Milwaukee was bustling with people. It was five o'clock and people were heading home from work. The sidewalks and streets were becoming crowded very fast and the sound of honking horns, angry shouts, and ringing phones were heard everywhere. People were eager to get home, out of the cold, before the darkening, midwinter sky became black. Occasionally, a person rushing to get home would forget to watch their feet and fall comically on a patch of ice and snow. Thinking of their wives, husbands, supper, and other things, most were too busy to care about the young girl walking through the city alone.

Gabrielle Enders weaved expertly through the crowds, ear buds firmly placed in her ears, shoulders hunched against the cold. Gibi made her way to the corner, where a large crowd was gathered waiting to cross, and waited at the edge of the group. She lifted her hand out of her pocket up to push a strand of her light, sandy brown hair back under her favorite purple hat. Instead of putting her hand back in her pocket, she began to fidget with the small, heart necklace she always wore. The silver necklace, with 5 green gems inlaid in the heart, was the last thing she had gotten from her brother.

For as long as she could remember, Gibi had been the third and final addition to her small family of three. Just her, her mother and her older brother living in a small farm house from the middle of nowhere. The little 'Golden Trio' her mom had called it. Her dad had never been part of her life, as he had left before she was born, and Gibi had no desire to ever find him. He hadn't wanted to meet his daughter and Gibi returned the favor.

Her brother, who was 10 years older than her, had decided that since Gibi had no father, he would just have to take his place, despite Gibi's constant protest that she did not need a father. He had become one of those crazy, overprotective older brothers that tried to protect her from everything. Even went as far as to threaten any boy who even thought about asking her out, much to Gibi's embarrassment. He had had all kinds of brotherly advice and (though she would never tell him) she had looked to him for almost everything. He had given the necklace to her the day he moved to his own apartment in the city, a week before her birthday as an early present.

He had left the house after many hugs from Gibi and her mother, who had been trying to wipe away the tears pouring down her face without anyone noticing. Gibi still remembered that week being one of the strangest in her life. With only her and her mom to fill it, the house had seemed empty. Then on Gibi's 13th birthday they had gotten a phone call. She had been expecting to hear her brother wishing her a happy birthday, but instead a monotonous police officer answered her. Her brother had died that morning in a car crash. The phone had fallen out of Gibi's hand before they could finish their sentence and it had lain on the floor all morning, forgotten, as Gibi and her mother had hugged and cried together. Now he was gone and all they had left was a few of his belongings and his girlfriend, who was pregnant.

Gibi and her mother had moved to Milwaukee as soon as possible. Living in his old apartment, they were helping raise little Ally. Ally was the cutest child to ever exist. Although Gibi thought she and her mother were a little biased. Now four years old, Ally was beginning to carry around her own miniature sketch pad, just like her aunt 'Wubby' and Grandma do. Her crayon drawings of scribbles and lines were portrayed throughout the apartment and, much like the artist, were always in the spotlight.

Gibi smiled at the thought of her niece and fought to bring her mind back to the present. She joined the large crowd finally moving across the street. As she walked she looked at the sky. It was dark out and she could see the stars just beginning to come out, although you could barely see them through the light pollution in the city. After living the first 13 years of her life in the country, Gibi couldn't help but miss the darkness. In the city it was never dark; there were streetlights, car headlights, traffic lights, building lights. And even in the privacy of her apartment, with the lights turned off and curtains closed, artificial light streamed through the cracks of her curtains.

Continuing her long walk home, Gibi began to head towards the less populated, more run-down part of Milwaukee. She walked several blocks and then turned right. The crowd began to thin out to almost nothing. Gibi found that the street she was walking on was nearly empty, with only an elderly couple and a middle aged man. Gibi didn't like to judge a book by its cover, but this man was giving her the creeps.

He was really tall, almost a head and a half heads taller than Gibi, and looked well-muscled. Scars were hidden by many strange tattoos that decorated his entire body. Looking at his nose, Gabrielle noticed it had been broken several times and had healed before it could be straightened for it was now permanently crooked. Unkempt black hair and rough stubble decorated his face, making him look homeless. His eyes flicked back and forth wildly, like a trapped dog trying to escape.

