KPOV
The Aston rumbled beneath me, though I could only feel, not hear, the car since my music was blaring. Head leaned back against the seat, and eyes closed, I enjoyed the Autumn sun on my face through the open window. It never ceased to annoy me that the Institute kept the Aston locked away for "special circumstances" only. God only knows I appreciated the car ten times more than any of the other Shadowhunters, and took any opportunity to use it. Really, they should gift it to me for my faithful service.
The car was at the top of the pretty, gravel driveway that lead to Magnus Bane's country house. It would have been easier to tempo-portal them to his house in London, but we decided that their journey from there to the Institute would have attracted far too much attention, given their appearances. I wanted to put the top down on the Aston, but for the same reason, I wasn't allowed. I opened my eyes to gaze at the beautiful house. Outside, it looked just like any other traditional English country manor, but inside, it had been totally Magnus-ified. Bright colours, knick-knacks old and new, huge party rooms with long bars, it was everything you would expect.
A movement caught my eye and I sat up straighter, watching the front door open. Will Herondale, James Carstairs and Tessa Gray stepped out, looking utterly perplexed. I tried to mute my smile, this must be one hell of a culture shock for them, straight from the 19th Century to the 21st. I stepped out of the car to greet them. All three pairs of eyes snapped to me, and Will's jaw honest-to-goodness dropped open, slack, as he took in both the car, and me. I hadn't thought much about what I was wearing, but seeing them dressed up to the nines in clothing that they would deem everyday wear, I realised my jeans and tank top were probably not what they were used to seeing. I especially noticed that Tessa wore a beautiful dress, with a corset top and wide bottom that seemed to explode out from her waist. Her waist was really the only part of her figure you could see, for the corset top came up too high to show any cleavage, and her shoulders and arms were hidden by a shawl. Her hair was pinned back from her face neatly, brown curls flowing down her back. I looked down at myself. My jeans were tight, riding low on my hips, and my tight tank top finished an inch above them, showing a little of my summer tan on my toned stomach. The strappy top wasn't low cut or anything, but it still showed some cleavage, and compared to Tessa's dress… I had a lot of my female shape on show! My long, blonde, wavy hair cascaded down my front and back to my waist, loose with no pins to hold it out of my face. I suddenly felt almost shy under their shocked looks, an unusual experience for me.
I shook off the feeling and walked over to say hello. Since Will had recovered his expression quickest, I started with him, holding out my hand. "Katerina Sancta, from the London Institute." I smiled, trying to look as friendly as possible. Will looked at my hand, confused, but finally shook it and introduced himself. I wondered if I was supposed to curtsey. Jem and Tessa followed his example, still looking rather shell-shocked. I returned to the car and opened my door, sliding my seat forward to let them into the back seats. Will's expression had changed to awe again as he regarded the car.
"What is that? It's beautiful." I laughed, glad someone shared my appreciation for the Aston.
"It's a car. Like a carriage, but driven by an engine, not horses. The engine burns fuel to generate power." I knew I would be sceptical too if I were about to climb into a large metal object I had never seen before, so I tried to offer some explanation. "This one is an Aston Martin," I sighed happily, and Will chuckled.
"You seem just as enamoured by this pretty piece of metal as I once was by the carriage horses." His voice was low and attractive, his slightly formal speech adding to the appeal. Will encouraged Jem and Tessa to climb into the back, and I showed them how to click the seat-belts into place. I had to open the passenger door for Will, because he couldn't find the handle. He did look a little embarrassed, but smiled at me all the same. When I started the car again, I could almost feel all three of them tense. The car purred beneath me as I released the clutch and set off slowly down the driveway.
"I should probably warn you, cars go very fast. Much faster than horses, but I promise, you're safe. I'm a good driver, and the car is built to protect us should anything happen." Will appeared to be enjoying the car ride, but Jem and Tessa still looked petrified. I made a mental note to keep my driving style slightly less Formula 1 and slightly more 1880's carriage driver. After a few minutes, Jem finally spoke.
"What is this sound? Is that the sound the car makes?" I thought for a moment about what he meant, before realising he was talking about my music. I roared with laughter, earning more surprised looks.
"That's music! We still have classical music, sure, but when I drive, I like something I can sing along too. Especially on sunny days like this." My entire Spotify library was on shuffle, and I tried to contain my internal glee about the strange mix of music they would be experiencing. Well, at least it would improve their modern cultural knowledge.
