A/N: Sorry for the long delay- exams are coming up, so I'll be a bit too busy to post for a little bit. Thank you all for the reviews and support, and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter- it may be another week or two before I post again. Nothing too long, though.

Also, a note on Marc before I forget: I did remember to look into things before I posted this chapter to avoid misgendering any characters, and as far as I can tell, Marc goes by he/him (not referring to canon, since that's a whole other thing.) I do know some other comic/comic series that I've seen have referred to Marc as they/them, but I'm going to go with what I have.

Marinette P.O.V.

I don't make it too far down the hall before I hear voices- Zoé and Chloe are still talking, I guess. Starting to back up, I figure it's better just to give them a minute… but that doesn't stop me from hearing a bit of their conversation that immediately catches my attention, making me stop to listen.

"...and don't think I haven't heard from Marinette that you used to bully her! I'm not the one who has to apologize to her!"

"That was years ago, and Dupain-Cheng just sat there and took it, anyways! And you're the one who's been keeping secrets from her while you pretend to be her best friend-"

"Chloe, I am her best friend," Zoé snaps. "What I haven't told her won't change that… I mean, it shouldn't…"

"You don't even know if your friendship is strong enough to hold!" Chloe replies triumphantly. "After all, it didn't stick with her friend Alya, so why would it stick with you?"

"That's enough." She takes a deep breath as though trying to reassure herself. "Marinette will understand… she has to understand."

"Or you could let me help you." Chloe scoffs. "Of course, I'll want something in return, but you can get rid of this situation before she even finds out."

"Why do you care, if you don't even think of us as sisters?" Zoé grumbles. "I still don't meet your standards?

"My standards have changed," Chloe replies off-handedly, "so you'd have to live in Paris and stop going to this snooze-fest school."

I don't know what's more surprising anymore. The fact that Chloe really has gone softer in the time I've been gone, or knowing that Zoé is keeping something big from me. Some secret big enough to destroy our friendship, even.

And suddenly, it feels like Paris all over again. I don't know who to trust, because I already got the feeling that Nino is hiding something. I could see, naturally, the jade bracelet on his wrist; he's a long-term Miraculous holder. But there's something else he's not telling me, and the only one I feel like I can trust right now… is Adrien.

Even then, he's being secretive too, but in this case, it concerns his life. He won't go into detail about what's changed since he lost friends. If he's really an outcast in the class, surely he feels awful about it. But he won't tell me, and it makes me worry that this whole situation is much more upsetting than he wants to admit.

I shake my head, clearing away these thoughts as I step around the corner and make my way toward Zoé and Chloe. They look up to see me and immediately go silent, making it seem like they weren't just talking about me behind my back.

"Sorry to interrupt… whatever this is." I swallow, also trying to make it seem like I wasn't listening to them. "Zoé, we need to start with the tours; we're already running behind."

"Right, right. Let's go." She glances back at Chloe momentarily, and I don't even look to see their expressions. I don't know if I want to know what's happening here.

As we head down toward the guest rooms again, Zoé nervously asks, "You didn't hear much, did you? Chloe hates it when people eavesdrop-"

"Hear what?" I frown, subjecting myself to telling this one lie even though I've started to become mortally opposed to lies. "I couldn't even hear you down the hall, Zoé. What were you talking about?"

"Things." She sighs. "We've never been close. I guess I should have mentioned Chloe sooner."

"That's okay." I look away, gritting my teeth. I wouldn't have listened if I hadn't heard my name. I wouldn't have kept listening if I hadn't known you were keeping secrets from me.

Nino and Sabrina have both pulled through, and everyone is out here now, standing around reluctantly. In fact, so many boos are called at me that it becomes infuriating. Just because this is my school now, they're going to insult us?

"Listen up!" I clap my hands twice, managing to catch the attention of everyone all at once. Everyone falls silent at the tone of my voice, and at last, everyone is listening.

