Sorry it's been so long, this year is killing me with self doubt. I hope to have another chapter out in 2 weeks as an apology and i have three more story to publish with next week the first one out by Wednesday.
"Mari got expelled without a hearing!? That ain't right dude!" Jagged growled and Penny nodded as Fang growled from where he sat at Jagged's feet.
Penny had made it back to the hotel and up to their suite and after a few moments had told Jagged everything that Sabine had told her.
"They're dealing with it Jagged, but Sabine and this Nora said something about homeschooling Marinette and another one, probably more if this is as bad as Sabine said it was then it might cause the school to close!" Penny said and Jagged whistled and shook his head as dark memories went through him.
"Heavy." Jagged said and Penny nodded. I remember how my school treated me because of what I wanted to do, how they tried to use peer pressure to try and change my mind. Never worked but I did learn who I could trust there, hard lesson but one I needed. Jagged thought as he looked at Penny.
"But there's another problem Jagged. According to Sabine she heard from Marinette that this liar has been telling stories about knowing celebrities." Penny said and Jagged scoffed and looked at his partner.
"Why would that matter more than what she did to Mari?" Jagged asked as he picked up a glass of water.
"She's only sixteen. And she said you wrote a song about her because she saved your cat from being run over by an airplane when she was fourteen." Penny said bluntly as Jagged started to drink from his cup. Jagged drank for a few seconds before his eyes went wide and he spat the water out and Fang started to growl.
"Good Rock and Roll! I could be accused of courting a minor! Can we sue her for anything Penn?" Jagged asked and Penny grinned at him.
"No, it was never put on the web by any of the kids she told it to, the Ladyblogger even edited the interview she had of the liar to leave it out. But we can speak as a character witness that it never happened and help them put this little bitch away!" Penny said and Jagged laughed and smirked.
"I can't wait until that happens love, but I'm worried about little Mari at that place!" Jagged said and Penny grinned.
"Sabine said they're considering home school because of what happened to Mari, this might be good for them all." Penny said and Jagged nodded.
"Good, so the last of the spots for the next tour are ready then?" Jagged asked and Penny nodded.
"I'm just waiting on replies for the last three venues and Sabine told me that Marinette will be done with the last of the costumes for the shows by tomorrow night if nothing happens but with this city… And she said that they might home school Marinette, but about the last show before we leave... it will be good to get away from this place, and to release our emotions healthily." Penny said and Jagged nodded as Fang ragged his tail.
"Might be for the best if that happened to her…. Still, this might be good, might let the little lady handle her education and her design career better." Jagged said and looked into his past as he remembered how he got into show business and the first few gigs he had, and that was all after he had become homeschooled and everything.
"Maybe, but this is going to be a very big mess if half of what Sabine tells me about the school is true." Penny said and then Jagged looked at her for a minute.
"Isn't that place where the guy who was Akumatized into The Owl is the principal?" Jagged asked and Penny nodded and Fang started to growl. "Yeah Fangster I don't like him either."
Penny looked at Jagged as he sat and stewed and she knew from comments he had made over the years that he had a few scars from his own school years. And she had to admit that she hadn't had a good time in that school with that racist bastard as a principal. But still, this wasn't about them, it was about Marinette.
"So besides we have nothing we can sue her for? Please tell me we do." Jagged begged and Penny looked away and went over everything she knew about the incident and then frowned.
"No, and since it was in school when she said that, and because the Ladyblogger…. Wait a moment. We might have something, I'll need to call Sabine and have Marinette ask her friend if she still has the original interview that the Liar gave her…. Then maybe just maybe." Penny said and Jagged grinned and Fang wagged his tail. Penny looked between them and tried to calm them down. "I said maybe, maybe. I'll need to talk to our lawyer and it's their anniversary tonight so I'll call tomorrow but I might not be able to get in touch before noon."
"Oh yeah, it's that time of year insist it? Remember when we walked in on them?" Jagged said and chuckled as Penny went red as she did remember how they had surprised them and what the two had been doing.
"I'll just call and make sure it's not video. But even if Marinette is doesn't get us the clothing we order by the weak after next then we still have a month to get everything ready for our departure, and we have a city-wide show before we leave of course that we have the costumes for already." Penny reminded Jagged and he laughed and looked up at the ceiling before smirking at her.
"Good, with luck we might just celebrate the show with the closing of a terrible school! I can't wait until they tell us what's going on!"
Jagged said and looked at Penny and smirked at her friend as he celebrated. Jagged is such a man-child! Still, the fact that he's bounded with Marinette and her parents as much was good for all of them! Still, he has a lot of baggage that I hope he can put to rest. Still, I hope that Marinette is okay after everything is done, I mean this is terrible, why on earth would that idiot even have done this? Penny thought as Jagged looked at her and smirked.
