Chapter 3

The school let the students out early after the incident with Picture Perfect, deciding that it would be best to try another day for class pictures. Chloe could have called Jean and been picked up but the idea of sitting alone in that massive empty hotel suite filled her with existential dread. She glanced at Sabrina by her side and knew she could count on her bookish companion to join her but all the memories of how one-sided their relationship used to be left her feeling nauseous.

Chloe wasn't ready to confront that hurdle just yet and told Sabrina that she could head home to her father. Chloe intended to find someplace quiet to try and figure out what was happening to her but the universe seemed to have different intentions.

"Hey, Chloe, where are you heading?" Rose called out to Chloe as she and Juleka approached her.

"Oh, just wanted to clear my head," Chloe said as she unconsciously rubbed at the scratch on her arm.

"Well I hope you don't mind a little company," Juleka chimed in quietly before leaning in and whispering, "Plus I want to take you up on that offer for a picture. It's not very often that Chloe Bourgeois offers to do something like that and I figure I shouldn't waste it."

"Well I said a picture or a portrait," Chloe teased, smiling slightly at Juleka and Rose. "Sadly, I'm out of paint at the moment so I hope a picture will do. If I'm going to take your picture, we need a nice place to take it, and no offense, but the school just doesn't cut it." Chloe managed to sniff disdainfully like her old self would have before giggling playfully, and Rose and Juleka's laughter quickly joined hers.

"Sure, did you have somewhere in mind?" Rose asked, excitedly bouncing in place as she leaned in conspiratorially, curious about what Chloe had in mind.

"Well I'd say let's walk around first. Maybe a park or something will stand out and we can use that for the background. And if we're lucky it'll also be a nice place to clear our heads of today, 'cause I need it," Chloe said as she picked a random direction and began walking.

It had been so long since she had walked the streets of Paris, in either version of her life, that she purposefully kept to a slow stroll to allow her to take in the sights and smells. The beautiful white and cream stone buildings, the occasional brick paved side street, and people carrying on with their days. It was so different from New York and the hustle of that city and she couldn't believe she had wasted her youth being too good to walk amongst the everyday people of this beautiful city.

"I was such an idiot," Chloe said to herself as she walked down the street until a nice park came into view. She smiled as she turned to Rose and Juleka.

"I wouldn't say idiot, I thought what you did was very brave," Rose said as she tapped her cheek thoughtfully while walking past Chloe. Chloe couldn't help smiling at the misunderstanding and didn't worry about correcting Rose. "Almost everyone else was too scared or got captured, but you just ran out there to distract him. It was incredible."

"And you helped me get out to go get help. I don't think that was dumb," Juleka replied with a smile. "Though I want to know what you meant by second chance?"

That caused Chloe to perk up and Rose to look at them curiously. Chloe did her best to silently beg them not to press the matter with hurt puppy dog eyes but their gazes drilled into her like the whole class used to when she lost a bet to them.

"It's hard to explain so…" Chloe trailed off as she tried to think of a way to avoid talking about what she believed was happening to her. Her eyes flicked to the ring on her hand and as she studied the jade snake and the burn scar on her palm that accompanied it, she found herself smiling at the memory, even though it was a painful one. "It was a really bad dream, or that's how it felt. It felt so real and was so painful and dark. I lived a pitiful life and was only just getting back on track."

Chloe tried to recall more but there were holes in her memories. It felt like there was fog in her head and only memories with strong emotions tied to them were able to shine through. It made everything jumbled and left her almost dizzy with confusion.

"I wasn't-" Chloe paused as the sound of a nearby toddler crying as their mother tried to soothe them rang in her ears. It stirred something in the darkest corners of her mind and she heard another child crying, this one in her head. The sound made her heart begin to ache but she couldn't draw any further details forth no matter how she clawed at the memory. The crying cut short suddenly but the silence was even worse and Chloe found that she desperately wanted it to come back.

