Nadja Chamack

Nadja Chamack? Why was she calling? I'm not supposed to watch Manon for a few more days, Marinette thought. With a sigh, Marinette swiped the talk button and put it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Marinette! Are you home?" Nadja said.

"Uh, yeah?" Marinette said, a sinking feeling in her stomach. She was pretty sure she knew where this was going.

"I know it's a little last minute, but can you watch Manon for me tonight?" Nadja said. "I got put on a story last minute, and you're the only person I can turn to. I would just take her to the studio with me, but there's no one there to watch her. And I can't be late - this is a big scoop, Marinette! My bosses really want to be the first to cover it. If I show up even a few minutes late and miss anything, I could lose my job!"

Marinette blinked, looking at the phone. She had never heard anyone talk so fast. She felt her own anxiety rising just from listening. "Uh, okay, no problem!" Marinette said, a squeak to her voice. "When are you coming over?"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Nadja said. "I'm already outside the bakery. Can you come down and get Manon for me really quick?"

"Sure," Marinette said, mood slightly deflated. So much for a calm, peaceful evening, right? "Just give me a minute and-"

"Oh god, Marinette, I'm already running late. I need to leave now! Can you just run down here and let Manon in so I can go? I'm sure whatever you're doing can wait a minute." Nadja continued going on about how badly she needed Marinette down there immediately, but Marinette couldn't hear it. She felt like a rug had just been tugged out from under her and now she was in freefall. Her own anxiety skyrocketed. She rushed to her feet, faintly hearing snippets of what Nadja was saying about how urgent this was and how she needed to get down there faster. Marinette bit her lip, feeling antsy, practically bouncing from foot to foot with nervous energy. She needed to get down there! In her bathroom mirror, she caught sight of herself, all pale, wet and naked, her hard nipples poking out. She only grew more nervous. She needed to get dressed first - she couldn't go down there like this! On the inside, she wanted to scream from her own indecisiveness. She vaguely thought she heard Nadja say something about leaving Manon at the bakery door, and even more panic shot through Marinette. No, no, no, you can't do that! Manon was prone to running off or getting into trouble if she was left unsupervised for even a moment. What was that lady thinking? Her eyes searched frantically for anything she could put on fast to go get the girl.