XXXXXXX
As the kwami ate their little feasts and the teens ate their sandwiches Fu frowned as he stroked his beard.
"So you say that you could see Hawkmoth talk to the Akuma?" Fu asked and when Sabrina nodded he put his head down and muttered prays of forgiveness and creativity. Why didn't I think of taking out the Dog, if I had even tried to use it then we could have found Hawkmoth by now! He thought as he tried to figure out anything else he might have missed but he couldn't see anything
"You didn't even think it was possible, did you?" Alya asked dryly and Fu shook his head, completely shocked about what he was told.
"No I…..I had no idea there was even a small possibility of it Barkk's powers working like that. I mean nothing in all my training and the grimoire even mentions this was possible." Fu said and the kwami started to chuckle and laugh a bit in Plagg's case.
"My chosen have seen when mages cast curses at our side during battles in days of old, this may be like back then." Barkk said and Sabrina looked thoughtful and frowned, her mind going strange places as she looked at Barkk who looked back at Sabrina with a grin. "Up for trying again the next time partner?"
"Yeah, I am! If it's okay that he stays with me that is." Sabrina said as she blushed and Fu nodded.
"I was thinking about having them stay with all of you, with the exception of Wayzz for now." Fu said and looked around at the teens, Nino nodding in understanding.
"That's the reason you changed the hiding form for your Miraculous Trixx?" Alya asked as she looked at the new Fox Miraculous around her neck, an orange pentagon with a tribal fox face painted on it.
"Yes, but we have to talk about how you'll handle the attacks in the future, while I would love to have all of you handle the Akuma your schooling might face troubles with that. And how to deal with the new Bee hero." Fu said and Chloe looked at Alya and smirked.
"Say, you're going to be staying at the hotel tonight right? Sleeping in one of the rooms that we set aside for the staff and their families when they can't make it home right?" Chloe asked and Alya nodded.
"Yeah, my little sisters are sleeping over at the Zoo because dad will be there tonight looking over two of the animals, so the kids of the staff are all watching a movie and sleepover tonight." Alya said and Chloe grinned.
"Good, then tonight you are going to have supper with me, Sabrina and the Kwami in my condo, after which we'll have an interview about how I feel about the new hero, who will then crash it and then you as the 'New Bee' will take a selfie with me, which I'll then be able to post about passing on the Miraculous. And to make it better I'll make it so it'll auto-post on Monday at lunch, with a link to the exact page of the Ladyblog where you'll post the interview." Chloe said and Alya looked at her and smirked back. "But you'll have to publish the interview on Monday; I'll hide in my rooms over the weekend, watching some movies that will make me cry and have food brought up so if any of the bellboys who will gossip about it, then if our liar comments about it on Monday I'll be able to explain that away and hopefully we'll make that little liar scramble to explain how she evens know I was crying."
Alya looked at her and grinned, a crafty light coming from her eyes. "An interview with a hero, and then we might be able to catch Lila in a lie, I like it. No false Fox is gonna pull me around where she wants to anymore!"
"My thought exactly!" Chloe said and smirked. And with luck Hawkbutt will try and get me to go over to his side, but if I can learn anything about him… I need to talk to Pollen about this, and Marinette. Chloe thought and then Alya's phone beeped.
Alya looked down at it and paled. OH boy! Nora went and talked to somebody and heard about the Mass attack, at least she understands to talk to me about it first! She thought as she tried to keep her smile up but she cringed, causing the others to look at her
"What is it, Alya? What happened?" Marinette demanded and Alya sighed.
"Yeah, is it bad, another attack…no all our phones would have gone off if that was the case." Max said and Alya looked away.
"I didn't tell my parents and Nora about the attack in the locker room. Nora just texted me… she says she'll let me explain before she passes on what happens to our parents if I don't convince her it's the best to stay silent." Alya said and Chloe giggled a little causing Alya to glare at her.
"What?"
"Sorry, sorry. I just remembered your sister is a kickboxer and then I thought about how we could throw her at Lila and then!" Chloe said as she started to laugh and the others started to chuckle, even Wu grinning a little.
"Perhaps you should try and explain to us, gather your thought for your talk with your sister?" Fu suggested and Alya nodded and Trixx grinned as he finished his sandwich.
"Okay, to start with I already told the family all about the Lila situation, just want to get that out there. I never mentioned the attack because, well I thought mom and dad might pull me from the school, but then I was talking about going homeschool like Marinette and Adrien and well… I guess I didn't want to worry them with everything that's happening now." Alya said and Nino nodded.