"The faster this tour goes, the faster you all will get to rest, and I know a lot of you probably want to after a five-hour ride here. If you cooperate, you can get thirty minutes of downtime before the welcoming ceremony, which is mandatory and very exhausting." I fold my arms, looking over the group. "So how are we going to do this? Because I know you hate me. But that doesn't give you an excuse to disrespect this school."

I'm met with silence, but I can tell just by looking at them that my words are making sense. Adrien shoots me an encouraging smile from the back, but I'm again a bit stunned by how he's standing alone, away from the rest of the group. Two whole classes, but he still stands alone like this, unable to merge into the crowd the way Nino, Chloe, and Sabrina can.

Again- they're his only friends. Aside from Kagami, of course, and the fact that this happened because of me is bringing on the same stress and guilt I felt months ago when I suspected this might happen. I need to do something about it. So maybe it's time to try making peace with some of my old classmates.

"We're going to split you up into two groups, and we'll give the tour in about twenty minutes, clear?" Zoé calls, and thankfully, the only response is collective nodding. She glances at me and winks before heading over to split everyone up, and I'd be happy to have her support if I wasn't so skeptical of her intentions. Who can I trust anymore? I wonder vaguely.

My group ends up being about half of my old class and half of the second class, which means a mixture of people I know and don't know. But the most important part is that Lila isn't in my group. I'm not ready to face her, but I do warn Zoé about her in advance.

"She's the one who-" Zoé glares, her hands curling into fists. "We can talk about it later. I'll keep an eye on her."

"Merci," I mumble, hurrying away a little too quickly. I don't want her to suspect that I was eavesdropping, even if I feel the urge to confront her about what I caught her saying.

Turning to my group, I'm grateful to see Adrien in it, at least- naturally, however, the half of my old class that's in this group is the half that doesn't mind showing their distrust and anger toward me. Even Alya is in this group… making it a little weird that she hasn't even spoken to me or anyone.

"Follow me, tout le monde," I manage to raise my voice to speak to everyone, wondering how well I'll be able to give the tour without them speaking out against me. I get a few nasty looks, but that's nothing new.

Luckily, there's cooperation as I lead the group through each subject hallway one by one, explaining where the competitions will be held. I only get a little attention from anyone in my group, though as I mention the potential for a newspaper article-writing section of the tournament, I see Marc perk up slightly.

I don't even remember if he was around when I was expelled, or when I was kidnapped by Hawk Moth, or even in Paris at that time. Maybe I should try talking to him later… see if I have another ally here.

I shouldn't be trying so hard, a part of me thinks. I'm not going anywhere; they won't change their opinions about me. It's been far too long.

I just don't know what to do anymore, and it's not a normal feeling for me; typically, I can always figure out how to solve these problems, but this one proved to be unsolvable a long time ago. I already know it wasn't a coincidence that Françoise Dupont ended up here, especially the people who know me, but maybe it's meant to show me that I could get another chance.

No. I firmly lift my head and try to focus all my attention on the tour. I don't have time to focus on things like this.

To distract myself in any way possible, I lead everyone out to the sports side of the school- fields and courts with enough room for five schools instead of just two. I can already see how much interest there is in these areas, based on the amazed or stunned expressions behind me when I glance back.

At one point, Alix, who's been giving me the silent treatment, suddenly blurts out, "A skate park? You guys have a skate park?" She runs up, grabbing my arms with actual pleading in her eyes. "You have to let me try it! I've been trying to get the mayor to build one closer to the school for years!"

I can't help the chuckle that emerges from my throat, feeling yet another pang of nostalgia as I remember Alix talking my ear off about why I should help her petition for more sport centers- maybe a general community center with a skating rink or park. Of course, I know this, and it's nice to know that some things never change. Even if that's been my problem for the past six months.

"Well, if competitive roller skating ends up being a category this year, the actual competition will be held there," I finally answer, "but you guys are welcome to check out any of these places in your spare time. We leave them open so everyone can practice for the tournament at any time."

