Blood and Roses.

Ava could see her world crashing down before her eyes, tears flowed down her eyes as the doctor words echoed in her head.

"I'm sorry, we lost her" The words rang like a bad nightmare she could not forget.

To the hospital staffs, they lost just another patient but to her she lost her lifeline - Her mother, the only person who had kept her going, she had begged Janet - her boss for a loan, something she did not believe she could do, especially not after Janet's endless bullying.

She could still remember Janet laughter as she went on her knees pleading, she even went as far as to beg her scumbag of a father and yet... She was gone... Like she wasn't here yesterday... Like she wasn't the woman she talked to last night.

She could feel the pain in her heart, her world has ended and no one could see it - they didn't care. She clenched her chest as she squatted on the floor.

Indistinct chatter floated into her ears but she wasn't there, she was with her mother.

The smiling woman who handed her cookies when she was young, that strong woman who fought for her rights when she was forced to get a divorce, that woman that left her father without looking back. That woman that always told her. "Ava, you are a great child". Gone...Just like that.

In her subconsciousness, she caught sight of the nurses rolling her mother out of the room all covered in a white cloth. She rushed over to her side yanking the cloth off her face.

"Mother, mother" She called with choked voice. "Please don't do this, Mom don't leave me" She cried out.

"Poor child" she barely heard a passerby say.

"Mum" She sobbed.

"Ma, you have to take it easy" A nurse said coming over to her and pulling her in her embrace.

"Mother" Ava bent down to plant a kiss on the forehead of her mother's lifeless body. The coldness she felt rudely reminded her that the only person in the world that do care is gone - dead forever.

She turned to look at the nurse who held her and nodded at her.

"Thank you ma" She said her eyes following the strecher used in carrying her mother to the morgue.

"You have to be strong child, even if it's for your mother" The old nurse said and she nodded wiping her face with a tissue.

She had to be strong, her mother had no one else except her. Casting a glance at the stretcher, she nodded at the doctor and walked out of the hospital trying to convince herself that it did not hurt but... no it hurt so bad.

Her tears flowed down her eyes like a river. The bitter taste of the tears served to remind her of the death of the only person she had left. Her heart felt hollow and she found herself craving solace.

Heading to the bus station, she boarded a bus going to her fiancée apartment, he was the only one who could comfort her of her loss.

She pushed the door open and looked around the house not seeing him. She walked towards the bedroom and she could hear noises coming out of the bedroom... More like moans.

She shook her head refusing to believe what she was hearing, her tears that had just ceased found their way out of her eyes.

With her heart in her mouth, she pushed the door open and she could feel her already broken heart shattering again when she saw her fiancee, Shane in bed with...Clara her stepsister.

"Shane" She shrieked, eyes wide open before bolting out of the room.

Her legs burned as she ran far away looking for somewhere to let her emotions out. Looking backwards, there was no signs of Shane coming after her. She laughed - a heart wrenching sound.

"Did I really thought he would come after me?" She let out a sad smile.

She looked around her and it was in a pack, sitting down she saw little children running around with their parents then the memories she tried her best to lock away came rushing.

A small petite girl dressed in a pink princess gown running around with her father chasing after her, she could still remember the contented smile on her mother's lips.

A family filled with love and warmth was what she had till her mother discovered her father had been cheating, way before Ava was born and then that sweet family was torn apart replaced by the most hated smile of her step mother.

She did not realize she was crying till she felt a tap on her legs. Looking down she saw a little girl looking up to her.

"Big sister, why are you crying?" The girl asked.

"Because she is sad" She heard a voice behind the girl, she looked up to see a lady approaching them.

"Then if I give big sister my lollipop, she won't remain sad again right?" The girl asked her big eyes searching for an answer.

"Yes" The lady smiled at the girl.

"Big sister" The girl called and stretched out a lollipop.

"Thank you" Her voice came out choked as she took the lollipop. Standing up, She turned to look at the lady with a light smile.

"Thank you" She whispered.

"I don't know what you are going through but you have to be strong" The lady advised and patted her back.

Ava nodded and squatted at the girl's front.

"Little girl what's your name?" She asked.

"My name is Lora"

"A beautiful name, big sister has to go now" She said and when the girl nodded, she turned and then she walked away.

Ava walked down the streets with no destination in mind, her stomach rumbled reminding her she had not eaten since morning and she skipped work - Though work was the last thing on her agenda right now.

Raising her head, she caught sight of her mother holding snacks across the streets with a wide smile on her face beckoning her to come take the snacks.

Ava face lit up into a smile and she absentmindedly walked passed through road her eyes fixed on her mother.

The honk of a car brought her back as a black car sped past her almost colliding with her, she raised her head and her mother was...Gone.

She heard people cursing at her and the dam of tears that had opened in her since morning came rushing again. Why... Why was she gone?. She asked herself.

Sitting on the floor by the roadside, she raised her eyes and her eyes collided with the occupant of the car eyes.

A man - eyes cold, Dark, emotionless but behind it, there was something else, something darker. Something she couldn't name.

What was that?