"Yeah I get that. I talked to my Ma about doing that too, I mean with what happened it really doesn't paint a good picture about the school. And that's not even talking about what you told us Adrien." Nino said and Alya winced. "You didn't tell them about that either?"
"I just told Nora, and we decided not to spring it on them…Dad's busy at the Zoo, the Panther is pregnant and the elephant is sick and mom has that big conference to cook for at the hotel tomorrow….." Alya said and Chloe nodded.
"Makes sense, I mean mom fired the last head cook the last time this group came through and he was a minute off because of some problems with his kid." Chloe said and Adrien winced, remembering how that had gone down.
"I remember how you're mom went off before she left….. didn't that guy only not make it there by a minute because of an accident outside the hotel he was almost in and had to talk to the police?" Adrien asked and Chloe nodded.
"Yeah but he was late and almost in it because his kid was attacked at school and dad rehired him after she left, gave him a raise and everything." Chloe said with a shudder. "Of course he did quiet about two months later and moved to London a year later, but well that's how far he ran from her."
"And your father did nothing to stop this, nothing at all?" Fu asked and with how Sabrina looked away he knew that whatever Chloe said he would see just how far from being a good person the mayor was.
"With him, it's more the fact that if he can ignore it then he's happy to do so, most of the time he throws money at me to keep me quiet." Chloe said with a bitter edge to her voice and scoffed. "And I'm fifty percent sure that their marriage was forced by my grandfather on my mother's side in exchange for backing in dad's first campaign." Chloe said bluntly and Fu looked at her in concern as the others absorbed what Chloe had said, a look of shock on Alya's face and a look of worry on Marinette's.
"They might not have…" Wu trailed off at the look Chloe sent him and Adrien nodded with a somber mood.
"They got married after he won, she only stayed here to give birth to me and went away as soon as she recovered and had a reason to fool the press, do the math." Chloe said bluntly as Adrien and Sabrina put a hand on her shoulders as the others winced. For Marinette this knowledge made her remember how Chloe had first attacked her when she had complement Chloe's mother so many years ago, for Max with how much love his mother showed him he couldn't comprehend how Chloe's parents could treat her like that and for Alya she remembered a few old classmates whose parents were abusive.
Wu looked at her in shock and then seeing all the teens nod he face palmed and shook his head. This girl needed someone in her life like Pollen more than I thought, and with her friend and Barrk hunting down Hawkmoth, we might have a better chance of finding him than ever before. I could step forward, but no…..my mistakes won't taint these young ones. I need to find homes for the others, I need to make sure that they all have someone to look after them, and I know who to give Hawkmoth's and Mayura's when they get them back. He thought as he looked at the teens as they confronted Chloe.
"So that's that. Anyhow I'm sure my dad will want to know where I was, so I'll tell him I was with Sabrina and we were going to see a move." Chloe said and Fi laughed lightly.
"Good, now if you are all done I'll show you the sewer entrance to this place, this way you can drop down if you need to talk to me and you need more Wayzz help in the future." Fu said and looked at Sabrina and Max. "And there's a space for you to make a portal so we can try and see if we can track him down and get her away fast."
"We'll talk about our plans later, okay Sabrina?" Max asked and Sabrina nodded. "Oh, I just remembered, a while back Markov and I made this secure video chat program that uses the background codes of the internet to communicate, I'll send you all a copy so we can talk easier."
"Good. But before you go, young Max would you mind looking at the network here, my manager said it was slowing down…whatever that means. I am of course willing to pay you an honest wage" Fu said and Max nodded.
XXXXXXXX
As Nino, Alya, Marinette, Chloe and Sabrina walked out onto the streets of Paris, Chloe looked at Marinette and smirked at her. "So got any plans for next week?"
"No, not now why?" Marinette asked and Chloe shrugged.
"I was hoping that you and your renter would mind if I come over for some help with my geography? I'll help with English in return."
Chloe offered and Marinette smiled.
"I'm still looking into what program I'll be doing, but I think we might be able to arrange something." Marinate said and Chloe laughed a little as Alya looked around and saw a bus stop.
"I'm heading off, my sis wants to talk to me about this before her match tonight, and dad's taking the twins to sleep at the Zoo with the other worker's kids, a movie night so the vets can watch the elephant tonight." Alya said as she walked off.
"And I need to pick up a mix board dudetess, talk to ya later and I want a copy of those programs Mari." Nino said as he left in the opposite direction. A shadow caused them to look up to see Chat Noir fly overhead heading towards the Tower, and Marinette smiled.
"And I still can't believe you two didn't know." Chloe said and Marinette looked down and Sabrina giggled. "Good luck with those programs Bakery-Grill. Me and Sabrina have a talk to finish along the river."
"Why are you going there?" Marinette asked and Sabrina grinned.
