Hello all! Some heads up for this chapter! Zoe arrives! Zoe is a character that, like a lot of people apparently, I don't really care about. And that has nothing to do with anything she says or does, I really just hate how they took away Chloe's redemption ark and then threw in this random-ass half-sister who is her complete opposite to take over the Bee Miraculous. I have made up my own back story with the information provided about Zoe in the show, which is almost nothing outside of the fact that she went to boarding school, had no friends, and her father is not a present parent, in order to hopefully give her character more depth and contrast her with Chloe in a way that makes sense.
I also hate her hair. The animation of it I mean. It's choppy and it looks like bad Sims CC. The kind that doesn't sit right on the neck and back and kind of just floats above it. I hate that.
But anyway, we'll get to see some more Chloe! I know you've missed her!
oOoOoOOoO
Life has a peculiar feel when you look back on it that it doesn't have when you're actually living it. It's as though the whole thing were designed to be understood in hindsight, as though you'll never know the meaning of your experiences until you've had enough of them to provide a reference. Andre stared absently at his food as his wife expressed he annoyance with a phone call she had gotten a few hours prior. Zoe had called. Zoe was Chloe's younger half-sister. The result of an affair between his wife and a business associate of hers that transpired shortly after she returned to work in New York.
Andre had never met Zoe. He had never laid eyes on her. Audrey never talked about her to him, and not once had she ever had Zoe come out to visit. A part of him had always been grateful for that. After all, her existence was a reminder of his wife's infidelity. However, when she was first born, Andre couldn't help but inquire about her. He thought that maybe, Audrey would find his interest to be a kind gesture of forgiveness. That she would appreciate his effort.
Instead, she shut him down, giving him short answers and telling him not to worry about it. Eventually, he gave up trying. After all, he had his own daughter to worry about. In passing a few years later it came up that Zoe had been enrolled in boarding school. Unlike Andre, Zoe's father was equally absent as Aubrey was. With neither truly having time for the girl, she was shipped off, and it was this knowledge that Andre couldn't help but pity the girl.
Once again, Zoe became an afterthought until a few more years passed. Now, he sat while Audrey ranted about Zoe's call. Apparently, something was amiss with her boarding school. Zoe's father was someone who was near impossible to get in touch with, even for Audrey, and now Zoe was requesting she come stay with them in Paris. His wife went on about how ridiculous it was for her to ask, giving every excuse in the book on why it wouldn't work out, and of course, she tried to make it out as though he was the one that wouldn't want Zoe in Paris.
"Darling," He interrupted her muttering and harsh stabbing of her lunch. Her eyes shot over to him from across the table in a bit of surprise, as if she had forgotten he had been there listening in the first place. "I think you should let her come."
Audrey raised a brow. "And why on earth would you think that?"
"Because she's your daughter." He answered simply. It seemed so obvious to him.
"But she's not yours." She reminded. As if he had forgotten.
"I think...one can never have too many daughters," Andrea said thoughtfully. "Besides, it could be good for Chloe."
Audrey tilted her head as she looked over her husband in an almost calculating way. As if trying to figure out what game he was playing at.
"Is that so? She hummed. "Fine. I'll have my assistant get in touch with her boarding school. You can handle the arrangements for her stay here." Audrey finally agreed absent-mindedly.
Andre gave a small smile. "Of course my dear."
OoOoOoOooO
When dates had been set, Andre and Audrey made a point to sit down with Chloe and inform her of the new addition to their family. To say she was unhappy was an understatement. She had gone her whole life thinking she was an only child, and now a sister was being sprung into her life from out of nowhere. Not even just a sister, but a half-sister. When she demanded answers from her parents, mainly her mother, she was shut down much like Andre had been.
"It's complicated dearest." Her father had said meekly.
"The details hardly matter," Her mother had said while examining her nails. "What does matter is that you have a half-sister and she is coming to live with us here in Paris."
"I don't want a sister," Chloe spoke dryly. Andre frowned while Audrey narrowed her eyes.
"And yet you have one anyway." Her mother countered. "Few are so lucky. I expect you'll welcome her with open arms, and show her the way of our family."
"Of course mother." Chloe agreed bitterly. As Audrey left Chloe's room, Andre stayed, taking a seat at the foot of his daughter's bed as she sat pouting at the head of it.
"Chloe, princess, I know you're upset-"
"I'm not upset, I'm furious." Chloe corrected. "First you both keep this huge secret from me that I have a sister, but then you come in here and tell me this stranger is coming to live with us and I am supposed to just what? Be happy about it? Utterly ridiculous. Why does she even have to come here? Doesn't she have her own home?!"
"This will be good for us darling. You'll see."
Chloe rolled her eyes and turned her head away from her father. "Doubtful."
"Did I ever tell you about my brother?" Adre asked, Chloe's head snapped back in his direction.
"You have a brother?" She asked. She had never met any uncle that she could recall.
"Had." Andre corrected. "I had a brother. He died a few years before you were born." Chloe didn't say anything in response to that, instead shifting to bring her knees to her chest.
"His name was Thomas. Our family has a long line of military men and he was no different. Our relationship wasn't the best towards the end. In fact, our last conversation was more of an argument." Chloe watched as her father seemed to get lost in thought, or perhaps simply lost in a memory as he gained a far-off look in his eyes before blinking and learning his throat.
"My point is, in many cases, regardless of the terms we are on with members of our family, we miss them when they're gone. You don't know Zoe, and frankly neither do I, but at the end of the day, she is family, and right now she needs us. Just give her a chance dearest, you're bound to regret it if you don't."
Chloe huffed and shook her head. "Whatever."
"That's my girl."
