ᴄʜᴀᴘɪᴛʀᴇ ʜᴜɪᴛ - ᴇɴᴄʜᴀɴᴛé
Chapter Eight - Enchanted

Quick author's note
Shout out to Enchanted by Taylor Swift for inspiring the name of this chapter! I do not own the lyrics that are used within this chapter [you'll know when you seen 'em — I am not in any form or fashion responsible for any broken hearts that may potentially occur from me incorporating the lyrics into this chapter]

Note: I do not own the following characters
Rey Lopez/Snow Drift [her lasso as a weapon, Lucky Touch], Iris Lopez, Amy Lopez and Amara Hunter [mentioned]- Sci-Briana14

Bernadette "Betty" Fontaine, Celestia Lesbianne/Ice Queen (essentially, the idea of the akuma's powers staying inside of her/activated by her emotions) and Dwayne Cooper [mentioned] - GeekyCookie1

Language checkpoint
"Oncle." - "Uncle."
"Monsieur." - "Sir."
"Ki wo tsukete kudasai." - "Please take care of yourself."

Trigger Warnings
Explicit display of gaslighting (low to medium; moderate at best)
Explicit display of physical, emotional and verbal abuse (low to medium)

~~~~

"Breaking news! It is has been confirmed that recently-transferred Detective Elio Hatt and the Parisian police force have arrested Ethan Becker, who has been identified as the killer. A trial will soon go underway but it is expected that he will be charged with the deaths of Audrey Bourgeois and Lance Abbott. More..."

Staring at the screen in the living room, Jolene dreamily sighed at the tall and muscular brown-skinned male who was now wearing a grey trench coat, a black long-sleeve shirt, black silk pants with his own matching boots.

Jolene remain fixated on the TV screen, only turning when she heard her daughter's footsteps descending from the stairs. As she looked in the girl's direction, Jolene saw her child wearing a dark navy blue trench coat with three gold buttons on each side, a white T-shirt, blue denim jeans and light beige flats.

Realizing that Cleo had resembled her in the woman's youth, she suddenly felt bitter over the fact her daughter got to keep her natural beauty while she — Jolene — could feel the effects of aging now closing in on her. After all, Jolene could only rely on her makeup for so long....

"Some protector you were. You're lucky I didn't die last night, which I correctly told you would not happen. Also, you never came home, so where were you?" Jolene asked, now standing up from the couch as she saw her daughter tensely smiled in her direction, the fear evident in her eyes.

"Oh... I had work overtime at Florian's mechanic shop and fell asleep there. My boss felt bad, so I stay the night at his place," Cleo steadily answered as Jolene narrowly crossed her arms. "You're lying and you know how I feel about liars," Jolene coldly stated as the girl awkwardly chuckled.

"Mom, I have no idea what you're talking—"

"Yes, you do!" Jolene angrily exclaimed, now shoving her daughter to the wall near the kitchen. "Where were you really at?" she sharply asked, noticing how her daughter had the nerves to smile in her direction.

"I was working at Florian's shop until I fell asleep working overtime. He didn't want me going home when it was already late, so he told me to stay at his place. That's the only reason why I didn't come back," Cleo briefly told her but Jolene knew she was lying to her face!

Jolene wanted to strangle the girl right there, but she wasn't impulsive like her late cop husband. So she masked her anger, now holding her daughter's right cheek to portray herself as a loving mother to guilt trip Cleo into confessing where she had really stayed last night. So, Jolene chose to achieve her goal by pulling her daughter into a hug.

"My little flower, do you know everything I did for us after your father selfishly left us? I took care of us when no one did. I made sure you were fed, a home, I gave you what I never had and yet, you choose to hurt me. Why?" Jolene began, ensuring that her voice was tender as she even made her voice crack.

"Mom—"

"Do you think you're better than me?" Jolene followed up, masking her smirk as she saw Cleo's eyes widen by the sudden change in direction. "W... What? N... No," Cleo truthfully answered, the slight stammer occurring but Jolene didn't want to see the truth, choosing to act on her anger instead.

"Then why do you choose to spite me?" Jolene coldly asked, now dropping the act as she harshly slapped her daughter, who fell to the ground. In a moment of panic, she saw her daughter ran to their kitchen as she chuckled. "You know, I'm getting real tired of your behavior lately. We should fix it," Jolene quietly told her, now smirking as she saw Cleo step out.

"I'm sorry," she said as Jolene chuckled, now stroking Cleo's face as she made her way to her daughter, who was still in the kitchen. "A sorry alone won't fix what's coming to you," Jolene firmly stated, still retaining her smirk as Cleo began to sigh.

"Oh, I know. I was hoping for things to end differently, but I guess a sorry won't fix this either," her daughter cryptically began as Jolene stared at her, losing the smirk in place of confusion as she stopped stroking her face and took a step back.

"What are you—"

BAM!

As Jolene fell onto the ground with a thud, the woman's vision began to blur but she could still see Cleo standing over her, now holding a frying pan in her hands. "You hit me," she weakly but angrily said, the realization dawning on her as she tried to stand up, only to fall back onto the ground.

"Don't take this personal, mother," she heard Cleo start as her vision continued to spun, only to slowly start fading out. She could vaguely make out Cleo grabbing a red apple as her daughter peered down at her — her! Jolene! — with a smirk, now grabbing onto her ebony black bag.

"I'm just returning the favor."

When Jolene woke up a few hours after the unexpected attack, she instantly felt a bit of a headache arising as she rubbed the back of her head. As her vision began to clear up, she saw the frying pan was no longer in sight as she began to growl, recalling the event leading up to her daughter's assault towards her.

"CLEO!"

———————————-

On the other side of Paris, a window sill opened as a light purple glow could be seen in the distance. In the dark, shadowy part of the room, a secluded older male resembling an actual moth gripped onto his cane with a smirk.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise. My old friend is railing by deception and anger of her daughter. Her emotions will be perfect for my latest akuma yet," the mystery man spoke as he touched a pure, white butterfly which was now corrupt with dark, purple energy as the butterfly mindlessly flapped its wings.

"Go to her, my little akuma and infect her dark heart!"

————————————-

As Jolene stormed the apartment in search of Cleo, she snapped and began tearing the place apart upon realizing she left. As the woman began to think of ways to get back at her deceiving daughter, unaware of a nearby akuma coming in her path.

Upon entering Lance's room, the woman found herself staring at the once-framed picture of her marriage to the cop. As she took the knife out, she grabbed the photo and smiled softly at the image, now placing the knife on Lance's table.

The photo depicted the married couple behind an altar as Jolene had blonde highlights in her (then) dyed auburn hair, wearing a long, flowing white fluttering wedding gown while Lance worn a navy blue tuxedo, his reddish brown hair neatly combed to the left side of his head.

Then her eyes stared at Cleo, who was thirteen at the time of the wedding picture that took place. She was dressed in a simple dress and black flats, adoring a smile the two girls knew were fake and held her basket of flowers, serving as their flower-girl at the wedding.

She was much more simpler to control back then, but now Cleo was less submissive and soon, Jolene knew there would be a day her daughter chose to leave her. This side of her daughter was only beginning to grow. In that moment, she angrily gripped the wedding image, now throwing the picture onto the ground.

"So, you think you can hit me with a frying pan now and talk back to me because your so-called friends, Poppy, Celestia and the annoying spider from across the hall led you to believe you know what's best, but guess what? You're still the same, weak-minded little girl and I'll make sure to remind you of your place."

Jolene was so blinded by her anger and thirst for revenge towards Cleo, she hadn't seen the akuma enter her late husband's room. So as she held Lance's knife, the akuma flew inside of the knife's handle, causing a purple akuma outline to form over her head as a smirk formed on her lips.

"Hawkmoth, I was beginning to think you no longer needed me," Jolene started as she gave a short but malicious chuckle. "Can I assume I'll need to retrieve the miraculouses of Miraculous Ladybug, Chat Noir and Snow Drift in order for me to become your own servant once more?" she followed up as the villain chuckled.

"Yes," Hawkmoth answered as Jolene chuckled. "Then in that case, we —" she said, only to get cut off by the villain, who began to smirk from behind his lair. "But I've decided to switch things up," he finished, now catching the woman's attention. "Oh? What did you have in mind?" she curiously inquired.

"This time, I want you to capture your daughter and bring her to me. She knows who I am and I suspect she had an accomplice who knows as well," Hawkmoth briefly said as Jolene scoffed. "I bet it was the spider from my hall. She usually tends to be around my daughter," Jolene answered.

"Spider?"

"Bernadette Fontaine," Jolene bitterly answered, her name coming out like venom. "We
call her a spider because she tends to involve herself in matters that don't concern her, so if there was anyone with my daughter and knows who you are, chances are that's the girl you need to be looking for," she continued, now knowing for sure that her daughter had lied to her.

"Well. In that case, I want you to capture your daughter, Bernadette Fontaine and bring the two girls to me. It is critical that those two are stopped in the event the information gets leaked to the press. Then once I have the two girls in my possession, you'll focus on retrieving the miraculouses from the heroes."

