"That was so SATISFYING!" Marinette yelled out as the girls made their way to the cafeteria for lunch.
"It was nothing, really. She should be lucky it wasn't my dad asking her. I bet you she would break after only a minute." Catie smiled shyly. If only she had her fathers demanding charisma. Maybe it wasn't so bad being a military kid after all.
"By the way, could you tell me some of your stories? Please! I would love to hear you talk about it." Marinette begged.
"Uhm… I don't know. I don't like to boast about it." Catie blushed.
"Please! It's not boasting if I ask you about it. And if you keep it humble." Marinette nudged Catie with her elbow. Catie giggled.
"Okay, fine. I guess I can do that."
"Yay!" Marinette raised her arms over her head in celebration.
"What are you guys talking about?" Alya together with Nino came up to the table that Marinette and Catie occupied. Catie had her phone out and was showing old photos from Japan.
"Well… We were…" Marinette turned to look at Catie for consent.
"I was just showing Marinette some photos from when I lived in Japan." Catie said with a humble smile.
"Awesome. Can we join?" Nino said and sat down without waiting for an answer.
"Sure. I guess, since the cat is out of the bag, I don't have any excuse not to talk about it."
Catie then continued to talk about Japan, and even managed to teach them some Japanese phrases and words.
"Don't Lila speak japanese?" Alya tried to remember.
"I think she once told us about it." Nino made a thoughtful face.
Marinette rolled her eyes. Could they not enjoy any subject without mentioning the snake?
"Really?" Catie raised her eyebrows. "Next time I see her I shall greet her in Japanese then." A small smirk appeared on Caties' face. Alya thought it meant she was happy that she could speak to someone who would understand. Marinette knew it meant another chance to maybe prove she was full of lies.
"So that story about you and Mt Fuji?" Alya tried to ask nicely. They heard the rumor, but wanted to know.
Catie sighed. "You heard?" She then laughed. "Yes, it's true. Why we chose to climb it in the winter is still a mystery to me. I know it sounds unbelievable."
"It really does." Alya said while she looked unconvinced.
"I have pictures." Catie said.
"Really? Can we see them?" Alya said with a sceptical look at Catie.
"Alya!" Marinette exclaimed. "How come you ask Catie for proof but not Lila?"
She had a point, and both Nino and Alya knew this. But this story sounded just too unbelievable to be true.
"I trust Lila. I know her. But I don't know Catie and therefore I can't take her word without proof." Alya said as she crossed her arms over her chest, looking away with a pout.
"So, did you ask Lila for proof before you could trust her?" Marinette leaned in, with the same pout and arms crossed as well.
"Now you're ridiculous. You're just jealous of Lila, Marinette."
"Anyway. I have proof." Catie said and started to scroll through her phone again. Once she found them she hesitated a little.
"What? Afraid to show us?" Alya said with a smirk. Nino looked slightly annoyed while Marinette facepalmed.
"No.I just..." Catie shook her head before she showed them. She hated boasting.
"So you really did dig out a snow cave? That's awesome dude." Nino said after he looked at the photos.
"I'm still not convinced." Alya said as she studied the phone.
"Alya!" Marinette became annoyed at her best friend.
"It's okay Marinette. I've gotten used to people not believing me even if I show them all the evidence I can. It's part of being human. We all are entitled to our own beliefs, and if Alya doesn't believe me, it's her right. She's not the first one, and she won't be the last."
Both Alya and Marinette looked dumbfounded at Catie, while Nino gave an approving nod. Without a word Alya handed back the phone to Catie.
"What about the photo of you and the royal family of Achu?" Nino finally spoke up. They had heard the whispers of it that there excisted a photo like that. But if it really was true, that was another story.
"Right!" Alya lit up. "Can we see that photo?" She glanced at Catie.
Marinette couldn't believe the audacity of her best friend. How could she doubt someone who clearly could back up what she said, but not the one who kept crying and demanding people believe her?
"So you heard about that as well?" Catie felt embarrased. She knew there were whispers and rumors spreading, she made sure people saw it. But she still hated that people asked for it anyway.
"So? Does it exist?" Alya squinted her eyes.
Catie sighed before she scrolled up to find it, clicked on it and showed them.
"Is this real?" Alya said without thinking. "I mean..."
"Alya, this is getting ridiculous. Why do you keep doubting her?" Marinette asked worried.
"Dude! That is the entire royal family. And yours too! Is that Prince Ali?" Nino kept commenting on the photo.
