Hey, everyone! I'm so sorry for taking six months to update. Allow me a second to explain why I took this long.

I seriously considered abandoning this story.

I made a big mistake in my approach. My idea was to write this story as a fairy tale, in every sense. Maybe not the narration, or Lola's voice, but definitely in terms of structure, themes, and plot development. The first chapter begins with "Once upon a time", and the idea is that the chapter titles form a mini-story within the index. My original idea was for each story in the Heroverse to belong to a different genre. Ace Savvy was a classic origin story, Power Chord was a teen drama, and Nova was a coming-of-age about a small-town girl going to the big city. I always worked with established tropes and common plot structures for these types of stories to help sell the genre. But I shouldn't have planned this story as a fairy tale.

Part of the charm of fairy tales is that they're very simple in their representation of morality, and the plot becomes an excuse to explore the message. Very simple stuff. Very clear. Nothing complicated. I thought that'd be excellent for a universe where Lola, at six years old, becomes a big CEO, something ridiculous as a premise.

Evidently, I overestimated my capacity to communicate this scenario and work within different limits of verisimilitude, at least if I go by the reviews, mostly from the Spanish side of the fandom. The board of directors' plan should have been something simple based on a negative emotion, Winston should be an ally with selfish interests, and Lola decides to go to the woods because she's an impulsive, self-centered child who thinks she can fix everything by herself.

Reading those reviews, I realized that I didn't make good decisions. The plans from the board of directors and Lola didn't seem to satisfy anyone, the premise of Lola being a CEO seems like too much for some readers (I've been questioned about American legislation and the way I applied it to a superhero AU of a Nickelodeon cartoon), and not even the newly introduced characters seem to be well received. I have no excuses, I simply try to tell a different kind of story and I didn't get the results I expected. It can happen.

That's the reason I considered canceling this story for months, writing it down as a failed project, and try to vindicate myself with a new story. But I felt terribly bad about not being able to explore Lola and Lana's story, which is ultimately the reason why I began this fanfic.

So I've decided to continue it, and well, luckily the rest of the story will be able to carry a terrible beginning. I also considered rewriting the first two chapters with a more serious plot to please the readers, but I've always written for myself first, and if I like the idea for the story in my head, then I'll continue with that. And if that means having less readers, then I'll just deal with it, hehe.

So the story will continue, but if you guys didn't like the first two chapters, I recommend you stop reading, cause it's not going to improve, it'll say a simple, fairy-tale structured tale. You've been warned.

After such a long intro I'd like to skip to the story itself, but I do enjoy the exchange with readers, so here we go with the thanks and replies:

Jeff : Oh, poor Lola doesn't have any clue of what's coming lol

TheBlazzore : The problem with having a CEO with powers is that people with powers don't last long in Royal Woods, so investors might be scared that the company leader might just… disappear with no explanation.

Skydrove24 : Can she speak English tho? Does she have clothes? We'll see.

CPONDER84 : It'll be a while before she realizes who that white-haired tailor is, hehe.

Crackscott : I'm not changing the name of the story lol If you wait a little, you might find an answer regarding what the ring is, and what fellowship there is to be made. Just wait a little.

MangoWango21 : I don't know. We'll find out if/when Lily appears.

To Be Obsolete : Nah, it's intentional, it wasn't a mistake. And I'll never run out of movie subtitles, I have SO many to choose from.

KlabOriz : Leni, Lori, Lisa, and Lynn have already interacted with him.

Guest : Oh, I don't think anyone will mistake La'Nah for a princess lol

LOUDMAN13 : Kind of, yeah.

Guest : The final chapter is when Lincoln stares at the sunset. I haven't written the second half of the non-canon ending because people weren't mature enough to understand that it wasn't canon lol

LOUDMAN13 : Yeah, Clyde has a patch as a reference to One-Eyed Jack. Good on you for picking up on that.

STR2D3PO : Thank you! And yeah, Lincoln was put in an embarrassing situation.

LOUDMAN13 : I almost canceled the story, that's why.

Guest99 : I have no plans for Carol becoming a hero, or for her to return in a meaningful way. Mostly just cameos. Her story was done and over in Power Chord 1.

Tornado man : Nah, let Siege play with his toys.

Chapter 3: …who met someone…

I almost instantly regretted my decision, even before Alexei and Armando's car disappeared on the lonely road. I may have failed to consider everything my idea entailed. I may not have quite dimensioned the reality of what I'd set out to do. It sounded simple enough in my head: go on a secret journey to the fantastical forest, find the Evergreen Heart, return home victorious, and celebrate a new victory. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, as I stood in front of the first row of immense trees, with thin, twisted trunks that elevated as a fence from the soil, and with intricate, bristling crowns that combined in an impenetrable dome not even sunlight could penetrate in great amounts, I began to consider that it might not be a walk in the park.