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this," Jolene gleefully stated as Hawkmoth darkly chuckle, hoping the switch-up in priorities would cause the three heroes to panic and mess up to where his latest akuma could succeed in retrieving the miraculouses for him.

"Then, don't disappoint me... Ghost. You've been in this position a couple of times now, so you know what I expect. If you bring me what I want, I'll grant you all of the traits of a ghost and the chance to prove to your daughter just who exactly is the one in charge," he continued as Jolene smirked.

"I won't disappoint you, sir. The girls and the miraculouses will be yours," Jolene firmly said as Hawkmoth smirked. "Then in that case... do we have a deal?" he followed up as Jolene's smirk came back. In her heart, she knew the answer long before the moth had to ask.

"We have a deal."

As purple goo spread from the knife and covered her from head to toe, Jolene found she had relinquish the power and adrenaline that came from being an akumatized villain for the moth. A few moments later, the goo disappeared in her place no longer stood a underestimated woman named Jolene, but rather a confident and revenge-bent villain named...

"Ghost," she repeated, now looking at her white cloaked suit as her amber eyes were now a light purple color. As she took off her hood, she saw her hair was no longer jet-black but a complete new shade of phantom white.

As with every akumatization she endured since Hawkmoth came into power, she felt the instant rush of power and adrenaline. With a smirk, she saw her hand flicker as shadow energy appeared. With this power at her fingertips, she was more than ready to stop the girls and get the heroes' miraculouses.

"Look out, Cleo and Spider. I'm coming for you."

———————————-

"315... 316... 317... found it."

Locating Ethan's mail number in the city's mail service room, Cleo opened her bag and took out a pair of gold metallic keys that her uncle customized to have Jagged Stone on the front of the keys [in the event, the man lost the first set or if his keys ever got stolen by someone else].

"Okay, oncle. Let's see what you wanted me to find."

As Cleo held the key, she began to turn the item counterclockwise as she heard the lock click. Slowly twisting the key out, she moved the beige mail door open and blink from the sight of the man's mail carrier. "Oh, Ethan. You got a problem here," she mumbled as she started to gather the magazines and mail that were beginning to pile on top of each other.

As she placed his magazines and his mail in her bag, Cleo glanced back inside to find a few golden envelopes, causing her to sigh at the sight. "You and these envelopes, man," she mumbled, retrieving the items and placing the envelopes neatly in her bag before she peered into the slot once more.

Believing she grabbed everything, Cleo began to close the beige mail door until a small, sliver box caught her eye. "Well, aren't you just neat?" she curiously asked, pulling the box out. She was surprised to see the small box before the realization dawned on her.

"There's no way he..." she began, only to trail off as she flip the box gently over to find a small note attach with her mother's name. "He did. He got her a engagement ring," she mumbled and as she opened the box, Cleo saw the bedazzled diamond ring in a size six with a diamond-shaped teardrop hovering above the jewel.

"I knew it. Keeping track of mom's wedding ring boxes have finally paid off," she said, debating whether to bring the wedding ring box with her or not. Closing the box, Cleo then placed the box back inside.

As Cleo went to retrieve the white solid envelope Ethan left her in (what felt like) a sea of envelopes, the girl went to open the envelope when her phone started to ring. In a moment of panic, the girl placed the envelope back in her bag. Then she had reach for the phone, believing it was her mother calling.

But to her surprise, one of her friends were calling... which immediately confused her as Cleo didn't recall ever getting their numbers. As she dug deep in her bag, Cleo retrieved a miniature phone and saw her mother listed as the only contact [as her stepfather died, her biological father never reach out and she assume her mother had deleted Dwayne's contact information from her phone because of her mother's deep hatred towards him].

As the ringing came back to focus, Cleo answer the second phone, now placing the first phone back in her bag. She meant to check who was calling, but the ringing was on the verge of ending and she didn't really want to miss a phone call.

"Hello?"

"Minnie, where are you? Alix's roller-skating race with Lorelei is about to start!"

"Okay, okay, I'll be at the courtyard here in a little bit. I'm not that far from the school... give or take, I'll be there in five minutes," Cleo quickly said, having forgotten all about the bet Alix made, claiming she could beat Lorelei to a match in roller-skating, which naturally made everyone else excited.

"Okay. I'll do my best to save a spot, but you might have to end up standing when you get here. Sorry..."

"If you can't save a spot, don't worry about it. I appreciate you trying nonetheless, Rey-Rey," Cleo cheekily said. "I'll see you here in a bit then," she followed up as she heard a chuckle from the other side of the line.

"See you."

With the line disconnected, Cleo then decided to pack the engagement ring as she knew she had to ask why he thought investing in a ring for her mother would be a great idea, considering where he was now.

After seeing she collected everything, Cleo closed the door and lock his slot. Checking that she locked his slot correctly, Cleo twisted the key out and with a smirk, she placed the keys in her pocket and proceeded to leave the mail room.

——————————

"Go Alix!"

As a slender, short, and lean French-Arabic teenage girl with brilliant cerulean eyes and messy pink/red hair in a bob cut zoomed by Lorelei, cheers could be heard as Alix stay in the lead and to an extent, even laughter could be heard as Lorelei fell, now landing on the ground.

"Hey, let me help you," Rey gently offered, seeing how Lorelei fell on her side of the area but Lorelei quickly slapped her hand. "The last thing I need is help from you, Little Miss Perfect," Lorelei harshly stated, rejecting the help as she proceeded to stand on her own and got herself back into the race.

"Hey, don't let her words get to your head, Rey. You did your best to help her, but at the end of the day, some people just won't change," Adrien softly said, sitting beside her as Rey nodded, only to sigh at the end.

"I still thought me and Lorelei could be friends, since me and Allison are on good terms now, but you might be right. Maybe, some people don't change," she softly said, only to get caught off-guard by Adrien placing her hair behind her ear, turning to head to catch the boy in the act.

"Sorry! You had something on your hair," Adrien quickly said as Rey softly blushed at the touch while Adrien blushed by performing the action. "Well, thanks..." Rey softly said, now trailing off as she shyly smiled.

"You're welcome," Adrien said, smiling brightly in her direction, which led to her heart skipping a beat as she returned the gesture. "You're so sweet, Adrien. Any girl would be lucky to have you," she timidly followed up as Adrien shyly rubbed the back of his neck upon looking at his best friend.

"You too, Rey. You know, any guy would be lucky to have you. You're most the sweetest, kindest and loyal person I've ever known," Adrien truthfully told her, a bright smile as his warm and gentle emerald-green eyes stared into her eyes. As the girl's heart began to beat, Rey chose to take her own shot and just go for it, seeing how her best friend was here in the moment.

"Well... Actually..." Rey shyly began as she took a deep breath, exhaling her doubts and inhaling the confidence she needed to get this moment right. "There's something I need to tell you," she confidently finished, which caught Adrien's attention as he wasn't used to this side of her.

"Yes?"

As Adrien stared back at her, Rey felt her heart racing in her chest as she thought back to the very first day she met him. They were just two little kids trying to get through the expectations of their parents. While most girls loved Adrien because he was rich/came from a wealthy family, that wasn't the case with her.

Rey loved her best friend because Adrien always had a way of making her smile: he was honest, sweet and saw her for who she was — even when most people didn't.

"Adrien, I—"

"We have a winner, folks!" the announcer exclaimed, holding Lorelei's arm as Alix glare at her, now skating away. While the cheers erupted, Lorelei made her way to Adrien and Rey, her neck decorated with a first-place medal as she smiled warmly in Adrien's way before she coldly glared at Rey, who felt her tongue twist itself up at Lorelei's presence.

"Adrien! I'm so glad you could make it!" Lorelei happily exclaimed, now embracing him as she tenderly wrapped her arms around him. "This will never be you because you are nothing," she mouthed to Rey, whose eyes deeply faltered at her response. As her rival's smile fell, Lorelei proudly smirked and when she pulled away from the boy, she kept her focus on Adrien.

"Of course, Lore. You know, I wouldn't miss this for the world," Adrien sincerely said as Rey quietly observed the way her rival and her best friend were looking at each other as her heart began to twist itself into a knot.

Please don't be in love with someone else. Please don't have somebody waiting on you.

"This is why you're the best, Sunshine," Lorelei cheekily said, pulling Adrien close as he awkwardly chuckled, now putting space between them [much to Lorelei's annoyance as she was so close]. "I'm sorry, Rey, what were you saying?" Adrien softly asked his best friend, now looking at her as Lorelei darkly glared in Rey's direction before she saw an opportunity and quietly smirked.

"I... I..."

"Oh, Adrien, are we still going to movies this weekend?" Lorelei curiously inquired, now looking at Adrien, who puzzlingly turn to look at her. "I don't—" Adrien gently started with the intention of letting Lorelei know that no such plans were discussed when she pulled Adrien into a kiss, their lips now interlocking.

While Adrien was forcibly trying to pull himself away from Lorelei, she kept him at a angle that prevented Rey from seeing this. As a result, Rey presumed that Adrien was enjoying the kiss, which made her heart sank as Lorelei opened her eyes to stare at her rival and smirked at her look of defeat.