He was holding his arm like it was wounded and Gibi saw several healing bite marks on his forearm. He was definitely dangerous and extremely worried. Insane? Maybe. Plus the fact that he was covered head to toes in black clothing did nothing to ease her mind. It just made her think of the stereotypical kidnapper.

Gibi had always been a cautious person. She didn't trust strangers, no matter how nice they seemed. She wouldn't talk to them, smile at them, and even kept a small can of pepper spray in her bag. She supposed that it came from her mother, who had always warned her.

"Anyone can hurt you. Anyone."

Looking around Gibi nervously realized that the elderly couple was gone and she was alone with the creepy man. Reaching in her denim handbag, she put her ipod and headphones away and pulled out her can of pepper spray, keeping it just out of his eyesight. Just in case. Reaching the alley that lead to the back door to her apartment building, Gibi sighed heavily and walked carefree down the alley. She was thankful to leave the man's presence and started to put the pepper spray back in her bag.

There was a masculine moan behind her. Gibi stopped what she was doing and spun around quickly. Gibi's entire body was tense and her eyes flit back and forth searching for danger. Her eyes widened when she saw the same man sprawled on the ground, starring up at the sky. At the full moon to be precise. Even though her mind screamed for her to get away as fast as possible, Gibi's caring instincts won and she ran to him to see what was wrong.

Gibi dropped to her knees next to the man and grabbed his wrist, drawing his eyes away from the full moon and to her face.

"Are you okay?" She asked, slightly panicked at his sudden collapse, "Are you hurt?" The man didn't answer her question.

"I'm going to call the hospital. Okay?" she asked, already reaching for her handbag. He roughly yanked his arm from her grasp and groaned in a deep voice.

"Get the hell away from me. I don't need your help!"

Surprised and a little angry Gibi started to get up, stomping her feet. She grabbed her handbag from the ground and said,

"Fine! I was just trying t-"but she was once again interrupted. A wolfish growl erupted from the man, causing Gibi to back up in surprise.

"Oh my god!" She yelled. The man in front of her was changing and morphing into a monster that could have come out of a child's nightmare. His fingers sharpened into long claws, hair began to grow everywhere on the man's body, and his face transformed into something less than human. He moaned in pain, but soon began to stand up.

Gibi was terrified. Releasing a scream, she backed up quickly until her back hit the wall so hard that it bruised her shoulder. Suddenly, Gibi was reminded of the times her brother would criticize the hero of a scary movie.

'It's so stupid! Why don't they just fight back! Don't just stand there and scream! Run, fight, do something! Anything but just screaming!'

'How ironic,' she thought in a moment of insanity. Chills raced up and down Gibi's spine, effectively freezing her mind. She watched, not moving a muscle, as the man stood up and looked at the full moon again. His tattoos were literally burning off his skin, leaving little trails of smoke rising off his body. Gibi didn't know how it was happening. This sort of thing was from fairy tales and children's stories. But Gibi was watching it happen and it was undeniably real.

His body was tense and he looked like he was in pain. Gibi pressed her back up against the wall behind her. Although the movement was so small it was barely noticeable, it drew his attention back to Gibi. His eyes narrowed angrily and he growled at her.

"I told you to go away!" he yelled. He was breathing heavily as if he had just run a marathon and Gibi inwardly flinched at the glare he was giving her. When he started to march towards her with his claws outstretched she was shoved from her frozen state. Screaming once more, she fumbled for her bag and reached in for her pepper spray.

She finally managed to open the bag and pulled it out. Hands shaking, she held it out in front of her and acted on instinct. Gibi sprayed his face and caught him by surprise.

"AHHHHHH!" He screamed. He was trying to rub it from his eyes, but his claws got in the way.

