Red Pixie

Backstory

Change is a part of life whether it's good or bad. For me, it was a little bit of both. Let me explain.

It was the first day of kindergarten, and I didn't have any friends. I was a little shy and usually stuck by my parents whenever we went anywhere.

My momma and papa asked if I wanted to be walked to school. They could tell how nervous I was, but I declined. I just turned 5 meaning I was a big kid. Plus, the school was only a block and a half from our bakery.

As I slowly approached, I could feel myself becoming more and more anxious. The school was much bigger than I thought, and I was all alone. However, that only lasted five or so minutes.

I was a few steps from the stairs when I tripped on nothing. Curse my clumsiness. I felt embarrassed and wanted to run back home. That was until I heard footsteps coming my way.

The stranger put his hand in my face offering help. Even though I knew stranger danger, I took it and was soon on my feet.

"My name is Nino," the stranger introduced. He had a huge smile on his face.

Feeling safe I introduced myself, "Marinette."

"I saw you take a nasty fall and wanted to see if you were ok."

"I'm fine. I only have a small boo boo on my elbow."

Nino raised and eyebrow at me. "Boo boo?"

I crossed my arms and made sure I appeared more confident. "I'm five, so I can call it a boo boo if I want."

He just chuckled at my response. Little did I know at the moment, Nino made a promise to himself. He was going to do whatever he could to protect me. I was going to come before anyone else including his future girlfriends.

Moments later, another boy came running over putting one hand on Nino's shoulder and the other out to me to shake. Just like Nino, I felt safe around him.

"Marinette," I quietly said.

"Kim and any friend of Nino's is a friend of mine," the new boy Kim replied with a smile. Unknown to me, Kim also made a promise, to do whatever he could to make me laugh and to break me out of my shell.

It had been only seven minutes, and I made two friendships that will last a lifetime. No matter what is thrown our way the two will stick by me just like I'd do for them.

We walked into school together, and I met the rest of the class. I became friends with all of them, but some friendships were stronger than others. Alix and Nathaniel were two polar opposites but so much fun to be around. Our tight group of three became five.

Then there was Chloe. We argued a lot. At the time I would never admit it but we were quite similar. We were both stubborn (her more than me) and voiced our opinions which were usually opposite. I wanted to take it to my grave, but I enjoyed some of our stupid arguments. I almost laughed at a couple due to how little and unimportant the topic was.

Years had passed and we got two new students, Alya and Adrien. Alya and I became close due to us being desk buddies, so she made her way into our close group.

The same thing happened between Nino and Adrien. Although Adrien was friends with Chloe, he was different from her. He easily got along with the rest of us. Five turned into seven.

It was a little strange having Alya declare me as her best friend. I saw her as an amazing friend, but Nino and Kim will always hold the title of best friend. I didn't disagree with her opinion on us being best friends, but our friendship was different from the other ones I had. I thought it was due to it being new. I was shown otherwise later on.

The next year, Lila came. We never got along. I am always hesitant when it comes to new people, but there was definitely something off with her. Knowing Lila for only a day, I learned all her stories were filled with lies. I knew some of the people she talked about, and her facts never lined up.

It was a huge mistake to stand up to her and call Lila out on her lies, but I wouldn't have chosen differently. Lila confronted me in the bathroom one day telling me to side with her or lose all my friends. My gullible self thought it would never happen. Man, I was wrong.

Lila kept lying, and I kept calling them out. Some simply thought I was a little jealous which was not true in the slightest.

Before I continue down that road, let me share another change. The same year Alya and Adrien came, I became Ladybug. I was now a superhero who was given the job to keep Paris safe while trying to defeat Hawkmoth. Luckily, I wasn't alone. I had the best partner ever, Cat Noir. We had each other's backs and would die for the other. Our bond was strong.

Although my kwami Tikki disagreed, I thought the two of us should reveal our identities. Neither of us knew how long this war was going to last. We had a long discussion, but we both agreed. Cat Noir and I went to an area where absolutely no one was around and detransformed. I was a little shock to see Adrien, but I wouldn't trade him for the world. Our friendship became stronger as did our fighting.

Now back to Lila and friends. Slowly, her threat turned into reality. One by one I lost my friends. No matter how much she tried, Nino, Kim, Alix, Nathaniel, and Adrien stayed by my side. This frustrated Lila to the point where she lied about me bullying her. That lie was what actually took Alya from me. A part of me wasn't super surprised. Although we were "best friends", it never truly felt like it.

However, the biggest surprise came from Chloe. She was in New York when Lila came and was clueless when she walked into the classroom to see it divided. Every part of me thought Chloe was going to side with Lila, but that's where she surprised me.

The bell had rung, so students made their way to the lockers. Before I could leave the classroom, I was stopped by Chloe.

"Marinette, could I talk to you?" Chloe asked.

My group of friends who called themselves the MPS or Marinette Protection Squad looked at me, but I gave them a nod and they continued their way to their lockers and soon lunch.

"Sure."

She looked a little shocked but didn't waste this opportunity. "It's long overdue, but I wanted to apologize for my previous actions. I was horrible to everyone especially you. It's no excuse, but I was jealous of you. You had the power to make friends in minutes and had such a loving family. It was everything I wanted, so I took my frustration out on you."

I placed my hand on her shoulder and looked her dead in the eyes. "I swore to myself that I was going to take this to the grave, but there were times when I enjoyed our arguments and fights. Some were over the stupidest things, and I had to stop myself from laughing. While I never knew the reason behind your actions, I always hoped you'd change. Now, I don't want you to completely change. You wouldn't be you if you weren't sassy, but know I forgive you. This last year has shown me how easy it is for people to change."

Chloe let out a breath she was holding in. "You don't know how happy I am to hear that. I thought you'd hate me until the day you died. I also may or may not have enjoyed an argument or two during those years. Oh! I made you a little something. I wasn't sure if I'd actually be able to give it to you, but here."

Chloe reached into her backpack and pulled out a bracelet. "I made it with some help from my mom. If you were to accept my apology, I wanted to show my appreciation by making you something homemade. I remember you saying how homemade gifts have more love in them."

I gave her a smile and put on the bracelet. "It's beautiful Chloe. I love it and will only take it off if I was to get wet to prevent damage."

I quickly pulled her in a hug and felt something damp on my shoulder. It took me a moment, but I realized she was crying. Pulling away, I reached for a napkin in my purse.

"Here. We wouldn't want your makeup to get ruined."

"Thanks."

"Now let's go to lunch, and I'll catch you up on everything that's happened since you left."

I know it's a lot, but I really wanted to set up the story. I didn't want to throw people into this new book without an explanation on why things are like they are. There will be a bit more information next chapter and hopefully some content from Gotham.

~Mads😊