Chapter Two - Knowledge
Hey guys! I was going to update another one of my stories, but I decided to update this one first because I'd like to get this rewrite up and kicking to show I'm ready to rewrite this story. Plus we're about to get to some interesting parts, and I can't wait to reveal them. Here's where things start to get a little different! Hopefully you guys will like where it goes as much as me. c: Let's check out who the mysterious speaker from last chapter is, shall we?
Chat Noir's Point of View
Finally, I decide that I'm ready to face my fear of disappointment and move to turn around to see who is speaking from behind me. However, before I can do anything, a hand covers my mouth from behind. I'm too shocked to actually do anything to fight it, although I'm sure I could knock it off if I needed to, but it really doesn't seem forceful in nature. It actually feels rather gentle, as if my unseen captor is afraid to hurt me in doing this, which means this isn't a malicious movement.
"Chat, before I take my hand off," The voice from behind me sounds quite weary, "I need you to promise not to freak out. Nod if you understand."
In a stunned silence, I nod my head. I know that voice. Oh gosh, I know that voice! I would recognize it anywhere, and even after a year, it hasn't changed a bit. Satisfied that I've followed directions, the hand slips off, and I turn around to come face to face with someone that just minutes ago I thought I'd never see again.
It feels as if my heart has stopped beating as I say as loud as I dare, almost afraid that I'll scare her away all over again, "M'lady? Is that really you?"
And there she is, standing before me in all of her glory. However, as my eyes soak in the girl that I haven't seen in a year, y excitement dims and turns to concern. The red-and-black clad figure smiles at me, but it looks tired and pained, as if she's traveled a long way. Her bluebell eyes seem haunted with things she will never be able to unsee and have the same tiredness about them, as if they have aged a million years in the time she's been gone. Her hair looks longer and unkempt in her two typical pigtails. But perhaps worst of all are the obvious injuries. The way she is standing with all of her weight on one foot suggests some sort of pain in her left, and just the way she carries herself suggests that she is in quite a lot of pain. She has a black eye on her left, and above her right eye is a cut that looks like it has barely stopped bleeding. I'm sure there are others that I can't see, which only makes me even more concerned. Where the heck has she been?
"In the flesh." She responds to the question I forgot I asked in my growing concern for her, acting as if she hasn't been missing for a year. This is unreal. "You don't need to act so surprised to see me."
"Where were you?" I ask, expressing more of my brokenness then I need to as I wrap my arms around her as gently as possible, so as not to suffocate her or hurt her more. I wish that I could stand like this to keep her here with me forever. I don't want to lose her again. I can't lose her again. "I thought you were dead."
"I missed you too, Kitty." She whispers, wrapping her arms around me in return. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to leave you. I never would do that to you."
This moment is perfect. I've finally been reunited with my lady, and I won't let anyone take her from me ever again. But I know I can't just hold her here and stop time to keep her safe, even if she would let me try. So, with an aching heart, I release my partner, relieved that she wasn't upset by the hug. My hand reaches up to try and brush her hair out of the way so that I can take a closer look at her injury, but I pull my hand back and resist. I don't want to cause her any pain by accident, and I don't know how Ladybug would feel about me doing that.
However, I do need to know what is up, and so I ask a follow-up to my first unanswered question. "What happened?"
She breathes a sigh, looking remorseful as she shakes her head. "I can't tell you that, Chat. Not yet, anyways. I have to find out who is watching. It's not safe. I'm not safe." Her breath quickens ever so slightly as her voice seems to sound slightly panicked. "It probably wasn't even safe to see you yet but I just had to after all this ti-"
"It's okay. You're safe now. Nothing can hurt you." I try to sound calming, shutting her down before she works herself into even more of a tizzy as I grab her hand.
"No, Chat!" She sounds so sure of herself as she jerks her hand away, panicking flaring up in her eyes. "It's not safe. I can't let them hurt you!" Her voice breaks and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to hear what she whispers next, "Oh, Kitty, I couldn't let them hurt you."
I decide that my first approach wasn't doing anything, and so instead I decide to try and gain more information again. "They? Who did this?"
This seems to do what I originally intended, because suddenly my lady is in control of herself again, steeling up any more leaks of information. "I can't tell you that."