Gibi ran. Taking her best opportunity, she raced away from him and out of the ally. She didn't know where she was going and lost track of the turns she was making. She just wanted to get as far away from that monster as she could. She had no hope of fighting him off, only distance could save her now. She couldn't hear him chasing after her and she prayed that the pepper spray would keep him busy until she was far enough away. But Gibi was barely two blocks away when she heard him scream,

"I WILL GET YOU FOR THAT!" and she let out a single sob that had been swelling in her throat. She ran faster, her feet pounding into the pavement. The sun had set a long time ago and the dark surrounded her. She whipped her head around; searching for other people, but in her panic Gibi had gone away from people and into an area that looked abandoned. Warehouses and factories that looked broken down and dusty towered over her on either side.

"You better run faster little girl." Gibi heard him yell. He was already almost caught up with her.

She turned a sharp corner, only to find a dead end. A brick building stared her in the face and suddenly she felt as if the world was against her. This was it; there was no way she would make it out of this. She could already hear the monster's breathing at the entrance of the dead end. She thought again of her brother, who she missed dearly, and put on her brave face. She wouldn't stand there frozen in fear like they did in the movies.

Gibi turned around and faced the monster. His eyes were red from the pepper spray and small scratches marked his face from his own claws. She pulled out her pepper spray again. It was her only weapon, but it made her a fraction less afraid. At the sight of the small, pressurized can, the monster got even angrier, if it was possible.

"You're going to pay for that." He growled in his low voice. He walked forward almost gracefully towards her, like a predator stalking his prey. Lifting her only defense, Gibi looked him right in the eyes and said, her voice shaking only a little bit,

"I'll spray you again!"

The monster didn't even slow down.

"Did the little girl get brave? Does the little girl think she can escape?" He asked mockingly.

It smirked at her and then, quicker than she could follow with her eyes, he lunged forward and clawed at her hand. Letting out a cry of pain, she dropped the pepper spray and cradled her hand to her chest, trying to stop the bleeding. Gibi watched as the small can rolled down the alley and out of her reach. The monster laughed at her pain, an insane glint in his eyes.

"What now? What are you going to do now?" He said, "You're as good as dead girly." He was grinning maliciously at her. The look on his face made Gibi cold inside, he thought he had her cornered and, looking around her, Gibi thought so too. To her left and behind her was an old factory reaching five stories tall, with windows broken and rotting wood. To her right was an abandoned storage unit, the doors forced open and the contents stolen.

"Get back!" Gibi yelled, "People will realize I'm missing! There were witnesses who saw you!" She said.

"Who, the elderly couple? They won't even remember you in the morning," He said grinning madly. She took another step back. Growling, the monster mirrored her movements.

"And I'm not worried about the stupid mundane police. They can't find someone like me, "

"Someone like you?" Gibi asked. Gathering more of her courage, Gibi looked him in the eyes and raised her voice, "What the hell are you? Are you even human?" He bared his sharp teeth in a scowl and Gibi took another step back as he stepped forward.

"You mean like you? No, I'm not a pathetic mundane."

Gibi took a third step backwards and felt her back hit the wall. She realized a moment too late that this is what he had been waiting for. Before she could move he had pushed Gibi backwards and pinned her to the wall. She could barely move in his tight grip. He moved his face closer to Gibi's, face red from anger, and said,

"It doesn't matter what kind of beast I am. My life was ruined by people who thought they were better than me." He had his claws at Gibi's throat now, threatening to draw blood. She could feel his breath on her face and tried to breathe through her mouth. His breath was disgusting.

"Why me? Why kill me then? I wasn't the one that ruined your life."

Gibi was losing any hope to escape. He was a lot stronger and physically fit than her. There would be no chance of running away from him. And talking him wasn't working. His constant mood swings made it hard for Gibi to talk to him. One minute he would be grinning like it was funny and the next he was growling angrily. One slip, one wrong word and Gibi could be dead, lying on the ground with her throat ripped out.

"I'm not going to kill you. You're going to be the first member of my pack," He replied in a voice that was almost kind, if it hadn't been for the insane laughter behind his words. "I'm going to get revenge and I need a pack to follow me. A pack that hasn't been brainwashed by the council and that idiot, Greymark."