"So, tell us, Rey. What were you going to tell him?" Lorelei sassily asked, now looking at the girl, whose eyes began to water slightly. As Rey felt her confidence sinking, the girl chose not to let her best friend know the truth, not wanting to ruin her friendship with him as [from her perspective] Adrien would be better off with Lorelei.

"N... Nothing," Rey meekly said, trying to hide the crack in her voice. "I actually should go. My parents have a movie premiere soon and I don't want to be late again," the girl feebly said, which made Adrien frown as he could see through her lie. "Rey," he began, now moving Lorelei away from him as the girl smirked.

"Bye, Sunshine! Can't wait for our movie date this weekend!" Lorelei happily exclaimed, though it was — for the most part — a lie. There was no movie date and she could really care less about spending time with the blonde. She had only view Adrien as a symbolic trophy for beating her long-time rival: Rey Lopez.

By getting Adrien to herself, then that meant Lorelei finally won against Rey and the girl could rest at last-long, knowing that her parents would be proud of her for beating their rival's youngest daughter.

With a slight giggle now escaping her lips, Lorelei took off in her roller skates to join her friends as Rey and Adrien awkwardly stared at each other, thanks to Lorelei's presence affecting their dynamic. "Rey, I swear I—" Adrien defensively began, now moving to her in an effort to explain himself, but Rey gave a small smile and stood up.

"No, you should be with whoever makes you happy, Adrien. If Lorelei makes you happy, then go for it," Rey encouragingly said, forcing herself to speak the words as she gave a warm — but forced — smile. But Adrien began to frown at her response as he didn't feel anywhere near happy with Lorelei... Adrien truly felt like himself when he was around his best friend: Rey.

As Rey smiled and began to walk away, Adrien caught up to the girl, now gently holding onto her hand. "Rey, please," he began as Rey held his hands. "I should get going," she said, preparing to pull away when Adrien pulled her back. "She's not the one who makes me happy," he began, his eyes only focused on her.

"It's you. It has always been you who made me happy," Adrien sincerely continued, his heart now beating in his chest as he stared at her. "Adrien, I..." Rey slowly began, only to trail off as she thought about Lorelei's mouthed response.

"This will never be you because you are nothing."

In the end, Rey knew Lorelei was right. After all, why should the girl fool herself into thinking otherwise? As she stared at Adrien and into his loving eyes, Rey chose not to act on her feelings, believing she would just ruin her friendship with him. So instead, she was willing to sacrifice her own happiness if it meant seeing her best friend happy as he mattered more to her than the way she felt.

"You make me happy too, Adrien..." she sincerely started, only to trail off and smile to her best friend as her eyes began to water. "But we're just friends," she briefly began as she unknowingly broke her best friend's heart [as well as hers].

"Actually, we're more than just friends. You're my best friend, Adrien, but you deserve better than me. You deserve someone like Lorelei," Rey finished, masking the pain in her tone as she pulled her hands away from Adrien's grasp. "So, I hope she makes you happy like you did for me," she continued, now walking away.

"Rey, wait!"

As Adrien ran down the stairs to catch up with her, Rey was already down and as she went to leave, he once again grabbed her hands. "Rey, please," he pleaded once more, trying to find the courage inside himself to tell the girl how he felt towards her before Adrien ended up losing the opportunity.

As Rey flashed a smile in his direction, Adrien saw her eyes were radiating brighter than ever — as though, she knew it would be awhile before her eyes would glow to that level again.

"I should really get going, Agreste," she softly said, pulling her hands away from him as she began to leave, only to turn her head back. "Rey—" he began, only to get cut off by Rey, who chuckled. "But hey..." she began, only to trail off as the girl smiled brightly in his direction.

"I was enchanted to meet you."

———————————

"Hey, you'll beat her next time, Alix."

While Max, Kim and Marinette were comforting Alix, Bernadette awkwardly stood and observed from afar, not sure of how to comfort the girl as she wasn't entirely too close to her.

Aside from her cousin, Max, and her hallway apartment neighbor, Cleo, she preferred to keep everyone else at arm's length to save her from the disappointment that came from having friends. She would still talk to them, the girl just preferred not to get attached to those she wasn't close to as a whole.

"Ha! What did we tell you, Kubdel?" Makoto sharply began as Alex and Lila chuckled at the girl's look. "You should have known better than to challenge her," Alex and Lila both chimed in as Lorelei cockily chuckled. "How it feel to know you came in second, pixie?" Lorelei proudly gloated as the four began to laugh, causing Alix to look away.

"Well, you don't have to rub your victory in her face," Marinette and Bernadette firmly stated, now crossing their arms. "Besides, Alix is still the better roller skater than you!" Kim and Max proudly exclaimed, coming to their friend's side as Alix wiped her tears, now smiling at the four who were defending her.

"If she's so better than me, then why did she lose?" Lorelei smugly shot back as Lila and Alex excitedly cheered her on while Makoto fist-bump her. "It's because you cheated, R, that's why," Alix firmly said, now marching straight up to the taller girl, who laughed at Alix's "attempt" to call her out.

"You got any proof, squirt?" Makoto promptly asked, more so in a intimidating voice as
Alix glared at him. "No, but I know she did something to my roller skates because my skates were fine the day before," she answered, glaring at Lorelei, who chuckled at her claim.

"Alix, no one likes a sore loser," Lorelei sharply began, which quickly offended the short girl. "Just owe up to your loss and give it a rest. I mean, I get it. It's hard, but hey," she said, now moving her long, blonde hair in the wind, which had slapped Alix in the face along the way.

"Not everyone can beat the fabulous Lorelei Schindler," Lorelei proudly boasted as Alix was joined by Max, Kim and Marinette, who all gave death glares to her as Bernadette glared at her too. "That's enough, Lorelei. Get your scheming friends and go," she and Marinette firmly said as Lorelei laughed.

"Oh, how cute. Alix even has her group of mediocre musketeers! I love it! Let's see, we got the idiot, the nerd and oh!" she lightly mocked, only to stop as she looked the last two to make this pointless team: Marinette and Bernadette.

"We even got the klutz and the loner here! How miraculous of you, pixie!" Lorelei finish as she harshly and relentlessly mocking the group as Alix, Marinette and Kim's faces all fell from the girl's words. Bernadette, on the other hand, only rolled her eyes as the girl didn't care about her label.

"Bye-bye, now!"

As Lorelei and her friends finally left, Bernadette was the first to shake her head at the four in disgust. "Come on, guys. We don't need those loser's opinions when we—" she started, attempting to sound optimistic for the group, only to cut herself off when she saw the group look at each other with despair.

While Bernadette felt terrible for Alix, Kim and Marinette, the girl glanced back to see Max's face and immediately, a fire was lit inside of her. Lorelei was already getting onto her nerves when Alix called the girl a cheater but now she went too far by messing with her cousin and calling Max "a nerd."

As she glared back at Lorelei and that scheming cult of hers, Bernadette decided it was time for someone to put Lorelei in her place and — as she looked at her cousin, she vow to avenge him.

"You know what, I think it's time we caught ourselves a cheater," Bernadette continued as Alix softly wiped away her tears. "Betty, it's—" Alix timidly began, but the girl only shook her head. "No, it's not fine, Alix," Bernadette sharply snapped as Alix blinked at her response.

"Lorelei insulted you, she insulted the others and she embarrassed my cousin by calling him a nerd, which everyone knows he doesn't like," Bernadette sharply continued, now taking a deep breath. "But most importantly, she cheated and if there's anything I hate more than liars, it's—" she began, only to get cut off. "Here it comes," she heard Max tell the others as she rolled her eyes.

"Cheaters."

—————————————

"That will show those losers!"

As Lorelei and Makoto high-five each other, the two began to laugh. "This day keeps on getting better! I got back at Little Miss Perfect and I beat Alix! Let's go!" Lorelei happily exclaimed as Makoto softly chuckled at the girl, who hadn't notice him looking at her in a tender manner.

As Lila and Alex trail back, Alex couldn't stop thinking about Alix's claim. As he looked up to see Lorelei continue to brag about her win, he got a nagging sense in his chest and Alex only got those when he knew something was off.

As such, Alex cautiously shot a look at Lila, who looked puzzled by his look. "You don't think Lori really cheated, right?" Alex quietly whispered as he looked over his shoulder to still see Lorelei and Makoto talking to each other.

"If she did cheat in the race, would it really matter?" Lila quietly whispered back as Alex glanced back to Alix, whose little eyes of defeat broke his heart. "I mean it would matter to me," Alex softly said, glancing over to see his girlfriend's eyes widen in response, who kept waiting to see if he was joking.

"Oh, come on, Lia. You know how much I hate foul play," Alex defensively told her as Lila chuckled. "Come on, Al. You're joking," Lila teasingly said, attempting to touch her boyfriend when Alex pulled away, much to the girl's surprise.

"If Lorelei really cheated in the race against Alix, then I'm not going to continue being a bully to her. I only did this because I thought we were just going to tease the girl about losing to Lorelei, not become full-blown jerks. That's not who we are," Alex defensively stated as Lila deeply frowned at his response.

