Soleil Agreste had always known that she was different. Different from her family. Different from the other children at her school. Different, even, from her own father.
All she had to do was look in the mirror to see so. Yes, she did possess blonde hair and fair skin, but the similarities died there. Most Agrestes had either spiky or curly hair. Soleil's was flat and straight that no matter how hard she tried to curl or crimp it, it would just fall back down limply. Her features were also a lot more softer and delicate than her father, and she had icy blue eyes instead of his grass green.
She didn't resemble her father much more than coloring. Some of her friends told her that she resembled her great-grandmother, but Soleil had seen pictures of her, and while they shared their hair color, she didn't look much like her either.
Soleil's own name was different from others, 'Soleil' wasn't a commonly used name in America. This gave the other girls something to use against her, telling her that she meant as much as her name did: nothing.
She had begged her father to change her name to something more American, which was probably one of the worst mistakes of her life because he had told Miss Alya and Miss Alya, who was like a mother to her, called the mothers of the girls who had bullied her. And while the bullying did come to an abrupt halt, it caused her to realize how little friends she had besides Miss Alya and Mr. Nino's twin daughters. The only good thing that had come out of this was the fact that she finally learned what her name meant.
"Your name does mean something." Adrien had told her as he tucked her into bed. "It means sun in French."
"Why did you name me that?" Soleil had asked. A film had crossed over her father's eyes. "You were born in a dark time."
"Back in France?" She asked. "Yeah. Mommy and I had been close to giving up. But then we had you, our little sun." He said.
She still had so many questions after that. Like why her father and Miss Alya and Mr. Nino packed up and left Paris one day, why her father always looked so sad, and why wasn't her mother here with them?
That was probably the biggest thing that set her apart from everyone else. She didn't have a mother.
Well, she knew that wasn't entirely true. She knew that she did have a mother that was quite possibly out there. Soleil had just never met her, and she nothing about her. Whether she was short or tall or blonde or brunette or shy or outgoing or alive even.
She had what she heard some people called a "mother figure" in her life. She had Miss Alya, who would always play with her and watch her and give her advice when she needed it, but Miss Alya had her own daughters, and Soleil wanted her own mother, not someone else's. Watching other girls interacting with their own mothers always made her feel like a part of her was missing.
Soleil thought about asking her father about her mother. Many times, in fact. But whenever the opportunity presented itself, she would always get scared and back out, worrying that he would be angry or sad. She never had the courage to ask Miss Alya or Mr. Nino, or even Sabine, because she didn't want them to give her that look of pity they always gave her when they thought she couldn't see it.
So the only people who knew about how desperately she wanted to know about her mother were Miss Alya and Mr. Nino's twin daughters Gracie and Amelia. The three of them always wondered about what caused their parents to leave Paris, and Gracie and Amelia always tried to guess what Soleil's mother was like. While most of their guesses were so outlandish and odd, it did provide a strange sense of comfort, being able to talk about her mother without anyone getting upset.
"Maybe she's some sort of traveling mercenary?" Gracie thought up one night at dinner. As per usual Friday nights, Mr. Nino always took the girls to the pizza place a block down from their apartment building. Mr. Nino was standing in line to order, while the girls claimed their normal table right by the window.
"Maybe she goes around the world bringing justice and helping people wherever she goes" Gracie sighed wistfully, she loved stories about fantasy heroes battling dragons and saving the world.
"That's interesting I guess" Soleil lied, she would much rather have her mother be here with her and her father than traveling the world even if she does help people.
"No offense, Gracie, but that's kinda dumb." Amelia said, slightly rolling her eyes. "And I don't think that's how mercenaries work."
"You're kinda dumb." Gracie shot back, giggling. They all just kinda started laughing, cause Mr. Nino is waving at them, trying to get their attention to ask them what they want. It's not necessary, they all order the same thing every time, but he's Mr. Nino, and what's a Friday night without Mr. Nino being Mr. Nino?
"Hey Sunshine!" A voice, belonging to none other than Quinn Jackson, said from behind Soleil. The older girl was a full foot taller than her, and with bright pink dyed hair and blue eyes and a slender figure, Quinn was the girl that everyone wanted to be, and also the type of girl that everyone else hoped would die in a ditch. She had been one of the girls that Miss Alya had called her mom at 6:00 at night, and ever since had assigned herself as Soleil's personal bully.
Soleil flinched. "Hi Quinn." She said, trying to keep her voice steady. Quinn smirked as she pressed her hands on the table, flanked by Alexis and Rosie. "What are you even doing here? This place is for normal people, not weirdos like you."
Soleil stared at her lap. She would never say that she hated the pink haired girl out front, but she hated the way she felt whenever she was around. "J-just go away." She said quietly, feeling her confidence drain with every breath she took.
Quinn raised a hand to her ear. "What was that? I'm not a mind reader, so next time you have something to say, talk normal people tongue, okay sweetie?"
"Piss off, Quinn." Gracie said. "Oh, so the nuclear onion talks." Alexis snorted. Gracie slammed her hands on the table, rising to her feet. Amelia grabbed her sister's arms, holding her back from the lacrosse player with a smirk on her face.
"Gracie, maybe we should find Dad and leave." Amelia suggested. Her sister waved her off. "Just gimme a minute, Melia." She said, turning to Alexis.
"I mean, everyone knows what she is." Quinn said, twirling a lock of pink hair around her finger. Amelia and Gracie froze. "What?" The twins demanded at one, Amelia dropping Gracie's arm in confusion. Soleil gulped.
"Oh, you don't know?" Rosie asked. "Wouldn't expect you to."
"Me and Soph have known Soleil our entire lives, what don't we know?" Gracie raised an eyebrow.
