Chapter One:

Magnificence

Pure, unblemished deep indigo nails. Not a chip, not a streak, but perfection. Normally, this would have made the High Warlock of Brooklyn ecstatic but not under the current conditions. He had been inspecting his nails for the past 47 ½ minutes, approximately, and he was royally pissed off. This of course was 39 minutes past the 2:00 sharp appointment he'd set up with the girl who'd called him.

Normally, he would have left when it reached 10 minutes past the agreed time, but there was something about this particular client. The way she'd talked to him, like he was the last hope for her, like he could save her from…something. Why he hadn't left yet was because he wanted to know what that something was. But that didn't mean he still couldn't still give her Hell for making him wait over 30 minutes. With that thought, he raised his arm into the air, signaling the waitress that he needed a refill of wine.

"Mr. Bane?" Magnus raised his head at the quiet voice. His gaze scanned over the girl in front of him. She must have been near 15 or 16 years old but you wouldn't have guessed it from her height. Even while the warlock was slouching down in the cheap plastic patio chair he realized she must have been at least 5'9. He was briefly reminded of Isabelle but was deterred by the rest of the girl's appearance.

She did have long hair like Izzy. However, this girl's was down to her waist, full of gentle curls. The color was the polar opposite of the young Lightwood though. Such pale blond hair it was almost white made the teen look both ethereal and ghostlike.

She was wearing tight black jeans that clung to her thin frame, and a fitted black overcoat that ended just above her knees. The girl had her hands tucked into the pockets of the coat, making her look both gentle and threatening. Her skin was a delicate bronzed color, flawless and almost glowing. It was the one thing that convinced Magnus she wasn't a vampire after all despite her beauty.

Regaining his composure, Magnus remembered that this pretty girl had wasted a decent amount of his valuable time. He smiled condescendingly. "It really is a pleasure Miss Evans. I was worried you wouldn't show up and I would have been so heartbroken at the thought of not having someone to attend to. Being the High Warlock of Brooklyn I have so much free time as you could imagine. Although you did give me a chance to realize the degree of perfection my nail polish is in." He sarcastically remarked.

The girl didn't seem to react but simply responded, "I'm deeply excited that you've reached nail nirvana. I wish I'd brought a gift but then again, myself should be a gift in its own. I apologize for being so late but I had an…unpleasant encounter with some old friends. May I join you?" She gestured to the chair on the other side of the table. Magnus raised an eyebrow. The girl spoke like someone older than her age and yet held as much annoying wit as himself. Perhaps she was a vampire after all; they could be annoying with the best of them, Simon was a testament to that.

The warlock tipped his head. With a nod the teen pulled out the chair and gracefully took a seat. "Now, I've contacted you to talk about a current situation that I could really use your help with." she said. Right then, the waitress walked up to the table and brandished a bottle of wine to Magnus.

"Will this do sir?" she inquired. Magnus quickly shifted his gaze from the girl, to the bottle, scanning the date and name. He disregarded the offended look he received form the girl and completely ignored when she cleared her throat to achieve attention.

She rolled her eyes and sighed, "I hate to be overbearing but I don't think you understand just how serious this is-"

Magnus raised a hand to cut her off without ever raising his gaze from the bottle of wine. He nodded to the waitress to start filling his wine glass. "Sweetheart, I promise I'll do all I can to help your, I'm sure, very important problem but before we embark on that special journey I would prefer to have some sort of alcohol in my system." Magnus realized he was being a prick but she'd kept him waiting and was acting like his superior.

Satisfied with her angry gaze, he sipped the blood-red liquid, savoring the taste. He then noticed her unnatural white eyes, that matched her hair. It wasn't as if there weren't any pupil at all, just the lightest color eyes he'd ever seen. It was beautiful like the rest of her….just unsettling.

His fingers still wrapped around the stem of his glass, Magnus was about to turn to the uniformed waitress and tell her that the wine would do, when the girl bluntly stated, "I'm your sister."

