Chapter Three: Ears

She frowned at the sound of the soft static humming through her skull, like a buzzing, pesty fly. Farra bit the inside of her left cheek as she reached up and adjusted her hearing aids, hoping that changing the frequency's channel would make it go away but with no luck.

Desperately she looked towards her French, poetry and literature teacher Mr. Charpentier but he was the type of teacher who paced around the classroom while they lectured and his back was facing away from her. Usually she wouldn't terribly mind this but today wit the interference his words were becoming harder to make out.

Her teeth began to nervously kneed the inside of her mouth, slightly tearing the soft skin lining. It was a rather harmless nervous tick, not even hurting, but she would regret it later when her tongue ran around her mouth and felt the worn down wrinkly texture. Now however the action was hardly comprehensible in her mind as she struggled to latch on to the words of the lecture.

"You have to advocate for yourself," Her mother, auidiologist, and every adult ever had always told her yet Farra found it difficult. How do they expect her to inturupt class in front of all those people? It did not only take away from other people's learning time but also gave her very much unwanted attention.

Frankly Farra wasn't sure if most people in the school knew she was hearing impaired and she wanted to keep it that way. She didn't think it was something that was very noticeable about her, and her hair was so big and bushy no one could really see her ears. She obviously had class accomidations yet those to weren't extreme and nothing anyone would really care to question or notice. The thought was somewhat comforting, that she could live within the school being legally deaf and no one being any the wiser.

She Often humored herself by comparing her situation to ladybug. After all the superhero probaly went to school just like her and had magic ear accessories as well though hearing aids were less magic and more technology and less accessories and more accomidations. None the less the thought of Ladybug being a teenage girl in school just like her was something Farra often clung to on the days she felt like she couldn't relate to any of her classmates.

Farra snapped up as she heard the sounds of laughter throughout the room. People were saying things but she didn't know what. Fearfully she looked about wondering if she was the butt of a joke. Fortunately the class seemed to be laughing at something Mr. Charpentier said and not even an eye was on her.

she let out a sigh of relief and finding no other option she turned towards her deskmate and best friend Leonie. "Could you give me your notes after class? My aids are picking up feedback again and I don't know what anyone's really saying."

Leonie's head turned quickly to face her, the bred waves twirling with her movements so that a lock of hair fell infront of her face like a line of symmetry. She didn't hesitate to swipe it away and Farra was thankful for that because it would have driven her mad to look at.

Leonie was the older sister of Ondine a talented young swimmer in the grade below them who had made news after being akumatized into a villain named was the only time Farra had ever seen Leonie remotely scared as usually her best friend was rather confident. Despite this, Leonie had a heart of pure gold and a smile like cookies fresh out of the Dupain-Cheng patisserie's oven in it's warmth. She was also beautiful with curly red hair, big teal blue eyes and tanned freckled skin. Often Farra felt slightly jelous at her friend's beauty compared to her own blandness.

"What was that?" Leonie asked quickly glancing back at their teacher before turning her full attention to Farra.

Farra too looked about, slightly worried people were listening in. "My aids are bugging out," she said hoping Leonie would understand without her needing to elaborate.

"Oh of course!" Leonie replied before peering in the general direction of Farra's ears. "Is it bad?" She asked and the concern made Farra feel rather cared for.

"Not to bad, just some masking static but he's far away and I can't exactly tell what he's saying." She looked back at their teacher as he excitedly spoke. His voice was their but his words wer foggy under the tone of the static and from the distance he was at.

Leonie went to respond but her attention was snapped away. Farra realized it was the bell going off for lunch and the room became a lot more chaotic and busy as her classmates started talking, gathering their stuff together and leaving the room. They were all being so loud and it was overwhelming. For a brief moment she allowed herself to be swept away by the sound, Like she was at the beach and a large wave had swept her under. The noise rushed over her and she held her breath as it suspended her for a moment in space. It was the millisecond of time where the wave knocked her off her feet and all around her was salt water holding her down before she could gain her bearings and surface once again. All the while the static still persisting through it. She closed her eyes and took a deep centering breath. She tried to focus on the things around her like the smell of her perfume or the feeling of her toes in her sneakers.

"Are you okay?" She heard Leonie ask from her right and Farra allowed herself to flutter her eyelids back open.

"Yeah," she sighed and attempted a reassuring smile before she started to get her stuff together as well. The two of them were usually the last ones to leave the classroom and Farra liked the rhythmic technique they had established. Sometimes she felt bad for Leonie, like she was holding her friend back from her full potential. After all Leonie was just so amazing where as she was just an insecure kid with a hearing impairment. However Leonie truthfully never seemed perturbed. The two of them just were completely Compatible. Leonie had the nerve and impulse which Farra lacked while she brought good old common sense and wit. She liked to think that she was the Ravenclaw and that Leonie was the Gryffindor of their friendship.

