virago|c.g.|

xxiii

"Come on, hit me again," Carl commanded, looking at the girl before him as she shook her head. "Carl—" the boy raised his eyebrow. "What, you scared?" Clary let a smirk grow on her face, shaking her head before she brought her sword and swung it at him. He counteracted with his own, defensively hitting her blade away before preparing himself to strike at her. Analyzing him quickly, Clary realized that he was heavier on his feet compared to her due to his taller frame. Using that to her advantage, she was able to dodge the large swing of his sword before going low and sweeping his legs out from under him.

As Carl fell to the floor, she was satisfied as he let out a grunt before she used him being stunned to straddle him. On the higher ground, her blade immediately pressed against his throat while she placed a grip on his hand that held her blade. He tried to fight against her hold, believing it should have been easy considering her much shorter frame. However, that proved false as she didn't falter, her grip on his staying strong and solid. Begrudgingly, Carl let out a sigh before looking up to her. "You're kind of on my hand so I can't tap out." Clary smiled proudly. "So..." the boy groaned playfully. "Yes, Clarissa Dean, you win." The girl laughed before standing, holding out her hand and helping him up. "I gotta admit, you're not too bad, Grimes. You're actually doing pretty good." Carl rolled his eyes, letting out a sharp exhale. "You don't have to lie, you took me down. I doubt that's good." Clary threw a water bottle towards him, drinking from her own before she spoke. "Well one, this is only your third training session. And two, you have to remember I was able to take down men twice my size. There's a reason I got my ranks so young." Seeing her smirk, Carl nodded extravagantly. "Right, forgive me Commander." As he made a motion to bow, the boy laughed as Clary pushed him playfully.

A smile was on both of their faces until they heard footsteps approach. However, Clary's smile didn't waver as Glenn's figure moved closer, looking at the two before speaking. "So, is Carl a better fighter than you or—" Clary let out a scoff. "He wishes. To reach my level, that would take years." Carl rolled his eyes, giving her a playful flare before she shrugged. "But he's getting better. He'll be a damn good fighter in no time." Glenn nodded his head before looking to Carl as the boy approached the two. "Your dad wanted to talk to you. He also said you need to take care of Judith." Carl nodded, grabbing his stuff before turning to the two, focusing more on Clary. "You coming over tonight?" Carl asked, surprising Glenn as he saw Clary smile softly. However, before she could respond, Carl's eyes flickered over to Glenn. "You know, if that's okay with you and Maggie." Clary looked between both Carl and Glenn, surprised that the teenager was asking for permission. She was even more surprised as Glenn looked cautious. "You doing another training session?" Glenn asked, to which Carl shook his head. "I just thought she could meet Judith, maybe be normal and pick up a comic or two—" Clary hit on the arm. "Hey!" Glenn couldn't help but smile as he saw the two of them laugh before he nodded. "Of course," Glenn agreed, watching as the boy nodded before departing with quick goodbyes. Glenn noticed Clary watching as he went, a soft smile on her face that told him everything he needed to know.

As Clary turned towards the man, she was surprised to see a grin creeping onto his face. "What?" Clary questioned, to which Glenn only shook his head. "Spending a lot of time with Carl. Should I be worried?" Raising an eyebrow, Clary laughed at the mere suggestion his smirk was hinting at. "You're crazy," Clary declared as she realized what he was insinuating, a laugh sounding again as his eyebrow raised. "After what happened on our run, he just wants to be ready in case he ever has to fight. So, I'm teaching him."

During Glenn's time of healing, he had admitted to the girl that Nicholas had lured him into the forest to kill him. With his revelation, she told him about the man that Carl and herself had encountered and how it brought her past back. Glenn only nodded as Clary gathered her stuff, the two beginning to walk home in silence before she spoke. "Is everything okay?" Clary questioned the man, worry gnawing at the pit of her stomach only to be quelled by Glenn's nod. "Yeah, everything's good. I just wanted to remind you that the dry run is tomorrow and, as much as I want to have you helping me out—" Clary nodded begrudgingly. "You want me here, I know." She looked up to him with an unsure look. "But maybe going with Nicholas isn't the best idea, what if—" Glenn stopped, cutting off the girl as he faced her. His face was stern but she saw his eyes soften. "I can handle Nicholas, but I want to know that you're safe here. And to help out Maggie if she needs anything. Can you do that?" With a nod of assurance from the girl, the two continued walking towards their home.