//EDITED//

I hate feeling weak. I hate feeling vulnerable, but who ever said that crying is weak is completely wrong.

When things get hard sometimes your eyes have to speak when your mouth can't form words. Crying doesn't mean you are weak it means you have been strong for too long and just need to let go.

I am sitting in one of the benches outside the mansion when I feel someone behind me. I look up and see Asher yet again, glaring at me.

I roll my eyes.

"Did you get a plastic surgery that went terribly wrong or something?" I ask.

He continues to glare at me.

"Seriously dude you're acting like I ran over your cat."

"Miss. Cahill, from the first day I laid my eyes on you I started hating you, and by you gracing yourself with your mere presence right now. Acting childish is not helping your cause, " Asher states nonchalantly.

I turn around and look behind me. Strangely, there is no one there but a tree. I turn to face him again and notice his eyes are on mine.

"You are talking to me?" I ask surprised. Even though that isn't what I would classify as a great first impression, it's the first time he directly talked to me.

"No, I am talking to that tree."

"Oh, well, don't let me stop you. Please carry on, I don't think the tree gets much company anyway."

Asher rolls his eyes. "Teenagers," He mumbles.

"Hey, I am twenty!"

"But you act as if you are a five-year-old."

"What the hell is your problem?!"

"My problem is that a reckless and weak teenager is standing in the way of me achieving something that I have been working on for years."

Unbelievable, does this guy not understand the definition of a teenager? Maybe I should look it up for him.

"If this is about the plans, then I am sorry you're on your own," I say softly and start walking away.

"This is a perfect way of getting revenge!"

I tilt my head slightly to the right.

"What do you mean?"

"Black killed your parents and Walker killed your brother. Lucky for you, they both are after the plans. You finding the plans before them, could help in your vengeance you have been seeking for."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Bullshit! Don't tell me revenge hasn't crossed your mind at least once since the death of your brother!"

He is right, I did want revenge, but now I just need to lay low for a while. I need to collect myself before I do something stupid and get myself into deeper shit.

Before I walk a single step, I am yanked backwards and face Asher again. He is gripping my arms and staring at me with his cold eyes.

"Listen to me Cahill, I will not let you ruin my plans for the second time!"

His voice is filled with authority and so much force it can scare anyone away. His eyes seem like they are black instead of the natural chocolate eyes he has.

"If you think you have so much of a choice in helping us find the plans, you're sadly mistaken. If you do not cooperate with us then I will have the cops reciting your rights as fast as I can snap my fingers. Do you understand me?"

The logical side of me is screaming at me to listen to him, but there is a bit of me that wants to slap his face multiple times, and punch him in the guts.

I nod. There is no point in getting violent, it would only bring me harm plus Martinez is right, I can get the vengeance I always want. Seeing me finally give in, he instantly releases me making me fall on my ass. The wind got knocked out of me, but he didn't even spare me a glance as I am gasping for air.

"I suggest you start getting your small little head spinning Cahill, and find me that clue."

With that, he walks away.

That guy seriously has a death wish.

***

I groan and hit my head against the table. We are in the library located in the mansion looking through books and documents that can help as in the slightest bit.

"This is so pointless!" I complain.

"We have been only looking for a couple of hours, Thea." Caleb says amused.

"That's couple hours too many." I mumble.

"Read the clue again."

I let out a breath and take out the notebook my mother wrote in The first one is the one saying about finding the key to the next clue which is me. Now we are on our second clue. It has a note from my mom and a symbol right below it.

After finding the key, it should be easy to figure this one out because only the key can be able to crave this open.

"Come on Thea, it says the key can only open this, which means it doesn't matter how hard we look through books for that symbol we won't find it. The symbol must be personal between you and your mother." Caleb says.

I stare at the symbol drawn in the notebook. Slowly, I close my eyes and think back to the times when my mom was still alive. Times when there weren't any secrets. Times when there wasn't any pain. Times when I was naive. Times when everything was simple and not complicated.

As I go through my memory I try to match up the symbol with anything, but nothing comes up.

What the hell are you trying to tell me, mom?

"Hey, why does Thea get to sleep on the job?!" Leo complains.

"I wasn't sleeping, I am trying to concentrate."

"Sure you are."

I roll my eyes.

"Hey guys, look the symbol is also in different kind of accessories," Leo says pointing at the computer screen.

"Leo, I don't think that's going to help." Caleb says.

For some reason, the necklace looks familiar. I continue to stare at it trying to remember where I saw it before.

"Come on guys, Raph, Ash, and John are back. Let's go eat something to refresh our brains," Caleb suggests.

"I second that!" Leo yells and runs out the library.

"Thea, you're coming?"

"Yeah," I get up, but my mind is still trying to remember that necklace.

Dinner is quite. Everyone is eating their take out and in their own little world.

"Found anything good while we were gone?" John asks.

"We're working on it." Caleb says.

"Cahill, if you have something to say I advise you to spit it out." Asher says.

"Stop calling me that!" I snaps.

"I will call you whatever I want, now spill." he says giving me a glare.

I glare back at him.

"You know damn well I am the only person in this room who can figure this fucking clue out, so how about you quit being an ass!?"

I am sick and tired of him treating me like trash. He needs to be taught a lesson or two about respect.

"I suggest you watch your mouth, Cahill," Asher says slowly in a low voice. Everything about him screamed danger and evil. Caleb clears his throat breaking our staring contest.

"I am going to get some air." I mumble as I get up and walk out.

Once I get outside I let out a deep breath. I take my hand through my hair and walk over to the big tree in the middle of the garden. I love this tree, because it reminds me the one near the cabin. My mom and I would always watch the starlit sky and comment showers when we would visit the cabin. My hand graze over the bark and subconsciously I start tracing the symbol.

Flashes of memories come across my eyes, but before I can process them they will disappear. I shut my eyes and the memory comes back, but this time, it is clear.

My eyes snap wide open and I gasp.

I figured it out.

***

"You better know where you're going, Cahill."

"For the hundredth time, I know where I am going and would you just shut the fuck up."

I can tell he didn't like my answer, but honestly where's the fun if you do everything his majesty likes.

We are walking through the trees that lead to the river and the tree that is behind our cabin. The light from our flashlight helps us walk through the thick trees. Sadly, it's only me and Martinez. Leo has to drop John off at the airport, Caleb and Raph are back at the cabin looking out for trouble.

My eyes land on a familiar tree and I run to it with Martinez hot on my trail.

"Shine the flashlight while I do something."

Surprisingly, he complies and my hands trails over the bark of the old tree until it touches something familiar.

"That's the symbol," Asher says behind me.

I nod. "It is a symbol my mother loved, because it symbolized unity and family. We carved it into this tree," I say slowly remembering.

"We also put something inside the tree," I whisper.

"Inside it?"

"Do you have the knife with you?"

He hands me a pocket knife and I start cutting open the soft spot of the tree. Once it is slightly big I put my hand through the hole and my hands land on a paper. I pull it out and show it to Asher.

"What is that?"

"This, Martinez, is our next clue."

***