Chapter Text
Chloe opened her eyes wide and jumped on her bed, looking around frightenedly. With her shaking hands, she snatched the phone from the bedside table and unlocked it to see a date and time.
She allowed a relieved sigh to escape her lungs. The screen lit with the date when everything had started. The day when Mistress had shown up.
Had it just been a dream? Was it still a dream? Chloe carefully examined her own hands. No signs of the cuts or blood which she had gotten from the devastated future Paris. And, most importantly, no sign of the strange dim light coming out of her.
And then there was the fact that she now knew Chat Noir and Ladybug's identities. Were the conclusions from the "other" reality applicable to this one? It was really hard to argue with logic, considering how her eyes were now open to Marinette and Adrien's strange disappearances during akuma attacks.
Either way, Chloe decided to push those thoughts away, at least for the moment. She had a more urgent task at hand. The promise she'd given in her dream... Or was it in the other reality? It had never actually felt like a dream.
‘But dreams rarely feel like dreams, right? Well, it doesn't matter.’
Someone or something had shown her the consequences of her actions. The talks with Chat, Marinette's injury, the destruction of Paris, and her own death. It was enough to shake anyone's world. And even if it didn't actually happen, it definitely helped her to see things differently. It felt like... She felt like she was...
A quiet knocking on her door interrupted her thought process.
"Mlle. Bourgeois? Are you awake? You'll need to leave for school soon."
Chloe hesitated a bit before answering. Every second of this day she remembered all too well. Every other moment sparked a déjà vu feeling from within.
"Yeah, I am. Thanks," she answered cautiously.
And the start of this day perfectly aligned with that day when Mistress appeared. The difference was Chloe distraughtly stumbling around the rooms. Staff still tried to avoid her, but it was definitely from force of habit and not because of something Chloe said or did.
Chloe was nearly finished doing her makeup when she heard a familiar voice. She swallowed as she turned towards Sabrina. That was how it had all started.
"Em... Hey? What are you doing here so early, Sabrina?" Chloe asked nervously.
She just arched her eyebrow in response.
"Because I am always here this early?" Sabrina said. "Anyhow, I know you don't like it, but I still went and did your schedule for the next few weeks. Please don't be mad.”
Chloe distractedly gazed at her, not being sure how to react or what to say and Sabrina, obviously, interpreted her reaction very wrong and tried to hide the beautifully designed foldery.
"It's okay, Sabrina," Chloe said, trying to calm her down as she took the folder out of her hands. She dared to peek inside it and was truly amazed by the way Sabrina compiled her schedule. Everything was distributed exactly the way she liked and the way she would've done herself. The blonde looked up, arching her eyebrows. "This... This is very well done."
"R-Really?" Sabrina said in response, her eyes shining happily. "I'm so glad you like it!"
A sudden rush of feelings washed over Chloe, making her launch forward and give a big hug to her red-haired friend.
"Thanks, Sabrina," Chloe whispered, gently stroking her back.
The confusion in her response to Chloe's action was almost too obvious and she hesitated before finally releasing a relieved sigh and hugging her back.
"Okay, we're good," Chloe said, letting go of Sabrina. "Now go or we are both going to be late."
"R-Right! See you later?" she asked, taking a few steps back.
"Sure!" Chloe smiled. She watched Sabrina leave as she gently placed her hand on her chest, feeling unbelievable warmth washing over her body. She couldn't quite remember when the last time she had felt anything like that. And it was such a huge contrast to what had not-happened to her just the day before.
With that in mind, she returned to getting ready for school, and to her own surprise, she wasn't late for the first class.
The first half of the day went absolutely the same as she saw before, though there was one change: this time Sabrina was close to her. time to time, the blonde noticed how Sabrina was looking at her and smiling, which made the fire inside Chloe's heart grow all the stronger.
Lunchtime was just around the corner and Chloe knew full well what was coming. The competition results.
And Chloe was finding herself looking at Marinette as often as she was looking at Sabrina. She felt genuine happiness seeing her eternal rival in good health. And the feeling was weird and extremely uncharacteristic of her, yet she had no plans to try to reject it.
And there it was. The moment when Mlle. Bustier decided that it was the time to announce the competition results.
"...And Marinette Dupain-Cheng! Congratulations, girls!" she heard again and an instant thought went through her head. An urge. A sense of obligation and responsibility toward the raven-haired girl.
And it was that kind of impulse that was hard to fight against. And in a split second decision came to her. Chloe knew exactly what she needed to do and no one, not even her past self, could talk her out of this.
The bell rang and everyone at the class released a collective relieved sigh and started to pick up their things before going to lunch. Chloe, lost in her thoughts, felt a shy touch on her shoulder. She turned her head and spotted Sabrina tapping her shoulder.
"C-Chloe?" she asked quietly. "Shall we?"
"You go first, I'll catch up with you," Chloe said, a soft smile touching her lips as she gently stroked Sabrina's hand.
She smiled back and ran away, leaving Chloe alone, patiently waiting for when she'd have time to speak with the teacher alone. Marinette, hand-in-hand with Alya, smiled happily.
Chloe sighed deeply. Strengthening in her resolve, she stood up.
"Excuse me, Mlle. Bustier?" she started, clearing her throat. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure thing, Chloe," she stepped away from the blackboard, turning her attention to the blonde. "Is something wrong?"
"No, everything's alright. It's just..." Chloe said, gathering her thoughts. "I'd like to withdraw from the competition. I want to let Marinette go on her own. She deserves it.”
“C-Chloe, are you sure?” asked Mlle. Bustier, caught off-guard. “Have you thought this through? It's obvious that you deserved it too.“
"Don't worry, I've had more than enough time to think about it," Chloe said, smirking widely.
"Okay, Chloe," said the teacher, still looking surprised. "I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you," Chloe nodded and left the class, taking her purse.
With a sensation of staggering levity, she made her way down the stairs and into the schoolyard. She looked around, searching for Sabrina. Coming close to her friend, Chloe gently bumped her shoulder as she sat down near her on the bench.
"Are you alright, Chloe?" Sabrina asked, looking worried.
"Never been better," Chloe said, smiling softly and giving her friend another big, heartwarming hug, making her squeal in surprise.
From the corner of her eye, Chloe spotted Marinette, who was sitting nearby and lively discussing something with Alya.
‘Thank you, Mari,’ Chloe thought to herself with a shy smile. Yet, feeling the unprecedented warmth inside, she spotted Adrien, who was very late but made it to school despite everything.
‘And you're welcome, dorks, she added to her thoughts. Turns out, you two really are made for each other. I hope you will figure it out too.’
Chloe felt her cheeks light up as she unconsciously touched them. She was…happy? This was the kind of feeling that she just might get used to.
My name is Chloe Bourgeois. And this is the story of how I died...
... And was born again.