"I thought you were going to be different."

As Alex heard his girlfriend's response, his heart broke as he glanced down at the sliver promise ring she got him. With a heavy heart, Alex began to pull the promise ring off as Lila's eyes widen from hurt and shock. "Maybe, we're not so compatible after all," Alex firmly said as Lila bitterly scoffed, snatching the ring from his hand.

"You know what? That's just fine with me!" Lila angrily lashed out as Alex's heart sank at her sudden burst of frustration towards him. "Lila," he gently began, trying to calm her down but she only scoffed. "Consider our relationship over, Alexander," she said out of pity and hurt.

"I'm not surprised by this. You were always a softie after all. You think you want to be like me, Lori and Mako but you're not. You never were and I was stupid to think you could actually be one of us," she said, unclenching a golden-chain necklace as Alex's face fell.

"Lila," Alex quietly whispered, now on the verge of having his heart broken by the girl he truly loved. "You know, my biggest regret was allowing myself to fall for you. You're nothing more than a coward and that's all you'll ever be," she continued, dropping the necklace into his palm as she bitterly chuckled.

"Then again, it's not wonder as to why Allison, your parents and everyone else left. You were never good enough to make anyone stay," Lila harshly concluded, striking a nerve in Alex, whose eyes winced from her response.

"Alex, I—"

In that moment, Lila knew she went too far and when she tried to comfort him, the boy only shook his head at her, walked away and never looked back.

"Alex!"

As Lila fell to her knees, she clenched the promise ring in her right hand. "Lila, are you okay? What happened between you and Alexander?" Makoto concernedly asked as Lila glanced back to see her (now) ex-boyfriend was no longer in sight, which only made her feel worse.

"We broke up. He's done with me and he's done with this group," Lila coldly answered as Makoto and Lorelei started chuckling, not seeing why the girl was upset. "Finally! I always thought he was terrible," the two said, half-joking but stopped when Lila kept looking at the two.

"Alright, Lorelei, fess up. Did you or did you not cheat when you were racing Alix?" Lila sharply asked, which caught Lorelei and Makoto off-guard as they thought she would be the last one to hold them accountable.

"Lila, let's—" Makoto gently began, but one look from Lila quickly shut him up. "Answer the question, Lorelei," she firmly stated, now looking at Lorelei, who blinked. "Lila, of course, I cheated. I mean, Alix's the fastest person here! Did you really not expect me to use some kind of foul play?" Lorelei truthfully answered, now chuckling as she didn't see the big deal behind her actions.

"How did you do it?" Lila persisted as Lorelei blinked. "Haha, really funny, Lila," Lorelei easily countered back, waiting for the punchline but it never came. Lila was actually serious and Lorelei realize Alex changed her best friend but not necessarily in the best way. She, then, made a mental note to lash out at Alex later.

"Answer the question, Lorelei," Lila sharply answered as Lorelei rolled her eyes. "Fine, I cheated by messing up the wheels inside her roller skates," Lorelei admitted, holding up her roller skate to demonstrate what she did as Lila gasp. "You took out the functional part," Lila said as Lorelei nodded.

"That's why she was slowing down in the second half of the race," Lila mumbled as she now stared at her. "You had us bully Alix and for what? Alix should be the one with the gold medal and being celebrated right now, not you," Lila firmly stated as Lorelei rolled her eyes.

"But I won. She's the loser here, not me."

"No, Lorelei. Alix is the real winner. She won by merit and you won by cheating," Lila firmly stated as Lorelei laughed, which caught Lila off-guard. "You are such a hypocrite, Lila! You lie, scheme and cheat your way into popularity every, single day but when I do it, suddenly you want to act like some kind of noble person? Ha!" Lorelei bitterly told her, now laughing out of spite.

"Come on, Rossi. You can scold me all you want, but you're no better than the rest of us here," Lorelei coldly began, knocking Lila down as she fell, now looking at her. "That's why Alex left you: the player couldn't stand the real you and quite frankly, I'm starting to think he might have had a point to ditch you," she harshly added, purposely kicking the dirt in her face as she chuckled.

"Come on, Mako. Let's go. Lila thinks she's some kind of a hero now since that pathetic boyfriend of hers left, so let's show her what happens to heroes when they fall," Lorelei bitterly mocked as she and Mako held hands before leaving.

As Lila picked herself up and angrily dusted the dirt off, she glared at the direction her friends went, clenching her fist upon thinking about the way Lorelei had the nerves to talk to her the way she did.

"I'm the one who made her! Before I came along, Lorelei was nothing! Just a mere shell of the person she became when I took her under my wing," Lila angrily mumbled, now looking away from the direction Lorelei and Makoto went. "I don't need them. In fact, I don't need anyone!" she angrily exclaimed, staring at the promise ring she got Alex as Lila felt conflicted feelings.

In the end, she allowed her anger to guide her as she scoffed. "Whatever. If you want something done, you have to do things by yourself," Lila bitterly stated, tossing the promise ring to the other side of the trees in the courtyard. After releasing a frustrated growl, Lila then stormed off, going on her own route.

After Lila left, Bernadette ended the voice recording as she quietly chuckled. "Well, that was surprisingly easy," she said, picking up the piece Lorelei forgot to retrieve as the girl was busy dealing with Lila.

"I didn't even have to interrogate anyone this time, which actually sucks because that's my favorite part," she mumbled but shrugged. "But oh well! There will be another next time, I suppose," she said, now smirking.

"Now, let's go put Lorelei in her place."

————————————

"... and then, Lorelei got in front of Alix and won! Cece, you should have been here to see the whole thing unfold! It was crazy!"

As Celestia excitedly caught Cleo up to date, Kagami fondly stared at the older sister in awe as she softly smiled in Celestia's direction. "Yeah, it was something," Kagami briefly added, though her focus was still on Celestia until Cleo smugly look at her and Kagami was forced to look away, now blushing.

"Well, that sucks. I really was trying my best to get here, but by the time I made it, the whole thing ended and I was rooting for Alix to win. But since Lorelei won, I have no choice now but to pay Alex back," Cleo lightly huffed as Celestia and Kagami look at each other, now laughing.

"Why do you have to pay Alex back?"

"We made a bet," Cleo casually explained. "He bet that Lorelei would win and I bet that Alix would come out on top. We only did ten euros, so the outcome isn't a complete loss for me, but still," she continued as Kagami chuckled.

"You seem to lose half of what you put your stake in," Kagami lightly teased as Celestia nodded. "I know! I keep trying to get her to stop, but she persists," Celestia chimed in, the two now laughing and lightly scolding the girl, who merely chuckled, only to stop when she saw Alex.

"Well, I'm a risk-taker when it comes to investing in bets. It's probably not my best trait, but hey," Cleo cheekily said. "Anyways, I found Alex, so I'm going to go pay him back," she continued as Celestia and Kagami nodded. "Alright, bye love-birds!" Cleo playfully concluded, laughing when she saw Kagami and Celestia blushing before the two waved to her.

As Cleo left the courtyard, she then searched the area until the girl spotted Alex on the way to taking the metro station. Taking a shortcut, she proceeded to meet the boy a few moments later as Alex stared at her and rolled his eyes. "Oh, it's you," he began, which caught Cleo off-guard as Alex usually didn't talk to her in that sense.

"Come to tell me I'm wrong for ditching you and choosing to be friends with Lila, Lori and Mako again?" Alex sharply asked as Cleo blinked. "No... At least, not today," she later admitted. "But are you—" she started, only to get cut off.

"Are you here to tell me dating Lila was the worst mistake I could ever make in my life?" Alex sharply added. "Well, no. You love her and she loves you," she said as Alex bitterly laughed.

"We were in love," Alex corrected, causing Cleo to gasp at his response. "Wait, you two broke up? When did this happen!" she exclaimed as Alex solemnly chuckled. "Like ten minutes ago," he answered with a shrug. Cleo thought he was joking but as she looked at his right hand, she saw the promise ring Lila got him was off and in its place was the necklace he got Lila.

"Huh... Well, I'm really sorry to hear that, Lex. I know how much you really liked her," Cleo softly said as Alex merely sighed. "It's fine. Besides, I was stupid to think things would be different with her. All I do is mess things up and then, people walk out of my life," he bitterly said as she gently pat his back.

"Well, if it helps... I'm here. I mean, I'm not sure if that counts for something but—" she began, only to get cut off as Alex pulled her into a hug, which led her to smile. "No, this helps. You're probably one of the few real friends I have left, to be honest, and I wish I was nicer to you. I still don't understand why you even stuck around for this long," he insisted, now pulling away from the hug as Cleo merely scoffed.

"You literally transferred last year after Allison got here the year before. That's not long by any means."

"I know, but still. I really need to stop treating you differently when I'm with Lila and the others. Though from the way I left things with Lila, I doubt any of them will want me around," he solemnly admitted as Cleo frowned.

"Hey, I'm sure—" Cleo gently explained, trying to be optimistic for him when Alex stops her. "Anyways, I'm sorry for throwing that slut note at you the other day. Mako thought it would be funny and—" he continued, only to get cut off by Cleo, who shrugged. "Look, it's fine. Don't even fret about it," she assured him as Alex eyed her.