"Because of the Indie Bands who haven't signed on to brands yet! There's a stretch that bands love to sing at, and the acoustics make the area perfect for little concerts!" Sabina said and Chloe giggled.
"It really lets us know what teen clubs to go to in the winter, they always put up who they have playing on social media." Chloe said and Marinette nodded and walked off, Chloe waving at her. "I'll talk to you over the weekend Marinette, I want to commotion something for when you have some free time!"
Marinette looked at Chloe as she and Sabrina walked away, a strange look on her face. I didn't even think I would like Chloe enough to be sad that she's walking away from me. I mean I always thought the girl had issues but that much, it didn't even seem possible. I guess that's the way the world turns sometimes. She thought as she looked ahead.
"I told you everything would work out Marinette!" Tikki said from Marinette's bag. Marinette looked down at her bag and smiled. Tikki had told her when Lila had come back that things would get better and they did, it just took a while. With everything that happened she was sure that sooner or later everything would turn out okay, they knew Lila was a liar but she and Adrien had to talk about their relationship, and how to keep Hawkmoth from figuring out their identities but she was sure that things would be good.
"Yeah, and it did. The team is stronger than ever, we've got a lead on tracking down Hawkmoth, and with everything I feel…..hope." Marinette said and Tikki giggled and Marinette laughed and walked back towards her home, deciding to just move slowly to make sure she could absorb everything that happened to her today.
XXXX
Adrien slipped into the back doors to the Dunpain-Cheng and sighed as he closed the door. That was incredible, Chloe is finally dropping her mask and letting the others in, and that will help her more than anything else! But I can't believe that she followed them to help keep Lila from finding them, I knew was hiding a lot of stuff but this, I almost didn't think she'd do that! he thought as he walked up to the living room, never noticing that Sabine was waiting
"Oh there you are Adrien." Sabine's voice caused him to turn and almost jump out of his skin.
"Man miss Cheng, you sure walk quietly. I didn't even notice you." Adrien said as he held his chest as he felt Plagg giggle.
"Oh I was just heading back to the bakery after putting some food into the slow cooker. How was your appointment?" Sabine asked and Adrien smiled bitterly.
"I've lost a bit of weight and I've gained a bit of muscle, the doctor thinks that I need to eat more and that my dad might have underplayed my needs." Adrien said and looked ashamed. "Anything for the brand of course."
"But you don't believe that, do you?" Sabine asked supportively and Adrien nodded.
"Dad is crazy overprotective and he did move away from me emotionally a bit…. But I can't believe that he would do something that would hurt me." Adrien said and Sabine smiled at him.
"I hope your right, for you at least." Sabine said and Adrien smiled and moved up towards his guest room to stay out of sight and think. Sabine watched him go and sighed, hatting that his father was putting him in this position, hating that Gabriel used Lila to get her daughter expelled and she hoped that this didn't break her kids. After all those kids do for this city, I want to think that Gabriel is just neglectful, I mean my father fell apart when his brother died, mom says it took getting pregnant with my sister for him to snap out of it. And I can understand how hard it if you hide away from the world to feel safe, but he had a family to help him! She thought as she walked into the bakery.
As Tom saw her he smiled. So far the 'dinner rush' hadn't started yet, and lately the rush started in about an hour and was over well before it was time for their own supper but working with his wife always made it easier for work.
"Hello Love, did our guest make it back in one piece?" Tom asked and Sabine nodded and Tome sighed.
"So how's the batch for the dinner rush coming along?" Sabine asked and Tom grinned.
"It's going to be ready on time, but we need to talk about what we'll do with the leftovers from now on." Tom said and Sabine looked at him before ahhing as she understood what he meant.
"Yes, I know what you mean. Maybe we might have to send Marinette to the shelters or ask them to come by more often than the weekend." Sabine said and Tom nodded.
When Marinette had started at the school she had the idea to bring the leftovers for free advertising by giving them to the school for the students and faculty to have. It had worked but with the school probably closing down they needed a new way to get rid of the leftovers and the second way that they
"It was a good deal, we give some of our old bread to the school for their meals and we get free advertisement, but I guess the Owl doesn't care about that!" Tom said with a scowl and Sabine glared at the school and Tom felt his hands clench as he remembered everything the principal didn't do for their daughter and what he did. "In the last few days, I've wanted to put my hand around that man's throat and so help me!"
"Calm down dear, I know how you feel but we need to help him deal with it, we just have to help them with all the burdens their under. And with Marinette, we can't let that bastard win, either of them!" Sabine said sharply and Tom sighed and tried to center himself as his mother taught him long ago. He nodded and looked at the store as the doors opened and slipped back into the kitchen as Sabine walked towards the counter and smiled at the customer as he came towards her.
