Lila Rossi
"Get in," Announced Miss Ecofinisher, who sat behind the desk and saw the brunette teen enter into the office and close the door behind her. "You're the last student from Miss Bustier's class as I see, I'm right?"
"Yes I am, so far I noticed," Responded Lila walking towards the seat by the desk and got down as the woman moved her hand for the girl to understand the command. "I heard you're getting to know us all, so when you ever need to give us help you will do it,"
"Exactly," Commented Alfida. "You don't need to worry about our conversation. It's simple, everything I get to know about you, whether it's good or bad, no one will ever know," Stated the adult making Lila nod. "So you're Lee-Lah Rossi? Have I pronounced it right?"
"In Italian, it would have been almost correct. It's originally pronounced as Lee-la, but it kind of gets pronounced by a few students a little American-like,"
"Okay and that doesn't bother you?" Questioned Alfida.
"I didn't feel yet offended by it, so it's cool for now,"
"Alright, well…..So Lila, tell me a little bit about you, who are you, how old are you, a brief introduction about yourself,"
"I'm Lila Rossi. I'm 15 years old and I'm Italian, from Milan and Aosta. My mom's from Aosta, while my dad is Milanese. They are both diplomats and work here at the Italian embassy. I moved for around 5 months more or less away from Italy to be here nearer to my parents,"
"Were your parents living here in Paris on their own?" Questioned Alfida making Lila nod.
"I lived with my godparents for a while and later on I was passed away to my grandparents. With the age, I got a little independent, while my grandfather became health issues and my grandma couldn't always look to 100% for me. I didn't want to return to the place, where my aunt used to live, so my mother suggested I should come over to Paris and live there. I knew Paris was a wonderful place as shown in many movies and I thought it was going to be the best decision I would agree on,"
"And? You're feeling well here?" Questioned Alfida making Lila nod. "Good. I will be asking you questions, which you have to answer me. Just basic questions about yourself. Pretty simple, isn't it?" Asked Alfida making Lila nod, slowly looking down at the sheet of the woman, then she placed her arm over the table blocking a part of the block's question, making Lila flinch her teeth shortly. "You're okay?" Questioned Alfida, then Lila shook her head to wipe off her grin and gave an answer.
"I just wanted to see, what questions await me," Answered Lila halfway correct making the woman nod.
"Don't worry, they're very easy, Lila. You don't need to fear," Commented Alfida making Lila nod neutrally. "So, how are you doing at the school?"
"Fine," Responded Lila. "I do well with people and I got at the moment…...decent grades, maybe. Not totally fine and also not well,"
"I can see that in your last school report. Mostly passable grades. English Math and IT are the only thing here you're better at. Here's a note down here, that you've missed almost three months of school, unexcused,"
"That's a long story. After my akumatization on my first school day, I felt so embarrassed and feared going to school….I had nightmares from what I have experienced and couldn't manage to go by myself to school. My parents allowed me to stay for a few days and I did. I've been alone in my room all by myself,"
"And you were at home now all this time and they allowed you to stay?" Questioned Alfida watching Lila nod quick. "Very odd, I could swear the reason you stayed was due to a specific trip you took with your parents,"
"What trip?" Asked Lila a little tensed, then watched Alfida swipe through the sheets inside the girl's file and looked through it.
"Here it is," Mentioned Alfida moving around the sheet to show it to the girl. "It says, that your parents were on an important business trip and needed you to come along to visit the kingdom of Achu. This was here according to them from the 12th to the 26th of June. On the next sheet, we've got a different topic, a business dinner at the conference center in Davos, where you were gone for a week as well, the 1st to 8th June,"
"Y….yes I was there too," Responded Lila a little nervous about, where the woman was heading to.