'Please come back! I'm sorry! Please!' Chloe had no idea why she should be sorry, but she felt that hurt deep in her bones. She didn't know how long she'd been lost in that thought until she was shaken from her waking nightmare by a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and looked up to see both Juleka and Rose watching her with concern.

"Oh sorry, I just got lost in thought for a moment. That dream was really something else." She didn't wait for them to respond before turning. She tried to discreetly brush at the tears that had started to form in the corners of her eyes as she walked into the Place des Vosges. "Let's get you that picture and maybe afterwards we can talk more about it."

Chloe smiled seeing the park again. It had been so long since she had been in Paris that the sight of the park really did make her want to just sit and enjoy the view. One view that truly spoke to her was the fountain itself. She turned, taking both Juleka and Rose's hands and dragged them over to the fountain.

"This will be the perfect spot for your perfect picture, you two," Chloe said with a tone of satisfaction and pride as she stopped at the fountain and walked a little away from them, turning to fix them in the frame of her phone's camera.

"Ok you two, get ready and give me a fun pose. Or scary. Or heck, maybe romantic," Chloe teased, chuckling at the last one as it got them both blushing. She went down on one knee to get a good angle all while watching Rose smile widely and Juleka awkwardly position herself.

Chloe winced internally but thought, 'Hey, photos are tough. Especially if you haven't had a chance to get good at them, and a little encouragement never hurts.'

"You two look so good. Just keep that pose and everything will be perfect." She readied to take the picture, "Say jinxed!"

Just as the photo was about to snap, a red frisbee soared in front of the shot, blocking the photo entirely. Chloe looked down at the frisbee, blinking her eyes in confusion for a moment before turning her head to watch the guy who threw it run over and apologize profusely before picking it up and running off with it. Chloe huffed before looking at Juleka, who looked worried and dejected.

"Don't mind that, it was a fluke. Now get together, my two supermodels, and let's get the pic-"

Chloe cut off with a gasp, dropping her phone and would have fallen over completely but for her hand and knees propping her up. A hunger the likes she had never felt before was gnawing at her insides, making everything hurt as her body wanted to curl up in a ball. It was so intense and overwhelming she hadn't noticed Juleka and Rose run over until Rose was looking her in the face.

"Chloe? Chloe, what's wrong?" Rose asked as she helped Chloe up, looking her over until Chloe raised her trembling hand to stop her.

Chloe had to take several breaths as it felt like she had no energy to do anything, even speak.

"Uhm, Chloe, is it…?" Juleka trailed off before leaning and whispering quietly into Chloe's ear.

Chloe's eyes went wide and panic gave her enough energy to pull out of Rose's hand. "No! Not at all! Ew!" Chloe looked between the two of them and the shocked looks on their faces before ducking her head apologetically.

"Sorry, I'm just really hungry all of a sudden. Can we take a quick break to find something to eat?" Chloe asked, figuring it wouldn't be that hard since this was Paris after all.

"Sure," Rose said quickly. "In fact, there's a bakery right across the street. Come on!"

Rose grabbed Chloe's wrist and began to pull her along. Juleka hung back for a moment, brushing at her bangs that hung over her face.

"Is that really a good idea considering…?" Juleka started to ask but realized Rose and Chloe were already too far away to hear her mumbling concern. She sighed and hurried to catch up, grabbing Chloe's other wrist as she continued to weakly struggle.

Juleka and Rose pulled Chloe along and into the bakery. Chloe let them, lacking the energy to fight back but also finding it rather fun. In fact she was having such a good time that she felt the echo of distant memory and someone's words, "Hey, you lost fair and square so now welcome to the club!" Laughter accompanied it and from the sounds of it, there were a lot of people having a good time. That thought made her smile even more.

"Welcome to the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie," a middle aged Chinese woman greeted them all. It took Chloe a moment to realize that she recognized her and the stabbing pains of hunger were smothered by icy dread. This was Marinette's parents' bakery!

The urge to find an excuse to leave had her turning towards the door but then the smell of fresh baked bread and sweets caused her gut to roar with a righteous fury. She clutched her stomach and looked at Rose and Juleka as she struggled not to blush.

