Beyond The Fence

Chapter 17:

"What do you do in places like these?" Clary asked, gesturing with her hand to the surroundings.

Her eyes landed on a group of women, who were sitting on a table not far from her own. Judging from their appearances, she guessed they were in their twenties. Every now and then, they would collapse into a fit of giggles, earning themselves disapproving looks from an elderly woman sitting nearby.

"Don't tell me you've never been to a restaurant before," Stephanie spoke, the disbelief evident in her voice.

Clary drifted her gaze to the girl, still in awe of how she had been able to shut Austin up.

"There aren't many where I come from and they aren't this fancy, either."

Stephanie's mouth dropped open in shock, unable to digest what Clary had said. Turning to Jason, she asked,

"Are conditions so poor in District B?"

"How would he know? It's not like he's ever been there," Clary interjected.

"I told you, Mikayla. My dad works at The Menticide. Their office is in District B."

Clary let out a long 'oh' as if she understood what 'The Menticide' was. Stealing a glance at Austin, she realised that he wasn't even paying attention. His gaze was directed to the restaurant's left window, his eyes locked on something beyond it. Following his line of sight, she searched for what he was looking at, her eyes landing on a group of people, clad in completely blue outfits. A badge seemed to be glittering on their left sleeves. She couldn't make out what the badge was, but from observing the way they were standing; with their backs straight and stiff, their chins up, she knew they were people with authority. She looked back at Austin, who was tapping his fingers against the table, his muscles tense. Before she could attempt to silently catch his attention, without Stephanie and Jason noticing, a waitress came to their table, asking for their order.

Never having seen such a variety of dishes, Clary ordered what Austin had--water.

"Are you honestly, just going to have water?" Stephanie asked him, choosing to ignore the fact that Clary had ordered the same thing.

"I'm not really hungry," he informed, clasping and unclasping his hands.

"Well, that's a first," Jason spoke this time, raising an eyebrow.

Stephanie threw a stern glance at him, before turning back to Austin.

"Are you sure you're alright? You look very pale."

That's when Clary noticed it. His skin was strikingly white; as if defying science, all the blood had left his face.

"I'm just going to go get myself some drink," he announced, standing up from his chair.

The juice bar was at the very end of the restaurant, a set of shelves lining the wall. Colourful, swirling liquids present in bottles of curious shapes and varieties were decorating them.

Fixing his gaze on Clary, he asked, "Does anyone else want one?"

From the look he was giving her, she gathered that he wasn't asking, as much as ordering. Getting up from her chair, she made known her wish to have a drink too.

Once they were out of Stephanie and Jason's earshot, Clary asked,

"Who are those people? The ones standing outside?"

Choosing to ignore her question, Austin inquired," Where's Nelson?"

"He's at home, asleep. But you still haven't answered my question-"

"Why did you come here?"

If it were one thing Austin would never fail at, it was ignoring people.

"Austin, you aren't answering my-"

"Why are you here?" he asked, his voice impatient and cold.

That's when she felt she had had enough of his rotten attitude. Tired of always swallowing her retorts, smiling and moving on, Clary jammed her finger at him, her eyes sparkling furiously.

"I've had enough of you and your rotten behaviour! I'm here because I want to and you don't control me."

She must have been loud because a few heads turned to them. She couldn't tell if she had raised her voice more than it was necessary to, with the sound of her pulse's violent beating booming in her ears.

Austin threw her a dark look, sighing. Rubbing his face with his left hand, he spoke very quietly,

"The people outside are from the law enforcement. They've been moving all over the district, searching for you guys."

"They can't possibly recognise me. I am Mikayla Scott, remember? and I bear no resemblance to Clary."

The answer Austin gave next made Clary regret ever leaving the house. In fact, it made her wish to be trapped in its walls again, hidden from the rest of the world.

"But your mark begs to differ," he had said.

*****

A/N: As always, thank you so much for reading!

Do you guys still remember the mark? Looks like someone's going to be in big trouble now.

Don't forget to leave your opinions on this chapter in the comments.

Your votes encourage me to write more! :)