Welcome one and all to the fanfiction I was going to start posting after I was mostly done prewriting it. I haven't even written done every plot point yet. But I really enjoy this one, and I plan on finishing it. I guess you could say I got impatient and I felt bad not posting on this account in a while. So enjoy the first chapter!

Knowledge of Hollow Knight won't be necessary, though it would enrich the experience. Same could be said for ML, mostly because of the way I narrate it.

Summary: Keana had moved plenty of times before. She doesn't think the first day has ever been this bad before.

It was the same song and dance

Dad came home after work, with that expression on his face. It wasn't necessarily obvious, but it could be seen in the crinkle of his forehead and the way his lips turned down at the corners- His shoulders were slumped just enough. There was some bad news. It was telling that he didn't even wait till dinner to tell the family.

My brother, Chase, was the first to ask the question:

"What's happening?"

Mom shared looks with Dad and I felt my stomach twist itself into knots. "Do you want the good news, or bad news?"

I shook my head just as my brother says, "Bad news first, get it out of the way."

"Your father is being transferred to Paris."

Chase's face dropped. "Paris?! All my friends are here, I had plans for my Junior and Senior years! We can't even speak French!"

"Four year curse," I mutter, but my voice didn't reach anyone's ears.

"We're getting some time to learn the basics of the language," Dad reassured.

I share a look with Chase, who's calmed down (it wasn't his first rodeo either) but was still visibly upset. "Sometimes it feels like I can't even speak English," I say, using a bit of humor to try and cheer him up(Ah good ol' fashioned self-deprecation), "how am I supposed to learn French?"

"Duolingo?" My brother suggests incredulously.

Mom chuckled, shaking her head. "I don't think that would work. We'll probably have to take in-person classes as a family and practice together."

I twirl my hoodie strings around my finger nervously; wrapping it up like a mummy before unwinding it and trying again. "When would we leave?"

"I have to be there in June and your Mother will be there a few weeks later to help buy the house. If all goes well, you two will get there before the school year starts." A smile grows on his face. "The good news is that I got promoted."

Chase and I both give him a deadpan. "That's nice," I say with a flat voice.

My Mom rolls her eyes, playfully smacking his shoulder. "Stop teasing them, dear. The good news is- drumroll please-"

I shrug my shoulders before obliging.

"We're going to Hawaii to visit family!"

Yes, it happened like it always does. At least this time I didn't have to visit my mom's side of the family. They were a mess and all the cousins were younger than me. Not that the ones on Dad's side weren't but I actually knew all their names. Everything was a bit of a mess on my mom's side.

. . .

All did not go well. Planes were delayed and Chase and I ended up here the day school started. Which was wonderful, just wonderful. What a great way to make friends- not that I expected to make friends on the first day, or even the first month.

I dropped my suitcase into a mostly empty room. The walls were painted white, but were peeling in some places and bumpy in others. The floor was wood- which sucked because I would have prefered carpet or even tile over wood floors. The house itself was also completely vertical and instead of a hallway with a staircase, there was a trapdoor and a ladder. I'd imagine that my room was a repurposed attic if not for the fact the other floors were the exact same.

There were four floors in total(not including the roof), the bottom floor having the kitchen and living room. The next was the master bedroom and bathroom. The third floor was my brother's room and the top floor was was quite charming, despite the deep clean and touch ups it needed. I liked its style, especially since it wasn't anything like the good ol' suburbia of America.

I glance over to the window, which looked like a little porthole. Maybe my room was a repurposed attic? Not my first time living in the attic if it was one. It's at least a finished room, even if it needs touch ups like rugs and a new coat of paint. And- I glance at the sleeping bag in the corner- a bed.

We couldn't take much of our furniture with us, but Dad already started filling up the different rooms with new- new for us at least- shelves, chairs, desks, and dressers. I haven't gotten a new mattress yet, but I'll deal with what I get.

My three boxes were stacked up in a corner and I cut one open with a small box cutter. Inside was a clutter of various trinkets, all wrapped carefully in packaging paper. I pick up one, peeling off the tape and crumpling up the wrapper; its a snow globe-

The house shook and I stumbled, fumbling with the fragile glass sphere. The rumbing died out a few seconds later. Wh-what was that?

"Mom? Dad?" I shout across the house, not exactly withholding my panic. "Can Paris get earthquakes?"

"I don't know?" Chase shouted right back.

"What did you say?!" Mom shouted to the upstairs. I ignore the faint spark of annoyance that bubbled into existence. I swear I yelled, how had she still not heard me?

"Keana asked if there are earthquakes in Paris." My brother said for me, because apparently either my voice is too quiet or my mom is deaf. Or both.

"I don't think so," she projected from below. A moment later- "I'd ask your dad, but he's still at wor. . ."

The house trembled again as she trailed off.

