Princess Marinette

The Setting Sun

Once, the wind danced with the same warm grace as the steam from the pastries did.
Once, she had not thought of a viscious intention that the whispers surrounding her held.
Once, she had not yet perceived the same boresome repetition in her days as a blessing.
Once, everything she identified as her present time, her home, was not buried in the past.
Once.

"Soooo, are you ready to peel potatoes all evening long?" Alya laughed, she took Marinette's hand and ran towards the hotel, where they were supposed to meet her mother.

"Sure, only if we get pie afterwards. And I'll finally get my gift!" Marinette giggled. It was her seventeenth birthday, but since it was summer vacation, no one had gotten her a present yet. Only Alya couldn't wait until the last week of vacation, when all her other friends would celebrate her birthday, at last.
"Ah ah ah, you'll have to peel them first!"

The warm wind weaved softly through Alya's hair, and with the sun setting, her hair almost seemed to glow orange.
She didn't mind helping her, but she just wished they had done something else. Something worthy of her official birthday.

"Oh wait, my mom just texted me, saying we should wait on the roof for her." She said as she pointed towards the top. Marinette followed her inside, the hotel was beautiful as ever. Chloe might be quite annoying at times, but she had style.

"Wait, why on the roof?" Marinette asked, her confusion echoing through her question. They stepped inside the elevator, as she took one last glance around the hall.
Strange, a cake, seemingly from her parents bakery, stood in the kitchen. Someone must be celebrating something, although she didn't understand why her parents hadn't asked her to bring it; she had to be at the hotel anyway.

"Oh, mom dried the potatoes there," Alya answered as she typed on her phone, "something about the sun giving more minerals. I don't know girl, she's the chef."

"I guess you're right." Marinette shrugged. Three more floors.

The doors opened and an old lady with a dog stepped in. "Sorry miss, but are you aware this elevator is going up?" Marinette asked her, wondering why she would let her dog out on the roof.

"Oh, yes dear. My Johnnie boy loves to see the sun setting, don't you boy?" She smiled. Two more floors.

The dog, called Johnnie it seemed, was small and round and had fierce white curls. The old lady was rather short and plump, with fierce white curls. They looked similar in that way, yet the most identical thing was the look in their eyes. That hopeful glee to see the sun set one last time.
Too bad Marinette couldn't stick along.

The doors slid open, one last floor left. She looked up from the dog, and saw someone running around the corner. Must be in a hurry, almost lost their cap.
Still, why would they press the button for the elevator, only to run to the staircase?

The doors closed again, just a second and she'd be peeling potatoes with Alya. Maybe they could do it on the roof. "Everything alright, Als?"

Alya looked up from her phone, realising she was being a bit rude. "Yeah sorry, mom was asking what took us so long." She put her phone away and the doors opened. "No worries." Marinette responded with a smile.

The sunlight crept into the elevator, Johnnie was already excited and stayed close by the opening doors.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARINETTE!"

All her friends and family stood together, an enormous banner towering over them, Happy Birthday Princess!!! Little illustrations of cake and confetti decorated the sentence. She couldn't see their faces quite well, as the sun was behind them. But Marinette was so overjoyed, she could have been the sun on her own.