"I don't know who your talking about. I don't know who the council is."

"Perfect. Besides, you don't need to know who they are to tear them down-"

He stopped suddenly, eyes widened, and lifted up his head, his wolf like ears perking. Gibi went silent, listening too for any sign of help. Finally she heard the sound of footsteps running towards them. Gibi felt a tear of relief slide down her face. She didn't know if she wanted to yell for help or warn them to run before they were killed with her. Gibi wasn't able to do either because he had already turned back to Gibi and slammed her into the wall again, knocking the breath from her body. Trying to suck air back into her lungs, Gibi's mouth gapping open like a fish out of water. He whispered to Gibi, his disgusting breath tickling her ear,

"Time's up little girl." Then he slapped her. The force of the blow whipped Gibi's head back and she felt her head hit the wall behind her with a loud crack. Her head spun and she started to see stars at the edges of her vision. He stepped away from Gibi and, unable to form complete thoughts let alone stand, she crumpled to the ground. He turned away from Gibi to look at the entrance of the ally. Gibi quickly lifted her unwounded hand to her cheek. She felt 5 shallow cuts from his claws, stinging in pain, and when she pulled her hand away it was covered in blood.

Turning back to Gibi, he grabbed a hold of Gibi's hair. She screamed as he pulled violently and threw her away from the wall. He landed on top of her as she kicked and screamed on the ground. Feeling his claws scratching every part of her body, she almost didn't notice when he bit her several times. Gibi screamed even louder, praying someone would come help her. The footsteps she had heard seemed like a dream now.

"SHUT UP! " He yelled in her ear. "Get up. We're leaving. NOW!" His claws were digging into her shoulders and he tightened his grip until she stopped screaming. Breathing heavily, Gibi blinked back tears and refused to cry. She needed to be brave. The scratches all over her body were bleeding and she felt a sharp stab of pain every time she moved. Gibi stared at the entrance to the ally, studiously ignoring the way he tried to pull her to her feet.

Two girls suddenly came skidding around the corner, closely followed by a boy. Gibi could barely see them clearly because her head was spinning and blood lose was making her mind foggy, but they all looked about her age. Seeing Gibi, bleeding and trapped, beneath the monster, they all ran forward, pulling out various weapons.

The monster howled in pain as the first person, a teenage girl with large brown eyes and brown hair, threw a dagger that sunk hilt deep into the monster's thigh. Standing up quickly, the monster pulled the dagger out of his thigh and threw it back, but it was too late. The second of Gibi's three saviors, a boy with sandy blond hair, was already next to the monster.

He ducked to avoid the airborne dagger and swiftly kicked the monster's feet out from under him. Hearing the thump of the monster's body land on the ground next to her, Gibi scrambled away and stopped against the wall. She leaned heavily on it as the effort of crawling away made her head spin.

A warm hand touched Gibi's shoulder. Spinning around, Gibi instinctively pulled away. Staring wide eyed at the girl in front of her, Gibi relaxed slightly. It was the girl who had thrown the dagger. She looked about 17, with shoulder length brown hair and big, brown eyes that widened when she looked at Gibi's numerous cuts and bites.

"We have to get you away from here," The girl said, "Let me help. You're not going to be able to walk straight because you've lost too much blood."

Gibi could only nod. She grabbed the girl's outstretched hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. The sudden movement made her dizzy again and she put a hand on the wall to steady herself, holding her head in the other hand.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked worriedly. She moved closer to Gibi's side, ready to support her if she needed it. Gibi looked down at the shorter girl and saw her eyebrows scrunched together and a small frown on her face.

"I-,"Gibi swallowed the lump in her throat, "I think I hit my head pretty hard. I'm really dizzy"

"You might have a concussion. Keep your eyes open. Don't go to sleep, okay?" She said as she gently lead Gibi away from the wall and helped her sit behind the third person, who stood at the side of the ally watching. The girl stood and watched attentively, only glancing once at Gibi in concern, with an arrow loaded on her bow. She had blondish hair that was cut short like a boy's. Gibi leaned her back against the wall and waited for the dizziness to pass, concentrating on the warm hand the first girl kept on her shoulder. When the world stopped spinning Gibi followed the gaze of the girl with the bow.

