"My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and I was kidnapped at the park across my street when I was six years old. My mother had confirmed the date that I was taken was tomorrow, nine years ago. A lady that called herself Tikki and her husband, Plagg, were the ones who I perceived to be the leaders of the place. There was another person with me. I never learned his name, but we were about the same age. They gave us fake names, and we were kept in padlocked cages," Marinette took a breath from her rapidly speeding words.
"For the past nine years, we have been let out to be taught like we were in school, be bathed, and have our faces repainted so we couldn't see each other. There was a single light bulb that hung above us, and it would sway so little that you only noticed it in the days that weren't packed full of the meds."
"The meds? What kind of meds, Marinette," asked Officer Leroy when she paused.
"Meds that make you forget what happened yesterday but not what happened the day you woke up in a cage."
Sabine put a glass of water into her daughter's hand and told her to drink and breathe. Tom moved a little closer to his baby girl. Marinette tried not to stiffen, but failed when she thought of how the last person that she had gotten as close to as she could was Chat Noir. Her Chat Noir that flirted with her when she needed it most and also knew when to tone it down and let their fingers reach between the bars and their foreheads simply rest against them. She wondered if there was any paint left on her face.
"They upped the meds last year sometime, they would only tell us the year. Also, there was a different lady that dropped me off at the park today, Trixx. She didn't like us and neither did Plagg. Tikki could barely stand us. That's it, I think. That's all I can remember for now."
"Marinette, it's okay. It's very traumatic to be kidnapped and kept in a cage for that long of a time, especially as such a small child," Officer Raincomprix summed it up in one sentence.
"I am not weak, and I know it," Marinette looked into her hands. "I want to go to my grade level in school and make friends. I want to be normal and have hobbies that don't include delving into my past, but I won't forget my past either."
She smiled at her parents and the officers in the living room. "Can we clean my room and get things I want to change and replace before the whole media learns that I'm home?"
Sabine rolled the cart, trailing behind her enthusiastic daughter. She was in the aisle labeled "CRAFTS" and darting to craft after craft. She decided to get some basic sewing supplies and some sketchbooks with pencils. Sabine helped her choose a couple of outfits and lazy clothes for her dresser and finally let Marinette grab the white pillow from the front area of the store with a black kitty stitched onto it.
Marinette beamed at being out in the open, and Sabine smiled at the fact this was her child, the one that was there when she was six. In one of the grocery aisles, she bumped into Madame Césaire and her daughter, Alya, pushing the cart.
"Marlena, it's good to see you. How's Alya? I can see her back there," Sabine wiggled a finger at the girl slouched over the bar and tapping away at her phone.
"Mom, what is she using?" Marinette peeked out from behind her own mother at the cellphone in her hands.
"It's a cellphone. They were just starting to become popular when…" Marinette sighed when her mom wouldn't talk about what happened.
"Oh my goodness gracious, is that your daughter? Sabine, didn't she go missing nine years ago? You didn't tell me and I don't think it was in the paper," Marlena was astounded as she began to stare at Marinette.
"Please don't stare," murmured Marinette as her mom explained when she showed up earlier.
Marlena and Sabine started moving in opposite directions and Marinette trailed behind. Her daughter looked familiar, but she didn't know why. Maybe they played together when they were kids, because she had obviously not been kidnapped.
As she got in the car, Marinette realized that she had looked like the girl that Plagg called Fox. She looked so similar, but it was probably another child that was wronged by Tikki and Plagg. Fox came to the classroom sometimes to learn their basic schoolwork. She had mentioned coming there for tutoring, but Marinette doubted it was the same girl.
Marinette studied the outside world as they drove home and missed Sabine's question.
"Huh?"
"I said, Mari, how did you like the store?"
"It was a store, I guess. It's not like I'm six and don't know what a store is. I was just happy to have something to do," Marinette wanted to sigh, she didn't want these awkward conversation starters with her own mom.