"You know, I happened to be from the Grisons canton, to be more specific the city Chur, which is around an hour away from Davos more or less. This year the reunion was actually set in January. I happened to be there on vacation with my family two weeks earlier and knew about the preparations for that week. This is all kind of strange, both are even signed digitally by your mother. The secretary received them all by PDF and printed them out to add it to your file. Of course, she hasn't suspected of anything. You're after all the daughter of diplomats and have quite a different lifestyle as regular students, including the ones from our school. Also by looking at those sheets here, being all signed digitally….there's a higher chance in today's time, that it can be faked by others easier than by hand. I'm taking out now another sheet written by your parents as well, that states, that you were home by the start of July, because you had sprained your ankle at sports class,"
"There is a sick note of it somewhere. I had given it to my mother as I returned from the hospital. She must have sent it," Lila added a little loud with worry, then Alfida pulled out another sheet to reveal the X-ray of her leg. "See?" Questioned Lila, then Alfida looked at the image to spot the unclear date of the image.
"Do you have per coincidence your smartphone?" Questioned Alfida watching Lila shake her head, then the woman opened the drawer to take out a half-empty glass bottle, that was closed and used it as a magnifying glass to check the date of the image and glimpsed at the brunette girl. "You know we're not in 2015, right?" Questioned Alfida, then Lila glimpsed over the glass of the bottle to see the date was clearer now. "Could you explain to me, what's going on here?" Asked the Swiss-descendant woman watching Lila roll her eyes away from the woman in fear. "This is fraud," The woman commented, then Lila got up from the chair to run off, shrieking Alfida, which got up as well and managed to block the exit to the brunette girl. "Wait, wait, wait. You don't need to leave right now, we're just getting started,"
Lila grabbed the handle of the door, while Alfida from the side moved the key stuck in the hole to lock it and removed it shrieking Lila.
"I need to get out of here!" Warned Lila making the brunette shake her head.
"You're good enough here. Don't worry, you just will take your time to see me and as well I will have the time to get to know you. The one I want to know, for real,"
"I did already and I think it was enough," Stated Lila looking at the psychologist's hand to see the key to the door.
"Lila, I just want to help you. I told you, you don't need to worry about it. I won't let anyone know about this. Not your friends, not the teachers, not even your parents. It's a pinky promise,"
"If I had a Euro for every time my parents told me this lie I would be rich….uh meant as a quotation,"
"You have to trust me. When I make promises I keep them. Have I told you the deepest secret of uhm…..Adrien Agreste?"
"You haven't said anything about anyone," Pointed out the Italian girl earning a nod from the woman.
"See and so it will be with you," Said Alfida.
Ten Minutes later as both sides had calmed down, the two sat vice versa to each other in front of the desk. Lila sat in front of the table looking down at the ground with a gloomy face and Alfida just watched the girl there quietly, wondering where to pick up the conversation from before.
"Okay, I know this is difficult for you right now. I'm here with you. I won't yell at you, nor won't I scold you. I just want to know, why you did all these things. Why you lied like this to everyone,"
"I wish I knew how to answer that. I have always done this before. It had always been the easiest way to get closer to people. Nowadays it feels like it's the best way to get people interested in befriending you. It had worked like that back in Italy when after moving to Turin with my godparents I had been excluded from my classmates for being different. Back when I got sent to my grandparents in Milan, I was in another school with different people and I didn't want to pass through the same issue I did back in the other school,"
"You began to lie to them all?"
"It was harmless at the first. I don't remember the rest. It was strange, I began to make up lies randomly, just to excite my new friends there. Even lies, that were not even needed for me to reach what I wanted. I just did and I didn't know why. I don't even know if I wondered why I was doing that or not. I just went along with it. Why would it matter?"
"Hmm haven't you ever feared, that your friends would have found it out and maybe…...not like you about it?"
"Frankly I haven't. Not even for a second. It's just…...I don't know…...I guess desperate moments lead to desperate choices,"
"What would you consider in that timeline the desperation? The need for friends? The need for attention? Self-love?" Questioned the psychologist watching Lila shrug her shoulders.
