The sky was clear and all of Paris enjoyed the day. Multiple stores competed with each other, birds swooped and soared as they migrated, and people wandered the maze of streets. A cool autumn breeze blew and there was the sun gently shone down on the city. In other words, the day was perfect.
Emma giggled as Celeste took her around Paris on her back. She had already seen many buildings and attractive items in windows and the day had only just began. Her bright green eyes shone in the Parisian sunlight and she clapped as she saw a bird fly past. So far this was the most fun she'd had since she was kidnapped.
Celeste smiled as she spotted that Emma was enjoying herself. She had figured that the infant would need some fresh air, especially after being with her mother all day. So she took her out for the day, it was a weekend after all. Plus she wanted to show her little playmate her favourite spots in the city.
So the teen had made a plan to set out that day. She had risen earlier than usual and had packed a bag the night before, so all she had to do was wake the sleeping angel. She smiled at the memory of the sleeping infant. The way her nose was cutely scrunched, how her dark hair framed her face, even the way she reached out for something that wasn't quite there. It was adorable.
Once she'd woken Emma up, Celeste then changed her into a cute little black cat jacket, green paw print leggings and black booties. It was a famed design by Marinette Agreste and she saw it fitting for the infant since her parents were Ladybug and Chat Noir. She had also styled the little one's hair into two pigtails and gave her some breakfast. After getting ready, the teen then somehow managed to sneak out with the infant without alerting her mother whatsoever. But it wasn't really a surprise to her. It wasn't like her mother cared about what she did anyway. The teen sighed before she looked up at the smiling Emma.
"Are you enjoying Paris so far?" The teen asked, trying to avert her train of thought.
"Mhm," The infant nodded, her green eyes shining with joy, "Pretty."
The teen smiled, glad to have someone in her life happy with her actions. In fact, she agreed with the infant on most things, it was like they were meant to be friends. To be honest the infant was one of her closest friends, even with the ones she had at school. She could confide in Emma more than her own peers. But how did that work? She was just an infant and Celeste was a teenager.
Mentally scolding herself for being silly, Celeste continued to walk down the ambient street. She had gotten halfway down, when she stopped dead in her tracks. Her olive green eyes gazed at the bakery down the street and she gulped.
She had spotted a group of teens from her school there, and not just any teens. They were the ones responsible for her misery at school. In the group was the brunette who called her out in class, a blonde, a ginger and some guys from the year above. She should've known that they'd be there. After all, Mr Dupain's baked goods were the best in Paris.
She had actually planned to take Emma there for a treat. Guess that was crossed off the list.
"Oh no!" She ducked into an alleyway, "I can't be seen with you by them! They'll think my mom's had another child or will recogni- What are you doing?"
The infant had placed her hands over Celeste's eyes, giggling at the teen's question.
"Peekaboo!" Emma smiled as she tried to get a message to the teen.
"You're right!" The teen smiled gently removing the infant's hands, "I should treat it like a game. Let's go on a treasure hunt!"
The infant clapped and bounced as she heard the teen's words. She hoped that there'd be a huge prize at the end.
"We'll get a treat at the end," Celeste spoke, "Just before Mr Dupain and his wife clear up. I promise. We might even see Marinette Agreste there."
Emma smiled at her words and began to think about tasting a cookie. It had been a while since she'd had one and she missed their chocolaty taste. But she knew that these ones couldn't hold a trifle to her mother's or grandpa Tom's. However she was glad to have the opportunity.
"Cat!" The infant squeaked out in joy.
"That'll be our first stop then," The brunette took her suggestion, "A pet shop or somewhere we can get you a cat plushy."
Both in a great mood, the two girls weaved their way through the Parisian streets, making their way to the closest pet or toy store. Both content and happy to have the other's company.
Alya yawned and stretched as she looked at her computer screen. So far she'd managed to type up most of the evidence about the case and had even pointed out that search parties had been going on for a few weeks, but now she was tired.
The brunette looked at her watch and spotted that it was time for her lunch break. The young woman smiled. She had just been thinking about making a quick trip to the cafe across the street. She always got the best scoops from the regular customers and she was in need of a coffee. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to spend most of last night searching for Lila.
Getting her handbag, the brunette got up and left her office. She walked along the hallway, getting the occasional greeting from other journalists who weren't too busy. The woman reached the reception and sighed as the ravenette behind the desk filed her nails. The receptionist was usually busy and it made getting a lunch break into a chore.
"I'm going for lunch," Alya nodded at the ravenette.
"Let me get the clipboard," The young woman sighed as she went to the back, "I can't believe the machine broke!"
Alya chuckled as she heard the ravenette grumble to herself. She was usually in a bad mood, mainly because she was stuck at the reception until there was an open spot on the journalism team. The ravenette soon returned with a pen and clipboard.
"You know the drill," She rolled her eyes as she went back to filing her nails.
Alya then wrote down what she needed and passed the clipboard back to the receptionist. She then exited the building and walked across the street to the cafe.
The brunette pushed the door and heard the bell tingle. The scent of coffee and other warm beverages filled her nose and she sighed at the warmth. Her cheeks showed a faint hue of red and the brunette walked towards the counter.
"Hey, Alya," Tony, the barista, smiled, "What brings you here?"
"Lunch break," The brunette shrugged, "Know anyone who might have any scoops on the missing children's case?"
"The missing children's case?" The male's eyes widened, "You mean the one about your son, Andre Bourgeois' twin grandsons, and the Agreste's daughter?"
"That's the one," Alya sighed, "My boss assigned me to it."
"Must be hard to write about it then," The male shook his head as he grabbed a cup, "The usual?"
"The usual," The brunette nodded, "So? Do you know any connections? Anyone I could talk to? Please."