"You can address what happened to me, Mom. I lived through it and it won't break me if you have questions. I didn't have the luxury of growing up and I certainly can't go back to being innocent about this now." Sabine sighed, and she prepared herself for whatever questions her mom had.
"I just don't want to push you, honey. I know you were a hardy child, but you're so thin and I think you might break if a strong breeze came our way. I don't want you to only think about this for the rest of your life, and I want you to become happy," Sabine spoke quickly, afraid her daughter didn't want to think about being easily broken.
"Mom. That's what you're worried about? I lived everyday in there, thinking about who were and who I was. I remembered what I was like and focused on that much more than what happened. Now I can just focus on the future," Marinette smiled while she thought about what she could do next. Having nothing to do was the hardest part about being Ladybug.
They sat over dinner, Marinette prodding at her small plate of braised chicken and mix of vegetables. After so little food, it would take time for her to be able to eat more than what she had now. Ladybug never had more than two meals a day, and those were mostly very bland and hard.
"What are your plans for schooling, what level are you at?"
"I'm in my current grade level, Dad. I'll be fine to go to school after this weekend. School gets out in July, so I still have over a month and a half to find some friends."
Sabine smiled down into her plate as Marinette tried her chicken. She quickly started to cut it up and slowly eat it. Tom's plate was almost gone by this point. Silence was tense, and Marinette pronounced herself done soon after.
"You've barely touched your food," exclaimed Tom. "You don't like it?"
"It's great, really! I just don't have that much of an appetite yet. I'll try eating more tomorrow. Can I go continue cleaning my room?"
They ushered her away and Mari climbed the ladder and got the vacuum plugged in. The whirr comforted her and she knew it wouldn't stop. Methodically, she rolled it over the floor in straight lines, sucking up the dust. After the floor was finished, she used the nozzle to clean up her bed and chaise that was brand new when she turned six. The bed had no sheets, and when she finished her vacuuming she went downstairs to find some.
She did not find sheets. She found her mother crying and her father teary eyed on the couch. She slipped back upstairs before they noticed her, and she continued her dust-filled adventure. The dust rags and fluffs were filled to the brim, and she had possibly finished as much as she could.
She opened the trapdoor to go downstairs louder this time to make sure her parents had enough time to collect themselves if needed. They sat on the couch, watching the news. It was her. Marinette's face was on the screen, Marinette from when she was six.
"I don't think I should help in the bakery tomorrow," Marinette said as she started looking for sheets. Tom shook his head as they moved on to show the front of the bakery and a reporter in front of that live.
"Not much has happened in the household since her return. The bakery had closed early today in order to remember her, and she appeared shortly after. The police have revealed very little, but we will keep you updated on the case. Back to you at the station, this has been Nadja Chamack reporting for TVi," the reporter's face vanished and the anchors were back to address the next news story.
"She has a daughter, Mari. Maybe to get a swing on things you could babysit for her. Manon is a cute child and she also loves the park-" Sabine drew in a breath, watching Marinette closely for any signs.
"Yeah, I could take her to the park some days. It wouldn't be a bad way to get outside before getting into a routine. I bet she's wonderful."
Manon was not wonderful. Marinette had met Manon only twenty minutes ago and already knew what a disaster she had gotten herself into. Manon like to ask about everything, and Manon also liked to run away as fast as she could and see if Marinette could catch her.
"Manon, come back," Marinette called as she ran straight into a boy with blonde hair. "Chat? No, I'm so sorry please excuse me!"
The handsome blonde boy stared at the girl chasing down the wild child. "Ladybug?"
"What was that Adrien? Listen, sweetie, you need to listen to us because this is your first photo shoot. I still don't know how your dad let you get so skinny. Now, can you stand, no sit, on the fountain ledge here? Thank you, now look at the camera," the photographer stood behind the camera as Adrien shuffled into position.
"Manon, do you know what's happening over there? It looks a like a big deal."
