"Change is on its way, embrace it and you'll see," Jagged Stone rasped from Marinette's Bluetooth speaker. "You're not meant for normal. You have a destiny…"
His lyrics have improved since this album, Marinette thought idly as she carefully coloured the block she'd marked 'Drawing I' in red pencil. Her timetable had come through to her email this morning so she was making up a copy of it for her notebook, which functioned as diary, sketchpad and calendar. The timetable was pretty good, all things considered; she had all of Wednesday afternoon off and 9am lectures only on a Tuesday and Thursday, which wasn't too bad at all. She was looking forward to starting lectures, actually. Some of the modules she'd signed up for in the previous week sounded really interesting.
Finishing all the Drawing I slots, she reached across her desk for a blue pencil ('Introduction to Digital Media I'), and in the process somehow managed to knock her satchel off the end of it. It fell to the ground with a surprisingly loud clatter, and something small and dark rolled out of it and disappeared under the mildly to herself, Marinette slipped off her wheely chair, which had seen better days, and knelt on the carpet, which had presumably seen better days but didn't appear to remember them. What had that thing been? Her purse? She craned her neck and flailed her arm around at full length until her fingers met something small. Pulling it out and wrinkling her nose at the dust it had suddenly accumulated, she examined the object.
What the heck?
It wasn't hers. She'd never seen this box in her life before: hexagonal, black, with a complicated geometric design engraved into the lid in red. She had a moment of irrational panic.
Did I somehow steal this and then forget?
No, that was ridiculous. Maybe it had fallen into her bag, or someone had somehow put it into her bag by accident, or… She couldn't think of any other explanations. How bizarre. Not sure what else to do, she looked at the box more closely, noting the beauty of the design – she could definitely incorporate that into some awesome outfits – and the hinges that showed the lid flipped open, like a jewellery box. Curious, and rationalising that she should at least know what it was in order to figure out what to do next, she opened it.
She had only a second or two to see a simple pair of earrings before an orb of light seemed to burst from them and into mid-air, coalescing into the small shape of… a creature?
Marinette shrieked and flung herself backwards, instinctively throwing the box at the thing and colliding painfully with her wheely chair, which in turn crashed into her bed.
"What the hell?!" she half screamed, half demanded, staring at the small, red, big-headed bug… raccoon… cat… gnome… thingy that was just hanging in the air before her. Did that thing just appear out of nothing? Am I going mad? I didn't think this would happen until exam time!
A bang on the door startled her again. "Marinette?" came Alya's voice. "You okay?"
The door handle started turning. Wide-eyed, Marinette turned back to the bug-thing, which shook its head frantically, put a… paw? to its lips – well, mouth – and then… disappeared. Not in the same way it had appeared, as a ball of light; it flew into Marinette's satchel, diving through the leather as though it was non-existent.
WHAT.
"Marinette?" said Alya again, now poking her head round the door. "What happened?"
Flustered, and not particularly wanting Alya to think she'd gone crazy, Marinette grasped for an explanation. "It was a… spider! A really big one!"
Alya shuddered. "Aaand I'm noping right out of here. Want me to perpetuate disappointingly accurate stereotypes and get one of the boys?"
"Nooo!" said Marinette frantically, picturing Adrien seeing the inside of her room. There was a pair of knickers on the end of her bed, for goodness' sake! Clean, and in a pile of washing, but still! "It ran under the desk and I can't see it now. Hopefully it's gone for good."
Alya pulled a face. "Girl. I do not envy you sleeping in this room tonight. I hope it doesn't get into your bed or anything."
"Thanks for that," Marinette said dryly.
"Okay, gotta go get my laundry. See ya!"
When the door closed, Marinette got up and, in spite of herself, checked under her pillow. It would be just her luck for a spider to actually turn up in her bed. Fortunately, there was nothing there.
"Thank you for not saying anything," chimed a tiny, feminine voice from behind her.
This time Marinette managed to stop the squeal from escaping her mouth, but she did jump. "Stop doing that!"
"I'm sorry," squeaked the little creature. "I didn't mean to scare you."
Trying to calm her breathing, Marinette sat down on the bed. "It's okay," she said cautiously, taking her unexpected visitor in.