"Well..." The barista paused as he began to brew a latte, "There is this brunette who comes in here for lunch. She's a teen actually. She wanders the streets at night."
"She's homeless?" The brunette's eyes widened.
"No! No! Not like that!" Tony chuckled as he began to make a sandwich, "She just likes to avoid her home. Apparently her mother's a nightmare. Anyway, she should know something about the case. She knows everything about anybody."
Alya couldn't believe what she was hearing. Here she was in a cafe, listening to a barista tell her that a teen could tell her about a case. A case that even Paris' finest couldn't solve. The brunette blinked.
"Are...you sure Tony?" She peered at the man, "I mean, like really sure."
"Definitely," He nodded as he placed the sandwich on a plate, "She's usually a person the police turn to during akuma attacks. She somehow gets it all on footage, and I mean quality footage."
"How?" Alya raised a brow, "Doesn't she get hurt?"
"Nope," He shook his head as he placed the cup and sandwich on the counter, "You should check them out on YouTube."
"Will do," The brunette nodded as she paid and went to take a seat by the window.
The words of the barista swam through her mind, making her brain overheat. A teen? Knowing more about Luna Moth than Paris' heroes? It just didn't make sense. Alya took a bite of her sandwich as she thought.
The buzz of the cafe filled her ears as she stared out of the window. There was so much happening in so little time and now the most illogical things made complete sense. The brunette continued to stare out of the window as she ate, watching as the people passed by. She was about to turn away, when she spotted a brunette with olive green eyes. She smiled up at the infant on her shoulders, who wore a cat themed outfit.
The infant had dark hair and green eyes that shone in the sunlight. She had a button nose and the cutest smile. Alya blinked as she studied the infant. She had to be dreaming.
The bell for the door tingled, breaking her thoughts, and drawing her attention to the doorway. Standing there was a teen who looked like the spitting image of Lila, and on her back was Emma.
Chloe grimaced as she sat across from her mother and father. Her father had long ago surpassed his role as mayor and now just managed his hotel for esteemed guests. Not that it helped her with her family issues, if anything it made it worse. It made her father have less time for her and her mother was just as bad.
She was always busy with her company and was always telling her daughter what to wear and do. The blonde had grown tired of it long ago, and had decided to move out. So she did. She left her parents behind and married her husband, having two children in the process. But she didn't regret anything. She liked her life as it was and even though she had to see her mother at work, it wasn't too horrible.
"Why didn't you tell me this sooner Chloe!" Her mother fumed as she looked at her daughter, "You couldn't imagine my panic when I heard about my grandsons' disappearance from the news in New York! I had to cancel everything! My meetings, shows! Do you know how much effort was wasted!"
"I'm sorry, mother," The woman frowned, "But it didn't seem like too big of a deal. Daddy had it under control."
"A big deal? A big deal?!" The older female fumed, "Chloe! This is your sons you're talking about!"
"I know, but it wasn't like you cared about me!" Tears formed at her eyes, "You were always too busy, or 'maybe next time Chloe'!"
"We did what was best for you Chloe," Her father sighed.
"We thought you'd be happy that way," Her mother agreed, "Having everything you needed."
"I needed you," She wiped her eyes, "I needed both of you. And now my sons, your grandsons, are missing."
"We know, Chloe," Her father frowned, "And that's why we wanted to meet you here. To help find them."
"Well, I came here to give her a talking to for scaring me," The older woman grimaced, "But..I do care about them too."
"So what are you two going to do?" The blonde sniffed.
"We're going to do what we do best," Her father smiled before nodding at the older female, "Audrey?"
"On it," She nodded getting her phone and dialing a number, "Get me your best detective now!"
Chloe smiled as she thought about her parents actually caring for once. Maybe they weren't as terrible as she thought they were.
The three children were playing with some toys in a room, when Lila stepped in the sound of her heels echoing across the room. The three turned to face her and immediately paled.
"Hi, are you guys playing?" She asked as she looked at the toys in their hands.
She stepped forwards and ended up tripping over a teddy bear. Rolling her eyes, the woman picked it up and chucked it over her shoulder.
"You're mean!" One of the twins snapped at her protectively shielding the others.
"I'm mean?" The female mused, "That's funny, because I remember that I gave you those superpowers."
The other twin blew a raspberry at her, sticking his tongue out.
Lila clenched her fists as she heard this. She had tried everything to get these children to cooperate, but so far they were starting to get annoying. Her eye twitched and she grit her teeth as she stared at the toddlers, etching fear unto their features.
"I am mean," She purred, giving them a toothy grin, "But it's not my fault. It's your mommies' and daddies' fault."
She then transformed and opened the compartment on her cane. Gracefully she produced an akuma.
The children backed away from her, scared of what she was going to do. Last time she had three, but this time it was one.
"This won't hurt at all," The female laughed as the children were cornered.
Both adults stood in silence as they held each other's hands. They both didn't expect to come here, especially for this reason, but they had to get all the information they could and he was the only person they could turn to.
The two adults followed Ivan towards the area that the person they were visiting was kept in. He was deemed too dangerous to be kept around the other patients there and so he was kept in a separate wing. All by himself with no-one to talk to. Sometimes they wondered whether putting him by himself had made him worse.
The three adults stopped in front of the double doors. Ivan went into his pocket and got out his ID card.
"You two should know the rules already," He sighed as he opened the door, "Good luck."
The two adults smiled at his words before stepping into the room. Hopefully they weren't making a mistake.
A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I'm trying to make them a little longer and hopefully this story can be too, especially since I have a ton of stuff to fit into the plot. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed and I'll probably update tomorrow!
Till next time,
D.L.D