"The Miraculouses' power were never meant for evil. If one were to use them for selfish purposes, the result would be tragic and disastrous..."

Wherever she went, she heard whispers.

"There she is!"

"It's that ugly liar!"

"There goes Volpina."

She squeezed her eyes shut, and willed herself to become invisible. The whispers continued, the mocking voices never ceased to stab her on multiple fronts.

"Everything was a lie? What an attention seeker."

"Good thing Ladybug caught her out. Imagine what other crap she would've fed us?"

Ladybug. The name made her quiver in anger. That bitch took everything away from me. First Adrien, now my very social status.

Clutching her necklace to her chest, she slipped into a dark, seemingly unused room. The Italian brunette tucked herself in a ball and tried to control the tears threatening to spill onto her cheeks.

Unbeknownst to her, a black butterfly danced around her head, looking for something it could make its home. Fifteen-year-old Lila Rossi was to become Paris's next threat, a villain fuelled by her negative emotions and driven by her pain.

The butterfly poised itself atop of her necklace, and its evil energy began to spread through her body. As its power took hold, Lila felt her mind going numb. She was slipping away...


I hate this. Lila rubbed her wet eyes and bit back a sob. Her leg was still throbbing, but at least it was over. She wobbled as she stood up, and her wounded leg threatened to snap. Standing, Lila made her way over to her bag as quickly as she could. Grabbing a new pair of stockings and a fresh jacket, she slipped into the toilets and swapped out her dirty and bloody clothes for fresh ones.

I hate this. She had to hide the scars. She couldn't let anyone see the bruises. She had to be strong.

Lila tried her best not to limp as she went up the stairs to the library. She re-borrowed a dozen books, sank into an old beanbag, and started to heal herself. When she was lost in a book, it was as if all the mistakes and all of the consequences of those mistakes would just fall away. The daring deeds of wizards and knights fought away the throbbing pain in her leg, and the strong hearts of warrior princesses relit a spark in her heart. Stories captivated her imagination and for those fleeting hours Lila sank into a world where no one could hurt her.

She gently flipped the last page and was greeted by a swirling script that read; FINE. Not wasting a second, she thanked the story for being such a great companion, and reached for another. On the cover of the next book was a fading image of a fox looking over its shoulder, the long tail framed most of the bottom of the cover. The artwork was mesmerising, but it was obvious the leather backing had seen better days. The title of particular adventure was Giardino Della Volpe. (Fox Garden) As Lila began fall into the pages, she discovered it was nothing about a garden, but represented a darker side of humanity she rarely discovered in her books. Any other ten year old wouldn't have been able to comprehend the complexity of the story, but Lila soaked it all up like a sponge. She took all of it in, from the conspiracy to the deceit and everything in-between. Some big words confused her, but she had a talent for figuring out definitions by using the context and surrounding words.

When the bell chimed to signal the end of lunch, Lila didn't move. When the librarian told her she could get to class, she told the lady that she can put the books she wasn't reading back on the shelves and that she'll get moving in a minute.

The librarian did as Lila requested, but the little girl found that she couldn't move. In those seconds she had pulled herself out of the fictional world, Lila had been reminded by her body it wasn't doing so well. She reluctantly closed her book, and wobbling, stood up. She squeezed the book for strength and left her place of peace.

As she pulled open the door, Lila stumbled and fell. She tried not to cry as she picked herself up. She her book had slid across the dusty floor, open at a random page. Lila stared at it for a second, her tears blurring the words. The world felt like a vortex, all the colours blurred and blended together...


"Happy birthday, Lee-Lee!"

"Thanks, mamma." Lila groggily rubbed her eyes. Her mum wrapped her arms around the frizzy-haired child. "How is my big girl?"

"She's only eight," Her dad stood in the corner of her room with his arms behind his back. He offered a small smirk in his daughter's direction.

"I think that classifies as being big, don't you think, Lila?" Lila felt a warm hand on her head, and she automatically ducked under the sheets before her mamma ruined her hair even more.

"Stop! My haiiirrr!" Lila whined. "You might tear some out!"

"Would be the end of the world if I accidentally pulled out a few loose strands?"

"Sampson loses his strength if his hair is cut, and Rapunzel's power is her hair. So yeah, it might be the end of my world."

Her parents laughed. "Oh, Lila."

Lila suddenly threw back the sheets and ran at her dad. "What's that behind your back?" She snatched a box he was concealing, and kissed her dad on the cheek. "Thanks."

She unwrapped the package as carefully and quickly as she could. She caught a flash of grey fabric. Clothes? She tried to not look disappointed. Maybe it's a trick. Mamma does like tricking me from time to time. She pulled out her gift and her face fell.