"So you lied when you said you don't know prince Ali?" Alya looked smug.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I was afraid you would keep pressure me to get you to meet him." Catie blushed.
"Oh, Catie. It's okay." Marinette put a hand on her shoulder.
"You lied." Alya was stuck on that fact.
"Alya, please. Let it go. Don't you know someone else who says she knows the royal family but keep promising us that we will get to meet them?" Marinette looked really annoyed.
"Also..." Catie started but stopped herself.
"What?" Alya was really annoyed by this point. She couldn't get her best friend to see what she wanted, or even find any flaws in Caties' stories. Which also made her annoyed with herself as she realized she had never checked any of Lila's stories. Here she was, trying her best to poke holes in things Catie said but couldn't. She hadn't even tried to do that with Lila. Also Catie didn't care if she was believed or not, while Lila made one feel guilty if they didn't. Once she got home, she was going to fact check some things based on the few rumors circuling.
Marinette started to notice the expression changing on Caties' face.
"What's wrong?" Marinette asked after a while.
Catie sat in silence for a moment before she answered, "I miss Japan. I lived there for three years, I had lots of friends and even a part-time job."
"You can always go back once you're old enough, you know." Alya finally let her embarrassment go and tried to cheer her up.
"I know, I know. It's just that…"
"Just what?" Marinette said as she put a hand on Caties' shoulder.
"What if my friends don't remember me? What if they forgot about me?" Caties' shoulder slumped even more and she looked down at her knees, trying to hold back the tears. She hated the idea of crying infront of people. It didn't matter if they were close or not. She hated crying, so she did her best to hide her face while she tried to compose herself.
"Who could forget about you?" Marinette jumped up and made big gestures while she was talking. "You, a girl who can speak many languages, who puts on a brave face even when seriously injured, and don't even mention the way you try to push through when a "normal" person would give up." Marinette made quotatious signs while saying normal.
Catie appreciated them trying to cheer her up. This was Caties' biggest fear since she moved around a lot. What if every friend she had would forget about her when she moved?
Just at that moment, Caties' phone dinged. As she held her breath while she raised her head to look, a tear snuck past her barrier. One of her friends from Japan had sent a text, asking if she was okay. They had heard she had moved again and wanted to see how she was doing.
"What is it?" Nino asked, trying not to sneak a peek on her phone.
"It's a friend from Japan. He wanted to know if I was okay." Catie's voice cracked.
"See? What did we tell you?" Alya proudly stated.
Marinette hugged Catie while she mouthed to Alya to let it be. This was something that Catie really struggled with and didn't want to be a big thing.
Alya got the message and nudged Nino to follow her to class, as the next lesson was about to begin. Marinette stayed behind and held Catie in silence. She figured that whenever she was ready she would talk again. They sat in silence until the bell rang. They made their way to class still in silence.
—
"What is going on?" Marinette asked as she tried to make her way through the crowd of people who had gathered at the entrance to school. When she made it to the front she noticed a military vehicle parked at the curb, and a tall intimidating man standing in waiting. She recognized him. It was Catie's dad. What was he doing there? Didn't he realize that he was terrifying everyone?
"Excuse me" could be heard through the crowd. Marinette contemplated stopping Catie and having her leave through the back door, but that would not end well she figured. She turned to the crowd and managed to make eye contact with her as she finally made it through. Catie turned pale at the site, her father standing guard waiting for her. Why? Why was he here?
"Catherine!" her father commanded when he got sight of her.
She held her head down in shame as she walked down the stairs, still holding her head down as she stopped in front of him.
Marinette was watching the scene and couldn't stop herself comparing it to Adriens posture around his father. Both their fathers were demanding and authoritative. And terrifying in their own individual way. Marinette wished she could do something about it.
"Why are you here?" Catie finally raised her head and spoke to her father.
"I'm picking up my daughter. Is that wrong?" Her father said with a gentle voice Catie rarely heard. He only used it when he was sincerely wanting the best for her. Like when she tumbled down the stairs right before she got her diagnosis and her entire body ached. He spoke so softly to her that she didn't believe he was the same man who had demanded she follow his orders the day before. He had made sure she was as comfortable as she could be with restraints as possible.
Catie held back a tear from the memory of that time. It had hurt like hell, but he had made sure she would not suffer. "I can get home by myself. It's not far." she finally complained through her shame. The whole school was watching them.
"I know, but I was afraid the incident from the other day would happen again. I still haven't found who did it to you, and until I do, I will make sure you are safe."