"I feel like it's more than that. I've been surrounded by loneliness and exclusion very often. I couldn't bear to keep going through it over and over again,"
"Haven't you thought about saying normal things about you, like facts about you or anything that was right?" Questioned Alfida. "You can't expect all people to not be interested in the real you. Even if these people that show you interest end up being two people only. By the end of the day, the only thing that will matter is to know, which ones will stay by your side at the end of the day,"
"I had at the kindergarten one friend at least, but she moved to Bellinzona, during our time in the 1st class. Since that we have never seen each other again,"
"Okay and no one else had shown interest in being your friend?" Questioned Alfida making Lila shrug her shoulders.
"I was only focused on my best friend on that time, I never thought about making space for more. The other way around I don't know, the others were minding their own business with their own friends. I don't remember, if I tried hard to make someone befriend me or if it was enough,"
"Okay. Perhaps if you try too hard you may look like you're forcing them to befriend you in one way or it could have gotten them into the nerve. Kids usually have it easier to find friends, those who joined since the créche even have it easier,"
"I don't remember being in one. I remember being around my grandparents mostly,"
"Okay. You're a lonely child, right?" Questioned the woman making Lila nod.
"My parents barely have time for me, if I had a sibling or two, it would be even harder. Perhaps if they were older, I would at least feel less lonely at home,"
"How often are your parents away?" Questioned Alfida watching Lila look down and shrug her shoulders.
"Pretty much nearly my entire childhood. I often don't see them during day and at night I miss their arrival hour. They send me everyday voice mails to my smartphone, promising to be home earlier or to go out on the weekend for something or that they're very late or left earlier for something. The most things of what they said had happened was the fact they left earlier for work or had to stay longer. I can't remember a day, where my parents had kept their promise and took me out for a gelato or anything else but away from our apartment," The girl complained making the woman nod.
"Have you ever left the apartment and taken your own chance to build your life out there with other students? Not necessarily from your class, but anyone else from your school?"
"I don't really know Paris so well to get to know other students. I've just been one or two times by the place de Vosges and either no one I could know was around or groups of small groups of students were around and I wouldn't be sure, if I should talk to them or not, so I would just leave it and go back,"
"Okay, have you by coincidence ever seen your classmates at the park or anywhere else outside the school?" Questioned Alfida making Lila think about it and nod.
"I have seen Nino with his girlfriend Alya, then there was Rose with Juleka. So far, they were the only ones I have recognized,"
"Do you get along with any of them? Or all your classmates? Can you answer me that honestly?"
"Well…..I don't really know if they're really my friends. I get along with them because I…...told them things they would love to hear, obviously. You know Rose told me she liked Prince Ali from Achu and I just told her I knew him, then got questioned by her, about what I had done with him or anything. This was when I slowly made up one lie about being in a private jet, then another one about going there, and so on,"
"See?" Asked Alfida making Lila tilt her head.
"See what?"
"You're not lying now,"
"How can you assume that? I could as well be making up lies right now. You assumed, that when I was with my grandparents and aunt this was a lie,"
"I never said that Lila. Let's stay right, where we are," Alfida asked. "The way you talk and the size of your phrases, that's how I figured it out. When you lied, some details were too much, others were kind of missing for me to understand. Also, your body language was pretty still. By speaking the truth most people would move their bodies more often, crossing their legs, use their arms….I'm quite surprised about you, cause….I don't want to stereotype people, but I thought Italians would often gesture a lot with their hands,"
"I think I have unlearned it," Mentioned Lila unsure. "No one has ever asked me about this,"
"Alright, it doesn't matter now. Do you have an answer to the question I asked before?"
"I could consider, that we just get along well," Responded Lila making Alfida nod and notice down the answer.
"What about your previous class?" Questioned Alfida. "The last one, before you got here?"
"Of course with the lies, it was better. How it would have been, if I didn't lie, that's a good question. This is the only thing I can answer here," Lila mentioned making Alfida nod.
"Short an out of context questions. In how many different classes have you been before?" Questioned Alfida making Lila shrug her shoulders.
"Six maybe?" Answered Lila unsure. "I must have at home all my reports, which have the school names on it,"
"For a future appointment, I would love you to bring them to me. I'd like to get to know more about your past,"
"My past?" Questioned Lila a little fearful, then watched Alfida place her hand over Lila's
"I just want to help you. But for that, I want to know your past as well. No one has to know you're here with me. I can arrange you a way to get out of the class unnoticed,"
"Uh….okay….wouldn't that be lying?" Questioned Lila making Alfida shake her head amused.
