The Other Part of Me

Happy Sweet Sixteenth

The sun rose bringing a certain heat with it, taking away the chill of the previous summer night. The summer dew was sitting on the grass as the birds began to take flight singing their morning songs of praise. Paris was coming alive, bakers were baking, museums were preparing for the next influx of guests and the moon shone its last few moments of glory. As Paris turned into the opening scene of 'Beauty and the Beast' a newly turned sixteen year old was screaming in her bedroom mirror.

"Marinette, calm down."

A red kwami was trying to calm her master, preventing her from waking up everyone in a ten mile radius, and signalling an akuma alert.

"What's wrong with her?" Trixx flew towards Tikki who was still looking at a stark naked Marinette.

"Why isn't she wearing clothes?" Longg questioned.

"It's her soulmark." Wayzz made his way to Marinette and seated himself on her shoulder.

"Marinette, you need to stop screaming." Tikki tried to calm her owner.

"But look ... just look!"

Marinette's soulmark had indeed appeared, and it wasn't small. Her lower back was now the owner of the most intricate design she'd ever seen. The design represented them both; cat and bug. The designs of creation and destruction wrapped around a chinese symbol, a single word. She looked at it again and again knowing full well what it said. Always.

Marinette couldn't deny the beauty of the mark, yet two things stuck in her head. Firstly, it was massive and something which would forever remain on her skin. She already longed for the days of wearing a swimsuit without having this monstrosity on her mid back, and secondly the chinese word. Always. She had to take deep breaths to stop herself from screaming again.

Stupid cat branding her as his when he didn't even care. She hoped he woke up this morning and felt guilty. She hoped he looked in the mirror and was ready to beg her for forgiveness and patrol alone for the next three months, whilst bringing her a coffee from Starbucks every morning. Not just any Starkbucks though, the most complicated and expensive one she could find. She knew he had money, he could afford it.

Making her way over to her chaise, Marinette picked up her outfit for the day. She would be heading straight to the mall after the shoot, and then she had a meal planned with Luka. A kind of 'happy sweet sixteen, here's to your soulmark, good luck in the future' kind of meal. Apparently, he wanted to give her one last girlfriend experience before she found her soulmate. Luka said he wanted her to know how a gentleman should treat her so that she'd be treated like a princess in the future. There was that word again, Princess. She wished Chat Noir would turn up on her balcony so she could slap him across his perfectly defined, beautiful face. Why couldn't she have had a less perfect partner?

She pulled on her pink skinny jeans, followed by her cropped white tee decorated with her flower print pattern. Following this, she threw on a long black cardigan, keeping her mark hidden but easy to access and show her friends (by friends she meant Alya), plus it was early in the morning and chances were it was still quite cool. Slipping on her flats she made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"What have you guys done?"

The kitchen looked as though Party City had thrown up in it. Pink and white streamers lined the walls and the ceiling, as matching balloons were attached to the walls. They were complemented by a massive '1' balloon and '6' balloon bouncing around the lounge area, hovering above a pile of beautifully wrapped gifts.

"Happy birthday sweetie, I can't believe our baby is sixteen." As Marinette made it to the bottom of the stairs her father jumped on her, picking her up in a big bear hug and swinging her like a rag doll.