless born today, but we agree that you're probably the best of us."

"That and it was worth it to see how frustrated that other girl got." One of the transfers said; Clary thought his name was Eric. The small group laughed at his comment, and Clary chuckled nervously.

"She was pretty good, I didn't think you stood a chance at first. No offense," said a girl with blond hair, Clary recalled her name was Helen.

"No, it's alright, I was doubtful too," Clary replied, laughing.

"Oh, my fight's next! I need to go!" Eric said, looking at the ring. "You guys should watch if you want!" He didn't wait for a response, just turned and started towards the ring, where Clary could see the timer only had 1 minute left. The rest of the group followed, leaving Clary with Maia. They both hesitated, standing there awkwardly.

"So, how's your head?" Maia finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Hurts like hell, but I'll be fine." Clary replied with a shrug. Clary paused, then opened her mouth to continue, but Maia spoke first.

"Don't say it, okay? I know I shouldn't have freaked out like I did, I'm sorry." Maia said quickly. "We're still cool, right?"

"Of course," Clary replied without hesitating. "I get it, you were worried. It could have easily been worse.. It's okay."

"Good, thanks," Maia said quietly.

"So were you guys really talking about my fight?" Clary asked after a moment of silence.

"Yeah, it was awesome, it's going to be the gossip for the day for sure," Maia replied, more energized by the thought of gossip. "I mean seriously, what other transfer could have lasted the entire fight with one of the best Dauntless born initiates?"

"You'll all get there soon, I won't be the only one for long," Clary protested.

"Well I did say gossip for the day," Maia teased. Clary shook her head and laughed.

"Okay then. Let's go watch the rest of the fights, see if we can pick up any tricks or something," Clary suggested. Maia nodded, and they both made their way to the ring to watch the few remaining fights.

…

After lunch they had the rest of the day to themselves, so Maia convinced Clary to go shopping with her.

"I just don't see much point in shopping. Everything is black and looks basically the same," Clary explained to Maia as they searched through the store, looking for things they liked.

"But it's fun! And it does not look all the same. You should know, don't you remember the baggy clothes you had to wear your first week here?" Maia argued. "We shop so we look good and don't wear the same sweaty outfits all the time." Maia glared, daring Clary to oppose her.

"Who even notices? What, are you trying to impress someone?" Clary asked, turning to Maia with a hand on her hip.

"No, shut up," Maia said quickly, looking intently at a clothes rack. Was that a blush she saw...

"Oh my god! You are! Who? Tell me!" Clary said, moving across the rack so they were facing each other.

"No one! It's none of your business," Maia replied, still not meeting her eyes.

"Is it a transfer?" Clary asked, but Maia shook her head. "A Dauntless born? Of course, it's got to be, you weren't like this before."

"Fine. Yes, it's a Dauntless born," Maia relented, sighing. "His name's Jordan. Of course, that probably means nothing to you."

"No, not really." Clary admitted. "But I'll learn soon enough. What's he look like?"

"Long brown hair, hazel eyes, tall." Maia rattled off. "I don't know. I'll point him out to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Wait, is he the one with the tattoos all over both arms?" Clary asked, thinking.

"Yeah, that's him! He congratulated me on my fighting skills after my fight." Maia answered excitedly. "I can't believe you remembered who he is."

"He's the only guy with long hair," Clary said, shrugging. "And he is pretty cute."

"Keep to your own crushes, Fray," Maia replied. "Now come on, I wanna buy this."

…

2 clothes stores and an art shop later they were heading to the tattoo shop.

"What do you think you'll get this time?" Clary asked.

"I don't know, I was thinking a wolf. What do you think?" Maia replied.

"Sounds good, suits you." Clary answered, nodding.

"What about you?" Maia asked.

"I like those rune designs, like the other one I have." Clary said, touching her shoulder. Maia shrugged and they walked the rest of the way in silence. They stood in the lobby for a while, flipping through the many binders that were set out, trying to decide on something in particular. Finally two people came out a door to the back, talking.

"Be careful with it now, that wasn't an easy one." The tattoo artist said. Clary looked over and saw him with Isabelle, who was examining her wrist.

"I will be. And thanks," Isabelle said, finally looking up and smiling at him. "Clary!" Isabelle bounced over to them happily.

"Hey Isabelle," Clary said with a smile. "You get a tattoo?"

"Yeah, see," Isabelle stuck out her left arm, wrist up, to show her tattoo. It was another runic design, like a lowercase t with an extra line through it and swirls at every end.

"Woah, cool," Maia said before Clary could.

"Thanks! It's Maia, right?" Isabelle clarified, and Maia nodded. "Cool! So what are you two getting?"

"I'm looking at the runic ones too," Clary said, holding up the binder she was looking through.

"I'm getting a wolf," Maia said, holding up the one she'd chosen. It was a wolf on a rock, howling at the moon, overall not a large tattoo (about shoulder size), but Clary wouldn't have wanted it personally. She thought it suited Maia though.

"You wanna go first?" The tattoo artist had come over and was looking at Maia.

"Yeah sure, she'll take twice as long to decide." Maia answered, smiling at Clary in slight apology.

"I've got to go, I promised my brother I'd show him my tattoo right away. See you guys around," Isabelle said, waving as she walked out. Maia and Clary waved goodbye, then went back to their tattoos.

"If you've chosen one, I can get them both ready," The tattoo artist suggested kindly. Clary considered for a moment, then pointed at one. It was a slightly more complicated one, like a diamond with circle and a couple of lines inside, and some lightning looking lines coming off it.

"That one," She said confidently, then settled in a chair to wait patiently for it. It would hurt (she had learned she didn't like getting tattoos very much), but she felt like she needed it.

A/N: Wow finally another chapter after… what now? 4 months? Sorry… I hope to be writing more often, but this one's decently long, so it should hold you over… right? If you're wondering yes the runic tattoos are inspired by the shadowhunter runes, and in this chapter Isabelle's was based on the Power rune, and Clary's was based on the Protected rune. As always, thank you for reading! Please favorite and/or follow, and I really appreciate any reviews or comments, they motivate me and remind me to continue. Thank you again for reading, and stay lovely~