"KIDS GET DOWN HERE!"

I startle, setting down my snowglobe quickly and scrambling down my ladder as fast as humanly possibly. I haven't ever heard Mom sound like that before- she can be grumpy and worried, but that was outright panic. Another shudder went through the house. I got down just as she closed the shades.

Then I saw the TV- more specifically, the news.

"What is that thing?!" I whisper in shock. It was like some sort of rock monster? Golem? There's no way that's real-

Then I heard the sound of helicopter blades and I paled. I rushed to the window and peeked through the blinds. All I saw was a giant, rocky foot. There was a brief sound of gunfire and the giant foot grew even bigger. Then there was a roar of outrage as a giant hand curled around a car. It disappeared from view, and a moment later there were screams and a horrible crunching of metal and glass.

"It just threw a car-" I whisper with wide eyes.

Mom snatched my wrist. "Get away from the window," she ushered me toward the back corner, behind the kitchen counter. The house shakes again. Chase was sitting beside me, looking like he was trying hard not to hyperventilate.

"I hate Paris," was what he whispered under his breath. "The streets are cramped, there's so much noise, and now there's some sort of monster running around?"

The house shook again, silverware rattled in the droors. Mom pulled me close in an awkward side hug and I didn't attempt to pull away. I didn't know how long we sat there, shivering in fear behind the kitchen counter, but my neck got cramped and tailbone was starting to feel sore by the time the noises and rumblings were replaced with silence and stillness. Even then, we must have sat for a few more minutes before I grew courageous enough to stand up completely.

"What was that?" It was a rhetoric question- I didn't expect anyone to know the answer to it- but I found myself looking to my mom for some sort of explanation anyway.

Chase got to his feet, looking mighty wan, but wandered to the window and peeked out of the blinds. "Well, whatever it was, it's gone now."

Mom stood, leaning against the counter for balance, and shakily made her way over to the TV remote. She flicked it on- when did it even turn off, anyway? It buzzed to life, mid report a news lady covering the mystery:

"-this rock monster seemed to have grown when attack. It wrecked several streets, but we lost footage of it when it got to the Parc de Princes. However, it had disappeared without a trace by the time the film crew had caught up. Detectives are on the case and-"

Someone interrupts her off screen, with hushed whispers.

"Actually, we just got confirmation of footage of the battle. A class of students from Collège Françoise Dupont had class in the stadium and witnessed the event. An ameteur journalist stayed behind and filmed the 'fight.' We are lucky enough to get an exclusive video of what happened."

"Isn't that the school we're going to?" Chase inquired. Mom nodded.

I wince, praying that she wouldn't go all Momma bear on the school. "Well, it's probably a good thing I-" I was shushed when the video started playing.

The video was shaky, even with the good visual quality of what (probably a phone camera) that filmed it. It zoomed in quickly, displaying a fight had started. There was the rock monster, making swings at a guy dressed in black leather. I would have thought that maybe he was a ninja or something, but that was ruined by a belt tail and. . .cat ears? Was this guy some sort of cosplayer?

Then the rock monster threw a soccer- whoops, sorry, football- goal at the ninja cat-boy, who easily dodged. But then the goal was headed straight towards the camera person (a girl, I found out after hearing a distinct feminine scream). The camera shook, but a moment later there was a bar that somehow stopped the hurtling goal from smooshing the camera lady. Then-

"What are you waiting for?!"

-a red blur entered picture, swinging along with some sort of grappling hook? A spiderman cosplayer? Either way, the rock golem fell over because of a thin string had wrapped around its legs. I didn't have time to question any of the physics because the next thing I know, the cat-boy disintegrates something just by touching it and- and then he touches the collapsed rock thing but gets kicked hard enough to fly to the red lady. But he seemed unharmed. There was no way he didn't get hurt by a blow that forceful.

He gets a verbal beating from the lady who was in red with black polka dots- a ladybug? Either way, then she flings her grappling hook- nevermind, a yo-yo- into the air and light blinds the camera. It tries to adjust, but that proves pointless because the pinkish light fades fairly quickly. And a wetsuit falls out of the sky.

"What on earth is going on?" I say, ignoring the shushes of Chase and Mom.

Then the two proceed to pull off the most ridiculous plan I've ever seen. They pump the wetsuit full of water after making the monster hold it for whatever reason. Maybe water was its weakness, like Pokemon? But, no, apparently the whole filling-the-suit-up-with-water thing's only purpose was to get the rock monster's clenched fist open. What, did they want the monster to slap them instead of punching them? Something fell out of its grasp and the two cosplayers snatched it up and broke it.

A small purple, blackish butterfly escaped it. Then a purple blackish substance encased the rock creature, who then rapidly shrank. The mist left, revealing an extremely confused looking boy. Which made sense, I think everyone was confused except the two cosplayers. The ladybug looking one, leaned down and said a few things that the camera couldn't hear while the cat escapes.