"Then can you tell me who the weirdos mother is?" Quinn asked sweetly, smirking. She gazed at Soleil, expecting the answer from her. She flushed. "I… um…"
"I thought so. You know, my mom lived in Paris back when. And you know, she saw the funniest things." Soleil felt her stomach drop.
"She said she saw two delusional drunks caterwauling across Paris. And you know, she saw them both without their costumes on, and she told me how much that scumbag looked like little sunshine here. She got what she deserved. You ever wonder why your mama dearest isn't around, that's because she was such a-"
One moment, Quinn was standing there, rattling off insults about Soleil's mother, the next, she was on the ground. Soleil hadn't even blinked an eye.
A strange horror welled up in the pits of her stomach. I really am a freak.
"Girls?" Mr. Nino's worried voice cut through Quinn's cries and the whispers building up in the restaurant. "Soleil? What happened."
Tears welled up in her eyes. "Can we go home?" She asked. He nodded sympathetically. "Of course." He led the three of them out of the restaurant, and as he filled Adrien in on what happened, Soleil collapsed in her bed, falling asleep to the sound of Quinn's voice.
….
When Soleil blinked open her eyes, sunlight was streaming through the window. She moaned, sitting up. Her father must've come in at some point, because her blanket was covering her and her stuffed ladybug was in bed with her instead of propped up on her bookcase like normally.
The door creaked open a little, Adrien entering with his mouth set in a tight line of worry, but when he saw that she was awake, he smiled. "Good afternoon, Soleil." He said, walking over.
"H-hello Daddy- wait? good afternoon?"Soleil's eyes widened as she glanced at the clock.
"It's just about lunchtime" SHe told her as he sat on her bed. "Are you feeling ok?"
"I'm fine" she muttered, lifting herself into a sitting position, silence fell between them for a while making Soleil feel uncomfortable.
"Soleil... I know you're not." Her father said lightly. "Gracie and Amelia told us about what happened last night."
So the previous night wasn't a dream. Soleil just shifted in her bed, wanting to ask him about anything, mostly her mother, and another part of her was screaming for her to just apologize and move on.
"You're not in trouble for hitting her." Adrien told her, smiling. "I'm very proud of you for not letting them get to you. I honestly wouldn't have preferred for you to hit her, but I can see-"
"I didn't hit her, Daddy." She said, feeling tears in her eyes. "I don't know what happened! One Second she was there, the next she wasn't!"
His smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained it. "Well, you didn't put up with her, and you stood up for yourself. That's what every dad dreams of their little girl doing."
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he shot her an apologizing look as he reached for it. "Wait." Soleil said, suddenly feeling nervous. "What was Mommy like?"
The moment she said it, she wished she could take it back. Adrien dropped his hand and leaned against the wall, a strange look in his eyes.
But instead of yelling or crying, he smiled.
"Wow, where could I ever begin?" He said. "Well, she was short, and she had black hair, and she loved designing things. She was sweet and happy and cheerful and she had a big heart." Soleil smiled, just imagining her.
"But she had your eyes, and your hair, and your build." He said, pinching her cheeks jokingly. "But she and I, we were special. It started out with her having a crush on me, and me not knowing who she was."
"But when we met, it was as completely different people, so she had no idea who I was, and I had no idea who she was." His eyes misted over, like he was lost in the past. "We'd explore Paris together, 'falling in love under those lights' is what she always called it. Things started to get rocky, so we had to not let what we felt distract us. At least until we knew we were having you."
"Is what why you named me Soleil?" She asked. "Yes. We knew you'd need all the strength in the world if something was going to happen to us."
"Is Mommy… dead?"
It took a moment for Adrien to answer, and when he did, it was nothing more than a low whisper. "Yes."
Soleil looked at her hands in her lap. She'd never know her mother. Yet at the same time, she was glad to finally know what happened to her, and why she wasn't here with them.
"I was going to wait another year to tell you, I'm sorry that you had to hear. Especially from that Quinn girl."
"It's okay, I'm just glad I know." She said. "But what about Mommy's parents? Do they still live in Paris?"
"Yeah, your grandmother Sabine and grandfather Tom. Sabine is actually the one who calls every month and sends you those sketch books every Christmas."
"Miss Sabine is my grandmother?" Soleil's mouth dropped open. "I was going to tell you when you were older, we didn't want you find out before we thought you were ready." Her father said, smiling. Then his face became all serious. "Gracie said that that Quinn girl told you about your mother and I, and I want you to know, that couldn't be farther from the truth."
"She didn't look like she was lying." Soleil said miserably. "Soleil, some people believe the same thing that Quinn does. Your mother and I, we were special. And we helped a lot of people."
Her father put a hand on her shoulder as he reached in his coat pocket, pulling out a red and black box. "We always dreamed about you being special with us, and helping people. Before Mommy died, she made me promise that I'd leave Paris until you were old enough and ready. And she wanted you to have this."
Soleil took the box in her, hand turning it around in her hand. "What is it, Daddy?"
"I'll explain on the way. We don't have a lot of time before the flight leaves, Miss Alya, Mr. Nino, Gracie, and Amelia are already there, waiting for us." Adrien said, standing up and stretching. "We've been away from home for too long." Seeing the look on Soleil's face, he added "we'll come back of course. We just have some things to attend to. In Paris."
"In Paris?" Soleil gaped, standing up too. She reached for her ladybug doll before following her father into the hall.
"Your mother and I were special, and I'd like it if you want to special with me too." He told her. Soleil stopped.
"Just one more question." She said. Her father turned back to face her. "What was Mommy's name?"
He smiled. "Her name was Marinette."
Marinette. That sounded familiar but she couldn't quite place where she had heard the name before. For now Soleil would have to wait a little longer before she found out the whole story about his mother, with all the intricate details but for now she was content and felt not so alone anymore.