XXXX
Alya looked around the park and tried and failed to get herself under control and keep calm, Trixx was riding in her pocket and she felt the warmth from her and smiled, part of her being jealous that she had Tikki helping for so long, wondering how much the little Kwami had helped her friend by just being there.
"Don't worry Alya, no matter what happens your sister will help you, just be calm and explain your reasoning." Trixx said and Alya smiled and rubbed Trix's head and sighed.
"Yeah, sis is great. A little overprotective but I can't deny that she's helped me a lot over the years." Alya said softly and Trixx laughed and looked up at her.
"Then just be calm and explain why you didn't say anything calmly, if she's like your saying then all you need to do." Trixx said and smiled up at Alya. My kit is gonna handle this fine,
"I guess yeah, I can do this." Alya said and looked around for Nora before a million problems began moving through her mind as she started to spiral like Marinette. Oh this is terrible, I mean I….this is going to be bad, sis is going to tell the rents, they're going to come back and mom will be fired, dad will be discredit when the panther dies and he could have saved it, he'll lose his job and we'll be homeless in a week! She thought as she walked through the park until she found her sister.
"Hey sis, there you are!" Nora called out and Alya looked up and saw Nora.
"Please don't tell them sis, please." Alya said miserably and Nora sighed and just looked at Alya.
"I gotta baby sis, I mean it was another mass attack! I mean you were able to hide last time with string bean but this time you were in ground zero!" Nora said and Alya nodded as she sighed.
"But nothing happened! The attack failed, it was more of a scare tactic than anything else!" Alya argued and looked at Nora who only shook her head.
"Sis, mom was worried after the last time the scum did it for two weeks, she jumped each time the alert went out! We have to tell them about it!" Nora said. Why is she fighting me on this, I mean she has to know how mom and dad are, but what's she thinking acting like this?! Nora thought and looked at her sister. " I have to do this sis, you know how mom and pops will react if they learn from anyone but us!"
"But with everything that's happening now!" Alya said before she clapped her hands over her mouth and Nora looked at her sister and sighed and shook her head.
"It's because of what they have on their plate, isn't it sis?" Nora asked and Alya nodded.
"Oh Alya." Nora said and shook her head. Her sister was a great kid, but she always put more on her to help the family than was healthy for her.
"Yeah I know, but I did what I think was right for the family." Alya said and Nora looked at her and sighed
"Kid, you know how to give your sister problems." Nora said. On one hand, I should tell the rents right away, but on the other hand I can understand why my sister does what she does, most of the time. Nora thought as she looked at her sister.
"Sis, there was a mass attack again, there going to find out sooner or later even if it fizzled out. But I get it that you don't want their jobs to be in danger….so I won't tell them about it, but after dinner when dad's back tomorrow the three of us will sit down and talk to him about it." Nora said and Alya hugged her sister who laughed a little and smiled down at her. "Hey sis, I just doing what you were, it's something to talk about sure but we can throw it on the back burner until this is done okay? But once dad is back we're talking all about it."
"Thanks Nora, I…sorry." Alya said and Nora grinned at her sister.
"Hey you choose the harder option, and I'm proud of you for doing that, even though I don't like the fact you had to do it." Nora said and sighed before she reached over and grabbed Alya around her shoulders, drawing her closer. "But it shows maturity, but we need to talk about that kid!"
"Okay, okay!" Alya laughed and Nora laughed with her. As they walked through the park Nora and Alya just made small talk with each other; letting the stress of their lives die away from their minds as they just bonded as sisters. As they were turning the corner Alya looked ahead and pulled Nora to the side, hiding her from view behind a statue before she put a hand on Nora's mouth. As Nora looked at her sister in confusion she saw a look of anger and hatred and followed her eyes to a teen girl with long, hip-length chestnut brown hair with bangs similar to a horse mane in a vermilion jacket over a dark gray strapless jumpsuit that has tiny white spots and wears light gray tights and brown ankle-length high heel boots.
"Lila!" Alya growled as she saw the girl walk towards an empty area of the park where the fence separated the park from the street. After a few moments, Alya moved her hand away and looked at where Lila had gone.
"I'm betting that was the liar who snowed you little sis?" Nora asked and Alya nodded.
"That's her." Alya said softly and looked at where Lila was going and looked at Nora.
"Let's follow her." Nora said and Alya grinned and hugged her sister, remember where she had gotten her sense of justice. As they dashed after Lila, they saw her sit down at a bench.