"Not if I take you out during gym class when you're menstruated," Alfida joked making Lila feel dumbfounded about the comment, then the woman placed on her face a serious face again. "Alright, it's a dumb idea. Don't worry we find a solution together. Tell me more about you, what are your hobbies and no paragliding isn't one for you, obviously," Added the brunette making Lila roll her eyes and fake a laugh.
"Ha, ha, ha,"
"Alright, I stop. Sorry. Go on, you don't have to have tons of them,"
"I like reading," Responded Lila. "I read books and e-books most of the time. I also like writing,"
"What do you write, if I may ask?"
"Simple things. A little poem, whims, diary entries, and little stories,"
"That's nice. Would you dare to bring someday anything of the things you have written for me to read? Except for the diary of course,"
"I suppose I could bring a poem or two…..you wouldn't mind if you would read one of the stories I wrote as well?"
"No, I wouldn't. I'd like to. What's it about?"
"I have more. I will see, which I can bring, that you may like," Mentioned Lila a little more confident than before the start of the actual questioning of the school psychologist.
"Have you got a dream job?" Questioned Miss Ecofinisher making Lila nod.
"So far I'm interested in modeling," Responded Lila making Alfida nod.
"Anything else?" Questioned the woman watching Lila ponder about it.
"Perhaps acting?" Added Lila. "Could my…..lying issue be useful there?"
"It would sure be convincing at your work there as long as it wouldn't cause trouble in your personal life. I'm sure until there you will bring it under control, with my help, any of your classmates's help, or another specialist. Important for you is to realize, that it is wrong and that you still will be accepted by friends if you're having trouble. No one's asking you to be perfect. No one will ever be that,"
"People will be angry at me if I end up confessing, that all the things I said were fake. People won't trust me ever again after that,"
"If you explain them the reason, I'm sure one or the other will understand you and offer your help. The world isn't like that, it's just how the people make it up to be. It's not that easy to understand it, but soon or later you might understand it,"
"Well….I shouldn't have lied, just because it was the easiest way for me to get a better lifestyle. That is basically, what you're trying to tell me,"
"That too," Commented Alfida commenting on the block Lila's answers, then looked at the next question and looked through the sheets of the teen's file. "I don't seem to see anything specific here right now. Have you got any health issues or allergies, that are true here…..oh there's an allergy test from your toddlerhood," Mentioned Alfida. "You seem to be allergic to cat fur," Commented Alfida making Lila shrug her shoulders.
"I do?" Questioned Lila surprised, watching the woman look perplexed at the young brunette's knowledge. "My parents never said anything about it,"
"Hmm that's strange," Commented Alfida making Lila shrug her shoulders.
"I'm being serious now. They never said anything about allergies. The only thing they said, was that we couldn't have a dog, because nobody of us would be home with him,"
"That's strange. Do you think they could have never told you that because it wasn't important or because it had been forgotten?"
"Sounds logical. They do forget a lot, because of the work,
"Okay, do you have a deskmate here in your class? Do you get along with him?"
"He doesn't really talk that much, but he's shown to be a really kind guy,"
"You thought about getting to know him?"
"He does wake up my curiosity. I've spoken with him several times. I just think he's not really open to talking with people, at least not as much as I could go on….with the lies I meant," Added Lila making Alfida cackle.
"You're doing that well, Lila. You can do that, see?" Asked Miss Ecofinisher making Lila nod a little glad to see, she's not being treated badly for having done bad mistakes.
"Do you have anyone you trust, when you have a problem like this, less bad or the opposite of it?"
"For now on, no," Responded Lila.
"If you had no choice now. If you really, really needed to ask somebody's opinion, who from here at the school for example would you go to?"
"You?" Responded Lila uncertain making Alfida nod.
"Anyone else?"