Juleka did her best not to giggle as she raised her hand to cover a small smile on her face while Rose's wide smile never faltered. It was the gaze of Marinette's mother that really caught her attention, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, who smiled without letting it touch her eyes as she looked at Chloe. Chloe understood, and she would have left but that Rose and Juleka wouldn't let her go easily, especially after the noise her stomach had just made. She approached the counter with her head down, focusing on the pastries on as much to make a decision as to avoid Mrs. Dupain-Cheng's gaze.

"Hello Mrs. Dupain-cheng, how are you today? We'd like to order some pastries, if that's ok?" Rose cheerfully asked.

"I'm well today. We're happy to know Marinette is safe after that akuma attack. You're just in time, we have some freshly made pastries. What would you like?" Mrs. Dupain-cheng said kindly. Chloe did her best to stay quiet as Rose and Juleka ordered some macaroons and flan. It wasn't until Chloe was nudged forward that she looked up to meet Mrs. Dupain-Cheng's eyes and managed an awkward smile.

"Hello ma'am, I'm hoping your day has been well," Chloe said stiffly, at a loss for what she could possibly say to a woman whose daughter she had frequently tried to ruin.

"It has been. I hope yours has been as well." Even though Marinette's mother's tone was even and her words pleasant, Chloe flinched slightly, wondering if she'd feel better if the woman yelled and cursed her out. "What can I get for you, Miss Bourgeois?"

As Chloe looked at the menu, her stomach gave a demanding growl for food that made her shiver.

"I'll have eight cannolis, four meringue, and six beignets," Chloe said as she pointed to each in turn with hunger in her eyes. Once she had made her selection she smiled In anticipation of enjoying the sweets until she noticed the others' looks of shock and just a bit of horror. "Sorry, just really hungry. I'll pay for it all," she said before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her credit card. Mrs. Dupain-Cheng took the card while giving her a reappraising look before running the card for the sweets.

"It will be a moment before we have them all boxed up for you. You don't mind waiting, do you?" Mrs Dupain-Cheng asked with more genuine kindness in her eyes as she looked at each of them. Chloe and the others shook their heads before moving to the side in case other customers entered the shop.

As they waited, Chloe stood silently while Rose and Juleka chatted quietly. She couldn't help glancing at them and noticing how the afternoon sun played through the windows over the two of them. Without thinking she brought out her phone and raised it discreetly. Juleka had just raised her hand to her mouth as she giggled at something Rose had said as Rose leaned her head on Juleka's shoulder. The two of them blinked as a flash went off and turned to see Chloe smiling victoriously, holding up her phone.

"Take that jinx!" Chloe shouted as she pumped her fist into the air. She giddily rushed to Rose and Juleka's side, showing them her phone's screen and the adorable picture of the two of them looking into each others' eyes as rays of sunlight filtered in around them.

"Wow!" Juleka said so loudly that both Chloe and Rose turned to her in surprise before all three of them burst into laughter.

"Thanks so much, Chloe!" Rose said before throwing her arms around Chloe again, and this time Chloe eased into the embrace, feeling far less awkward about.

"Your orders are ready, girls," Mrs. Dupain-Cheng called out as she came to the counter with two small bags and one larger bag.

"Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, can we ask a favor?" Rose said suddenly, rushing from Chloe and Juleka to the older woman's side and pulling her from around the counter. "Can you take a picture of the three of us? Chloe broke Juleka's picture jinx!"

Marinette's mom looked around in confusion but seemed to be swept up in the air of merriment around the girls. Chloe tried to object but Juleka grabbed Chloe's hand in both of hers and gave it a squeeze.

"Please, Chloe, I'd really like a picture of all three of us," Juleka said softly.

Chloe felt heat in her face and quickly nodded, if only to get Juleka to let go of her hand. All this physical contact was still very new to her.

The three of them grouped together, flashing peace signs as Mrs. Dupain-Cheng raised Rose's phone up.

