Chapter 1: A Chaotic Introduction

The students of Hollywood Arts High School filed into Sikowitz's acting class, chatting and laughing as they took their seats. Beck Oliver, a charming and confident student, sat in his usual spot, flipping through his script for the day's exercise. Maya Hart, his girlfriend and a multi-talented individual with a secret or two, sat beside him, her long blonde hair cascading down her back like a golden waterfall. Her piercing blue eyes sparkled as she smiled at Beck, and he couldn't help but smile back. Just as Sikowitz began to take roll call, the door burst open and a frazzled-looking girl with a messy bun and a guitar slung over her shoulder rushed in. Tori Vega, a newcomer to Hollywood Arts, looked like she had just rolled out of bed and stumbled into class. Her eyes darted around the room, taking in the unfamiliar faces, until they landed on Beck. In her haste, Tori tripped over her own feet and stumbled forward, spilling coffee all over Beck's crisp white shirt. "Oh no, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, as Beck jumped up, trying to avoid the stain. Maya quickly rose from her seat, concern etched on her face. "Beck, are you okay?" she asked, as Tori frantically grabbed a handful of napkins from the box on Sikowitz's desk. Tori began to dab at the stain, trying to rub it out of Beck's shirt. "I'm so sorry, I'm such a clumsy idiot!" she muttered, as Beck tried to brush her off, laughing. Just as it seemed like the situation couldn't get any more awkward, Jade West, Beck's cousin and a student at Hollywood Arts, strode into the room, her eyes narrowing as she took in the scene before her. Her gaze landed on Maya, and her expression turned defensive. "Maya, what's going on here?" Jade asked, her voice cool and detached, as she eyed Tori warily. Maya, oblivious to the tension, smiled sweetly at Jade. "Just a little accident, Jade. Tori spilled coffee on Beck's shirt." Jade's eyes flicked to Beck, who was still trying to clean up the stain, and then back to Maya. "You and Beck are fine, I assume?" she asked, her tone implying that she would not hesitate to defend her cousin or her best friend. Maya, sensing Jade's unease, reached out and placed a reassuring hand on her arm. "We're fine, Jade. Don't worry." As Jade's expression softened slightly, Sikowitz cleared his throat, drawing the class's attention. "Alright, people, settle down. Today we're going to be working on improvisation exercises..." As the class began, Tori finally managed to blot the stain on Beck's shirt, leaving an awkward but endearing smile on her face. Maya leaned over and whispered something in Beck's ear, making him chuckle. Little did they know, this chance encounter would set off a chain reaction of events that would change the lives of everyone in the class, including Maya, who was not just a normal teenager, but a Kryptonian, shadow hunter, banshee, and wielder of chaos magic. As the daughter of Jocelyn Fray, a renowned shadow hunter with long red hair and green eyes, and Luke Garroway, a werewolf and African American, Maya's life was already complicated enough. Add to that her parabatai relationship with her sister Clary, a shadow hunter with a fiery spirit and matching red hair and green eyes, and it was a wonder she had time for a normal high school life. But as she sat in class, surrounded by her friends and acquaintances, Maya felt a sense of normalcy wash over her. That was, until she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye - a fleeting shadow, a whispered warning that her life was about to get a whole lot more interesting.