"Oh No! I'M GOING TO BE LATE!" Echoed around the house, signifying Marinette's parents of her awakening.
They glanced at each other, amused looks on their faces.
Sabine laid out a croissant on a plate near the edge of the counter. A split second later, a blur of colours passed her, the croissant gone from the plate.
Tom chuckled and leaned over the counter to kiss his wife, her happily meeting him halfway.
At school Marinette darted into the classroom, eating the last of the croissant from her parents.
She looks to her left and sees an empty chair. Marinette glances forward, spotting Nino she leans over and taps his shoulder.
"Where's Alya?" She asks when he turns around.
"Oh, she's out sick today. Got a major wicked case of the flu." Marinette frowned.
"Poor her," she sighed, "I'll visit her after school today. Give her a get well card. Would you two want to sign it?" She asked and glanced to the breathtaking blond that sat next to Nino.
"Yeah! We'd be happy to!" Nino responded. At that the bell rang, and class started. As always time passed slowly in the classroom. But she was near the end of Ms. Mendeleev's lecture when she felt her purse shift from where it leaned against her.
Once the bell rang Marinette would sneak off somewhere and talk to tikki.
It took several more minutes for the help to sound, and she was the second person to leave the classroom.
She rushed off to go behind the bathroom building.
Unzipping her bag, she watched as Tikki darted out.
"Marinette, I know how we can complete Alya's wish AND make her feel better!" Marinette smiled at that.
"How, Tikki?" she asked, unconsciously comically tilting her head.
"Since me and her Tikki are one and the same, I bet if I can try, I can talk to her!"
Marinette hopped a bit, "That's Amazing Tikki!"
The bell rang and Marinette let Tikki back in her purse and continued the school day as usual. She fell five times, Chloe mocked her four out of five, the last time she wasn't near Chloe so she didn't see the fall. The usual school day. Marinette was already home, just about to start the day's homework.
A buzz from her phone notified her of a message, easily distracting her. It was from Alya!
Marinette opened it and saw Alya texted her,
Alya: Girl you gotta check this
Marinette: Why what's up?
Alya: come on! I send you a link and you don't check it? What a CRU-EL friend you are!
Marinette: ha ha. Now what's up with the video of Piáo Chóng running across rooftops?
Alya: GIRL. GURL. GUR. G. OMG
Marinette: what? What's with all the variations if 'girl'?
Alya: Those are Parisian rooftops!
Marinette stopped texting for a second. Rewatching the video she saw the Arch de Triumph pass by like a lightning flash. She gasped, it was videotaped in Paris!
Marinette: what's a superhero doing in Paris? °•°
Alya: IDK but if I wasn't sick as I am I'd be out there chasing her.
Marinette: Well, you just worry about getting better. Okay?
Alya:Yes Mooooom.
Marinette chuckled .
Marinette: I know you're groaning 'mom' but it sounds like mooooo-m. Like a cow. :)
Alya: You gotta get more sleep at night. You're punning. It's bad for your brain Mari.
Marinette chuckled at this. Glancing to Tikki she saw she was sitting in a meditation pose, murmuring softly to herself.
Marinette closed up her maths book and sat cross legged on her spinning computer chair.
*Ping*
Alya again!
Alya: besides they see Piáo Chóng going towards the Bakery
Marinette: pssh like she'd come here, besides our delicious desserts what's there for her here?
Marinette hears tapping from her hatch to the roof. Grabbing her History book as a weapon, she climbed the steps and aimed.
Opening the door she was surprised to see Piáo Chóng. In the flesh. Oh my god.
"Hello." In rough French from above her.
"Wǒ ke-kěyǐ shu-shuō yīxiē zhōngwen… Uh! wén." I can speak some Chinese. Marinette spoke brokenly
Piáo Chóng smiled at that.
"May I come in?" She asked in her broken French.
Marinette nodded and stepped out of the way so she could enter, closing up the trap door behind her.
Marinette thought back to the time her uncle came over from China and her mortification that came with it. So she had started teaching herself Chinese. Much to the joy of her mother.
"Nǐ weish-wèishéme zài zh-zhè?" she asked. Why are you here?
"Nǐ de kwami jiào wǒ de." Your Kwami called to mine. Marinette nodded. Tikki, at the mention of the word 'Kwami' appeared.
She almost stopped floating when she saw her.
"Qīn'ài de Xuǎnzé" Tikki whispered, dear chosen . A soft ping echoed in Marionette's ear.
"Wǒ zài zhèlǐ. Dàn nǐ hǎo ma?." I am here. But how are you? Piáo Chóng was very confused at seeing a second Ladybug Kwami.
"Wǒmen bùshì láizì zhèlǐ" we are not from here. Tikki spoke sadly, "Wǒmen láizì lìng yīgè yǔzhòu" We come from another universe.
"H-How do you know m-me?" Piáo Chóng asked Marinette.
"I saw you in a book once. It was coded, it was about the seven miraculous." Marinette twiddled her fingers.
"How and why are you here?" She asked angrily, how did this random girl know of the book? Was this young girl working with Húdié?
"I don't know! The Celestial Guardian came up to me and sent me here with this!" She grabbed the glass jar, now containing three stars. The third one being a dark shade of blue.
"Do you work with Húdié?" Piáo Chóng asked angrily with one hand on her yoyo.
Tikki quickly flew between the scared girl and the woman.
"Xīngxīng de shǒuwèi bǎ wǒmen sòng d ào zhèlǐ!" Tikki almost screamed. The [*celsetial*] guardian *of the stars* sent us here. Piáo Chóng stilled.
"My Kwami told me of a dis-dis-disturbance two nights ago. Was that you?" Marinette nodded.
"That was when we came here. I cannot go home until I collect 100 paper stars. And I can only get a paper star for each wish I complete." Piáo Chóng nodded and thought.
"Your Tikki told me a wish from one your friends?" She asked softly in French again.
"Yes, Alya. She's sick at home and she wishes to meet you." Piáo Chóng looked surprised. Meet her? Why? She just does what she feels is right when she protects her home.
"She admires you greatly and she wished to meet you… Could you do this for me?" Marinette asked her, pleading not only in voice, but in eyes as well as in her clasped hands and puppy dog eyes.
Piáo Chóng thought, then nodded smiling.
"Xièxiè." Tikki and Marinette spoke in sync and bowed. Thank you.
"Let us go to Al-Alihya? Alya's house." Piáo Chóng said.