OoOoOoO
Zoe looked out the window in astonishment. Paris was so different from New York. When she had been informed that her mother approved of her request to come to stay in Paris with them she thought she was dreaming. Her whole life, Zoe had spent little time with her mother. The woman was always working and hardly acknowledged Zoe's presence normally. She and her father never lived together. In fact, Zoe was pretty sure she had only seen her mother and father in the same room as one another a handful of times. Something her mother seemed to resent about him if she was honest.
With that being said, Zoe spent most of her younger years being shipped between two parents who acted like her presence was a mild inconvenience to them. Once she was old enough, she was sent to boarding school, only visiting for holidays. However, even those ended up being spent alone sometimes. The children at her school, like her, all came from wealthy families, and for a long while, she didn't whatever she could to fit in with them. To play the part that had been expected of her. Unfortunatly, pretending to be something your not can get rather exhausting after a while, and so, one day, she stopped. Zoe's difference in attitude then made her a target. She didn't share their ignorance or their supremacist views, and thus she stuck out. She didn't belong.
There was, however, one girl at her school whom she was able to make friends with. But even Claire wasn't an outcast like she was. After months of torment and relentless bullying, Zoe had begged her mother to let her come stay in Paris with her, and just when it seemed hopeless, she got a call giving the green light. She knew her mother had another family in Paris. Her father had spilled the beans on that one a long time ago. Her mother showed no interest in telling her about her half-sister, or stepfather. It became clear to Zoe at a young age that her birth was the result of an affair, and she had always assumed that that had been why her parents were so distant from her.
She was the product of a doomed relationship.
They began driving past a small bakery when Zoe had the driver stop, wanting to try her first real Parisian pastry. A small Asian woman took her order and it only took a moment later for it to be bagged up and handed to her fresh from the oven. As she turned to leave, a girl with pigtails walked in the door behind her with a large crate of apples, only to stumble over one that had fallen. The girl crashed into Zoe and the pair ended up on the ground surrounded by fruit.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" The girl apologized.
"It's totally okay, but maybe I should be asking if you're okay. That was quite a fall!"
The girl let out a small chuckle. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, thanks. I'm pretty clumsy so I'm used to it. Come to think of it, I fall a lot. I fall on my face, fall asleep, fall out of bed, fall apart at the seams, fall in love..." She places her hands together against her cheeks making Zoe giggle. "I really am sorry about all of this, how can I make it up to you?"
Zoe waved the girl off. " It's nothing, don't worry!"
"Mom, can you put together a dozen more croissants for..."
"Zoe." She answered, and the girl smiled.
"Hello, Zoe, I'm Miss Walking Disaster. But my friends call me Marinette. Where's your accent from? It's really pretty!"
"I'm from New York."
"Wow, cool! And what are you doing in Paris?"
I'm- uh- here to be with my family." Zoe answered, almost uncertain. After all, she still wasn't sure how it would go.
Well then it's gonna be a great trip, no matter where you are if you're with the ones you love, then you feel right at home."
Attempting to pick up some more stray apples, the girls bump heads again and apologized. Marinette continues to pick up the apples when she notices Zoe's sneakers and the cute little note on the top of one that read 'I love you,' the word love actually being replaced with a red heart.
"Wow, your sneakers are awesome! Did you decorate them yourself?"
"Yeah, I've written every nice thing that anyone's ever said to me, to keep them with me all the time." Marinette frowned.
"But there's only one message."
"I only had one friend." Pity formed in Marinette's stomach and soon she found herself gathering a bunch of random pastries and boxing them up for the new girl. She only had one friend at the moment, but now she would have many, Marinette was sure of it.
"If you're not doing anything with your family tonight, my friends are performing a concert on a river march. Let me give you my number!" Marinette quickly scribbles her name and number on the top of one of the pastry boxes and smiles.
"I can give you mine too if you want," Zoe says, taking the pen from Marinette's hand and looking for something to write it on. Marinette then held out her hand for Zoe to write on her palm.
"This way I won't lose it for sure."
Zoe gave her digits, took her bag of baked goods, and went on her way. In the end, giving the driver the majority, knowing her family wouldn't be nearly as thankful for them. A man waited for her at the door, greeting her before taking her to her mother who was seated in the hotel dining area reading a magazine while enjoying some tea.
"Pardon me madame, but your daughter Mademoiselle Zoe has arrived."
"Zoe..." Her mother spoke, taking in her appearance before looking away in distaste. "Oh, you look terrible! I'm guessing the flight was horrific."
In truth, there was nothing all that bad about the flight. It was what most people would expect in your average plane trip but Zoe knew better. Her mother had high and unreasonable standers and it was always imperative that she matched them.
"Someone in economy class- uh- smelled like disgusting cologne, and the flight attendants refused to open a window to help air out the plane!"
"Your father forgot to provide a private jet for you? Too busy for anyone, as usual." Her mother noted. There it was again, the bitterness. "It's fine that you want to come live with us in Paris, but what exactly was wrong with your boarding school again?"
"I- I found roaches in my locker, can you believe it?"
"Well, that's nice, dear." Audrey spoke, hardly paying attention."Jean Quinton. Take her to see her sister."
OoOoOo
Zoe felt self-conscious as her elder half-sister examined her features. Chloe was blonder than her, with thinner eyebrows. She was also about an inch or so taller, and slightly thinner. She wore a little makeup, including a shade of lipstick that was too light for her completion in Zoe's opinion, but then again, she was never one to wear lipstick herself, so what did she know?
