43. That Night

"...And then, I'll get her to do my homework, after she's treated me to a meal at Cafe Paris and I've 'borrowed' ten of her best dresses! If she wants to look like a tramp, then she can give them to me instead!" Lila sniggered, as she wrote out her list of activities she planned to participate in with her reluctant new BFF Chloe the next day. She was sitting up in bed in her smallish room, on the fifteenth floor of a large block of flats.

It was as far removed from her fantastical tales of exotic vacations and celebrity contacts as possible... but, hey! None of that mattered any more. She had the golden opportunity to savour a taste of the good life she'd always craved, and she intended to derive maximum enjoyment from it.

Finally the skill of deception,the only useful trait she inherited from her brazen gold-digger of a mother, who'd left her and her meek and mild father high and dry when the now teenage girl was barely old enough to walk, might be good for something. After the promise of a new high-paying job abroad fell through (as befit their usual luck) and unable to fund their move back to Naples, it looked like they were stuck here. Cash was scarce to say the least, and every spare penny they had seemed to be put towards her current and future education. After all, as her father told her religiously: "I want you to have a better life than me. Don't let those brains of yours go to waste."

After the rent for this deathtrap of an apartment was factored in too (although, in Lila's opinion, the landlord should be the ones paying them to live in such unsanitary conditions) there was barely enough left over for basic nutrition. Lila had to constantly force her father to stop trying to sneak most of his portion of soup into her bowl when she wasn't looking, the sight of his bones ever more protruding through his ribcage was worrying her with each passing day...

And now, he was out strolling the city late again, trying to scrimp together a few extra euros by taking on demeaning graveyard shifts that right-minded people would laugh at doing. None of these placements were permanent of course, and as soon as morning fell he'd be back on the street once more, visiting each small business in town, begging for a task no matter how degrading to support him and his daughter.

When she'd informed the mayor earlier that her dad had never been much of a father to her, it was of course a blatant fib... like around 80% of the words that came out of her mouth (at last count). But there was one thing she did envy the elected official for, and that was the abundance of riches he possessed, for doing what Lila considered to be very little indeed.

Why should that overblown balloon get so much reward, she'd angrily lamented, for just sitting around on his fat backside all day and ordering far more honest, hard-working people like my father about? Just because he was fortunate enough to be born with a silver spoon in his mouth, it doesn't give him the right to rule the city. That oaf isn't fit to run a bath. It just isn't fair...

That's why, when she discovered that the mayor's daughter would be sharing her class in college, the germ of an idea entered the Italian's subconscious. That germ quickly became a full scale epidemic upon learning of Chloe's secret 'eccentricities', and the blackmailing scheme was born.

Lila herself had been surprised at how easily Chloe had allowed herself to be manipulated, she'd been expecting to encounter at least a bit of resistance from the notoriously snotty blonde. But, no matter. Now she had the chance at a more promising future, and best of all, her father wouldn't have to trudge through those dangerous places after dark, and she wouldn't have to stay up terrified every night, wondering if he was going to come home at all...

Lila glanced through the dirty window of her bedroom one last time before at least trying to get some sleep, the presence down below of dodgy-looking blokes offering brown paper bags full of chemicals for sale, and scantily-dressed girls offering up something a little more carnal in nature, did little to settle her frayed nerves. Somewhere, far in the distance, a police siren rang. She shivered in fear. I hope that doesn't involve my father, she silently wished.

She turned her nightlight off and was about to close her eyes, when a strange wind seemed to sweep through the room. It blew the list she'd been making on the floor, and gave her such a chill she held her nightdress close to her for warmth. It was like she was caught in the midst of a hurricane... only, the forecast for that evening was normal, and no-one else in the vicinity seemed to be affected.

Lila had no inkling just what the heck was going on, as the heavy breeze blew open books, seperated curtains and even caused her bed to move a few inches. Could it be... a poltergiest? The brunette frowned, cross at herself for even considering such arrant nonsense. But this strange phenomena had to have a purpose for being here, and the muted girl was about to find out what that was.

