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Madam Bustier took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves. It was going to be a long, overwhelming day. She needed to be as calm and collected she could be to provide the support class would need. Taking another breath, she cleared her throat to catch her class’ attention.
“Children,” she said, her voice soft yet firm. The class quietened down immediately and turned to look at her. “In the light of recent issues, I, along with our principal Mr Damocles, have organised therapy sessions which starts today. No—” She raised her hand to silence the few who opened their mouths to protest most likely, “—I will not take any questions or arguments from any of you. Everything you need to know will be answered by your principal and the therapists. Though, I'd say your concerns are unfound. Everything has been checked and approved thoroughly by the school and your legal guardians .” With a brief smile, she continued, “Now, all of you will stand and walk outside the school in a single queue, quietly.”
With that, she promptly looked away and waited for the class to get in motion.
Moans of complaints could still be heard but, thankfully, they all complied. Soon, they were standing at the main entrance of the school, being addressed by Mr Damocles, the principal of the school.
Meanwhile, surveying the students, Madam Bustier's eyes caught the lone figure at the end of the line and her heart lurched a little. The previously cheerful, bubbly girl, now stood thin and pale, slumped in her dark hoodie. A shell of what she used to be. Madam Bustier felt tears burn her eyes.
Marinette must have sensed her looking for she turned and looked her questioningly before giving her a soft, reassuring smile. Madam Bustier tried to return it but failed, badly.
Watching her children climb that red monstrosity they called a bus, Madam Bustier prayed to anyone hearing above. Prayed fervently for Marinette, for her class. The hatred and manipulation have blinded her class. They needed to see reason and re-evaluate their decisions before it ’s too late.
~
Tikki took the sight of the proceedings going outside from the purse she was tucked in. The principal of the school was saying something, likely asking them to behave. Tikki didn't bother listening. Instead, she focused on the bus they'd be travelling in. Painted deep red with black dots all over, frankly, it looked ridiculous. Somebody took the whole Ladybug thing little too literally, Tikki mused.
The children climbed the bus slowly as if it would cease the inevitable. Marinette stepped in the last and made a beeline for the farthest seat available, not making an eye-contact with anyone.
Tikki still had difficulty comprehending what happened and how. It did not, however, negate the fact that now her precious Marinette was suffering.
Marinette has always been an optimistic child but her optimism was waning quickly. Losing all the trust and love of people you loved and cherished the most so quickly would do that, Tikki thought darkly.
Every positive aspect of Marinette’s life was being taken over by something dark and dangerous which was— Tikki shivered at the remembrance of her bug went dark. It was not a good century. No, she could still be saved, Tikki assured herself. Marinette wasn't so lost yet. She was still there underneath this empty shell. That girl who Tikki marked as hers.
She fluttered out of her confinement and perched on the hunched shoulder of her current handler, pressing close. It was when a woman wearing a black knee-length dress with red flowers adorning the hem entered the bus. Her dyed blond hair was in a braid resting on her collarbone.
“Hello, everyone,” she said, waving. Her posture was straight, expression relaxed, but Tikki could read the wariness. Tikki smiled proudly at her cautious, ferocious bug, who blushed when noticed.
“Who’re you,” Alya questioned.
“Many things,” the girl answered, the cheer in her voice turning into something slightly harder. “Today, I am your guide and your therapist. Name’s Eun Tak. I have been informed vaguely of the issues your class is currently facing and I’d say, you all are severely misinformed. Didn’t stop you from making some serious accusations, though.
“Well, this is what I am here for, yeah, to give you the facts. To show the truth. Buckle up, kiddos, you’re all in for a wild ride.” With that, she disappeared into the driver’s compartment, her dress swishing dramatically around her.
“This is your doing,” Marinette said quietly. It wasn’t a question so Tikki didn't bother answering. “What have you done, Tikki,” Marinette muttered hoarsely, sagging further into her seat, hiding her face behind her hands.
“Something I should’ve done a long while ago. Marinette, you think you deserve this but you don’t. Yes, you made some mistakes but that does not give them a right to treat you as they are. You deserve better whether you believe it or not and I’ll make sure you get it.”
