Beyond The Fence

Bonus chapter: Friends? Friends (PART 1)

Author's note: First of all, thank you so much for sticking by and reading! You guys are truly amazing!

Second, in case you missed the message I posted on my message board, I'm currently editing this story. Although these are not my final drafts and this story will be under MAJOR EDITING once it's completed, I have made some changes up to chapter 2.

I also introduced 'The Farm' in the prologue, so you might wanna consider reading those chapters again. I apologise for all the inconvenience.

Now, for the ~special~ part. Earlier, I posted a message on my conversations board, saying that I have something 'different' planned for you guys. Well, here it is.

It has been almost 30 days since I started working on this story and I can't thank you people enough for your support.

In the honour of Beyond The Fence being a month old, I have written a bonus chapter. It takes you back in time to when Clary and Nelson first became friends...

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Scooping up the horse trash from the stables, Clary wiped the sweat which had formed on her forehead. The urge to throw up was becoming stronger by every passing second.

It was her third day at The Farm, and she still hadn't accustomed herself to the disturbing odor of horse droppings.

She could hear her stomach rumbling, but continued to work despite the hunger. Looking up at the sky, which was dyed the colour of pomegranate pink, a bubble of hope formed in Clary's heart. It was almost sundown.

That was when her work shift ended.

However, the bubble burst before she had had enough time to relish the joy of it. There wasn't any food back at home.

Her shoulders slumped and tears welled in her eyes. In anger, she threw her shovel away, running out of the stables.

For how many days was she supposed to starve?

Not for the first time, the idea of the 'evil monster' outside the fence crossed her mind. Sometimes, when at night the growling sound from her stomach wouldn't allow her to sleep, she would calm her thoughts thinking that maybe, at some point in the night, the monster would come eat her alive. Put an end to her pain forever.

She hoped that he would come eat her now.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the distant humming of an engine. She looked around for the source of it, to find a truck unloading all of its contents into the barn.

Clary's eyes glazed over at the sight of the apples that were being unloaded from the truck and placed in baskets in the barn, by a boy about his age. She looked closely at the familiar figure.

It was her next door neighbour. The one whom she had never talked to, but was aware of his screams. His cries of pain, due to starvation. Often in the morning, it wasn't her alarm clock or the rooster's call that woke her up, but the child's shrieks of agony. Even though she had never talked to him in person, she felt a close connection to him.

The same way she did with every other Albamaian. They all shared a common grief.

Hunger.

The boy must have seemed to notice that Clary was staring right at him, because he started walking towards her.

"Shouldn't be doing your job, lady?" he asked, once he reached her.

His voice sounded coarse and dry.

"I am already done."

"Liar! The wheelbarrow is still inside the stable."

"What does it mean to you? If I don't do my job?"

He paused for a moment, observing Clary.

"I am just trying to protect you," he said, lowering his voice to such a level that it was barely audible.

"Oh, and when did I ask for your 'protection'? No need to sympathise with me, you're the one who requires it."

A look of hurt flashed before the boy's eyes. Clary immediately regretted saying what she had said. It wasn't moral to make fun of people's grievances when you went through the same problem every day which you so perfectly concealed.

"You think I can't hear your stomach grumble during class?" the boy retorted. The hurt look replaced by another emotion.

Rage.

"Look-"

"You think I didn't see you cry just two minutes from now?" the boy kept on yelling, ignoring what Clary was trying to say.

"I'm-"

"You think I don't know that you aren't going to starve when you go back at home? Everyone knows Clarrisa. Everyone does," with that, the boy walked away from Clary, leaving the girl in tears. 

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