Could I realistically accomplish this in an afternoon as I'd said to my trusty bodyguards? My secretaries believed I'd just taken the day off to rest and that I wasn't to be disturbed, whereas Armando and Alexei had orders not to reveal my location under any circumstance —they mentioned something about cyanide pills, but I don't understand what their bad breath had to do with anything. If this little side project demanded more than a single afternoon for me, my schedule would suffer.

Although, for a bit there, my schedule didn't fit in my Top Ten Things-To-Worry-About. I hadn't brought any food or a phone, and that forest looked so much bigger in person than I expected. What if I got lost? What if I got hungry? What if I got dirty and needed new clothes?

"Get a grip, Lola!" I suddenly said, raising a hand to slap myself.

I dropped it before doing it, however. No one slaps Lola Yates. Not even Lola Yates.

I breathed in and tried to relax. I didn't win anything giving in to my desperation. A leader needs to keep calm and act smart in times of crisis. My father taught me that when stocks are low, cowards sell, and the cunning buy. A crisis is but a test of character, and my beautiful self had an unwavering character.

"Get ready, Evergreen Forest," I announced, shoving my hair so the breeze would pick it up and wave it triumphally. "You're about to receive a visit from Lola Yates."

I looked over my shoulder with a million-bucks smile, striking the perfect magazine cover pose.

Unfortunately, my only audience seemed to be a squirrel, more preoccupied with opening an acorn than appreciating the beautiful hero suit the McBrides had created for me.

A tight-fitting pink dress that ended over my knees, eighties-styled gloves that reached beyond my elbows, waterproof boots crowned with an inverted V angle, and a pink cape with adamantine motives at the end. Of course, every hero's secret identity needed to be protected, so I wore a masquerade, like a ball mask. Before leaving, I manifested a tiara, earrings, and a diamond-shaped buckle, giving a magic touch to my costume with the sunlight sparkling on it.

"Oh, if Lacey was here, she'd die from jealousy," I lamented. "Anyway. Adventure time!"

With great determination, I entered the forest, ready to find the mythical Evergreen Heart and triumph where so many had fallen. Because if there was anything Lola Yates knew how to do, it was winning with style.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

SPLAT!

I plummeted like my rival companies' stocks, hitting face first on the disgusting grass carpet that covered the entire ground and reached almost to my ankles.

I let out a groan of pain. I turned 'til I stared at the sky and struggled to contain my tears. A handful of trees rose above me, their trunks as wide as the structural pillars of my tower, and their branches reached to the sky as terrifying nightmare creatures. Their leaves, of all shapes and sizes, formed a green ceiling that kept the Sun hidden from me.

I'd never found myself in such a place, and the situation began to overwhelm me. The humidity in the air suffocated me, I struggled to catch my breath, and the gentle morning warmth manifested as a tropical inferno. The sweat kept my mask glued to my face, my thighs burned with the itch of of the weeds scratching my porcelain skin. My joints hurt with the effort of constantly avoiding branches and vines. The constant buzzing of insects and the rustling of animals I couldn't see damaged my mental health. I took every step with fear of walking into a creature that would attack me, or even worse, dirty my costume. Unfortunately, it had already been tainted by a lot of tripping and falling onto the ground.

"Why didn't I hire Nova?" I complained.

I tried to sit up, but having fallen on my cape, I almost choked myself. I dropped down again, and the burning tears gathering up in my eyes forced me to rub my face with my beautiful gloves.

I took deep breaths to get a hold of my emotions. I couldn't get carried away. I needed to stay in control. I needed to fulfill my mission. I'd been out for barely… how long? Two hours? My parents climbed the Everest. What would they say if they could see me?

With renewed determination, I fixed my cape and reviewed my situation. Some kind of vine had entangled around my right boot. After sitting up, I tried to untie the knot, but with my falling and turning I'd just made the situation worse.

"That Girl Scouts seminar taught me how to tie knots, now how to untie them," I yelled.

I looked around me for a rock or something else I could use to cut the vine.

And then, my beautiful little head had a brilliant idea.

"Who needs a rock, when I have something more beautiful?"

I placed my fingertips together and slowly extended my arms outwards. In front of me, a diamond began to take shape, extending in one direction with two of it's facets meeting at an angle so acute it could cut the air. Before finishing, I turned my right hand to open the hot water, and one of the ends of the blade took the form of a handle.

"Ta-daaah!"