"I guess. Thanks. Can we go now? It's embarrassing." Catie started to open the backdoor.
"Is that how we speak?" James turned into his military self again.
"Can we just go? Everyone is watching us and they're terrified of even leaving the school." Catie started to get annoyed. She slammed the door shut once she finally made it into the car. James shook his head before he finally sat himself down and drove away. She had a point. He had noticed that the kids looked fearful and insecure. He could correct her behavior at home instead. He was not that heartless.
—
"Your dad is terrifying." Marinette said on the phone with Catie. She figured she would call and check up on her in the evening.
"You think? He gave me a stern talking to about how we use the correct language when we talk to each other. It's annoying if anything. I felt bad for everyone else who didn't dare to go home because of him." Catie sighed.
"But at least he did listen to you when you wanted to leave. It's a relief that he isn't entirely heartless."
"You thinking of someone? It seems you've witnessed something similar before." Catie could tell.
"Damn your perception." Marinette laughed. "Yes. You remember Adrien?"
"Yes. The blond boy who shows up at random times and sometimes leaves or disappears."
"He is a model. He works and sometimes he has to leave during school because his father books gigs for him in the middle of class."
"Yes, yes. What about him? I guess he has something to do with this since you brought him up."
"Well… His father is a famous fashion designer, and demands that Adrien basically does everything he tells him. Your reaction today when you saw your dad was pretty much the same as whenever Adrien is required to go home or leave in the middle of the day because he has to work. His father is almost as scary as your dad. But in a different way."
Silence.
"Are you still there?"
"Have you met him?"
"Adrien? Of course I have. We are friends and in the same class."
"No, his father?" Catie chuckled.
"Oh. Not really. More through a tablet screen, but I have talked to him in person a few times. I can't really say much."
"Hmm..." Catie was deep in thought.
"And he did lose his wife some time ago, so I guess he is overprotective over his only child, right?"
"It's a reasonable. But it sounds like he demands obedience. Do I understand it right?"
"Maybe. I don't really know."
"My dad demands obedience when it is required, since he is a general and has to command a lot of people. But when he isn't working he can be really annoying and stubborn. And sometimes he could be the most gentle person and a crybaby."
"Really?" Marinette couldn't help but giggle. Her dad being a crybaby and gentle? It was really hard to imagine.
"Really. I guess you couldn't hear him talk today, but he talked so calmly and gently to me before I snapped at him. It reminded me of when I spent a few days in the hospital after I tumbled down the stairs that one time. He read to me, spoon-fed me ice-cream and would cry whenever he thought I didn't look or hear. I find him really annoying at times, but I really do love my dad."
"I can tell. Your dad sounds a lot like mine. He can be a teddy bear for the most part, but when he has to, he will stand in the way of a car if it was about to hit someone."
"It's sad to think that there are people out there who have kids but only demand things from them and don't really put any effort in."
"It really is. I just hope that one day Adrien can get to experience a real father-son relationship instead of it being so lonely."
"I agree." A faint voice could be heard in the background on Caties' end. "I'm sorry, but my dad is telling me to hang up. I still have some homework to do."
"Okay. I still have to finish a few things here as well. See you tomorrow?"
"See you tomorrow."
Marinette had just finished all of her projects and homework right before bedtime. She climbed out on her balcony and looked at the sky while she thought about her conversation with Catie. Even with a dad as terrifying as hers, he still can be a softie. Why couldn't Adriens' father be like that as well? Be demanding when he has to, but soft with Adrien? Marinette felt the urge to look in on him, so she called Tikki and transformed into Ladybug and made her way to Adrien's house to check in on him.
"Are we spying on people now?" a familiar voice called out behind Ladybug as she was looking into Adriens bedroom. The sudden voice scared her and she almost threw a punch.
"Woah! Careful now M'lady. I didn't mean to scare you" Chat Noir said as he avoided her punch.
"Don't scare me like that!" Ladybug said while she composed herself.
"What are you doing here? Spying on people?" Chat grinned as he leaned against his staff.
"I'm not!" Ladybug lied. "I was just patrolling and stopped for a moment."
"Really? Stopped to stare for 10 minutes?"
She had been caught.
"I wasn't spying. I was just… worried." she said as she turned away her gaze.
Chat Noir was caught off guard. Ladybug was… worried? About him?
"Why?" he asked as he tilted his head.