"So… you're Zoe?" Chloe spoke in her examination. "Blonde hair, blue eyes… Good, so far you're measuring up to the family standards, you can make an acceptable sister physically, at least. Cellphone!" Zoe hands over her phone only for Chloe to look at it a moment before tossing it behind her. "You'll have to change the case. Not enough gold or diamonds!" Her eyes cast down to Zoe's shoes making her grimace. "Ah! What are those?!" From the table behind her, Chloe holds out a box, opening them to reveal a pair of shiny high-heeled shoes. "See these? These shoes are life and in life, there are winners and losers. Winners have their perfect little feet in these shoes while losers get crushed," She explained, closing the box dramatically. "under the soles."
Zoe could already see that her sister took close after their mother.
"So you want them?" Chloe asks. Zoe hesitantly reaches out for the box only for Chloe to move it away. "Uh uh uh! If you want to be a winner and be part of this family, you're gonna have to earn your place. But don't worry, I'll be your mentor and if you prove worthy enough to be my sister, well then, maybe…I'll let you borrow my shoes!"
Chloe places the box aside and smiles while pulling out her phone. "Rule number one: your father only exists to give you everything you want whenever you want. DADDY!" She shouts into the phone, and a moment later, the man Zoe figured was her stepfather stood at the door. "I want the limo painted pink before I go to school!" Chloe demanded.
"What? But sweetheart-"
Chloe didn't bother to listen to her father's words as she slammed the door. In all reality, she didn't care about the color of the limo, this was simply an example to show Zoe. As random and unnecessary as it was, Chloe knew her father would indulge her, he always did. "Since your father isn't here, you'll use mine! If you become my sister, of course. Rule number two: you need a minion. Where's yours?"
"Uhhh, I left them…in New York!" Zoe lied quickly. A minion? Honestly?
"Fatal mistake!" Chloe gasped. "You never go anywhere without your minion! Don't confuse a minion for a patsy which I'll teach you about later. A minion is someone who does everything for you." She walks over to one of her closets and opens it revealing a ginger girl sitting inside at a small desk. "Aren't you done with that math homework yet?"
"Sorry, Chloe. It's taking me a little longer 'cause it's so dark in here but now that my eyes are used to having no light, it'll go much faster!" Chloe says nothing but slams the closet shut again.
Several rules later and the sisters sat in the pink limo, heading for the school. Zoe sat beside Chloe silently as she listen to all the little life guide tips she had to share in mild annoyance. She had hoped that things would be different here. That maybe, although her mother was...well, her mother, that maybe Chloe would be a little less of a diva. As it turns out, based on the little amount of time they had spent together, Chloe was somehow worse.
"Now, a patsy is there to suffer for your own entertainment. If you're good enough, a patsy can last you a lifetime." Chloe informed her. "I have an old one but it hasn't been working so well ever since I became a superhero. I got too soft. She's yours if you could do something with her." Zoe forced herself not to roll her eyes.
When they arrived at school, Chloe pushed her way past the students in her way. Chloe's minion, Sabrina, Zoe had learned, managed to catch up soon after, following close behind them.
"Another super important rule. Number 72: All the boys have to be crazy about you carrying your school bag up the stairs should be the highlight of their day. Not you, no, not you," She spoke, shoving past several random boys. "Neither of you, but you can shine my shoes in your dreams tonight! You!" She finally says landing on a dark-haired boy who overall looks confused and somewhat frightened by Choles sudden presence. Chloe snags Zoe's bag and shoves it in the boy's arms before walking past him. Zoe sheepishly smiles and follows her sister. Fortunately, Sabrina is quick to grab the bag from the boy, knowing better and apologizing for Chloe in the process.
Across the courtyard, Lucy stood chatting with Nino about a new video game that had been released the night prior when Chloe called the attention of her peers.
"Hey you nobodies! Stop your meaningless chatter for a minute and listen up! This is uh..." Chloe pauses before leaning over and asking. "What's your name again?"
"Zoe."
Chloe scoffs and pushes Zoe aside. "We'll buy you a new name later. This is Zoe." She announces. "She's only my half-sister for now but you must still treat her with respect, so bow down...uh, I mean give her the welcome her status deserves.
The crowd buzzes over the announcement and Lucy raises a brow at Nino. "Did you know Chloe had a sister?"
Nino shakes his head in surprise. "No idea. In all the years we have known Chloe, she never once mentioned it."
"Hey, what's up man." Adrien greeted Nino. "Lucy." He then greets her as well.
"What's up is Chloe has a sister all of a sudden." Lucy answers. "Did you know anything about that?"
"Sister?" Adrien repeats in confusion. "Chloe doesn't have a sister."
"She does now dude," Nino says gesturing to the front of the courtyard where the pair of girls stood.
Chloe smiled as she spotted Adrien.
"Ah, rule number 148: obviously, you need a guy BFF to wrap around your finger. Preferably gorgeous and very rich." She directs Zoe's gaze to the blonde boy across the way. "That one over there is mine, Adrikins! He's the best there is. So keep your hands off, you here! We'll find you a less handsome one because you're less pretty than me, obviously."
Zoe narrows her eyes at her sister's petty insult before looking back over the boy Chloe was referring to as well as the two others he was speaking to. The trio looked over at them, confusion and curiosity present in their expressions. Zoe tilted her head as she watched the girl lean toward Adrien and speak to him somewhat secretively.
"And who's that he is with? Your Guy BFF."
Chloe looked back over and Zoe watched her jaw clench. Chloe's eyes and the other girls met, and for a moment they seemed to have some kind of stare-off. Chloe, seemingly trying to make her explode with her mind, while the other girl was more...unreadable. Zoe didn't know the story between the two, but there clearly was one.
