The Aftermath Chronicles: A TMI FanFic

Part 1

The training room of the Institute in San Francisco looked more like a ballet studio.

There were two walls of mirrors, running parallel to each other. Wooden ballet bars were screwed into the wall. The west-facing wall was one large pane of glass that looked out over the city and the bay. Along the fourth wall ran racks of weapons and a ladder up to the balance beams suspended 15 feet off the floor.

Sienna Penhallow practiced her arabesques, jetes, and pirouettes there in almost complete silence. The quiet had once been unnerving but now she couldn't live without it.

Overall, the Institute of San Francisco was small compared to most. There were only three levels; the main floor which featured the kitchens, library, and dining room, the second floor, comprised mostly of bedrooms, and the third floor, of which the training room took up most of the space. Because it was so small, the Institute didn't get many visitors. The largest Institute in North America was in Los Angeles so most of the passing Shadowhunters (and demons) went there.

But she wasn't alone in the house. She had a mundane with the Sight employed as a butler. His name was James and reminded Sienna of Alfred from the Batman comics. That made her Batman. He cleaned, cooked, and occasionally treated Sienna's wounds. But the practice of employed mundanes was outdated in all the other Institutions.

After the Mortal War, Shadowhunter numbers were dwindling. That was the only reason the Clave had allowed a 19 year old girl with very little combat experience to run an Institute.

There was only a small werewolf pack in the city and they rarely caused any trouble. Vampires hadn't been seen in San Francisco since Alcatraz and warlocks preferred the glamorous lifestyle of Los Angeles.

There was a knock at the door to the training room. Sienna kept her balance on one perfectly pointed foot, using a bar for support. Her other leg reached up to the sky, forming just shy of a 180 degree angle.

"Yes?" she called, voice somewhat strained. Her foot was beginning to ache.

James entered.

"You have visitors, miss," he said. She dropped down to two flat feet.

"Visitors? Who?" Sienna asked. She feared the worst. The Clave. The nosy Inquisitor. Werewolves. Trouble in the city.

"A Mr. Jace Lightwood and his companions, Miss Clarissa Frey, Alec Lightwood, and Isabelle Lightwood," James said.

"Where are they now?" she asked, voice somewhat panicked. She wasn't prepared to receive visitors. Not in the sweaty state she was in.

"In the foyer," James said. Sienna wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead.

"Would you mind preparing some food for our guests? Heaven knows how they got here," she said. "You said Alec was with them?"

James simply nodded.

Sienna stopped herself from getting too excited. She had heard about Alec's new boyfriend-- a warlock named Magnus Bane.

"And tell them I'll be down in a few minutes," she added. James nodded again before leaving the room.

Sienna turned back around to the mirror. Her brown hair was up in a perfectly formed bun. She didn't have to worry about applying makeup. The Lightwoods wouldn't care. But it was the new name that bothered her: Clarissa Frey.

With one last sigh, Sienna left the training room.

...........

Jace remembered Sienna very well.

Her parents had died while invading a vampire nest in Seattle when she nine. She had spent a few months at the New York City Institute so she didn't fall behind on her Shadowhunter training while they found someone else to run the San Francisco Institute and take care of her. After she left, shortly after Jace's 12th birthday, he hadn't seen or heard from her. He knew that Isabelle still talked to her but Sienna wasn't a frequent topic over dinner.