The boy was now wrestling on the ground with the monster. The rolled over and over, each one trying to get on top and gain control. To Gibi, they looked evenly matched. Both were fit and muscular and must have had some kind of training. They were kicking, punching, and blocking with such grace and ease that they were beginning to blur, but that might have been a side effect of blood loss. Finally the monster managed to pin the boy's hands down and trap him. The monster growled something in the boy's ear that Gibi couldn't hear and the boy spit in the monster's face in reply.

In the corner of her eye, Gibi watched the girl with short hair pull back the string of her bow. Barely taking time to aim, she released. The arrow hit the monster in the shoulder, making him yowl in pain. Using the monster's distraction, the boy kicked up and flipped them over once more. Suddenly, the monster was the one pinned.

"You know," The boy said casually as his right hand pulled out another dagger from his belt, "The Clave frowns on attacking a mundane," The boy waved the dagger in the monsters face. The silver dagger gleamed in the dim lighting. He flipped it up in the air and caught it before it could impale the monster's throat. Without breaking eye contact with the monster, he tauntingly played with the dangerous weapon.

"What gave the clave the right to tell me what to do?" The monster said. The boy suddenly stopped flipping his dagger and was still, only moving to glare at the monster. His voice hardened and was edged with anger as he spoke.

"I seem to remember you were the one who taught me those laws, Maverick. You didn't seem to have any problem with them back then. Had a change of mind, did you?"

"I learned the truth! The clave-"The monster - Maverick, the boy had called him - growled.

"-Respected you! You were a respected teacher, one of the best in Idris. You taught some of the fiercest shadowhunters."

"That was before I was thrown away like trash, before I was bit!" Maverick shouted, "I'm no longer your equal, just a lesser being to control." Maverick began to struggle again, trying to break free. The boy had to shift his weight to avoid being thrown off. He readjusted his grip on the dagger and slid the edge to the monster's throat.

"Stop struggling or I'll be forced to slit your throat." He said. Gibi, even as sick and dizzy as she was, had enough sense to hope he didn't mean it. She didn't think that escaping the claws of Maverick, the closest thing to a monster she had ever seen, would be any good if she was immediately kidnapped by teenage murderers. Gibi watched tensely, unsure what she would do if the boy followed through on his threat, but she didn't need to worry. Panting heavily, Maverick grew still again. The boy looked shook his head at the monster.

"You deserved every bit of what you got. Even before tonight, your first full moon - before we even knew for sure if you would change- you went wild. Threatening students, reacting violently, you even tried to bite people. You were unreasonable."

"My life was already in ruins! I was an outcast; even if I didn't change I would live my life alone!"

"So you just decided to bring as many people as you could down with you?" The girl with the bow interrupted, the disgust in her voice clear. She loaded another arrow, "Kill him now, RJ, or get out of the way so I can do it."

The boy pressed the edge of his dagger deeper into Maverick's throat. Gibi's whole body tensed, waiting for him to slit the monster's throat. There was a small line of blood from his dagger, trickling to the ground. Then the boy hesitated, his eyebrows scrunching together as he seemed to fight with himself. He turned to look at the girls and said,

"We don't have to kill him. We'll send him to the nearest pack, one that can control and keep a close eye on him. As long as doesn't attack a mundane again," Despite his earlier threats and authoritative tone, he seemed desperate to find a way to avoid killing him. "We can just take the mundane to the nearest hospital. They'll thing it was a dog attack or we'll make the mundane think it was all a dream. The clave-" Both girls were shaking their heads sadly at him and the girl next to Gibi interrupted him,

"He's already bitten her, RJ" RJ's grip on his blade loosened in surprise and his gaze shifted to Gibi's shoulder, where she had been bit several times. Using RJ's distraction, Maverick pushed RJ off him and into the wall, disorienting him. Maverick took off to the end of the ally, trying to escape.

