"Why would Choe say something like that for?" Gabriel asked breaking the silence that fell over them."Because Chloe doesn't like Marinette," Nino said."I know Chloe is your friend Adrien, but she was way out of line to say that today,
" Alya told Adrien. "I know. I am incredibly angry with her at the moment and quite frankly I don't want to see her again. She had lost me as a friend now after what she said to Marinette today." Adrien said.
"I can say this, we won't be interacting with that family again," Gabriel stated. Adrien was surprised to hear his Father say something like that but was also glad that he did. "There has to be away to find her or even where she went," Nino said.
They were all sitting there thinking how they could find Marinette when an idea popped into Ayla's thought. When she suddenly stood up making the others jump with her sudden action and walked over to a mat that was in the middle of the room. She pulled the mat back and started to look for the loose floorboard that she knew Marinette uses to secretly hid some of her stuff. "Ayla what are you doing?" Nino asked confused at what Ayla was doing.
"I am looking for the loose floorboard."Why?" Adrien asked her. "Because I know that Marinette has hiding places around the house and this is one of them," Ayla explained. When Ayla found the loose floorboard, she got on her knees and moved the board then grabbed her phone so she could put the flashlight on so she could see in the gap.
When she found nothing, she replaced the floorboard and put the mat back to its original place before going over to a photo frame on the wall and taking it down to look behind the frame. But there was nothing there once again.
"What are you looking for?" Gabriel asked her. "I am looking to see if Marinette left anything in her hiding places so we know where she would go," Alya said. "Good idea Ayla. But I don't know any of her hiding places. I mean I know she has them around the house but…" Sabine started to explain.
"Well lucky for you Sabine I know where quite a few are in the house including her room," Ayla mentioned. "How do you know where Marinette's hiding places are?" Nino asked his girlfriend. "Nino I am a reporter, so I know how to find information out. Plus, I decided to start snooping when I realized Marinette would disappear every Wednesday after school. I tried to follow her on Wednesday and she must have known that I was following her as she lost me in a crowd of people, and I could never find out where she goes." Ayla explained to the others.
"I wonder where she goes?" Nino asked. "I don't know I have tried asking her but she just shuts me down about it so I stopped asking," Ayla said. "She hasn't disappeared from me. she has always been with me and Ali on a Wednesday." Adrien said. "I noticed she stopped disappearing once we started this project," Ayla said then carried on looking. After looking at all the hiding places that she knew downstairs she decided to look in her best friends' room. As the 6 of them walked up to Marinette's room they found the two girls sitting on the sofa seat watching their movie when Ayla made her way towards them.
"Sorry girls but you are going have to move for me," Ayla said as she helped the girls off the sofa seat. "Why Mummy?" Ella asked her Mother. "Because I need to get into the sofa seat," Ayla told her daughter. Ayla moved the cushions and opened up the seat and had a look to see if she could find something. "Just fabrics and more fabrics." She said before looking somewhere else.
When Ayla realized that she was the only one looking out of the 6 of them she turned to face Nino and Adrien and said, "Well aren't you two going to help, or are you just going stand there and watch me look by myself."Uh…" Nino "I am not looking through my girlfriend's things Ayla," Adrien said. As soon as Adrien mentioned the word girlfriend all heads turned to him. "WHAT!" Yelled Ayla and Nino.
"Since when was she your girlfriend? and when did that happen and for how long? And why did she not tell me?"Uh. I asked her out a month ago and we have been busy lately, so she probably forgot to tell you." Adrien said looking unsure if he should say more.
When Ayla was about to say something, else Gabriel spoke up saying, "This is not the time for this. we have more important things to do." No more was said about Adrien's relationship with Marinette as the three of them started looking around the room. 15 minutes later and still found nothing. Ayla was about to lose it when Sabine said, "Where else can we look since we have looked nearly everywhere that Ayla knows." Sabine said to the others. "What about…"
"Hi, Sam." Marinette greeted when the door opened. "Marinette?" Sam asked. "It is good to see you again. May I come in?" Marinette said to him. "Uh likewise. Please come in." Sam said as he stepped to the side while letting Marinette in. Marinette stepped inside the house and followed Sam to the living room once he had shut the door behind her. Just as Marinette sat down on a chair and wee girl about 4 years old came running into the room. "Mari, Mari, Mari." The young girl said running over to where Marinette was sitting.
"Hello, Aria," Marinette said lifting Aria onto her knee and giving her a big hug. "I have missed you, Mari," Aria said. "I have missed you too Honey." She replied. Then asked, "Have you been good for your Father?"Uh-huh." Came Aria's reply. "Why did you stop visiting?" Aria asked Marinette. "Yea you were here once a week then you stopped showing up," Sam said as he came into the lounge with some drinks. "Sorry. I have been meaning to come around in the last month, but I got busy with this project that I am doing at school at the moment." Marinette explained to the pair.
"What is the project that you are doing?" Sam asked her. "It is called the parenthood project. Where we got paired up with a partner and we have to Foster a child from the Little Wonders Orphanage for 6 months." Marinette explained the project to Sam. "Wait… Your project is about Foster a child? What is the purpose of it all?" Sam asked shocked. "I think it is for to get a feel of what it was like as a parent and what it is like to be in the real world with our own family. It goes towards our final grade." Marinette explained.
