Away From Home

[13] Trip Down Memory-Lane

but my third eye is going blind
i'm unaligned with my body and mind

it's playing tricks, i say i'm fine
but really it's hurting me deep inside

airplane mode
limbo

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

You kept your head down as you passed through Parisians, most of their streets occupied by adults who would surely be sending you questioning stares, as your young face belongs in a school at this hour. Hopefully none of these people knew your variant's parents personally.

Besides the questioning, disapproving looks from the Parisians, the trek back to your home was nice and mostly quiet—to whatever extent a busy city could be. But with peace and quiet, there always comes unwanted thinking.

What could Dawn mean about your 'uncharacteristic behavior'? It wasn't like she had been watching you the whole day. . . right? She couldn't have possibly gotten that vibe from that short conversation you had with her in the locker, could she?

This whole situation was stressful. One day, you're having fun with your friends, laughing the night away, and then suddenly you're fighting some maniac who owns a mutated goblin that somehow ends with you waking up in a whole different universe. Is it really a crime that you're acting uncharacteristically?

You pushed open the door that led to your variant's room with a grumble, throwing your bag onto the bed as you closed it behind you. Only then after you had changed into much more comfortable clothes, and sat there staring at the wall for a few minutes, did you finally take your mask and tech out of your bag—unsure if you wanted to hash things out with Dawn right now. What you needed was a nap.

"Okay." You huffed, crossing your legs as you twirled around in the spinning chair sat at your desk. "Let's get this over with."

"Over with? You don't sound so keen to converse. Is there a reason why?"

You allow yourself to think over what you're feeling, what you've been thinking about since you left the school. You were confused. Anxious, and the tiniest bit of upset. Okay, maybe a little more than that.

There were so many things that were gnawing away at the thick skin you've built over the years, Marinette's words still ringing in your ears, that snapped and popped into anger and frustration where they brewed in the depths of your mind.

And to top the mess off, your AI has made the observation that your behavior was uncharacteristic? There was just too much stress for you to handle, of course you're going to act out of character!

"I'm just. . . thinking about what you said before Adrien walked in." You shrugged, fingers mindlessly playing with the bracelet around your wrist, anxiously waiting for Dawn to answer with her reasons. Maybe you were thinking way too much into this, or maybe Dawn was making it into a bigger situation then it needed to be. Either or, you were ready to hear it. Like it or not.