Loss

19

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Mariette's P.O.V

I was having a good morning. I actually woke up early feeling better, ate breakfast with papa, was able to finish some homework that I forget to do, and there were no reporters around when I left the bakery. Everything seemed to be going good up until I arrived at school.

The school went silent at the moment I walked through the door. Every pitiful and a couple of annoyed eyes landed on me. Then, the whispering began, making me lower my head. I sighed, blocking out the voices and walked straight to the locker room.

Not that I wanted to bother Adrien, but I kept an eye out for him and hoped that he would come to my rescue. Sadly, it seemed Adrien wasn't here yet.

I entered the locker room and to my relief, it looked like it was empty. Good. My body relaxed as I walked over to my locker. My nose scrunched in confusion when I saw markings on my locker. When I stood in front of it, there were different words graphited on the metal surface. Hurtful words.

Reject.

Burden.

Shameful.

Those words didn't hurt as much as the last thing that I read.

And you call yourself a hero?

I flinched a little but ignored the diminishing words with a shaky sigh. The moment I opened my locker, the squeak of the locker room's door being opened made me freeze.

My gaze twisted over to the door mechanically to see it close behind a self-conscious Alya. Her arms were crossed and tried to avoid any eye contact. I immediately frowned and stared down at my feet. Biting down on my lower lip, I closed my locker then decided to risk breaking the tense silence between us.

"How have you been?" I asked, feeling Alya's eyes trained on me now. She didn't reply. I wasn't expecting one either with the thick air between us filled with regret and shame. She felt bad and pitied me just like most of the people around school. I was getting tired of everyone looking down on me like that.

I wasn't that fragile girl.

I wasn't someone to be looked down on.

I just wanted things to go back to the way that things used to be before my mother's death, but they never will.

Everything was going to change and everyone is going to look at me differently. My classmates, teachers, friends, and family. They don't see Marinette or Ladybug anymore, but merely a shadow. A replica. A mirror image that looks the same but is changed in many different ways. They see someone else.

I kept my gaze towards the floor. This silence is killing me and needs to end. Whatever Alya is here for, the least I can do is apologize for not telling her about my mom and isolating myself with the truth.

"Alya...look, I-" my words was cut off and gasped when I was brought into an embrace. Alya circled her arms around the small of my back and tightly hugged me close, resting her chin on my shoulder. I was so shocked that I froze again and didn't know what to do.

My mind was sent into a haze of mixed emotions and blurred senses.

Shouldn't she be mad that I kept my mother's death a secret from her? Maybe, she is pitying me for it happening? Whichever one it was, I didn't want to hear either. I just wanted her to treat me like the old Marinette, not this clone.

"Marinette..." Alya began softly and snapping me out of my thoughts. I was a little surprised to hear a slight whimper and the tone of her voice so sad as if she were about to cry. Alya was not one to cry. I never have seen her so emotional to the point where she would cry. Even if it were just barley.