To be honest, the mold wasn't perfect. Its design looked pretty… rough. People might not realize it was supposed to be a sword if I didn't tell them. In my eyes, however, it looked like a wonderful saber, a weapon worthy of a princess. As big as the batons I used for my beauty pageants. Only slightly deadlier.

I took the elegant blade and stared at my reflection in the fractal surface, like a kaleidoscope. I looked tired and dirty.

With a broken spirit, I sighed and slashed in one move the plant that kept me tangled to the ground. Like cutting butter with a hot knife. Once on my feet, I glanced around me. All directions looked the same. I only recognized where I came from by my silhouette on the grass from where I fell.

"A stumble isn't a fall," I told myself, getting ready to continue onwards. "Even if… I definitely fell. Ugh. Luckily, I'm talking to myself and there's not one listening."

A tree branch, along with its bushy leaves, hung in front of me, an obstacle to sort. I grabbed my diamond sword, and with a quick slash, the obstacle disappeared.

Or, well, it did after I grabbed it and threw it away.

"Nothing stands in my way, now," I proudly exclaimed before continuing my crusade.

Although it's true I had an easier time advancing now that I could cut away the plants that bothered me, I couldn't help but feel more restless as I advanced deeper into the forest. I'd never consider myself someone knowledgeable about nature, but something in that forest kept feeding my anxiety.

It might have been the extraordinary variety of trees. I couldn't name the species, but every step I took introduced me to a new plant. Vibrant green leaves, reddish leaves, purple leaves, leaves with tiny yellow flowers. Small branches, thick branches, some rigid, some falling like silk. My diamond blade could cut them all, but with every new leaf color I surpassed, my anxiety grew.

The forest poured a supernatural aura. I felt watched, like when I paraded the streets ignoring flashes, but this time I couldn't see the paparazzi. I got startled every time I heard the sound of branches rustling and the sudden shriek of an animal, always hidden from me. At some point, I even heard a snake hissing. Too close for my taste.

"Ugh! If you're going to attack me, attack me now!"

There wasn't even an echo to feel accompanied. No, my scream was lost to the infinity of the forest.

The heat remained insufferable, and if I felt exhausted before, now I had to add thirsty and hungry. Maybe I should've accepted my defeat and gotten back to the road. Wait for my bodyguards to return, and ignore this failure for the rest of my life.

And let them kick me out of my own company? Give away my family's legacy to those vultures? No, I couldn't allow that to happen. With the ever-present memory of my parents and siblings in my heart, I summoned strength from within to keep going.

Just when I feared I might pass out or worse, I detected a pleasant fragrance, so refreshing and different from the scent of humidity and grass that I'd unfortunately gotten used to.

The smell of citrus, so delightful I could even feel it satiating my hunger. With renewed enthusiasm, I rushed through the undergrowth, following my senses like a hound in a hunt. As I got closer, I saw the light penetrating the forest ahead. My stabs into the air gained speed and strength, and after shredding a bush, light hit my face like a spotlight on the stage.

Used to such intensity, I barely needed a second to recover, and when I looked around me, the journey so far felt worth the trouble.

The canopies opened up to the clear sky, allowing me to stare at a beautiful, bright blue, leaving behind the darkness of the impenetrable forest. A soft breeze fluttered my cape and hair, caressing my body with gentle freshness. The air felt pure, but above everything, the multifruit aroma swirled around the impressive collection of trees around the small grove.

The entire healthy section of the supermarket seemed to be focused on a single location in its natural state. Apples, oranges, mangoes, cherries, peaches, bananas, even coconuts and avocados grew everywhere.

My favorite food was chocolate cake, but right then, that arrangement of fruits looked like the most exquisite delicacy on the planet. I threw my sword to a side and went straight to the trees, trying to collect as many fruits as I could.

I immediately ran into an issue: climbing trees didn't belong to my repertoire of skills, and even the low-hanging fruits were too high for my little T-rex arms. I kicked the ground in frustration. If Alexei was here, he could grab them without even standing on his tippy-toes.

I considered getting my diamond sword back, but then I had an epiphany. I'd probably never be more alone than right then in that forest, with no one to rat out on me. Creating a sword had felt oh-so-good, but, why not push the limits of my skills further?

"How hard could it be?"

I readied my body like I was about to begin a dance routine. I elegantly raised my right leg and then dropped it with determination.

As soon as the sole of my boot hit the ground, a diamond hexagon spread under my shadow, and with a hand gesture, it rose as a column, getting me in range of the apples.

For a second, I felt a slight dizziness, but I paid no mind to it.

"Oh, hohoho, this'll be great," I celebrated.