"I kind of like it," interjected Will, "I like the rhythm." I glanced over, and he was bobbing his head in time to the Avicii song. I shook my head, chuckling, as the song moved on. This time, it was Candy Shop. Oh boy, this was going to be interesting.
I listened to the words along with them, watching Will's face morph from puzzlement to horror as the innuendos and straight up dirty talk increased. "Is this song about, uhh" he trailed off, and I knew that he would think it improper to discuss this in broad daylight with a 'lady'. Well, I was proper and well educated in the eyes of today's society, but my new companions were about to get yet another shock.
"Sex? Yes, it is." I heard Tessa outright gasp, and Will and Jem were staring, eyes moving between the media screen and me. I laughed again, finding this all more amusing than I should. "It's okay, guys. It's not taboo to talk about it, for men or women. Society views sex casually now. People rarely wait until marriage, and people shouldn't be judged for their choices." I wanted to say that people weren't judged, but unfortunately that wasn't strictly true. "This song probably wouldn't be played on the radio during the day, because children could listen and that isn't appropriate, but at night, in dance clubs, no one would bat an eyelid." Will nodded like this all made sense, and even Jem and Tessa were attempting to shake off their shock. "In fact, I think I'll get you used to the idea. Will, can you pick up my phone? It's just there by the water bottle." With only a brief puzzled glance at the plastic water bottle, Will picked up the iPhone. He looked so uncomfortable holding it I had to smother another laugh.
"What is it?" He asked again, turning the thin object around in his hands. This was going to take longer than I had anticipated.
"It's a phone, you had those, only these are a little more sophisticated, it can do lots of things, like send texts, which are basically instant letters. Okay, turn it so the black screen is facing you, no, that's the wrong way up, the little circle needs to be at the bottom. Yes, perfect. Press on the little circle." Will flinched when the display came up. It was a picture of me and some friends on a night out.
"This is a… photograph?" He reasoned, looking up at me.
"Yes, photographs are a lot easier now. The thing you're holding took that particular one." His eyes widened in admiration of the small object. "Press the little circle again, now see the numbers? Tap gently over the number one." He did so slowly, almost as if he felt silly expecting the phone to recognise the touch. When it did, he blew air out between his lips in wonder. "Now press eight, six and four, in that order. Okay, all the little squares on the screen now are called apps. Please tap on the green one with black stripes." Will was following my instructions mutely, and I had a sudden flash of guilt. This must be really difficult, coming into a world, your world, yet you didn't know anyone or recognise anything. I vowed to teach them as quickly as I could. "Now do you see the word 'hot'? good, tap on that, and then the green oblong." This playlist was my 'I'm feeling myself and I want to dance like a stripper' playlist. Maybe I could remove all their worries about talking about sex in one journey, what with the ideas they were about to hear. The first song was a perfect introduction, and I smiled to myself as the intro to Jace Everett's Bad Things began. This wasn't so crude, and just insinuated certain activities. I couldn't resist singing along, I loved to sing and had been told I had a nice voice.
Will was bobbing his head again. "I don't know, Jem, I rather like this. I'm glad all that stuffiness over sex is gone. I'd much rather be as open with my mouth as I am with my body." He winked at me. I smirked back, and in that moment, I knew that the adjustment to the 21st Century was going to be easy for someone as charming and quick-witted as Will Herondale.
"Watch your mouth, William!" Jem admonished, and I could see his icy glare in my rear-view mirror, but his gaze softened as it shifted to me. "I'm ever so sorry, Miss. He never did have any manners." I laughed softly, meeting Jem's eyes in the mirror for a moment.
"Please, call me Kat, or at least Katerina. And don't worry about Will, I've heard far worse, I can handle him." I threw Will a crooked smile, and he gave me a look that said "oh, you think so, do you?". I took a moment to admire him. Will was classically handsome, the dark hair tumbling in waves on top of his head, the blue eyes that had felt like an X-ray when they scanned across my body in front of Magnus's house. His jawline and cheekbones were sharp, contrasting his soft lips. I realised I was staring, and quickly flicked my eyes back to the motorway. Thankfully, a gentle, American accent sounded from behind me before Will could say anything.