"Some kind of photoshoot for a famous boy. Nobody but his family has seen him for ten years! Mommy told me this morning over breakfast," Manon sounded proud that she could help Marinette, despite the fact she kept running away from her.
"Oh, that's very interesting. What did you have for breakfast?" Marinette continued to chat with Manon but didn't take her eyes off the "famous boy" and he seemed to look back at her quite a lot as well.
Ten years was a bit too coincidental to Marinette, but she put it off and continued watching the boy as people gathered around the area to see the photo shoot. She spotted Alya, the girl from the store yesterday and walked over.
"Excuse me, Alya was it? Do you know what's all happening? Sorry if I'm bugging you or something," Marinette burst out at Alya.
"What is happening, girl, is that the famed Adrien Agreste is having his first photoshoot for over ten years. His mom made his father stop before he was kidnapped or something and then his father shut him inside the house for ten years in vengeance. Then, his mom disappeared or something about a year ago, and finally after mourning his wife, Gabriel Agreste decided to let his professional clothing line be premiered on his own son! Isn't that great? I found it all out through multiple magazines and rumors around the fashion community," Alya explained as they walked away from the loudest part of the group.
"It is an impressive feat. If only they had you on the crew looking for me, you probably could have found me in a month," Marinette smiled at her joke, and Alya burst out laughing. "The perks of having a roommate who loves puns."
"Roommate? I never heard this on the news, would you consider telling me more?"
"Maybe some other time, if that's okay with you. I have a babysitting job to finish and a kid to bring home to her parents." They parted ways and Marinette took Manon home soon after.
"Hello, Madame Chamack. I saw you on the news last night, didn't I?"
"Good afternoon, Marinette. And yes, you did see me standing in front of your bakery. I volunteered for the job so Manon could come watch what I do at a live scene."
"I have to get going soon, but enjoy your evening. You can call my mom if you want Manon to go to the park again," Marinette waved as she walked away from the house and went back over to the park. She set a pace to go around the park multiple times and set a course in her mind. It wasn't the same way she walked yesterday, but was still similar.
She walked and thought about what was going to happen when or if Tikki and Plagg popped up again. She figured it would happen soon, but she wasn't sure how they would do it. The last time she was alone, it was to pick up Manon. The time before that, when people were staring at her before her parents knew she was alive.
Stopping and sitting down on a bench, Marinette closed her eyes and let herself become Ladybug again. Ladybug knew that Tikki and Plagg's appearance was a when, never an if. Marinette let herself hope. Ladybug wondered what would happen, and Marinette thought that she could just tell her parents and they would protect her. Ladybug and Marinette might share the same soul, but they would never have equal agendas.
She was so lost in thought that when she finally opened her eyes she could see only half of the sun over the buildings of Paris. Standing, she took a breath and became fully Marinette yet again. It was Saturday, and dinner would be soon. She walked home quickly, making her lose a bit of breath over the pace and her weak body.
Rushing up the stairs, she wondered what time it was and decided to get a watch. She found the door unlocked and walked in slowly.
"I'm home," Marinette said to a delicious smell and a worried Sabine.
"Marinette! Where were you? I called Nadja and she said you dropped off Manon over an hour ago!"
"I'm sorry, I went back to walk around the park and then I got lost in thoughts. I was thinking about the future," Marinette was telling the truth, but not the full picture behind it.
"Sabine, I told you to calm down. She would have been fine for long as needed," Tom chimed from the couch, curled up in a fuzzy blanket. The news wasn't on tonight, but some popular show called The Returned was on. Tom patted the cushion next to him, and Marinette plopped down.
"This is one of my favorite shows. It's about all these local people who died years ago show back up and things just seem to go wrong," he explained while she processed. Marinette still took a while to get things through her mind after so many pills were put into Ladybug's shared space.
Marinette knew why he watched it. It was most simply because he thought his daughter was dead when it started and before she actually returned. It was heartbreaking to her, that her father got through his pain with a show that mirrored his real life.