Yep. Clothes. Lila looked up with a smirk on her face. "Have you hidden my present?" She half-sang. Her parents looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Lila nearly choked. They're serious. My birthday present... Is a shirt and pants. She gave her best smile. "They're so cute! I love it!" She lied. She never had anything against clothes, but she had been begging her family to let her expand her library.

"You do?" Her mum smiled broadly. "I knew you would. You're getting to that age where you're probably not so interested in fairy tales anymore and like more mature stuff like this."

Lila tried her best not let her façade fall. She was a great actor, but this made her feel sick. Mamma thinks I'm getting too old for fairy tales... Am I actually? She stood up and asked to be excused. "I want to try them on right away!" Lila gave a false smile.

"Oh, sweetie!" Her mother looked so proud. "Of course!"

Lila ran into the bathroom, locked the door, and threw the clothes against the wall. I hate this! "Not even my own parents understand me anymore." She whispered. Lila wanted to... fly out the window and... live in a tower and wait until someone came to find her. She began visualising herself on a grand journey across the town, where she gave her new clothes to... a homeless person. They would like these more than I. Then she'll turn a corner and come face to face with... A man who just stole from the bank. Lila imagined herself jumping on the man's back and bringing him to his knees. She was just about to get the money he took when-

"Lila, dear! Are you nearly ready?"

Lila scowled. Right. I have to get dressed into this stupid thing. She held up the clothes under the light and the shadows of the folds suddenly looked like tattoos on the man's arms...

"Lila?"

"Give me a moment!" Lila moved the shirt out of the light. She clenched the fabric in a tight fist, and tried to stop tears falling.

Why am I crying? She gulped back a sob. Stop, Lila, calm down. You can do this...


The grass was so bright. So pretty. I wonder if anyone's written a story about grass... Lila squatted low to inspect it. Sitting away from her sat an open book. The words were small and simple, and pictures mostly explained the story, but to the six-year-old, it was a godly object that consisted of all knowledge known to man.

She delicately lifted the petals of each flower within a meter radius of her, careful not disturb any fairy folk that may be residing among them. Her orange dress was becoming increasingly greener as she shuffled on her knees across the grass.

"Found anything?"

A gentle hand touched Lila's shoulder. Looking up, she was greeted by the slight smile of her father.

"Not yet, papa."

"You haven't given up yet though, have you?"

Lila wiped her dirty hands on her dress. "No, papa. I'm sure I'll find them soon."

Her father laughed. "So am I. But I think it's about time to bring you home for today. If we wait any longer your mother may have a fit."

Lila nodded, and reached for her book. "Actually, papa, now that I think of it, I reckon I saw a little sparkly thing right over there." She pointed to the horizon as her father shifted her to his hip.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it looked like a fairy wing. Maybe a dragon wing. A pink one."

"Really."

"Yeah, it wasn't there for long, but I know it was definitely there." Lila pinched her forefinger and thumb together with a small gap of space between them. "It was this big; really tiny, you know? If it was a dragon, then it must be a baby one..."

The small child rambled on her story, slowly exaggerating it more and more. "A pink fairy is a good thing, they're really nice but super shy so I might need to leave out some food for her..."

Lila repeated her story for her mother while the woman fretted over her ruined dress. When her mamma scolded Lila for crawling in the grass, the girl changed her tale to include clothes-eating goblins that were invisible unless you threw dirt in their eyes.

As per normal, her father responded by laughing, and her mother offered a small smile of sympathy. Later, when Lila was wrapped up into her bedsheets, her eyelids heavy and her brain fuzzy, she felt strangely peaceful. It felt like a thousand arms warmly embracing her, or that some strange force was draining all the bad memories from body; past, present and future. There was nothing left for Lila to be angry about, nothing that cause upset her, she was pure... But then all the memories came crashing back.


"Bye bye little butterfly."

A small white butterfly flitted into the air, happy to free of its painful task. Volpina was gone, and Lila was back. The painful experiences she had to re-live had been all for nothing.

At least it's over. Lila looked around, trying to piece together anything that had happened. Her eyes landed on two figures celebrating yet another victory. "Ladybug." She hissed through clenched teeth.

The spotted bluenette looked over and her face fell. "Lila, are you okay?"

Those three words hit her like a brick. It had been years since anyone had asked her that. Her automatic response spilled out of her mouth before she could stop it, the "Yes," and the "Why wouldn't I be?" and of course, the "What about you?"

Ladybug found her response puzzling, but before she could think about it, Lila had grabbed her necklace and tried to leave. "Sorry Volpina caused you trouble." She murmured over her shoulder as she walked away.

And hence here ends yet another painful chapter in the chronical of life...