"That's awesome," Alix breathes, backing off again with a look of utmost bliss. "So awesome."

"Isn't it?" A couple of boys I know from my gym class, Russell and Symon, are passing by, and both stop to observe the entire group. "It's so much easier to get in practice even on busy days now," Symon adds with a grin in my direction; I roll my eyes, fighting off a smirk. "Oh, because of that idea you had to extend hours for the sports wing, Marinette."

"Sure is awesome," Russell adds, "just like our sports teams! Nette here is modest, but we aren't!" They wave to me and leave, both laughing and waving to the rest of the group behind me as they run away down the courtyard.

I'm smirking to myself now, unable to help it; everyone has been thanking me for that since I got this to happen. Luckily, unlike in Paris, they were open to suggestions, so this change could be made. And there haven't even been many negative results from allowing a bunch of teenagers to play tennis after midnight or kick a football around in the darkness of the fields.

Surprisingly enough, I've gotten popular here, and all I tried to do was stay under the radar until people stopped remembering who I had been back in Paris. But as I glance back at my former classmates, my smirk fades; they don't all seem to find it as amusing.

"Modest, huh?" Kim frowns at me suspiciously; any interest he had in the basketball court down the way is now gone. "Sounds familiar enough."

"Are you doing the same thing here that you did to all of us?" Ivan accuses.

"These poor kids don't know what they've gotten into," Mylène whispers sadly, her eyes narrowing in my direction.

"It has nothing to do with that," I protest. "I haven't done anything here or- or at all!"

"Guys, can't we just calm down?" Adrien weakly manages, coming to my defense after a while of silence, hesitation… things have gotten worse than I feared, because the glares I'm getting from almost everyone here are now diverting to him.

"Don't defend her, Adrien. We already know you still support her after what she's done." Kim glares at him. "No wonder she got away with so much back in Paris; she probably always had people on the inside, tormenting Lila and tricking all of us!"

An outcry of agreement answers this statement, and the entire group is now starting to form into what I can only describe as a mob. All that's missing are torches and pitchforks, and they'd fit right into the 16th century with all the assumptions and accusations that are being thrown upon me without any actual proof.

It's like it flips a switch inside me; I raise my head, feeling a rising anger. People nearby are starting to watch, confused and maybe a bit concerned. My life already got messed up once, and there's no way I'm letting that happen here.

"Listen up," I snap. "Maybe you all believe that I'm a horrible person. I won't try to stop you from that, but you have no proof of me being manipulative or untrustworthy here! And you won't find any proof because that's not who I am."

Silence has fallen, and my opportunity to speak up for myself has come upon me. I muster up my previously-failing courage and address everyone in the tour group. Maybe it's not everyone that I need to be talking to, but it's something to have this audience here.

"I have a new life here. It's been six months since I left Paris, and just because we're all meeting up again like this doesn't mean you have the right to ruin what I have here." My gaze shifts to Alix briefly; she hasn't spoken up in all these protests, and maybe that's because she remembered what I did when she brought up the skate parks. How close of friends we were, and how quickly and rashly that was thrown away.

"The only thing I have planned is to get through this tournament like the rest of you, and then let everything return to normal. And people here trust me; maybe you all should have, too." I grit my teeth. "Stop acting like I'm a criminal, and I'll stop acting like you're going to gang up on me all the time; which you already have."

This gets a few of them; Kim looks away for a brief moment, and Mylène blushes and stares down at her hands. What's most interesting, however, is Alya. Because she's been silent the whole time, but I can see her in the crowded mass of students, and she's looking back at me with a look that I just can't decipher.

It's not hostile.

It's not distrustful.

If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was regretful.

I clear my throat, realizing I've paused too long, and add, "And leave Adrien out of this. Seriously."

With that settled, I turn away, feeling that I've successfully defused the "angry mob" from accusing me of something ridiculous, like witchcraft. Again, it's why they'd fit so well into the 16th century.

