Marinette fiddled with her earring. It seemed like a lifetime ago when she had been a simple girl living her life- then one day MIRACULOUS she'd become a super hero. For an entire year she'd teamed up with the charming but annoying Chat Noir. They'd gone on adventure after adventure, fighting the villainous Hawkmoth all in an attempt to save the citizens of Paris from his corrupting super powers!
"Marinette! Don't slouch!"
She bolted upright. It wasn't proper for a young lady to slouch at a funeral. Every year, the citizens of Paris gathered to remember the life of Mr Agreste. Every citizen of the city was to take a minute of silence to remember all that they'd lost.
"Sorry Chloe," Marinette said, sighing as she leaned against her best friend, "Today is just... hard."
Chloe pursed her lips but just nodded. After the final battle with Hawkmoth, Marinette and Chloe had bonded over what they'd lost; their best friends. It was sad that it took the death of Alya for Marinette to appreciate Chloe's finer qualities, and even sadder that it took Sabrina's death for Chloe to realize how important friends are.
"Chloe, it's your dad!"
The former mayor of Paris stood on the platform to begin his speech. The school-day had been cancelled, seeing as it had been the place of the last disastrous battle between Ladybug and Hawkmoth.
"A year ago today," Began Mr. Bourgeois, "our great city- our great world, suffered a terrible loss. The weight of their death, like the great stones that make up this tremendous place, will forever weigh us down."
He paused, eyes searched the page. Marinette recognized that expression- the disbelief and hatred she felt when the whole world stopped making sense. The first time she'd felt it, Chat was-
"I don't know why this happened," The mayor muttered. He was going off-script, "I don't know what woul ddrive Mr. Agreste to become a villain, or what has kept our Ladybug from returning."
Marinette shifted uncomfortably. After the last great disaster, she'd felt more comfortable as a simple teenaged girl- not a superhero. The whole world had wondered what had happened to her. She no longer even bothered to wear her miraculous, something Tikki found extremely upsetting.
"A morbid villain, and a miraculous hero met here for the last time. I cannot help but wonder if their battle is really over. Children, I don't mean to frighten you, but I don't know why these things happen: people are odd, sad creatures, and was spend a great deal of time hiding that fact from you children. I will do so no longer. The truth is, there's a reason that I stepped down as mayor!"
The entire class exchanged looks. Marinette stared at Chloe. Her best friend had never explained why her father had stepped down a month ago. He'd been very popular with the people. The blond had always cast it off as exhaustion.
The mayor never finished his sentence. His eyes grew wide as he looked past his audience to a lone silent character standing quietly at the back of the room.
"NO!"