It's painful, hearing that she doesn't want me to come jumping to her aid. "But I can help you. Don't you realize that?"
"I'm not going to compromise your safety." Her voice leaves no room for argument.
However, I'm not one to listen to that sort of thing. "I'm your partner. I'm supposed to help you. Who cares about my safety over yours?"
Her sharp response is unexpected. "I care! Don't you get that? I refuse to let you put your safety on the line for me, you dumb cat!" She takes a deep breath, managing to calm down. "My safety is already at stake, and if I'm going to get you involved, I'm going to wait till it will put you in as little danger as possible."
"You can't do that if there's an akuma." I point out, frustrated.
"This isn't an akuma!" I look at her face, and suddenly I see the fear written all throughout her eyes.
"You're really afraid of this." That thought has finally dawned upon me.
"Yes!" Her voice kind of breaks when she expresses it, but now she's calmer, as if realizing that I understand. "Yes, I am afraid. I'm terrified of you getting hurt as well." Ladybug reaches up and rubs her forehead before wincing in pain and dropping her head when she touches her cut. "I just need more time, Chat. It wouldn't be safe for me to speak about it now." She hesitates, and I'm afraid that she'll choose not to speak like the last time I saw her. Thankfully, she actually does choose to express her thoughts. "I promise that I'll keep meeting up with you though, and once it's safe, I'll explain everything."
I realize that she's about to try and leave as she begins to turn, and so I speak up quickly. "Wait!"
She looks back, obviously surprised. "Yes, Chat?"
"Marinette Dupain-Cheng." I begin, trying to ignore how afraid I am to get her answer when I finally get to the question. "My friend, the one you sent me to help during Evillustrator and who always seemed like your friend too."
"I remember her." Ladybug shifts in front of me, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say she's uncomfortable right now. Maybe she needs to drop her transformation for her kwami? I don't know how long she's had it up, but even if she hasn't used Lucky Charm, I'm sure her kwami must get drained eventually. "What about her?"
"She disappeared around the same time you did." Here comes the real test. "Were your disappearances related?"
For a moment, I wonder if Ladybug will say anything at all on the subject, the haunted look in her eyes intensifying. Having her not say anything at all might be even worse than receiving a negative response.
Right as I'm about to give up all hope at seeing the bluenette again, Ladybug gives a rather cryptic answer that I don't understand. "I'm sure you'll see her again soon."
"What do you and Plagg know that I don't?" I ask, so confused.
"Plagg?" She looks confused for a moment, before giggling. The laughter is music to my ears. "Wait, is he your kwami?" I nod, and she laughs again. "He sounds cute."
"He's a needy nuisance." I grumble in response. "He's not cute at all."
She laughs one last time, before a frown takes her face again. "I'll meet up with you tomorrow, if that's okay with you."
"That sounds good." I nod my head in affirmation.
She purses her lips, seeming doubtful. Does she not trust me? That wouldn't make any sense. Based on her disappearance after our last conversation, I shouldn't trust her. "Are you sure?"
Out of mouth comes something that I haven't made in ages: a pun. "Pawsitive." I wink when I say it, feeling more confident than I have in ages, but then she moves to leave. Still desperate not to see her go, I grab her hand. "Do you have to leave now?"
"I told you, it's not safe here. We've probably already been out in the open for too long." The answer is too cryptic to really tell me anything as she pulls her hand away, seeming almost mournful that she can't tell me more. "I'll keep my promise to meet you again on patrol, even if I don't tell you anything, so long as you make a promise to me."
"Anything for you." I say quickly, probably sounding desperate from my quick response. "Just name it."
"Promise me that you won't try to figure out what's going on. Let me tell you once it's safe for you, on my own time. My safety is far less important, especially since I know it's already compromised." She looks so genuinely concerned. "So please don't go looking for information. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you, Kitty."
She doesn't wait for an answer. Instead she dashes off, using her yoyo to swing away, although it doesn't seem nearly as smooth as it did before she disappeared. That would probably be because she hasn't had enough practice during her disappearance, but since I don't actually know what happened, I can't say for sure. As I watch her go, I feel helpless, even though I shouldn't. All I can do right now is stand and watch her slip through my fingers, feeling like I just lost her all over again, even if I'm actually going to see her again tomorrow night.
