The Miraculous Willoughby's

Meet the Willoughby's

The Willoughby's, Andre and Audrey, lived in a nice, old-fashioned home in Paris. They had nice things, nice hobbies. But, they were not nice people.

They loved each other very much, though. It didn't take long for that love to produce...well, you know.

They had a baby boy, named Adrien. That was all they gave him. His name.

And siblings.

A set of twins came next. They both wore glasses. They only had one sweater between them. The brother, Nino, often left that sweater to his sister, Alya.

And then, there was a little sister named Marinette, who loved to sing.

"QUIET!"

"I CAN'T KNIT!"

Marinette cringed at the sound of her parents voices, shouting at her from downstairs. The Willoughby parents had so much love for one another, that they had no love left over for their children.

Marinette trooped down the stairs, wearing a pretty, purple dress, as old-fashioned as their home. She found Adrien in the main hallway, where all the family portraits hung. The Willoughby's went back a long, long, LONG way.

"Shh!" Adrien shushed his sister. "Our parents will hear you!" The last thing he wanted was for his younger sister to get punished. Ever since she was born, Adrien worried she couldn't handle living in a house like this.

Alya and Nino walked up behind them, and randomly switched the sweater. "Thanks, Nino." Alya thanked her brother in a soft, monotone voice.

"No problem, Alya." Nino replied, his voice just as soft and monotone.

"Um, Adrien? Why are we staring at this wall?" Marinette inquired, looking at the portraits of family members she'd seen a million times before.

"Because, Marinette." Adrien respond, his voice full of passion and power.

"We are Willoughby's!"

This family was not normal. They were wrong. At least they ate dinner together every night.

And by they, I mean their parents.

Andre and Audrey would eat in the dining room, gushing over each other, while their children waited outside in the kitchen. Adrien watched through a crack in the door, before turning to huis siblings. "Do not predict leftovers."

"I'm so hungry!" Marinette sighed. "Me too." The twins chorused. "Starving."

"What if-!" Marinette began, but Adrien stood firm. "No more what-ifs! We are Willoughby's! And Willoughby's do not beg for food. We wait." They stood silently for a moment, before a monstrous growl escaped Adrien's stomach. He cringed, and looked at his siblings. He could see the hunger straight through them. Marinette as skinnier than she should be. The twins were starting to look a little thin as well.

Andre fed his wife a piece of ratatouille. Audrey ate it with passion. "Oh, darling," she gushed, knitting hard as always. "I do so love your ratatouille."

"May we have food?" They jumped at the voice, and turned towards their son. Audrey sighed. "We've told you this. We eat today's food, you eat yesterday's food." Adrien fiddled with his overalls. "Well, you ate all of yesterday's food, yesterday, so there is no more food." As he spoke, Marinette popped up behind her parents, and stole salad from the table, handing it to the twins. Adrien's eyes widened, and he fiercely shook his head.

Too late.

"Where have our salad's gone?!" Andre demanded. "We shall starve!" His wife swooned dramatically over her husbands lap...and saw them.

"Andre! It's the girl, and she brought the creepy ones!" The twins smiled. "Hi, Mommy!" Andre cringed, watching as Adrien tried to shoo his siblings out. "We give you food, let you sleep in our coal bin, and yet, these children! Always wanting!"

"No, no!" Adrien tried to calm his parents down before things could get crazy. "We're fine!" Just as he said that, Marinette, who had a taste for justice, poked her head back through the doors. "The twins could use another sweater!"

"No, they're fine!" Adrien lied, pushing his sister through the door again. "They're just going."

"Hungry!" Marinette called. "Going hungry!"

"It's all your fault." Andre's words shook them both, and Marinette tried to pull her brother through the door, only for Andre to yank him away.

The next thing Adrien knew, he was being shoved in the coal bin. Again.

"Sometimes, I wish I wasn't a Willoughby."

At least, through thick and thin, the Willoughby's possessed more than a name. They were determined, clever, skillful, and full of hope.

But, it's hard for a child to score points against an all-powerful grownup.