___________Marinette's POV___________
"Tiki, saving Paris every day sure is draining," I sighed, finally having defeated Hawkmoth's latest and greatest Akuma only moments ago. I'd barely been able to make it back inside my room before detransforming once again, and I was ready to crash.
"A superhero's job is never easy, Marinette," Tiki giggled, and I couldn't stop the grin from spreading across my lips. The kwami of creation was always saying things like that, no matter the situation, like a sugar-coated "it is what it is".
She was right, but everyone gets worn out at one time or another. Seemingly the second I collapsed onto my couch, my phone buzzed with a message from Alya.
I need to talk to you
about what? I texted back.
eden. Meet me at my house in ten.
what? Eden?
my house and I'll explain everything
Huh, that was strange. Was this why Alya had been acting so hostile towards Eden lately? What could she have done? My exhaustion vanished, replaced with curiosity as I grabbed my purse and ducked out the trapdoor to the stairs.
"Where are we going?" Tiki called from her hiding place.
"Alya's."
___________Eden's POV__________
The next day at school, I knew I couldn't keep putting it off: I needed to clear things up with Alya. As of right now, I was fairly certain she thought I liked Adrien, who, from what I'd gathered, was reserved for Marinette. Which was fine by me, since I didn't like him like that. It would be like dating my brother, and I was not about to do that. I was from Arkansas, not Alabama. (I know it's only legal for cousins there, but same thing, right?)
Anyway, the first thing I did after getting out of the car was book it to where she and Mari were standing. Even from a distance, I could see the looks that crossed their faces, and I wondered if I'd put it off too long.
"Hey, Alya, I really need to talk to you. And probably you too, Mari," I said as casually as I could. They glanced at each other before Marinette finally responded.
"Uh, sure," She said, and I nodded.
"Great, because it really can't wait," I told them, grabbing their hands and leading them near the locker rooms, "I hate to say it, but I've been putting this off for, like, a week now. Plus, I don't want any misunderstandings coming from this later on."
They exchanged another look, this time one of confusion.
"What did you need to tell us?" Alya asked, her reporter's curiosity always gets the better of her.
"I get the feeling you guys think that I like someone that I don't, and I just wanted to set the records straight," I said bluntly.
"Is this about you liking Adrien?" Alya somewhat demanded, and Marinette's eyes fell.
"Hey guys-" Luka started, but Alya cut him off.
"Hey Luka, not the time."
He got the hint and walked on.
"See that's the thing, actually. I don't like Adrien. Not even a little bit. He's like a brother to me at this point, ya know?" I explained, and the two girls visibly relaxed, as if some invisible burden had been lifted off their shoulders.
"But, Lila told me-," Alya started, but this time Marinette cut her off.
"Of course! I should have known Lila the Liar was behind this!" She exclaimed, crossing her arms.
"Look, it doesn't matter what Lila said, because she was wrong. I just wanted to let you guys know so that there wasn't that awful tension between the three of us." I said quickly, hoping to steer the conversation back on track.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Alya said, sheepishly, and I smiled.
"Don't sweat it, I get it. I've been that way with some of my friends back home too; besides, I wouldn't want to get in between Marinette and Adrien anyway."
Alya grinned, poking Marinette in the ribs, who now was a vibrant shade of red.
"How, er, how did you know?" She muttered, twisting a strand of loose hair around her finger.
I raised my eyebrows. Was she serious? It was obvious.
"Girl, it's pretty obvious. I'm surprised Adrien hasn't figured it out already," Alya laughed, and I grinned at the two of them. I was glad that we'd been able to sort everything out.
"Wait, wait, wait. If you don't like Adrien, then who do you like?" Marinette asked, trying to change the subject.
Thanks to years of going to public school in America, I'd mastered the art of a poker face for these questions. Without the faintest trace of a blush or eager smile, I simply responded "I'm not sure. I'm not really looking for a relationship right now..." A lie.
I trailed off as the bell rang. Glancing at the clock mounted above the door, I realized we had two minutes to get to class before we were counted tardy.
"We should get to class," I finished, and Alya rolled her eyes.
"Okay, and how about on the way, you finish telling us about why you aren't looking for a relationship," she teased, and I smirked.
"Or, we could get to class before I end up with another early-morning DH," Marinette giggled, but I could already tell that the two girls wouldn't back off the subject anytime soon.
***
"Good morning class, today I'd like everyone to group up in pairs of three or four. Since everyone has worked so hard the past few weeks on their paintings, I decided we could all use a break before we started our next section, which will be embroidery, and have a little bit of fun!"