As the gust suddenly dissipated, a female voice could be heard. It was sweet and high-pitched, and it echoed off the walls eerily. "Miss Lila Rossi... we've come to have a word with you."

"W-who's there?" The Italian began to panic and began to frantically rummage around for a weapon, which of course would be useless as if they were ghosts, it would just pass straight through them.

"Don't worry... we're not here to hurt you..." Another female voice, this one accompanied by a low buzzing frequency, spoke next. "We just want to have a chat about a fellow classmate of yours..."

"What?" At such a specific condition, Lila stopped her fruitless search and looked around the blackened room carefully, seeing precisely nothing.

"Yes, we want you to stop trying to text and call Adrien Agreste..." The third disembodied voice sounded male, and considerably cheekier than the others. "He doesn't like ya babe, just accept it. There's plenty more fish in the sea, after all. Although, I personally prefer chee..."

A very confused Lila suddenly heard the sound of something being muffled, as the high and sweet voice returned. " E-er, sorry about him. He's a very silly spirit. The person who we're actually here about is Chloe Bourgeois, someone who I think you've had recent dealings with..."

"Oh, ha ha! Very funny!" Lila suddenly began to erupt with laughter, disorienting the 'spirits' that were still in the room. "Nice try, Chloe... trying to frighten me with this whole ghostly set-up to give up our arrangement. Well, guess what? It's not going to work. You wasted your money, putting on this show. Now I'm going to work you twice as hard, and ask for even more stuff..."

Suddenly, the brunette found herself being levitated in the air by the three still unseen figures, the darkness of the night providing a perfect camouflage for their task. All at once, Lila realised that this wasn't a trick, something supernatural was going on, as confirmed by the sensation of her nose hitting the ceiling.

"Okay, okay... you're real. Now put me down!" The usually unruffled girl was absolutely terrified at this point. "J-just tell me what you want, and leave me in peace!"

"So, you finally believe us. Good..." The buzzy voice returned, as the teenage girl was slowly lowered to the floor. "Now, listen to me well. The girl you know as Chloe is under our protection, and we will not accept any further persecution of her. Is that understood?!"

"Y-yes, yes..." Lila realised it was an easy choice, as she felt all of her hopes and dreams disappear that instant. She often felt like she wanted to cry these days, but normally managed to hold it in. What would it matter though, if she got a bit upset in front of a trio of spooks?

Meanwhile, the cheeky male spirit had managed to shake off his 'muzzle', and had something else to say..."And if ya don't, we'll come back and haunt you forever... and not just on Halloween! OOOO..."

"Sshh!" The high sweet voice said to her rambunctious companion. "Can't you see she's upset enough as it is?" All three 'spirits' watched, as a decade's worth of depression and desperation finally took it's toll of the proud girl, as she uncontrollably began to pour her heart out.

"A-all I ever wanted was for my dad to be proud of me..." She sniveled, her tears beginning to soak her long brown hair. "F-first, that bitch leaves him for another man, taking all of our savings away. Then, we move here after he was promised a big new job, only to find they'd given it to someone younger instead at the last minute. So, unable to get back home and without any money coming in, I have to wait here night after night for him to come back from his latest search for employment, in this filthy apartment all alone, surrounded by druggies and prostitutes. I-I g-get s-so s-scared..."

All of the 'spirits' looked at each with concern, and even the most selfish of them began to feel a little sympathy for the girl in his dairy-obsessed heart. She wasn't finished just yet though, and continued to put her thoughts into words, almost forgetting about the other presences in the room.

