"Okay Adrien, you've got an hour for this test. There are no right or wrong answers, it's just a general aptitude test which will determine your best fit. You'll get your results as soon as you are done." Marinette clicked the mouse a few times and the screen changed to say 'begin'. "When you're ready, click here, okay?"

Adrien nodded then swivelled in his chair to look at her.

"What did you get in your test?"

She grimaced slightly.

"I didn't take one. It's not really important what I have an aptitude for. I have to be able to do everything so..." she shrugged and turned to leave. "Just have fun with it."

"Oh, right..." he agreed but she had already left.

The hour wait was pretty boring but she had been told point blank that she had to stay until he was done. After ten minutes of waiting she glanced up and down the empty hall - painted a sterile white to ensure maximum boredom - and since no one was there, and it seemed unlikely anyone would be heading this way, Marinette pulled her bag out from under her chair. One last glance down the empty hall confirmed she was alone so she grabbed her sketchbook and a pencil. Page after page of the notebook was filled with designs, but these weren't for toys. No games or trains or dolls filled the blank paper, no. It seemed pointless really. There was no way any of the designs would be made into anything. What would be the point? They all wore the same clothes everyday anyway. Still, she sketched and she imagined and she dreamed of a day she might get the chance to bring them to life.

So lost was she in her designs, she didn't even notice that the hour was up until a shadow fell across the shading of a particularly sleek, feathered bowler hat.

"Wow, that looks really cool, Marinette. Except for the feathers," he chuckled. "I'm allergic to feathers."

She screamed, her eyes wide then clamped a hand across her mouth and quickly closed the book. Tidying her things away, she avoided looking Adrien in the eyes.

"How long have you been stood there?"

"Not long!" he was quick to reassure her. "I just got here and noticed you were drawing and I was curious so I had a look. I didn't mean to-"

"Well you shouldn't have!" she snapped. "This is my personal sketchbook, it's not for other people to look at and I didn't give you permission to."

"I... uh I didn't mean to-"

"Why are you here, Adrien? I've been thinking about it since you got here but it's weird. People don't just show up this close to Christmas to start training as an elf. I've never heard it being done before, so why?"

She hadn't really meant to snap at him. It wasn't his fault really, everything that was going on. Her parents were the ones who had just up and decided to make all these changes in her life with no warning, Adrien just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. She had always been secretive about her clothes designs. And now he looked like a kicked puppy.

"Adrien, I-"

"I ran away," he said, his voice so small she almost didn't catch it.

"You-"

"Ran away. From home," he confirmed and he gingerly took the seat beside her. Tipping his head back against the wall he looked at the ceiling, his hands clasped tightly in his lap. "Last year, I lost my mother. Well, we both lost her, I guess. And my father hasn't been the same since. I haven't really been out much in the past year at all and if I do it's always with a babysitter. I even started getting home schooled and wouldn't see anyone my own age. Even Chloe I haven't seen in a long while. So... I wrote a letter to Santa..."

Marinette turned wide eyes on him. "You... really? Wow."

He nodded. "It's stupid, I guess. Kids my age don't write letters to him but... I was feeling pretty desperate. So I asked him if I could come and be an elf. I never really thought I would get a response, let alone that he would agree but..." Adrien shrugged then turned his head to smile at Marinette. It looked a little sad.

The two of them sat in silence, but it wasn't completely uncomfortable and Adrien seemed more relaxed than he had since he'd arrived. After a couple of minutes Marinette reached out a hand then pulled it back.

"So, umm... the test. How did it go?"

Adrien sat up straighter in his chair, the peace of the moment slipping away. "Oh, right. It was fine. I actually got a 50/50 aptitude for mechanics and for defence. So... where do I go from there? Am I supposed to split my time or do I take another test or what?"

She looked at him confused. "What do you mean 50/50?"

"Like, equally suited for both, I don't know. Doesn't this happen a lot?"

Marinette shook her head and got abruptly to her feet. "No, Adrien. This doesn't happen a lot. We need to go and speak to someone. I don't think this has ever happened before."

She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him down the corridor.

"Where are we going?" he asked, as he ran to keep up.

"I don't know. My dad, maybe? Or, actually, maybe we should go and see-"

"There you are!"

Marinette stumbled and nearly fell flat on her face but Adrien managed to snag her wrist, keeping her on her feet. Spinning around, she saw Alya racing towards her, Nino following in her wake.

"Hey, listen, we've got a big problem."

Marinette glanced over her shoulder at Adrien and then back at Alya.

"We've kinda got a problem ourselves that we need to deal with right now."

Alya grabbed Marinette by the shoulders, drawing her full attention. She looked scared, and Alya was never scared.

"What is it?"

Alya took a steadying breath and it was like the whole building stilled and time slowed.

"Mylene is gone."


And with this chapter I'm all caught up to where I was last year. I hope you're enjoying the story so far