Genesis | Origins of Shadybug and Claw Noir

Chapter Three | Expectation

     There was something beautiful about the way the fabric molded to the mannequin. She could almost see her creation conforming to the personality of the wearer. The flowing navy skirt and dramatic neckline made room for the person underneath to shine.

     Marinette had been working on a proper suit and dress combination. Her previous designs had all been tacky and borderline unwearable. But now, she made a breakthrough. If she split the skirt open, she could incorporate the pants of the suit and allow the two to become one at the torso. She ran into an issue of it looking too "business woman," so she added navy lace to the chest area to bring back the dress design. Now only one thing was missing: jewels.

"Marinette! Stop playing with those silly little scraps and help your father prepare the macaron batter for tomorrow!" Marinette looked at the lace she held in her hand.

"...silly little scraps..."

Angrily, she threw the fabric across the room. Why does she take every opportunity to belittle my interests? Marinette already knew the answer; her mother already had a set future for her, and refused to see her hobbies as anything other than a waste of time. She opened the hatch to her room and began walking down the stairs into her living room.

"I hope you are studying those law books I bought for you," her mother spat, turning a page in her book. Marinette let out an annoyed sigh.

"Just leave me alone!" She barged out of the door and sped down the stairwell down into the bakery. Every day, without fail, she has to remind me that everything I do won't ever meet her expectations.

Marinette's mother had been shoving the expectation of becoming a lawyer down her throat for some time. The only time she would show her daughter any positive attention or encouragement, it was when she got good grades. To become a lawyer, she would need exceptional grades and would need to work towards a Ph.D.. In her eyes, Marinette was only successful if she followed the path her mother had chosen for her. Marinette thought about how her mother ran a bakery with her dad. Why didn't she have such extreme expectations for herself or her business? Perhaps her mother found logic in hypocrisy.

As she stepped through the door into their bakery, she saw her father already piping out the macaron batter onto the template. Each one was carefully squeezed out of a piping bag. He had been baking since he was a little boy, and his familiarity with the craft always showed.

"Hey, Marinette, could you please pipe the rest of the macarons out so I can start working on some more croissant dough? Most of them flew out of the door this morning. They are always the first things to sell when we open for the week." Marinette nodded and carefully took the piping bag from his hands.

She worked better when the doughs were already made so she could prepare the pastries themselves. All too often had she clumsily dumped flour all over the bakery. Her father began preparing the dough from then on, which was fine by her.

"How was your first day, sweetie?" her dad asked, placing the dough ingredients into their floor mixer.

"Chloé Bourgeois is in my class again this year," she grumbled. Tom sighed.

"I'm sorry honey, I know how much of a relief it would have been for you if she couldn't bully you anymore. You know, we've tried to stop this, but the Mayor's wishes can't be denied." Marinette clenched the piping bag as she remembered how Chloé always got what she wanted. All she had to do was call for her "daddy" to come to her rescue. Everyone in Paris knew the corruption behind their government, and it went a lot deeper than the spoiled brat that always caused such a fuss. There was something about their Mayor. He always managed to get reelected so his family could stay in power, and no law stood in his way. He was the only reason why Chloé was such a spoiled brat. Marinette couldn't guess what other horrific things were being done behind closed doors.

"At least she won't be in my class in high school," she sighed. She felt a lump in her throat as she realized how upset she had gotten.

"I'll try to be here for you, Marinette." She turned around and saw the kind eyes of her father meeting hers from across the room. She broke her gaze and went back to piping the macarons.

Marinette knew that even her father had his own struggles. It wouldn't be right for her to completely depend on him.

When she first enrolled in Collège Françoise Dupont, she told no one of her struggles. Of course, Socqueline and other witnesses of Chloé's bullying knew, but she never told her parents. Things were already tough at home, with her mother putting more responsibilities and expectations on her shoulders. Her grades began to slip because of the pressure, which did nothing but make her mom more cruel. However, when Socqueline got suspended, the last two weeks of school became even harder. It was then that she told her father everything. She hated to do it, she didn't think it was anyone else's problem, but she thought that the school would have to listen if a parent spoke to them. Mr. Damocles, however, was once again shut down by the Mayor. Perhaps it was inevitable.

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     Marinette was walking down the sidewalk kicking a rock, lost in thought. The sky descended into dusk as she slowly made her way back home. She had dropped off an order of six baguettes and was now heading home so she could finally get some rest.

     In the corner of her eye, she could see someone in a trench coat leaning against the wall of a building. They appeared to be watching her. A bolt of fear rushed through her. I'm going to get kidnapped! I shouldn't have come out this late!

     Crime wasn't very rare in Paris. Recently, reports of strange people with inhuman abilities started popping up all over the city. Some were mere glances. Some were fully recorded robberies and abductions. The last thing Marinette wanted was to get abducted.

     As she walked, she could hear footsteps following her. She tried to walk faster, but she could feel that they weren't letting her get away. This is your problem, you never defend yourself! Stop being a doormat!

     She whipped her body around and glared at the figure.

     "I don't know what you want, but if you touch me you will regret it," she spat. The figure stopped its pursuit. They stood unmoving for a few moments, but it felt like an eternity. Slowly, she began to back away from the figure, her heart pounding in her chest.

     As she backed away, she ran into something. She turned around, horrified, and saw two tall figures. They wore black masks that covered their whole face with a strange symbol on their foreheads. Her heart skipped a beat. She could feel her breath quicken as she backed away from them. She stumbled over her own feet as she tried to escape. She fell hard into the road and tried to scramble back onto her feet. Her attackers made quick work of her clumsiness and pinned her back down onto the ground.

     "Let go of me!" she screamed. Anyone, please help me!

     "Make her shut up," one of them commanded. She flailed her body, trying desperately to shake them off. She could feel her head becoming light from her hyperventilating. The weight on her limbs was too much. Soon, she felt fabric covering her mouth and eyes and everything went dark.