In front of the class, my art teacher held up a camera, gesturing to the tub of similar cameras, each a different color. Immediately, my eyes locked on the bright yellow one, glistening like sunlight on top of a greenish one.
"By now, all of you are experts on still life, but what about life in general? This week, we will be focusing on the movement of life, and I want you and your groups to work together and make a video to present to the class on Friday. The rubric and instructional guidelines are posted in your coursework, so please take the next few moments to look them over after you find your group." My teacher explained, before clapping twice to signify that we could get up and move around the class.
First things first, I grabbed that beautiful camera and then looked around for the only friend I had in the class. I swear, if he was absent, I was gonna flip a table.
"Hey Luka, wanna be in a group?" I asked, and he nodded.
"Sure, you can be in a group with me and Nathanial," He smiled, and I grinned, snapping his picture. After pressing the wrong button three times, I finally figured out how to view the picture. Luka was in the middle of turning his head, and the angle made his features slightly distorted. It was a very ugly shot.
"Hot," I laughed, showing him the photo.
His ears turned red, and he shook his head, chuckling. The other kid in our group, Nathaniel, made his way over to us. With fluffy red hair and eyes like a misty lagoon, he reminded me of my favorite cousin. About as tall, too. Hopefully, he'd live up to Jonathan's standard. Probably not though, because my cousin Jonathan was the best guy I knew, a real gentleman.
"Hey, I'm Eden. Nathaniel, right?" I double-checked, extending my hand.
"Yeah, nice to meet you." He said, shaking it.
"So, what are we thinking about for our video?" I asked, scrolling through the list of requirements for the video, "because it has to be between 3-5 minutes long."
Nathaniel shrugged, and I pulled out a pen.
"Well, let's see, we could do a short film or a commercial, or, um, maybe a music video?" I offered, and Luka perked up at the last one.
"We could probably get Marinette to help us if we did a music video, she helped Kitty Section with one a few months ago," He suggested, and Nathaniel nodded.
"Kitty Section?" I asked, placing a star next to the last option.
"It's the band I'm in," He told me.
He was in a band? That made sense; he'd mentioned he liked music.
"That's cool, I didn't know you had your own band," I commented, and he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Er, I wouldn't say it was my band, it's just the band that I'm a part of."
Nathaniel nudged him with his shoulder and I got the feeling Luka was more involved in his band than he was letting on. Cute and modest. And totally just a friend, remember?
Pinching myself under the table, I did my best to keep the conversation on the project.
"Well, since you're already in a band, why don't you star in our music video? I can get all the video footage, and Nathaniel can help me put it all together and add all the special effects. Good?" I asked, and Nathaniel nodded. Luka didn't look so sure about it, though.
"Just me?" He asked, and I didn't blame him. I wasn't big on performing in music videos (not that I had any experiences like that), but I wasn't about to start singing or playing an instrument. I had a strict policy of only singing when I was driving by myself, with my sisters, for my grandpa, or the occasional shower. Never in public (unless it was for fun with friends) and never on recording. I wasn't about to be giving out free blackmail to people like Lila.
"If you want to do something else, Luka, we can work something out. Maybe we could do a voice-over or something, and you could mouth it? Like a comedy sketch or something." Nathaniel suggested, and I nodded.
"That's not a bad idea, Nathaniel. If you'd rather do that, Luka, we can do that. Or if you don't want to star in our music video, you don't have to, I just thought you might want to. You don't have to though," I assured him, and he smiled.
"It's not that, I'd just rather share the spotlight with someone else. I'm not really a soloist."
Nathaniel smirked, muttering "But you're good enough to be."
Luka smiled but didn't press the matter any further.
"Alright class, you can begin packing up! Tomorrow we will head over to the park to get more inspiration and go more in-depth about how to use the cameras, so please dress for the weather. Do NOT forget to grab a camera on your way out! Have a great day!" The teacher instructed, and I slipped the camera into my bag.
"Here, Eden, why don't you write down your number and I'll make a group chat for us?" Nathanial offered, digging through his bag before handing me a post-it note.
"Good idea," I said, scribbling down my number and praying I'd remembered it right. I always mixed up if the 4 or the 9 came first. I think it was the nine.
"See you fEdens later, " I said, shouldering my bag and heading to the door, "just text me who's who on the chat, okay?"
Nathaniel shot me a thumbs-up, and Luka waved.
"Hey, Eden!" A sickly-sweet voice sang beside me.
"Oh, hey Lila. I heard you were spreading some rumors about me, how'd that go?" I asked, sarcastically. She frowned, and I smiled.