"Kat, your clothes," Tessa spoke cautiously, as if she was frightened of offending me, so I smiled at her to continue, "the trousers, they're normal? Or do only Shadowhunters wear them?"
"Oh, they're more than normal. Everyone wears jeans; men, women and children alike. Though men's aren't as tight as these." Will's mouth twitched up in the corner at the side of my vision. "Now, anyone can wear whatever they like really. It's extraordinary, I've seen girls in clubs wearing outfits that could barely count as underwear."
"And do you go dancing in outfits such as those, dear Kat?" Will's voice was as smooth as honey, and I almost felt myself blush. I didn't blush. I beat men into the ground with the point of my stiletto. Recovering as quickly as I could, I summoned the only reply I knew – snarky.
"Don't you wish, Mr Herondale." I smirked right back at him, and his eyes flashed. Tessa cleared her throat in the back seat.
"So, I will need to wear clothes such as those jeans, to fit in?" I nodded, considering for a moment.
"Well, you can still wear skirts if you want, those are commonplace too. And dresses, though often these are shorter than you might be used to. Much more comfortable though, no corsets." Tessa looked notably relieved, and Jem chuckled. "You can borrow my clothes until we can get you to some shops." Tessa laughed at the visible brightening of Jem's expression, and I smiled at the couple. We were almost at the Institute now, where it lay in the Southern suburbs of London. I turned my attention back to the car, trying to appreciate every last moment, since I didn't know when I would be allowed to drive it again.
Parking in the underground garage, I let Jem and Tessa out from the back seats, and took the small bag they had brought with them from the boot. Jem protested that I was carrying it, but I waved him off. The Institute was likely to be the most familiar sight for them in this new world. Apart from the new technology, the building looked much the same as the pictures I had seen. I showed each of them to their rooms, in the same corridor as mine, and told Tessa to knock for me when she was ready to change into some different clothes. It didn't take her long, and she looked around in wonder when I let her into my room. The walls were barely visible for posters, of bands, cars, Formula 1, and even a hot pinup of Ian Somerhalder, who, now that I thought about it, had similar blue eyes and dark hair to Will… I filed that thought away for later. My jeans were a little looser on Tessa than on me, since she had much slimmer legs. This didn't annoy me, I was strong and curvy, and I liked it. I gave her a long, floppy t-shirt too, but she insisted on keeping her own underwear on. It didn't look very comfortable, but if it made her happy.
"What is your underwear like?" Tessa blurted out, then covered her mouth with her hand. I laughed and shook off her apology.
"I can show you? I really don't care, I'm pretty open with my body." Tessa giggled slightly.
"Like Will then?" Her pretty voice was almost teasing, and I blushed, remembering his earlier words. I quickly shimmied off my jeans and pulled my t-shirt over my head, revealing my simple black bra and thong. Tessa seemed unfazed by the bra, but the thong was another matter. "That doesn't cover anything! What's the point of wearing it at all?" She all but screeched.
"Because, if I wear normal underwear," I showed her a pair from my drawer, "Then the lines of it show under tight fitted clothes – not a good look. And really, thongs aren't as uncomfortable as they look, not nice ones anyway." There was a knock on the door and I quickly dressed again, glancing at the clock. I had told the boys to come find me, so I could take them to their meeting with the heads of the Institute, and I was running a little late. I delivered the three newcomers to Brandon and Ellie and left for the kitchen to make everyone some dinner. I was a reasonable cook, but needed to follow a recipe most of the time.
We all chatted easily over dinner, Brandon, Ellie and I filling Will, Jem and Tessa in on various aspects of modern living. By the time we reached dessert, they were all looking thoroughly overwhelmed, so I decided to through in some more familiar territory.
"Hey, I'm going to train tomorrow morning, if you want to join me?" They all brightened up, Jem and Tessa nodding through mouthfuls of ice cream.
"That sounds perfect. Let us see if you really can 'handle' me, Kat." Will's smile was predatory, and the look in his eyes made me shiver. I didn't think the physical aspects of training were going to be anything compared to the effort it would take me to avoid distractions. After polite "goodnight"s from everyone, I headed to bed feeling happier than I had in a while. I did get lonely here, however lovely Brandon and Ellie were, and it was going to be nice having other people my own age around. I fell asleep quickly, visions of blue eyes dancing against the backs of my eyelids.