Clary, swallowing against her dry throat, had hurriedly put on her clothes, and grabbed her coat with such force she almost knocked the wardrobe over. She pulled on her familiar leather boots, gave Stella a hug, and rushed out the door.

Of course, Stella had protested and insisted that they go together, but Clary refused and insisted, instead, that the note had been for her and her alone, so she squeezed her friend's hand affectionately before leaving. Stella stared after her with anxious blue eyes, and after Clary disappeared through the tangled trees, she shut the wooden door with a loud "bang."

Having walked for a few minutes now, Clary glanced at the plant life all around her, fascinated. She had never actually taken the time to look about her for different reasons like, in a hurry, fear, distractions, etc.

Right now, her mind was preoccupied, but not so much as to make her forget anything else around her. Clary's hand flew to her watch which hung around her neck on a golden chain, squeezing it tightly against her palm.

The steady ticking calmed her, and a soft sigh escaped her lips. Her free hand glowed green in the darkness of the night, lighting her way and being her pathfinder.

She used a tracking spell for this purpose, using a strand of Ash's hair. She didn't know what "friend" they were referring to, but she had no one else but Ash and Stella. Sakura had been killed and crossed to the other side, her parents were also killed, she didn't go to school (for various reasons), and she rarely went outside.

So, no other friends, really. It had been a wild guess, but then it could as well be a random person they had seen her with and had mistaken them for her "friend." But it wasn't very good to take chances. She had learned that long ago after what happened to her parents.

Her grip tightening on her watch, the green glow in her hand strangely flickered and went out. Her vision was woozy, her hands falling to her sides as she felt her knees give out under her, and the last thing she saw before her eyes closed was a set of dark dress shoes walking towards her.

---

.

Clary woke up with a start, gripping the sheets about her. She was in a white queen bed, sweat trickling down her face. The room was plain, except for a blue wardrobe at the side and a green bedside table on which sat a vase with a single rose.

Clary tried to sit up, but her head felt strangely light, and she could only sit for a few seconds and then fall back into the sheets again. Her body felt strangely weak, and now, the crook of her neck stung.

Her hand wandered to the place of the pain, and there, on her smooth skin, she found two small lumps the size of her fingernail. She let out a sharp gasp and grabbed her watch, glancing at herself in the hidden mirror in the back.

Clary heard a scream as if from far away, and it took her a moment to realize it was her own. Two sharp puncture marks sat on her once smooth skin, and dried blood was around it with an agonizing smell of iron. Her vision darkened from the shock, and when she came to, she saw a figure sitting on the windowsill, grinning at her with sharp, threatening teeth.