"Now, if you'd all follow me, we're about done with the tour, and you all get your thirty-minute rest soon- well, it could be forty if we hurry this up." Feeling more confident than I have in months, I start walking again, and the entire group follows. It's mostly quiet, but I can tell- without looking, I just know- I've done something. Something has changed.

"Merci," Adrien mumbles, coming up on my right side as we head back inside. "I mean, it won't last long before they… well, never mind."

It's another glimpse at how different he is; I've always known Adrien was relatively shy, but all this has reduced him to be just as quiet as I was before I met Alya. Not a good kind of shy.

"They'll come around," I insist, reaching out tentatively to place a hand on his shoulder; he glances up in surprise and a slight flush rises in his face. "I've already started to defend myself and you, so I can't just stop now."

"You don't have to." He swallows, glancing nervously back as though searching for someone. "I think the only thing that matters right now is keeping an eye out for Lila. We know she has something planned…." Adrien looks to be struggling with this next part. "...and I don't want her to ruin what you have here. It's… better than Paris, to say the least."

"Maybe not." I speak up before I've even thought about it. "Maybe I don't want to stay here forever. Maybe- maybe I want to be allowed to visit my parents for once, or see how my city is doing after all this time… or not be isolated from the person I just realized I loved-"

I bite down hard on my tongue, silently cursing myself for bringing that up, especially to Adrien of all people. He blinks in surprise, studying me in apparent confusion. After he found out I had been crushing on him for so long… well, we never actually talked about it again. Now, I've just opened up that topic for discussion.

"Person you realized you loved, huh?" Adrien suddenly looks intrigued; a look of interest gleams in his eyes. "Who might that be?"

My cheeks are flushed bright red now, and I turn away as everyone heads back up the stairs behind me. "I, uh… Adrien, I-"

Then I glance back, and the look he's giving me is too much to handle. It's like he's purposely enlarging his shining emerald eyes, deliberately displaying that pleading yet sly look in every inch of his expression. "Welllll?" he draws out tauntingly, and I groan. By focusing so much on how he perceived my parting words, I'd forgotten just how convincing Adrien could be with that model charm of his.

My face burning bright red, I fix my eyes downward and mumble, "It's Cat Noir."

"Vraiment?" He stops short for a moment before recollecting himself and hurrying to catch up. I'm starting to lose the tour group; I'm walking so fast to escape this conversation. "Cat Noir? Wow… even after all this time, huh?"

I'm not sure why he's so interested in this. It's unsettling. "Well, yeah…" I squirm slightly before admitting, "I can't just forget what happened before I left Paris, anyways."

"What happened?" Adrien prompts, but his charm has less effect, and I can turn away to avoid telling him one of my most private, special moments. If we were still friends, Alya would have heard about this a hundred times over by now, and if Zoé wasn't hiding things from me, I probably would have told her later on today.

I can't tell Adrien. It's just too weird- by the way he's acting, I almost feel like he knows what went down that day.

Almost like he knows everything I'm holding back.

Grateful that we've reached the guest dorms once again, I stop and turn around abruptly, causing Adrien to bump into me from behind. As he pulls back, in the brief moment before I focus my attention on the tour group, I'm sure he's blushing, which is a little… a little suspicious.

Then again, what hasn't been suspicious since they got here? I need some downtime myself to get my head together.

"D'accord, everyone, that's every area of the school that you'll need to know for now; when event sign-ups and practice sessions start, you all will get to see other parts of the school on your own." As I look over the group of students who almost mobbed me earlier, it surprises me how much more passive they are… fewer glares, less ignoring me… and it feels good to have changed something. "For now, you know where the welcoming ceremony is- if not, there are some signs up to guide you all, and you can just follow the other students to the dance hall."

"You all have a dance hall?" Alix speaks up after an awkward silence. "Again- what doesn't this place have?"

The fact that I have to think about it just seems to prove her point. "And we're allowed to check out some of the sports areas in our free time?" she adds hopefully.