However, then I remember what she said before she left. And, despite the fact that she asked, she didn't listen for a response. She just assumed my answer.
"Sorry, Bugaboo, but no promises. That's the one thing I can't promise for you." I whisper as she fades from sight. "If you're not going to tell me what happened, I'm going to try and find out on my own."
Adrien's Point of View
Somehow, despite the night I had, I manage to make it to school at a normal time for me, and I'm not sure I totally believe my luck. Granted, my father would've killed me if I hadn't, but I barely got any sleep last night with all the stuff I was left to mull over. I'm surprised I'm even able to operate right now, let alone actually awake. The fact that I made it - especially with my emotional level right now - is one of my proudest achievements, which is saying a lot. After all, I have saved Paris as Chat Noir plenty of times, especially when Ladybug was missing.
Well, when I put it that way, perhaps this isn't one of my proudest achievements, but it does at least almost make the list.
I slide into my seat beside Nino, dropping my bag down beside me. However, I'm distracted from beginning to think of my encounter with my lady all over again when I see his expression.
Dismay is written all over his features as he leans against the table, seeming quite distracted. "Woah, Nino, you don't look too good." While he doesn't look over at me, he's obviously preparing to hit me with some comment on how I've stated the obvious, so I decide to cut him off by asking, "Are you okay?"
"No way, dude." He says, all thoughts on teasing me forgotten. After a moment, my best friend's gaze shifts off the two empty seats in front of us to meet mine as he quietly blurts out, "I think Alya might break up with me." The look on his face suggests that he'd rather be hiding his face in shame then letting me see how worked up he is. "What am I supposed to do?"
"How would I know?" I ask in response, frowning. "In case you've forgotten, I've never had a girlfriend."
"I know that, dude. I'm your best friend. But Chloe is practically your girlfriend. I mean, seriously dude, do you not realize how she acts when she's around you? You may be blind, but even I know you aren't that blind." The comment catches me completely off guard.
"I'm not blind!" I protest, receiving a skeptical look in response.
Apparently deciding not to try and prove that point true, Nino shakes his head. "You're missing my point. Chloe is basically your girlfriend, so surely you must have some sort of advice to offer me."
"Chloe? No way." I gag at the mere idea of dating the blonde, casting a glance over her way to make sure she isn't hearing this conversation. "She's a childhood friend, and just a friend. If anything, she is practically a sister to me at times. Dating my sister is a disgusting thought. You know all of this, and I'm sure she does too."
Nino rolls his eyes at me, earning a scowl in response. "Are you sure she knows that, dude? She's obsessed with you in a very romantic way. She has crushed any girl who dares to look at you, or at least tries to."
I cross my arms, incredibly doubtful of this claim. "Oh come on, name one girl she's done that to."
Nino raises an eyebrow. "You really are blind, dude."
"I think you just can't think of an example." I challenge.
I just get laughter in response. "Think whatever you want, dude, but I'm not going to ruin some girl's dreams by telling you they like you and letting you make a point to let them down because you're in love with a lady who's gone missing." I wish I could correct him and say that she's back, but there's no way for me to explain that. "Besides, it would be a jerk move to reveal anyone's crush on you. You do realize people are sworn to secrecy when finding out another person's crush, right?"
"I still think you just can't think of one." My reasoning just seems to frustrate him. "Come on, Nino. Chloe is intense, but she's not that intense."
"This isn't helping my issue anyways. What the heck am I going to do if Alya breaks up with me?" Nino's face goes back to hiding in his hands.
I frown. He really is worried that this is going to happen. "Well, tell me what exactly is going on with her." I prompt, gathering up my patience, since I'm sure I'm going to need it. "Even though I don't have a girlfriend, I might be able to help you out if I know what's up."
My best friend takes a deep breath, and then launches right into it. "Alright, dude. So she barely talks to me anymore, which I know is how she treats everyone these days but still, I'm her boyfriend, right? It's not cool. When she does talk to me, she always seems like she's on the verge of tears but won't tell me anything. These days all of her time is devoted to the Ladyblog and just the Ladyblog, even with her grades slipping and the fact that Ladybug is missing and I doubt she's coming back." I flinch at the mere suggestion, even though I know that she is back, but Nino doesn't notice. "No matter what I try, I can't even manage to make her laugh or smile anymore."
