Hello everyone. It's... uh, been a while hasn't it?
I'm sorry its taken so long to write this. After college was finished, we all kind of know what happened in the world and it set. A lot of us back a bit and having to rethink our lives and paths. I know for me it kind of hit me and it was tough to adjust to it all. However now that things have settled, I really do want to come back to this. I really love Miraculous and watching the show through all these tremulous times have not only helped me to relax, but heal a bit through all of this craziness and finding a bit more of myself again.
And I couldn't think of anything better after a bit of healing than to come back to our favorite holder of the healing miraculous and her adventure.
Or, I guess our favorite normal girl until she gets her Miraculous. Which I hope is soon. ;3
But enough about me. We gotta get back on track!
Let's get this thing started! Hope you enjoy it.
"It's a new day. It's a new day. It's a new day."
The quiet, mantra of a reasonably nervous girl filled the small outside campus of Collège Françoise Dupont; nobody there to hear the mumbling except the very person who was talking to themselves.
Feeling like she was standing on just about very pin and needle in Paris, Samantha Fujisaki-Tanets was worried she was getting cold feet after just stepping into her newly appointed school. Like any teen the change was a bit jarring, but even she knew that at the end of the day it was just school and new introductions.
How hard could it be?
"I can't turn back now. Not after what Adrien said." Shaking her head and ruffling her curly locks, Samantha focused on words of encouragement her newfound friend had given her before his departure. "I'm going to be the talk of the class. I got to do this. I promised I'd save him a seat after all." Lightly tapping her cheeks to snap her out of her worry, Samantha walked towards the small elevator in the corner of the school grounds, hopping inside and taking it up to the second floor.
Peeking her head out, Samantha noticed an array of doors leading to classrooms across the halls. Heading out of the elevator and making her way down the walkway, her eyes wandered around to look through the windows. She could see other kids around her age, some adults that were most likely teachers and the classrooms appeared to be really nice.
"Maybe mom had the right idea about this place," Samantha spoke softly, inspecting every bit of what her brown eyes could take in before spotting the door to the principal's office. "Oh, there it is. I better check in."
Knocking softly on the door, Samantha waited until she heard a deep voice from the other side. "Come in."
Not wasting any time, Samantha headed inside and found herself standing in a quite nice office. Hard wood flooring, a large window bringing in sunlight and a bookcase filled with books and knick knacks. However the main focus of the whole room was an older man sitting at the desk in the center of the room. Dressed in a brown suit and tie and his face partially covered with a graying beard, the eyes of the older man shifted away from his computer to look at her.
Such big eyes. Almost like an owl.
"What can I do for you miss?" The older man asked, watching Samantha curiously. "I don't remember hearing any of the teachers sending students my way."
"Oh, um, I wasn't sent here by anyone. Uh, unless my mom counts." Samantha said, scratching her cheek awkwardly. She always did hate being put on the spot. "I'm Samantha Fujisaki-Tanets. I'm supposed to be starting here today."
"Ah, a new student! Of course." The older man said, opening his arms out in excitement as he got up from his leather seat. Walking over to Samantha, the bearded man smiled and reached a hand out to give her a handshake. "I'm Damocles. Welcome to Collège Françoise Dupont. I think you'll have a wonderful time here at our school."
Accepting the handshake from the taller man, Samantha smiled softly and nodded in understanding. "I hope so too. I'm getting used to living here in Paris and my mother thought I would like to here. So far from what I've seen I like it a lot."
"Well let's not keep you waiting than. You have to attend class after all." Letting Samantha's hand go and walking over to a cabinet of files, Principal Damocles searched through the many folders until spotting a familiar name and pulling it out. Opening it up and scanning it momentarily, the older man nodded in affirmation and looked to Samantha. "Good grade point average, moved from the states. Quite an interesting girl you are, Miss Fujisaki-Tanets. Seems we put you in Miss Bustier's class. You'll love her. One of our best teachers here."
"That's great. She... knows about this, right?" Samantha spoke up, eyes drifting from the principal to her leg brace that stuck out like a sore thumb.
"Ah, your tendinitis? We've already informed the staff of your condition when you enrolled. Miss Bustier will ensure you get any help you need if your injury hurts you in any way. And our nurse is has your information in case of an emergency." Principal Damocles assured, putting the file away and walking beside the shorter girl. "Now how about we get you to class before you miss first period? I'm sure you're about ready to make some new friends."
Samantha chuckled at the principal's enthusiasm, uncertain if he was as energetic as he appeared or just trying to make her feel welcome. "Yeah. I want to meet everyone before I get nervous again."
"Miss Bustier. You have another new student to add to your class."
Stepping past the threshold of the classroom Principal Damocles led her to, Samantha was debating just what it was she was going to feel when she saw the room she'd be in school for during the rest of the year. Nervous excitement? Cautious optimism? Or maybe just a casual nervous freak out?
When her eyes settled on the room, the first thing she spotted was an older woman with red hair at the front of the class, looking to her and shining a positive smile in her direction. She couldn't help bit smile back, albeit a bit nervously and waved a quick hello. Before she knew it her gaze shifted to the other parts of the room, taking in the large windows not too dissimilar to the principal's office that outlooked the streets of Paris. Small steps towards the end of the room escalated with rows of wide tables in front of them alongside seats, some people her age sitting in them. A few looked her way, while others were more occupied with other things like drawing in notepads or listening to music on their headphones.
Those must be my new classmates.