The wineglass was slammed down the table, causing it to shake and sloshing the burgundy liquid onto the white table cloth, no doubt leaving a large stain. The waitress jumped and began to mumble, "I'll just get something to clean that up and…." Magnus slowly shook his head, eyes closed. The waitress began to walk away but was stopped when he reached out his hand and grasped the wine bottle. The waitress looked at him. Eyes still closed, Magnus slowly shook his head yes and the waitress gave him the bottle, scampering off.

He raised the bottle to his lips and took a long drink before opening his eyes and resting the bottle back on the table. He narrowed his eyes at the girl. "Excuse me?"

She tucked a strand of her fair hair behind her ear and repeated, "I'm your sister. Well, half sister by your father of course." Magnus sighed, already knowing the answer to his next question.

"And by father you mean….?"

"The demon that fathered us both." The girl replied. "Magnexus I believe. Not one of the worst demons…..though scum like the rest. He was unbelievably vain however. That's how you got your name you know. He wanted you to have part of his name so he'd always be remembered."

Magnus just sat for a moment, taking in everything the girl had just told him. "And that would make your name….?" he asked. The girl gave a sheepish grin.

"Magnolia."

"Hmm…" the warlock uttered. He poured more of the wine into his glass before continuing. "Well let's see how much of this is true. Magnexus was a feline demon correct?" Magnolia nodded. "Alright that explains my eyes. Now, what quality do you have that is feline?"

Magnolia shifted uncomfortably for a moment. Finally, she took a deep breath and stood. Magnus watched as she unwrapped the white scarf she'd been wearing around her neck and suddenly realized it wasn't a scarf. She unfurled the long, furry appendage. It landed on the ground and the tip twitched. The other end lead to what looked like right above her tailbone. "I have a….tail." She whispered, blushing.

Magnus was stricken for a moment, but then nodded his head realizing that she was telling the truth. Magnolia sat down once again, her white eyes filled with relief. At what Magnus could only guess. His eyes were easily disguised but going through life with a tail would probably obtain a lot of cruelty. "No offence, but why are you telling me this now?" Magnus wondered, sipping his drink.

Magnolia shrugged. "I told you, I need your help. It's best not to talk about what at this particular moment; never know who's listening. It's not like I don't know this will cause trouble for you. I've tried to stay away as long as I can." She pulled the wine bottle towards her but was stopped by Magnus. It gained a pout from her pink lips which cause him to chuckle. Magnolia continued, "Look, I've known about us being siblings since I was 21 and I'm almost 93 now. It's not like I didn't try." She glanced over her shoulder suddenly, startling Magnus. She slowly turned around and met Magnus's gaze once again. "I've been able to use my powers to my advantage up till now, but I need to be properly trained by someone in order for me to survive the next course of events in my life…and for me to be able to protect others."

Magnus sat up straighter and asked, "You and other's lives are at stake? If it's by another downworlder we could just contact the Clave. I know some Shadowhunters that would be happy to help-"

"No!" Magnolia's white eyes flashed with unadulterated rage. "No Nephilum. Under any circumstance they can't know about me, or us, or this event. Is that clear?"

Magnus was stricken for a moment but then replied, "I can't be involved in anything illegal or else I'll loose my status as High Warlock-"

Magnolia rose from the table violently, shaking the wineglass once again. She glared down at Magnus. "Look Bane, I need your help. My people need your help. But I won't have the Clave involved. You won't be able to find me unless you swear on the Book of White-"

"How did you know I had the-"

"Unless you swear you won't involve them. If you decide to help me, light this on fire." Magnolia produced a small business card from thin air. She dropped it in front of the warlock, and stalked off. Magnus watched her retreat into the crowd at the corner of the street, her white tail thrashing behind her.

He looked down at the card and saw that it was picture of a magnolia flower blooming on top of a wolf bane. He smirked. Magnolia Bane. This girl was clever. Clever enough to be his sister.