"What's she doing?" Nora muttered and Alya shrugged as she brought up her phone and started to record what Lila was doing. I don't like this, what wrong? Something about this is making my teeth chatter and something is setting me on edge. Nora thought and looked at Lila as she sat there doing nothing. After a few minutes Nora frowned and looked at Alya. "I'll walk over, I mean I can say you described her and I'll trash talk Marinette with my phone recording, see if she bites."
"Might not be a good idea sister, but…wait what?" Alya breathed as a limo drove up and stopped behind the bench and Lila. As they watched the window on the passenger side behind the cab dropped down to reveal Gabriel Agreste who looked ahead.
"You've been quite Gabriel, how's Adrien? After the incident at the photoshoot I would have thought you might have done something beyond keeping him from school, I told you that those peasants were a bad influence. " Lila's voice carried to them and Nora's mouth dry as she heard a growl from Alya.
"He's not at home, he ran away." Gabriel said and looked ahead and didn't react when Lila turned her head to gape at him.
"Has he contacted you at all?"
"No, I haven't seen him at all and he hasn't called me. He hasn't made any announcements on his social media accounts has he?" Lila asked and Gabriel scowled.
"No, he's completely dark. I don't have to tell you how bad this could be for both of us. If he tells anyone about what you said how you were given a modeling contract because of how you got Miss Dupain-Cheng expelled, though why you even think that I can't understand at all! When we came to this agreement I thought I was very clear, that all I wanted from you was a complete understanding of how Adrien conducted himself in class and how people interacted with him, and if anyone was trying to take advantage of him!" Gabriel said with a growl and Lila looked back into the park to keep Gabriel from seeing her face and the scowl she had.
"Dupain-Cheng is the most useless girl in the school. A terrible student, a trash fashion designer and she clings to Adrien in a completely inamorata manner!" Lila said and it was all Alya could do to keep from screaming at her for the lies that pass from Lila's lips.
"Her talent won a competition of mine in the past, do not tell me lies. I am beginning to think that I should tell your mother about your travels." Gabriel said and Lila kept looking into the park and even Nora could tell that this threat worked on her.
"My mother is so busy sir, please don't bother her!" Lila said and Nora frowned as she saw Lila's eyes were full of rage.
"Don't drag my brand down young lady, I don't know why you went so beyond what I expected from you, but I will not have my family name or my son around people who are so low class." Gabriel said and Alya bit her lips as Lila paled in fear.
"Don't worry sir, I won't. And after what I did there's no way for her to get back into school, I was able to check the camera's, the one in the courtyard doesn't even have power running to it!" Lila said and Nora gasped softly, Lila looked around the park and frowned.
"What is it?" Gabriel asked and Lila shook her head.
"I thought I heard something, it must be some brat playing by the trees nearby." Lila said and Gabriel stayed silent. "And sir, about the shoot?"
"What about it?" Gabriel asked and Lila swallowed.
"Well it was canceled but if there's a chance for me to have a solo shoot without Adrien sir?" Lila asked and Gabriel looked ahead and the limo turned back on.
"I'll be in touch with you." Gabriel said as his window raised and he drove off. A few moments after he had driven out of sight Lila started to grit her teeth and screamed to the wind.
"That idiot! Why did that idiota Adrien have to develop a backbone after everything that's happened!? He's nothing but a pretty face, at least until I start to teach him how to rule over people! He's not like the others, with time I could have shown him the right way to live! But instead, he wants to be one of those sheep like that whole class and the school, they are all completely idiotic fools, I was able to use momentum to get Dupain-Cheng expelled, she doesn't have a leg to stand on especially with the principal, I told him exactly what he wanted to hear to get him to like me just like all the other fools in that school!" Lila spat and Alya grabbed Nora and pulled her down before she could confront Lila. As the Italian liar walked away Alya kept Nora down until Lila had been gone for ten minutes and Alya turned her phone off.
"I didn't expect that." Alya said as she looked at her phone and felt Trixx press against her. But this might help Marinette get and us put Lila away for life! And I better call Max about the….wait. Mari was sent a file that showed what Lila did, but then does that mean what? Alya thought as she tried to figure out what Lila had thought as she did
"What the heck was that about girl!? That was Sunshine's old man, what's that mean! And the Cameras don't work at your school!?" Nora demanded and Alya looked away.
"Adrien said that Lila said his father told him to get Marinette expelled, and he and Marinette aren't going back to the school after everything. And that one camera might not work but others do, I've seen proof." Alya said and Nora frowned, wondering what Alya was hiding.
"The old man said Adrien ran away, so where is he?!" Nora asked and Alya looked away.
"I can't say Nora, I don't know where he's staying but I saw him at Marinette's place." Alya admitted and Nora whistled.
"Woah, Sunshine moves fast." Nora said and Alya looked at her before blushing as she realized what her sister meant.
