Chapter Text
Montana.
Such a peaceful place.
Not many people, woods everywhere, and frozen lakes perfect for skating. It was paradise.
I grew up in a small town, the type where everyone knew everyone. The waitresses at the local dinner knew my name, as well as my mom's. The man who fills my mom's tank at the gas station, Steve, would ask her how her daughter is doing. We were even familiar with Billy, the homeless man who lives behind the local grocery store. My mom would knit him blankets and our neighbors would give him food once in a while.
But then, Mom had to ruin everything. She was a local artist, and I mean local. The only people who saw her art were the members of the town that bothered to look at the paintings in the diner. Since that didn't make money, she was also skilled at selling people clothes they didn't need at the local boutique run by her friend.
One day she saw an inspirational quote online and decided to publish her work. What happened next? She got big. Galleries around the globe called and asked for her work. She refused everything until she got an offer from France-of all places! They loved her art and wanted to put it in galleries. They even offered to have her permanently work at the gallery as a bonus. I didn't understand how that was different from all the other places, but apparently it was. The next thing I knew, there was a 'For Sale' sign on our house. I didn't even know until one of my friends asked why I was moving.
Now here I sit, on this 9-hour flight headed to a country I'm not even familiar with. I had to leave behind all my friends just to move out to a random city halfway across the world! My brother was excited about it. He said he wanted to check out the local Parisian dudes. That was the only thing I was happy about; now my brother can finally find a guy to be with. There are almost zero options back home.
I still wasn't happy. I don't know how I'll ever fit in. I can barely speak any French! The only reason I learned it is because we lived next to Canada. The best I ever got in that class was a C-. Also, I'm headed to a city. A city! I've stayed in the same small town my entire life. I'm used to hearing crickets and toads and seeing deer in the streets. Now I have to adjust to a city in a different country with a different language? This probably won't end well.
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My brother woke me up. I must have drifted off to sleep during the flight. I noticed we landed already. I groggily got up and helped him with the luggage so we could leave the plane. Mom flew out earlier to handle her new job and the move. I didn't want to fly out myself, let alone at all, but my brother was 16, so he took care of everything.
We ran outside and he hailed a taxi. Ryan, my brother, was always good with his French. We got in the cab and he started chattering happily in French. He was always made for city life and he handled change wonderfully. Plus, this was a new, fresh start for him away from the town gossips and prying eyes. Most people were fine with him being gay, but some were still...adjusting.
"Hey," he spoke softly in English. "I know you aren't happy about this. This will be difficult for a while. Just please, try. This is a fresh start for all of us. I know it is so crowded and there isn't a huge forest like you're used to, but we will get through this together. Who knows? You might end up really loving Paris."
"Hmph. I just don't get Paris! Why couldn't we have stayed in America? Everything is gonna change! Everyone is so different from us! We have accents and we definitely have more plaid. I don't want to ruin this for you guys, but..." I trailed off quietly, my blue eyes downcast.
"But you'll miss home. Especially the forests," he smiled at me.
"Especially the forests," I repeated, our matching blue eyes meeting.
"We are here!" said the cab driver roughly, using English. This surprised us both. Ryan and I got out and got our things from the trunk. After we paid the driver and he left, we went inside the apartment building and trekked our suitcases to the top floor penthouse. I guess her new job pays well.
We knocked on our designated apartment and Mom greeted us at the door and we all talked about our trip to Paris, practicing our French of course. I commented here and there, but not much. I was pissed at Mom for dragging us out here because of some dumbass gallery. Mom brought us fully inside the apartment and gave us the grand tour. The kitchen was to the left and the family room to the right. The kitchen had a counter that jutted out and acted as a table (like Marinette's). The family room had a TV on the back wall and couches surrounding it. There was a hallway next to us that led us to 3 bedrooms and a painting space for my mom. Ryan and I had to share a bathroom; mom got her own.