"...T-that's why, when I started my new school and met the other children, I realised this was the perfect opportunity to reinvent myself! I didn't have to be 'Lila, the penniless foreigner who's so poor to wear her mother's old clothes', but 'Lila, the jet-setting Italian who's been around the world, rubbed shoulders with famous people and most definitely is not someone you feel sorry for'. I also thought if I bought Adrien home with me, my dad would be so impressed, as he's been going on at me for ages to get a boyfriend. 'Oh Lila, you're so beautiful, why don't you have a special someone yet?' that's what he tells me all the time, and I wanted to give him his wish. H-he works so hard for both of us, a-and I love him so much, I-I don't know what he'd think of me if he found out about all the lies..."

An audible silence fell amongst the 'spirits', as they continued to listen. "When my plan to be Volpina fell through, and after I was akumatised, I swore revenge on Ladybug, and stomped home that day, with a big scowl on my face. That's when my father saw me looking so cross, and asked me what the problem was. I tried to ignore him as I wanted to plot my revenge, but before he left he gave me some advice: 'No matter how bad things are for you, there's always someone worse off'. I thought about all the homeless starving kids, who haven't even got a roof over their heads, and all the orphans who don't even have parents to tuck them in at night, and I realised... he was right..."

"So, instead of taking my anger out on Ladybug, who I eventually decided was only doing her job..." Lila's eyes narrowed, and she almost spat out the next few words. "I decided to take my frustration out on the one person responsible for all the basic inequalities in my new adopted city, the 'good' mayor himself. Obviously I can't get to him one-on-one, after all, he's surrounded by hired goons most of the day. No, the person who I'd target to exact my vengeance would be no other than his precious daughter herself, 'lil miss perfect' , Chloe Bourgeois. Luckily enough, I found she was a bit of a headcase who talks to cuddly toys, the ideal target for blackmail. It was all going so well... I had her in the palm of my hand, she was ready to give me everything I asked for. Things could've been a lot better for my father and me. B-but now, you've shown up and ruined everything and now... I-I don't know what to do n-next..."

That was it. The dam had finally fully burst, and years of dejection and desolation began to pour from the girl's eyes. The 'spirits' looked at each other, unsure what to do next. Apparently they'd succeeded in their original mission for Chloe to be left alone, but what to do about this new dilemma...

"Could she be telling another tall tale, after all... she is awfully good at spinning them..." Zzubo said to her companions.

"No, I've seen her lie before..." Tikki remarked, while glancing around her surroundings. "I'm almost one-hundred per cent sure that she's telling the truth this time. Also, look about you. Does this seem like the suitable habitat for a child?"

"Yes, it is very sad..." Plagg admitted, before his hunger instincts took over his thoughts once more. "But enough of that... where's the fridge? I want to see what cheeses this girl has, although by the state of this apartment, not many good ones..."

"Showing your sensitive side, as usual..." Tikki sighed, quite used to this behaviour by now. "Listen, you two... I can't just leave her like this. I think I'm going to have a private talk with her, before I head back. Why don't you two go now, I'll rejoin Marinette as soon as I'm done here."

"Erm... are you sure about this?" Zzubo sounded uncertain of this new proposition. "What happens if there's an emergency akuma attack? Or Marinette needs you in the middle of the. or...?"

"Relax, yellowbutt..." Plagg said casually, as he put a black paw on the hairy arm of his friend. "Hawk Moth's been unusually quiet of late, and from what I hear Marinette is nearly as heavy a sleeper as me, so it'll be fine. Besides, Tikki has a heart which is almost as big as my stomach, and there's no reasoning with her when she's in this mood. Come on, let's go..."

With Plagg's reassurance, Zzubo reluctantly left Tikki behind to console a still relentlessly crying Lila, as they made their way back to their respective addresses.

Just before they seperated, Plagg had one final thing to ask Zzubo. "So, how are things working out with Miss Prissy? I bet she's a handful. Can't say I envy your job..."

"Not at all..." Zzubo smiled, her wings buzzing with happiness. "In fact, they're all going swimmingly. I think it all started to change when I decided to adopt her..."

There weren't many things that got Plagg's mind off cheese, but this latest revelation did, at least for a few seconds.. "WHAT?!"

Zzubo grinned even more at the cat kwami's reaction, before preparing to tell her tale. "It's a long story..."