Whatever it, or she, was – and it really wasn't clear – was quite endearing, on the whole. She was crimson all over – her skin appeared smooth, not furry – and had large blue eyes in an enormous head. She would have fitted comfortably into Marinette's palm and had no wings, though she was definitely hovering in mid-air. She also had some black spots on her head and little antennae. A… ladybug? Marinette had desperately wanted to believe in fairies when she was younger, but if this was what they looked like, the stories had really got it wrong.
"Look, I don't mean to be rude," Marinette went on when the sort-of-ladybug didn't say anything else, "but what are you?"
"I'm a kwami," she said, as if that somehow explained everything. "My name is Tikki. I'm very pleased to meet you!"
She did a little bow. Unnervingly big head for her size or not, she really was cute, in an 'I'm-probably-insane' sort of way.
"Uh, hi, Tikki. I'm Marinette."
"Marinette!" Tikki positively beamed. "What a lovely name!"
"Thanks…? I'm sorry, but I don't know what a kwami is. How, um… what…" She trailed off, unsure of what she really wanted to say. How were you in that box? What in Gabriel Agreste's impeccable designer wardrobe is going on?!
"Oh, right," said Tikki, as if she had been reminded of something. "We have a lot to talk about." She glanced around the room. "Do you have any cookies?"
Marinette felt like her head was spinning. She took a deep breath and, on an afterthought, a bite of cookie. It was lucky that she and Alya had had a baking spree only yesterday and made way too many. Apparently getting rid of leftover baked goods wouldn't be a problem anymore.
"So…" she said slowly. "Let me get this straight. This is a pair of magical earrings?"
Tikki, munching on her third cookie, nodded solemnly.
"Called a… 'miraculous'."
Nod.
"The miraculous of the ladybug, to be precise. Because all of the miraculous items have animals associated with them."
Nod.
"And the ladybug earrings are a big deal?"
Nod.
"Because they give m— they give their wearer magical powers?"
Tikki swallowed her mouthful. "The Ladybug Miraculous bestows the power of creation to its wielder. When transformed, you will be able to summon an item at a crucial moment that will allow you to solve a puzzle or win a fight – whatever is most necessary. You can also heal any injury or damage that occurs. All Miraculous are magical and have unique abilities, but none have the power to conjure something from nothing. The Ladybug earrings are especially powerful and important for this reason."
"Right." It felt really weird to be talking about magic as though it was a given – just an ordinary, mundane occurrence. Creating something from nothing… totally normal. Then again, she was talking to a kwami which apparently was the embodiment of creation. Okay. "But it works best in a pair?"
Tikki nodded yet again. "Uniquely among the Miraculous, the Ladybug works best with the Black Cat. The others are very effective alone, but the Ladybug and the Black Cat have complementary powers; they are a perfect balance of yin and yang. Creation and destruction. It is for this reason that Plagg and I have been chosen to find wielders once more."
"Plagg is the kwami of the Black Cat," Marinette said, trying to commit everything to memory. "And he and whoever he picks are going to be our partners."
"Yes."
"And I've – we've – been chosen because… someone has got a Miraculous and might do something bad with it?"
Tikki looked grim, which was a difficult feat for someone with huge, adorable, baby-blue eyes. "Yes. We all felt it when the Butterfly Miraculous was activated a few days ago, and we can tell that it has been a negative bond. The Miraculous are dangerous in the hands of anybody who wishes to misuse them, but the Butterfly has been lost for years, and it is a powerful jewel in its own right."
"Because it creates these champion-thingies. What did you call them?"
"Akumas."
"That's it. Akumas. People who have been turned into monsters and can be dangerous."
"It will be your job, along with the Black Cat wielder, to stop them," said Tikki quietly. "And, if you can, to bring this Butterfly thief to justice."
Marinette let out a long breath. "Easy."
"Not at all," Tikki disagreed, the sarcasm apparently lost on her. "But necessary."
Marinette got up, agitated. "But why me? Who says I can do this? I'm just a random person—"
"Not true!"
"—You don't even know and suddenly I'm having all this insane responsibility thrust on me? I'm supposed to start saving people's lives and playing superhero? Doesn't it seem a little bit crazy to you?"
"Not playing," said Tikki calmly. "You'll actually be a superhero. I'll help you."
"What if I say no?" Marinette demanded.
Tikki blinked, and there was a moment of silence. Marinette started actually feeling guilty, which was entirely ridiculous.
"I mean, I'm about to start university," she pointed out. "I'll have a lot on my plate. I'll have essays and exams and projects and social events. I'm not going to have time to run around after ak— akim— what were they again?"