Tikki felt her owner’s body tremble. “Thank you,” Marinette said wetly. Tikki just kissed her cheek and cuddled closer.
Soon after the trip began, the bus began floating freely. The lights began to flicker before dying out entirely, plunging the bus into darkness. There wasn't much light outside either, what with them being outside the plane of existence.
The class went wild. There were screams, questions hurled. Someone was banging the metal of the vehicle. Marinette too, was tense as a bowstring, words of transformation on the tip of her tongue. Some wise child, Max possibly, turned on the flashlight of his mobile but it was barely of any help. The darkness was too thick, swallowing the light. Tikki could hear someone sobbing. Either Chloe or Rose, Tikki was not sure. Then there was someone hushing everyone and prompting them to think. As suddenly as the hustle-bustle began, it died down. Tikki glanced around, perfectly capable to see in the dark and found all the children asleep, knocked out more likely, even Marinette. The kwami rolled her eyes at it. Call Eun to make things baleful and dramatic.
Her eyes met a pair of green floating closer. She could see the curiosity swirling in the pools of emerald. She shrugged and made space for Plagg to settle.
~
The class woke up slowly and gradually, groaning and whining in confusion. Alya, the first to rise was already done with her inspections and was now watching her classmates do the same. They were in some kind of hall, dropped unceremoniously on the ground. Said hall was huge, but also very old. The paint was peeling off the walls, many of the pillars holding the ceiling were smashed. The tapestries on the wall were already faded. The paintings and portraits looked clawed and ripped apart. About three chandeliers were hanging overhead, each in a worse condition than the other. But for an ancient place as this, the air was surprisingly fresh and the grounds were clean. Ahead of them was a massive screen, bigger than she's ever seen, opposite to which were massive plush sofas with numerous, ridiculously soft cushions.
There was a door carved into one of the huge walls on which the universal sign of washroom hung. Entering it, there was a line of stalls, exactly matching the number of students in their class. Each door had a name carved on it, under which lay a small basket carrying the things for basic hygiene. In her own, she found all her preferred brands for personal grooming over her beloved Ladybug pyjamas. She grinned as she pressed the pyjamas to her nose, taking in the fresh scent when she heard a choked off sound from next to her. She frowned and turned only to find Marinette standing there, staring at her. She stiffened and raised an inquiring eyebrow which made her former best-friend flush and flee inside her own stall.
She reminded Alya of a mouse, something she would've never thought of associating her friend with, before.
Arya sighed then, pressing her forehead to the stall’s door. A part of her was rejoicing seeing Marinette like this. Cowering and afraid. She was getting what she deserved. But a bigger part longed to go to her bestie and smother her in a hug. Why did Mari had to go and- She faked a smile when she saw Mylene, Rose and Juleka make their way to her. They were gushing about the basket and worrying about the creepiness of it.
Suddenly, there was a static ringing in the air before a voice took over. Definitely feminine, but not Eun Tak’s.
“I would ask you if you find these accommodations acceptable but the smile on your face is the answer enough,” the voice said, warm and friendly enough to not raise any alarms. “And no, there are no cameras in the washrooms I assure you. It’s what your fellow friends said when my friend Eun enquired.” There was a brief pause, then, “you children have one hour to freshen up and dress as you wish. After it, the lunch will be served, and then we shall begin what we came here for. Enjoy!” And with that, music began playing, soft and peaceful. Alya herself hurried inside. Though she was wary to trust these strangers, she did trust her school teachers and her parents. And her instinct. So, with a deep breath, she squeezed the bottle of body wash and took a warm, relaxing shower.
Precisely an hour later, an alarm rang which prompted them to abandon what they were doing and make way outside. It was an unspoken agreement among the students: play along until they could figure out what was happening. Their mobiles had no network so they couldn’t ring anyone for help if the things went south so they had to be careful.
The food was delicious. They had all sorts of things; bread and jams, all kinds of meats and gravies, mouth-watering desserts. There were drinks too. Nothing hard, though.
They were all wary at first. It could be a trap, this food. But then Marinette stepped forward, picked something meaty and began eating. When she did not die of poison, eventually everyone began eating too. Once they were done, they all sat on the sofas.