"Yep, I heard about that. Don't worry, I got everything sorted out. But in the future, you ought to avoid messing with things you don't understand, like my personal life, okay?" I said, patting her on the head like she was a dog. It wasn't such a stretch from the truth.
"Are you threatening me?"
"Threatening you? Depends on how you take it, I suppose. I'm just strongly suggesting you keep your nose out of other people's business and keep your tongue from spreading lies you can't back up with actual facts."
She rolled her eyes before turning and walking away. Thank goodness, she was gone at last. I didn't feel bad this time, since she'd gone out of her way to try and make me miserable this time.
"Hey, Eden!" Someone called to me as I entered the cafeteria.
"Huh?" I asked, surprised to find it was Nino waving me over to their table. I guess Alya had talked to him about what I'd told her in the locker room this morning.
"What's up?"
"Adrien said his old man was good with him coming along with us to plan a surprise party for Rose after school tomorrow. Want to come?" He offered, and I smiled.
"Uh, sure," I replied, still kinda weirded out by how quick the transition from enemy to friend had been. It was strange, but nice all the same. At least I didn't have to worry about people talking behind my back anymore. Well, most people. I didn't doubt that Lila was already cooking up another scheme.
"Cool, dude," Nino smiled, and I sat down on the other side of Myleen.
"So, what's everyone's plan for after school today?" Rose asked, glancing back over her shoulder to Julika, who was still waiting in the lunch line.
"Marinette and I are free. Nino too." Alya said.
"Myleen and I were going to catch a movie, but if you need us for something, we could probably go another day, right babe?" Ivan said, looking at his girlfriend for the nod of approval.
"Yeah, if you need help with anything, Rose, you can count on us," She replied, smiling over at Ivan afterward.
"My father didn't schedule anything for me to attend after my fencing lesson, so I should be able to come," Adrien said, cheerfully.
"Amazing! And what about you, Eden, do you think you can make it?" Rose asked, and all heads turned to look at me. The sudden attention almost made me choke on my water, and to prevent any accidents in the future, I capped the bottle.
"Oh, ah, yeah sure, I can probably come. It's not like I have anything to do after school once Adrien's done with all his stuff." I assured them, and Rose literally cheered. I flinched, not expecting such a bubbly reaction, but Rose didn't notice and launched right into explanation.
"That's awesome, guys! Because as I'm sure you all know, Julika's birthday is coming up, and I thought it would be so sweet if we all came together and threw her a surprise birthday! Wouldn't that just be so wonderful! I thought that if we all pitched in, it would remind her how much we all love her! And Luka, too! Plus, it's going to be so much fun planning it all out!" Rose squealed, and the table erupted into cheers.
"That's a great idea, Rose, count us in!" Marinette exclaimed, and the rest of the table sounded in agreement. I would have joined the chorus, but I was stuck on two pieces of the puzzle clicking neatly into place: Luka was Julika's twin. I felt kinda stupid for not figuring it out beforehand, since it seemed so obvious now, especially since I'd already known they were brother and sister. Of course, they were twins, what else would they be? I guess I'd assumed Luka was an upperclassman.
"Hurry everyone, she's coming! I'll make a group chat so we can plan it out and set a time to figure out the details!" Rose exclaimed, pressing her finger to her lips for effect. By the time Julika sat down, everyone was already exchanging knowing glances and muffled giggles.
The rest of the day was fairly quiet, with only one Akuma attack that destroyed half the city this time. When the city went under casual lockdown, I went with it, and in ten, fifteen minutes or so, the attack was over.
Gabriel had officially enrolled me into Adrien's fencing class, which was beyond awesome. For a super-rich fashion designer, it might have been nothing, but I couldn't imagine anyone doing something like this for me. There was no way Adrien's exclusive training wasn't uber-expensive. As long as I could help it, I would never miss one of these lessons for the world; it would be like flushing money down a drain and my parents taught me well enough to know that wasting anything (especially money) is a sin.
Tightening my helmet and grabbing my blade, I made my way over to where Adrien and Kagami were standing. She didn't speak English very well, so I started the French course on Duolingo. I wasn't fluent by any means, but it was nice to see her subtle surprise when I struck up the most basic conversation I could carry last practice.
"Begin!" Misure Perox instructed, and I turned to face the same kid from the first practice: Thomas. He was a nice kid, with a bit of an ego, but fairly good at fencing. Those first couple of lessons, he's slaughtered me. I'd gone home with more bruises than when I'd first made the high school soccer team.
