Chapter 1

"I am that merry wanderer of the night!" Stanley Tucci's voice called out, drifting from the TV set over to the couch where she sat, legs tucked up underneath herself, body curled into the corner cushions. Dressed as the fairy Puck he pranced around the screen, oblivious to the snort of derision as she pressed mute, scrolling through the remainder of the channels to find something less…fraudulent. It's not as though she didn't believe in faeries, just not the kind featured in Shakespeare's a Midsummers Night Dream. Nor any of the mythical creatures featured in television dramas; she knew too well the harsh reality that surrounded faeries, vampires, werewolves, witches, warlocks and demons. Thanks to the uniqueness that was her, Aria had the lowdown on all that went bump in the night.

She frowned, switching the TV off and opening her laptop, hitting play on a random playlist as she pushed herself out of the couch and into the kitchen. Her mother would be home soon with their take-out dinner, but until then old movies were doing little to occupy the time. Grabbing bottled water from the fridge she hauled herself onto the counter, navigating her legs to balance on either of the sink as her head leaned on the cool glass window pane overlooking Miami. There was no view of the ocean or beach front that had attracted her mother and her to this city, but she could still smell that saltiness that only the ocean had to offer.

As Aria often did when her mother was out and she was alone in whatever apartment they were currently living in, she sat by the open window and breathed deeply, allowing the smells outside to soothe her. In a life that was ruled by change and movement, she had only three consistencies; the first was her mother, the second was that things would always change, and the third was the air. Whatever city or town they were residing in, Aria could always open a window and breathe. As a child it had scared her mother, she who always worried about what else might come in. As she got older her mother realized that resistance was futile, and let her be.

Turning her head to the sound of a lock opening and keys jangling she jumped off the counter, grabbing two forks and two glasses out of their respective drawers and cupboards. In walked her mother, blonde hair rumpled and disheveled from the 7 flights of stairs it took to reach their apartment without a functioning elevator. As she placed the two bags of Vietnamese food on the table she looked up at Aria, blew the hair away from her face and smiled. "Window, Aria?" She asked wry humor in her voice. "Window." She nodded and smiled back, grabbing the take-out boxes to check which was her own.

She brushed by to grab the glasses, filling them with Orangina, Aria's favorite beverage. Something about the fizzed orange drink always made her happy, and it was an indulgence, so she enjoyed whenever her mother brought it home. "What's the occasion?" She questioned, taking a big sip and grinning, her shoulders doing a little shake as she smiled, almost like she had reverted to a six year old. She really did love the stuff.

"What, can't a mother be nice to her daughter?" A kiss dropped on her check and then her mother was on the other side of the counter, pulling a large stool over on which to sit. Aria hopped back up on the counter, the food balanced on her legs and her drink a safe but still reachable distance away. "So. What brought on the sudden urge for window sitting?" Her mother smiled at her, the way only mothers can when they know something is wrong with their child.

"The TV."

"The TV?" Eyebrows went up. "That's a new one. I thought kids these days loved television. Not that you're a kid, I know, 18 means you are a legal adult with the right to vote. Not drink, but vote. What did the TV do?"

"Showed a horrible adaption of a Shakespearean play." Aria watched with amusement as the eyebrows furrowed. She could tell her mother was mentally running through a list of movie adapted plays before it clicked.

"Ah. And what else could annoy you so much other than A Midsummers Night Dream."

"Puck to be exact. I mean really? Weren't mundanes-""Humans!" She interjected. Her mother always hated the term mundane; said it was the reason she and Aria's father had to keep their relationship a secret. "Fine. Weren't humans supposed to be more aware back then? Didn't they actually know, as much as they could have, what was out there? Why did Shakespeare have to portray Puck so…stupidly?"

"I honestly don't know. I've never been the biggest fan of the Bard. But why is this upsetting you now?"

"It just got me thinking, like it always does. First about faeries, then the rest of the Downworlders. About Dad, his family. You."

"Ahhh." Her mother said, putting down her fork as Aria mimicked her. "So you've been feeling nostalgic. Was there a specific reason?"

"No." She shook her head, keeping eye contact as she reached for her drink to assure her mother she was telling the truth. And she was. She never knew why she got like this; all Aria knew was that sometimes she did. Her mother stared back with piercing green eyes, before nodding her head and picking up her fork again. "Alright." Aria grabbed her drink and they let the conversation go, her mother choosing instead to tell her about her day, as Aria told her hers.

If there was ever a woman to be given the title of Best Mother, it would be Vivian Torren; strong, witty, intelligent, but more than any of those she was a mother. As such she always put her daughter's needs before her own. Two cities ago the only apartment available to rent had one bedroom, and Vivian had given it to Aria, creatively using to curtains to corner off a section for herself. She'd said that as an adult all she really needed was a bed and place to put her clothes, but as a teenager her daughter needed space. It was because of this great love that her mother had divulged everything about her past life to Aria. While her life may not have been so different from most humans, that changed had when she met Aria's father. Part human, part angel, he had belonged to a race known as Shadowhunters; the protectors of the world from all supernatural things evil.

And Aria was his daughter.