"My other new student I've been hearing about? Excellent. Come here, young lady. Don't be shy. It's the first day of a new school year. Everyone's nervous." Miss Bustier said in a playful tone, motioning Samantha over with a wave.
"Yeah." Nodding in agreement, Samantha gave a slight bow of her head to the principal. "Thank you for escorting me."
"Its no trouble. But I hope I don't see you in my office for any troublemaking." The bearded man joked, smiling as he left the classroom.
Waving goodbye, Samantha walked over to the large desk of the teacher and nervously played with her hands. "I'm Samantha Fujisaki-Tanets. The principal said he told you about me."
"He sure did. And we're happy to have you. I've already been informed of your tendinitis, so to make sure you aren't troubled too much I made sure to have your seating arrangement be somewhere close to me just in case. You can take any seat in the first or second row."
"Got it." Samantha said with a nod, turning her gaze to the two rows ahead of her. Seeing a few others had already began to take seats, Samantha started her way up the small steps of the desks and sat herself down on one of the benches on the second row. Letting out a soft sigh she felt like she'd been holding since she got to the school, the brunette relaxed her shoulders a bit and pondered just what would happen now.
Well I finally made it here. Nothing can stop me from getting used to Paris. I'm still a bit scared, but I want to do well here. Not just for me, but for mom. It may be hard, but it's not like it'll be the worst thing ever. After all this might be a chance to make some—
"You!"
"Ah!"
Snapped out of her thoughts by someone's yelling and the hard slam of hands on the desktop in front of her, the startled brunette let out a surprised yell and nearly jumped out of her seat, moving back a bit as her head swiveled over to who exactly had shocked her.
Looking to be around her age, a taller, tanner girl with long blonde hair stood beside her desk. Wearing fashionable clothes, sunglasses, and nails painted to perfection, it clashed with an expression on her face that screamed "I'll end you".
And it was directed right at her.
"Uhh... yes?" Samantha softly asked, unable to really come up with anything else to respond with in her current state.
"Don't uhh me like some simpleton. You know exactly what you are doing, so stop it and get out of my seat!" The girl exclaimed, pointing a finger in her face like she'd been accused of some heinous crime.
"Your seat?" Samantha repeated, not sure if she'd heard the blonde right. "I thought we got to choose our own seats."
"Are you arguing with me?!" The blonde asked incredulously, gasping in shock and looking at Samantha with disdain. "Who do you think you are?"
"Umm, I'm Samantha Fujisaki-Tanets." Samantha said, really uncertain if that was the best approach. Considering she wasn't sure if she was getting bullied or just confronting a very odd girl, she opted to just introduce herself.
Maybe it would all be a funny joke to laugh at later on.
"Did I ask for your name? No, I do not. I don't care about normal people." The blonde dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Sabrina, make this girl go away."
"Who—"
"That would be me." Another voice peeked up from Samantha's left.
Sitting by the left of her, another girl showed up out of nowhere, almost making Samantha yet again jump in shock. Dressed in an outfit that appeared a bit preppy and sporting short red hair and glasses, the girl known as Sabrina nodded in agreement to the blonde's words. "You'd better listen to Chloe. You don't want to get on her bad side if I were you."
"Chloe?" Samantha spoke, hearing the other name from he red head. Turning back to look to the blonde, Samantha awkwardly pointed to the girl. "Your Chloe, right?"
"Ew, don't point at me. Just get out of my seat already!" Chloe demanded with a huff.
Okay, maybe this all wasn't a joke.
Frowning, Samantha clutched at the straps of her backpack like a lifeline. It was already her first day and she was getting herself unknowingly into some kind of confrontation. There had to be some kind of way out of all of this, right? "Look," Samantha spoke up, brown eyes shifting between the two girls. "I'm just following the teacher's instructions. She told me to take a seat in the first or second row, so I did."
"Well you took my seat. So why don't you just go and find another one. Like in the front row with the other new girl." Chloe persisted, pointing a finger right to one of the front row's which had another girl sitting off in the corner.
That must be the other new girl. So I'm not the only one.
"Um, hello? Are you listening to me?" Chloe argued, waving a hand in front of Samantha's face.
Snapping out of her staring, the brunette turned to look back to the very bossy blonde next to her. "I heard you. I know you want me to move, but I already sat down. Not to mention my leg is already a bit tired and needs a bit of rest. Can't I just sit here for today and you can have your seat back tomorrow?"
Samantha wasn't sure what she'd said, but whatever she did made Chloe look like she was going to either explode or sneer in disgust. "There i no way I'm letting some loser sit in my seat on the first day of the new school year. I need this spot so I can see my dear, sweet Adrien when he comes to class this year and I will not let some random nobody take that from me."
"Adrien?" Samantha asked, the name peeking her interest. "Like Adrien Agreste?"
"Oh, so you at least have some taste and now my dear Adriekins?" Chloe said with a smug attitude, flipping her ponytail for added effect.
Adriekins?
Not sure if she wanted to now where the nickname came from, Samantha shrugged. "Kind of. He gave me a ride here when I was having trouble."
"You what? You were near my Adriekins?! You better not have infected him with your loser germs." Chloe exclaimed, getting close to Samantha and glaring with what almost seemed like the inferno of a thousand suns. Or maybe just a really jealous girl. Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned Adrien. Who knew he really meant it when he said we was a model.
But then, like all things in her life, it got worse.
"Ew. What is that?" Chloe demanded, pointing down towards the floor with a look of disgust.