"Are you sure?" Alex skeptically asked as Cleo rolled her eyes. "Yes, Lex, I'm sure," she truthfully told him as he chuckled, wiping away his tears. "Okay, okay," Alex playfully said, now in better spirits as he spotted a item sticking out of her bag. "What's that?" Alex curiously asked as Cleo stared at him.

"Don't laugh."

"Le, you know I can't promise you that," Alex honestly said as Cleo sighed. "I know, just thought I could spare myself," she said before taking out a metal kitchen pan, and not even a few seconds into explaining, Alex began to laugh as Cleo merely face-palm her face, seeing his reaction coming from a mile away.

"I thought I told you not to laugh," Cleo mumbled, now blushing from embarrassment as Alex tried to stop, only to fail. "I know but — I can't believe you have a frying pan on you! Like, who carries a kitchen appliance with them!" Alex exclaimed, now laughing harder as she rolled her eyes after realizing he was in brighter spirits, so she ended up enduring the laughs.

"Well, I'll have you know, I'm trying to prepare myself for the zombie apocalypse," she cheekily said as Alex started to calm down, now wiping away his tear of joy. "Wait, did you say zombie apocalypse? Cleo, there's no such thing as a zombie apocalypse," Alex told her as Cleo rolled her eyes.

"We have magical jewels and akumas that feast upon negative energy. Call me crazy but a zombie apocalypse is not so far-fetched," Cleo bluntly but defensively pointed out as Alex playfully shook his head. "Right, well, it's never going to happen," Alex insisted as Cleo playfully struck her tongue at him.

"Say what you want, but I am a firm believer in the zombie apocalypse," Cleo stubbornly stated as Alex only shook his head. "Oh, please," he dismissively stated as Cleo merely chuckled at his response. "I'm just saying, Lex. Never say never. Anything can happen, even a zombie apocalypse," she said, standing in front of him with a proud, smug grin as a small, dark chuckle came from behind them, causing the two to look at each other with a mix of fear and curiosity.

"That's right, my little flower. Never say never."

"M.. Mom?" Cleo stammered as she blinked, now chuckling. "Wait, actually why am I surprised? You've usually one of his go-to people," she said as the akumatized villain rolled her eyes.

"Well, I was known as your mother, Jolene, but now, thanks to Hawkmoth, my name is Ghost," she slowly answered, pulling down her white-cloak hood to reveal a set of light purple eyes and phantom white-haired as the woman eyed the two [though, mostly her daughter].

"I'm not going to lie. Your mom is hot," Alex quietly whispered as Cleo pulled on his ear, causing him to wince on command. "Never ever call my mom hot in front of me again. It's disgusting," she firmly stated, only to release his ear when Alex began experiencing discomfort and pain from the pulling.

"Your name is Ghost?" Alex repeated, now laughing. "Why did you get called Ghost?" he followed up as Cleo shot him a look as Ghost began to chuckle maliciously. "Why don't we find out, child?" Ghost darkly inquired, summoning a orb of negative black energy as Alex shot Cleo a look of panic.

"U... Um, n... no t... thanks, G... Ghost. B... Besides, s... shouldn't you be going a... after the h... heroes?" Alex nervously asked as Cleo silently face-palmed, realizing they were screw. "You see, child, Hawkmoth has chosen a different strategy today. He has asked for the capture of my daughter and her noisy friend," Ghost slowly answered, her voice hollow and devoid of emotion as Alex blinked.

"You mean—" Alex started, only to get stopped by Cleo, who quickly covered his mouth as she looked at her mother — Ghost, now. "Cleo, what are—" he began as Cleo shushed him.

"Look, I got a plan, but you got to trust me," she whispered as Alex nodded. "I trust you all the way, Le," he whispered back as she smiled. As she released his mouth, Cleo went to approach Ghost. "Here to turn yourself in willing, my little flower?" Ghost inquired as Cleo pretended to ponder on the matter before shaking her head.

"Nah, that's too easy. Tell him I come with a message. There is no one else who knows his secret but me and only me. So, if he wants me, you better put your name to use," Cleo firmly stated as Ghost quietly chuckled. "You made a grave mistake, little flower. Let me correct your error," Ghost darkly whispered.

"Cleo!"

Sensing the blast, Cleo quickly dodged the attack and while her mother was distracted, she proceeded to swing the frying pan behind her mother's head, causing Ghost to fall. As such, Cleo took a step back, now shaking, as Alex caught up to her. As he stared at the unconscious akumatized villain, Alex looked back to Cleo.

"That was—" Alex started, on the way to compliment her when she shook her head, now looking at him. "Save it. She'll wake up soon and we need our head start," she pointed out as Alex chuckle. "Actually, she's after you," he smugly said as Cleo rolled her eyes at the correction.

"Fine, she's after me. You're more than welcome to stay with my unconscious mother if you think she'll spare you," Cleo sharply said as Alex's eyes widened. "Are you— why? W... Why would you even recommend s... such a thing!" Alex exclaimed, mostly from the panic he felt in the moment.

"I'm not t... trying to s... stay here w... with y... your mother!" Alex defensively added as Cleo grabbed onto his arm. "Then, come on," she urgently told him, now dragging Alex along as he began to scream to which Cleo rolled her eyes. As the two ran, Cleo kept a good grip on her frying pan as she surveyed their surroundings.

"C... Cleo, I... I think w... we can s... stop," Alex tiredly insisted, now trying to catch his breath. Cleo was about to say otherwise, but soften at the last minute.

"Look, we can stop here for a little bit, then we have to get a move on if we got any hope of getting ahead. Deal?" she suggested as Alex nodded, now falling on the ground in exhaustion, which led Cleo to panic until he gave a thumbs-up, causing her to sigh in relief.

"It's a deal!"

As Cleo kept her eye out on the akumatized villain, Alex felt calmer and more stabilized as he shot up. "So, what did you do that has Hawkmoth using your mother as a pawn to track you down and bring you to him?" Alex curiously asked as Cleo reluctantly sighed, now leaning against the wall of a unused building. Not long after, he got up to join Cleo as he too leaned against the wall beside her.

"I found out his secret and as for my mother, she's not a pawn," she began as Alex tilt his head in confusion. "I don't get it. How is your mother not a pawn to Hawkmoth?" Alex curiously asked as Cleo sighed.

"My mother became his ally after getting akumatized a few times. So every time she gets chosen by him, my mom relinquishes the opportunity to make him proud, so she takes the tasks given to him very seriously," she slowly admitted as Alex frowned.

"Why—"

"She loves having power to the point where my mom doesn't care about the safety of others nor does she care about why the heroes' miraculouses need to stay away from him. My mother gets herself akumatized voluntarily just so she can see what kind of abilities he gives her, but otherwise, there's no other reason."

"Well, that sucks," Alex chimed in as she slightly chuckled. "Yeah, tell me about it. She's always bragging about how close she got to the heroes' miraculouses and—" Cleo dully began, only to get cut off. "Wait, she remembers?" Alex asked in shock as she nods.

"How?"

"I guess from her choosing to get akumatized. My mother seems to take great pride in remembering too; says it helps her remember the mistakes she made when she fights the heroes," Cleo briefly answered as she looked away. Alex then shook his head, now sighing.

"Being targets for your akumatized mother sucks," he whined, throwing a pebble in the direction of the dumpster, only to miss. "Come on!" Alex whined as Cleo shook her own head, now laughing. "Hang on, I got it," she volunteered, now standing up as she went to go retrieve his pebble, only to stop as she found a knife behind the dumpster.

"Huh, interesting."

As she retrieved a plastic ziplock bag from her bag, Cleo cautiously bagged the knife by using a broken wooden board to lift the item inside without her touching the knife, thus keeping any potential DNA left behind from being contaminated. From there, she held the bag to the sunlight where she saw a distinctive L engraved onto the sliver knife with thorn-like carvings on the handle.

"This is Lance's kni—"

"HELP!"

"Alex! Hang on! I'm coming!" Cleo exclaimed, sealing the ziplock bag as she placed the smaller bag into her black shoulder bag, which was considerably larger in size. When she arrived, she threw a rock towards Ghost's direction, which allowed Alex to escape from her mother.

"Thanks! Now, fry pan me!" Alex ordered as Cleo stared at him, holding protectively over her weapon. "Uh, no! Find your own weapon!" she countered but when Ghost turned in their direction, Cleo reluctantly surrendered her frying pan to Alex, who grinned.

"Yes!"

"I want my frying pan back when all of this is said and done," Cleo firmly stated as Alex nodded. "Fair enough," he said, now blocking off Ghost's energy blasts while Cleo had attempted to locate her mother's akumatized object, seeing how Alex was keeping her mother busy.

"Come on, where could her akumatized item be?" Cleo mumbled until she found a dark purple knife handle, which almost look black. "Found it," she said, preparing to grab the item when she heard the sound of her frying pan falling on the ground. "You're not the one I need, but I suppose you make good target practice," she heard her mother say as Cleo glanced over to see Alex trapped.

"N... No... p... please..."