She brought me and Ryan to our bedrooms where our boxes lay. She wanted us to unpack them ourselves. We dumped our stuff in our respective rooms and sat with our mom at the kitchen table. We didn't do much unpacking, instead enjoying the comfort of family.
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The next week we spent unpacking our boxes. It was hard for me to do anything because the jet lag took me a full 3 days to get over. My schedule was all out of whack. During that time I got my room unpacked. Because I was already homesick within the first week, my mom painted a forest setting on the wall to the right of my door. My green and white bed sat on it with a fake skin rug on the floor. On the wall opposite my mural sat a dark oak dresser in the right corner and a desk in the left. A shelf was above it that held all my skating trophies. The wall with my door held my dark oak bookshelf filled with my book collection. Above it sat my collection of photos I took from Montana. Everything from mountains to my friends to my father sat on my wall. On the wall opposite my door sat a balcony and a floor length mirror. Mom gave the balcony to me because she wanted to give me some freedom, which I really appreciated, especially right now. Everything was perfect and it reminded me of home.
Today was Friday. I had two days left until Ryan and I started school. But I was too nervous for tonight to focus on my anxiety about school. Tonight my mom was unveiling all her art at her gallery. It was supposed to happen earlier in the week, but my mom wanted her kids there.
Ryan was excited to finally get out and talk to people, but I was nervous about talking in French. Because of this, Ryan and Mom are only talking to me in French. It has definitely been difficult. It was 9 a.m. when my mom called us to the kitchen. I had just finished getting ready. I was wearing dark blue skinny jeans with a long grey shirt and an oversized green vest. My long brown hair was in my classic side braid. I walked in and saw her and Ryan already at the table.
(In French!)
"Are you guys excited for this tonight?" She asked. "More importantly, do you guys have the clothes? This is formal, so we have to look nice."
"I obviously have a suit ready to go, but I don't think Aria has anything other than t-shirts and floral print," he said sarcastically, even though it was true.
"Yeah, okay, I don't have anything. Could Ryan take me? No way am I going into Paris alone," I asked Mom while joining her at the kitchen table. She agreed and handed Ryan some money and shooed us out the door. We had to be back by 4. I could've gone with mom, but I have no idea what I'd say. We have barely spoken about the move, except for the fight that happened after I found out.
We walked around Paris for a while. We managed to find a cute boutique and get a dress with some accessories for the unveiling. I was uncomfortable with the crowded streets, but my brother helped me. As we were walking back home, the temperature dropped and we noticed this crazy girl in a purple and white dress floating in the sky. Floating! What the hell is going on here?!
Ryan grabbed me and pushed me into an alley with my dress when suddenly he got blasted by the wind! I jumped up and ran to the edge of the alley and I screamed his name as I saw him fly down the street. I was about to leave my safe spot to get him when this dude in black caught him and dropped him in the alley behind me.
I quickly ran to them, dress forgotten, to see Ryan unconscious. I sat down and hugged him, trying to wake him up.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine! My bugaboo will fix everything up! Just stay here," he said arrogantly in a crouched position in front of me, his glowing green eyes staring into my blue ones. Before I could say anything, he lept into the street, leaving me holding my brother alone.
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10 minutes passed of me trying to wake him up, then these ladybug things came and swirled around him. He woke up confused and dazed. "Aria? What's going on?"
"I have no clue," I replied shocked, helping him up. I found my dress, somehow still perfect, and we quickly walked home. What surprised us the most is that no one seems too affected by the fact that there was a weather attack, a floating girl, a green eyed boy, and hoards of ladybugs. Once we got home, we immediately asked mom about it.
She explained that Paris had superheroes called Ladybug and Chat Noir that defeated these villains, but that's about all she knew. Oh, I thought, so that's who the boy was. She shrugged off the superheroes too like it was no big deal. Which is crazy because it totally was! The closest thing we had to supervillains were the high schoolers that had weed all the time that everyone, but the cops apparently, knew about. What's scariest is no one seemed to freak out or get really scared. What type of town is this?!