Following the girl's gaze and knowing full well what she was pointing to, Samantha groaned quietly. "That's... my leg brace."
"Are you sure? Looks more like you escaped from a prison to me. Isn't that right Sabrina?" Chloe asked, calling for Sabrina who appeared to be Chloe's subordinate for a response.
"Oh, uh, yeah. Good one, Chloe." Sabrina said quickly, trying to catch up with the blonde's insults.
Almost about ready to pull on her jacket's hood and simply sink into the never ending abyss of her clothing to hide from this crazy girl, Samantha found herself being rescued by a hero in plaid.
"Hey, why don't you stop being a bully and harassing the girl?"
Peeking out from around Chloe, the sight of the other new girl from moments ago was now standing by the conversing group, her gaze settled on Chloe like a lion on the hunt.
Not giving into being confronted, Chloe pushed back. "Oooh. Look at this, Sabrina. The other new girl thinks she can talk to me too like I'm the rest of these losers." Waving a dismissive hand to the darker-toned girl, Chloe smirked at her. "What are you going to do, newbie? Shoot me with your laser eyes with those glasses of yours?"
"Wouldn't you like to see me try." The other new girl warned, getting in Chloe's face to show she too wasn't backing down.
Watching the tension of the scuffle escalate further and further with each insult swapped and glare given, Samantha with hood halfway pulled over her head decided that maybe it be best to simply get out of this situation before things got worse.
Or more worse than they already are.
"How about we all calm down, okay? It's the first day of school. I don't think any of us want to get in trouble, right?" Samantha asked, looking to the two girls glaring at one another and got up from her seat.
Chloe couldn't help but take advantage of the situation. "Yeah, listen to prison girl, laser eyes. Why don't you both stick together over there and be good while the rest of us sensible people get what they want and get on with our lives?" With a smirk and adeptly quick reflexes, Chloe moved and pushed Samantha out of her way into the other girl and took Samantha's old seat; Sabrina helping by grabbing Samantha's bag and dropping it on the floor beside them.
"Why you—" About looking ready to knock some sense into the now laughing blonde, the other new girl grabbed Samantha's bag and looked to the brunette with a smile. "C'mon. Before I really do something I regret."
"O-Okay." Agreeing that it was a better choice not to do whatever it was this other girl was thinking, Samantha was helped down the step by her fellow "new girl" and sat beside her in one of the front rows. Placing her bag next to her and shifting her gaze from Chloe and Sabrina to the other girl new sitting beside her, Samantha nervously cleared her throat. "Um, thank you. You didn't have to go out of your way and get yourself involved in all of that."
Smiling the bespectacled girl waved her hand. "It's no problem. I hate bullies. Not to mention that girl was having it out for you just because you sat in her seat. She needed someone to give her a piece of their mind."
"I wish I could do that." Samantha said with a slight chuckle. "I've never really been the confrontational type. But I've used to bullies. Nothing I haven't heard before."
Wrapping an arm around Samantha's shoulder, her desk mate smiled and patted her heartily. "Girl, you got nothing to worry about anymore. You heard what that girl said. Us new girls gotta stick together."
Feeling a rush of nervous excitement bubble up inside her, Samantha turned her hooded gaze to the girl beside her. "Really?"
"You know it." The bespectacled girl said, giving her a thumbs up. "The name's Alya Césaire. New girl number one here. You?"
Laughing, Samantha gave a thumbs up as well. "Samantha Fujisaki-Tanets. New girl number two."
The two girls sharing a laugh at their makeshift introductions, it didn't take long for the early morning school bell to ring and signal the start of the new school term.
"So you really got a ride from the actual Adrien Agreste?" Alya asked, her voice dripping with both surprise and interest.
When the bell to signal the end of classes had finally come, Samantha had nearly forgotten how nervous she'd been about the whole day. She'd been so scared about introductions and not messing up her first day that she honestly thought it was all going to be over after that confrontation with who she now knew as Chloe Bourgeois and Sabrina Raincomprix. But thanks to her new friend Alya, it didn't turn out as terribly as she'd feared. Instead she'd made yet another new friend.
It it relieved her greatly.
"I'm still not really sure why people are so surprised by it. He's just like us, right? A teenager." Samantha said, tilting her head in confusion as the two girls stepped into the school's small elevator and made their way down to the second floor.
"Girl, you really must be new around Paris if you don't know Adrien Agreste." Pulling out her phone like a professional and typing quickly through the internet's search engine, Alya faced her phone screen to the brunette beside her. Endless scrolling showed pictures of Adrien Agreste, all in various poses and outfits in what appeared to be magazine covers and interviews. "He's a teen model. His father's a fashion designer and he shows off all his family's stuff."
"Oh, wow. Adrien really wasn't kidding. That must be why he was so surprised I didn't know who he was." Samantha said, taking Alya's phone and scrolling through the plethora of pictures showing her friend from earlier.
"Must of been glad he didn't pick up a fan girl. That boy has got to be at the top of every girl's crush list." Alya joked, blocking the elevator doors from closing as she watched Samantha step off the elevator.
"Crush?!" Samantha chocked out, her grip nearly dropping Alya's phone in the process. Hastily recovering and gripping the device for dear life, the brunette turned to look at Alya for confirmation. "I mean I guess he's cute. He's not ugly or anything?"