"Any last words?" she heard Ghost ask as Alex began to tremble. "Hey! I got two words for you: take this!" Cleo boldly exclaimed, flinging a broken board onto Ghost, who is now off-guard by the attack. As Alex attempts to grab Cleo's frying pan, she then grabs his arm.

"Leave it," she urged him but Alex stubbornly shook his head. "It's yours and I made a promise!" Alex exclaimed, rushing to grab her frying pan. But as Ghost slowly started to get up, Cleo then pushed Alex out of the way, only to fall. Realizing that she would never make it, she pushed the frying pan to him.

"Alex, you need to warn Max that his cousin might be next if I can't convince them that it was only me who knows. She can stand her ground, I know, but just tell him anyways in case he starts to panic when Bernadette becomes a target. Also, if you see the heroes, tell them that my mother's akumatized item is the knife she's hiding in her pocket of her suit," Cleo told him as Alex blinked, now holding onto the frying pan.

"But, what about you?"

"No time. Besides, it's like you said: she's after me, not you. Don't worry about me. By then, the heroes should come and I should be fine," she assured him, much to Alex's dismay. "But—" Alex stubbornly persisted as Cleo rolled her eyes.

"Go!"

As Cleo harshly pushed Alex out of her mother's view, she urged Alex to go as Ghost got up. As he ran, she sighed in relief as Cleo heard a low chuckle. "It took some time, little flower, but I did it," she said as Cleo rolled her eyes.

"Do I even want to know where you intend on—" she began, only to get cut off as Ghost grabbed her and a few seconds later, Cleo was harshly dropped onto the ground of cold marble as she sat up. "Taking me?" she finished, rubbing her head as she found herself in a dark room with a glass window stain, which felt familiar to her... for some unknown reason.

Standing up, Cleo stared at the inactive white butterflies swirling around each other in a circle as she began to walk around. Considering the space of the room, it wasn't long for her to come across Ghost with Hawkmoth — or rather, Gabriel Agreste as the girl now knew.

"For a fashion designer, you have poor taste," Cleo continued upon discovering Ghost with the villain wearing a high dark purple dress shirt without a collar, over which he wears a darker purple jacket with a black butterfly-shaped lapel.

With a nod, Ghost left as Cleo realized her ride — the one responsible for being her here — was now gone.

She tried not to panic at the idea of potentially being trapped in a unknown place with the older fashion designer, who she had no clue on what he wanted to do to her for finding out his [well, now] obvious secret.

So when Hawkmoth — no, Gabriel — looked in her direction and paid no mind to her insult, Cleo started searching for her nearest exit when he had his butterflies bring her to him. It was here she found the back of a painting and made a mental note of seeing where that led her.

"Drop her," the villain ordered as the butterflies obeyed, now dropping Cleo who was onto enduring her second harsh landing. "You are dismissed," he continued, directing his unused butterflies to go as Cleo internally wished she hadn't decided to give Alex back her frying pan.

She could have knocked him out — or at least, attempted as she looked at the cane in his possession —  and made her way back to Alex/the others but no! She had to give Alex back her — her! — frying pan and now, she was stuck here!

So now, the girl silently placed her trust in the heroes, hoping that one of them would show up to get her out in the event she simply could not find a way out of this man's lair.

Well, if there was a bright side to this, Cleo was going to make herself learn more about Gabriel, take pictures and make good on her word. But until then, she was stuck playing captive.

As Hawkmoth — Gabriel — turned to her, he viewed her with some sort of interest and curiosity, but more so as some sort of specimen, which secretly annoyed and somewhat frightened her. When he was done, the man proceeded to smirk, which seal the deal he was creepy enough for Cleo to actively avoid in the future.

"Hello, Cleo."

——————————————

"Your cousin is in danger!"

As Max stared at Alex, the boy proceeded to laugh as everyone knew not to take the player seriously. "Yeah, right. Betty is not in danger," Max dismissively began, now shaking his head. "Besides, why would anyone be looking for her?" he followed up, which caught Bernadette's attention.

"Well, that's what Cleo told me to tell you. She said to tell you that your cousin would be  in danger if —" Alex began, only to get cut off as Bernadette stood beside her cousin, to which she glared at the player, who puzzlingly stared at her. It was also here Celestia and Kagami came in, now listening to their conversation.

"Cleo? What happened to my sister?" Celestia concernedly asked, but her response went unnoticed.

"Is he messing with you, Max?" Bernadette protectively asked, raising her fists as Alex's eyes widened. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Max later exclaimed, standing in front of her. "No, Alex isn't messing with me. He's just being confusing, but that's a given," Max truthfully said as Bernadette, Kagami and Celestia eyed him.

Alex Parkins - low-to-mild threat; might get revenge on him later or when convenient

"Thank you, ner...." Alex sincerely began, only to quickly trail off as he saw Bernadette's eyes seething with anger. "Wanna finish that sentence?" she sharply asked, keeping her anger leveled but regardless, she had edged Alex on, so that the girl had a valid reason to give him a good punch to the face.

"M... Ma... Max," Alex nervously stammered as he was deeply terrified of Bernadette ever since the boy made the mistake of flirting with her while bullying her cousin. After she put him in his place and embarrassed him, he quit messing with Max [calling him nerd was just a habit] and made all attempts to avoid Max's cousin at all costs as she was his embodiment of fear!

"Thank you so much, Max, for defending me..." Alex slowly began, now correcting his original statement as he cleared his throat. "...against the maniac that is your cousin!" Alex aggressively finished as Max's face fell.

"Well.... I was going to say you're welcome, but now you might have dug up your own hole," Max mumbled as Bernadette's eyes glowing with pure anger. "You messed up," Celestia pointed out as Kagami gave a sympathetic look to Alex, who tensely smiled.

Alex Parkins - activate revenge mode

"That's it!"

As Max, Celestia and Bernadette stepped back, having all known not to interfere with his cousin's anger [as the girl's fury ran deep], Alex was prepared to run away but as he stared at Cleo's frying pan, the boy silently blame her for giving him confidence in the event he never came back alive from his encounter with Bernadette.

"Don't touch me! I will hit you with this frying pan if you come any closer!" Alex proudly proclaimed, now mimicking hissing-like sounds as Max and Bernadette couldn't take him seriously, now laughing. "Where did you get the frying pan from?" the two cousins, Celestia and Kagami asked as Alex's face fell.

"From Cleo, but Ghost got a hold of her because Hawkmoth wanted her, so now she's most likely at his liar," Alex solemnly explained, gripping the frying pan closer to him, which led the cousins, Celestia and Kagami to realize that Alex wasn't joking... he was serious.

"Why didn't you protect her!" Bernadette and Celestia angrily snapped at Alex as Max and Kagami quickly grabbed ahold of the two, now restraining the girls from physically attacking Alex, a feat in itself considering how Celestia was literally freezing and Betty was a volcano waiting to erupt.

"Betty, Tia, please. You both have to calm down. It was funny then, it's not funny now," Max and Kagami stated, though Max was speaking fast because he also did not want to get in the crossfire that is his cousin's rage.

"I'm sorry, I really am! I tried but Ghost... Ghost got a hold of her and—" Alex insisted, trying to defend himself as Bernadette and Celestia bitterly scoff, sensing the cowardice.

"Try? You tried? No, you didn't because you're just a coward! You run at the first sign of danger and don't stop to ever think about anyone else involved, only you!" Bernadette angrily snapped as she shook her head, now laughing. "You know what I think? Ghost should have taken you," Celestia harshly told him as Alex's face fell at the sound of their words.

"Betty, Tia, come on. That was completely—"

"You're right about everything. When I get scared or afraid, I run. When I don't want to face my problems, I run, and when there's danger, I run because running is what I do best. But, I'm done running and I want to make it up to Cleo. That's why I need your help," Alex interrupted, holding onto Cleo's frying pan.

"It should have been me, okay? I get that. I should have protected Cleo, but I didn't. I ran but I can't fix what I did. I can only work with what I have and what I have is this moment. So, please, let me fix this," Alex firmly stated as he looked at Bernadette and Celestia, who glared at him as Max and Kagami shot awkward glances at each other, unsure of what else to do.

Before anyone could say anything, the five heard laughter and almost at once, Celestia's eyes glowed a dark shade of blue as her outfit instantly changed to a soft, light blue, ice crystallized dress with her crystallized ice skates as the ground beneath her feet began to become covered with ice.

"Oh, how cute. Ice Queen and her band of misfits finally decide to make their debut," a voice mocked as the group looked over to see a white-cloak hood get pull down to reveal a set of light purple eyes and phantom white-haired as the woman eyed the five, though her eyes were specifically trained on Bernadette.

"Ghost," Alex bitterly said as the woman laughed. "Hello, child. I see you found some new friends, shame they'll have all have to go. Though, all of this can be prevented if you just hand over Betty," Ghost sharply began as everyone stood beside Bernadette, who was caught off-guard by the gesture.

"If you touch her, you got another thing coming," Max firmly stated as Ice Queen's eyes glowed. "If you touch any of them, I'll make sure you disappear for good," she added as two ice swords formed in her hands. "Okay, we can do this the hard way," Ghost said as she was prepared to attack, only to get swung by a lasso, half of the woman's arm now being covered in ice.