"Not like that! He went there to apologize for some advice he gave my girl when he didn't know everything about the topic, and then he stayed there after he served his father some papers!" Alya said dismissively and Nora grunted. And then when we talked again Max spilled the beans and showed how logic could get around the glamor. And those two have to have a talk about their feelings for each other. What I wouldn't do to learn what they decided in the end! She thought and looked at Nora. "But back on topic, you're staying at the apartment all alone tonight right?"
"No, at the zoo. I'm the second chaperon." Nora said and Alya nodded. "So you're not at home tonight either sis?"
"No. I'm staying at the hotel in the servant's quarters. Mom wants to keep an eye on me I guess." Alya said and Nora grunted and looked at her.
"I promise sis, I won't say anything to dad but you will say something when we're all home okay?" Nora said and Alya hugged her sister goodbye.
"Say hi to the twin terrors sis, good luck with them and the rest of the gremlins." Alya said and walked off, looking down at her phone as she moved. The way that Gabriel talked to Lile-la, he didn't want Marinette expelled at all. It doesn't absolve Gabriel from spying on Adrien, but a father trying to look after a son if the son had to fight to go to school….. Alya thought before sighing and shaking her head before she walked towards the hotel, wondering how she could tell the others that she had proof that Gabriel used Lila to spy on Adrien
XXXXXXX
Chloe looked around her room and smiled as she put away her tablet and watched as Pollen flew around the room, smiling at her as she sat on her bed.
"Everything is done Chloe, you don't have any of those cameras around here and all we have to do is wait for Trixx's kit and her to come over here." Pollen said and she looked at Chloe who frowned and looked around her room. "What is it?"
"I want to make you a little bed, but I don't know where to put it so my parents won't have somebody find it." Chloe said and Pollen grinned and nuzzled Chloe's cheek as she buzzed in happiness.
"Thanks Chloe!" Pollen said and Chloe looked down at her with a slight scowl.
"You deserve to at least have a bed at least!" Chloe said and Pollen giggled and smiled.
"Some people wouldn't." Pollen said and beamed as Chloe looked away. I knew it was fate that we found each other Chloe, I knew it! I'm just happy that Fu let me stay with you. She thought before Chloe looked down at the Kwami.
"I just realized something; I listen to relaxing music, soft and simple to help me sleep. That won't be a problem with you, will it?" Chloe asked and Pollen looked back.
"Vocal or instruments?" Pollen asked with a smile and Chloe looked away.
"Instruments and the sounds of rain." Chloe answered and Pollen grinned.
"That sounds wonderful; Biao and I loved the sound of the rain when we were partners!" Pollen said and A knocking at the door caused Pollen to jet and hide under the bed as Chloe walked towards it, opening it to reveal Sabrina who smiled at her as she came in. As soon as Chloe closed the door Barkk flew out from Sabrina's purse. As Pollen came out of hiding Chloe smiled as Sabrina sat down and put her purse on the table, a grin on her face.
"Well, the plan will work. Pollen checked everything and as far as she can see there's nothing that records what happens here, so we're safe and secured. And all those times I was sure he was spying on me." Chloe said and Sabrina giggled and hid a smile. After a few moments of silence, Chloe looked at Sabrina and just crossed her arms and as she looked at her friend.
"What?" Chloe asked as she looked at Sabrina who grinned back at her.
"I'm just happy that you've finally gotten around to opening up to more people besides me and Adrien! And you're ship is finally sailing!" Sabrina said and Chloe looked away and blushed. Ever since she had learned that Marinette had a spine that the latter wasn't afraid to use against Chloe, and seeing how the teen felt about her brother Adrien, she had hoped the two of them would stop dancing around them, something a lot of students at school wanted too and because then they would win…Chloe went still as a grin suddenly grew on her face, one that wouldn't be out of place on her mother.
Sabrina looked at Chloe's expression and paled in fear, the Kwami huddled together as a strange feeling that they couldn't identify. "Chloe….what is it?"
"Oh I just thought about the pot for the bet. When did you give your date for when they would go on their first date?" Chloe asked and Sabrina looked at her before giggling.
"And the two of us haven't placed a bet yet and with your insider knowledge…. I like it." Sabrina said and looked up at the ceiling.
"And the pot is big enough even if we split it four ways for us each to get a nice chunk of change.
"Four ways? Oh our partners!" Sabrina said and Barkk started to smile as Pollen buzzed. Sabrina looked at Chloe who blushed and looked away as she realized just how that sounded.
"Well they're here and will be with us now aren't they?" Chloe said as she hid a blush.
