Camille Rossi was 60% sure she was adopted.
She never felt a connection to her own mother, the woman who supposedly gave birth to her and raised her. Camille thought this sarcastically as the woman never really raised her. She was always out of the house while various babysitters or her Nonna would take care of her. Whenever she did come home (which wasn't often) it was after being dropped off by strange older men. They never came inside, but she would watch from her bedroom window as her mother exited the luxurious cars. As she grew, she realized the truth of her mother's various men: It was an ugly and harsh truth that forced her to grow up far too early.
"Camille, La Mia Stella." Her mother spoke in the sugary sweet voice that could give someone diabetes. My Star, Camille hated that nickname, her mother always used whenever she tried to manipulate her or pressure her into doing something she didn't want.
"I know you are unhappy with our moving arrangement, but just think of all you could accomplish here."
Camille nodded, not even looking in her direction, instead she had her gaze outside of the car.
"You know, I moved here when I was about your age with my mother."
"Really?" That got Camille's attention. Her mother rarely talked about her past, unless it was to brag about her supposed accomplishments.
"Oh, yes. I came in during the middle of the year at a school called College Françoise Dupont." Lila sighed, "I was in the same class with famous reporters, DJs, fashion designers, olympic swimmers as wel-"
And that was Camille's cue to tune out whatever ridiculous story her mother concocted this time. Her mother was a pathological liar as well as a psychopath if her years of sabotage and blackmail weren't obvious to her daughter. Camille was pretty sure that by chance, if she was her biological daughter, she probably tried to use her in some scheme to blackmail some rich millionaire who she was having an affair with. It must have failed, because Lila didn't put in any effort to even love her own daughter.
"Ah, we're here!" Lila smiled as the car approached a large school building.
"Camille, remember what I taught you." That loving smile was laced with poison, a poison that could suffocate her if she said the wrong thing to her mother.
"Make connections, say what they want to hear, and if anyone asks, we moved here for your work."
"Good girl." She petted her head, which caused a shiver to go down Camille's back. Another reason she believed she was adopted, her mother treated her more like a pet than a person. She felt like one of those pedigree dogs that rich people dressed up in ridiculous designer's outfits, except all of Camille's clothes were counterfeit. Fake designer shirts, jeans, shoes, even her satchel was a counterfeit MDC bag.
The young brunette stepped out of the car and started walking towards the front entrance of the College. Camille kept her eyes focused on the piece of paper that held all of her information from her schedule to what rooms the classes were being held. She took a deep breath and walked into the open courtyard. friends huddled together in groups, while some were more scattered, out of place. Introverted kids, who were unsure of themselves or their surroundings. Camille walked past them, not giving any even a second glance. People didn't like her and she didn't like people, that was just a fact of life she learned earlier on.
"Hello! Are you Camille Rossi?" A cheery voice made her turn around. It was a girl with midnight blue hair with green eyes. Her clothes had a sophisticated school girl style to them, someone who was ready to take on the world head on.
"Yes, I am."
"Oh good, I'm Emma Dupain-Cheng, class president of your homeroom." Her smile was almost blinding, it irritated Camille.
"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"
"Mme. Bustier informed me of your arrival and thought that a tour of the school would be beneficial since you're new to Françoise Dupont."
"No. No thanks." Camille shook her head and continued walking. She didn't plan on staying long enough to learn the structure of the school. There was always something (usually caused by her mother) that had them moving from a city. She wondered how long it would be this time. A month? Two? Maybe this time, it could be a year. That would break her record but is also highly unlikely.
"What?" Emma's mouth gaped open like a fish.
"Did I say it wrong? My French is a little rusty."
"No, I heard you, but I just thought you would-"
"I don't need your help, thanks." Camille walked past her, ignoring the shocked look on her face.
"You have homeroom for first period, right? So do I! We can walk there together!" Emma's voice was happy, almost annoyingly chipper.
"Great." Camille gritted her teeth. The brunette wanted nothing more than to run as far as she could from overly friendly Emma Dupain-Cheng.
Camille had wished she had gotten there earlier, otherwise there wouldn't be a thousand eyes on her as soon as she entered.