"We can handle this ourselves. We don't need any of you," Bernadette sharply snapped as Max and Kagami nudge her. "The heroes are here!" Max and Kagami excitedly cheer, much to the girl's annoyance.

"A little courtesy can go a long way, but you're welcome," Snow Drift softly said, though it was more of a passive-aggressive response. Bernadette only glared at the heroine and chose to keep her mouth shut, not wanting to embarrass her cousin.

"Are any of you hurt?" Ladybug softly asked as Alex moved, now smirking as he decided to try his luck in an attempt to move on from Lila. "No, but you know—" Alex cheekily began, only to get hit by the yo-yo as he winced. "Ow!" he exclaimed as Ladybug rolled her eyes.

"Get the hint, Parkins. We've through this already. I am not into you and neither is Snow, so don't ask until you want to get hit with the baton again by her boyfriend," Ladybug firmly stated as Snow Drift and Chat Noir furiously blushed, glaring at the polka-dotted heroine who rolled her eyes.

"Don't give me that look," Ladybug cheekily said, now crossing her arms. "Spots!" Snow Drift exclaimed as Chat Noir glared at the bug. "I am not her boyfriend!" Chat Noir now exclaimed as Ladybug rolled her eyes. "Right, right. You two have only flirting with each other for two years now, but okay," Ladybug lightly mocked, the three now going back and forth as Ice Queen and Bernadette shot each other a look.

"Will you three all focus! My sister is held hostage by Hawkmoth!" Ice Queen snapped, not caring for their bantering when Cleo was suffering at the hands of the mysterious moth! "Not to mention, there's still an akuma!" Bernadette pointed out, gesturing to Ghost/Jolene, who was still unconscious but breathing.... annoyingly.

"Okay, Snow, you're with Ice Queen since you two have similar elemental abilities," Ladybug began as Snow Drift excitedly grinned, now standing beside the former akumatized villain.

"Hey! Thanks for my upgrade!" Snow Drift happily exclaimed, showing off her ice lasso as Ice Queen slowly smiled. "Um... You're welcome?" Ice Queen awkwardly finished, not sure of what else to say.

"Chat, Snow, we need to take the rest home," Ladybug followed, but Bernadette grabbed onto Chat Noir's baton. "Touch me and we'll see how I rival your strength," she bluntly threatened as Max gently pulled his cousin to him. "Betts, it's just for our safety. You'll be fine," he softly said as Bernadette rolled her eyes.

"I didn't see any of them when Cleo got taken," Alex reluctantly mumbled as the three heroes glanced at each other. "That's because Ladybug had her first lucky charm send her to our guardian for this," Snow Drift explained as Ladybug revealed a miraculous from her yo-yo.

"This must have been the reason. My lucky charm knew we would have our hands full, so I was sent to Master Fu to recruit a new hero," Ladybug continued, now holding the
horse miraculous. She scanned the group until her eyes had landed on Alex, as she now approached him with a smile.

"Alex Parkins, here is the Miraculous of the Horse, which will grants you as its user the power of Teleportation," Ladybug slowly explained, placing the pair of glasses in his possession as Alex blinked, while Bernadette chuckled, causing him to send her a look, to which she responded with a death glare.

"You will use this miraculous for the greater good. Once the job is done, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?" Ladybug continued as Chat Noir and Snow Drift stood beside her. As Alex stared at the horse miraculous [which how did a pair of literal glasses count as a miraculous?], he felt tempted to say no but as he thought about Cleo, he decided to at least save her and go from there.

"Yes, Ladybug. You can trust me."

With a nod, Ladybug then motioned Snow Drift and Chat Noir to grab the rest as Ice Queen smugly smirked at Bernadette, who had no intention on being dragged away when someone near to her was in literal danger!

"Bye," Ice Queen teased as the latter rolled her eyes before being carried away alongside her cousin, who was enjoying the whole experience. When the two were safely together, the heroes went back as Chat Noir held out his hand to Kagami, who then held onto Ice Queen.

"Ki wo tsukete kudasai," Kagami softly whispered as Ice Queen made a ice flower and placed the arctic flower onto her hair. "I will," she softly said as Kagami shyly smiled, now blushing at the girl before she accepted the hero's hand and went to go become relocated with Max and Bernadette.

As Ladybug went to carry Alex to a isolated location, she then placed the flirter onto the ground. "Alex, we'll try to buy you some time but it's critical you get to Cleo as soon as possible if she's in serious danger," Ladybug firmly said as Alex nodded. "Good luck," she told him as he scoffed.

"Luck? I don't need luck. I got this," Alex confidently said as Ladybug playfully rolled her eyes and left. As she rejoined Ice Queen and Snow Drift, the three were joined by Chat Noir, who got several bruises.

"Bernadette?" Ice Queen guessed as Chat Noir nodded. "Yeah, she's not fond of other people touching her," she cheekily said as Chat Noir glared at the former akumatized villain. "Trust me. I've noticed," he mumbled. As Ice Queen opened her mouth, she was stopped as the four noticed Ghost standing up.

"Ready, kid?" Chat Noir asked as Ice Queen rolled her eyes. "Please. This isn't my first time dealing with an akumatized villain before," she sassily responded as Snow Drift chuckled. "I like her," Snow Drift happily said. "Well, are we ready, team?" Ladybug asked as everyone nodded.

"Then, let's do this," Ladybug confidently said as everyone grinned. Holding her breath, the bug heroine then smirked. "Lucky Charm!" she proudly called out as she raised her yo-yo in the air. Then a few moments later, her smile faded.

As Ladybug received a pair of marbles, she quietly screamed. "For once, can my lucky charms stop being weird!" she exclaimed as Chat Noir chuckled. "You know, M'lady, you should just roll with the flow!" Chat Noir exclaimed as he and Snow Drift both began to laugh at the pun.

"I dislike you both," Ladybug tiredly mumbled but the two heroes grinned. "You love us," Chat Noir and Snow Drift teasingly said as Ladybug stared at the two, who were now batting their eyes. In the end, she craves into the looks and gave the two a hug.

"Yeah, I do."

"Hello! I'm not sure how much longer she'll stay!" Ice Queen exclaimed as her power began to start flickering. "This just had to happen now," she mumbled, trying to power through long enough for Ladybug to use her lucky charm.

But as her powers continue to fade in and out, her outfit began to glitch and before long, her ice rope disappeared and she transformed back into Celestia Lesbianne, causing Ghost to smirk as she saw her opportunity to take revenge.

"Look out!"

"Lucky Touch!"

As Chat Noir carried Celestia to safety, Snow Drift used her power to cancel out Ghost's blast and as Ladybug pour the marbles in her direction, Ghost tripped and fell, causing the knife to fall out from her pocket.

"No!"

"Cataclysm!"

As Chat Noir touched the handle, the knife quickly disintegrated as the akuma came out
leaving Hawkmoth's latest victim defenseless as Ladybug caught the butterfly in her yo-yo.

"Gotcha!"

As soon as Ladybug caught the akuma and purified the akuma, she grinned. "Bye, bye little butterfly," she softly said before tossing the bag of marbles' lucky charm directly into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

As the remaining marbles and the bag of marbles dissolve into a energy of pure red and white light, any damage caused by Ghost was fixed.

With the damage reversed and Paris back to normal, the heroes and Celestia watch as Ghost reverted back to Jolene Monroe-Abbott, who clenched her fist. "This isn't over, I will get my revenge and then, I'll make sure none of you exist!" Jolene angrily snapped just as the heroes were about to fist-bump.

"You say this every time and nothing happens. Maybe, you should just let this hate go," Snow Drift softly said, but Jolene angrily grabbed onto her necklace. "I wonder what happens if I were to—" the woman stated, only to get knocked unconscious by a frying pan as Snow Drift silently sighed in relief. "Thank you," she softly told Cleo, who grin as Chat Noir and Miraculous Ladybug ran to check on their partner.

When it was determined Snow Drift was fine, their normal victory routine had resumed.

"Pound it!"

As Ladybug, Snow Drift and Chat Noir fist-bumped, their miraculouses all began to beep with Ladybug's own earrings following a minute after. "Oh! Ladybug, here!" Alex exclaimed, handing the glasses back to her as the heroine smiled and gently placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you," Ladybug whispered as Alex excitedly screamed. "I got kissed by Ladybug!" he exclaimed as Cleo rolled her eyes. "On the cheek," she pointed out as Alex laughed at her response. "Who cares! A kiss is a kiss!" he happily exclaimed. "Well, this has been fun but..." as the three heroes trailed off, the trio chuckled.

"I gotta bounce!"

—————————————

"Due to newfound evidence, our real winner is none other than Alix Kubdel!"

As Lorelei angrily gave up her medal, Alix smugly smirked. "Tell me, how does it feel to be wrong, Schindler?" she boldly mocked as Lorelei glared at her. "Oh come on, Lorelei, no one likes a sore loser. Just owe it, but hey. It must be hard losing to the fabulous Alix Kubdel," Bernadette and Marinette cockily shot back as the two fist-bump each other as the two looked at each other.