"W-wait! What do I call you?"

"appelle-moi Ladybug!" Then she too escaped, flinging her yo-yo and swinging away.

The screen fades back to the reporter, but-

"What the heck was that?!" Chase explodes. "That didn't explain anything!"

"Are they supposed to be superheroes?" I agree with the utter confusion. "Also: Ladybug is her name. That's not creative at all!"

"At least it's not coccinelle," My brother defends, but not very valiantly. "Because since her native language is probably French, she at least changed it to a different language."

"Also-" I say, "was the other superhero a cat-boy? Or did it just come with the suit?"

"Stop," Mom spoke up. "You shouldn't make fun of people who just saved the city. Your father should be home from work early because of- whatever this mess is. I'll see if school is cancelled tomorrow." Then she stood and went over to the kitchen and began putting away the pots and pans from the boxes.

It was silent, other than the clinking metal and glass.

"Mom-" I start hesitantly, "why don't you take a break?"

"I won't be able to relax with the house this messy." She replied curtly.

Silence reigned supreme, and I let it take it's victory as I retreat to my room.

I unpack my pillow and my blanket and snuggle up into my sleeping bag. My relaxation takes form in me sobbing into my pillow for the next hour. Unpacking can wait, I reason, I just went through a traumatic experience. I can have this one thing.

. . .

Or, that's what I wanted to do. Instead, Dad came home ten minutes into my attempted cry session and interrupted it with a big bear hug. He pulled away and kissed my forehead, his unshaven beard hair prickling my skin uncomfortably. But that was ok this time, because I was worried about him.

"I was so worried," he said softly. "I didn't know what happened until the news happened. When I realized one of the streets wrecked was ours, I-"

He shook his head. "I'm so relieved you're ok, pumpkin head."

"I'm glad you're ok, too." I murmur my response, and he hugged me again.

He stood up and headed towards the ladder. "We're ordering take out for dinner."

I smile wryly. "Thanks. Pizza?"

"We're seeing if we can find any Taco Bell."

"Ah, that's alright."

. . .

We didn't really want to go outside, but we also didn't know if Taco Bell would deliver to a house on a street that was just attacked by a. . . monster. Or did the news call him a villain? It didn't really matter.

Either way, Mom and Dad went to pick up the food, alone.

I don't think the parents wanted either of us to leave, but it was ok. Chase really didn't want to leave the house. I used it as an excuse to cash in on my Cry Time(TM).

Mom took a lot longer to come home than I thought. I'm pretty sure they walked, so maybe it was farther away than they expected? Maybe they saw a cute gelato shop and decided to buy a surprise to cheer us up? It's something they would do.

Then the screaming started.

. . .

The stone monster was back.

Outside, people are screaming, crying. There isn't just one anymore- instead there seemed to be one every block. The news lady said that black butterflies had swarmed the city and every person one landed on became one of the monsters. But they weren't moving. They towered over the streets like stone sentinels; intimidating and unmoving.

My parents weren't back yet.

"I don't care what the school says," Chase says as we sit on the new couch together, "we're not going to school tomorrow if Mom and Dad don't get back soon."

"If the school doesn't cancel tomorrow," I say with a forced chuckle, "Mom is probably going to go all Momma Bear."

He nodded. Nothing else was said. Nothing else needed to be said.

"I hope Alaula and Lynn are ok. And Nona and 'pa." There I go, contradicting myself.

"The news would probably have told us if any of this weird stuff is happening anywhere besides Paris. They're probably fine." He reassured me, then scowled. "Figures we'd move into the one place where everyone is having a collective hallucination."

"I don't think hallucinations can be caught on camera, Chase."

"Then the cameras are also hallucinating."

Then his phone started ringing.

He picked it up. "Mom, where-?"

He cut himself off mid sentence, a frown pulling at his lips and his forehead creasing up in concern. I was close enough to hear mom's voice filtering through the line.

"Honey- something's happened- I need you to lock the windows and doors. Pull the blinds down, hide behind the counter. Don't let anyone in, until I get there."

"But Mom-" Chase starts, but I interrupt, only one thought racing through my mind.

"What about Dad?"

There was a long pause. Chase didn't finish what he was going to say- I imagine it was along the same lines of what I said. I at least hope it wasn't anything stupid like 'what about dinner.' I shook my head as I hear some sort of strangled sob on the other end of the phone.

"Your father isn't coming home."

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Italicized: can either mean loud, quiet, or speaking in another language (french generally, maybe english if I switch perspectives). You can use context clues to figure it out. Also used for the emphasis of words. And thoughts. So I basically like to throw it around everywhere because I don't like bold.

: Means a noise is being heard from technology like a phone or the news.