The Empire's Descent (First Draft)

Chapter 12: Breathe, Luca, Breathe

Luca and Ada entered the living room and there was a tense silence as the rest stared at them. Mma, having finished styling Gio's hair, saw Ada and ran to her. Luca scooped her before she could knock Ada over.

"We have to be careful with Ada's tummy, little one," Luca tickled Mma's stomach. Her giggles lightened the room and Danna walked up to Ada and gave her a hug. Ada slowly returned the hug.

"Let's call Cecilia, huh?" Luca encouraged. He pulled out his phone as the younger girls cheered.

"Hi, my babies!" Lia screeched.

"CeCe, so pretty!" Mma pressed her face against the phone and frowned when there was no warmth.

"No CeCe?" Mma was confused.

"Oh, baby girl, you can only talk to me through the phone. You won't be able to touch me," Lia tried to explain.

"You come out, please," Mma ordered.

"Luca, help?" Lia directed at him. Before he could intervene, Mma slammed the phone on the floor breaking the screen just like Ladybug would do to free the evilized akuma. Everyone else was shocked.

"No burrerfly!" Mma wailed when no akuma was released and began hitting her head. Luca held her and sung softly to her while patting her bottom.

"It's okay, little one, we'll fix it," Luca wasn't sure what she was talking about. Butterfly? Ada rolled her eyes; Mma had to be disciplined. She was capable of learning right from wrong and it was important Mma learned fiction from reality.

"No burrerfly. CeCe, please?" Mma cried. Ada stepped over to them and Luca took a seat with his arms around Mma-- firm and comforting.

"Hey, look at me," she said to Mma firmly. It took a beat, but Mma finally looked up.

"CeCe is fine and you cannot destroy things like that. You are not Ladybug," Ada explained gently.

"Hawk Mof, Ada, Hawk Mof," Mma defended.

"He does not have CeCe. He's not real, pretty girl," Ada spoke to her patiently. It'd be dangerous to have her thinking she can do the things Ladybug could.

"No real?" Mma had to make sure.

"Not real," Ada confirmed.

Luca looked up at his brothers who gave him the same dumb look.

"Explanation, please?" Luca directed to Ada.

"You turned on Miraculous: Ladybug and Cat Noir in the car and she, started copying the events... she has to be taught that it is not real," Ada explained.

The boys nodded their heads in understanding, except one...

"What the fuck is even wrong with her, anyway?" Matteo said viciously.

Mma didn't understand everything, but she could feel the malice. It was the same thing in the metal place. So, she cuddled closer to Luca and began rocking. Luca was about to get on Matteo, but Ada beat him to it.

"Mechie onu, you fuckwad! Let those words pass your mouth again and see what I will do with you-oh, useless man. Yeye!" Ada hissed her teeth. She was livid. Her hands gestured wildly and her Nigerian accent was prominent. That was her baby sister and you dare speak to her that way!? (Shut up. Useless/worthless).

Matteo looked caught out and was about to respond, but a censorious look from Gio shut him up.

"Ada, language!" Luca reprimanded. Ada looked at him in shock and briefly wondered if they understood the Igbo.

"Leave the reprimanding to me, Tesoro," he explained before she could go off again. He took a breath and then turned to Matteo.

"Matteo, a word?" He passed Mma off to a now-seated Ada.