Help Calm My Mind

Sleepover Part 1

Marinette's POV
It was almost like it was in slow motion when I saw my father slowly raise his hand. He was getting ready to hit his wife. How could he? I hated him so much, my entire being hated him with every breath he took. Just as he was about to hit her instinct came over me and I ran. I was there in less then a second holding his hand with a death grip and staring him right in the eye. I was terrified on the inside, but on the outside I was the brave courageous Ladybug ready to take on any villain. Even if it was with her own father.
"How dare yo-" He began but I cut him off with my own angered voice.
"How dare you! You were just about to hit her, your own wife! Look what you've done to her! She's never coming back, at least not when you're around."
Adrien's POV
I stared in shock at what was happening. She was at least six feet away from them and she was there in less then a second holding onto her father's hand so hard I was afraid she might break it. What scared me the most though, was the pure hatred in her voice. I never thought Mari could ever hate anybody, she doesn't even hate Chloé. I don't blame her though, this once loving, caring man was now a cold and abusive person. I just couldn't imagine what happened to the once perfect family to make it so broken.
I watched as her father tried to get out of her grip but couldn't. Just how strong is she? When I saw her father raise his other hand to try to hit her, I was prepared to jump in and fight if I had to but instead, Marinette caught that hand too.
"Hate to break this to you Father, but I'm stronger than you, and I can easily take you down without breaking a sweat." She said letting her voice leave a threat in the air.
"That's bullshit. Look how tiny you are, I could squash you. I would be the one that wouldn't break a sweat." But I could tell that Mari wasn't even listening, and her eyes lit up with a sudden realization. She then looked at me and I could tell she knew I've been here the entire time. I look straight into her eyes and see something that reminds me of Ladybug when she has a plan to win a akuma attack.
"Adrien! Get me that jar on the counter!" She yells at me, and I quickly run over and I grab it. I then see Mari let go of her father and as quick as lightning she hits a nerve on his neck and he passes out. I walk over to her and I hear her whisper, "I'm sorry I couldn't help you sooner, I should've known."
Marinette's POV
I look up to see Adrien holding the jar and I smile at him. "Can I have the jar please?" I could tell he was in shock as he didn't say anything when he handed it to me. I then proceeded to look for the object, which turns to be a once beautiful red rose but was now covered in purple. When I snap it an akuma comes flying out and I quickly trap it in the jar. I've never hated akumas more then I do now. I can't believe it took me this long to figure out that it wasn't my dad, but an akuma.
~Flashback~
    As I was holding my father's hands that were just mere centimeters away from my face I had a sudden realization come over me. The change in my father was sudden and it wasn't gradual. Another thing that didn't make sense was he was giving off all this negative energy and he hasn't even attracted an akuma yet. Not unless he was already akumatized. There were a few wholes though, like the fact that he wasn't trying to get the miraculous. I didn't have much time to think about it, I had to get the akuma not matter what. I quickly let go of his hands and as fast as I could I hit a vital spot and he passed out.
    I pat him down and I find a purple rose. I ask Adrien to hand me the jar, and after I snap the rose in half I trap the akuma in it. I first saw Adrien when I was running towards my father and I hated myself that he saw all of this. If he tells Alya and Nino what just transpired, I'm screwed.
~End of flashback~
    "Dad? Are you okay?" I ask him, I'm ignoring my feelings right now, I can let them out later.
    "Oh god, I-I remember everything." He says more to himself then me. I was shocked, no one has ever remembered an akuma attack. Or at least fully remembered, for some victims they remembered bits and pieces.
    "You're okay now. Everything's going to be fine. But in order for it to be okay you have to look after mom. I'm going to leave you two alone, okay?" I tell him while rubbing circles around his back. I look over at mom who passed out from what I'm guessing was panic and exhaustion. I know in my heart that their going to be okay.