"Maybe you should tell Mr. Charpentier," Leonie suggested as they headed out of the classroom and into the hallway.

"I dunno," Farra said, wincing as a particularly crackly second of static ran it's course before the frequency quieted to a more tolerable level. "I think I Probaly just have to talk to my audiologist about maybe getting new ones. There is this new model that was just released that some of my friends online recommend,"

"Yeah but new ones then won't help with the feedback now," Leonie replied and Farra sighed at the use of common sense against her.

"It's fine. I don't want to bother him."

"Bother him? Come on Farra you're like his best student. Why would he care if you mention it?"

She frowned once more at Leonie's logic. "Hey!" She said quickly changing the topic, "How did supervising your sister's date go? You never told me."

Leonie let out a large groan as she catapulted into a rant about Ondine's boyfriend Kim and Andre's ice cream. "He's such a loud kid I can't stand him," and "I don't get it! Gosh everyone thinks he's magical or something no! He just looks at someone's hair and eyes! He gave me ice cream totally compatible to the old man in line behind me likeeww!"

Farra felt great relief at having gotten Leonie off the topic of her hearing aids. It wasn't that she didn't feel comfortable talking to her about them, but more of the fact she didn't particularly think her friend understood Even though she tried.

It was odd when she compared her hearing to those around her and remembered that they all heard the same. Without her hearing aids Farra was practically deaf. It was a congenital disorder which ran in her family and she shared it with one of her cousins and an uncle. She felt lucky to be able to benefit from hearing aids as she had met several people who could not use the devices and were totally deaf.

Farra didn't really need to know sign language but because of having some friends who did she knew the general concepts of it. Despite Leonie being Farra's only friend in school she had many online and a lot of them were hearing impaired just like her. It was nice having a little group of friends she could always turn to online when she felt lonely in her day to day life. These people could understand her struggles, and that was amazing. She just wished she had that kind of support in the real world rather than only through the internet.

Her online circle was rather vast, with kids from all over France and even some from other countries. They wouldn't just talk about hearing however but anything and everything like Clara Knightingale and Marvel comics. Sometimes Farra tried to talk to Leonie about something one of her deaf friends had said or a meme they sent her but Leonie always seemed to think their entire friendship was based on hearing imparement. Yeah, that was an element to it but at the end of the day their friendship was just that', a friendship.

Farra and Leonie walked right past the doors to the canteen none the wiser of the Eagle savior or color blinding prosthetic they would head to Leonie's house for lunch rather than sit with all the kids in their school. Neither of them were particularly involved with social circles or gossip and as such neither of them had even heard the name Lila Rossi Before.

They ate a quick and simple lunch that Leonie's mom prepared before heading back out to return to school. Despite fiddling with her hearing aids the static didn't quiet down and she shot a quick text to her mom before they headed out. as they walked the two of them chatted, talking about whatever they felt like.

"Hey can we take the long way by the Eiffel tower," Leonie asked in the middle of their conversation on the ridiculousness of The Dark Owl,"I want to get some shots for my photography course. The theme's people on a whole and what is better than pics of Parisians in their natural habitat?""

"I thought that our natural habitat was on a gondola on a romantic boat ride through the Seine. That is after all how every American movie usingParis depicts us." She fluttered her eyelashes jokingly as the two of them changed their route.

"You know, I really don't get that. I mean the Seine is disgusting. Nothing romantic about it. It's just gross."

"Excuse me the Seine is beautiful. If you are lucky maybe the next date you'll chaperone will be on a boat tour,"

"I would literally fling myself into the water no lie. I don't even get it! I'm only a year older than her! Why must I watch over her dates?"Leonie said like it was the worst punishment the world could have dealt her and Farra laughed in spite of her friend's suffering.

As the two got closer to the Eiffel Tower they noticed something rather odd occurring. Someone was prancing about on one of the tower's ledges. They slowed their walk cautiously, taking the sight in as they did so.

"I think something illegal is happening…" Leonie said matter of factly as the two of them stopped completely, just staring at the sight.

Farra squinted, "Hey, is that Adrien Agreste?" She asked. He had the same blond hair despite being partially covered by a cap and he seemed to have the same general physique.

Leonie took a few steps forward to get a better look and Farra trailed behind her, "Oh my god it is!" Quickly Leonie scrambled and grabbed her phone pulling open the camera and clicking record.

"Leo…" Farra said nervously, "What are you doing."

Leonie didn't answer as before their eyes they watched as Adrien Agreste lost his balance and fell. Farra gasped and covered her eyes in fear until she heard Leonie's relieved sigh. Worriedly she peeked out from between her fingers to see Adrien Agreste safe in Ladybug's arms, where he tried to force a kiss on her- and now their fighting. She supposed Ladybug really must have not liked the idea of Adrien kissing her if she was that willing to beat up on a civilian.