"Yeah, I want to try out some- what was it, midnight basketball?" Kim looks eager at the prospect of this. "They're open at any time, right?"

"More or less," I reply. "Just not until after the welcoming ceremony tonight. Get dressed for it- it's a dance, after all."

Everyone is heading back to their dorms now, and I feel a surge of relief at that stressful situation having gone well in the end. Alix catches my eye as she moves away, hesitates, and then mouths thank you before disappearing into her room; I'm not sure what that was, but it's just another beacon of hope.

"Wait, so are you going to tell me what happened between… you and him?" Adrien presses from behind me, and I turn back with a smug smile crossing my lips.

"Not happening, Adrien. Nice try." Seeing the irritation of his defeat in his eyes is very satisfying, and it's karma for him manipulating me with the same charm that got me in love with him years ago. It's ironic, really.

"You should probably go get ready for the welcoming ceremony," I suggest, checking the time. "Or take a nap or something. Turns out we got back here with time to spare."

"Right." He nods, studying me suspiciously for a moment before turning and heading down the hall to his own guest room. I can't ignore the brief disappointment in his eyes, though… I don't mean to sound so eager to stop talking with him, but Adrien's questioning still has my mind going in circles.

I set off toward the main dormitories, planning on relaxing a little before heading down to the ceremony. However, as I start to leave the guest dorm wing, Zoé is returning with her group, and she waves me down with a grin. "You finished early," she remarks as everyone else heads back into their own dorms, looking exhausted, most likely from Zoé's boundless energy during the tour. It feels like it's actually nervous energy this time around, though.

Honestly, she does look anxious, and if it has to do with whatever she's hiding from me, it's not surprising that my friend is so energetic, forcing her cheerfulness a little too hard. She probably sped through her tour, which explains why our groups didn't meet up anywhere during either tour. "Yeah, you too," I manage to get out through gritted teeth; this doesn't go by unnoticed, and she frowns suddenly.

"Everything okay? Were they giving you a hard time?" She narrows her eyes. "They have to leave you alone sooner or later-"

"My tour actually went okay," I admit, opting to leave out the whole almost-mob situation. "I'm going to head back to the room to get ready… see you there?"

"See you." Zoé heads off a little too quickly, and I already know where she's most likely headed. Her tour was probably quick, so she'd have the time to… conspire with Chloe or whatever's going on.

Still, all the events that have happened since everyone arrived are starting to weigh down on me; I need some time to process all this. So I turn, intending to head back to my dorm and lay down until it's time to change for the ceremony.

And that's when I come face-to-face with someone I hoped I wouldn't again. Pale green eyes stare hard into my own, and a taunting smirk is already on her lips as Lila stares me down for the first time since… well, since she helped kidnap me.

I shiver at the thought, unwillingly showing my unease. She laughs. "What, don't want to say anything to your old friend, Marinette?"

Nothing has changed, a voice panics in my mind. Nothing has changed, and she's still out to ruin everything and put you in danger!

I swallow hard and narrow my eyes. "Friends? I don't think so." I push past her, but I don't make it too far before she calls after me, a cold tone taking away that taunting one she greeted me with.

"Heard you've been trying to find a way back into Paris," she remarks, leaning against the wall. "Too bad the mayor won't let you back in, mm? A certain Shadow Moth has been waiting to meet with you again."

A tremor runs down my spine. "I have nothing for him or you, Lila, so you can both get out of my life. You already took everything from me." My voice is nearly trembling now, and although I'm not cornered in any way, it feels like I'm helpless again, trapped by her, at her mercy, with no hope…

"Maybe you're not Ladybug anymore," Lila remarks, "but you know things. You know where the guardian lives-"

"Nope. He moved so I wouldn't know his location."

"You know his name."

"He goes under fake names, so that information wouldn't help your search regardless." I turn away quicker than before, trying to keep my tone steady as I tell her, "Now leave me alone, because I already told you I have no information for you."

