Little Ladybug Wishes

Wonder

'I was so nervous to be the new girl at school, all you guys had such cool connections! I just wanted you to like me...'

Never let it be said that Lila Rossi wasn't prepared. She had an excuse for those little lies that were only used for popularity. Technically, she didn't exactly lie when she said that. She did want people to like her.

Now, she just had to deal with Marinette. After observing it from every angle, Lila had come to the conclusion that Marinette might be a bigger problem now then she was before. And, getting to her would prove to be a challenge. When it wasn't Chloe hanging around her, it was Adrien. Marinette needed constant supervision, both for protection from bullies, and to keep her from wandering off or having a panic attack. Her mindset was very fragile now.

On th bright side, Lila knew that Marinette would be easier to deal with.

"Marinette?" Lila wandered into the bathroom, and smiled at her. She was wearing a cute, lavender dress with elbow-length sleeves, and a dark purple bow around her waist. She wore her new Mary Jane's, and whit tights and lacey stockings, as she always did now. She got all the attention in the 'cute factor' nowadays.

The blue-nette glanced up, and immediately frowned upon seeing her. She remembered Lila well. The white bow in her hair never wavered, for she held her head high. Lila came up to her, and patted her shoulder. "I was so worried about you! I thought you died in that akuma attack." Marinette rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You can't fool me that easily."

Lila's smile melted into a smirk. "I just wanted to tell you..." She quickly pinned Marinette against the wall. "You can act as innocent as you want. But, if there's anything I know, it's that every little child has the same flaw; they're spoiled. Once that gets out, who will want to hang around a whiny child?" Marinette tried not to tremble. She knew she wasn't spoiled, but if Lila was trying to get her goat...

"You had you're warning. We are at war. And I'm going to win." Lila smirked at her, and turned to leave...only to bump straight into Chloe.

"I knew it!" Chloe cried out.  "I knew you were lying from the start, but I never had any proof!" Lila rolled her eyes. "What I'm about to do to her, I could easily do to you, Chloe." With that she left, allowing Chloe to comfort a sobbing, frightened Marinette.

Marinette had been silently screaming for months now. Silently screaming because Lila was bullying her. At first, she thought no one cared. But, when she came back to a surprise party, her hope was restored.

But it was fragile now. She didn't know who to trust. Being cooped up in the hospital allowed her to think about it, and she realized there wouldn't be an easy solution. But she was determined not to give up.

She was done with her silent scream. It was time to let it out.

The question was...how?

Hawkmoth had been keeping an eye on Marinette, and relished in the work Mrs. Rossi had accomplished. This new, pure, fragile girl would surely need help from a grownup to take down this bully. He just had to wait for the right moment.

He knew it all. He was the only one who could hear her silent scream...

Marinette, Adrien, Alya, Nino, Chloe and Sabrina never really thought of Marinette as childish these days. They'd gotten used to it, and learned to understand her new ways. She still had her talents and her kindheartedness, but she was more pure now.

Chloe had only told Sabrina and Adrien about what happened in the girls' room. Alya and Nino were too far into Lila's influence to believe it. Now, Adrien held Marinette's hand. He found that he loved her new childishness as much as he loved her spirit. And, now that they knew of the other's identity, they could feel a stronger bond growing between them.

Marinette watched the fish with wide eyes. A trip to the aquarium had never been so magical to her. Her parents, who felt that Marinette would be safe under the care of her friends, had warned them that she had a slight tendency to wander, so they kept an eye on her at al times.

They admired Marinette's wonder, the way her eyes lit up when she learned something new, or saw something new. The whale's that swam overhead in the tunnel-tank, and the tiny fish that glowed in the dark, reminding her of one of her favorite things: stars.

"I bet I study fish when I grow up!" She chirped, skipping along. She still wanted to be a designer, but she also wanted to keep her options open. Chloe, who was starting to feel like a big sister to Marinette, smiled, and snapped pictures. Marinette giggled, and scampered just ahead, never out of their sight. She carried her stuffed toy, which, upon closer inspection, was not a teddy bear, but a monkey, whom she called Congo. She said he could create anything with his magic marker. The others sometimes played along with her little game.

Hawk moth watched her, as often as he could. He sent out no akumas. He never called for Mayura. He simply watched her. watching his son's friend, to see if the pure, childhood anger would come back.

He was starting to feel oddly content watching her....

Chloe thought about this whole Lila thing. There had to be something they could do. Marinette was in serious danger.

Chloe could not stop thinking about Marinette's new sense of wonder. That could get her in trouble, especially with Lila...

Adrien and Marinette raced to Master Fu's place after the aquarium. It was the weekend, and they had a feeling that would mean more time for Hawk Moth to send out akumas. They needed her Miraculous back.

Master Fu had turned to Miraculous into a necklace. Red and black beads ran in a pattern down her neck, and a tiny, metal ladybug charm rested against her chest. Tikki looked somewhat different. Thanks to a new potion of the Grimwah, Tikki now looked a tad bit more majestic.

Marinette tried it out right away. Her new outfit seemed to center her childish antics. She wore a red jumpsuit, with lace at the wrists, and made of stretchy material, basically indestructible. Her chest was black, with three red markings shooting up the middle like lightning bolts. It fanned out at her hips, creating a frilly skirt that concealed her diaper. The dots on her mask now created a circular pattern around her eyes, framing them. She wore small, black gloves, and her legs were red, turning black just below her knees, leaving some red, lighting blot marks just like her chest.

Adrien's jaw dropped. The same Ladybug, but with an enhance outfit. "Wow, you're...beautiful." Marinette blushed. "Thank you." Master Fu watched, chuckling lightly. Marinette was truly something special.

He couldn't help feeling charmed.