Misplaced

The Switch Part 2

Me again. Yeah, Bridgette Cheng, ultimate idiot. I can't believe I went into that without thinking. At least I'm still alive and in Paris, but something feels off. Like, you know that feeling when you're on a boat for the first time? That's what it felt like.

I felt like puking. I lay on a soft bed, covered in silky sheets. The room was quiet, the only sound being a small white noise maker on the bedside table. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, sure this wasn't my bedroom. Where was I? It couldn't be the hospital, it smelled different. My vision went double, and I had to spend several minutes taking in deep breaths before feeling on par again. I looked around. I was on a futon, and the walls were decorated with oriental designs. There was a faint scent of jasmine in the air. Tikki poked her head out from under my sheets.

"I'm glad to see you're okay Bridgette. You were asleep for days." She said, nuzzling my cheek. "I was so worried. Chat Noir brought you to Master's."

"Master Fu?" I asked. My voice was barely a whisper, with my breath absolutely horrid and my throat parched.

"Yeah!" Tikki affirmed. "He saw you and took you in. He looks a little different, but I can't tell why. Maybe he cut his hair."

I tried to stand, but the nauseous feeling returned. "Tikki, can he come in here? I need to ask him a few things."

Tikki nodded and did a loop-de-loop in the air. "Okay!" She whizzed off. I flopped back on the bed and closed my eyes, taking in deep breaths. I felt ever so slightly nauseous, like I was on board a ship. The scent of jasmine was pleasant, but also a bit too relaxing. I was Ladybug, hero of Paris. I couldn't relax.

But I was also Bridgette Cheng, an overworked high school student. I relaxed. This room was so comfortable. I could see why I slept so long.

The door slid open and a short man with almost a full head of grey hair, spare for some black strands, a goatee and mustache, and red Hawaiian shirt came in, walking stiffly due to the cane in his wrinkled hand.

"Master Fu?" Was this the same person who gave me the Ladybug miraculous?

The man smiled kindly, the wrinkles around his eyes crinkling. He set down his cane and sat beside me. "Do you not know who I am, Ladybug?"

I looked at him and stared into his brown eyes. "I...you look different."

Master Fu smiled.

"While one may appear different as time passes, their soul will stay the same. Would you like some tea?"

My throat ached. Tea would be so, so nice. But I had to go back home. I had to know what I'd missed. I had to tell my parents an excuse for where I'd gone. So instead of staying for tea, I stood. My body felt like it was on fire.

"I'm fine, thank you. I'll go home and just rest. Thank you for taking care of me ." I bowed my head in respect, a gesture I often used with my mother's relatives. Master Fu nodded back in return. I bid him farewell and left to the city, walking back to my parent's patisserie. A good cup of tea would be lovely.

-O-

Hi again. Yes, it's me, Marinette Dupenn-Cheng, master of dumbness. I can't believe I went into the fight without a good plan. At least I'm still alive, but Paris feels different. And not a good different. Like, you know that feeling when you're on a boat for the first time? That's what it feels like.

When I woke, I wasn't in my room. The air smelt like honey, and the color scheme was a calming lavender and white palette. A tall girl with long blonde braided hair and plain but nice clothes sat in a chair nearby, weaving a bracelet with multicolored threads. She looked at me and smiled softly.

"Are you awake yet? Can you hear me?" Her voice was like a flute, smooth and delicate. My voice was completely opposite, with my throat dry and parched. My response came out as a croak.

"Yeah. Can I have some water please? Then we can talk." My voice faded out at the word "then", so I had to repeat it after a moment. The blonde nodded at my request and slid out of the chair. She pressed a button on the wall and a voice came out of a speaker above.

"Yes Madame Bourgeois?"

The blonde winked at me. "Jean, can you bring up two glasses of water and some peppermint bark? As quick as possible please."

"Of course Madame. I'll be there soon." There was another buzz as she took her finger off of the button. I stared. Bourgeois? No way. She looked a bit like Chloe, but only because they had the same hair color. This girl was taller, plainer, and her features were gentler.

"Hey, I'm, sorry, I forgot your name for a moment." I stuttered. She obviously thought that I knew her. Maybe we met somewhere? I didn't remember.

The girl laughed. "Bri, you're funny. How could you forget the amazing Allegra Bourgeois? Forgotten child of the Bourgeois family?" She took my question as a joke, but her response gave me two crucial pieces of information. Her name, and who she thought I was. Someone who she called Bri. In other words, not me. She sat on the bed near my feet.

"So, what's the scoop? Why did Claude of all people bring you here?" She wiggled her eyebrows. "Spill."

Claude? I didn't know anyone in was close to named Claude. But then again, I also didn't know who Allegra was. "I don't know. I just remember being on the street when the attack started. Must've been hit and blacked out." Standard excuse.

She sighed. "Thought so. Still sad. I thought he'd maybe done something less normal. But hey, I guess it made sense. Your parents are out of town for the day, right? So coming to me made sense. But I still think it odd how you were just there. Didn't you hear the sirens?"

It seemed like I was in a movie I didn't know existed. Was what she said considered normal to her? Sirens? Claude? My Parents?

The door opened, which made me ever so much more thankful towards Chloe's Butler. Because in that moment, I felt as if I couldn't utter a single word. I felt like I was no longer ordinary. Like I didn't belong.