"You must be Camille." The woman with auburn hair smiled at her, "I'm Mme. Bustier. I assume Emma has been showing you around?"
"Of course, ma'am!" Before Camille could open her mouth, Emma spoke for her.
"How would you like to introduce yourself to the class?" Mme. Bustier gestured to the front of the classroom. Camille nodded. Emma had sat in the front row, smiling supportively at her.
"I'm Camille." She awkwardly smiled to the classroom of people. "I just moved here with my mom. I was born in Milan, Italy, but we've traveled around the country alot."
"Why?"
"For my mom's job." More like for her mother's scandals.
"What's Milan like? I heard it's beautiful."
"My moms went there for a tour, it's nothing special." A black haired boy scoffed.
"Thorne Couffaine, what have we talked about negative remarks?" Mme. Bustier put on a bright smile, the opposite of the boy's grumpy scowl.
"Fine, sorry." Thorne rolled his eyes and returned back to his notebook.
"There's an empty seat in the front, you can take that one." Mme. Bustier gestured to the front row. "I'm sure we can help you get up to speed as to the curriculum and the previous week's assignments." It just so happened to be right next to Emma.
The universe was not on her side today, was it?
Camille reluctantly nodded and sat down next to Emma who gave a thumbs up in her direction. Mme. Bustier started the lesson as the midnight blue haired girl passed a piece of paper to her.
At first, Camille ignored it, focusing on the lesson.
Then she felt the tapping on her shoulder.
"What." Camille nearly snapped, but reined in her anger.
"Here." She urged the note forward. Camille unfolded the paper, the words Welcome to Paris! were written along with a small cute drawing of mini Emma and a mini eiffel tower.
Camille proceeded to crumble up the piece of paper and shoved it into her purse. She didn't need some stranger acting as the overbearing welcome committee. She didn't need friends, especially a friend like Emma Dupain-Cheng.
Emma had hoped that by lunch time, the newest addition to her homeroom would come around. No such luck. Instead, the brunette was sitting by herself, eating a tray of cafeteria food at a table all alone.
"Emma, I love you like a sister." Estelle Lahiffe munched some french fries, "but you need to stop staring, it's getting creepy."
"I don't get it. Most people would love to be friends with me, with us." Emma huffed, "But she…she doesn't."
Estelle shrugged, "I mean she's new, not just to the school, but to the city as well. She probably just needs some time to adjust. The girl could have had friends that she left behind in Italy, it's probably not easy for her to move on from friendships."
"Yes, but I'm likable, people like me. I offered my help and I made her feel welcomed. I just don't understand why she's like this."
"Maybe some people just don't want to be friends."
Emma refused to believe that. She refused to believe that anyone wouldn't want to be her friend, everyone did. She was friends with most of her homeroom, she was slowly chipping away at the more reserved kids. Like Thorne, he was a tough nut with a soft exterior, no doubt Camille would be the same.
The midnight haired girl was pulled out of her thoughts by her phone vibrating in her pocket. There was a text message waiting for her on the home screen.
You'll be around for dinner, right?
Yes, my schedule is all clear for the evening besides some council meetings.
Great! The most recent text read, I've got some good news I want to share with you and your brother.
Emma smiled, sending a thumbs up before putting away her phone.
Camille should've known better than to think her mother was going to come and pick her up.
Now, she was standing at Dupont's front entrance as the rain came pouring down. She had her hoodie up yet she could still the pitter patter of wet and cold against her clothes.
"You're still here? Isn't your mom coming to pick you up?" Of course it was Emma.
"She's probably just running late." Camille shrugged, "Work and stuff."
"Here. You probably need this more than me." Emma extended her own umbrella to the brunette, "Or would you prefer a car ride? I can get my friend's mom to-
"Why?"
"Why what?"
'Why do you keep doing this? Why are you being so nice to me?" She gestured to her overfriendliness, her eagerness to befriend her was nauseating. All day, she had been so annoying, so eager to stick to her like a piece of gum. It infuriated her, her entire personality made her angry.
"I'm being friendly, you're new here and I want to help you get your footing in Par-."
"No, you don't." Camille cut her off, "What do you want? Money? A favor? You're not getting anything from me. I don't want your pity or your friendship. So stop trying so hard and leave me alone."