With a few circular motions, I created a concave basket, paying special attention to not leaving any edge too sharp to hurt myself. I dropped the basket next to me.

I stretched to reach the apples, but why even bother?

"I've never tried this… But it can't be too hard."

With a soft waving of my hand, I created a flat, small diamond. As always, it appeared floating in front of me. But instead of grabbing it, I began to twirl my index finger.

Like a remote-controlled toy, it began to spin on its axis. And when I moved my hand, it followed through.

"Hehehehe! This changes everything!" I gloated, skipping in place to contain my excitement.

For the next several minutes, I kept creating diamond stairs all over the place, going from tree to tree, manipulating my tiny diamond blade to fill the basket with sorting fruits of all shapes and flavors.

Near the end, every time I summoned a new column I needed to take a second to catch my breath and get rid of the nausea that invaded me. I considered it a secondary effect of my dehydration, but I couldn't just write off the fact that I'd never used my powers so much, for so long.

When I decided I'd collected enough fruits, I took a seat on the grass. With the light bouncing off all my diamonds, the place looked dreamlike, wonderful, like a fairy-tale castle.

It took me a couple of minutes, but with enough focus, I managed to mold a dish, a knife, and something resembling a fork. So, as I sang Blarney's songs to my heart's content, I spent time peeling off the fruits and preparing them in segments and cute, little cubes.

At first, my plan was to fill a tray with delicious snacks for me to enjoy at a slow pace. However, I underestimated how hungry I found myself, and after tasting one freebie sample to satiate my stomach, I couldn't stop.

"Oh, Eunice, I wish you were here," I grumbled with a full mouth, as I enjoyed the delicious texture of orange and the juice it released with each bite. "I need to talk to you."

Usually, lunch and dinner offered me the chance to socialize. I always gathered my best friends, Eunice, Mr Sprinkles, and sometimes even Fenton, and I talked to them about my day. My only opportunity to talk with someone and share everything going on in my life, allowing me to vent and deal with all the pressure that constantly constricted me.

The emptiness inside my stomach didn't seem to quell with the delicious treats I ate. Impulsively, I raised a hand and a plaque of diamonds rose from the ground on the other side of my food tray.

A beautiful girl appeared in front of me, reflected on the polished precious stone. She gave me an amicable smile, but in her eyes, I could see a sadness her mask couldn't hide.

"Oh, stop complaining, it's not that big of a deal," I said, fixing my hair. "It's a hard, dirty job, but it's for a good cause."

"Yeah, I know, you could be downtown giving in some interview, but you and I know they always ask the same questions. How many times are you going to answer about how hard it is to run a company being so young?"

"It's true, yeah, sometimes it's fun. And everyone talks about us after every interview. But even a superstar gets tired of being the center of attention, always for the same reasons."

"What would I like to be asked about? I don't know. New stuff. They never ask me for my favorite songs. Or my favorite movie. They ask me about the company, and what it feels like to be a CEO, and what my plans are for the family business. They always interview the CEO; never the beautiful, intelligent little girl."

I examined the girl's face, and my snorting almost made me spit the pieces of mango in my mouth. I shook my head, laughing to keep myself from crying.

"Oh, dear. Imagine if they could see you now. Tired. Dirty. In the middle of an adventure. Using your powers like there are no consequences for it. Can you imagine what a scandal that'd be? Not an image worthy of a princess. Princesses don't do dirty work. They're perfect."

"But to be perfect, you first gotta have power. You gotta be a leader with an iron fist. I need to control everything, they need to be afraid of standing up against me. If I let them treat me like a child, then no one would respect me. And if they don't respect me, what do I even have left?"

I put the fruits aside, giving the scared girl in front of me a serious look.

"Stop right there. Show no weakness. You're not like that. You're gonna figure this out."

"So what if you never had to walk this much without an employee to carry you?"

"So what if you never had to prepare your own food like this?"

"So what if you're afraid?"

"You didn't get where you are by giving up. You always pushed through the adversity. You're. Lola. Yates."

I rose, standing a finger at the girl.

"Doesn't matter if you're tired! You'll keep going! You'll find the Evergreen Heart! And you'll get back home with more power than ever!"

She didn't seem all that convinced, but she knew it was her only choice. I sat in front of her once again.

"Alright, enough with your mission. Who do you think will leave The Dream Boat this week?"

And for the rest of our lunch, we talked about our favorite show.

My first encounter with an animal happened half an hour after I resumed my march to the heart of the forest.