Laughing as she walked away from the elevator, Alya patted Samantha on the shoulder. "Better not say that near Chloe. That girl would go rabbit if we even spoke about him. Or just about any girl who likes him." Pondering for a moment, Alya usher her classmate to follow. "But enough about models. Let's go chill in the library. We can chat more about ourselves. And hide from miss priss and her lackey."
"Yeah. Good idea." Samantha agreed, walking alongside Alya as the two made their way to the library. Opening the large, wooden doors and stepping inside the large room, Samantha couldn't help but be distracted by the array of bookshelves filled to the brim, the ornate furniture and the clean, wood flooring of the library. "This looks nothing like the school library's back home."
"Right. You mentioned you're from New York. I'm sure Paris seems like it goes a bit over the top sometimes, huh?" Alya joked, the two girls finding a table in the corner of the room and taking seats away from the students studying and goofing off themselves. "Hopefully it's not too bad. I know moving isn't always easy. Or just going to a new school if our day is any example."
Shaking her head as she sat down, Samantha smiled. "No, it's not like that. I was bit nervous at first when I moved here, but I've gotten used to it. My mom is happy to be back home and she's enjoying our family's flower shop. We've already got some customers coming in."
"Flowers?" Alya inquired with a smile. "That's so cute. I gotta come over some time and check it out. Maybe even squeeze in your good friend early to get flowers for her own mom when she forgets?" Her friend asked, giving her a jokingly pleading look.
Laughing, Samantha nodded as she reached for a book nearby and started reading. "Sure. I'll put you on top of every list."
"Nice. You're a live saver." Alya complimented with a thumbs up. Fiddling with her phone a bit, Alya spoke up. "So it's just you and your mom? You're dad still stuck in New York with work?"
Her focus on her book fading at the question of her father, Samantha's expression fell as she frowned. "Oh, um. Not really. He's..."
Hearing her friend trail off, Alya looked to her classmate across from her. Noticing her expression and how quiet she'd gotten, Alya quickly reeled back. "Sorry! I didn't mean to pry. My parents say I can get a bit nosy. Forget I even said anything."
Trying her best not to make her new friend feel worse, Samantha shook her head, pulling at her hood to cover her face. "No, it's okay. I know you didn't mean to. You were just curious." Sighing, Samantha's gaze moved to her leg beneath the table; just barley peeking her leg brace in her vision. "Let's just say that this happened around the same time when my dad... you know."
"Oh," Alya muttered softly. "I'm sorry." Reaching over to Samantha, Alya placed a hand on her friend's shoulder and gave her a supportive smile. "If you ever need to talk, I'm always here. New girls got to stick together, right?"
Feeling a wave of calm wash over her at Alya's supportive words, Samantha couldn't help but smile softly as she placed a hand on top of Alya's. A shine of a tear in her eyes, she nodded. "Of course. Thanks, Alya."
"Hey, don't start crying on me. People are going to think I'm picking on you." Alya jokingly warned Samantha with a laugh.
Unable to say anything else, Samantha just wiped the tears from her eyes as she joined Alya in their laughter.
Maybe it won't be so bad here after all.
Just as Samantha had finished that hopeful thought, a sudden shake of the ground and rumbling of the room caused both girls to yelp in surprise, falling out of their chairs and to the floor. Accompanied by a few falling books and the sounds of others in the library freaking out, Samantha rubbed her head and looked to see the sudden confusion overtaking the faces of many.
"Alya, are you okay?" Samantha asked, quickly crawling to her friend beside her on the floor.
Rubbing her own head and adjusting her glasses, Alya nodded and looked over her friend. "Just dizzy. Your leg good?"
Almost forgetting about her injury, Samantha cautiously moved her leg. It didn't take too long for a short pain to sting through her leg, making her wince a bit. "It's not too bad. It just hurts a little. What was that?"
"I don't know. But whatever it was had to be huge." Alya commented, getting up and moving to help her classmate to her feet.
Wrapping her arm over Alya's shoulder, Samantha leaned on her friend as her gaze shifted to the rest of the library. Books were scattered on the floor, furniture pushed aside and students running out the exits.
What was going on?
"Wow, look at that!"
"What is it?!"
Turning her attention tot he sounds of confused students, Samantha and Alya moved closer to the center of the room and looked to the library's security cameras. Various locations being displayed on the screens from the inside and outside of the school, a single screen had most, if not all of everyone's attention. A hulking figure maybe ten feet tall. Their body appeared to be made all up of nothing but rocks. Where its eyes would be were instead filled with a strange, eerie green glow and when it opened its mouth, it yelled out a name for the world to hear.
Mylene.
Brows furrowing in confusion, Samantha turned to Alya. "Mylene? Isn't that the name of someone in our class, Alya?"
"And that almost sounded like Ivan's voice!" Alya exclaimed, her expression a mix of shock and excitement . "This is insane! It's like he's been turned into a...into a..."
A super villain.
"Why are you so excited about this?! This is bad! How did that happen to one of our classmates?" Samantha questioned.
"I'm not sure, but I'm not standing around here to find out! If there's a super villain, there's got to be a superhero coming to stop it!" Alya exclaimed. "I'm going to go out there and see if I can track this thing down. What about you?"
Being put on the spot so suddenly, Samantha shook her head. "N-No way! I couldn't that. My mom would kill me. Besides," she muttered, looking down to her leg. "I can't really move all that fast on my own."
"Don't worry. I'll get you home before I go super hero hunting. Not leaving a friend behind during all this mess. Let's get you home." Alya assured, walking alongside the brunette as they made their way out of the library.
