"Is everything okay at the store?" Alya stood slightly from her desk as her friend walked into the room. Her heart clenched, and released as she looked upon her friends face that she hadn't seen in days. Marinette smiled softly as she made her way up the stairs to her desk. She took her friend into her embrace as they grew close to one another, laying her bag along the table. "Everything will be fine." Marinette whispered as they pulled away from each other and sat in unison along the bench seat. Marinette smiled and nodded as students walked along her side, saying 'hi' to her and 'I'm sorry', 'are you okay?'. Alya frowned upon her friends face. She looked exhausted, as if she hadn't slept since the incident. Alya looked to Nino and Adrien whom walked in through the door. She waved slightly to them and turned back to Marinette who dug into her bag, she looked half dead. Adrien smiled at Alya and the followed her gaze, he then stopped in his tracks slightly on the stairs as he saw Marinette. He slung his bag from his shoulder as he looked at her, his body slowly sat into his chair, bag to his side as his eyes moved away from her. His heart was digging from his chest.
"My god, she looks horrible." Nino whispered to Adrien as he opened his book. "Hope everything is okay."
The world around Adrien slowed as he looked around, leaning back against the bench. He nodded as he ignored his friend slightly as his hearing concentrated on Marinette and Alya. "So. When will the shop be open, I'm craving for one of those cookies." Alya smiled as she tried to lighten the air. Marinette smiled slightly to her. "Oh, it's, going to be a while." She whispered as she bit her inner lip.
Alya and Adrien both frowned.
"A window repair won't be able to come in until next week with the right size glass, and for how much we are paying them." She yawned midsentence. Alya bit her lip as she turned away from her friend, staring along the floor. "I'm sorry, this is all my fault." She claimed as her hands clenched along her lap. Marinette blinked, she looked to her friend. A shockwave shot up his spine as Adrien glanced back at her too. "I brought them there, the fans, if they hadn't been there, that whole accident wouldn't have had happened."
Marinette breathed in sharply as she stared at her friend. "No,no,no,no,no." Marinette defended quickly. "It wasn't your fault, please, don't blame yourself."
Alya looked up to her as tears were hanging from her eyes. Marinette's heart sank as she looked at her friends' saddened face. She never thought about Alya feeling it was her fault, Marinette felt horrible, she had ignored her calls and pleads from downstairs since the incident. Marinette was just upset and wanted to be alone, but she had no idea that her friend thought it was her fault. Her hand touched Alya's shoulder and smiled, she brought her friend in close into another embrace. "It's not your fault. It was, just a freak accident, that's all it was." She claimed with a sigh.
Adrien had turned forward and stared along the floor as if he was seeking answers as he continued to listen to them. He leaned forward, laying his arms along the surface. A dumb accident that could have been avoided if he would of acted smart. Alya sniffed and smiled as her friend pulled away. "Thanks girl, I felt bad the other day, you locked yourself in your room." She claimed. "I was afraid you would be Akumatized with how you were feeling." She told as she spoke in a spooky voice as she tickled Marinette's arm. Marinette giggled and was taken back slightly. The irony of it all. "Me? Akumatized?"
She puffed a breath of air from her lips as she waved her hand. "As if. This girl can't be Akumatized, I'm too awesome." Adrien's eyes glanced back. "Akuma's got nothing on me."
"There's the girl I know and love." Alya stated as her and Marinette fist bumped. Adrien looked to the front of the class as he chuckled to himself. Their friendship was always interesting to watch. He leaned his head onto his hand and smiled. He slowly got up, Nino looked at him. "I'll be right back." He told as he made his way out of the class. Marinette's looked over as Adrien looked back at her before leaving her sight out into the hall. She quickly looked down as she opened her book and stared along the page.
::
The bell sounded for the middle day school dismissal. Lunch break. Students departed and walked off from the school.
Marinette smiled slightly as she waved to Alya as they parted ways. She sighed as she began walking along the sidewalk on her way home. Tikki popped her head out of her pouch looking up at the sad Marinette. "Everything okay, Marinette?" she wondered. Marinette nodded slowly. She was silent for a few seconds as her feet felt like anchors as they brushed along the cold snow. "Yeah, I'm, just not psyched to see the place all broken up." She claimed. "I should have just skipped lunch break and stayed in the library to study for that test later." She whispered as she nuzzled her nose into her pink scarf with black laced flowers along the fabric. Her body moved around the corner of the street as she swift pass the buildings. "Cheer up Marinette, everything will be fine, you get to check up on your parents and see how they are doing." Tikki claimed. "Then, you can go back to school and be with your friends. There is always an upside to every situation."