In that moment, Marinette looked away as Bernadette smirked, realizing she did the same exact handshake as Miraculous Ladybug. "This means nothing," Marinette firmly said as she walked away from the girl, who was convinced she could get Marinette to mess up again... somehow.

"How does it feel to come in no place at all and being banned from future sporting competitions?" Kim and Max taunted as Lorelei glared at the five and silently vow revenge against them as she stormed off.

"Yes!"

"Hey, Alix! Congrats on the win!" Cleo and Alex proudly exclaimed, handing her flowers as Alix smiled. "Thanks!" she softly said as Alex shyly looked at her. "Look, I'm sorry, you won fair and square and I—" he started as Alix punched his shoulder. "You're not going to be forgiven easily, but I appreciate the apology," Alix softly told him as Alex grinned.

"Fair enough."

As Alix began to leave, the others started to leave as well until Bernadette spotted Cleo, who was chatting with Rose and Juleka.

"Cleo?"

As Cleo waved to her friends, she turned around to see Bernadette as the girl brightly grinned. "Hey—" she began, only to get cut off by the girl, who fully embraced her, now holding her close. "I'm so sorry! This is all my fault! I told you to go get Hawkmoth's voice recorded! I... I didn't think what would happen after! I... If I... I..." Bernadette anxiously stammered as Cleo pulled her away.

"Hey, I'm fine. Besides, I know where his lair is and you would not believe how obvious he is. Gabriel is like a treasure trove everyone ignores," Cleo whispered to the girl, who blinked. "I know. I had the same reaction. I'll tell you the next time when we're alone," she continued, before winking at Bernadette with a grin.

"I think I have a place for next time, but we should think about your safety," Bernadette softly told her as Cleo shook her head. "Nope. Now, I'm stuck in the rabbit hole, which means I'm doing this with you. Besides, I'm fine. I can pretty much handle anything at this point," Cleo smugly insisted as Bernadette skeptically raised her eyebrows.

".... Almost everything," Cleo sheepishly corrected as Bernadette huffed. "Ow!" the girl exclaimed as Celestia smirked. "That's for getting my sister roped into your mysteries," she said as Cleo cleared her throat. "Actually, I willingly went..." Cleo sheepishly added as Alex cleared his throat. "I also might have gotten her in danger," Alex added as he and Cleo proceeded to get their ears pulled.

"Ow!"

"That's for getting my sister in danger," Celestia told Alex before turning to Cleo. "That's for not involving me in your plans," Celestia added as the two huffed. "Okay, okay! It won't happen again! Sorry!" Cleo, Alex and Bernadette exclaimed as Max and Kagami looked at each other, now laughing as the three were caught in the crossfire of Celestia Lesbianne.

"You're forgiven... for now."

_______________________

"UGH!"

As Lorelei walked away, she glanced at her medal less neck and frowned, knowing that her parents were going to be embarrassed by their daughter losing to the shortest and fastest person in the class: it was an all-time low for her.

"El!"

"Ahh!"

Tackled into a hug by a light-skinned male with jet-black hair in a light beige bow tie on alongside his gray v-shaped sweater and matching undershirt, Lorelei frowned at her brother's black denim jeans and his brown loafers — old man shoes — as he adjusted his black glasses.

"Hey, Emery..."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't come but how did the race go?" Emery excitedly asked as Lorelei shook her head. "I lost," she said as he frowned. "I'm sorry, but hey you did your best and that's what matters most," he encouragingly told her as Lorelei found she didn't have the heart to tell him that she cheated.

"Hey, Lorelei!"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, she tried to drag her brother to go but instead, the two were met by Rey Lopez, who was accompanied by her sisters. "Blonde hair, wannabes, you must be the Schindler's kids," Amy bitterly stated as Iris rolled her eyes. "Amy, be nice," Iris lightly said as Amy rolled her eyes.

"N... Nice? To them? Neither of them understand the definition of nice! They're just as terrible as their no-good-for-nothing parents!" Amy defensively protested as Lorelei was prepared to punch the middle child when she was held back by her older brother.

"Well, I'm Emery and maybe, we could try to get to know each other better," he softly said, hoping his hand out to Amy, who scoffed. "No thank you. I am not shaking my hand with a Schindler," Amy sharply stated, slapping his hand off as she proceeded to make her way back to the limo.

"Oh."

"Hey, she'll come around... eventually," Iris began as she smiled warmly towards him, now extending her hand. "Iris Lopez. We went to the same college but we never talk to each other," Emery softly said, accepting her hand offer. "Oh. Well, then we should get to know each other better then," Iris warmly said as Lorelei rolled her eyes. Then as she saw Rey, Lorelei forced herself to set aside her pride and owe up.

"Rey, I would just like to say that I'm sorry for rejecting your help earlier. I just — if I took your help, it would be a sign of weakness for me and I couldn't bring myself to be view as weak. So, I'm sorry. I appreciate the thought that you wanted to help," Lorelei forced herself to say as Rey blinked.

"Huh," Rey started, now grinning as she believed her rival was actually going to change and the two could become friends. "You know, I... I think this could be the most—" Rey began, on the verge of being sincere and genuine when Lorelei began to laugh, now as Rey began to suspect she might have been played.

"Of course, Adrien will still be mine and I still think I'm better than you," Lorelei firmly said as Rey's smile faded. "There it is," Rey mumbled before sighing. "We could become friends, you know," Rey softly said as Lorelei scoffed. "Friends? With you? No thanks! I would rather befriend the slut than voluntarily hang out with you," Lorelei sharply said as she began to walk away.

"Hey! Cleo is not a slut!" Rey defensively exclaimed but Lorelei was now dragging her brother and the two were in the process of leaving. As she and Iris entered the limo, Amy defensively stared at Iris.

"What was that?"

"What are you talking about?" Iris innocently asked as she and the girls went to buckle up. "You being nice to the Schindler's family. Did you forget about what their family did to us?" Amy firmly said as Iris frowned.

"No, but—" Iris started, only to get cut off. "Good, because I was starting to think you were being a traitor like Aunt Amara," Amy harshly said as Rey rolled her eyes. "Aunt Amara did nothing wrong. Her and Mom —" Rey chimed in, only to get interrupted by Amy, who scoffed.

"Oh, little spare, Aunt Amara is a traitor. That's why we don't see her often and besides, you're the only one stupid enough to spend time with her."

"Amy, that is enough! Maybe, Aunt Amara and Rey are close because they're the only ones who don't judge each other. Is it too hard to think that maybe you, me, mom and maybe even dad have been giving her a hard time just like Rey?" Iris firmly countered as Amy blinked before laughing.

"Oh, are you saying Little Miss Perfect —"

"Rey. Her name is Rey," Iris defensively pointed out as Rey softly smiled at her older sister. "She's our sister and she's not perfect. She's human and we need to start to respecting her as such," she continued as Amy blinked.

"Stop the car!"

As the limo stopped, Amy unbuckled her seatbelt. "Amy, what are you doing?" Iris and Rey asked as she scoffed. "Walking home to drown out the nonsense you and Little Miss Perfect have just given me," Amy sharply said as the girl slammed the door, much to the dismay of Iris and Rey.

"Amy, wait!"

——————————————

Jolene considered herself a relatively calm person but by the next morning, she was a raging storm — further fueled by the woman choosing to excessively drink, cry about her late husband and naturally inflicting her anger/pain onto Cleo, who she believed was the source of her problems.

Some days, Jolene got the urge to kick Cleo out of the house but she was far too valuable for the woman to simply dispose. Plus, as much as Jolene loved complaining about how her daughter was a major source of her pain/suffering, the truth told a different story as she often enjoyed making Cleo suffer too much to truly let her go.

With a headache and a rather short temper today, Jolene saw the room looked cleaner than opposed to the previous day, in which, she had tear the place apart... much to her annoyance, Cleo completed her punishment. Furious, she chose to make more chores by essentially destroying her daughter's hard work.

So when she spotted her daughter's light beige, torn dress with a white apron attached to her outfit, Jolene glanced over the couches and saw Cleo asleep right near the ashes of their fireplace.

As Jolene moved closer to her, the woman could see traces of the cinder scatter across Cleo from her apron to the soots on her face. She even began to notice her daughter having bags underneath her eyes. As she stroked her hair, Jolene then smirked as she harshly tugged on Cleo's hair.

"Ow!"

Once Cleo was awake, Jolene proceeded to grab her daughter's hair and threw her onto the floor, where she bumped into her bucket of mop water. As Cleo attempted to stand, she slipped on the mop water, now huffing. "You missed a spot yet chose to sleep as you deliberately disobeyed me," Jolene continued, now grabbing onto her daughter's arm to which she attempted to pull away.

In response, Jolene saw the need to slap her daughter then push her back onto the floor as the woman proceeded to grab her things. "So you are going to stay here and complete all of your chores since you fail to do so the first time. Maybe then, that will teach you some discipline," she firmly stated. As her mother slammed the door, Cleo reluctantly sighed at the mess around her.

"Well, here I go... again."