Nodding in agreement as they made their way out of the school, Samantha turned to look back to the security footage playing on loop.
Just what was going on Paris?
"Adrien, I told you not to go to that school."
Sitting at his home's ornate dinner table, Adrien Agreste had spent his time since getting home doing what he always did. Study, study study. It didn't matter if it was history lessons, Chinese classes or just your typical math problems given by Nathalie. He'd been through the routine enough to know the answers on command, but that didn't mean he liked doing it.
Especially stuck in his own house.
It was why he'd been so happy earlier to just be near Collège Françoise Dupont. Even if he couldn't go inside, just seeing the school with his own eyes and just being near the entrance had given him a moment of freedom he hadn't felt before. So much so that he'd gotten a bit distracted during that day's lesson.
And almost missing his father speaking to him.
Sitting up straighter in his seat, Adrien's gaze shifted between Nathalie and his father from the other side of the room. Deep down knowing his father's assistant had to of told, Adrien didn't try to hide it. "I was only there because I was helping a... friend."
"A friend?" Gabriel Agreste asked, a brow raising at his son's explanation.
"She was hurt and needed help getting to the school before she was late. That's all." Tilting his head down, Adrien mustered up what courage he had to ask again. "Please, father. Isn't there some way you'd let me go? I hate being trapped here."
"Its for your own good, son. The outside world is a dangerous place, you know that." Gabriel retorted.
"But its not that dangerous. The world is out there and people are living out their lives in Paris while I'm cooped up in here. I haven't even invited someone once here. I'm just by myself all the time." Adrien stressed, looking to his father with pleading eyes. "Can't you see to reason?"
"No." Closing his eyes, Gabriel Agreste shook his head. Turning away from his son and assistant, Gabriel began to walk away. "Adrien?"
A feeling of hope budding in his chest, Adrien stared back at his father. "Yes, father?"
"This new friend of yours? I don't want you seeing them ever again." Being the parting words to their conversation, Gabriel Agreste left the room.
Feeling like something had shattered inside him at the words, Adrien let out a weak sigh as his expression fell. Like a weight pressing down on his back, the blonde shook his head as he pushed himself out of his seat.
"Adrien, your lessons aren't done yet." Nathalie warned, watching as the boy got up from the table.
"Please, Nathalie. I just need want to be alone." Adrien stressed. Looking to the older woman with pain in his eyes, Adrien turned and rushed out of the room as fast as his feet could take him. Passing by all of the fancy decor, rich paintings and portraits of his family, the blonde made his way upstairs until he burst into his room and collapsed onto his bed.
"Why?" He muttered softly, turning to lay on his back as he stared at his room ceiling. All he wanted was to just live his life the way he wanted. Go outside and see the city. Not just be pulled around everywhere by some schedules and modeling jobs. He wanted to meet people that just weren't his fans. People his age he could hang out with. Have fun with. Talk about their problems with and just enjoy time together.
But instead his father only cemented his life trapped in his own house.
"Somehow I thought it would be different this time." Adrien muttered, closing his eyes and trying to swallow down the sadness that was festering inside him.
"I'll... see you around?"
"Yeah, positive."
That wasn't happening anymore.
"But if... or when you do end up coming here, if we're in the same class, I'll save you a seat."
He'd finally made a new friend after all this time. He'd only met her that day, and not it seemed it was going to be the first and last time.
"It's not fair." Adrien muttered.
Just as he'd said that, a rumbling noise and the shake of the house startled him from his bed. Getting up and looking around his room to see if whatever caused the noise was in his room, Adrien rushed to his window to look out to the front of the house; noticing an array of police cars and policemen outside. It wasn't long until he saw them start to scramble, running around and trying to yell at something coming their way.
And when that something did show up, Adrien couldn't stop his mouth from hanging wide open.
A rock monster!
"What's going on?" Rushing to his television and turning it on, Adrien took a seat as the screen flashed with the news channel. Showing the mayor on television surrounded by reporters, the older man waved a hand to try and relax the crowd.
"I'm asking all Parisians to stay home until this whole mess is under control." The mayor announced, his fix appearing to stay focused as he delivered the news. Although his intent serious, it didn't stop the array of reporters from badgering the mayor further with countless questions.
The scene quickly shifting to the news room of the Parisian news channel, the reporter on screen nodded in affirmation. "As just announced by Mayor Bourgeois, all Parisians are advised to stay indoors until further notice. The police are working to settle the dangers that have been on the rise due to what many are claiming to be the attack of a super villain in the streets of Paris."
"Do not try to engage with the super villain at any costs."
Feeling a pit of worry settle in his stomach, Adrien turned his head away from the news to try and honk about something else. But rather thank think of something else, he saw something else. Something hat hadn't been in his room before.
A small, black box. Designed with a red, ornate decor on its top.
"What's this? I didn't leave this here." Taking the box in his hands and carefully inspecting it, Adrien decided that instead of wondering, he'd just open it and take a peak inside. Unclamping the lid and opening the box, he was greeted by a glow of light, making him close his eyes to shield himself from its brightness.
When he light finally died down, Adrien opened his eyes to be greeted by something he'd never seen before.
A floating, cat thing?
"Wow. Like a genie in a lamp." Adrien said, reaching over to touch the groggy looking fairy.
Yawning, the creature stretched and felt Adrien poke him. Swatting the boy's finger away, the fairy creature answered.
"Genie schmenie. The name's Plagg. And I'm a Miraculous. The coolest one in fact."
