Chapter Three:

She had heard it. She did! A loud voice had stated something about a campaign and Jagged Stone. Emma held her breath, Jagged Stone was long into retirement when she discovered his music. His songs were like the songs so old that your parents listened to them when they were young, but cool enough to brush off the fact that you like the same songs as the old people. His songs were like old timey rock and roll. There weren't many people like him now, and there were even less in the future. The future songs were all high-pitched dj screams. And Emma could practically smell the opportunity, she was breathing it in by the gulps. Autographs!

She knew that she was straying from her original goal but this was really important! This was a bragging tool, a possible exhibit, the chance to own something so rare in the future it was like gold. She could auction off copies of the autograph and keep the original on showcase, requiring fees to be able to see it. This was very important! And who knows, maybe this Fu guy likes Rock n' Roll.

So, she slipped in. Contrary to how it may seem, Emma was a really good liar. She was optimistic, a quick thinker, and visually confident. And you know what they say about Nervousness being the culprit of getting caught. Anyway, it's not as if she used her unusually good skill for bad, or for her own gain, most of the time. But like she said, this was really important.

She was about to be hidden in the line when Chloe Bourgeois stopped her. "Uh, what do you think you're doing?" She asked with a nasty voice. Emma, however, stood slightly in shock. She knew who this was. This was Queen Bee. And not only that, but the mother of her best friend, Audrey. And from what she remembered, Mrs. Bourgeois didn't pay much attention to detail unless it was a price tag. "This is for classmates only, no dirty little leeches allowed." She jabbed.

"I am your classmate," Emma countered at the top of her head. Unfortunately, she didn't add any emotion, so she tried again. "I am your classmate, Chloe." It felt so weird calling her by her first name. She called Mr. and Mrs. Lahiffe, Alya and Nino, but she never called Mrs. Bourgeois, Chloe. It was like calling your teacher by their first name, so weird. She felt like a rebel.

"You are?" Chloe asked, tilting her head. Emma's eyes widened, she didn't actually expect that to work. Even the grown up Chloe wasn't this bad, at least Mrs. Bourgeois treasured the people in her life along with her stuff.

"I am." Emma said, acting hurt. She could feel the stares of her classmates, sorry, Chloe's classmates. They were so confused. It looked as if Chloe wasn't buying it either. Time to Activate Plan B, Compliments. "You know, I am kind of offended that you don't remember me, especially since I look up to you so much."

"You do?" Chloe asked, raising an eyebrow. Emma took a step towards Chloe, "Yes, I do! I loved your confidence, your style, your beautiful hair, I was even going to vote for you! But if you don't remember then what's the poi-"

"No! No, I remember you," Chloe interrupted, looking flattered but nervous. She couldn't just not remember classmates, that would look bad on her, and she wouldn't get the votes. She had no idea whether or not this girl was in her class. "Your name is… is-" She started, trying to fish her memory for this unidentified girl's name.

"Suzie." Emma insisted. "Suzie Hapriela."

Chloe laughed nervously. "Of course, I knew that! Pffft, pssshh. Anyway, I would be delighted if you gave me your vote," She said batting her eyelashes, "And in return, you get a Jagged Stone autograph."

So close! Emma could taste the victory. But there was one problem, Chloe's real classmates. They would know that she wasn't in their class, and she couldn't be sure that she wouldn't be ratted out. "Uhh, but Chloe-" said one classmate on cue.

"Thank you so much Chloe! I really am blessed to have you in my class. I am so glad that you are running for um, uh, hmmm, and I will give you my vote without a doubt. I couldn't think of anyone better! You truly are remarkable." Emma rushed out. She felt she might've been laying it on a bit thick, but Chloe seemed to buy it. More than buying it, she looked positively brightened. She pulled Emma up by the arm and plucked an autograph off the table. Turning around, she handed it to the con-woman. "Here, for your loyalty and sworn vote, Sally, you get it earlier than these peasants."

There was a groan from the line and a bunch of protests, but before Chloe could actually listen to them, Emma pulled her into a hug. "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!"

"Get off! You're going to ruin my hair, Savannah!" She screeched.

Emma didn't even care that Chloe got the name wrong, it wasn't even hers. She rushed out of the building and hid behind the concrete in case they came looking for her. Suddenly everything in the world seemed brighter.

The gorgeous photo glittered in the light of day. The pearly white teeth of Jagged Stone, his purple hair, the lighting, the guitar, and most of all the signature. All beautiful. This made Emma realize that everything was going to be okay, all the trouble leading up to this moment and beyond, would be worth it. The beauty in this world outshined the dark by far and Emma knew that someone somewhere was going to be looking after her to make sure she was okay.

That someone would be Hugo. He had been rushing around the city of Paris trying to Emma. He was sweating from exhaustion, blushing from embarrassment, and slightly crying because of how worried he was. Paris was big, and it felt even bigger since he had gone back in time to his parent's teenage years. This entire trip was a huge gamble, as he was not entirely sure if his sister would be here. He only remembered the tab open on her computer the other day about an Akuma attack that occurred when Ladybug and Cat Noir were still young. And, he only had one more time stone so as to not arouse suspicion.

The night in question, Hugo had heard a loud crash. When he went to check on it, there was only bundled of unrolled fabrics and small broken pieces of what looked like, to Hugo, a time stone. He, again, wasn't entirely sure. Even after checking the colors multiple times, he still had doubt. It had already been surmised that this was Emma's fault. A Kwami doesn't have any business with time as far as he was aware, except for the bunny, of course.

He was going to tell his parents what she had done first, but the question that went through his head was why she hadn't told him of her plans, at least to have a fail safe? Maybe it was for this reason, that Hugo would snitch. He cared about his sister and realized that if he wanted to keep her safe, he would need her to trust him. To do that, he would need to save her himself. Scooping up two time stones, double checking the label of course, he smashed one underneath his foot and left.

Unbeknownst to him, 2 pairs of big eyes were watching him through the wall, observing as he made his decision. The beings came out of hiding, revealing themselves. One was red with black spots and antennas, similar to a Ladybug. One was black with green slitted eyes and cat ears. "Well, isn't this an interesting turn of events." The Cat said, looking bored.

The Ladybug, however, looked worried, "Maybe we should've warned him not to go in his pajamas."