CHAPTER 2 – A Day in the Life
"Good morning." Jacob rubbed his sleepy eyes, shuffling over to the tiny round kitchen table.
"Morning," he mumbled back. Victoria smiled at the sight of him, with his dark hair all sticking up at odd angles. She ruffled his hair and he endured it good-naturedly. She pulled the cereal down from the cupboard above the greasy stove and set it down in front of a still half-asleep boy before turning and grabbing him a bowl and milk as well.
They didn't live in the lap of luxury, but it wasn't so bad, she thought as she watched him pour the cereal. One big room was their kitchen and dining room, a couple of couches and a TV on the other side. They shared a single bathroom and bedroom, and took unscheduled turns sleeping on the couch. It was a pretty cramped living space at the back of the shop where Vic ran her mechanics business. Still, they had food, running water, shelter, electricity, and enough money to send Jacob to school.
Jacob dumped his empty bowl and spoon in the sink, shoving the cereal box back in the cupboard and milk in the fridge. She stood there in the kitchen as he changed and walked back out of the bedroom, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and looking considerably more awake.
"See you later," he said, hugging her swiftly. She squeezed him a little extra hard when she realized he was almost as tall as her. Almost 14 years old. She watched as he loped out the door – her heart gave a motherly pang, but she smiled softly. He was growing up. After a few more moments he had disappeared around the corner of the street, walking to school. Vic remembered the days she when had walked with him.
She sighed and roused herself, pushing away from the kitchen counter she leaned on. It was time to get to work.
Victoria had a few regular customers, and her shop had become known for its services, particularly on the black market. Street racers brought their cars and bikes in to get their engines turbo-charged and other special features installed. It wasn't quite legal, but it paid so well she was willing to risk it once in a while. Other than that it was just regular business.
And regular business meant Downworlders. A vamp with his bike ruined by holy water, a wolf that'd busted the axle of his Jeep in the backcountry. All in a day's work.
She threw her hair up in a pony tail, rolling up the sleeves of her oil-stained work shirt as she lay back on the skateboard and slid underneath the car she was currently working on. The radio beat in the background. A few more tweaks and it should be good.
A couple of costumers came and went, and she didn't bother to keep her Marks glamoured. The Downworlders knew she was Nephilim, but she'd never crossed them and never questioned them either, which got her respect. And she only got the occasional mundane in her shop anyway. So she was surprised when about half an hour before closing time, a human walked in.
It was a boy, tall and lean, with golden skin and espresso-dark brown hair. Cat-green eyes, a leather jacket and jeans. Everything looked designer. She regarded him appreciatively for a moment as she wiped her hands on a rag, but immediately sensed there was something off about him. Still, an odd human was nothing compared to some of her usual customers.
"Hey," she said, tossing the rag aside and walking up to her makeshift desk where the deals were made. "What can I do for you?"
"I just need a regular tune-up," he said. He had a very slight foreign accent. Vic nodded slowly, peering at him. He gazed calmly back at her, but there was something almost too serene about his expression. Like he was forcing it to look natural.
"Alright, bring it in," she said, hitting the garage door button. It opened with a groan, sending cool air rushing in. Winter is coming, Vic thought as goosebumps rose along her arms.
The boy nodded and walked out, driving in an expensive black sports car that growled when he touched the gas. She gestured for him to park it where it was. As he got out gracefully, she watched him. It was hovering on the edge of her consciousness…
There! She latched on to it, and peeled back the glamour with her mind.
What was another Nephilim doing here? His Marks were strong and dark, just like her own. And he was Marked with runes for protection and battle. Who was this guy?
Old fears rose up in Victoria. He couldn't have found her.
Could he?
Kaden drove the car into the garage carefully. It was the Institute's car and he had borrowed it just for this. To investigate the girl.
He hadn't told anyone in the Institute about her, not even Vernon, his mentor. Something told him it would be a bad idea to say anything, and he wanted to look into this on his own. It was his first time doing anything of real interest since he got here. Kaden was curious.
She was looking at him carefully, but so far the glamour seemed to have held up against her. He had used powerful Masking runes that would take a while to wear off, and he kept a straight face. Kaden got out of the car and back over to the desk, putting the keys down and pulling out his wallet.
Up close he could see she was pretty, with long dark hair, a tan undertone to her skin and clear hazel eyes. Pieces of hair hung around her face, escaped from her messy pony tail. The cut above her left eyebrow had been mostly healed, but it was still a faint pink puckered line. She stood confidently, like she was always in her element, but her lips were pressed in a thin line as she told him the price and he paid. He still wasn't sure what he had been expecting, or even the real reason why he'd done this at all.
"What's your name?" he asked as she took the credit card and ran it through. She looked at him warily.
"Maria," she said flatly, reaching to the side to grab his receipt.
"How long have you worked here?" He hoped he sounded like he was merely a passively curious customer. She turned on him, eyes narrowed.
"I've done nothing wrong," she said abruptly, though he saw the flicker in her eyes that told him it wasn't true. "So what business does the Clave have with me?" Crap, Kaden thought. She knew he was a Shadowhunter. But how? He scrambled for a response.
"Nothing," he said hastily. "I was just curious." There was a long pause.
"Your car will be ready by Wednesday," she finally said, her face as closed off as she could make it. Kaden nodded, turned on his heel, and walked away.
Victoria let out the breath she'd been holding as soon as he was out of sight. She had lied through her teeth when she said she'd done nothing wrong. She was breaking Covenant Law just by being a rogue Shadowhunter, unregistered with the Clave on this side of the world. In Europe, she had no idea what happened to her records. Her numerous dealings with Downworlders, if only in cars, was enough to condemn her, not to mention her time on the streets that nearly ended up with time in a mundie jail…
It only made her feel slightly better that she hadn't given him her real name. Granted, it was her middle name, but nobody knew that. Nobody but a single person whom she never wanted to see again. She fingered the silver bracelet on her left wrist nervously, tugging at the solid chain, the linked rings inscribed with specific runes.
But this boy knew what and where she was. Her only comfort was that it seemed like he hadn't really known what he was doing.
Victoria jerked back to the present, wearily pressing the button to close the garage and cleaning up her tools. She was exhausted. It had been a hard night. She only got a couple hours of sleep after the fight, and it was catching up to her. But she still had dinner to make and dishes to clean and homework to help Jacob with when he got home. Sometimes she felt too young for all this responsibility.
Closing the shop, she made herself a cup of steaming coffee, heaping sugar and milk in the cup and stirring. It warmed her up and relaxed her shoulders as she sipped, watching the wind whistle down the street outside.