"I can't believe this is happening." Samantha muttered from her desk, staring at her television that sat in the corner of her room. Ever since Alya had gotten her home, all that she had done was keep an eye on the news and clutch her phone to her chest like a lifeline. As much as she tried to convince hew new friend not to go, Alya couldn't sit by and miss whatever was going in Paris.
It was hard enough trying to grip with the idea a super villain of all things was in Paris, but Alya was out there. Hopefully she would be careful. At the very least they could contact each other through text messages.
Eyes flickering down to her phone in her hands, Samantha went to her text messages and texted Alya again.
IS EVERYTHING OKAY OUT THERE ALYA?
Waiting in anticipation for a reply, Samantha smiled when she saw a message pop back up.
POLICE ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE. NO SUPERHEROES YET.
Letting out a soft chuckle, Samantha felt a bit of relief wash over her.
KEEP ME POSTED.
Rather than another message, Samantha was greeted by a smiling emoji winking at her. Knowing that worrying wasn't going to get her anywhere for the rest of the day, Samantha moved to place her phone on the desk, only just noticing something that hadn't been there before.
A small, black box. Its top outline with the design of what looked like a bird, its shape was filled with what appeared to be polished pearl and was complimented by red paint etched at its sides.
"A jewelry box? I don't remember having this." Samantha muttered, her thumb softly rubbing the pearl animal carving at its top. "It's beautiful though. Maybe mom bought it for me?" Deciding to take a look inside, Samantha opened the box carefully to ensure she didn't break it.
Rather than be greeted by an empty box, Samantha peeked what looked to be some kind of necklace inside.
But only for a brief moment.
Before she had any chance to inspect it further, Samantha gasped in shock and closed her eyes from a bright, white light that appeared suddenly from the box. Dropping it out of shock, she pushed her chair back in fear of the light being some kind of bomb or crazy weapon. She kept her eyes shut until the brightness of the light faded little by little; finally opening her eyes after she could tell the light show was over.
Opening her eyes to check the mystery box, the girl gasped as she spotted yet another thing that was not in her room before.
Floating in midair above the opened box was a small creature of some kind. Tiny enough to fit in the palm of her hand and covered in an array of golden feathers, the small, orange beaked face of what looked like a bird stared back at her. Its eyes a large baby blue and looking back at her curiously, there were no words spoken at first; the noise in the room all but quiet save for the news playing in the background.
"Hehe. A little baby duck just flew out of a box?" Samantha muttered, uncertain of what she was even saying as the bird kept staring at her.
"A duck?" The tiny bird asked incredulously. "I'm not a duck! I'm a beautiful and graceful swan, thank you very much."
...
That duck just talked.
Her brain feeling like it had just fizzled out into nothingness as she heard the tiny animal just talk to her, Samantha said nothing back as she stared at the tiny creature in front of her.
"Hello? Did you hear me? Its unladylike for one to stare and insult someone." The duck (or swan) chastised.
...
Is this duck insulting my manners?
"Are you okay? I know its been a long time since I've been with a human, but I know that you talk. It hasn't been that long, right?" The duck asked, tapping its chin with a tiny, feathered wing.
...
What the heck is going on?
Her brain seemingly starting to finally move into maximum overdrive and speed up from all of this insanity, Samantha finally did something after all of this conversation had started.
"Ahhh!" She shrieked, taking some steps back as she walked back into her bookshelf nearby, nearly knocking over one of her potted plants. Hastily grabbing it before it fell, Samantha stared back at the talking creature still just...being there.
"Hey, don't yell at me. I didn't do anything wrong." The creature spoke in a huff, looking like it was pouting of all things at her.
"This isn't real. This isn't happening." Samantha said to herself, trying to talk her way out of whatever craziness she was experiencing as she walked further through her room and grabbed her pikachu doll for moral support. "I have to be dreaming. I'm sleeping in class and I'm going to get woken up and sent to the principal's office any second now."
Watching the girl mutter to herself, the floating duck glided over to Samantha's side and patted her cheek with one of its wings. "I'm as real as red roses, you. Now listen, Samantha, you need to get a grip or Paris is going to be in big trouble." The duck exclaimed in her face.
Clutching her pikachu plush like a lifeline, Samantha looked to the tiny bird when she'd heard her name. "How do you know my name? And what about Paris? Just... what are you?"
Placing its wings on its hips and looking like it was smirking at her, the floating duck creature shined its blue eyes to her. "I'm glad you asked. I am the graceful, beautiful, lovely Ahiruu! And I am the kwami of the healing Miraculous." The creature spoke, doing a quick twirl and striking a pose to its singular audience.
"Kwami? Miraculous? I don't even know what you're talking about." Samantha said, combing a hand through her hair. "This is the weirdest dream I've ever had."
"This isn't a dream, so stop acting like none of this is real, Samantha." Ahiruu said, pointing a feathery wing in her face. "You should be honored. To be the chosen one for a famous and powerful kwami like me means that you should be an exceptional wielder of the healing Miraculous. And all of my previous wielders have been graceful, beautiful and confident. Truly the best of the best!" Ahiruu praised with a shine in her eyes.
Staring at the tiny bird showering itself with praise and compliments, Samantha shook her head. "Okay, give me a second. I'm a chosen one? Chosen for what?"
Turning its head to look at her, Ahiruu smiled. "You've been chosen to stop Stoneheart of course."
"Stone...heart?" Samantha repeated, a look of confusion clearly on her face.