I carried with me a small stockpile of fruits inside a purse I made with leaves, branches, and diamond connectors. In my perfect world, I'd find the Evergreen Heart before dusk, would speed my way back to the road where my bodyguards waited for me, and I'd sleep in the comfort of my tower with a treasure in my arms. I wouldn't have dinner at the forest… but in case I needed a snack, nothing wrong with having a variety of fruits at my disposal.

To fight off my exhaustion, I stopped throwing wild slashes with my diamond sword, instead controlling it from a distance with swift hand gestures, allowing me to advance easier through the forest.

The disposition of it had changed once again, and although the grass didn't reach my ankles anymore, instead respecting a reasonable height, the thick roots made the terrain a true challenge to traverse.

I kept myself entertained and sane by practicing interviews out loud, imagining what would happen once I returned to Royal Woods with the legendary Evergreen Heart in my hands.

"Oh, of course it was easy," I said, hopscotching from root to root. "It was always in my plans to recover this legendary treasure for the company. That's why I hired the most wonderful hero. A perfect candidate for the job."

I heard a noise coming from the canopy above, but by then I stopped getting startled by sudden sounds. If I did, I'd never make any progress, since the forest assaulted my ears with a constant orchestra of movements and natural sounds.

"No, it wasn't Eclipse. Neither was Nova. I'm talking about a truly, beautiful hero. A princess. No, more than a princess. She's aAAAAAAAAAGH!"

I was in the middle of shredding a bush with my diamond sword when a raccoon jumped right out from it. It stopped right in front of me, eyeing me up.

"Eew! So gross!" I said, standing on the tip of my toes and waving my arm around to scare it. "Get out! Shoo! Get back to your dumpster!"

The disgusting animal didn't seem persuaded by my invitation. It remained still, barely tilting its head, staring at me with alleged curiosity. Its imperturbability at least helped calm me down. After my initial scare wore off, and without any sign of the raccoon trying to attack me, I began to relax.

"Ugh. Fine, if you're not moving, then at least stay still while I move around you."

I began to circle around him, keeping a prudent distance between us. I didn't make any sudden movements. The last thing I wanted was to scare it off.

"You're not as ugly when you don't move," I said, trying to compliment it. "Your little spots look like my mask. Are you on a secret mission, too? We can pretend we didn't run into each other. You keep checking out the trash or whatever animals do, and I'll move on to meet my destiny."

The raccoon smelled the air, and his gaze immediately focused on the rudimentary purse where I carried my fruits, which I had collected with so much effort and work. It began to drool, and I immediately understood its intentions.

"Wowowo, stop right there, Bradley Cooper!" I warned it, closing my arms around my purse. "Get your own food! This has my name on it!"

Already alert, I jumped when I heard leaves moving around on my left. I quickly turned to stare at the most disgusting animal I'd ever seen in my life. An anteater, with its long snout, sniffed the ground as it got nearer to me.

I let out a scream and stumbled backward, tripping over a root and falling tushy-first on the ground. Of course, the impact tore one of my purse's leaves, and an apple rolled out and away from it.

Right into the raccoon's hands.

"Hey, stop there!" I said, standing up as soon as I saw it grab the fruit. "Drop that! That's mine! Don't you see this pretty face needs her vitamins?"

I don't even know if fruits had vitamins, but that wasn't the point. The raccoon, in its infinite greed and lack of empathy, tried to get away from me by climbing a tree with the apple in one hand.

However, I would let no foul creature steal the result of my hard labor. So with one swift move of my arm, I made it so the diamond blade cut the tree in half.

"Timber!"

The entire canopy slid off the perfect cut my sword had produced, falling onto the ground with a bang. The light snuck through the new hole in the green dome above, bathing the nearby area in a pleasant glow. Several birds flew away, some squirrels emerged from the fallen tree crown, and I even saw some disgusting bats fleeing after the tree fell.

Who'd say a random tree could hold so many animals? I hadn't seen a single one of them before that. Did every tree around me house a bunch of creatures?

The thief seemed stunned at the demonstration of power I'd just performed. It turned around in my direction, and ever-so-slowly, left the apple in front of me.

"That's more like it," I said, crouching to place the fruit inside my purse. "Know your place."

It let out a weird sound and then proceeded to rush away. The anteater fled as well.

"Huh, maybe I should cut trees more often," I spoke with irony. "Maybe that'll keep the animals away before they get close."

And then, I heard the sound of branches and leaves rustling once again. I rolled my eyes, thinking it might be another animal trying to run away from the commotion I'd caused.

However, my heart sank when I looked up at the source of the noise.

A small canary flew from tree to tree, moving so fast and elegantly as a hummingbird, until it perched on a low branch.

