"Maman, Papa!" Marinette yelled as she walked through the door, pulling her suitcase behind her.

"Marinette, dear!" Sabine said cheerfully.

"Marinette!" Tom said with glee, seeing his daughter for the first time in months. Lucky jumped off the couch and rubbed against her leg.

"And Lucky is so sweet!" Sabine chirped. "But you didn't tell us you got two kittens, sweetheart." Marinette looked over at the other cat.

"She isn't mine, maman. She's my friend Snow's. She should be here to pick her soon." Marinette said, pending down to scratch the cat-Tikki behind the ears.

"Okay, dear. So Snow is the new girl at your school and the one who has helped you in the bakery some?" Sabine asked, moving towards the kitchen to make some tea. Marinette nodded.

"Well she has a very interesting name." Sabine said pulling out a box of tea herbs.

Marinette POV

"Is she nice?" Maman asked.

"Yeah, she is. She lives in the apartment building across the street." I responded, sitting down on a stool.

"Oh, have you met her family yet?" I didn't know how to respond to that question.

"Yes. Her family is sitting right there." I sighed, pointing to the cat-Tikki. Maman stopped what she was doing and gaped at me.

"Are you serious?" Maman gasped. I nodded solemnly. The sound of the doorbell almost made me fall off the stool. Maman chuckled slightly.

I opened the door to see Snow. "Hey, Snow." I greeted and let her in.

"Tikki!" She chuckled as the cat jumped into her arms. Mom came around the corner and greeted Snow.

"You must be Snow! I'm Sabine, Marinette's mother." Maman greeted, shaking hands with Snow.

"Nice to meet you. Thanks for looking after Tikki for me. Sorry if she was any trouble." Snow said, shifting the cat to be slightly under her arm.

"It was no problem, dear. Um, would you like to stay for dinner?" I could tell Maman wanted to make sure Snow had something to eat. Maman has always been kind hearted like that, she always wants to help someone that needs it.

"Thank you for the offer, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng. But I have some research for a project to work on. Plus this is your first time with Marinette in months, I don't want to intrude." Snow said with a small smile.

"She's right, Sabine. We haven't seen Marinette in a long time and should spend time as a family. Maybe another time." Papa stepped up and said.

"Okay. Well, have a good night Snow." Maman said with a sad smile.

"Thank you Mr. Dupain and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng. See you tomorrow, Marinette." And with that, Snow left.

I sat at the dinner table with my parents. Maman asked how everything has been and I just said things have been good.

"So, I heard about your panic attack. Are you doing okay?" Maman asked. Papa seemed to listen in more closely.

"Yeah, I've been great. I guess I just got really stressed out and panicked." I responded with a reassuring smile. They bought it and didnt ask anything more about the topic.

"I'm a little tired. May I go ahead and go to bed?" I asked.

"But you barely touched your chicken, sweetheart." Papa said.

"I'm not that hungry. Goodnight." I stood up, kissed my mom and dad's cheek, then went up to my room.

I crawled up to my bed and organized pillows under the sheets to look like I was there. Lucky jumped up and curled up against the lump of pillows and blanket.

"Ready Tikki?" I sighed.

"Just say the words."

"Tikki. Spots on."

I soared through the night and up to the Eiffel Tower. Where Chat and I agreed to meet. When I arrived, Chat Noir was already sitting where we usually sit.

"Hey." I said, sitting down beside.

"Hey, M'Lady." Chat said with a smile. I missed seeing his goofy smile. Chat seemed to focus on me a little bit, staring into my eyes. I looked away but he continued to stare.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked a little nervously. He composed himself before answering.

"N-no. It's just your eyes, they look a little different." He said with a sad smile.

"Nothing can get past you, huh alley cat?" I smirked. But his gaze still looked sympathetic. I didn't want to worry him, I didn't deserve someone like him to worry about me.

"It's nothing, Chat. Don't worry about it." I said with a reassuring smile.

We talked for about twenty minutes, catching up. But then it started to rain.

"I better get going. Goodnight, bugaboo." Chat kissed my hand and then took off. I went my way and landed on my balcony. It wasn't pouring down heavy rain, so I sat in my lounge chair and looked up at the sky. Tikki flew back into my room, leaving me be.

I kept thinking about how I'm with my parents for the first time in awhile, but I didn't feel happy. I didn't feel anything. I've heard of people feeling numb, but I never understood what that meant. But now I do.

You didn't feel anything. You were thinking but couldn't tell you were. It was like wanting to scream and cry out but you were trapped inside yourself, with no escape. I pulled up the black sleeve to my sweatshirt. I traced my finger along the scars and cuts, then pulled my sleeve back down. To fill the silence in my head, I started to mumble a song that I listened to.

TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️

"Just an average girl,
She always wore a smile
she was cheerful and happy
for a short while
Now she's older
things are getting colder
Life's not what she thought,
She wished someone
Had told her
She told you she was down
You let it slip by
So from then
She kept it on the inside
She told herself  she was
alright but she was telling
white lies
Can't you tell?
Look at her dull eyes
Tried to stop herself from
crying almost every night
But she knew there was no
chance of feeling alright
Summer came by, all she
wore was long sleeves
'Cause those cuts on her
wrists were bleeding through
you see
She knew she was depressed
didn't want to admit it
Didn't think she fit it
everyone seemed to miss it
She carried on like a soldier
with a battle wound
Bleeding out from every
cut her body consumed
She felt alone in school
all alone she sat
And if someone were to
notice she would blame it on the
cat
But those cuts on her wrists
they were no mistake
But no one cared enough to
save her from her self hate
Things were going down,
never really up
And here she is now stuck in
this stupid rut
She new exactly what she
had to do next
Just stand on that chair—"

I stopped. Tears streamed down my face as my body shook. I pulled my knees up to my chest and hid my face. I cried into my knees just thinking.

I was home with my family but never have felt so alone. It didn't matter if I was sitting in my room or surrounded by people. I always felt alone.

I took out my phone and earbuds. I put my earbuds in and listened to a different song called Every Time The Rain Comes Down. I put my phone in my sweatshirt pocket and laid down. I stared blankly at the sky, watching the rain drizzle down.

Hey guys. I know it's been awhile since I updated, I've been focusing on my sanity and making sure it wouldn't slip away from me. This story's drama is only beginning. Lots more is on its way. Be prepared.