"Look, I don't know what your life was before moving here." Emma took on a firm stance. "But that doesn't excuse your behavior."
"My behavior? I have a right to how I feel."
"You shouldn't take it out on me for trying to be nice."
"Well, I'm sorry if I don't agree with your 'everyone should be my friend' mentality." Camille rolled her eyes which seems to aggravate the dark haired girl
"Just take the umbrella!" Emma shouted.
"I don't take things from people who grovel to feed their own ambition." Camille pushed past her and started walking down the streets. It was only a few miles, she could make it to the house without using an umbrella.
But she didn't want to go home. She didn't want to go back to an empty apartment. The one place that should've been her house just felt like another spot until they had to move again. So she went to the Eiffel tower. Even in the rain, the lights brighten up the monument. The places she moved to, the people she met, would mean nothing in the next few months. It was better for her, for everyone if she didn't make the effort to begin with, she would betray them in the end. It's how her friendships always ended with cries and accusations. As she sat on a bench, she noticed something that she hadn't seen in pictures.
It was a stone statue of a woman. It looked recent and cleaned daily. Even among the gray, she could see dark spots in the woman's attire and the imitation of a yoyo in mid swing as she was frozen in mid air, perhaps in mid flight. A golden plate underneath the statue read, The Final Resting Place of Ladybug. One of Paris' Greatest Protector and Leader of the Miraculous Heroes.
Camille said nothing as she glanced down at the dried up flower bouquets and wrinkled up gifts that were now wet due to the rain.
Then she felt someone run into her at a light speed pace. They didn't even bother to apologize, they just got up and ran past her.
"Watch where you're going, idiot!" All she got were fading footsteps in response. "Some people…"
Then she noticed something on the ground. It sparkled against the rain, she almost missed it if it wasn't for its shine. It was a pair of earrings.
She looked around for the person she had bumped into but they vanished. She grabbed them and placed them in her bag.
In the darkness of the bag, the black earrings pulsated, giving off a weak red glow like a heartbeat.
Adrien Dupain-Cheng was nervous, he had to make sure this evening went perfect. Tom and Sabine had graciously helped with preparing the dishes for dinner. Louis, his youngest child at 5, was being babysitted by Alya and Nino, just to be sure there wouldn't be any disasters or interruptions. He loved all of his children, but tonight had to be perfect. The living room table was adorned with white cloth, expensive silverware, and lit up candles.
"Don't worry, dad." Hugo, the middle child and his oldest son, helped with setting the plates of food on the table "She'll love it."
"Thank you, Hugo. I hope so too." The boy was always more observant than the others, He knew ahead of his father's plans and supported him fully. As for his daughter, it was best he kept her in the dark until now due to the sensitive matter of the situation.
The front door opened and his daughter rushed in, "Sorry for coming home late, the student council meetings ran long."
"No worries, Emma." He hugged her gently. His little overachiever, his daughter, reminded him so much of Marinette. Emma always wanted to help others and be a leader. If Marinette was here, she would be proud of her children. "I'm just glad you could be here tonight."
"So what's the big surprise?" She glanced at the living room table, "You never get out the good utensils unless it's something big."
"It's something that will change our lives forever." Adrien responded, "Something I hope will bring our family closer together."
"Are we going on vacation?!" Emma squealed excitedly, "Is it a cruise?! No, wait, it's fall, so that wouldn't work but if we were going somewhere tropical then-"
The sound of tapping against the front door interrupted her.
"That should be her." Adrien smiled, 'Why don't you sit down with Hugo?"
Emma nodded, wondering who her father was expecting. Maybe a family friend? Or her grandparents? Or-
"Hello, Adrien."
Oh, it was her.
"Juliette. I'm so glad you could make it." Adrien gave a tender kiss on the woman's cheek. Emma felt a streak of rage run through her before keeping her cool. Juliette was a thin, brown haired woman who worked with her father. They had dated for several years now, but Emma never thought it would last. Her father was devoted to her mother, no one else could fill that place in his heart.
"You didn't tell us she was coming for dinner." Emma kept her smile, but the rage in her was growing.
"I knew." Hugo stated, "She's a part of our family, after all."