"I could go to Marinette. She had already seen through my lies somehow. At the same time, I don't know her very well to be asking her for help. I would think if I would look for somebody in the class I would go to Nathaniel or Rose,"
"Okay and what about Miss Bustier? You're on good terms with her?"
"Oh right. I guess, she would be good too. She does try to motivate Chloé sometimes to be kinder and show us all, that all can change. I think she will be my second option and if she and you, Miss Ecofinisher are busy somehow I see, if I pick Rose or Nathaniel,"
"About this issue with the lying, have you thought about telling anyone about it, besides me?"
"Not yet," Responded Lila. "I don't feel like I can do that at all,"
"And if you tell somebody about what you have done and question their help. Will that be any help?"
"I don't know. What if it doesn't work?" Questioned Lila, watching Alfida look through the entire block for the written answers to see, if she had added the needed info.
"Well, certain deeds will have consequences. Some might be temporary, others long-term. You will have to accept, that you're going to have through an odd experience. The best for you is to admit early enough, why you have done it. The longer you wait, the longer it will take for the others to forgive you. At the moment it might already take a little while,"
"But as early as possible is better, right?"
"Yes, I can't promise you, that everything will work out well. I just want you to know to expect everything,"
"Alright, I keep it in mind," Responded Lila. "When I do that I will let you know and ask for help, maybe,"
"Sure, you're allowed to come," Answered the woman, then moved to the next question on the block. "What are countries you would love to visit someday?"
"I would love to do a world tour," Responded Lila. "I don't have a list of it, but if I would ever get to it, I would create a plan or a list for the trip,"
"Talking about plan…..oh wait, that's the last question, but anyway, if you were stranded on a lonely island, which three objects would you hope to have with you there?"
"Uh what kind of objects does it have to be?"
"Necessary things to help you survive for a few weeks until you're saved,"
"Oh okay…..well, that's a good question. Why exactly do I have to answer that?"
"It should help me see, what matters for you the most. You don't need to worry, this isn't a right or wrong question,"
"Okay, I'd say if this is like camping, I would take a sleeping bag, a mosquito spray or similar….What are those knives called with the Switzerland flag on it?"
"Swiss Army knife,"
"That too," Added Lila making the woman nod, which noticed the three words down.
"Do you have any talents?" Questioned Alfida watching Lila nod.
"Writing. I came up quick with sentences and words for stories and such…..uhm I think I could count at the moment lying, except this is bad actually,"
"Well, acting would be something nice…...does this school actually have acting classes or something?"
"I don't know. I know there are a bunch of afterschool activities, I just don't know them all," Commented Lila making Alfida nod.
"Okay, but that would be a good thing for you if there was something here like that. You could use that deed of yours for acting. I'm pretty sure if you've done it in the ways you've convinced your classmates to believe in some of your comments, that you would be a very convincing actress,"
"I guess I would," Commented Lila looking down at the floor thinking about that idea, while the woman tapped with the pen on the block.
"You've got anything else you would like to talk about? I got from my side all the questions ticked down,"
"Perhaps…..I would like to talk to Miss Bustier and ask her for help or at least I want to have the chance to tell her this all," Said Lila making Alfida nod.
"Of course," Responded Alfida, then glimpsed at the time on her watch. "In 15 minutes it's break time again. I'm sure I can ask Miss Bustier to come here to us, do you want to get her by yourself or shall we go together?" Questioned the brunette watching Lila ponder about the offer and nod.
"I will get her myself," Said Lila getting up from the table and walked out of the room, making her way across the corridor, afterward she looked back to see, where Miss Ecofinisher was and noticed she had remained in the office. Lila ran back to the door to see her look through her file again and the block with the notes. "Why didn't you check on me, if I'm going back to class?"
"I trust you, Lila," Replied Alfida making Lila drop her chin surprised at how quickly the woman had entrusted her the call, then she nodded with a little smile and left the room to make her way back to the classroom.
Mythomania sure is a very interesting topic to read and deal with. What makes it harder to understand are the explanations well. (I went with English, cause the German wikia gives me depression and my native language even more)
That was all I had. I have no plans for now but will practice writing random prompts to keep my writing active.