"Say patisserie!"

"Patisserie!" The girls said with big grins before devolving into more laughter.

Mrs. Dupain-Cheng returned Rose's phones and the girls swapped photos with each other before taking their orders and thanking Marinette's mom. She even nodded kindly to Chloe as Chloe hefted the bag full of sweets.

"Have a pleasant evening, Miss Bourgeois, and enjoy your treats," she said and Chloe felt relieved that there was no sense of unpleasantness in the woman's words.

"Thank you, and you have a good evening as well, Ma'am," Chloe said as she followed the others outside.

The moment she stepped outside she found herself engulfed in hugs from Rose and Juleka, though they were blessedly brief.

"Thanks so much for all this, Chloe," Rose said with Juleka murmuring her agreement. "We can't wait to show everyone else what you did for us!"

"Oh," Chloe said. The idea of word getting around to everyone else in class about this hadn't even occurred to her. "It was no big deal, really," she tried to say, not sure if she could find a polite way to say she didn't think that was a good idea. There was still a lot of bad blood between her and most of the student body and she knew this would be seen with suspicion no matter what.

"Well, we should probably be getting home, do you want us to walk with you back to the hotel?" Rose asked, considerate as ever.

"No, I'll be fine. Plus I'd rather not have an audience to me absolutely destroying these delicious looking treats," Chloe said with a giggle that the other two echoed. They finally said their farewells and went their separate ways.

Chloe had not been lying about the pastries. Over the course of her walk home, she decimated the entire bag and was disappointed when she reached into the bag to find it empty while she was still at least a block from home. As she entered the lobby, she was greeted by Jean and asked him to have a snack sent up to her room. Her appetite was actually starting to worry her and if it went on, she would send for her father to take her to the hospital.

Chloe entered her room smiling to herself. With her hunger being seen to, she could reflect on her day and the fact that she had done something good. Maybe she hadn't prevented the akuma like she had wanted to, but she helped someone that needed it. She may have made a new friend or two as well.

Chloe let out a happy sigh thinking about that as she walked toward her jewelry stand. Now it was time to focus on her final goal of the day as she raised her hand to look at the ring.

"Ok tough guy, I know you're important to me for some reason, but sometimes a girl needs her space, especially from a clingy ring," she said as she took the ring and tried to pull it off again. It felt like she was making less progress than before as she grunted, "Damn you! Come on!"

She felt a sharp pinch, causing her to yelp, "Why you evil-!"

She leapt from the stool at her stand and headed to her bathroom, grabbing a bottle of lotion and putting some onto her hand. This time she carefully slicked the area around the ring thoroughly and when she tried pulling again it seemed almost as if the ring was tighter than ever.

"I swear you're super glued, aren't you? Some joke! Ha ha, very funny, now come off damn it!"

She yelped louder as a sharper pinch, almost a stabbing pain, shot up her hand. Now she glared at the ring with real hate before pulling out her phone and starting to dial.s

"That's it! I'm going to call a jeweler! I'm getting you off even if they have to split you in two!" Chloe didn't know why she was shouting at an inanimate object but the way the snake' eyes gleamed made it feel like it was glaring at her. As she was dialing she paused as she heard a hiss and then stiffened as something began to coil around her arm.

"I wouldn't recommend that," a low but smooth voice spoke, almost as if it was right next to her.

"It wouldn't work even if they removed the finger itself. It will just go to the next finger or even the arm." This voice was raspy and sharp and Chloe took a moment before turning her head to find the source of the voices. She was met with a two headed snake gazing into her eyes, each head that of a different snake, one that of a cobra and the other an triangular shaped head.

"Hello Miss Bourgeois, we are Naje and Haje. A Numinous and the judge of truth. We congratulate you on becoming our new wielder and the new champion of the go-"

Before they could finish, Chloe cut them off, holding up one finger as she looked at them with a face so calm it might as well have been a mask.

"NO!"

Edited and Co-written by GrayNeko