As usual, I do not own anything

II

Two days had passed and the small wooden box still hadn't moved from where Chloé had put it. She had hoped that the same mysterious force that had placed it in her room would also make it disappear, but it was still there. Maybe she should just throw it into the river Seine.

But she currently had more important things on her mind. Now that Sunday had arrived, it was time for the memorial service to be held, and her to attend it. All eyes would be on her, which she normally did not have any problem with. But these times were anything but normal and the thought of everyone staring at her to see if she would have a nervous breakdown or anything made her nauseous. For the first time ever in her life, Chloé wished her father had not been a person of public interest. She would have preferred to simply bid her farewell with only her grandparents accompanying her. Instead, she'd have to listen to speech after speech held by people she hardly knew, speaking words that might not even be honest.

She looked at her phone once again, which had a text from Adrien on the screen. He was asking if he should sit next to her instead of with his father. Even though the thought of being close to Adrien was tempting, Chloé couldn't help but wonder if he actually wanted to support her or if he was simply trying to find an excuse to distance himself from his father's presence. Chloé knew things were somewhat tense between the two ever since Madame Agreste had gone missing. And it had surprised her as well as everybody else when the otherwise so reclusive fashion designer had verified his personal attendance.

Adrien was a nice person, no doubt, but Chloé knew he could not give her the support she needed. She finally answered his text by typing 'Thank you for the offer, but I would rather just sit with my grandparents.'

Adrien let out a small gasp as he read Chloé's reply. She downright rejected the chance of being close to him. Something about her personality had definitely changed, and he wasn't quite sure what to make of it yet. On the one hand, he was relieved that she would finally stop clinging to him whenever he appeared in sight, but on the other hand, he was still worried that his oldest- and for a long time, only- friend would fall for depression. Negative emotions lured an Akuma like a worm lured a fish. And he was not sure someone who had been akumatized before was safe from it happening again. That was the main reason he would attend the memorial service no matter what, even if that meant sitting next the stoic, silent figure of his father. It looked like this morning would not be pleasant for neither of the two teenagers.

There had to be something! Chloé was about to go crazy with anger as she rummaged through her collection of accessories. She just needed something to replace the sunglasses that she had recently broken. But none of the many items seemed to go with the entirely black outfit she had dressed in. This was too big, that was too bright...she groaned and retreated to another corner. The very same corner which she had placed the box in. It sat there as if it was taunting her. Still enraged, Chloé grabbed the box an threw it against the nearest wall with force she did not even knew she had. As it hit the wall, the lid was forced open. Once again, there was a bright light, but this time, the item contained in the box fell out and onto the floor. It was the first time Chloé had actually looked at it. A comb of gold color, with a bee motif on the top. As she took it into her hands, the tiny voice of the Kwami took her out of her thoughts.

"I knew you'd change your mind!", the tiny creature triumphantly exclaimed.

"No I haven't.", Chloé corrected, "I just need something I can put in my hair and that isn't black."

She shoved the comb in front of the tie that held her ponytail together. It was almost time to go to the cathedral the service would be held in. She was already about to leave when she realized the Kwami following her movement.

"No, you stay here!", she commanded.

It shook its tiny head from side to side and said: "There is no way I am going to stay away from the Miraculous. As soon as you wear it, I'll stay close by."

Oh this was just perfect! Now Chloé also had this to worry about, as if her current life wasn't stressful enough. She almost panicked when her grandmother knocked on the door to check if she was ready to leave.

"At least have the decency to hide.", she demanded.

She felt relief as the Kwami obliged and hid in the small pocket that adorned the left side of the blazer she wore.

A/N: Whew, lots of plain text this time around. I hope to post another chapter next week before going on holiday