________Adrien's POV____________
"Where's Eden at, Adrien?" Marinette asked me, setting her tray down in the seat beside me. "I didn't see her in class today."
"She wasn't feeling well this morning, so she stayed home. Something about a nightmare," I explained, and Marinette nodded sympathetically. "That's too bad, isn't she in art? Luka was telling me their still-lifes are due today."
Eden had picked a bad day to get sick, apparently. Plus, without her tagging along with me all day after school, I'd be stuck without anyone to talk to after fencing. Still, I didn't envy her staying at home all day with Father, especially after what had gone down last night.
"Yeah, she mentioned something like that yesterday," I responded, realizing something. "She actually took it home to finish."
Marinette frowned, understanding that this would give her a late grade.
"Why don't you see if your bodyguard could drop it off?" She offered, and I nodded. Marinette always knew what to do in these situations. She was such a great friend.
"That's a great idea, Marinette! I'll ask Mrs. Bustier if I can call him."
Excusing myself, I made my way over to my teacher who was standing conveniently nearby. After receiving the go-ahead, I walked into the locker room to find my phone. If I recall correctly, it would be in my messenger bag, where I'd tossed it this morning. I figured I'd call Eden first. As the rings sounded in the empty locker room, I practiced my sales pitch. Marinette really was a genius for thinking of this.
"...Hello?"
Eden sounded tired like she'd only recently woken up.
"Hey, Eden, how are you feeling?"
"Just dandy. I should be able to come back by tomorrow; Gabriel gave me the afternoon off, so you're on your own for Mandarin"
I smiled slightly, relieved that she was feeling better. This morning she'd really freaked me out. She'd refused to leave her room, didn't come down to eat, and barely said a word.
"That's good. Mariette and I were talking about how your art project was due today..." I trailed off, giving her time to respond before continuing.
"Shoot! Adrien, I have to get that-"
I interrupted her, knowing what she was going to say.
"And we had the idea that Gorilla could drop it off at the school for you, so you don't get any points taken off."
A sigh on the other end.
"Thank you, Marinette. I'll call Gorila and see if he'd be willing to drop it off for me." She told me, the relief evident in her voice.
"Great, I guess I will see you later then. Hope you feel better soon, Eden. Bye!"
She returned the words before clicking to hang up.
"So, the American is sick?" Plagg asked, peeking out of my jacket. I rolled my eyes and nodded.
"Haven't you been listening, Plagg?" I asked him, and the little Kwami shrugged.
"Not really. Got any cheese?"
_____________Eden's POV__________
After hanging up with Adrien, I couldn't help but feel guilty for lying to the second person of the day, the first person being myself. I wasn't feeling any better and Gabriel hadn't given me the day off. He thought I was at school and Adrien thought I was sick. And they would continue to think that, at least for the time being. Right now, though, the facade would be upheld because the show can't go on if it's canceled.
The wide windows lining an entire wall of my room glinted with sunlight and freedom. After that dream, I couldn't shake the feeling that I shouldn't be here. That I wasn't safe here.
I grabbed my phone and backpack, emptying it of any dead weight, and taking out any paints, brushes, etc. By the time I was done, it was pared down to the necessities and light as a feather. Now for the hard part.
No one other than Gorila and Adrien knew I was still here today. Natalie was off running some errands for Gabriel. As for the man of the house himself, I wasn't sure where he'd disappeared off to. All that mattered to me was that I didn't run into either of them. That meant that they couldn't see me going in or out. I needed to be stealthy.
Tying my hair into a ponytail, I opened one of the ceiling-length windows of my room just wide enough to slip out.
"Finally, some fresh air," I remarked to myself, shimming onto the ledge. Then I closed my eyes and jumped, barely landing on the nearest tree branch. With my backpack bumping softly against my shoulders as I descended the tree, I pulled my hood low over my eyes. The wall in front of me was tall but built with natural stones with natural footholds. In no time at all, I was free.
***
"Hello dear, what can I get for you?"
I skimmed the menu. Well, I skimmed the prices and settled on their cheapest item.
"Uh, can I get a small lemonade, please?"
The woman at the counter gave me a weird look before nodding, and I wandered over to an empty booth. There were more people in the café than I'd anticipated, even if it was the middle of the day.
"I have an order for Eden?" a different voice asked the shop. Glancing up, I saw it was a kid around my age with curly, deep brown hair and caramel-colored eyes framed by crowfeet when he smiled. He beamed brightly as I met his eyes. They were beautiful, a universe of sinna, bronze, and russet. He was beautiful, actually. Tan, tall, lean.
"Eden?" He asked, holding out the lemonade.
"That's me... Toby," I said, reading his nametag.
He handed me my drink before glancing up at me again and quickly walking off. Maybe it was the lighting, but his ears looked a little pink.
"Uh, thanks," I called after him, and he turned to give me a small wave before disappearing to the back of the shop.
Grabbing my lemonade and leaving a small tip on the table, I left the café. In my hurry to get out of the Agreste's home, I hadn't planned what I would do once I was free. So I pretty much just meandered around the downtown area until school ended, enjoying being alone. And sipping my lemonade.
_________Adrien's POV_________
"Eden, I'm home!" I called, setting my bag down in the entryway and climbing the stairs to Eden's room, laughing to myself at the silly phrase I'd always wanted to use when I got home (father never approved of blatantly announcing one's presence). I stopped when I saw her door slightly agape, the light spilling into the corridor. I immediately stiffened, anticipating the worst, especially since the Akuma attacks had become more frequent.
"Eden?" I called again, pushing the crack wider.
"Come in!" Eden yelled. Inside, she lay across her bed, flipping through pages of her chemistry book. "Hey, Adrien."
I waved, sitting down beside her.
"Working on the work you missed?" I asked, and she nodded.
"What did you do all day? Besides being sick," I asked, grinning. Eden looked up from her book, an exaggerated look of annoyance on her face.
"It was awful. I was so bored, I felt like I was going to explode. Seriously, for a mansion, you guys have nothing to do here." She was smiling though, and I was glad to see that she was indeed better. Must have been a cold or something.
"Yeah, tell me about it."
"So, did you have fun at school? Did I miss anything important? Oh, and thanks again for helping me with my art project," Eden rambled on per usual. Making myself comfortable, I explained to her my day in detail: all the jokes Nino made today when Marinette fell down the stairs, and how Chole tried to get Mrs. Bustier fired because she didn't let Chole skip gym class.
It struck me, then and there, how I'd come to consider Eden like the sister I'd never had. Unlike my father, she was always around and she wanted to hang out with me and hear about simple things like how my day went. The selfish part of me wanted her to stay in France forever and never leave me by myself, alone in my father's sphere of influence.
"Hey Eden," I said suddenly, overwhelmed at the idea that she was only staying a semester, "do you think you'll ever visit Paris again after you go back to Arkansas?"
Eden looked up from the equation she was solving before pushing it away entirely.
"Of course, silly. You can't get rid of me that easily." She promised, and I smiled again, something I found myself doing a thousand times more around the house.
"Good."
________________________________________________________________________________
A/N:
Word Count: 1,472
Hey guys, I'm gonna try and update weekly from now on, so that I have time to balance my life with writing and such. I hope you guys are enjoying my book! If you are, feel free to leave a comment letting me know! Love you guys, happy holidays!!