"Akumas."
"Yeah, those. Why don't you find someone who has experience with this kind of stuff?"
"What kind of experience?"
The question threw Marinette off balance. "Um…" Anyone other than me? "I don't know – a policeman? Someone who's used to saving people."
Tikki put her cookie down patiently. "Marinette, you were chosen precisely because of who you are. A superhero must be someone whose responsibilities do not outweigh their duties. If you have to miss a lecture, there are unlikely to be any lasting consequences; someone who has a full-time job can't say the same. And if they don't have a job, they're likely to be caring for someone else – maybe they have children, or they take care of someone elderly or sick. A hero must be able to answer the call whenever they hear it. I know that you will be busy, and I'm not saying it will be easy, but I promise you that we do not ask this of you lightly. People's lives are likely to be at stake."
It was a lot to take in, but the kwami had a point. Could Marinette really turn away from something so serious, especially if she had a chance to make a difference? She thought of all the times she'd read about tragedies or natural disasters in the news and how she had always felt so helpless, unable to do anything but stand by and watch. Well, here was an opportunity to actually follow through on that impulse. Was she just going to chicken out? Were those good impulses nothing but talk?
She opened her mouth to tell Tikki that she'd do it, but before she could get the words out, the kwami swooped through the air to hover before her face.
"It's more than that, though," she said earnestly. "The Guardian chose you for a reason. The Ladybug Miraculous needs someone who is kind and loving, someone who thinks of others before themselves and who is always willing to lend a hand to anyone in need. I have faith in you, Marinette. You're the right person."
Unexpectedly touched, Marinette felt herself blush.
"I don't know if I can live up to that," she told Tikki, "but I'll give it a go."
"Really?" Tikki squealed. "Yes! That's wonderful news!" She did a little back-flip to express her joy and then dived for the box, holding it up to Marinette. "Here. You'll need to put these on and keep them on."
Marinette eyed the earrings. They were small and plain – a simple black stone set into silver studs. They didn't exactly look magical, but then again perhaps that was the point. With the slightly uneasy sensation that she was setting something in motion that she would never be able to undo, she picked them up and replaced her current earrings with them.
"Okay," she said, letting out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. "Now what?"
Marinette stared at herself.
The mirror over her sink didn't offer the best view – she'd had to climb onto her bed to see anything below her shoulders – but it was all she had, and to be honest she was too distracted by the person staring back at her to be annoyed by the poor visibility.
She looked…
Different.
Tikki had explained in exhaustive detail about how she used the Miraculous jewel to transform back into her original form of pure energy to help the wielder become a superhero, but honestly Marinette hadn't understood much of it once she'd grasped that she'd be wearing a magical suit. She'd been so excited to see it that she'd rushed Tikki through the explanations of her abilities – apparently she had a yoyo too which was magic, though that was all she could remember about it – and used the special phrase she'd been taught to transform into… well, this.
The suit was a strange mixture of a costume, just like the superheroes in the movies, and body armour. Bright red with spots scattered all over, it was textured with a pattern of tiny hexagons and it felt like no material Marinette had ever touched before (and she'd touched a lot). It was incredibly comfortable, and it neither compressed nor wrinkled anywhere. It was also literally skin-tight. You could see everything. She twisted awkwardly, and managed to catch a glimpse of her butt covered in tight, bright red and black-spotted spandex. Wow. That was going to take some getting used to.
She was also now wearing a mask. It clung to her face like magic (well… okay, it was magic), following the contours perfectly without the need for any form of attachment. Also red and black-spotted, it made her eyes look much bluer than they usually did, and she kind of liked how it changed her face. Silly, really, considering that it hid so little, but it did make a difference. Her dark hair, which she usually wore down or pinned to the side, had been changed for the transformation; it was now in two little buns on the back of her head, tied with red ribbons. It was a cute look, she decided, but she wasn't as certain about the suit. It was just so – so cartoony.
"Tikki, spots off!" she said aloud, feeling somewhat foolish.
There was a flash of light, and suddenly she was just Marinette again, in her jeans and pink top. Tikki reappeared, beaming.
"What do you think?"
"I think it's amazing!" said Marinette honestly. "I was just wondering if I could make some changes to the suit."
Tikki cocked her head to the side. "Changes?"
Marinette had already grabbed her sketch pad and was scribbling down some ideas. "Nothing major. Just a little bit of streamlining…"