"You know about Cat Noir." Irritated with my blatant deflections, Lila steps forward; on instinct, I back up and hit the wall, realizing that I really am cornered, and it's just like a redo of everything I went through in Paris. Being threatened in the bathrooms and then framed for that, being kidnapped by Hawk Moth with Lila's help… being taunted and scared into submission, like when she threw me off of the Eiffel Tower for her own amusement…

"That's right," Lila continues, "you know him. Clearly, you know him better than anyone if how you talk about him has any implication." She chuckles at what my expression of panic must look like- how did she know that? "So if your dear Cat Noir is training to be the next guardian, which I'd assume is true, he has the information we need."

"Still working closely with your favorite supervillain, I see," I remark dryly, starting to lose interest. What does she want from me anymore? Her point doesn't even make sense; what does that have to do with me?

"You know who he is under the mask, don't you?" This accusation catches me off guard, and I immediately push back, away from Lila.

"Of course not!" I grit my teeth. "It's a rule, and if I did- if I did…."

"Well, you don't want a repeat of what happened six months ago, do you?" Lila narrows her eyes, the smirk fading from her lips. "I'm watching you, Marinette. If you know anything about him, I'll find out. And even so… just imagine how many lengths your partner would go to just to save you."

She looks actually satisfied at my shudder; I shouldn't be giving her the pleasure of seeing my fear, but I can't help it after what she put me through and got away with. I have no way to protect myself anymore, and that's terrifying, because if I can't defend myself, I can't keep Cat Noir from being trapped with me as bait. "He might have managed to succeed the last time, but your dear partner won't be as lucky this time around."

"You aren't doing anything with me," I manage to snap at her, pulling away from the wall. "And you underestimate Cat Noir. He wouldn't allow himself to be tricked into any half-baked plan you're involved in."

I swear, her eye twitches slightly in irritation before she snaps back, "I'd watch my back if I were you. Can't trust anyone in a group like this." With that, she turns to saunter away, and then… that's when we both see Adrien standing a few feet behind her, his arms folded across his chest and eyes narrowed darkly at her.

"Don't you dare threaten her," he hisses, his voice low in anger. "You won't be getting away with anything while we're here, Lila."

"Oh, Adrien." She giggles to herself, a rather chilling, malicious laugh. "Since when have you ever been able to stand against me?"

Lila heads off down the hall to her dorm, shifting quickly back into her normal-Lila mode as she disappears around the corner. I exhale softly in relief, glancing over at Adrien in gratitude. "Merci."

"You don't think she'll- they'll both use you to trap Cat Noir again, right?" Adrien anxiously wrings his hands, his eyes never straying from mine. "I won't let them hurt you again."

His sudden defensiveness is surprising; I wasn't sure Adrien even had it in him. But he stares after Lila with a look of utmost disgust, if not concern. Glancing back at me, he softly adds, "I think Cat Noir would probably be glad to know that you trust him not to fall for any traps, but at the same time… wouldn't he tell you to avoid trouble?"

"He would, probably. He's protective like that." I bite my lip anxiously. "Not having my Miraculous hasn't changed everything, Adrien. I'm not going to let Lila do anything to Cat Noir, and I'm certainly not going to give her the chance to use me as a weapon against him. I'm done being used."

I turn away, releasing a shaky breath. "I just worry that he's closer than she thinks, that… that he could be found out at any moment. It's so risky to be accessible to Lila now, because she'll do whatever she can to benefit her and H- and Shadow Moth."

"I think you're right about him being closer than Lila thinks," Adrien mumbles. "And again… you should lay low, Marinette. I don't- I mean, Cat Noir wouldn't want to see you get hurt." Adrien looks like he wants to say more, but at the last second, changes his mind and turns away. "À plus, Marinette."

Then he's walking away, leaving me with a lot to think about. But it has a different meaning to me, because if Cat Noir is by any chance here, here in Quimper…

That could quickly become an issue for both of us.