I thought dehydration and hunger might be playing a dirty trick on me. Or even if it might have been some sort of visual effect caused by the new light that hit everything around me through the hole in the canopies. After all, the forest was mostly dark, keeping us all in a semi-constant gloom through the interlaced treetops. By tearing down one, new light entered the forest, and it might make everything look different.

What I saw was no optical illusion, however. Even after furiously rubbing my eyes with my gloves, the glowing canary remained.

It's hard to explain. So you better pay attention, because if you don't get it, it's your fault, not mine, alright? But the bird wasn't a real bird. It looked like a little transparent canary, with its feathers, feet, and mostly its eyes shining like a Christmas decoration. It glowed with a golden light that bathed the leaves around it, painting them with the most beautiful autumn colors, and leaving a trail behind its moves, like watercolors running after a brush.

Such a surreal image would have been wonderful, except for the fact that it had me absolutely terrified. My first impression was that it had to be a ghost. Then, that I'd gone insane, but Lola Yates has no defects, and she's no crazy girl.

The situation surely had a logical and perfectly reasonable explanation.

The bird spread its wings and began to sing like it was six in the morning and wanted everyone in the vicinity to wake up. I gotta admit that, even though it sounded strangely loud, the song felt serene and melodic. Enjoyable, even.

Of course, as soon as the fallen half of the tree began to move on its own, terror took over me once again. As if by magic, the two halves of the tree reconnected to the rhythm of the bird's singing. Golden sap began to pour out of the tree in great amounts. Almost like hot glue, the sap covered the slash that separated the two halves, and in a matter of seconds, it seemed to solidify.

The tree was whole once again.

The bird stopped singing and gave me a dirty look.

I dropped the fruit.

"The raccoon had it coming!" I tried to explain the evil spirit. "It tried to steal the only food I have! I was just defending my right to private property!"

The canary gave a few hops on the branch it was perched on, staring at me the entire time.

"Fine! Take all my food!" I kicked the purse to open it up and some oranges rolled out of it. "Give it to your animal friends! But please, I beg you, don't get me dirty!"

The bird dropped. It didn't fly, it just leaned forward and dropped to the ground. Halfway to it, however, a much brighter light surrounded it. From one instant to the next, his body went through a metamorphosis. It grew in size, the wings turned to legs, the feathers into fur, and the golden glow changed to an almost cardinal red.

When it fell on all fours on the ground, it didn't look like a canary anymore, but a dog. A pitbull terrier with spots over its fur. If it wasn't a phantasmagory ghost with spooky nature powers that crawled towards me with a growl and a scary face, I might have even considered him cute.

But alas…

"Don't get any closer!" I warned him, taking a step back with each one he took in my direction. "I'm armed!"

I extended my hand, and the diamond sword flew from wherever I'd dropped it to my iron grip, trembling along with me.

The dog let out a new growl. It didn't seem impressed by my sword. Could diamonds hurt a ghost? Could the ghost hurt me? I didn't know, and I didn't want to find out about the latter without trying the first.

I dropped the sword and made a quick hand gesture. The diamond blade rocketed at full speed, piercing the ground where the dog had been standing moments ago.

He'd reacted incredibly fast, jumping sideways to dodge my attack. I began to quickly retreat, as I desperately waved my arms back and forth to create small diamonds in front of me and throw them as projectiles against the ghost. The spectral dog did what it could to avoid them, but I gave him a run for his money. Just when it seemed like I had him cornered, his body began to glow once again, increasing in size, stretching longer, and changing its light's hue.

Now turned into a cerulean feline, the spirit kept dodging my attacks, jumping from tree to tree with remarkable skill, cutting the distance between us short. Desperate to stop him, I raised a hand to the sky, and a diamond column sprouted from the ground where the cat stood, hitting him square in the gut, and sending it several feet up in the air.

The good news, my diamonds could hurt whatever that thing was. Bad news, it fell on its feet, and after shaking it off, it didn't seem particularly affected by the huge blow.

"What if we leave it here?" I suggested while walking back until my back hit a tree. "We both go our separate ways. You forget I broke a tree, I forget I saw a ghost. Deal?"

With a dreadful howl, it jumped at me, claws first. I let out a shriek of terror and covered my beautiful face with my arms.

My powers got activated instinctively. There was an explosion, and when I opened my eyes, I found myself in the center of what looked like a giant diamond snowflake, at least thirty feet in diameter, covering the ground. It pulled trees out of its roots, took down bushes and rocks, and apparently it managed to hit the cat, who slid by the edge of the diamond field, stunned.