I sigh. He really does need some help, but it seems like he needs it more so that he can understand what Alya is going through over anything else. "Nino, she's still grieving over the," I almost say loss, but that makes it sound all the more permanent, "disappearance of her best friend. Not to mention that Ladybug is missing, as you mentioned, and she was a huge role model to Alya. She just needs some more time."
"But I understand what she's going through. I get her! I lost Marinette too!" It's a nice effort, but I can tell that he still doesn't understand it.
"You didn't lose your best friend though." I'm grasping at straws for some way to express this so that he can understand, and then I land upon a good way to express it. "This would be like you losing me, and then on top of that losing the DJ who inspires you to try and achieve your dreams."
"It's that bad?" He asks, and I'm glad that I appear to be making progress.
I nod. "It doesn't help that the officials officially called off searching for Marinette a few weeks ago, and on top of that, today marks a year since she was officially deemed missing."
"Okay, dude." Thankfully, Nino finally seems to be getting it. "But how do I help her?" He gestures helplessly at the door as Alya walks in, shoulders drooping. I have to admit, Nino has a fair point. The poor girl looks incredibly distraught from her stance alone, and I'm sure if we saw her face we'd see signs of crying. "I don't know what to do anymore. I'm about at my wits end!"
Once again, I can only sigh, keeping my voice down so that Alya doesn't overhear, even if her tendency to eavesdrop seems to have dropped alongside her optimism. "You'll just have to sit tight and wait it out. Be there for her, but don't push her. If I know her at all, she'll come to you on her own when she's ready to talk and get some comfort."
The conversation ends at a sudden proclamation from Ms. Mendeleiev. "Alright everyone, settle down!" Everyone stays in silence for a moment, taken by surprise. I don't even remember seeing our purple-haired teacher slip in. "It's time to start class."
Slowly, everyone shuffles and gets ready in their seats, and my eyes lock on the empty chair in front of me. Despite both Ladybug and Plagg's thoughts, Marinette isn't here. I had hoped that if she made an appearance, I would be able to ask her about her disappearance and see if it was connected to Ladybug's. How can I do that if I don't even know where my designer friend is? As the lesson continues, I continue to stare into the chair in front of me as if I can burn holes into it with my eyes. I keep hoping that if I stare at it long enough, Marinette will somehow magically appear sitting there, but that never happens.
Finally, I slump back in my chair, defeated. It's no use, and I need to begin to pay attention in class so that I don't get intro trouble. Perhaps I just have to face the sad truth that I am never going to see Marinette again. I will just have to try and get information out of Ladybug as Chat Noir tonight while I see if she'll help me hunt for my friend.
However, my planning and the lesson are abruptly interrupted as the door swings open and someone exclaims, "I'm so sorry that I'm late!"
In through the doorway steps a face that makes our whole room fall dead silent, if the voice wasn't silencing enough already. A girl pants in the doorway, with her blue hair tied back in two ponytails. The outfit looks like the same one she wore the day I broke her heart and made her cry, and I try to ignore Nino's comments from before that echo again in my head. If only he knew.
"Marinette?" Alya gasps, leaping from her seat and practically tackling her lost friend in a smothering hug. The poor bluenette's bluebell eyes widen, obviously caught off guard, but then she smiles. "Oh my gosh, you're alive. You're alive!" Alya is pretty much screaming for joy at this point as she begins to give a semi-choked laugh, her eyes tearing up. "Don't you ever leave me again, you idiot. I leave school for one day, and you went missing. What am I supposed to do with you?" She laughs, squeezing Marinette again. "I missed you so much!" She moves her one hand in order to brush the tears from her eyes. "I thought you were dead! They all stopped searching for you. Even declared it officially. I didn't know what I was supposed to do without you! Where were you? What happened?"
Marinette manages to untangle herself from Alya, squeezing her friend's hand. "Where was I?" She asks, glancing around at all the eye's on here and seeming to become uncomfortable. "I...I'm so sorry."
The entire class seems to wake up at this comment, and so before Alya or Ms. Mendeleiev can do anything a wave of sound greets the poor girl who's been missing for so long as everyone tries to talk to her.