"Yes they are." Sabrina said and smiled at her friend. Sabrina's dad used to have the hotel as his beet, back during the time after her mother had died so Sabrina had stayed at the hotel and gotten to know Chloe and Adrien then, and even now she helped Chloe out with her plans because she knew what caused Chloe to do them.
But no matter how long Sabrina had known Chloe, she had always been hard and closed off from others beyond her and Adrien, having a hard time letting others in. But learning that they had Kwami partners too, that let her drop a few of her shields. She still had a lot of baggage that held her back, but she would deal with it and maybe this would help her move on and grow, but Sabrina was worried about what Lila would think if Chloe acted differently.
At this thought Sabrina went still and winced and looked at Chloe who looked back at her with a calm look that turned into a sigh. "You always could read me Sabrina, what gave me away?"
The Kwami looked at each other, both of them not understanding what Chloe meant but Pollen feeling a strange feeling.
"At least tell them all first!" Sabrina exclaimed and Chloe nodded with a hard look
"Yeah, that is the plan for this weekend, before I watch a few of those movies I love to cry too." Chloe admitted and Sabrina nodded.
A knocking from the door caused Sabrina to turn and Chloe shook her head and walked over herself and opened, Alya walked in pushing a cart with food, and Chloe smiled as she smelled Pizza under one of the domes. Chloe was about to say hi when she saw the look in Alya's eyes.
Chloe gestured to Sabrina who turned on the music and as Chloe looked outside and not seeing anyone stepped back inside as Alya sat down and Trixx came out and joined the other kwami.
"Spill it reporter, what happened now?" Chloe asked and Alya looked at them.
"We saw and heard the false Fox and Adrien's father talk in the park." Trixx said and Chloe looked at the Kwami and
"He didn't tell Lila to get Marinette expelled." Alya bit out and Chloe's head snapped up and looked at her.
"What." Chloe said flatly and Alya paled at the way Chloe was looking at her.
"He said he just wanted a completely independent view about how Sunshine's acting in school, how people interact with him!" Alya said as she held up her phone.
"That is so like Uncle Gabriel. So Lila was the brain behind everything?" Chloe asked in wonder. Hu, I didn't think the little parasite was that smart, I mean I always saw her as an idiot but what happened to Marinette….no I don't believe it. Chloe thought as Trixx started to growl.
"Yeah, that false fox is a total liar! After what Tikki and Plagg said she was like as Volpina, I didn't know why I expected something different from her!" Trixx said as the others tried to calm her down.
"Wait… She was Volpina!? Oh god!" Sabrina said as she dropped to the floor, her eyes shrank to pinpoints as Chloe dashed to her.
"Brina? Sabrina are you okay!?" Chloe asked as she started to worry
"She's working with Hawkmoth." Sabrina whispered in horror. Alya gasped as Chloe looked at her friend and tried to follow her logic before she realized what Sabrina said and started to growl.
As Chloe started to growl Alya went pale in fear as she realized if Sabrina was right then she had let a terrorist watch her sisters! She was already feeling down about Lila watching them before, but if this was true then she might have put them in real danger if Lila ever figured out she was Rena Rouge.
"What do you mean!? She's slime but how do you get from that that she's working for a terrorist? How do you get what her Akuma was to that!?" Alya demanded and Sabrina swallowed and looked at them
"Think about it! He can't make those scarlet akumas on a whim! He has to prepare before he does it! how did he know those events would have happened if Lila didn't tell him!" Sabrina said and Alya went still as Chloe eyes became pinpoints as she realized that yes, what Sabrina said made sense and if she was right, then they were in a lot more trouble than they thought they were.
"That little idiot! When I get my hands on her throat I'll kill her! I don't care that….." Chloe began before she went still and swallowed and looked at the others, a million thoughts going through her head, none of them good.
"Chloe, what is it?" Sabrina asked and Chloe looked at them and glared into space.
"We only have her word that her mother is a diplomat and after the first super-villain attack anywhere with embassies, all high-level policymakers leave the city, especially mind-benders like Hawkmoth, that's the rule most countries follow. So why would a diplomat high enough to give immunity to family members go to a city under attack?" Chloe said and Alya's mouth dropped open, about to say why would Lila lie about that when she realized how many lies the girl had told everyone.
"Hell. She probably said her mother was a diplomat just so that people wouldn't bother her about the lies Lila tells! And how could any diplomat believed whatever lie let Lila skip months of school?! We don't know what could happen when we bust her!" Chloe said and Alya scowled and Sabrina went over a few things that she had learned from her father and she agreed with her friend, this was shaping up to be a lot harder than she thought it would be.
A rumbling caused them to look at Sabrina as she blushed and looked away, both Alya and Chloe looking at her before they started to snicker before turning towards the food Alya had brought and grinned at each other, promising to talk to the others once they were done with their meal.