I fell on my knees and I seemed to be about to barf due to the dizziness and the vertigo I felt for a few seconds. I managed to keep it together, however, and I stood up. Still seeing double, I decided to seize the moment. I extended an arm and closed my fist. The diamond ground around the phantasmal cat crumbled, and grew into a brilliant cocoon around the cat, wrapping it and lifting it from the ground.

"Ha… haha… hahahaha!" I yelled, victorious, struggling to not lose my balance.

"Lola Yates never loses! Not even evil forest spirits can deal with me! Surrender, vile creature, and pledge allegiance to your queen!"

" Cliff, battle form!"

I looked around me, startled. Where did that voice come from? Had I heard it right? It seemed to say "battle form", but… There was something in the way it spoke… Not only that, the voice itself…

The animal meowed, and his body began to glow once again. I heard the diamond cracking.

"What? No way, how—?"

The layer of stone surrounding the cat exploded, leaving me positively stunned. The shining figure wasn't shaped like a cat anymore, but rather a big panther, at least eight feet tall. Its cold blue eyes, shining like two lanterns, focused on me.

I thought that'd be the end. Fighting a canary or a dog was one thing. A jaguar? At least four times my size? I didn't see how I could have any chance of success against it. His gaze petrified me, pinning me down in place, and freezing my blood.

He took a step forward and crouched, ready to jump to me, but then his entire body seemed to flicker, he let out a roar of pain and fell on his side. He glowed once again and returned to his cat form.

I let out all the air trapped in my lungs. Maybe God had taken mercy on my soul.

"AAAAAAAARGH!"

Of course, the terror of finding myself in front of a panther made me temporarily forget about the mysterious voice that had given out an order for the spirit. At least, until I heard the new scream. Reacting on instinct, I jumped aside, and just in time.

A small figure landed right where I'd been standing seconds ago. The diamond ground cracked, and the sheer force of the impact sent me to the floor, as I slid over the polished surface until I bumped into a rock.

When I looked up, I found a view so bizarre it made me forget about the fact that I'd just fought a shape-shifting ghost.

A boy, or most likely a girl judging by the sound of her voice, probably around my age. She walked barefoot, with pieces of bark tied around her shins with flower stems like some sort of armor. Instead of a skirt, she wore a piece of animal hide with fringes of ashen fur that also made up her belt and tank top sleeves. The only actual piece of clothing she seemed to wear was her shirt, an aquamarine piece of cloth, halfway between green and blue. It didn't seem to be in the best shape, damaged by the constant exposure to the outdoors. Her forearms were covered with bandages, so dirty they looked brown. Most notably, however, she wore an entangled mess of leaves of all shades and colors, covering her body like a cape and hood, hiding her face and head.

Oh, and I guess the FREAKING AXE was pretty notable, too. A piece of chipped rock tied with some vines to a branch. A priori, it should have looked ridiculous, but one tends to respect a weapon after witnessing how it broke a diamond floor. Scientifically impossible —at least I think so—, but my eyes didn't lie.

The hermit stood up and pointed the axe in my direction.

"Leave the forest and never return!"

My entire body shook. Not just because of the threat, but rather because there was something… unnerving about her voice. On the one hand, it sounded vaguely familiar; on the other, there was a dissonance between what I heard and what I understood that I couldn't quite explain, not then, at least. A foreign accent? No, not really. Why did it sound so weird?

"Who are you?" I asked, trying to buy time as I took a step back and tried to search for a way out.

I heard the sound of her knuckles cracking as it gripped the handle of her axe tighter.

"I'm the Evergreen ranger," she exclaimed, hitting the floor with the blunt end of the handle, the impact echoing in the forest. "Ever since you've invaded, you've been hurting the plants. Turn around and leave at once, or you'll never walk away from this forest."

"Are you threatening me?" I asked, trying to sound braver than I felt.

"I'm warning you."

Why did she sound so off? What was it about her voice?

"I thought no one lived in the Evergreen forest. Are you alone? Where are your parents?"

"No more words, trespasser! Get out of my forest and never return!"

I frowned and stopped retreating. I'd faced many contestants in my beauty pageants, and I could recognize a bully when I saw one. I stood my ground.

"For your information, I'm about to close a deal for these lands. It's settled by word: I'll own this place. So YOU better get out of MY forest, or I'm gonna have to make you."

Of course, I meant I'd call my security forces for them to deal with this punk, but the girl seemed to interpret my words as an invitation to fight. And with a roar, she jumped at me.

Her jump surprised me since it cut down the twenty, twenty-five feet of distance between us in a second. She raised her axe with both hands and prepared to drop it on me. With a yell (on the final version of the story I'll say it was a war cry, but here between us, it was a scream of terror), I shook an arm, and a diamond shield formed in the air, blocking her attack.