"Marinette, we missed you!
"Are you okay?"
"Were you kidnapped?"
"Are you hurt?"
"You've been gone for a year!"
"Where were you?"
"I can't believe you are okay!"
"Did you run away?"
Marinette takes a few steps back, looking overwhelmed as her hand grabs onto the door handle for stability. The class has begun to surge out of their seats to reach her and be close to girl who was accepted to be gone for good, but Alya moves in front of her as a protective best friend should. Poor Marinette looks like she is about to have a heart attack from all the attention. On the bright side, it doesn't look like she's sustained any injuries, but that could change if our entire class terrifies her.
Unable to take it any longer, I decide to step in, seeing as Ms. Mendeleiev seems too shocked to do so herself. "Guys! Be quiet and give Mari some space. Can't you see that you're obviously scaring her? She's been gone for a year. Give her a chance to breath."
Slowly, our class trudges back to their seats, most having the decency to look ashamed as they mutter among themselves. Alya wraps her arms around the bluenette protectively, glaring at everyone as if to challenge them to come near her best friend. However, I'm frozen as I stand in front of my chair, eyes locked on Marinette's. I can feel my heart thudding violently in my chest. She's really back. Plagg and Ladybug were right, however they knew.
Marinette gives a small wave, but then she turns away and hides her face inside Alya's embrace again, causing me to cringe. I have no idea if she's forgiven me for what I did based on that short interaction, even with what happened happening a year ago. I know that that wasn't the best note for her to have gone missing upon. She hasn't even said why she went missing in the first place. Again that horrid fear that I had something to do with it creeps up inside of me. How am I supposed to find out if she can help me figure out what happened to Ladybug if I can't even tell whether or not she hates me.
"Marinette," Ms. Mendeleiev finally speaks up, slowly approaching her like one would approach a wounded animal, "I'm sure you must be overwhelmed right now." That seems like an understatement if I have ever heard one. "Why don't you sit down in the back, while I go get Mr. Damocles? And Alya, if you could come with me just to help confirm this to Mr. Damocles." Alya looks like she'd rather stay with Marinette, but then nods in agreement, releasing her friend. Ms. Mendeleiev then turns to the class. "As for you all, don't bother the poor girl while we're getting him. I'm sure the last thing she wants is to be pushed to tell about where she was. You all have already scared her enough as it is."
Our teacher then rushes out of the room, and slowly Marinette makes her way to the back of the room, looking like she'd rather have the earth swallow her up and make her disappear once more. I'm sure she'd rather have Alya with her, following after her like the protective mama bear of a friend she is. My eyes stay fastened to the blue-haired girl as she reaches the table in the back of the room where Nathaniel always sits. The class was worked itself into a frenzied ball of murmuring as they take turns glancing back at her, but at least no one is openly staring, if you don't count myself. Despite the commotion, I can still hear Marinette loud and clear, and I'm sure everyone else can as well.
"Is this seat taken?" She asks, pointing to the chair beside him.
The curt response she gets is completely unexpected. "Yep."
I have to resist the urge to go back there and slap the redhead for being so rude. Weren't Marinette and Nathaniel becoming friends before she went missing? She said they were working on a project together. So why did he respond like that? It was incredibly out of character and rude, not to mention a blatant lie seeing as no one has ever sat next to him. The only logical conclusion I can make is that Nathaniel had something to do with Marinette's disappearance, and that he doesn't want anything to do with her now that he's back, especially because she might give him away. The redhead was akumatized once; it could make sense, especially since when he was Evillustrator he asked Marinette out on a date.
"Well, they don't seem to be here now," Marinette says slowly, "so do you mind if I sit?" She doesn't get a response, and so she sits down in the chair. "What are you drawing?"
I watch Rose keep glancing at the two out of the corner of her eye in obvious concern. Good, so I'm not the only one who notices how odd this is.
"Stuff." Nathaniel says, obviously trying to end the conversation.
"What kind of stu-" Marinette begins to ask.
"Why are you so interested in what I'm doing?" Nathaniel finally snaps, glaring at her.
Before I even realize what I'm doing, I'm standing and snapping at the redhead. "Leave Mari alone!"
