We're finally equal | a miraculous story

Is love a tender thing? It is to rough, and it pricks like a thorn.

Adrien wallowed in the silence of the rain they used as a sound breaker. walking. Lila... was her step sister? How? When? It was almost unbelievable to think Lila and Marinette... sweet Marinette... were some what related. Half sisters in the most Cinderella like way.

"Oh..." he was stunned in the silence.

"Yeah.. I've never gotten along with her to well. Her mother left my father while she was pregnant.. which is strange for a mother to do. Said he wasn't helpful enough. So he returned to his ExGirlfriend at the time and... I was born! Not to much to that story really..." Marinette tried to lift her own spirits but as was the rain, she felt a swarm of sadness floating and swirling around in her head.

"Poor Lila.. doesn't have a dad..." Was all Adrien managed to say.

"Eh. Her mom found another guy and some how convinced him he was the one that got her pregnant. Lila doesn't even know... from what I've heard." Marinette eased.

"Oh. So uh... what are you gonna do about the roll?"

"I might just give up on this dance thing. It's hurting my back to much.. any physical activity does actually. I can hardly sit down without it wanting to feel like a cramp.. on my back." Marinette uttered. She grew faintly quiet like it was a small secret she was hardly comfortable with even Adrien hearing.

"That doesn't seem to stop you though. I wouldn't have known had you not told me! Your a strong girl Marinette." Adrien comforted and gently, hesitatingly grabbed her delicate hands. Slowly and in no rush. Her cheeks, covered by the mask, were a hot blushing mess.

"I guess there's a lot you don't know about me." Marinette mumbled, words slipping and rumbling across her lips like there was no up or down in this world. Her hands fell out of Adrien's. "I... you'll be a great Romeo. I can be a queen or something." Marinette looked at her feet. Her house rolled into view. "I'll be going then."

Adrien watched as his lady walked up to the lonely door of her house, silently. He felt like an invisible weight had placed itself among the weights of his own shackles. But he stood there like a dumb man, watching as the door creaked shut with her body disappearing into her bakery.

------

Marinette felt the -tap-tap of Tiki pecking the back of her head, the sun shining through her pink curtains. Marinette rolled off her face, eyes meeting the face of bright red bird gawking at her. Tiki made a chirp of impatience. Marinette looked at her bedside table, where her alarm clock sat.

It read 9:27.

"AAH TIKI! I'm LATE!" Marinette sprung from her bed. She basically fell into her closet and threw some clothes on. "I'm late I'm late i'm late i'm late i'm late!" She continued to panic as she searched for her mask.

The room felt stuffy so she opened a window as she continued on her rampage in a swirling storm of panic.

She almost ran out the trap door before Tiki made a very loud chirp and said "breakfast, breakfast, breakfast! Late Late Late Late!" Some words she had acquired the skill of saying after Marinette basically chanted them every morning.

"Sorry Tiki, I almost forgot." Marinette put some bird seed in Tiki's cage before flying down the stairs into the bakery.

"Marinette? I thought you were at school already!" Her mother jumped in surprise as her daughter ran across the room.

"Overslept, Tiki woke me up, bye!" She Pushed the doors open and ran out.

Marinette was huffing, breathing heavily, as she finally opened the door to her second period class. Mrs. bustiér turned to her with flaming eyes of steal. "Marinette Dupan-Cheng you are late! Sit down now, we will talk after class!" She fumed.

"Sorry Mrs, it won't happen again... I hope.." She said the last part under her breath.

"Well, take your seat." Mrs. Bustiér turned back to her chalk board. "open your text books to page 394."

Marinette sat in her seat, Alya was absent. She laid her head on the desk feeling ashamed and embarrassed.

------

Tiki was sitting in the sunlight, letting it warm her feathers. She was napping after Marinette had left a few hours ago. Her head rested in her puffy chest, burying her beak. But as noon approached, the sun also moved. The alignment of the sun's heat became a shadow, as the sun rose above the house.

Tiki woke up as her perfect blanket of sun mysteriously disappeared. She looked around herself, dumbfounded. She cocked her head to the side, and looked to the window...

The open window.

Tiki's eye's widened in pleasure, as she hopped along the room's furniture to the open window. She sat on the window sill, turning her head left and right. She felt like a queen! She could see a lot of Paris, though she wasn't very high.

She spread her wings and took short flight, but she was clipped. She could only fly for a little while until she fell into the flower bed of the bakery, which cushioned her fall.

Tiki stood back up, and in one leap, wings spread wide, she managed to flutter right across the street where Marinette's school cornered. The red and black bird hopped it's way down the concrete sidewalk in little step-like hops. She gradually got faster and faster until she heard a loud bell ring. Almost instantly students flooded from the school on their lunch break.

Lila was one of the students that left the school for lunch. She skipped down the steps with her brown hair bobbing up and down. Then her green emerald eyes caught sight of Tiki who had continued on her journey. She sneered underneath her half mask and jogged towards the parrot.

Tiki wasn't fond of strangers. So when Lila started coming near her she tried to fly as fast as she could from the girl. But Lila had strong legs from ballet, and she was a lot bigger than Tiki. It was no surprise she caught the bird.

"You're a very pretty bird, and I know Marinette will be looking for you soon." Lila snickered recalling the day Marinette brought the bird to school on accident... 3 times. She knew it belonged to Marinette, even more reason to keep it. If Marinette were to threaten Lila with exposing her for her lie about their dad, she could now threaten to give the bird to a pet shelter or something; maybe even convince every one Marinette was a thief and stole the bird from her.

She grinned evilly. Tucking the bird in her coat as Marinette and her friends came out the school.

"Yes, what a very pretty bird." She chuckled and continued to walk away from the school.