"The guy is some wanna-be DJ in our class, the girl is Lucy. Most people at this school aren't worth the smallest bit of our attention and Lucy is no exception to that. She's a backstabber and liar and you will not speak to her. Do I make myself clear?" Chloe cautioned strictly.
"Crystal," Zoe answered, curiosity clawing away at her.
"Ah! Here comes the patsy I was telling you about." Chloe smiles, changing the subject. Zoe frowns as she sees Marinette make her way over to them with a smile on her face. "If you can do a number on her, then I'll make you my real sister. Watch and learn. Still loafing around, Dupain-Cheng?" Chloe laughs at her pun insult. "Hello, she's a baker's daughter, get it? Haha!"
Marinette ignores Chloe and instead directs her attention to Zoe. "Hey, Zoe. What'd you think about the macaroons? Good, huh?"
"What?! You know Dupain-Cheng?!" Chloe asked in outrage, and it was at this moment that Zoe mentally had a choice to make.
She had moved to Paris in hopes to get close to her family. If she didn't get Chloe to accept her, Zoe knew she would try and get her sent back to New York, back to boarding school. Then, she would be alone again. She had tried pretending to be like the other kids at her old school until she couldn't keep up with it anymore, and she had hoped things would be different here but it seemed that was wishful thinking. It is very difficult to develop a proper sense of self-esteem in a dysfunctional family. Having very little self-worth, looking at one's own character defects becomes so overwhelming there is no room for inward focus. People so afflicted think: "I need to keep you from knowing me. I have already rejected myself, but if you knew how flawed I am, you would also reject me…and since this is all I have, I could not stand any more rejection. I am not worthy of someone understanding me so you will not get the chance. I don't accept me so how can I accept you?"
"Y-yeah, we've met," Zoe answered slowly. "This clueless klutz knocked me down! So she gave me some super, uh… disgusting… macaroons thinking that it would be enough to make up for it, but since I have good taste, I threw them out."
Marinette's eyes widen slightly at Zoe's retelling of their meeting before frowning. It didn't make any sense. Why was she so nice before if she was as horrible as Chloe?
OoOoO
Eventually, Zoe was given her classes. Due to the advancements of her boarding school education, she fell in line with her sister academically, making several of their classes the same, while others were not. Later in the day, Zoe found herself in gym class and went to the girl's locker room to change into her uniform. It was there she spotted the girl from earlier. Lucy. Zoe couldn't help herself from being curious about the girl, mainly because of Chloe's reaction to her. Chloe had called her a backstabber and a liar, but Zoe wanted to know why.
"Take a picture it will last longer." Zoe froze as Lucy's eyes shot over to her.
"Huh? Oh, no...I! Eh, I'm sorry, I just..I'm...Zoe"
"Yes, Chloe's mysterious sister. You're all the buzz today."
Zoe gave an awkward chuckle. "I don't know if that's really a good thing."
"Where Chloe is involved, it rarely is," Lucy answered. "So tell me, Zoe, is there a reason you're drilling holes into my head, or do you just think I'm that pretty?" She asked with a wink.
Zoe felt the heat rise to her cheeks in embarrassment and shook her head. "No! No, no it's not...! Well, I mean, not that you're not- I just mean-"
"You're very nervous," Lucy noted allowed. "There is no reason to be."
Zoe sighed. "I'm sorry. I just...you're kind of intimidating up close."
Lucy gave a small laugh through her nose. "Whatever has you so anxious has been there long before you ever knew of my existence I assure you. But you do seem to have something you want to say to me, so how about you just get on with it, yeah?" She said, tying her shoe on the bench.
Biting the inside of her cheek, Zoe crossed her arms. "I was just wondering...Chloe..."
"What about her?"
"How well do you know her?"
"About as well as anyone else which turns out to be not at all, why?" Lucy asked, her posture straightening as she stood.
"She called you a backstabber," Zoe informed. "And a liar."
"Ouch." Lucy pouted. "In case you haven't realized it yet, Chloe doesn't have nice things to say about most people." She then added dismissively but Zoe scrunched her face.
"No..no I got that but you see, you're different."
"In what way?"
"Everyone is beneath Chloe. Marinette is a patsy for her to mess with, that boy you were with, is a nobody wanna-be DJ, almost everyone she has introduced me to or talked about is just a...waste of space, nothing of importance to note but you," Zoe explained. "You, are the backstabber. And the only way for someone to stab you in the back is if you trust them first. So I guess I was just wondering what happened between you two?"
Lucy looked down at Zoe thoughtfully, going over it in her mind. "Ask your sister." Was all she said as she walked out of the locker room and into the gymnasium with the other students. They fell in formation on the floor and started doing their routine stretches. Zoe quickly followed behind Lucy before taking a seat beside her on the floor, mimicking the group's actions.
"She's not gonna tell me anything." Zoe persisted, much to Lucy's annoyance.
"And why would I?"
Zoe blinked. "I..I don't know...someone is talking bad about you...wouldn't you want to set the record straight?"
"I think I would first have to care about whoever the people being told opinions of me, and frankly new girl, your opinion of me isn't really on the list." Lucy declared with a side-eye. "What's it matter to you anyway? You've already chosen a side."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Marinette. The patsy as you know her. She informed me, as well as a few others that when you met her the first time around you seemed very nice, however, when she tried to talk to you, you shut her down." Lucy explained, touching her toes from her seated position. "Marinette figures you're probably not as much of a tart as Chloe, but that Chloe influenced you to act such a way. You had the opportunity to be genuine and instead chose to appease your sister. You already chose a side. Chloe's."
Zoe shook her head and moved to do butterfly stretches. "You don't understand. My family... it's dysfunctional."
