Between Generations

Chapter 16

When Marinette's parents went up to bed, Lise waited in Marinette's room. She didn't touch anything of her belongings, but she looked closely at a few designs she had hung up on her bulletin board.

One was a red dress with a thick tulle skirt. The dress had jewels embedded into the top, with a pattern of black spots. Long white silk gloves were on the blank person's arms, and simple flats were on the feet.

"Oh! Lise, what are you doing here?"

Lise jumped, and looked up to see Marinette squatting on her bed, from where she had jumped down from her balcony. She seemed to be self-consciously touching her ears.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to intrude, but I don't have a place to stay."

"Oh, that's all right. You can stay here." Marinette climbed down from her loft bed, and pulled out a few blankets from a basket near the window. "This couch is pretty nice and comfortable," she said, laying down a fleece blanket on the pink couch. Marinette then handed Lise the rest of the blankets. She noticed the black sweatshirt. "Where did you get that?"

"Adrien let me borrow it. I ran into him on the way home."

Marinette gritted her teeth. "Ugh, he's such a brat! He's just a bully, just like Chloe!"

Everything in Lise's body told her not to get involved, to stay in the sidelines like she had always done at school. But she went against it. "I don't think he's a bully. He told me he wanted to explain himself to you, but you never gave him the chance."

Marinette bristled. Her fists clenched. "I'm sorry, but you didn't see what he did today. He helped Chloe put the gum on my seat. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to do some homework."

"Can I check out your balcony?" Lise asked, hoping for some privacy to sort everything out.

"Sure."

Marinette sat down at her desk to work on homework, and Lise climbed up the ladder to step out onto Marinette's balcony. The moon shone brightly, reminding Lise of all that had gone down last night.

Not last night. 31 years from now.

Lise shook her head, leaning on the railing, grasping her blond hair in her hands. This was all too much for her to wrap her head around. She grasped the railing with her hands. If only someone was here to help me! Nathan, Remy, Zoe, my parents...they're all in the future, so far from my reach.

"Are you doing all right, Lise?"

Lise jumped at the familiar voice from the small red creature. Her heart pounded. "What do you want?" she whispered before she could stop herself.

The little red creature looked taken aback. "I-I'm sorry. I thought--"

Lise waved it off, double-checking that Marinette was occupied with a mountain of homework and wouldn't eavesdrop. "No. I'm sorry. I'm just really stressed. Being here...in a time I don't understand..."

The creature nodded. "I know. It's hard. I'm so sorry you have to go through this. I'm so sorry..." Her voice trailed off, as if remembering something.

Lise frowned. "What is it?"

The creature shook her head. "Nothing that matters right now. I'm Tikki, the kwami of the Ladybug Miraculous. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Why is it a pleasure to meet me? I'm just an ordinary girl."

But Tikki didn't answer her question. "Look, it may not seem like it, but I feel like you were brought to this time for a reason. I'm not sure why myself, but I have a feeling you'll discover it for yourself. However, you do need to return to your time at some point. But before we accomplish that, you need to set some things right first."

"Like what?" Lise leaned onto the balcony railing, gazing over the city lights of Paris.

"You know Marinette? The girl you're staying with? Well, you kinda altered her relationship with her future soulmate."

Lise scoffed. "There's no such thing as soulmates."

Tikki's big blue eyes seemed to flash with panic. "But you don't understand." Lise's heart twisted when she noticed how much fear was in the little kwami's voice. "Someone's life will be in danger if they do not come together."

Lise took a moment to register the kwami's words. "You mean...Marinette and whoever she falls in love with...they have children?"

"Yes." The kwami seemed to study her before continuing. "And it's very important that they come together as friends. They are mortal enemies at this very moment...because of you."

Lise opened her mouth to protest, before absorbing Tikki's words. Enemies at this moment. They had to become friends...

"You mean...Adrien Agreste? The son of Hawk Mo--"

"Shh!" the kwami cut her off. "No one knows at this time who Gabriel Agreste really is. We mustn't alter the timeline anymore than we already have. But it's very important that Adrien and Marinette become friends before we return to 2047."

Lise swallowed. She glanced back at the trapdoor that led down to Marinette's very pink bedroom. The girl who was now doing homework at her desk like an ordinary teenager, the same age as Lise, but in 2016, was a mother to someone in 2047. Someone who may be Lise's age in the future. That someone could very well be a classmate of Lise's, provided Marinette lived in Paris in the future.

Marinette and Adrien.

Mortal enemies.

"All right," said Lise. "What can I do?"

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