...

It was extremely late by the time Zzubo crept in the now re-opened window, and Chloe was still waiting for her, wrapped in a scruffy-looking dressing gown, with her hair very frizzy after her long shower. "What took you so long?" She humphed, a shadow of her old self bubbling to the surface again, before she added in a softer voice... "I missed you..."

"J-just had to deal with some special... kwami business." Zzubo stammered, hoping that would throw her foster daughter off the scent. The bee creature had been to collect her friends, then get Lila's address from the school office. No wonder she'd been away for such an extended period, but hopefully it would all be worth it.

As an added distraction to the heiress's suspicions, Zzubo made a surprise announcement. "Here, I've got something for you, for making such good progress today..."

"My phone!" Chloe exclaimed, as the electronic device was thrown onto her lap. "Where did you keep that? On second thoughts, maybe I don't want to know..." She stared at it in bewilderment. Funny, I thought I'd be more excited to get this back. It used to be my entire life. Oh, well... She went straight onto missed calls.

"Thirty-four from Daddy this afternoon, figures..." She sighed in annoyance. "That must be just after he'd found out about that whole Social Services things... and, hello... one from Sabrina, no more than an hour ago. Ringing me this late, I wonder what that was about... actually no, I don't care. I must remember to delete her from my list of contacts..."

In response to a stern glare from Zzubo, Chloe quickly added..."A-as soon as I can confirm that our friendship is over, well and truly. I'll do it the same time I smash that stupid brooch, that'll be something to look forward to. Incidentally Zzubo, I've got a question for you..."

She unexpectedly pulled off her fluffy slippers to reveal her dainty feet... which now were tinged with the faint sign of black and yellow bristles. "I don't suppose you know anything about this, do you?"

"Oops..." Zzubo's eyes widened, and she couldn't resist a little chuckle. "I was afraid something like this might happen one day, although I wasn't too worried because I thought it would only effect my enemies. I used the power on you though, so I guess now it is a problem..."

"What are you talking about?!" Chloe screamed, leaping from her bed all of a sudden to enclose her hands around the kwami, gripping it tightly.

"W-well." Zzubo scratched her head, unsure how to quite explain the situation. "You know when I put you to sleep last night, yes? Well, in doing that, I inserted some of my pollen into your system, and I guess because I used an extra strong dose, a portion of it fused with your DNA, and..."

"You mean..." Chloe howled, about to crush Zzubo to a pulp. "I'm part-insect now?!"

"Well, technically speaking, yes, but in reality, no..." Zzubo faded out of Chloe's arms to reappear somewhere a bit less claustrophobic. "You won't grow any extra eyes, limbs or wings or anything, and the bristle growth should be limited to your feet. But tell me, for my own piece of mind, what have you had to eat today?"

"Hmm..." Chloe considered this question carefully, despite her growing hysteria. "Well, I tried to eat sushi for tea, but I wasn't hungry, so I skipped it. All I had at lunch was that honey tea, which for some reason was yummy, even though I hated honey before. In fact, I can't stop thinking about the stuff, isn't that funny? W-wait..."

Zzubo's serious face told her it was no joke, and the horror began to set back in to the heiress's speech. "W-wait, you mean to tell me, that I'm going to want to eat that gooey, icky junk all the time, and have to shave my feet every morning for how long...?"

"E-erm, I don't actually know, the truth is the effects can vary..." Zzubo told her, with an extended gulp. " It could be an hour. A day. A week. A month. A year. Or..."

"Never?!" Chloe's high-pitched shriek could be heard possibly as far away as Venus.

"Y-yes..." Zzubo cringed, thinking for a second that her charge's own superpower might be some kind of sonic blast. "But, on the plus side, at least your feet should never get cold during winter again... and you might even lose a bit more weight with your new diet..."

It didn't help.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Aanndd on that quite loud note, we conclude day 3 now.

Thanks to NYuki - rin for the GREAT new front cover :)