Lucy let out a chuckle and grins at Zoe. "I always hear people talk about 'dysfunctional families.' It annoys me because it makes you think that somewhere there's this magical family where everyone gets along, and no one ever screams things they don't mean, and there's never a time when sharp objects should be hidden. Well, I'm sorry, but that family doesn't exist. And if you find some neighbors that seem to be the grinning model of 'function,' trust me - that's the family that will get arrested for smuggling arms in their SUV between soccer games. The best you can really hope for is a family where everyone's problems, big and small, work together. Kind of like an orchestra where every instrument is out of tune, in exactly the same way, so you don't really notice."
"I just want to be accepted by my family," Zoe muttered and Lucy couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
"But your not." She declared. "You're pretending to be something you're not so they will accept you but that's not the same thing."
Zoe sent Lucy a pointed look. "And what would you have me do? Huh? If I step out of line with her Chloe will get me sent back to New York."
"Sometimes you gotta roll the dice," Lucy said with a shrug. "I'm not saying going up against your sister is going to be a walk in the park, and there is definitely a chance she will try to get rid of you for it but..."She paused, her brows knitting together. " You need to accept yourself, love yourself, and keep moving forward. If you want to fly, you must give up what weighs you down."
"But... they're my family," Zoe spoke quietly, her eyes falling to the floor. Lucy looked her over and couldn't help but feel pity.
"Then you viewing the world differently shouldn't make them view you differently." Lucy glanced down at Zoe's sneakers, reading the single message written on them. "Marinette also mentioned you didn't have many friends back in New York. If you're looking to change that then not being an asshole is probably the best start. Maybe at your old school, you were surrounded by Chloes but that's not the case here. If you keep following her around your just going to alienate yourself."
"Maybe so..." Zoe agreed, picking at the sole of her shoe. "But you know what they say...blood is thicker than water...so..."
Lucy snorted. "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb."
"What?"
"The whole saying. The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. It's actually an old bible verse, except over the years the words like covenant and womb fell away. If you asked a hundred people what blood is thicker than water means, then much like you they would assume its meaning is that family ties and loyalties are the most important ones." Lucy explained, leaning back on her palms.
"The reality is that it is the opposite. It's an idiom that actually means that bloodshed on the battlefield creates stronger ties than the water of the womb does, or family ties. Often the bonds we choose to have outweighed the ones we are born with. Family is family when they act like it."
Zoe didn't speak as Lucy got up from the ground and twisted left and right at the waist.
"You shouldn't stay seated much longer," Lucy advised. "You'll end up doing extra laps if the teacher notices." Zoe watched Lucy jog away with the majority of the class making their rounds around the room. Family is family when they act like it. Zoe sighed. It didn't feel that simple to her.
OoOoOoO
At the end of the day, Chloe seemed satisfied with Zoe's outward nasty demeanor, though verbally noting it could be better. When they got home, as a reward, Chloe went on a hunt for the diamond shoes she had tossed aside so that Zoe could try them. As Zoe sat on her bed and waited, her phone buzzed. A text message appeared on the screen from Marinette.
"I can tell something is keeping you from being yourself. If it's Chloe, we can talk about it tonight, if you want. You're still welcome to come to the Barge."
She thought it over. Thinking about her conversation with Marinette before, as well as the things Lucy had said when she finally replied. "Sorry. I'll explain tonight."
"Are you texting Dupain-Cheng?!" Chloe asked in a rage, sporting the name and photo on Zoe's phone screen as she walked over with the shoes. "I warned you! You walk over people, or I walk over you! Either you're proud to be who you are, proud to be a part of my family and you walk in my footsteps, or you clear out!"
"Are you through?" Zoe asked with a sly look on her face. It came rather easy. She had played this part before. "This is all just part of my plan! I trick Dupain-Cheng into thinking I'm her friend, and tonight at the Barge I'll throw her disgusting macarons into the Seine, in front of all of her friends! Total humiliation."
Chloe's rage is quickly replaced by an evil grin, pleased with the explanation given to her.
"Brilliant! Utterly brilliant!" She thrusts the pair of diamond-encrusted gold shoes into Zoe's hands and jumps on her bed with a journal and a pen. "So, how about 'stick a wad of chewing gum on her chair? No, done that. Oh! Get her punished for something she didn't do! Too easy." Suddenly it was as if she had an epiphany. "Roaches! Roaches in her locker! Yes!" Zoe swallows, her own personal flashbacks pushed to the front of her mind as she tries to slip away only for Chloe to notice. "How amazing am I? Hey! Where are you going?!"
"I'm... going to try them on outside," Zoe says with a small smile while gesturing to the shoes in her hands. "I want to see the diamonds sparkle in the sunlight."
On the patio, Zoe tried to feel anything but dread as she examined the sparkly shoes in her hand. She had spent most of her time alone growing up. With absent parents, almost no friends, and definitely no siblings. When she first found out she would be allowed to come to Paris, a part of her had hoped that maybe Chloe and her would bond over their lonely childhood. That perhaps they would be the missing pieces in each other lives. Zoe wouldn't have to pretend to be anything other than herself around someone who understood. How stupid she had been.
From afar, Andre noticed his stepdaughter looking distressed and frowned. When she arrived, Andre knew in an instant that Zoe was not like his daughter or wife. She didn't hold the confidence or arrogance the two other women carried. Instead, she stood in a pair of cheap sneakers, hoping the people who were supposed to be her family would accept her.
