Genevieve Deveraux was always the girl who kept to herself, tried to stay out of trouble, and kept quiet. But when she receives the Swan Miraculous from her deceased mother and moves to Paris, all of that changes. In a battle within herself of doing...
Genevieve stares at the moulding along the ceiling, her eyes following the dips and curves of the woodwork. She sighs deeply and rolls over onto her side in her bed to face the window. The moonlight shines through the pale chiffon curtains along with the warm glow that comes from the city lights of Los Angeles. Genevieve sits up, knowing that she won't be able to sleep tonight just like the past five nights since her mother passed. Tomorrow they were to move to Paris, France. The day after, they would hold her mother's funeral so she could be buried near her own father.
Genevieve glances over at her clock on her marble nightstand. 1:50 AM. She pulls the sheets off of herself and slips on her slippers and white robe before pulling her long, black hair up into a ponytail. She drags herself to the opposite side of the room where a large built-in vanity stands. She sits on the cushioned stool in front of the mirror and pulls the tassel attached to the lamp to dimly light the room. She stares at herself in the mirror. Dark circles under her eyes reveal her lack of sleep, her hollow cheeks exposing her lack of appetite, and the glassiness of her dark blue eyes displaying her emptiness. She grabs her phone and mindlessly scrolls through her social media, not really paying attention to what images and videos come up on her screen.
She hears a loud crash from outside of her room causing her to jump. She slowly pulls herself up and rewraps her robe tightly around herself as she opens the door and peers down the long hallway. Her father's room is open with light pouring into the hallway. Genevieve walks down the hall, hugging her sides as her footsteps echo off the marble floor. She peers around the double doors to her father's room.
Sebastian stands in the walk-in closet of his late wife where a medium sized jewellery box lays on its side at his feet. He was sure he had packed away nearly all of their things, but this jewellery box had been hidden along the top shelf in the back of her closet. He picks up the silver box and admires the craftsmanship. The creek of his bedroom door startles him. He looks over his shoulder and sees the dark blue eyes of his daughter. He smiles sadly and nods his head in an inviting gesture. Genevieve enters the room and sits on the edge of her father's bed, watching him as he brings over this jewellery box.
He sits next to her, "Can't sleep?" Genevieve nods once and leans her head against his arm, "Me too, little bird." Sebastian sighs. They both look at the mysterious box. "I've never seen this jewellery box before. She's never taken it out of her closet. It must be an old one." He turns it to look at its sides. Genevieve doesn't speak but reaches out to run her finger along the carvings on the box.
Sebastian looks at Genevieve, "I think she'd want you to have it." Genevieve lifts her head and looks at her father, tears filling her eyes.
"Really?" her lip begins to quiver. She tries to hold back her tears. She hugs her father tightly. As they pull away, he hands her the box and plants a kiss on her forehead. Genevieve stands to take the box to her room to pack it for the following day. She sits at her vanity and places the jewellery box down on her desk. She imagines what her mother used to store in it. Perhaps she left some jewellery inside.
Genevieve lifts the lid of the box. The inside is lined with black felt, the lid has a small mirror on the underside, and there are a few compartments to store small pieces of jewellery. She begins to open each compartment. Nothing. A bit of disappointment runs through her body. She had secretly hoped there was something her mother left for her. She closes the box and picks it up to store it away. As she does, her finger rests upon an interesting notch on the back. Her eyebrows furrow in curiosity. She sits back down, anxious to see what this notch was. She turns the jewellery box around and finds the small notch to resemble a swan. She rubs her thumb over it and presses it. A small drawer slides partially out next to the swan. Genevieve gasps. Inside is a beautiful silver ring. The centrepiece of the ring is a stunning teardrop, sapphire jewel. Four feathers, two on either side of the sapphire, come together to form the silver band.
Before Genevieve has the chance to think about placing the ring on her finger, she notices a small, folded piece of paper underneath where the ring was. She picks it up and unfolds it with hastiness.
My sweet little bird,
I do hope you find this one day. This ring has been in our family for generations. My mother gave me this ring when I turned 21, and her mother before her passed it on to her. But seeing as I won't be able to give it to you personally on your 21st birthday, I thought that this would be the next best thing. This ring is absolutely priceless. It means more to me than anyone will know. It's been with me though some of the toughest times of my life and I hope it will be the same for you. I hope that one day you will be able to pass this down to your own daughter. Remember that I am always with you and that I know you will do great things one day.
With so much love,
Mother
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