As I say that, Rose squeaks in alarm as Juleka looks on with wide eyes. "Nathaniel!"
The redhead mumbles something, perhaps an apology, before bending over his work and not even acknowledging anyone. I don't know what has him so bothered, but it's incredibly suspicious. I don't like it at all.
"Marinette," I say, causing her to look up, and I try to ignore how shaken she looks from that conversation, "why don't you come sit up here with Nino and me while we wait for Ms. Mendeleiev and Alya to come back with Mr. Damocles." She nods, looking grateful before dropping her gaze to the ground and slowly shuffling over. Does she still hate me?
As she does, Nino whispers to me, "Somebody is getting awfully protective of our bluenette friend." I wish I could turn around to slap him.
I whisper back, annoyed. "She goes missing for a year, and yet you think it's appropriate to make that comment?" I realize that I come across harsher than I meant to when I see Nino's shocked and slightly offended expression. "Sorry, Nino. That was harsher than intended." I take a deep breath. "How Nathaniel is acting is super weird though. Doesn't something feel slightly off about this whole disappearance thing? And before you say anything, there's more to it than just the fact that she was missing for a year and now has suddenly randomly reappeared."
Nino doesn't get a chance to give me an answer or even comment on my observations before Ms. Mendeleiev and Alya reenter the room, this time Mr. Damocles huffing and puffing behind them. "Marinette?" Our principal asks, scanning the room.
All of our gazes move to Marinette as she meekly waves from a bit beside me, having made it to right beside her chair. At least she got away from Nathaniel, I suppose. "Hello, sir."
"My gosh, it really is her." Mr. Damocles' eyes look like they might pop out of his head as he places a hand over his hear. Thankfully, he is able to compose himself, and then he gestures for Marinette to come stand in the front of the room with him while Ms. Mendeleiev gestures for Alya to sit back down. "Come here, Marinette. We've already alerted the authorities about your sudden appearance, who are on their way to speak to you, and we are preparing to call your parents, as we are sure they will want to bring you home. I know all of them will want to speak to you so that they can know who was behind this."
"Mr. Damocles," Marinette says, swallowing, "I already have spoken to my parents when I returned this morning. You see, I...I ran away." A few of our classmates actually gasp as she admits the reason for her disappearance, but I'm too stunned to make a peep. "I had to fight them to even let me come to school, and they told me they were going to alert the authorities right away, but I guess they haven't yet if they didn't tell you. Either that, or they were there when you phoned and are coming with them."
"Oh my." Our principal frowns, seeming quite taken aback by the statement. I think we all are. Marinette ran away? "Well, that is quite the surprise." However, his frown suddenly lifts back up to a grin. "We'll just leave the authorities to talk to you and puzzle that one out. Come along with me. We're going to meet them in a more private setting so that you can talk a bit more freely." He turns his attention back to our purple-haired teacher. "Ms. Mendeleiev, they might want to question you about any events, so I suggest that you tag along as well. We'll have them hurry if they do so that we can send you back to teach as quickly as possible."
"Behave while I'm gone," Ms. Mendeleiev instructs, scowling at our class, "or you'll all be sitting in detention with me after school."
The two teachers then make their way out of the classroom with Marinette trailing behind them. She doesn't even bother to look back at our class, and the way she walks would make you think she is being taken to her execution, not to go speak to authorities to let them know she's safe and sound back home. She should be bursting with joy to see her parents again anyways; she absolutely adores them. Something is most definitely wrong with the poor girl, something she wasn't comfortable sharing with the class, but I don't think I'll have much luck finding out as Adrien. I can't even do anything to find out right now, since an appearance from Chat Noir would be far too odd, but maybe I'll find something out if I go check later, after my patrol with Ladybug. Whether this helps me with my issue of Ladybug or not, I want to know what the heck caused my friend to run away and stop it from happening again.
The door swings shut behind Marinette, and then our class erupts once more into discussion over the whole thing, having obviously only held back at risk of being lectured.
"What do you think happened to her?"
"Why would she have run away?"
"Do you think she's hurt?"
"How did no one figure out that she ran away?"
"Where do you think she went?"
"Do you really think she ran away? Maybe she really was kidnapped and now someone else is going to disappear!"
"Do you think we'll still have to finish class today?"