    I look up at Adrien, and I grab his hand and with my other hand I grab the jar. "Adrien, can you help me pack?" I ask, wanting to leave this room. All he does is nod while I stand up and lead him to my room. "Are you okay?" I ask, "I know, this must be quiet a shock. I'm sorry you had to witness that."
Adrien's POV
Why was she asking if I was okay? I should be asking her that. What she just went through... Well if I was her, I would be breaking down.
"Now where is that bag? Aha! Here it is!" She said as she grabbed a pink and black polka dotted bag. She looked completely fine, but when I looked close I could see her hands were shaking uncontrollably. All I could do was watch as she packed up her bags for the sleepover as if everything that just happened didn't happen. For a brief second I wondered why Alya and Nino haven't come up to see why we weren't done yet, but when I looked at the clock on Mari's wall, I was surprised to see that it hasn't even been ten minutes since I went to check on Mari.
"Okay! I'm ready to go. Are you sure you're okay, Adrien?" She asked once again with concern swimming in her eyes.
"Are you... Are you okay?" I ask her, making sure to look her right in the eye to tell her I was serious. And for a single second, I could see what she was really feeling. Sadness, so deep that I almost got lost in it, anger, panic, fear, and so many things that I couldn't even dream to describe. All of them made me sad, what's happening to the sweet, lovely, and happy Marinette we all knew? Sooner or later, I knew I was going to figure it out.
Marinette's POV
It took me awhile to respond. I didn't feel like crying right now, I just wanted to spend some time with my friends.
"Of course I am! I'm excited for the sleepover. Speaking of which, we shouldn't keep Alya and Nino waiting."  I quickly hid the akuma under my bed, grabbed a few cookies for Tikki and before he could even register, I grabbed Adrien's hand and ran downstairs.
"Jeez, what took you so long?" Alya asked, playfully glaring at us. I let go of Adrien's hand, kind of disappointed that I wouldn't be able to feel the warmth it gave.
"Sorry. I had to help my parents with something." I said. Technically, I wasn't lying, I did need to help them.
"It's fine. Ready to get the party started?" She said grabbing Nino's hand and walking out, Adrien and I following.
It wasn't long before we got to her house. We had all of our sleeping bags laid out in a circle. I was next to Alya and Adrien. I needed something to distract me from what transpired just under an hour ago. "What do you guys want to do?" I asked and immediately regretted it. They all looked at each other as if they had a plan to do something. I could feel my anxiety flipping on like a switch but I tried to remain calm.
"How about we order some pizza? And when we're waiting we can play some games." Nino said. The mention of food almost made me throw up, after tonight I don't think I could keep anything down even if I tried. Not that I would want to. As they all said what flavor they wanted I got more nervous. When Alya and Adrien were done telling Nino what they wanted, they all turned to me.
"Thanks, but I'm not really hungry right now." I said, hoping they would leave me be. They all look at each other again, and I grew more worried.
"Come to think about it, I haven't seen you eat in awhile." Alya commented while the guys just nodded.
"Alya's right. Are you sure you're eating enough. I've noticed how skinny you've gotten." Adrien told me. He said I was skinny, but I knew he was lying. I still had a long way to go before I would be happy with myself.
"You're just saying that." Before I could say anymore I shut my mouth. They all looked at me in shock.
"No, he's not. I'm worried, we're all worried. This isn't just about how skinny you are, but you've seem so sad lately. You know you can talk to us." Nino tells me, but I knew he was lying. I start standing up, ready to leave, but then Adrien grabs my wrist, and before I can stop myself, I wince. He looks at me, and then my wrist, I try to yank it out of his grasp, but I'm in to much of a panic to do anything that could've helped me. It seemed like hours as he slowly rolled up my sleeves as my eyes filled with an ocean of tears. Once he saw the damage underneath the sleeves he and everyone gasped. No, no, no! This can't be happening! I've spent months hiding this from them. All that hard work in keeping a fake facade is all gone, in less than a minute my life crumpled before me and all I could do was watch.
Why was I always so useless?