"Wow… The school has changed since I have left." Sam said. Before Marinette could say anything else about it. Aria jumped in and asked her, "Are you a Mum Mari? Is it a boy or a girl?" "Yes I am a Mum and I have a beautiful little girl," Marinette said to Aria with a big smile on her face. "What is her name?" Aria asked Marinette. "Her name is Alison and a not long ago she turned 3 years old."Can I meet her?" Aria asked her. "Aria!" Exclaimed Sam.
"No, it is alright. And yes, you can meet her one day." Marinette replied. Aria got excited when Marinette told her that she could meet Alison one day. "Alright missy, it is time for bed now," Sam said picking Aria up from Marinette's knee and throwing her over his shoulder causing Aria to squeal and giggle. Marinette smiled at the interaction between Aria and Sam. "Goodnight Mari." Aria said leaning forward in her Father's arms to give Marinette a kiss goodnight. "Night Aria," Marinette said then returning the kiss. Sam then left the living room to put Aria to bed.
" What about…" Sabine started to say but was cut off by Ayla. "Her Diary."Diary?" Nino and Adrien asked confused. "Yes, Marinette always keeps a diary," Ayla explained. Then she started to look around for Marinette's diary which she could not find anywhere.
"I did not know Marinette wrote in a diary," Adrien said. "Yea. But the one she is writing in now will be at your house, Adrien. Because Mariette would want to keep it close to her so no one could read it." Ayla said. Ayla walked over to Marinette's wardrobe and went through everything until she came across a box full of books. "Bingo." She said as she grabbed the box and came out of the wardrobe.
"Is that what I think it is?" Tom asked Ayla. "Yes, it sure is," Ayla replied. "I did not realize just kept all of them," Sabine said. "What are they?" Gabriel asked who had been quiet for the whole time. "Marinette's diaries," Ayla stated. "How many does she have in that box?" Nino asked Ayla. Alya put the box down on the ground and counted the diaries. "There is 12 here," Ayla said.
"Wow. 12 years of diaries. Plus, the one she will have at my house. So, 13 diaries." Adrien said. "Right I say we take these back downstairs," Tom said. Everyone agreed with him and Ayla once again picked up the box and brought it downstairs. Alison and Ella decided to follow their parents back down the stairs as they were curious at what they were looking at. When they got back downstairs Ayla had set the box back on the ground and started to go through it. Sabine then reached in and pulled at one of the diaries.
"This is from 4 years ago," Sabine said to the others. "May I Sabine?" Ayla asked holding her hand out for the book. Sabine nodded as she passed the diary to Ayla who had an excited look on her face. "Why are you so excited about reading Marinette's diary for?" Nino asked his girlfriend as he lifted Ella onto his knee.
"Because Nino, Marinette would never let me read any of her diaries even the one she is writing in now," Ayla explained to him as she flips through the pages. "Okay, What does she say?" Adrien asked Ayla. "At the moment, she is just going on about how Lilly is not being herself and that she and Sam were worried about her."Who is Sam?" Adrien asked. "I don't know," Ayla replied with.
"We know who she is talking?" Sabine said as she looked at her husband then back to the group. "Sabine who is Sam? Was he Mariette's boyfriend back then?" Ayla asked Marinette's mother. Adrien felt a shiver run down his back when Ayla mentioned the word 'boyfriend. "No, Sam wasn't Marinette's boyfriend, he was Lilly's," Tom told them. Adrien had let out his breath that he did not realize that he was holding.
"Lilly, Sam, and Marinette were close. Marinette was like a sister to Sam and Sam was like an older brother to Marinette. Sam was very protective of Marinette as an older brother would be over their little sister" Sabine explained.
"Sabine is the Sam you are talking about is it Sam Smith?" Nino asked Sabine. "Yes Dear, it is Sam Smith," Sabine replied. "Do you know him, Nino?" Adrien asked his best friend. "Yes. Sam did go to the same school as us. He would have been in our year so, would have been Lilly."You said he would have been in your year. What do you mean?" Gabriel asked. "Well 9 months after Lilly went missing, Sam had dropped out of school and we never saw him again," Nino explained.
"Did you find anything else, Ayla?" Tom asked Ayla bringing it back on to the topic on hand. "Yes, I did. I have gone through the next three years." Ayla said. "What did you find?"I found out that 9 months after Lilly went missing, she had come and was asking Marinette for help." Explained Ayla.
"What?" The others all said at the same time. "Lilly came back home and Marinette knew about it?" Tom asked his daughter's best friend. "Yes, patently Lilly came back because she found out she was pregnant and once the baby was born, she left again"Oh wow. I think I know where she is?" Sabine said after here what Ayla just said.
"Where?" Asked Nino, Ayla, and Adrien. "I have a funny feeling after hearing all that she may have gone to Sam's house," Sabine explained to the group. "Ayla and Nino, you two should take Ella home and when we find Marinette I will get her to text you," Sabine said as Ayla and Nino nodded and they stood up and said their goodbyes before taking Ella and heading home.
"Gabriel, I think you should go home just in case Marinette decides to come home and Adrien, you and Ali will come with us to Sam's place," Sabine demanded. "I think going home is a good idea just in case. And if she does come home, I will text you, Adrien." Gabriel said to his son. "Thank you, Father." After that, the 5 of them left the house at the same time. Gabriel got into his car and headed home while Adrien carried Alison with Sabine and Tom beside him were off to Sam's place.