"Is everything okay, Zoe?" He asks gently. Zoe lifts her head and wipes her teary eyes. trying to give him a smile. "When I was young," He told her. "I wanted to make movies, and tell stories. Ah, that was the real me." Andre thought about his younger years. At that point in time, he had already started working for his father's architecture business. Making films had grown from a small interest to a hobby until had considered changing his career path entirely for it. However, things would never be so simple. His father had laughed at the idea, and Audrey...well, Audrey had always been far too concerned with her own dreams to have time for his.
"But it made very clear to me that in order to earn my place, I had to let certain dreams go. What about you? What are your dreams?"
"At first, I– I wanted to be an actress," Zoe admitted, looking down bashfully. "I'm good at acting." Her small smile faded as her anxiety snuck up on her. "Then I found myself acting all the time, playing these different roles trying to please everyone until I couldn't do it anymore." Andre looked down at Zoe sympathetically. "I just want to be accepted for being me, the real me. And now it's happening all over again, I just can't..."
"Let me show you something," Andre says, placing a hand on her shoulder. He takes her to the cellar on the roof and opens it, revealing a handful of items such as a camera, some film reels, some film booklets, and the script of the only film he ever actually made.
"I call this "My Cellar of Dreams.". Andre tells her. "It can be lonely when even your own family can't accept you for who you are." He says, picking up one of the booklets and holding it to his chest. "We end up burying our feelings deep, here." He places the booklet back in the cellar. "And here. If you want, I can make some space for you."
Doormatitis: door-mat-i-tis noun; low self-worth. A learned behavior where the infected person allows others to walk all over them, blame them, and treat them terribly, always giving the boundary crossers the benefit of the doubt. They make excuses for them, They will give in to guilt and intimidation and give the boundary crossers what they want again and again.
"I warned you: either you walk over people, or I walk over you!"
Zoe looks down at her sneakers sadly before placing them in the cellar, and in doing so, a piece of her was locked away with them. Her sadness radiated across Paris and in a moment's notice, an like blue Akuma fluttered its way into the cellar and into Zoe's sneakers.
OoOOoooOoO
"So do you think it's gonna be weird later?" Lucy asked, sitting on a nearby box on the deck of Luka's boat house. He didn't look at her as he continued to set up for the concert he and kitty selection was going to have that evening.
"What do you mean?" He asked, plugging in the speakers.
"I just mean that you and Marinette haven't talked much recently. She's coming to this little shindig right? You ready for that?"
Luka paused his movements, seeming to think about it before shrugging.
"As ready as I'll ever be I guess. Might be a little weird at first but the sooner we get on with it, the sooner we can get back to normal."
"Back to normal," Lucy repeated quietly with a nod. "Of course." Luka placed his hands on his hips and turned to look at Lucy giving him a tight-lipped smile.
"Is there a problem Lucy?" He asked. "Something I should know?" Lucy shakes her head
"No...no. Nothing like that."
"You have a terrible poker face, you know?" Luka said, taking a seat across from her.
"I think I have a great poker face actually." Lucy shot back crossing her arms.
"Uhm, we'll you've been bouncing your leg for the past fifteen minutes, so I think it's safe to say that something is on your mind."
Lucy paused her bouncing, now aware that it was something she was doing, and bit the inside of her cheek. Luka smiled at her with a slight smugness that made Lucy's eye twitch.
"Okay, so maybe there is."
"Well, are you gonna tell me? Because you look like you wanna tell me."
"I do..."Lucy admitted. "I do wanna tell you. Not sure if it's a great idea though. But if I'm honest it's kind of eating away at my brain and you might be the only person I can tell who won't have some kind of weird...negative reaction to it."
Luka gave a nod. "Okay...What is the reason that is making you hesitate to tell me?"
"It involves Marinette."
"Is it...bad? Did she do something to you or...?"
"No...not exactly. She just..."
Luka leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs while clasping his hands together, and let out a sigh.
"Lu, whatever it is, I'm not gonna-"
"Marinette tried to hook me up with Adrien." That made Luka pause. He stared at Lucy, who was now bouncing her leg again while biting the side of her thumb.
"...What?" Luka finally spoke, thinking he must have misheard her.
"She told said that Adrien is in love with me," Lucy admitted.
"Adrien...Adrien Agreste?" Luka asked in confirmation. "The Adrien Agreste that she-"
"Yup," Lucy answered shortly. "She told me that if there was a chance I felt the same way, that I should pursue it and not ignore it to spare her feelings." Luka hmmed in response. "I think she might be having a nervous breakdown."
"What? Why would you think that?" Luka asked in confusion.
"You didn't see her Luka. She has been pushing everyone out for days, and then we had this huge fight only to make up and have her tell me I should date Adrien. It doesn't make any sense."
"Maybe she's just trying to get over him finally," Luka suggested with a small shrug. "Maybe, she's finally ready to let him go..."
"Luka," Lucy addressed with a warning tone at the sight of Luka's far-off look. "Don't." Luka met her eyes, looking at her as if he had no idea what she was talking about. "I'm serious Luka. Don't do that to yourself. Don't let this new information take you to la la land. Whatever is going on with her..." Lucy shook her head. "She said she's working on it. That I need to know she is going to be okay but...all I know is the last thing she needs is you trying to run in and be her knight in shiny armor. It will only end badly." She advised.
It was Luka's turn to bite the inside of his cheek and look down. Lucy sighed, leaning forward and reaching her hand out to his.
"For what it's worth, I do hope it works out between you two in the long run."
"Yeah..." Luka breathed. "Me too." He cleared his throat and sat up, ready to change the subject. "So what are you gonna do about Adrien?"
Lucy let out a breath upward, blowing a piece of her hair out of her face. What was she going to do about Adrien?
"Well, I have been paying a little more attention to how he acts around me. I've concluded that it is possible he might have romantic feelings towards me."