"She's not a part of our family, she's just dad's girlfriend." She hissed back. Emma watched as her father led Juliette to the dinner table, holding her hand gently as he did.
Emma hated the way she held his hand. Her father was supposed to love her mother. Juliette had helped him during his mourning period, but that didn't give her the right to invade and intrude on their home. Her brother may support it, but she knew it was only a matter of time before this relationship crash and burn.
"Everyone, I have exciting news." Adrien stood up from his seat with the happiest grin she had ever seen. She hadn't seen him smile like that since…her mother was still in their lives.
"I know we've had a few roadblocks in this journey we call life." He turned towards his children. "Your mother passing away was one of the worst moments of my life. It was like a piece of me was taken with her. I could hardly take care of myself, with the addition of two toddlers and an infant."
"But then you, Juliette emerged into my life." He held her hand softly, "You helped me move past the pain, to move on and pick myself back up. At first, I was afraid of giving into my emotions because I thought it was too soon, or that I didn't deserve it. But we gave each other a chance, we gave love a chance once more."
"So…" He took a deep breath, stepped down on one knee, and pulled out a small box. "Juliette Dubois, will you marry me?"
Juliette was crying with tears in her eyes. "Yes! Yes! Adrien, I will."
Everyone at the table was cheering.
Well, almost everyone.
Emma could barely hear beyond the white noise of her own mind. This couldn't be happening, this wasn't supposed to go this way. She knew he had been going out with her for years, but this? This was one step too far. This was her family, it was supposed to be her, dad, Hugo, Louis and her mother. But her mother wasn't here right now; she was dead. This had to be some kind of nightmare, a prank, this couldn't be real.
"Emma?" She must've spaced out too long, "Are you alright?"
The girl burst laughing, silencing everyone at the table.
"Good joke, dad. You almost got me. There's so way you're actually marrying her." She hadn't expected her own father to glare at her. It felt unsettling like she was looking at a stranger, not her father.
"You're not joking." She muttered.
"I know you and Juliette haven't been on the best terms, but we are in love." His gaze softened as he approached her from his seat. "We want you to be a part of it. I would be honored if you were Juliette's maid of honor and Hugo was to be my best man." Emma hated how good the diamond ring looked on Juliette's finger, it meant that her father picked it out especially for her, that it wasn't just a frivolous decision. How long had he kept this from her? His own daughter?
"Really, me?" Hugo was shocked at his father's request. He thought Uncle Felix, Uncle Nino, or anyone else would make a better choice, but for his father to ask him…
"Would you rather be the flower girl? I'm sure that can be arranged." He chuckled.
"I would love to-"
"No!" Emma shouted, interrupting the tender moment, "How could this happen? How could you betray mom!?"
"I'm not betraying your mother. If she was here, she would've wanted me to move on and-"
"I won't be a part of something that leaves mom as just ashes in a jar! Abandoning everything we built for her!" She spat,pointing an accusing finger at Juliette, her anger finally bubbling to the surface, "She thinks she can just come in and replace your wife! Replace my mother!"
"She was my mom too, Emma." She didn't know Hugo could have such a stone cold gaze until now, "And I think it's great that dad did this. We get to have a mother again."
"Over my dead body! She is not my mother and she never will be!" Emma couldn't stand being in the same room anymore and stormed off. She ignored her father's calls, fled to her room, and slammed the door behind her. She held a chair against it, so no one could come in, especially her father.
Emma flopped onto her bed and let out a muffled scream of anguish and frustration into her pillow. Then the banging at her door started and her father started shouting her name.
"Go away!" She screamed. She started throwing things around in frustration; stuffed animals, pillows, and even pulling apart her desk, throwing stuff from the cabinets.
"Why-Why is this happening to me?!" The girl cried out, "I've been good! I've been nice! So why? Why is this happening to me!?"
In her rage, she almost missed the octagonal box that had fallen from one of the desk cabinets.
"Where did this come from?" Emma wondered to herself as she picked it up. She had never seen it before, she would've remembered getting something like this.
She opened it and a purple flash of light blinded her temporarily. When her eyesight returned, she found herself staring at a lavender creature with wings.
"Marinette?"