"RJ!" The girl yelled as she pulled back and took aim, "Cassie, stop him!" She shot another arrow at the escaping monster and Cassie attempted to throw another dagger, but both weapons were dodged. As the girl loaded another arrow, RJ began to get up, shaking his head to clear it. He ran after Maverick, who had disappeared around the corner, the girl with the bow right on RJ's heels.

Gibi watched with the brown haired girl as they ran out of sight. She felt like she should ask about all the things they had talked about. Who was the Clave and the council? What's a mundane? Who were they and how did they learn to fight like that? What kind of monster was Maverick? The entire conversation had confused her, but she couldn't muster the energy to care right now. Instead she just stared at the entrance of the ally, waiting for RJ and the other girl to come back.

When they did, Cassie stood up and asked,

"Where is he, Kyra? Did you get him?" RJ and the other girl, Kyra, shook their heads dejectedly. Kyra glanced at RJ before looking back at Cassie. RJ seemed to find his shoes very interesting.

"By the time we caught up with him he had made it into a crowd of people. Even I can't be sure to hit him without hurting a mundane too." Kyra said. Cassie pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"He shouldn't have gotten away in the first place." Now Cassie looked at RJ and Gibi thought she saw him wince at the glare Cassie directed at him, "It was stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid! RJ, he broke the law, ruined someone's life, and probably plans to do it again! He isn't your teacher anymore." Her voice had risen to a shout and both RJ and Kyra backed away.

Gibi's head was getting worse and the shock of what had happened to her was finally setting in. Gibi felt numb and felt like she could sleep for days. As she fought off sleep, the edges of her vision were fading and she fought to keep her eyes open. Cassie stopped yelling when she saw Gibi flinch at the loud noise that made her head pound.

"We have to take her to the institute. She's lost too much blood and I think she has a concussion. "She said. Gibi didn't like that they were talking about her like she wasn't there, but she didn't have enough energy to protest. She simply watched as they discussed what to do.

"Shouldn't we take her to the nearest pack?" Kyra said, "She's a werewolf now." Cassie shook her head.

"No. We don't know if she will change or not. It's not likely, but there's a chance she'll stay mundane." Cassie replied.

"Besides, she might be able to help us. Maverick wasn't trying to kill her and he might have told her some of his plans." RJ said quietly, as if afraid of making Cassie angry again. Cassie just turned away and crouched down in front of Gibi.

"Can you two examine the area? I'll help her." Now she directed her words towards Gibi, "Keep your eyes open. You might have a concussion. Don't go to sleep no matter how tired you are."

"I'll try." Gibi replied sleepily, "No promises," Cassie laughed at her words and for the first time Gibi saw her smile.

"Don't worry. We're taking you to the institute and we'll be able to fix you up there. Just don't fall ASLEEP!" Cassie yelled the last part when Gibi began to close her eyes, making Gibi jerk her head back and glare weakly at the girl.

Behind Cassie came the sound of Kyra laughing uncontrollably. As Cassie spun to see what was going on Gibi felt her eyes beginning to close. Through lowered eyelids Gibi saw Kyra on the ground, red faced, trying to breathe through her laughter.

"Oh, my God! I can't believe it! Cassie!" Kyra said.

"What?" Cassie said

In Kyra's hand was the small empty can of pepper spray that had rolled away from Gibi.

"I can't believe it, " she said again, "Pepper spray of all things! She sprayed him with pepper spray!" There was a moment of silence. Then she cracked up again. Cassie managed a smile.

"Haha, very nice, but hurry up and finish. She needs medical attention as soon as possible."

Kyra got up from the ground, Trying to contain her giggles. She looked down at Gibi, ignoring Cassie, and finally gained control of her laughter. Kyra pointed a finger at Gibi playfully,

"You are awesome. I think we'll get along great"

Gibi could only smile before her eyes closed and she fell asleep.

"I knew there was a reason I saved you!