Ladybug had him pinned down to the groundShe moved fast and ripped the hat Adrien was wearing, and he took that opprutunity to escape. Farra's eyes went wide as she watched Adrien charge at a young man, kissing them sloppily on the face. The man fell slumped on the floor and Adrien Agreste melted away and the man's awake copy stood in his place.

"It must be an Akuma!" Farra whispered and suddenly every nerve in her body felt on edge.

"Oh my gosh! Do you think the Ladyblogger will pay me for this footage?" Leonie asked and she tried to get closer but Farra quickly grabbed her friend's arm. before she could follow The former Adrien towards the Trocadero .

"No most certainly not." Farra said, "And that will be the only footage you'll be getting. You aren't going Alya Césaire Ladyblogger on me and stalking akumas! Come on we should be getting back to school Leonie we have chemistry next and Mullins won't tolerate us being late. Please! I don't like this."

Leonie sighed, "You're right." SHe squinted out at the Trocadero one last time where it seemed Chat Noir had arrived. She slid her phone in her pocket. "Oh Farra are you alright? I didn't mean to upset you."

Farra smiled warily, "It's fine…. I just don't want us to be in the cross fires of a battle. Let's go back to school."

When arriving back to Francois Dupont class progressed as usual and Farra assumed that most people didn't even know there was an Akuma attack. After all they had no idea there was one at first when witnessing it from eye accounts. Yet as she walked down the stairs to head home she thought the whole scene over.

an Akuma with the ability to become anybody... the idea of it was terrifying. She wondered how poorly Adrien Agreste's reputation would have been ruined if Ladybug and Chat Noir hadn't saved the day. The Akuma was able to completely shape the world into the one they desire, controlling people like puppets and writing whatever they wanted into reality. They could say anything was true, and make it true.

She wondered what would have happened if the skin stealing villain had kissed her. Would they have heard static too orhear things the same way they did in their unakumatized, civilian form?

"Bye Farra!" Leonie called and Farra waved goodbye to her friend only half comprehending the motion as her thoughts ran their course.

The villain clearly could take someone's physical appearance: face, clothes, accessories and all. So that probaly would mean that they would have her hearing aids if they became her but that didn't guarantee that they needed them.

Farra sighed, interrupting her own train of thought, and changed her right hearing aid's channel again. The frequency quieted slightly and she sighed in momentary relief until it picked up once more and she continued her contemplation.

She had checked local news outlets and apparently the villain, people were calling Chamaeleon which Farra found rather fitting, had used their powers to become Chat Noir. Then when in the hero's form they had used his cataclysm which meant superhero abilities translated which lead Farra to assume so did the regular Joe's disabilities.

Farra paused as she finally reached the bottom of the stairs and she came to a conclusion. If Chamaeleon had become her, Farra decided they would have inherited her hearing impairment with the rest of her features.

"It's so amazing that Ladybug cured your hearing impairment!"

Farra's breath caught in her throat. The chance of her listening to her surroundings was rare, not only from her disability but also from the fact of her being in her own mind a lot. However the speaker's words had coralated with the topic running through her head at that very moment, and as such grabbed her attention. She looked about and saw that right next to her there was a group of girls chatting, all of which seemed to be hanging onto the words of one in particular.

"I know!" cooed the girl who was at the center of everyone's focus. She had long brown hair , tanned skin,and the most encaptivating olive green eyes. Just looking at her made Farra's heart rate pick up and she averted her gaze not to be seen. The stupid static was making listening to their conversation very difficult and she hoped they didn't walk away because if so she knew there was no way she could continue Ease dropping. Luckily they stayed put and she could hear as the olive eyed girl continued, "ITs the weirdest sensation, to hear one way for so long and then suddenly your ears are met with shocking clarity. The ringing is just- gone! After so many months! I should probaly call Jagged Stone. He felt so bad about my tinnitus and eardrum damage. He will be so happy to know I am cured!"

Farra knew exactly what it was like to hear one Way for so long and then be met with shocking clarity. It was exactly how she felt when she got her first set of hearing aids And it was remarkable and terrifying and amazing and world shattering all at once. Her breath suddenly felt shaky in her lungs and her fingers flexed unconsciously.

"I mean I have been disabled for so long! It is such a miracle," suddenly the girl started to get choked up and those around her flocked like comforting seagulls. "I can't believe I no longer am hearing impaired! I am just-"

"Oh Lila!"

"Shh honey, you're okay,"

"You are so strong Sweetie. Let it out,"

Farra felt like her whole body was shaking. She swallowed and blinked her eyes hard- because there was no way eardrum damage was just magically and suddenly cured. She didn't want to hear these girls anymore. She wanted the static to stop. She needed quiet. So with quavering fingers she switched her hearing aids off and everything became so much softer and so much more bearable.

For the first time that day, Farra felt like she could actually breathe.

AN

There we have it! All three of our kiddos are introduced and now the real story can begin.

I love to read your feedback wink wonk

Till next time xx