A/N: Hope you guys enjoy the new story. It's always fun when I get to write with an OC.
As always, I do not share any views expressed by any characters in this story. And I own nothing in this story, except for Briella and her eventually second identity.
Okay, please read, review, and enjoy!
Briella stared at the floor, tracing patterns in the wood with her eyes. "Class, meet Briella Fiore. She hails from Milan, Italy," Miss Bustier announced. The teen looked up, tucking a lock of platinum blond hair behind her left ear. Her hair was short, almost reaching her shoulders, and her bangs framed her chocolate brown eyes. There was a small, golden hoop in her right nostril: her only piercing. She wore a light blue cardigan that hung almost to her knees, and white shorts.
A girl with pink hair in pigtails caught her eye when she waved. "You can come sit next to me," she offered. Briella gave a small nod, then walked up the stairs to join her.
As she was setting down her bag, the teacher spoke again. "Briella, would you like to tell the class anything about you?"
She froze, looking up to see everyone's eyes on her. Briella swallowed her eyes shifting back to the floor, then said, "Umm...I'm not really sure what to say. My favorite color is purple. My father is a fireman, and my mother is a dermatologist. I'm an only child if you don't count our cats." The class chuckled, and she smiled, feeling a little more comfortable. She reminded herself to breathe.
With that, she sat down and class began. Everyone was required to keep a journal, in which for the first fifteen minutes of class, they would write down their thoughts. Briella wasn't really sure what to write. She wasn't sure if the teacher would be taking these up to grade at any point in time, so she didn't know what all she could share.
This move has been hard. I had to leave behind my best friend, Kelly, and the home where I grew up. Father just started at the local fire station, and Mom decided that she's going to open her own practice here, and I know she's excited about that. I hope to make new friends here. It's hard to tell right now, but so far, everyone seems nice.
I'm hoping that this move will bring new, exciting beginnings.
The girl sitting next to her identified herself as Alix. She warned Briella to steer clear of the blonde and the redhead in the front row. "Those girls are trouble. Bullies, that's all they are," she whispered. Briella nodded in understanding, examining the girls Alix warned her about. The redhead looked innocent and a bit nerdy, but the blonde looked dangerously pretty, and the new girl hoped she wouldn't be a problem.
During lunch, Briella and Alix were joined by three boys. "Bri, this is Kim, Max, and Nathaniel," she stated, pointing to each of them. Kim and Max gave her warm smiles, but Nathaniel was timid, just giving a small wave and looking away.
The Italian smiled meekly. "Hi, it's nice to meet you all." They all sat down together and ate, Kim and Max discussing their biology homework. Briella learned more about Alix, like how much she loved sports and being in the great outdoors, and how competitive she was. She demonstrated this by challenging Kim to an arm wrestling match, which she won. Nathaniel stayed silent the entire time, glancing at the new girl occasionally. When she smiled back at him, he looked away.
She looked up and met eyes with a blonde boy across the cafeteria, his green gaze burning her for only a second before he turned away. Briella felt heat rush to her face and ears. "Alix, who is he?" she asked, subtly pointing in the boy's direction.
Alix rolled her eyes. "Honestly, what does everyone see in him? Sure, he's a model, but he's not that great." When Briella looked confused, she continued. "That's Adrien. All the girls at this school are in love with him." She paused when Adrien looked up at them, his eyes darting back down to the table. "Huh...that was weird." Alix popped her shoulder, then pointed to Briella's half-eaten sandwich. "Are you gonna finish that?"
"Adrien?" The blonde looked up to see Nino, Alya, and Marinette staring at him. Alya quirked a brow. "You feeling okay?" She had stopped mid-bite, her pasta slowly sliding off her fork.
He nodded. "Yeah, of course. My mind's just wandering today." Adrien ate another forkfull of his salad, and noticed that Marinette looked a little deflated for some reason. When they connected eyes, he gave her a little smile, and she smiled back.