Marinette giggled under her breath as she smiled softly at the peppy little Kwami ball of joy. Tikki was always keeping things positive. She was probably the reason she didn't get infected by an Akuma. Tikki was trying to keep Marinette in a good mood after the incident. Making jokes, faces, telling stories about pass Ladybugs, about things she's seen. She tried so hard, that Tikki ended up crashing for hours afterwards. She was always looking out for her. Marinette was happy to have such a loving, caring and encouraging friend nearby. "I hope your right about that." She told. Tikki smiled as Marinette glided her finger against her little red head. Tikki giggled her cute charm ring. "I'm so glad to have such an adorable Kwami with m-"
Marinette stopped in her tracks as she looked ahead of her. She blinked a few times as she pursed her lips, staring at the sight in front of her. Her eyes searched about at old beaten up metal trucks that sat on the curb outside of her house. Black thick smoke escaped the exhaust at the back of the vehicles as it dissipated into the cold sky above. Beefy huge men worked like bees around the front of the store, walking over tools left in the snow and cables that were fished around from the inside. Some men were working on the glass window out front of the store, removing the broken glass with glove covered hands with such care.
Another group of men carried a piece of glass from one of the trucks and pressed it to the side of the building along a tan cloth. "Wow. Lots of workers, like busy bees." Tikki claimed. "Yeah, weird, hid Tikki." She whispered, Tikki did as told and hid into the warm pouch along her side. Marinette slowly walked onto the scene as she didn't want to disturb them and be in the way. But it was kind of hard with them moving all around at once. She noticed that another group of people were taking out broken pieces of wood from the two tables and chairs from the store.
Marinette jumped and flinched as a man walked in front of her, she was tiny compared to him; he probably just didn't see her petite figure. Marinette smiled awkwardly as she moved pass some of the workers that looked to her. She waved slightly as she slipped on pass them and into the store.
She felt as if she was trespassing, or that they thought she was. Marinette flinched against the door frame as a guy holding a chair rushed pass her and into the warm building. She looked to front desk and at her parents whom were standing, talking to a man with clipboard as they signed papers. Marinette looked around as there was patch work along the walls and bricks, making her way to her parents. They looked to her as she walked up to them with a smile. "What's going on?" Marinette questioned. "I thought they weren't coming until next week?"
"Oh, Marinette! Isn't it amazing; our shop is getting fixed. It was so nice of Ch-" Sabine looked to Tom as he touched her shoulder. "Remember, we can't tell." He whispered to her. Sabine covered her mouth. "Oops, almost spilled the beans outload." She claimed as she looked around, acting as if she was some sort of undercover spy. She giggled at her own goofiness, Marinette just stared as she rose a brow. "Um, who?" she asked. Her mother hummed to herself and looked to the man that had the clipboard. He cleared his throat and stood tall. "Hello miss, I am Baxter Turnish. You are Marinette I presume. I was hired to delivery this message to you directly." He claimed. The tall man with round glasses and slicked back hair, wearing a blue suit and a purple tie; Mr. Turnish handed Marinette a magenta pink envelope with her name written in white on the front. Marinette took it slowly from his hand and looked at the document with her name calligraphy; it had no return address. Her eyes looked up at him confused, he bowed to her and then looked to her parents and partly bowed to them, before turning and walking out.
Marinette watched him leave and blinked a few times, and then looked to her parents. Her mother giggled. "I'll make you some food." She told as she kissed her daughters cheek and walked to the back. Her father chuckled as he followed her. Marinette was left confused, she looked at the envelope as she walked to the outside hall and along the stairs. "The writing is beautiful." She claimed as Tikki floated up to her shoulder. "Wonder who it's from?" she questioned as she opened the hatch to her room. Tikki floated to Marinette's desk as she closed the hatch and walked over. "Only way to find out, is to open it." Tikki smiled as she twirled in the air.
Marinette shrugged as she sat along her pink chair and grabbed her pair of scissors, sliding one of the blades through the top. She cleared her throat as she pulled the light pink sheet out, again, like the writing on the front, it was beautiful. She was taken back as there was only one sentence written on it in the middle of the piece:
Dear Princess,
Until we meet again.
Sincerely, your knight in shining armor; Chat Noir
Marinette was stunned, her blue eyes like saucers as she stared at the sheet as her heart sank. "Chat Noir is the donator?" Tikki questioned as she floated down to the letter, staring at the letters. "It sure is beautifully written." She told and looked back at Marinette. Marinette's face looked sad and yet happy, she was touched and confused. "Chat's nice, b-but I didn't think he would do this, for, me." Marinette was stunned, absolutely stunned. She laid the paper along the desk. "Well, I feel he would do anything for Ladybug, but not Marinette, a total stranger in some sense, along with, how can he afford all this; the furniture, and the glass, along with the workers coming so fast. That must cost, a lot." she stared at Tikki, who shrugged her stumpy arms. Marinette bit her lip and pushed back on her chair and stared along the ceiling.
She was at a loss of words.