She fell to the ground, bewildered.

"Think fast!" I yelled with a stomp.

The diamond ground began to crack open in a straight line towards the ranger, suddenly punching up in a stone spike that hit her hard enough to knock out an elephant. She managed to block it, though, and even though it sent her flying away, it wasn't enough to stop her.

She somersaulted backward in the air, planting both feet on a tree trunk.

"Fight me up front!" She provoked me, launching at me like an arrow.

I moved without thinking, extending my left arm. The diamonds under my feet pushed me several feet in the opposite direction, avoiding that annoying girl's assault.

I had an idea. With two quick twirls of my hands, I turned the sole of my boots into two ice skates. After building up some speed, I began to diamond-skate over the fractal ground I'd created.

Oh, Mommy, thanks for sending me to those figure skating classes since I was three.

I turned around as I skated backward, so I wouldn't lose sight of the villain. She jumped from place to place, trying to keep up with me. I couldn't allow it.

I extended my right palm and gave her a murderous look.

"Brilliant diamonds attack!"

A burst of small, pointy diamonds shoot at her. She deflected the first few with quick swings of her axe like she was playing baseball, but after a diamond grazed her arm, she howled and hid under a rock.

I stopped skating to catch my breath, let the nausea from using my powers pass, and think about my next move.

She didn't give me time to think. With a grunt, she tossed the rock she hid behind to me. I placed both hands in front of me and I raised my arms. A diamond wall rose along, blocking the boulder. I then made a move like I wanted to push the wall, and it skidded through the ground at the villain.

Surprisingly, she jumped over my attack and immediately threw her axe at me.

I could've created another wall, but I'd seen her breaking diamonds with her weapon, and I didn't feel like taking any chances. So I stepped aside and moved my arms to create a diamond spike that grew and enveloped the axe as it followed its trajectory.

I trapped it in a shining prison, out of reach from her.

I grinned.

"Let's see how tough you are without your weapon," I said, as I created a sword in my right hand and took a step closer to her.

I obviously wasn't gonna hurt her. I just wanted to scare her off, so she'd leave me alone. I know I can be pretty intense, but I'm not a bad person. I wasn't gonna cut her or anything.

But I can't blame her. If I'd been on the other side, it would've looked scary as heck. I also would've thought they wanted to hurt me. So I can't complain that, out of nowhere, the ghostly bird flew right into me, hitting me square in the head.

It almost made me pass out. I dropped the sword and I fell. My mask and diamond tiara fell and bounced away from me. I felt a sharp, burning sensation in my cheek, and my eyes filled with tears. I curled up and pressed my hands against my face, trying to control my crying. I've never had any sort of tolerance for pain.

I tried to sit up, but the bird grabbed me by the cape and began to drag me around.

"N-No! Stop! Please, I don't want to play anymore!" I begged them.

They paid no mind. The ghost kept dragging me, not letting me stand up.

The other girl walked closer, hand extended. The diamond prison I created shook, and a few seconds later it blew up in pieces as the axe flew right onto the ranger's hand. Through the tears blurring my vision, I saw her approaching, weapon in hand.

Among the terror, for an instant, I had the comforting thought that I might be seeing my siblings soon. Beau, Bumper, Bella, Beatrix. My parents, too. I might get to hug them again. Apologize for not getting on the plane with them, for staying back.

That instant of serenity extended, silencing my crying, easing my ragged breathing, and extinguishing my resistance. For a long instant, I resigned myself to whatever that villain wanted to do with me.

"Hang on… What?"

I looked up, still shocked.

The ranger sounded terrified. She dropped her axe, letting it fall next to her, and took a step back. My tears didn't let me see her clearly.

"Is this a trick?" She asked me, sounding mad. "Who are you?"

The expectation of sudden death abandoned me, and with that, adrenaline rushed through my veins. I tried to find a way out. Had she recognized me now that I'd dropped my mask? Did she know who I was? She might decide to help me now.

"I'm Lola Yayes," I said as soon as I found my voice.

"Lo…la. Lo-lah. Lola," she repeated.

"Yeah… Lola."

She approached me like she feared me. She knelt before me, and slowly, she took off the hood shrouding her head in mystery.

I heard my heartbeats, faster by the second, stronger. I felt my face getting pale, and the air leaving my lungs.

Golden locks of hair.

Blue eyes.

That tiny little button nose that looked perfect from any angle.

"Who are you?" I whispered to the girl who looked like a live reflection of myself.

"I'm La'Nah," my clon replied. "You're so pretty."

For the first time, we agreed on something.