"That monster out there destroying Paris. You've been chosen to wield the healing Miraculous and stop it." Ahiruu explained, floating over to the confused teen.
"Me? Why me? I don't have a heroic bone in my body. I'm not the right person for the job, trust me." Samantha said, her nerves jumping on ends as she clutched her doll close to her chest. "Just look at me! I can't even run! What can I do to help?"
"Its not about what you look like, Samantha," Ahiruu said, moving to wipe a ghost of a tear from the girl's face. "You've been chosen due to your kindness and personality. You don't have to be perfect to be a hero. Trust me. I'm the kwami of the healing Miraculous. I can tell if someone is worthy of me or not."
Feeling the soft feathers caress her cheek, Samantha wiped away what little tears had formed as she looked to Ahiruu. "Miraculous. You keep saying that word. What is that?"
"Your super power of course." Whizzing over to the box left behind on her desk, Ahiruu pointed to the necklace sitting inside. "This is the Miraculous of Healing. It'll grant you powers beyond your wildest dreams like leaping bounds and feather-like weight, but its main purpose is to be used to help others who are hurting."
"Those that are hurting?" Samantha asked, walking over to the kwami and inspecting the jewelry once more. It was a simple, yet elegant necklace resting inside the box. A thing, gold chain wrapped within, a single ornate charm hang at the center. Shaped into a design not too dissimilar to the swan on top of the box, the body of the charm was made of a gold colored metal while its feathers and body were filled in by sections with what appeared to be pearls. Although a bit dull in color and luster, it didn't change the fact that the jewelry was beautiful.
Carefully taking out the necklace from its box and staring at the charm, Samantha softly caressed the swan charm with her fingertips. "This thing can do all of that?"
"Of course. That's why they're called Miraculous. And this one is not one to laugh at either. I'd even have to say its the best one. It is mine after all." Ahiruu declared with a nod of satisfaction.
Taking the necklace and putting it around her neck, Samantha stared at herself in the mirror for a moment, simply staring at the new jewelry she was now wearing. "So what can I do to help people exactly?"
"The Miraculous of Healing has the power to help heal the wounds of others and calm people down. Not to mention deal with Akuma that are harming people. All you have to say is Crystal Wings and your all set."
"Wait, Akuma? You didn't mention whatever an Akuma is." Samantha said, fiddling with the pendant in her hands.
"An Akuma is the thing that made Stoneheart. If we want to save that person and Paris, you have to capture the Akuma. No matter what!" Ahiruu exclaimed.
"Okay, okay! I got it, Ahiruu." Samantha said, trying to calm her nerves as she stared at herself in the mirror. Waiting for what felt like a while, she turned to look the floating bird. "Uh, I don't feel any different. Should I have turned into a superhero by now?"
"You don't just put the necklace on. You have to say its secret phrase, obviously." Ahiruu said with a shake of its head. "Just say Ahiruu, shall we dance and you'll transform."
Raising a brow, Samantha looked at Ahiruu still uncertain about the instructions. "You want me to ask you to dance?"
"Yes! And with feeling." Ahiruu said with a nod.
"O...kay," Samantha said, her expression becoming nervous. "Uh, Ahiruu, shall we dance?"
From saying that phrase alone, a white light engulfed the brunette's vision once more. Feeling as if sunlight itself had come to warm her skin, the soft tingle of what felt like feathers drifted along her body as Samantha felt like she was becoming weightless and... free. Feeling the warmth of the energy course through her arms and legs, the fleeting touches of feathers washed away her old street clothes as they disappeared and were replaced by a form fitting cream colored dress; not too different from a ballet tutu as it was held by a long white ribbon which was tied neatly into a bow at the back of her neck. The frills of the outfit shining with a glittering brilliance, Samantha's legs were momentarily covered by the feathers before proofing away, revealing white tights having now covered her bare skin and her leg brace no longer around her right leg.
Finishing the final touches to the transformation, the glowing feathers moved to cup around her arms as puffing sleeve cuffs formed around her, complimented by soft, white swan feathers decorating them for a serene gracefulness. The transformation's energy moving up to the brunette's head, a small golden tiara was placed upon her as the rest of the energy moved to dance quickly along her face. Masking her facial features with an ornate, white dancer's eye mask, the Swan Miraculous glowed with a serene, white energy as the dulled pearls shined with a brilliant sparkle and her hair was left to cascade down her back in glossy waves of brunette locks.
Resting at the center of Samantha's chest, the transformation concluded as the white light faded away, allowing Samantha to open her eyes and see just what exactly had happened.
Staring back at the mirror she'd been standing in front of, the brunette gasped at seeing her reflection. Her jeans and hoodie now gone from this world, what had come to replace them were clothes that she never thought she'd see herself wear again.
"I'm... in a ballet outfit?" Samantha asked herself, unsure if what she was seeing was really there at all. Although this entire situation was kind of crazy already. This wasn't as farfetched as everything else that was going on.
Moving a hand to touch the soft, fabric of her dress, Samantha inspected her outfit further. A soft cream colored ballet outfit, white tights, and even a mask of all things. She reached to touch her face, feeling the ornate mask covering her face. "This is crazy." She looked back down to her outfit, staring at the ballet shoes on her feet. "I never thought I'd see these kinds of shoes again." Inspecting them curiously, something clicked in her mind as she was staring at them.
Her leg brace!
"My brace! Where is it?" Turning around back and forth as if thinking she'd somehow spot her leg brace around her right left from some other angle, the confused and worried super heroine stared down at her right leg; seemingly spotting no kind of worsening marks or even any pain. At least for the moment.
