Three hundred male Shadowhunters stood in a series of rows, their hands over their hearts and speaking the same words at a time. These words were specially chosen straight from the Shadowhunter's Codex. In their standard uniform, the black blazers with gold buttons, a black button up shirt, red tie, and black pants, they looked like robots, designed for a specific job. Everyone was there, prudent and following directions. Everyone except, of course, Jace Wayland.

He had lost track of time and was, subsequently, running across the campus, his cheeks red as the wind hit them. His hair had to look disgusting, as he wasn't able to shower that morning, and his uniform was very nonuniform indeed; his blazer was unbuttoned and his shirt left untucked. He slammed into the assembly hall just as everyone was finishing their oath. He could feel the irritated glares of the professors around him and even some of the students as he took his seat, but it was all meaningless. He'd been to this same assembly exactly 1,920 times. Way more than anyone else here.

Jace had been taken here when his father died, when he was seven. It was amazing how fast he'd grown to hate it.

While his father used more of a hands-on teaching method, Raziel Academy was hell-bent on drilling as much information into your head as possible before they unleashed you on any demons.

But Jace was more than ready. He'd been ready for the last nine years. He kept telling himself that there was only one more year of this he had to deal with, then he was gone. This, however, did nothing for his yearning to leave. Which was probably why he snuck out every night.

When Assembly was over, Jace took his time getting out of the room, but then heard his name being called. Well, more like hissed.

"Jace," hissed Professor Caulk, waving him over. Jace sighed and walked over to him, bowing his head in standard greeting. It was very sloppy, but Caulk knew he was lucky to get just that.

Professor Caulk was the head of Asher House, the house Jace was boarded in. He pretended like he didn't like Jace, but the younger Shadowhunter knew he saw him as a son.

"What is your excuse today, Mr. Wayland?" Caulk asked, crossing his arms over his chest. A clipboard dangled from his left hand.

Jace thought for a moment. "I didn't think one through on the way here. Perhaps you could forgive my lack of creativity, just this once?"

Professor Caulk sighed, frowning. However, he dropped the subject and carried on to a new one. "You remembered you're getting a roommate today, didn't you, Jace?"

Jace raised his eyebrows, irritation sketched onto his finely-drawn features. "What? I didn't know that."

Caulk frowned. "I told you two weeks… Never mind, I'm telling you now. So get your room straightened up, because I'm sending him down in an hour."

Jace pursed his lips, but nodded. Maybe it would be more interesting if he had a roommate. "What's his name?"

Caulk looked at the clipboard he was holding, his eyes scanning down the list. "Lightwood. Alexander Lightwood."

X.X.X.X

Alexander entered just as Jace had finished cleaning up. He stood in the threshold of the room, holding his bags. Shifting awkwardly on his feet, he seemed intent on not looking at Jace. The light-haired Nephilim raised his eyebrows.

"Are you Alexander?" he asked, his eyes sweeping across the boy's lithe body. He definitely was far from horrible looking, and Jace was a sucker for black hair and blue eyes. However, Jace wasn't gay, and he really didn't plan on being the clichéd boy who turned gay while he was in an all-male school because there was no one else around to get him off. He just liked things that were aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

The boy's dark hair fell into his eyes as he glanced up at Jace. His eyes grew wide for a moment before he flushed and looked down again. "I-I prefer Alec."

Jace nodded, taking the bags from Alec's hands. Their fingers brushed, and he raised his eyebrows when Alec jolted. After a few seconds, he brushed it off and set Alec's bags on the bare bed. Alec followed silently, standing next to him with his arms crossed. "Well, I'm Jace Wayland. And I have a few rules I'd like to share with you. Sit."

Alec sat immediately, and Jace cracked a smile that quickly vanished. He paced back and forth as he spoke. "Rule one: my stuff is off limits unless I say so. Rule two: Do not, under any circumstances, set an alarm clock. I will, without hesitation, smash it into a thousand pieces. I have an internal alarm clock, and I promise I will wake you up in the morning. Rule three: keep your stuff on your side of the room.

"And rule four… Well, its not so much a rule as it is squashing any expectations you have of me. While I am entirely fantastic to look at and very able to make you pass out laughing, or die of embarrassment, as a result of my witty remarks, I don't do emotions. So if you were expecting us to be BFFs and spend our time painting each others' nails and talking about our feelings, you were sorely mistaken. Any questions?"

Jace stopped walking and looked down at Alec. He was slightly surprised to see that his roommate was wearing an amused smile.

"What? Is there a problem?" Jace asked, his eyes narrowing. Alec's smile grew, though the change was almost unnoticeable.

"Not at all, sergeant," he replied, the sarcasm in his voice very tangible. "I'm just trying to remember when I signed up for the army."

Jace smirked. "You were drafted. Welcome to hell, Lightwood."