Running from the Night (A Ladybug and Chat Noir Fanfic)

Chapter 20

"Marinette!" Sabine's voice carried into the back of the bakery. Marinette pushed the tray of dough into the oven and wiped her flour covered hands on her apron.

"Yes mama?" Marinette called as she rounded the corner into the front of the store. On the customer side of the counter stood the stern assistant of Gabriel Agreste, Nathalie. The woman stood like a statue as she waited for Marinette to get over her shock.

"I'm here on behalf of Gabriel Agreste to extend an invitation for the Gala he is hosting, he is interested in seeing the work of young designers in Paris," Nathalie said while holding a small black card out. Marinette reached forwards and hesitantly grasped the matte black card, she cringed as her fingers left flour prints on the pristine card. The card had no writing or any indication it was an invitation. She flipped the card and found the back had a silver pattern in the center. It took a moment for it to dawn on her that it was a QR code.

"Th-thank you," Marinette choked out. A few weeks ago she would have been over the moon but her visit to the Agreste mansion half a week ago as Ladybug had left a bad taste in her opinion of the famous fashion designer. It didn't help that she had been in a consistent bad mood recently. She glanced back up at Nathalie, the woman seemed to be expecting something but Marinette couldn't guess what more she was supposed to say.

"I know Marinette will be excited to attend as long as it doesn't interfere with her school work of course," Sabine's gentle voice filled the silence. She put her hands on Marinette's shoulders, the gesture filled her with comfort, her Mama always knew what to say. Nathalie gave the pair a nod and turned to leave. The jingle of the bell signaled her exit as Marinette felt her shoulders slump under her mothers hands.

"Are you okay mon petit chou?" Sabine gently turned Marinette so she could look into her daughter's eyes. Marinette averted her gaze but felt the guilt of worrying her mama wash over her. She felt Sabine put her hand under her chin and guide her head to look her in the eyes. Marinette couldn't help the tears that started to fill her eyes.

"Oh honey," Sabine pulled Marinette into a tight hug. She felt all the walls she had put up around her parents crumble in the arms of her mother. They stood in the bakery enjoying the moment of closeness before the jingle of a bell announced a new customer. Marinette pulled away and snapped back into the real world, she couldn't tell her mother any of the things that had been weighing her down. She wiped her wet cheeks and turned her back to the front. She could hear her mother talking to the customer about which cookies were best.

Marinette sighed and resigned herself to finish the shift she had volunteered her afternoon towards. She straightened her apron and pulled her hair ties tighter. She slipped the black invitation into her pocket. There was dough to knead and it would help her forget all her problems, especially the ones related to the boys in her life.

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Marinette pulled out her phone and unlocked it. The screen opened to her messages with Chat Noir, a string of questions filled the screen in little green bubbles on her side of the screen. She quickly closed the app and opened her camera. She held the business card sized invitation out in front of her and scanned the QR code. It took a few tries for her phone to find the code, the design was low contrast as if the invitee had to work to get to the actual invitation.

A link popped up and Marinette hurried to press it. Her phone took a moment to load the website. It was a black screen with a stylized white butterfly in the center with a circle encompassing it, the Agreste brand. She waited a moment but the screen remained. For a moment she remembered the theory she had what felt like a long time ago. Was it a complete coincidence that the butterflies that plagued her life were symbolized by the Gabriel Agreste brand? She shook the thought away, she was being paranoid, and tapped the screen. The butterfly logo disappeared and white writing replaced it.