But no. It couldn't be.
Could it?
Feeling an uncertainty clasp at her heart, Samantha decided to take the leap of faith to know for sure. Putting most of her weight on her left and and standing on one foot, Samantha jumped and landed solely on her right root, shutting her eyes as she awaited some kind of painful reaction.
Only... nothing happened.
Absolutely nothing.
"I don't feel anything." She muttered to herself, opening her eyes as she stared down at her leg. Still standing on her right leg all by her own, Samantha moved to stand on both feet again. She processed this before taking a few normal steps. Then she walked a few more, pacing to the other side of the room. Then she walked to the other side.
Then she ran a little quicker.
And then again. And again. And one more time.
"I... I can run!" Samantha exclaimed with glee, feeling like her whole body was as light as air. Unable to contain her happiness, Samantha smiled as she looked around the room. "Ahiruu! You have to see this! Ahiruu?" Suddenly noticing that the odd, little duckling had no longer been in the room, Samantha frowned. "Did she leave?"
"With the monster already taking down some of Paris's police forces, its now beginning to head towards the Montparnasse Tower. Can anything stop this creature?"
"What?!" Forgetting her earlier excitement, Samantha rushed over to the television as she watched the footage showing the stone monster from before trekking through the streets of Paris. "So that's Stoneheart. Huh?" Keeping an eye on the footage, something moving in the low corner of the news caught Samantha's eye.
It was a girl on a bicycle following Stone heart.
Wait, was that Alya?!
"Alya!" Samantha exclaimed in shock, turning back to her desk and quickly grabbing her cellphone. Typing through her texts as fast as she could, Samantha looked back to the television. "Please, please, don't be her."
ALYA, WHERE R U?
Just as she sent the message, Samantha watched as the figure on the bike seemed to be fiddling with something.
FOUND THE MONSTER! FOLLOWING AFTER IT ON MY BIKE! SO CLOSE TO THAT SCOOP!
Fearing gripping her chest at the realization her friend was close to very serious danger, Samantha bit her lip as she tried to process just what was happening.
Someone from her class was turned into a monster. Her new friend from school was chasing after said monster in the hopes of finding super heroes. She just got contacted by a mini, flying duck/swan thing and is a chosen one who's job it is to save Paris from said monster. And now she was in a super frilly and cute magical girl outfit with her permanently injured leg all healed.
Putting her hands on her cheeks, Samantha rubbed her face to try and ready herself.
"Alya is looking for a superhero. I guess that's me." Samantha said to herself, rushing out of her room to the deck outside on the roof. Looking out at the city of Paris before her, Samantha let out a shaky breath as she closed her eyes and tried to steady her erratic heart. "I didn't know what I was supposed to do here in Paris. I guess this answers my question."
Moving back a few steps to the entrance of her room, Samantha turned back to face the small fence which surrounded the roof deck. Taking a few breaths to steady herself, Samantha bent herself low to the ground as she got ready to do something she'd never thought she'd do in her entire life.
Pushing herself forward before she chickened out, the brunette ballet dancer ran across the roof deck before hopping up to land on the fence's surface. Taking a moment to look out at the buildings of Paris, Samantha focused her energy to her legs as she propelled herself upwards into a jump, feeling herself not only jump off the ground, but fly right off the roof as she flew into the sky in a single bound.
Feeling the weightlessness of her body float through the air like a bird gliding along the sky, Samantha couldn't help but smile as her eyes surveyed the city of Paris. Everything looked so different from so high up. All the buildings that looked so tall seemed almost like insects where she was.
"I can't believe this is happening!" Samantha yelled in eagerness. Feeling herself begin to descend down from her high jump, the brunette felt a determination rush through her at the oncoming threat.
Once she found Stone Heart, she'd need to figure out how to stop it. Ahiruu had given her the rundown, but even that wasn't enough. She'd need to be careful. Smart. Focused.
Wait, how do I land?
Feeling a sudden dread crawl through her, Samantha gasped in shock as she started waving her hands around in the air in some desperate attempt to slow down. "C'mon, magic outfit. Make me fly! I'm a swan, right?! Give me wings, please! I don't have a landing strategy!"
"Hey, watch out!"
"Ahhh!"
Hearing someone call out to her, Samantha looked down towards where she was falling to spot something coming towards her. Or rather she was coming towards them. She swiftly saw the colors of black, green and blonde slip through her vision before she'd shut her eyes and curled up into a ball hoping to sustain whatever fall damage she was going to get.
But instead of crashing into the ground below, Samantha let out a soft grunt as the feeling of someone's arms caught her and wrapped around her body.
Letting her body for just a moment relax itself from its almost near death experience, Samantha let out a soft gasp as she slowly opened her eyes to see where she'd landed.
A black, leather body suit.
Green eyes.
Blonde, spiky tufts of hair.
And cat ears?
"Looks like this pussy cat was here at the right time." The leather clad figure said. Smiling what appeared to be a dashing grin, the cat boy gave her a wink. "A little birdie just flew my way."
A mix of surprise and confusion rattling inside her brain alongside her diminishing adrenaline, Samantha didn't say anything back at first, all to focused on just remembering where she was and who she was at the moment.
Staring back at the quiet girl in his arms, the masked blonde smiled kindly. "You okay?"
The brunette nodded softly, staring back at the cat-themed hero.
"Yeah. Thanks. I just learned I can't fly."