Alya sat with Nino to her right and Adrien next to him. Mylene, Max and Ivan shared one while Rose and Juleka shared with Nathaniel. Chloe and Sabrina obviously sat together, surprisingly joined by Lila, while Max and Marinette occupied the single seats.
“Bonjour, class,” a woman in her early forties said, dressed in a beautiful black pantsuit with red undertones. She appeared from somewhere behind the screen. She was obviously not French, what with her terrible accent. “Mm, yes, I’m not French,” she said as if reading their thoughts. “I’m a Brit who spent her whole last night crying and trying to learn somewhat passable French. God, I am doing terrible, aren’t I.” The woman pouted adorably.
“Nah, you’re doing fine,” Rose said with an encouraging smile which made the British woman smile.
“Thank you,” she said. “Anyway, I’m Medley Summer, your therapist for the day. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She waved her hand with a grin.
“Look, we’ve all played along so far, but we would like some answers now,” Alya found herself saying. Her class nodded along. Melody raised her brow. “We are abducted by some creepy strangers who know everything about us; from the brands, we use to the size of our clothes. So, if you would just drop your cheerful act and explain to us what exactly is going on, it would be appreciated .”
“Alya Cesaire,” the woman hummed. “Hm, I always liked your boldness, you know. Your no-shit-given attitude.” Her eyes shone with genuine appreciation and Alya found herself blushing. The woman turned and addressed the whole class again. “As I said, I’m Medley Summers, one of the many former Ladybugs. I’m here, today, along with my two dear friends who also have had the honour of yielding the Ladybug miraculous in their lifetimes, to assist the current holder. This is what we do, we Ladybugs, try and help. Generally the world, but occasionally ourselves.”
There was a full one minute of dead silence before questions were hurled and accusations were made. Even Alya cringed at the cacophony of it. The woman, clearly distressed backed away, and Alya felt some strange sympathy for her. Her classmates could be intimidating, especially ones like Ivan and Kim.
“All of you, back in your seats now.” Another glowering woman entered the stage in a deep red gown, her dark hair flowing freely. Fury was rolling off the woman in waves, effectively silencing the class. When each of them settled back to their seats, she began, “Your confusion is understandable, so is your fear. But to get answers, you need to let the other speak.” Her voice was menacing and threatening enough to make everyone cower in their seats. “Maintain the decorum and we will give you the answers. If not, take my word I will make you regret it,” she added, staring at Nino who was about to say something, probably rude.
With that, the woman stepped aside but kept that intimidating scowl on her face. Medley, who was now joined by a sniggering Eun Tak, smiled pleasantly.
“And that, children, was Bao Cheng, the third of our trio. You see, throughout history, there have been many who have held the privilege to be a miraculous owner. The uses have varied from time to time, from user to user, but their influence has been prominent. I helped during the world war, then the plague. Eun Tak was a messiah during the calamities, a blessing in the face of disaster. But it does not end there, in fact, it's a beginning.
“You all must be familiar with heaven and hell concepts. Well, they exist.
“When a miraculous holder dies, they are given a choice to either join their beloved in heaven or join the guild. Joining the guild, you are trained to become guides, of sorts. Your job is to guide humanity towards kindness and redemption.
“But there are times when even guiders need a guide. And these are one of those times. Your class plays a pivotal role in the formation and shaping of the two current superheroes. But with what is going on with you all, it is not... You children need to understand that someone can be pushed only so far before they snap. And when they do--” She shivered slightly. “See children, we can lecture you all we want but we need you to know the error in your judgements, to understand.”
“What she essentially means is that we will provide the facts for you sit and analyse, compare them to what you know. Then, we will all discuss them. We cannot predict the end results, just hope they will be positive. Keep your eyes and ears open, yeah? Now, shall we?” Eun Tak asked with a smile.
At the collective nods of the class, Medley passed a remote to Alya, who took it cautiously. She smiled assuringly, before addressing the class again.
“The controls would be with Alya, but we will be watching. Try not to explode before understanding and, yeah. Good luck, kiddos. Ta.”
And with that, all three of them disappeared in a flash of red and the screen came to life.
season-1, episode-1.
Stormy Weather.