Between Generations

Chapter 1

PART I=Conspiracy Theories

"And suddenly you know...It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings." --anonymous

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september 2047

"Hey, citrouille, time to get up! Be out the door in ten minutes!"

Lise jerked up her head. She looked around, but stopped when pain jolted through her temple. She rubbed it, noticing a huge line imprinted in her skin. She examined her surroundings. A blurry black screen looked back at her from her sleeping computer.

"Lise!"

Lise rubbed her eyes, clearing the haze of sleep. She looked out the narrow window by her desk at the Eiffel Tower in the distance. The late September sun had already risen.

"Oh no." Lise scrambled around her desk for her supplies. Papers slid off the desk and floated to the floor. I fell asleep doing homework!

She gathered her papers and shoved them into her backpack. The clock on her nightstand taunted her. I forgot to turn on the alarm!

Lise threw on some presentable clothes and hurried down the hallway to the kitchen, a pair of her favorite yellow converses in one hand and her backpack in the other. Manon Chamack's voice from the TV met her ears as she described the weather today in a high, chipper tone. Lise hopped on one foot then the other as she struggled to slip on her shoes.

"...another akuma attack has injured three people in eastern Paris. Police have rounded up the akuma and taken it into custody. As you can see from the footage, construction workers have been attempting to rebuild. However, there are too many areas around the city that need attention, and not enough workers.

"It appears that the number of akumas have been increasing substantially within the past year. Ladybug and Chat Noir, the former defenders of Paris, still remain missing. There have been discussion forums on the topic of who could have taken up Hawk Moth's Miraculous now that Gabriel Agreste is in prison. The mystery Holder has been called the Dark Collector by forums and studies, due to the unexpected disappearances of current Miraculous Holders. We now suspect that the Dark Collector is the sole reason for the increasing number of akumatized people. Five akumatized people on the loose have been sighted and reported, but individuals' stories count more. It is advised for all Parisian citizens to use caution while out on the streets..."

Lise's very tall father flipped a pancake into the air with the pan. Kim caught it with his spatula, then prepared to flip again onto his wife's plate. Alix shuffled back and forth like a hockey goalie. Her pink hair swayed back and forth as she playfully moved her plate around.

Kim flicked his wrist. The pancake soared through the air, and landed perfectly on Alix's plate. "Good morning, citrouille!" he called.

Alix cheered and hugged her husband, her head barely reaching his massive shoulders.

"Ugh, Mom," Lise said as she tied her converses. Must they do this so early in the morning? Honestly, do I even belong in this family?

Her mother laughed. "It's the little things in life, citrouille," she said. "You just gotta live it. Hey, aren't you going to eat?" she asked when Lise started out the door.

"I have to go to school. I'm going to be late!"

Alix smiled, and picked up a banana and gave it to her daughter. "Keep up your potassium," she said, and hugged her. "Have a great day, citrouille! Say hi to Remy and Nathan for us."