Miraculous: Tales of Ms. Ladybug and Tom Cat

Part 44: Time to think

As Emilie entered her room she took a deep breath. It was the only place in the house where everything made sense and she could think. It hadn't changed much from when she'd last left it. She still had her posters for old rock stars, including her autographed poster of Jagged Stone. She'd gotten it for her 10th birthday at one of his concerts. She'd gone with her Mom and had met him backstage. Jagged was retired now, but his music still lived on in the hearts of fans like Emilie and her mom. It was one of the better memories she had with her parents. 

In addition to the rock posters, she had a poster for the Miraculous Super Squad. All 19 heroes stood proudly side by side. Her Mom was at the center, followed by her Dad to the right and Rena Rouge to the left. Other heroes stood behind them, and beneath it was their squad name and their motto.

"Up to the test when things go wrong!"

The rest of her room looked undamaged as well. Her bookshelf was still organized and orderly, and her bed was freshly made. Probably done by her Mom. Some of the things around her desk had been moved, but nothing important. She still had a picture of her family as well as her statue for winning the junior fencing championship.

After inspecting her room and seeing that everything was up to snuff, she opened her trunk and found the pamphlet she'd been given advertising her trip. A whole summer in Rome, where'd she'd learn about art, architecture, and history. And the credit she'd gain would put her nearly a whole year ahead in school. Plus, she could have the whole summer to herself. She might even meet someone special...  

Her parents didn't understand. They never did. She wasn't surprised when they had said not to her trip. They were against sending her to boarding school in London in the first place, and she'd only convinced them to let her go by getting the highest scores in class and gaining a scholarship. The only reason her parents were ok with it was that her Dad's cousin Félix lived there and could be called if it was an emergency. She'd never met him or even needed to call him. She'd been fine in London all by herself. But still, they said no. It was extremely frustrating. She just wanted to get away and be at a place where she could feel like herself and hopefully understand some of the thoughts she'd been recently having. She didn't really understand and she didn't know anyone who she could talk to about this. She didn't feel like she could tell her family or her friends. They'd never treat her the same if they found out...

As she pondered over these thoughts, her thought process was disturbed by a sudden rumbling outside. The temperature dropped and she began to shiver as ice covered her window...