That night at home, Briella stared absentmindedly at her plate of spaghetti. "So how was your first day, Bri?" her mother asked.
With a shrug, the girl replied, "It was okay. I made a few friends, I think." She patted her napkin to her mouth, collecting excess sauce from her lips.
The rest of the conversation consisted of how things were at the fire station, and her mother's hunt for a building to start her practice in. Briella excused herself, saying that she needed to do her homework. After studying biology for a half hour, she sighed, looking at her phone. There was a text from Kelly.
Hey girl how was your first day? :p
Briella smiled, texting back, It was good. Miss me yet? -3-
Kelly: Girl u know I do! When r u gonna come visit?
Briella: Idk, train tickets are so expensive. Like I know Mom would give me the money, but I'm scared to ask.
Kelly: Well ask anyway! I want you back here asap!
After discussing it with her mother, they decided she could see Kelly once a month for a weekend. Briella worked out the details with Kelly, and they decided to hang out two weeks from then. The blonde was so excited and happy, she felt like she could explode. She and Kelly chatted on the phone for about an hour about Briella's new school, her TV on in the background.
"Are there any cute boys?" Kelly probed.
With a little giggle, the blonde replied, "A couple, but you know me. I'm not much of a flirt. It's hard enough to make friends, I'm not sure if I'm capable of having a boyfriend." Her mind turned to Adrien, and she blushed, happy that Kelly couldn't see her. Suddenly she paused as her TV caught her attention. It had been on some teen drama, but had switched to a breaking news update. "Kelly, let me call you back."
The reporter on the news looked distressed as she explained the situation. "As odd as it sounds, plants have taken over Paris. Large vines are spreading throughout the city, destroying buildings and overturning cars. Strange flowers appeared and began to take people hostage, swallowing them whole. Reports claim that Ladybug and Chat Noir are on the scene, but for now, the people of Paris are advised to stay indoors."
Briella stood, pulling on her shoes. Without thought, she climbed out of her window and onto the fire escape. Giant flowers eating people? Superheroes? Could this be real? She had to see for herself.
"Chat Noir! Look out!"
The boy in black dove out of the way of a vine slashing at him. One of the giant flowers, which looked more like a venus fly trap, roared, swiping at them again. "Any ideas Ladybug?" He rolled out of the flower's attack zone, crouching behind a car.
Ladybug shook her head, pressed against a dumpster in an alley. She stood, tossing her yo-yo into the air. "Lucky Charm!" From a bright flash of pink fell a pair of garden shears. "I guess this could be handy..." She ran to the flower, attacking the stem. A screech filled the air, and the plant fell to the asphalt, drying up into a brown husk. Ladybug winked at Chat Noir. "Let's go find Lady Dahlia."
The pair dashed through the street, Marinette chopping down all the flowers they passed. Some held people, who crawled out of the wilted plant to run to safety. Ladybug's earring continued beeping, until only one dot remained. "I need to de-transform. Keep looking for her, okay?" The hero darted into an alley, taking her true form. "Hurry Tikki," she pleaded to the Kwami, handing her a croissant from her purse.
Chat Noir continued on his path, dodging attacks from vines as he went. Suddenly there was a scream, and he whipped around to see one of the flowers holding a girl in its vines. "Let go of her!" he yelled, running towards them. Chat extended his staff, smacking the vine. It dropped the blonde, and she fell to the ground. The flower attacked again, and Chat stuck his staff in its mouth. While the plant was preoccupied, he picked up the girl, carrying her to safety. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Her brown eyes were wide, but she nodded. "Thank you..." she mumbled.
He gave a smile. "All part of the job, little lady." Then he dashed off again, leaving Briella stunned. Did that really just happen?
Later that night, Briella couldn't stop watching the news. The story of Lady Dahlia was all they talked about, and how her flowers had ravaged the city of Paris. Ladybug and Chat Noir eventually put a stop to her destruction, and set everything back to the way it had been before. Briella was fascinated. Chat Noir, that was the name of the boy that had saved her. She had to know more about him.