Marissa walked in to the room she and Misty would be sharing, Sweetie was already there, waiting for her. "I can't believe you said that!" She nearly yelled at the pokemon. "You know Ash can understand Pikachu! What if he tells Ash what you said!? They could figure out my secret!" Sweetie stood up and looked her straight in the face, "Flare flareon flare eoon flare!" She barked. "I told you, I'll tell them when I am ready!" Marissa shot back! "Don't you realize what will happen once they know?! They'll think I am a freak! They'll turn on me, just like Matt did!" Marissa cried. She sat down, wrapped her arms around her legs, and rested her forehead on her knees as she sobbed. Sweetie walked over to her and rubbed her head against Marissa's leg "flare flareon." She said softly. "I know," Marissa, replied, "I'm sorry I yelled at you. But please don't tell, not yet. I will tell them soon, I promise." She said hugging her loyal pokemon. A few minutes later Misty and Brock came up stairs for bed. Ash would be up in a few minutes they said. Misty and Brock then said their Good nights and went to bed. Marissa decided to go get a glass of water before turning in fore the night. As she approached the bottom of the stairs she could her Ms. Ketchum and Ash talking. "Ash," Ms. Ketchum started, "I'd like to talk to you about that girl with your group, Marissa." Marissa froze on the bottom step, listening to what was being said. "What about her?" She heard Ash ask. "You said she took her glasses off one time, did you happen to see what color her eyes were?" She asked. "Brown." He replied "could she have been wearing contacts?" She asked. "Well, Pikachu says Sweetie said something about contacts. Why?" There was a long pause, Marissa was afraid they would hear her heart beating. "Ash," she heard Ms. Ketchums voice crack, "You have an older sister!" she said fighting to keep from crying. Marissa caught her breath. She placed a hand on the wall to steady her self, she thought she was about to faint! "So what does that have to do with Marissa?" Ash asked, not putting it all together right away. Ms. Ketchum took a moment to compose her self again before answering. "Your older sister, half sister, was different from other children. She didn't look like other kids." Marissa turned and hurried back up the stairs, she couldn't listen to this any more! Misty and Ash sat at the table eating breakfast the next morning. Pikachu and Flame were sitting in the corner gossiping about their human counter parts. Sweetie sat in the Kitchen floor giving Ms. Ketchum and Brock sad looks, in the hopes that they would feel guilty and give her a waffle. Ms. Ketchum stopped and turned to the creature, "I'm a mother, sad faces don't work on me any more." She told Sweetie. Sweetie then whimpered and sat up on her hind legs, looking even more pathetic. "Okay, okay," Ms. Ketchum gave in, "here." She said putting a waffle on a plate on the floor for sweetie. "Flare!" Sweetie squealed, She then jumped up and started licking Ms. Ketchums face, almost knocking her over in the process. The room exploded with laughter. Brock noticed one person was missing from the room. "Where is Marissa?" He asked Misty. "She didn't get up this morning." Misty said, "I hope she is ok." "What do you mean?" Ms. Ketchum asked. "She was upset last night. She went down stairs to get a glass of water and when she came back she was crying! She wouldn't even tell me what was wrong." Misty said in a worried tone. Ash and Ms. Ketchum exchanged worried glances, had she heard them? "Maybe I should go check on her." Brock said taking off his apron. "No need to." An icy voiced replied from the doorway.

Every on turned to the voice. Marissa stood in the doorway glaring at her mother. Tears rolled from under her shades and down her cheeks like rain from a black storm cloud. Ms. Ketchum felt her heart jump up into her throat. "Marissa." She started. "I know everything!" Marissa choked. "I know who you are, Mother!" Brock and Misty both stared in shock! Brock looked at Ms. Ketchum, then back at Marissa. Had he heard right?! Marissa took off her shade and flung them across the floor then glared at her mother. Both eyes burned holes in her mother's soul, one blue, the other brown. "You gave me away!" She yelled, "Just because I was different, you threw me away like a piece of garbage!" "No," Ms. Ketchum cried "you've got it all wrong!" "Shut up!" Marissa screamed, "I hate you! You thought I wasn't worth keeping, worth loving, just because I didn't look like other kids! Well I am sorry I wasn't born with two brown eyes like a normal little girl! I am sorry I had to be born a freak, and I am sorry I was born to someone as shallow as you!" She yelled "Your wrong!" Ms. Ketchum cried. "I wanted to keep you, I loved you! I wanted to keep you but I was too young to take care of a baby! I just wasn't ready! You've got to believe me!" She sobbed. Marissa glared again, she knew her mother hated her because she was different, she had always known that! "Liar! You liar!" She screamed! "I hate you!" Marissa turned and bolted out the door. Ms. Ketchum sank down to the floor and cried in to her hands. Her daughter hated her now. Every one stood stunned, not knowing what to do. Brock looked at Ash's mother, sitting on the floor. He could see she truly loved Marissa. "Its o.k. Ms. Ketchum," he said, placing a hand on her back. "She is just upset right now." He then got up to go find Marissa, leaving Ash and Misty to comfort Ash's mother. Marissa ran out to the edge of the woods then threw herself to the ground! She sobbed in to her arms. She didn't know what to do. She felt confused and lost. Now her friends knew her secret, they knew what a freak she was. She knew they would hate her now. "Marissa," she heard a familiar voice say. She stood up and turned away from the voice. "Go away Brock, just leave me alone." Brock walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. She jerked away from his touch, "Just leave me alone!" she snapped. "I don't want our pity!" "Marissa, would you just calm down? Just listen to me." "What could you have to say to a freak like me she asked?" Brock grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him. "Your not a freak!" He said firmly! "Don't ever say that again!" She looked up in to his face. Their eyes met for a long moment then she broke down crying. She placed her face in her hands. "I thought you'd hate me now." She sobbed. "I thought you'd think I was a freak like everyone else!" Brock pulled her in to his arms. "I could never think that." He stated as he held her. They heard a twig snap nearby. They both looked up to see Ash, Misty , and Ms. Ketchum. She looked at Misty and Ash. "Don't you guys hate me now?" She asked, puzzled. "Of course not!" Misty replied, "your our friend, we don't care how you look, you'll always be our friend. Your appearance doesn't change who you are! Besides that, I think you look really cool!" Marissa smiled at them. "Thanks you guys." She replied. "And besides that," Ash said, "You're my sister now, the only sister I have." He smiled, and then hugged her.

Marissa's gaze turned to Ms. Ketchum, who was standing a couple of feet behind Ash and Misty. She stepped towards her and looked in to her eyes. She couldn't believe it, her mother! The one person she had always wanted to know. She slowly reached out and touched Ms. Ketchum's arm, not sure what else to do. She then threw her arms around her and sobbed in to her chest. "I am so sorry!" Ms. Ketchum cried hugging the daughter she hadn't seen for so long. "I know." Marissa said, she then looked in to Ms. Ketchum's face, "I know Mama."