The Power I Possess - A Miraculous Ladybug Adrienette Fanfiction [ON HOLD]

S E V E N

154 hours, 0 minutes, 13 seconds until explosion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, Rico," I smiled sweetly at my cousin, planting myself down on a seat across him. He changed a lot over the years. For one, he grew up. His onyx eyes sunken in, dark circles under his eyes. Scars and slashes were splattered on his face, one even slicing through a thick, dark eyebrow. The last time I saw him, he was twelve an I was nine, now his soft features had sharpened and a thick stubble accentuated the fair skin if my mothers side.

"Cathy, how are you?" he said lowly. I smiled again, amused. He was trying so hard to be cordial towards me, despite the intentions of our meeting. He was never really zealous about doing this, Rico has always been like an older brother to my sister, Michelle, and I.

He cared for us after out mothers' death and my fathers imprisonment. But ever since I turned eighteen, I had been looking for a job, with no luck at all. Michelle and I were almost penniless until he came with the perilous offer.

Apparently, he slipped to his boss that we needed money so he saw it as a way to dispose of a ... white elephant.

Rico tried to stop the transaction after he reviewed the dangers, but his boss was persistent on getting rid of the unwanted asset. I guess that was how he and I ended up here, sitting in a local café in Paris, (Michelle and I fled Italy after we both turned eighteen and became sick of the publics' tributes), a contract on the table with a thick wad of cash and an envelope next to it, the said item in his backpack.

"I'm okay, got a job interview next week, minimum wage. Hopefully they'll look past my odd heritage and take me," I said, pursing my lips thoughtfully. My father was a criminal, unbeknownst to his wife and family. Some how, people think that the eldest child -by birth right- would willingly inherit the delightful career. My father was bat-shit crazy if he ever thought I would do that. That anyone of Michelle and I would do that.

Rico grunted harshly. He despised my father for what he did to us and for his parents ignoring the concept of it, "How about Michelle?" I smiled at the mention of my sister.

"She's wary about the transaction as you are, but she's fine if we get money to pay the rent." I had been known to be independent and stubborn and I wouldn't let Rico lend us money.

His eyes flashed to a deeper red, making the anger towards the deal prominent in his facial features. He curtained it with a forced happy smile.

"That's great!" He then looked at the menu in front of him, "You know, I think I'll have the apple fritters and chai spiced latte. What would you like?"

He was about to call for a waitron, but I slammed his hand flat on the table, the salt and pepper shakers wobbling in their platforms.

"Cut the bullshit, Rico. I got groceries that need to be bought," I said firmly, making sure my posture was straightened and that I appeared fierce and stern to him. On the inside, truthfully, I was shitting myself.

He stared into my hazel eyes, searching for any form of any sign of regret reluctance or hesitation. I made sure there was none. I was willing to take the item for a price. The money would be used to support Michelle and I. The item would be of no use to me. I would probably just hide it away somewhere or throw it away.

He sighed in defeat and opened the first page of the contract, "Read thoroughly and sign at the bottom on the dotted line." I nodded shortly, gratefully. I let him summon a waitron.

Rico stuck to his fritters and chai- spiced latte while I ordered a frappe and chocolate croissant.

We remained silent thereafter. Rico would occasionally glance at me with wariness and sorrow, then back at his food of out the window. My eyes stayed glued to the papers, reading each line carefully over three times except  when I paused to sip my frappe of bite into my croissant.