"I hope she's okay!"
"Will she have to do the classes she missed?"
Apparently thinking that enough is enough, Chloe stands up to add her own two scents, and before she even begins to speak, I know that Nino is going to make me pay for defending her earlier. "Ugh, I can't believe this. I bet stupid Maritrash pulled this stunt just to get more attention. Don't you, Sabrina?" Her redheaded sidekick nods, and apparently the blonde takes this as a sign to continue. "You know, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole disappearance was staged. It's all incredibly elaborate after all. Marinette would be the kind of person who is desperate enough to do something like this. Maybe her stupid, tiny bakery needed this attention. Or maybe she just wanted the attention because she knew she couldn't compete with me." She sniffs, and I wish I could cover my eyes with my hands. Sadly, I can't bring myself to not watch what is about to occur. My old friend's gaze lands on Alya, who is frozen in front of her seat with a scowl, and Chloe smirks. "What do you think, Alya? Wouldn't you say that Marinette is desperate enough to pull something like this?"
One moment, Alya is standing by her seat, seeming to almost shake with fury. In the next, she is standing in front of Chloe with her hand raised. Chloe gasps, holding her cheek and seeming as surprised as everyone else by the sudden turn of events. No one has dared to put Chloe in her place before, especially with physical contact. While I wouldn't say it's an ideal way to do it, it seems to have gotten Alya's point across quite clearly.
To add insult to injury, the blogger spits on Chloe and states, "No, but you would be desperate enough. When do you think you'll be faking running away to try and get attention that way?"
"My daddy will hear about this!" Screams the outraged mayor's daughter, and now I actually do cover my eyes. "I'll get you suspended for treating me like this. I'll get you expelled! You have no right to speak to me that way. My dad is the mayor!"
As the shouting match continues, I realize that these are the times I regret that Chloe is my friends. It's not because I don't like Chloe, as there are actually a few times where we have a nice relationship. However, it's awkward when no one else sees that side of her, or even knows that it exists. All they ever see is this side of her. I know that Nino is giving me his 'I told you she is a brat' look from beside me, but I refuse to acknowledge it.
Can this day just be over so that I can try to find out what's going on?
And there we have it! Chapter two is complete. And yes, I know I still have to take down the original, which I will do as soon as I make sure I have the chapters that need rewritten saved somewhere. Life got hectic, so I'm not quite as prepared as I thought I was. xD Anyways, what did you think of this chapter? Was it good? Bad? Better than the original? Hopefully you guys are still digging the changes. What do you think happened to Ladybug? Why do you think she needs to keep Chat safe? What about the appearance of Marinette at school? Were you expecting her to claim that she ran away? What do you think is up with that? How about her encounter with Nathaniel? Do you think Marinette and Adrien are going to make up? What do you think is up with her this time? Please let me know in a review!
And before I sign off, let me respond to all of your awesome reviews on last chapter. c:
Guest : I'm glad my stories are cool! And thank you, I felt like it was a lot smoother this time around as well, and it also felt a lot realer to write. Hopefully you liked this chapter as well!
Unfound name : Thank you! I'm excited to see what you all will think of this one by the end. And I'm glad you were enjoying it! I'm sure once I'm done I'll reveal what the original plan is for anyone who is curious. It was definitely confusing, and while I loved it, it was getting too confusing for myself as I tried to figure out how to explain things. Now, however, I know how to explain everything that's going to happen in this story, and I think that it will still have the fun elements of some confusion as it progresses. c: Hopefully you liked the changes this chapter, and will continue to as the story progresses! Next chapter is where things will really take a turn.
mayuralover : Hi! I'm glad you were disappointed in Adrien. I was disappointed in him too and I'm the one who wrote it. cx However I feel like that's a lot more believably upsetting last encounter, so I hope it was a good sort of disappointment. Is it possible for there to be a good sort of disappointment? xD And yes, it is sad to see Lila go. :c She's fun to write! Also, you're welcome for the chapter. I hope you liked this one. c:
Anyways, thank you for reading and the support! Hopefully you guys are enjoying that these chapters, as I rewrite them, each time are longer than the original. cx It's been completely unintentional so far.
Anyways, I'll see you at my next update, whatever story that might be for!
~ Dagger
