The girl shook her head in disbelief and stumbled backward, pressing against the wall and sliding down awkwardly, her bag catching on the rough surface. Her mother was alive and doing quite well, but they didn't even look anything alike. She ran her hand along her nose. Well, other then the freckles, but still. She shook her head, scowling softly. Since her mother was alive, did she even care about her? Or was it an act? If she did care for her, did she even bother searching for her?

One thing that the girl used to hope for was right there. But hope is just a fairy tale, she reminded herself bitterly. Just something to keep us living in the lies that creates life.

The girl stood and headed out of the alleyway, almost colliding with her mother. "Sorry!" They both said suddenly.

The reporter sighed, "No, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention." She smiled. "Are you hungry? I know a great restaurant over here."

The girl hesitated and nodded slowly. "Sure, thanks."

xXx

Around late noon, the two women were heading back to the news building, talking softly. The girl certainly knew that Joan, the reporter, is her mother and was thrilled to discover that she had a least one family member that was alive. Even though she was proud about this discovery, she was afraid to tell Joan that she knew.

Joan stayed silent for awhile before pushing open the back door and letting the girl back inside. "Your surname is Lisbon, correct?" Joan asked carefully, choosing each word delicately.

The girl nodded. "Yeah it is."

Joan nodded and the duo fell silent once again.

xXx

The girl was studying over some maps, not knowing where to go or what to do at all. Growling in frustration, she pushed aside the maps and strode toward Joan's office, determined to tell her the truth.

She knocked on the door and a voice called, "Come in." The girl twisted the doorknob and stepped inside the office, closing it behind her. Joan smiled at her before shuffling some papers at her desk, muttering.

"Joan," the girl spoke, sitting down. The reporter looked up; eyes glimmering with hope, and the girl struggled not to flinch away. "Did you have a daughter?"

Joan sighed sadly, the shuffling coming to a standstill. "Yes I did," she murmured. "Someone broke into my house and attacked me, almost killing me and taking away my daughter."

The girl chewed her bottom lip in anxiety. "What was your husband's name?"

Joan grimaced and the girl held her breath, afraid she pushed the boundary. The reporter dragged out a sigh. "His name was Patrick Baker; I took on my maiden name when he was killed."

That was all she needed to hear. "It is true," she muttered, earning a funny look from Joan.

"What's true?"

The girl looked up at Joan and rasped, "Joan… it's me, I'm your daughter."

The two women stared at each other for what seemed like hours before Joan stood and scuttled over to the girl, embracing her into a tight hug, fighting back tears. "It is you," she choked out. "Thank God you're alive."

The girl buried her head in the crook of her mother's neck, feeling safe. "I thought you were killed too," she whispered hoarsely.

xXx

Joan drove her daughter to her home, a nice cozy little house away from the towns and city and closer to the jungle. It was a two bedroom house so there weren't any issues with sleeping arrangements for the girl. She browsed the empty room, seeing a made bed pushed into a corner, facing a bookshelf wall on the other side, stacked with books.

Setting her bag down on the floor and placing her shoes beside it, the girl crawled into bed, not caring that she was still wearing day old clothes. Smiling softly, she gazed out the small window, seeing a bright sunset being consumed by the hungry jungle. Closing her eyes, she drifted into a peaceful sleep.

xXx

In the dead of night, the girl's eyes flew open and she silently climbed out of bed, eyes narrowed, adjusting to the gloom. Her instinct suddenly told her to wake up and to get out of bed, but when she was about to open her door to her bedroom, she froze, her gut screaming at her not too.

The girl waited and waited until her gut gave her the okay. Quietly opening the door, she slipped out into the hallway and limped toward her mother's room, heart pounding in her throat. "Joan!" She wailed, seeing her mother lying in a pool of blood on the bed. The rushed over and collapsed next to her mother's bed, sobbing. "Mom," she whimpered. "Why didn't you scream? Why?"

Joan stirred slightly and rasped every so softly, "It was for your safety. Please, find them again. The notes are destroyed, he didn't want the world too know."

Still sobbing, the girl placed her mother's bloody hand on her cheek for self comfort, the hot tears rolling down her cheeks and onto Joan's hand, leaving clear trails in the blood. "I will," she whimpered finally, devastated.

Joan smiled in the dark weakly and croaked faintly, "Good luck, my daughter. Remember, hope is everywhere. Aasha, don't stop believing in it again." With that, she let out a last shaky breath, her eyes glazing over.

Aasha wailed, sobbing heavily, the moonlight catching the glint off of the dagger that was stabbed through her mother's chest. Although her mother gave her a warning never to let go of hope, the anger and pain that swelled and ruptured in her body was too great for her too control, for she hoped that her mother would accept her and let her come stay with her. And now, Joan was dead for real.

She left the room and unlocked the back door. Changing into the Tasmanian Wolf-Tiger hybrid, Aasha started to dig a grave to place her mother in, a last thing she good offer to Joan.

xXx

By the time dawn was breaking over the jungle, Aasha was already on the run, heading back toward the last place she saw the ship where Ren and Kishan drove away from, eyes hard and cold, yet past the barrier was a shattered mirror of what she felt inside of her.

Soon, she managed to catch the scent of the brothers on the wind and followed it quickly, hungry for her revenge. I swear Lokesh, Aasha promised silently, padding on. I will hunt you down and make you pay for what you've done to me. A growl erupted from deep inside her gut which soon changed into a howl filled with pain and anger. I will have my revenge.