Stella and Ash, it seemed, were too deep in conversation to pay her any mind. So Clary got up with a sigh and put her dishes away quietly.

"Yeah, right. There are three types of wolves in a pack," she heard him say. "the Alpha and Omega, the Mid-ranks, and the Lower-ranks."

Clary however, didn’t stay to hear what else they said. She was not interested, and besides, she had a new healing technique she wanted to learn from the green book. The green book is an ancient book that Healers use for learning about their powers.

Healers, at that time, were called Witches and often feared by the locals. But after many trials, it was decided that Healers were not harmful, and that they should be respected and called upon in times of need, and for treating certain individuals who would be beyond saving, using normal methods. But one thing they cannot

do--just one simple law--is that under no circumstances should they ever bring anyone back to life.

If a Healer should break a law, they would be killed or stripped of their powers immediately. Not that a Healer can't bring anyone to life, but the High-ranked Healers, which are called Lunars, believe that death is a natural thing, and shouldn't be tampered with; therefore, forbidding any Healer from the practice.

Meanwhile, with Stella and Ash, it was strangely quiet. They were glaring at one another as if they could tear each other apart right there and then, and maybe that was what they both wanted. If one knew Stella, she was awfully violent. But she was even worse with the ones she hated; therefore, anyone would die if she wanted them to. But that was true only with humans.

Stella, of course, knew what Ash was--and she despised him for it. Stella could also be possessive, and she cared for Clary like a sister, despite her attitude towards others. Which, considering Clary's childhood, made her hate other half humans, except for Healers and the beautiful, but aggressive, Mer-people.

It made her remember Clary crying so horribly, just sitting in that corner.

"It killed them." And Stella had known what she meant, even though Clary hadn't said anything more. She hadn't needed to.

Clary lay on her soft bed with its gold and blue sheets. Her eyes wandered to the picture on her bedside table, twinkling in the light. It was two girls, one with blond hair and the other with black, grinning happily. Sighing, she took it in her hands, feeling the smooth surface of glass against her worn fingers. Her mind wandered back to the old times . . . the first time she and Stella met.

Walking silently towards her new school, Clary gulped a nonexistent lump in her throat and took a deep breath. Having been home-schooled by her parents until now, she really didn't know what to expect. If she was honest, she was almost afraid. Having been with other Healers almost all her life, Clary didn’t know how to treat others that weren't Healers. What’s worse, she was asked to keep it a secret. Her mother had stroked her head kindly like she always did, and told her,

"Clary, I need you to promise me something." Clary had looked at her mother with curiosity.

"Promise me that you will keep this a secret--that we are Healers. Alright?" Her mother had smiled warmly and held her daughter.

"Okay, mommy! I promise!" Clary thought her life was perfect; just being with her parents made her beyond happy. And Healers would not age after a certain amount of time, so she did not have to worry about losing her parents at all. She thought they would stay with her forever.

Then she met Stella, who was sitting at the edge of the school gates. Her grin was burned into her head like a creepy doll might smile at you in a haunted house. With a violent shiver, Clary had tried to ignore her; but that was impossible.

They had the same classes, and Stella followed her everywhere at lunchtime. One day she came over to Clary, making her recoil in fear of what she might do. Stella's glare was unmistakable as she came near her. And then, to her surprise, she smiled warmly at Clary, holding out her hand.

"I'm Stella. What's your name?" Clary, at a loss for words, only managed to utter, "C-Clary."Stella had beamed.

"My mom told me about you! I thought you might be a Healer too." It was Clary's turn to beam.

"Really?! You’re a Healer too?! Oh, but what if my mom thinks I told you and gets angry at me...?" Stella laughed for a good while, making Clary pout.

"What’s so funny?!" And then they laughed together, their voices echoing all over the playground.

Then Clary remembered what had happened after that day, and the color went out of her face as she recalled the memories:

It was a summer evening and Stella had come over to show Clary a new technique her mother had taught her. The two girls were so occupied, they didn't notice the strange aura that surrounded the house. Stella excused herself to go to the washroom, and Clary sat there, glancing over at her parents.

Her mother was in the kitchen, cooking, and her father was going over some papers he held in his hand. Suddenly, they both stopped what they were doing and rushed over to Clary just as the wooden door of the house broke into a thousand pieces.

A wolf was standing there, its eyes blood red. It lunged at her parents, and they got into a fierce battle right there and then. Clary watched in horror as the wolf growled and slashed out with its claws, while her parents threw balls of energy, meant for harm, no doubt.

"CLARY! GO! HIDE!" her mother shouted. When she did not move, she growled and shouted again.

"GO!" Snapping out of her shock, she obediently ran to her room, and her knees gave out then, as she slumped to the floor in tears. After a few minutes, a wail that sounded like a scream rang throughout the house, and the sounds of battle died out. Clary struggled to her feet, shaking all over, and quietly walked downstairs. It was all she could do to keep herself from screaming.

Her parents lay in puddles of blood, and the wolf was wailing silently, struggling for its life. It suddenly had turned into a young boy, about 18. Her mother had warned her about werewolves, and she suddenly knew why her mother told her to not tell anyone what she was--it was for her protection. Stella rushed to her when she saw her sitting in a corner, wailing loudly.

"It-it killed them." Stella's eyes wandered over to the battleground, and saw the werewolf and Clary's parents, and had embraced Clary, telling her it would be all right. Clary then went to live with Stella, letting the Lunars take care of the rest.