Chapter 1| Dude, We're Making a Short Film!
"Eli-poo!" Chloe Bourgeois squealed. Her cry of glee alerted the classroom to the arrival of Elias Argent, the student who had transferred to their class a little more than three weeks ago.
"Don't touch!" Eli warned the blond heiress as she came towards him at a breakneck speed, shoving a startled Marinette out of her way- just because she could, really.
Alya Cesare caught her best friend under the arm and glared over at the Chloe. She buzzed around a disgruntled Eli as the two girls looked on, slowly moving to their seats. "She's about as subtle as a trash compactor, and just as silent." To make her point, she imitated the crushing sound. Mari giggled.
The two had arrived early, at the behest of Nino, Alya's boyfriend and her friend. The aspiring DJ-slash-cinematographer had been all nerves when they found him. He'd been sitting on the steps, waiting for the girls with the news that Adrien was at a photo-shoot for the morning- a last minute thing he couldn't get out of- so he would tell them at lunch.
Mari could tell that Nino was anxious about something, as he had his headphones over his hears and was muttering something under his breath.
Eli finally managed to free himself from Chloe and her machinations, and made his way to his seat at the back, waving at Alya and Mari as he passed.
"You'd think Chloe would have learned by now, he's not as gentle as Adrien is." Mari murmured. But then again, no one could ever compete with Adrien Agreste. The young model and classmate (and dare she hoped friend) was like a prince, he was so perfect in her eyes.
"If you think that will stop the tantrum princess, you haven't been in this class very long, at least not consciously." Alya snorted, turning her attention to Nino, who was still muttering to himself, drumming out the beat to Jagged Stone's latest rock ballad. "I wonder what's eating Nino…"
Mari shrugged. "Search me, he's your boyfriend."
Alya frowned and leaned over, poking his shoulder. It took several pokes, before Nino turned around, surprised to see his girlfriend sitting in the seat she'd had since near the beginning of class.
"Yeah, babe?" he answered, pulling off his headphones. Nino was still a bit nervous, but now smiling goofily at his girlfriend.
Before she could answer him- or rather, interrogate him- the bell rang, signalling the official start of class."Alright class, it's time to start class!" Mme Bustier began, walking into class, with lesson plans in hand.
Dutifully, Nino turned back around, and got out the reading assignment from the week end.
xXx
Adrien Agreste could tell something was up with his best friend again. While he wasn't as stiff and robotic as the time he tried to ask their mutual friend Mari out, he was pacing on top of the steps to the school.
"Dude, you're late!" accused his best friend as he climbed the steps into the school.
"Sorry, Nathalie had to reschedule the rest of the photoshoot because of cloudy weather and bad lighting." Adrien shrugged. He followed his best friend to the library, where pretty much all their classmates were assembled. He distinctly noticed the lack of Chloe, and by extension Sabrina, as he took a spot next to Elias Argent. An aspiring designer much like Mari, Eli was a new face to the school and had become a frequent if not permanent fixture in his group of friends.
"What's up?" he asked the assembled people.
"Beats me, model boy." Alix said as she entered after them, drying her hands on a paper towel.
Nino proceeded to stand on a chair and get everyone's attention. "Attention, everyone! I want to thank you guys for coming during the lunch break."
"Your welcome, Spielberg." snickered Kim, getting some laughs from the class.
Nino cleared his throat. "As you all know, after our short film got rejected by the mayor for the film contest, with Alya's help, I posted it on FilmSky, and it's received a lot of good reviews." He paused then continued. "Last week, I got an email from the people at Lyons Film Convention."
Murmurs threaded through the crowd. Even Adrien was surprised, despite being a somewhat well known model for the Agreste collection. The Lyons Film Convention was one of the largest ameteur film festivals in Europe, held annually in a new location. It wasn't as big as the Cannes Film Festival, but it was responsible for the start of multiple film careers, notably one of Nino's favorite director Tom Bourbon, creator of the Nightmare before the Wedding, the Undead Christmas Horror, and the only one Adrien had seen, Patchwork Puppy.
"That's big, Nino!" Adrien told his friend.
"I know. The man heading the Convention, Marcus Brandy, said he heard about it from a colleague of his and he was impressed that it was directed by someone my age." Nino was in partial awe. "He liked the gritty, first person camera work. He was hoping that I could film another one for the festival. He asked me which category I wanted to enter and, or course, I chose sci-fi." He frowned. "But there were no slots left, so I decided dark fantasy would be good too. I have an idea of how the story should play out, but I was hoping Alya would do her magic on the script, and you all could help film it all."
The murmurs in the crowd grew louder. His classmates exchanged looks and comments as Nino waited for the deliberation. Alya raised her hand. "You know I'll help you, Spielberg."
He blushed and got that goofy grin. "Thanks, babe."
"We'll all help out," Max spoke up, adjusting his glasses. "Once we have the script and everything, we can set about the roles and setting."
"If we need more background characters of something, I can call some of my friends from other classes." Rose offered.
Juleka smiled. "I can run makeup again. Dark fantasy is kind of like horror, right? That's so cool."
"I can do a sketched storyboard for the costumes and characters in development." Nathanael offered.
Springboarding off of that, Eli jumped in and said, "Mari and I can make any costumes." Adrien looked over to where the bluenette was muttering something at her open purse, before she notice, snapped her purse shut and gave a nervous affirmation.
Soon everyone was talking about what they could do for the short film, and who could help. Even Theo's name got tossed around as someone who could lend a hand.
"Merci, everyone." Nino beamed. "We're gonna rock this film festival!"
xXx
"Another short film?" Tikki said. "Nino must be really talented."
The kwami and her human partner were in Mari's room after school, and Mari was finishing her Physics homework. She was stuck on problem seven out of twelve.
"He is, and I can't wait until we start filming. Of course, Adrien's going to be the star." Mari sighed dreamly, homework forgotten as she thought of Adrien.
"You're doing that question wrong. It's the other formula." Tikki corrected. "And you'll probably be auditioning for the female lead if there is one, right? I mean, that's what you did when Chloe tried to take the lead in the last short film."
Mari blushed, before furiously erasing the incorrect problem. "I don't know. It's one thing to one up Chloe when she's in the wrong. But Mylene is the best actress in class. She'll probably get the female lead." Mari brightened. "But then I won't have anything to worry about, because Ivan and Mylene are totally in love, so anything they do while acting, will be just that- acting."
Tikki rolled her ocean blue eyes. "Marinette, you need to be more proactive!" scolded the kwami.
Mari pouted. "But I get so tongue tied around him, and my acting skills already suck… i can't read or memorize a script to save my skin."
"Well, maybe you just need a little more practice. You know your friends will help you, if you put in the effort. And I'll always help you." the crimson creature told her.
"Merci," Mari smiled, feeling a bit more confident. She finished the problem and showed the ancient kwami. "Do you think I did this right?"
"Flag it and come back-"
A scream of terror reached them through the open window, interrupting the duo. "Help!"
Abandoning her textbook and the workbook, Mari rushed to the window to see an akuma was terrorizing Paris.
"Let's go, Tikki. Physics will have to wait." Mari was ready to take a break, in all honesty. "Tikki! Transforme, moi!"
xXx
AK: Hey guys, the stage has been set. This is my new MLB fanfic. R&R, please!