He struck first, aiming for just above my ribs, but I ducked out of the way just in time to make a strike of my own. I missed my original mark on his heart, but the tip of my blade would have left a nasty scrape across his left arm if it wasn't so blunt and flexible. I tried to turn back towards him, but all my weight had shifted and I was off balance. Thomas was quick to recover and in two seconds, the match was over.
"You're getting a lot better," Thomas remarked, offering me a hand.
"I try," I told him, letting him help me to my feet.
"Miss Eden, you are always so quick to attack. Be patient. Again!" Misure Perox criticized, and I sighed. I know he was just trying to help me be better, but I had never been good with criticism, constructive or otherwise. Then again, I hadn't had much experience with it; for most of my life, I'd been pretty decent at everything I tried. What can I say, I'm amazing.
This time, when Thomas struck, I ducked past him and twisted, positioning myself in the perfect position for an instant kill. I went for it, this time keeping my balance. Thomas was ready for me though, and he managed to jump out of my sword's reach just in time. Darn it, this kid was fast.
Be patient, that's what Perox had told me. I circled him, waiting for him to make another move. Without warning, Thomas swung his blade, lashing out quickly and forcing me to make a decision: defend or escape. I chose to defend, my blade meeting his seconds before it would have impaled me. The next scene played in slow motion to me.
The slight curl of a smirk from Thomas, the realization that his move was a setup. I watched helplessly as he turned and my own momentum worked against me, propelling me past him and stumbling onto the mat. Quick as a viper, he 'stabbed' me in the back with his blade and the match was over.
"Patience," Misure Perox said, shaking his head before wandering off to judge another set.
"Yes sir," I mumbled, dusting myself off.
"Don't let him get to you," Thomas shrugged, and I nodded.
"I'll be right back, I'm gonna get some water real quick," I said, taking off my helmet. Setting my sword down beside it, I wandered over to my bag sitting up against the wall. Losing wasn't something foreign to me, but the continuity of it now was frustrating, to say the least. Gulping down a few swigs from my water bottle, I wiped the beads of sweat that had formed above my eyebrows.
A muffled ding caught my attention from inside my bag.
(To You and 13 others)
Unknown:
Meetup at the park today @5 to plan the celebration
Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I could already tell my phone was about to blow up, so I dropped it back in and zipped the bag shut.
"Ready?" Thomas asked as I made my way back over to the mat.
"Let's go," I told him, readying my stance. It was going to be a long practice. And it was, for the last thirty minutes at least. By the time Adrien and I were headed over to the park, I had eight fresh bruises to go along with a skinned kneecap. (I technically skinned my knee walking to practice, but it still had to do with fencing so it counts.)
"What kind of party do you think Rose is planning?" Adrien asks me, smiling at the little shops lining the streets. He was always so happy.
"No idea," I said, "I don't know Julika that well, so I wouldn't know what she'd like. I'm sure Rose has something figured out, though. Probably something for Luka too."
Adrien nodded.
Our group beckoned closer as we entered the gated park and I could hear the squeals of excitement from here. Already Rose was handing out lists of supplies and assignments.
"Oh, Adrien, Eden, you made it! Here, I made everyone a list of ways to help out!" She told us, shoving a note drenched in glitter in our direction. Despite its appearance, the note was professional, including times, dates, and a checklist. I read mine after handing Adrien his:
What to bring- balloons, streamers, a good attitude, YOU :)
Date- Next Friday: Be at Julika's @ 6:30 pm to help setup
What to wear- cute & casual
*Thanks for helping me make this the BEST SURPRISE BIRTHDAY EVER!!!!*
Neat. And I can appreciate her directness on what to bring and everything.
"Cool, I get to help set up," I announced to no one in particular.
"No way, me too," Alya said, and Nino and Marinette chimed in with their own affirmations. Even Adrien said he was on setup duty.
"Okay, everyone's assignments have been passed out, does anyone have questions or concerns?" Rose asked, and no one spoke up. "Alright then, see you guys this Saturday! Super secret meeting adjourned!" She declared and cheers all around.
"Well, that was quick," I said, again, to no one in particular. Adrien nodded, before wandering over to Nino and Marinette. If it still wasn't so strange being around all these people who suddenly liked me so much, I might have stayed. But I wasn't used to it yet, and I had the homework excuse. So, I said my goodbyes and headed home.
________________________________________________________________________________
A/N-
Word Count: 3,799
Hey guys, its Christmas, so I thought I'd update again with the next bit of my story! Happy Christmas to everyone reading this, I hope you all have a great day!!