"Do you possibly return those feelings?" Luka asked with a raised brow.
"I think it's possible," Lucy answered somewhat absently.
"Well, if you're pretty sure he likes you, and you're pretty sure you like him too, and Marinette seems...supportive...what's stopping you?"
"I don't know." Lucy licked her lips and brought her hands between her closed knees. "I think I'm just worried."
"Worried about what?"
"That it won't last." Lucy shrugged somewhat discouraged.
"Well that's pretty pessimistic of you, don't you think?"
"I like to think of it as realistic."
"What makes you feel that way?" Luka asked, tilting his head to the side.
Another loose shrug came from Lucy. "I really not sure. It's just...a feeling. Every time I think about it I get this gut-clenching feeling. It's like the universe is against me being happy or something. I had it with..."Lucy hesitates a moment before speaking again. "Chat as well. And look how great that turned out."
Luka didn't know the details of Lucy's romantic relationship with one of Paris's superheroes, only that it was one never meant to last. Or at least that was how she had described it. Her relationship with him was defined by these complex emotions, this mixture of gratitude and resentment. He supposed that perhaps he could understand her hesitation. The last thing she'd wanted was anything as complicated as dating the boy she knew her close friend still probably harbored feelings for, as much as Marinette might try and say otherwise, for it felt as though there were enough complications in her life already. And yet...
"You can't do that," Luka instructed. "Your letting your fear steer you, and you just can't do that."
Lucy sighed at him. "Luka, it's complicated. You know that-"
"Either, you are in love with someone or you're not. Fear is complicated, not love."
Lucy gaped at him in disbelief. " Are you serious right now? Even after your whole thing with Marinette you-"
"When Marinette figures herself out, I will be right here," Luka confirmed. " Because I love her. Even if she can't be with me right now, even if she ends up with someone else, I love her. And I will always be here for her. There is nothing complicated about that to me."
Lucy, feeling her emotions come to a high point again could feel tears stinging her eyes. God, she felt like such a baby these days. She took Luka's hand back in her own and gave it a light pat while offering him a small smile.
"You're a disaster." She said to him. Luka let out a breathy laugh before placing his free hand on hers.
"Takes one to know one."
The therapy session between the pair of teens had come to a halt as thudding in the distance made its way close and closer to them.
"Chloe!" A voice called out eerily. Soon a large girl who looked like Chloe made of gold was visible as the real Chloe shouted at her from the ground below.
"Marinette!" Luka pointed out in worry as Lucy placed her hands on her hips in annoyance.
"Damn it, Chloe."
"If Chloe is down there, who is the Akuma?" Luka asked.
If I had to guess? Chloe's sister, Zoe."
"Chloe has a sister? Since when?"
"Since this morning," Lucy answered while instinctively stepping back. "She's her half-sister on her mother's side."
"If you want to be my sister, if you really want to be like me, then I'm not the one you should crush. They are!" Chloe shouts, pointing to those on the boat house. "Those losers! Otherwise, you'll go back to New York! You may be bigger now, but you're still just a ridiculous copy of me! Utterly ridiculous!"
"Bitch." Lucy calls out, crossing her arms, only for Chloe to look back at her with an exaggerated pout while running her pointer finger down from the outer corner of her eye down her cheek.
Fortunately for them, Zoe didn't seem to have any real interest in anything other than trying to crush Chloe. Whether that had anything to do with Marinette trying to calm her down from her position in the akumatized girl's clenched fist, or not was uncertain. Before she got the chance, Chat Noir showed up and used his staff to trip the oversized golden girl, knocking her to the ground and thus freeing Marinette. When she rose from the ground, she ignored the oat completely and continued on after Chloe back into the center of Paris.
OoOooOoOoOo
When Zoe was freed from her akumatized state, her stepfather quickly explained what had happened. She had let her distress get the best of her, and now, Zoe was unsure what would happen next. After grabbing her shoes out of the cellar, Zoe made a decision to no longer be the person her sister expected her to be. Even if it meant she would get shipped back to New York. She wished things would have been easier. That she could have come to find some common ground with her family. That they would stand in front of her with open arms for all that she was rather than all that she was not. Perhaps she had done too much wishing over the years. She had to stop wearing her wishbone where her backbone oughtta be.
Back on the boat house, Lucy stood watching the band set up when Marinette came to her side while glancing at her phone to see if she had gotten any messages from Zoe.
"Anything?"
Marinette shook her head. "No. I really hope she shows up though."
Noticing Luka's subtle glances in their direction, Lucy decides against her better judgment to pry.
"So, hows it feel to be back on Liberty? Have you talked to Luka at all?" Marinette paused at Lucy's inquisition. Her eyes shifted to Lucy, avoiding Luka's gaze.
"No, I have not. I'm trying to be supportive of the band, but I'm not ready to talk to him yet."
(Alright side note here, this episode set bothered me juuuust a bit because, in the later episode of Juleka and Luka's birthday, Marinette makes it seem like she hasn't spoken to Luka since their break up, but in this episode, she at his house introducing him and everyone else to Zoe like nothing happened. Ugh, the plot holes. Hence why I felt the need to add extra side dialog prior to Zoe's arrival.)
"You can't hang out at his house and continue to avoid him Marinette. That's just rude."
"I'm not avoiding him, I'm simply not engaging in conversation with him is all."
"Marinette-"
"Whatcha guys talking about?" Alya inquires as she steps to the other side of Marinette.
"Marinette avoiding Luka at his own house," Lucy answered before Marinette could reply.
"Mm," Alya hummed. "yeah, that's kind of rude."
Marinette looked at Alya with slight betrayal. "Hey! Wha...what about you?" She then directed her attention to Lucy. "How are things going with Adrien?"