"Well… I was talking to a friend earlier about parents. And I thought about Adrien. How lonely he must be."
Chat Noir stared at her, blanched out in his mind. He didn't know what to say to this. Ladybug had noticed he was lonely, but how?
"How do you know he is lonely?" Chat finally managed to ask.
"Well I… Uh… Umm… Well… It's just a feeling." she finally stammered out.
Chat Noir sat down on the roof facing away from his house. If they were going to talk about how lonely he felt in his own house, he didn't want to look at it.
"I guess. A big house, a father that seems more focused on work. I guess that really could make one feel lonely."
Ladybug sat down next to him, as he spoke. She noticed the change of tone of his voice.
"Is something bothering you?"
"Nah, not really."
They sat in silence for a while before they noticed the time. It was late.
"I should get going." Ladybug said as she stood up.
"So should I." Chat followed suit.
"See you tomorrow?" Ladybug said before she threw her yoyo.
"See you tomorrow."
—
Catie exited her dads car in shame. James was a powerful man, and knew what was best. He didn't want Catie to run into trouble again, so he had decided that until they had found the one who injured Catie, he would drive and pick up his daughter to and from school, much to her dismay. She was embarrassed as she made her way up the stairs to the giant entrance to school. People were staring and whispering around her. She hated that, though she was not really surprised.
"Good Morning." Lila pulled Catie back to reality.
"Hey." Catie gave a tired smile. She really wasn't feeling like dealing with her right now.
"So your father drove you this morning? He picked you up yesterday as well didn't he. He must really care for you."
"Well, someone pushed me in front of a car so... Until that person has been found and held accountable for, he will keep doing this. That's what he said at least."
Lila managed to hide the panic that she could feel building up. With her father appearing every day, the chances of her getting caught would rise. She had to think of some way to deal with this girl. Maybe she could get her expelled? Apparently she had proof of everything so she couldn't discredit her easily. Unless the pictures were photoshoped? Maybe that could work? "Maybe I should start a few rumors about how she photoshoped those photos, or they are not of what she says it is? Could that work?" Lila faked concern, "Oh… I guess he really is protective of you. But does he really have time to drive you and pick you up? Isn't he really busy with all the akumas and finding Shadowmoth?" Maybe she could guilt the girl into talking her father out of it.
"I already talked to him about it. My mom agreed with dad. There is nothing I can do. When my dad has decided something, then you can't talk him out of it."
Crap! That wouldn't work apparently. "He can't be that busy then if he has the time, can he?" She tried another approach. Maybe she could damage his reputation enough to get him fired.
"No, he is highly ranked. He is busy, but he has made it clear that his family always comes first if their life or well-being is being threatened. And the military accepts it since he has never let them down. His work ethic is immaculate, so they trust him enough. That is what my dad says anyway."
Lila swore to herself. That wouldn't work either if his reputation is that good. It is easy to destroy another teens reputation, but an adult? How could a teen destroy a well-respected high ranking officer in the military? It seemed like making her lose credibility orexpelled would be her only options.
"Morning!" Alya and Marinette were walking towards them.
"Morning!" Lila turned to Alya and started talking to her. Marinette went straight past her up to Catie to check in on her. Making sure that whatever question she asked and Catie answered, Lila would hear. Marinette knew it was her, but she could not prove it. Yet.
"My dad dropped me off. Against my will. That's why people are whispering and staring." Catie explained after Marinette had asked her about the things she heard other students talking about when they entered.
"So that's why." Alya overheard and couldn't help to chime in, much to Lilas' dismay. The focus shifted once again to Catie and her dad. Lila didn't want to be reminded so she excused herself, saying she needed to use the bathroom. Only Alya had waved good-bye.
Alya turned her attention to Marinette and Catie. She looked... Nervous?
"What is it Alya?" Marinette asked after noticing.
"Um..." Alya started to fiddle with her fingers. This was unusual for the journalist.
"Alya?"
"Well..."
Then the bell rang. Alya promised she would speak to Marinette after class. And Alya also felt like she needed to apologize to Catie for doubting her. Alya had gone home and started to look up airport security, and Catie had been right. There was no way a teenage girl would be let out onto the tarmac or the runway unsupervised. How could she even have thought to believe the ridiculous claim that a teenage girl could outrun a plane taking of? Was she insane? But most of all, she had felt embarrased that she had accused Marinette of being jealous. She had just tried to point out the flaws in her stories.
Catie could tell something had happened. The seed had taken root. Now it would only grow.
—