"Ah yes, how are things with the guy you totally one hundred percent were not interested in?" Alya asked slyly. Lucy sent her an annoyed look.
"Why am I not surprised you even know about that."
"Of course, I know. Marinette and I tell each other everything. What kind of BFF doesn't tell their other BFF that the boy she likes, likes someone else?"
"What kind of BFF pushes their other BFF to admit they have feelings for a boy who admitted having feelings for someone else is the better question I think."
The two girls stared at one another before Alya spoke again.
"Boyfriend stealer."
"Excuse me?!"
"WHOA, whoa, whoa!" Marinette exclaimed wedging between the two girls, and pushing them apart with her hands. "Take a breath girls. Lucy, Alya just wanted me to start being honest with Adrien and with myself, and Alaya, Lucy is not a boyfriend stealer. You can't have something stolen from you that was never yours, to begin with."
Lucy crossed her arms and Alya sighed. "You're right." She admitted. "That was a low blow and an off-base accusation. I just...I have spent over two years trying to get this one," She says jacking her thumb toward Marinette, "to get over herself and just tell Adrien how she feels, and then out of nowhere she comes up and is like, Nah! Never mind! He likes Lucy, and they would be so cute together, blah blah blah. It just doesn't make any sense to me! Does it make sense to you? Because honestly, I'm at a loss here."
"Well, I didn't say it exactly like that..." Marinette mutters.
"No, that's fair. It threw me off too. And to be honest, I'm still trying to figure things out on my end. I mean, I didn't expect this turn of events either. Now, every time I look at this guy all I can see is the googly eyes he keeps giving me." Lucy said while gesturing to Adrien with her hand only to realize he was watching them curiously. The three girls offered him awkward smiles and waves.
"Great, now he's gonna ask me what we were talking about later," Lucy spoke through her smile.
"Well, maybe when he doesn't you guys can both get some clarity," Marinette suggested earning an eye roll from Lucy.
"Marinette, you're my best friend, and I love you but I don't think you hear how much of a hypocrite you are sometimes."
"Thank you!" Lucy agreed.
"Hush! Look it's Zoe!" Marinette altered, causing her two friends to look at each other knowingly as Marinette made her way to greet the newcomer. Marinette brought Zoe over, grabbing the group's attention.
"Everyone, this is Zoe, she just came here from New York." Zoe looked down slightly embarrassed, but mostly guilty at how she had acted earlier in school.
"I'm... really sorry about today. I thought that if I did everything Chloe wanted me to, she'd accept me. I just wanted to meet my family's expectations. Which is why I left New York in the first place. At the boarding school, I was playing a part; being someone else, hoping they'd accept me. But finally, I just couldn't anymore. That's when everyone turned against me, and one day, I found roaches in my locker. They all said I was a loser. Maybe they were right. I get that I'm different, and... I'd understand if you guys didn't want me as a friend."
Ivan was the one to make the first move, embracing Zoe in a friendly hug.
"We're all big one happy family," Mylene spoke, as Iva released Zoe.
"You'll be fine with us!" Agreed Rose.
"Welcome to Paris, Kid," Lucy spoke with a small smile, one Zoe happily returned.
OoOoOoO
When Zoe got back home, her family stood waiting for her expectantly. Her mother and sister looked disappointed while her stepfather carried more pity.
"Daddy!" Chloe shouted at her father. "Order her to return my shoes at once!" Andre hesitently moves, only for Zoe to beat him to the punch, already prepared to hand back the shoes she never wanted in the first place. "And I demand she be sent back to New York immediately! Exactly the way she came!"
Andre hesitates again, looking over his step daughter who awaits her fate. "Right, of course, however..."
"Is there a problem, Andre?" Audrey asks. Personally, she didn't care about Zoe's friendships. If she wanted to waste away with those beneath her family that was her choice, however, what would grind her gears was Chloe's scrabbling. If the two couldn't get along, Zoe would simply have to go back to New York for no other reason than Audrey's sanity.
"Well, what I mean is: with all the paperwork needed to enroll her in another boarding school, we won't be rid of her for months. Maybe we could just, er... put her somewhere else...?" Andre suggested.
"In the cellar." Chloe scoffed, crossing her arms. As Andre went beside Zoe, placing his hands upon her shoulders.
"Excellent idea, in the cellar. Or at least a room in another wing of the hotel...?"
Chloe caved. She could see what her father was doing. "My point is, in many cases, regardless of the terms we are on with members of our family, we miss them when they're gone."
"Well! A smaller room than mine!" She demanded. After all, even if she couldn't get rid of her, Chloe could at least make it apparent to Zoe that not making a bigger fuss about her presence was more a favor to her father than anything else.
"Of course! Miniscule. Barely even the size of a junior suite!" Andre agreed, pulling Zoe back out of the room with him.
"And see to it that we never cross paths again!"
Andre opens Chloe's door and pushes Zoe out. "She'll take the service elevator with the staff."
As he closes the door, Andre turns to Zoe and smiles with slight victory. Grateful for his input, Zoe thanks him.
"Thank you. Promise me that you won't leave your dreams too long down in that cellar." She tells him,
"I promise. Come on," He says, guiding her to the elevator. "You're going to love your new room."
So maybe getting her sister and mother to accept her would take some time. Maybe it would never happen at all. But what Zoe had learned in only one day here in Paris was that family is family when they act like it. And in its proper form. Blood was most certainly thicker than water.
Allllright. took a little longer than planned but hey! I got it out and that's what matters! How are you guys feeling? Liking it? Remember to comment and let me know as I love reading your thoughts! As always I will see you in the next chapter!