UPDATE: After some feedback from readers, I have changed the format of the story, but the story is still the same.
~PBP
In the daytime, I'm Marinette. Just a normal girl with a normal life. But there's something about me that no one knows yet, coz I have a secret.
Miraculous! Simply the best. Up to the test when things go wrong. Miraculous! The luckiest. Power of love's always so strong.
Miraculous!
"Today is the best day ever! I get to spend the whole day at the aquarium, with Adrien!" Marinette glanced over at the blond boy and sighed.
"Marinette? Marinette!" hissed Alya, elbowing her friend in the arm.
"Huh?" Marinette glanced around and realised everyone was staring at her. The teacher didn't look impressed.
"Marinette, if you would kindly pay attention while I am explaining your assignment," scolded Ms Bustier. The rest of the class laughed.
"Sorry," mumbled Marinette, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
"As I was saying," continued Ms Bustier. "You will need to choose an animal here at the aquarium and write a report about it. Remember, no more than two people per animal, I don't want to read ten reports about sharks".
"I call dibs on sharks!" called Nino loudly. Ms Bustier frowned at him, and he smiled back at her sheepishly.
"Your reports will be due tomorrow," Ms Bustier called as the group started splitting up into pairs.
"Hey Adrien, you wanna come and see the sharks with me?" asked Nino.
"Hmm, no thanks, I actually wanted to check out the octopus," smiled Adrien.
"Suit yourself," shrugged Nino.
"I wanna see the sharks!" exclaimed Kim, running off down the corridor.
"Me too!" piped up Max, following after him.
"Hey you guys, no fair! I called dibs!" yelled Nino, chasing after them.
"Quick girl, now's your chance. Go talk to Adrien!" ushered Alya.
"Just think! Adrien and I could be partners for this assignment! Me, and Adrien," Marinette sighed again.
"Yeah, well you'd better hurry up before—"
"Oh Adri-kins!" called Chloe, pushing roughly between Marinette and Alya. "Let's go and see the animals together!" she smiled, slinging her arms around Adrien's neck. He gave a nervous laugh, unhooking her arms from around him, however Chloe just linked her arm through Adrien's instead and pulled him away, Sabrina trailing after them.
"Oh! That Chloe!" Marinette groaned in frustration, then gasped suddenly. "What if they go around the aquarium together, and then he sees her gazing in wonder at all the fish and then he falls in love with her and then they get married?! Oh, my life is over!"
"Girl, you need to calm down," laughed Alya. "There's no way Chloe would be 'gazing in wonder' at anything other than her own reflection in the glass."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Still, I really wanted to spend time with him today," sighed Marinette dejectedly.
"We'd better get started on that assignment. What animal did you want to choose?"
"Oh, I hadn't really thought about it." Marinette looked down at her map. "What about you?"
"Hmmm, how about we start with the stingray tank and then work our way around? We might even bump into Adrien while we're at it," grinned Alya.
Marinette and Alya followed the passage around to the left, making their way through a glass tunnel where they could see all kinds of fish swimming above them.
"Wow, this is totally cool," whispered Alya, pulling out her phone to film the large school of fish passing above them.
They moved on to the first exhibit, stopping to watch the stingray floating around the bottom of the tank. The next tank held a dozen jellyfish, floating lazily in the water. Alya smiled as Marinette pulled out her sketchpad and sat down on the floor, her pencil scratching across the paper.
"Wow! Marinette, that's amazing!"
Marinette looked up to see Rose leaning over her shoulder.
"Thanks, though it's a little hard when they keep moving around," smiled Marinette, closing her sketchpad. She noticed Juleka watching the jellyfish.
"Did you two decide to do your report on the jellyfish?" asked Alya.
"Yeah! They're so cute and poofy, don't you think?" squeaked Rose enthusiastically.
"And their stingers are pretty cool too," added Juleka.
"I guess we'd better find an animal to write about too," said Alya, pulling Marinette to her feet.
"See you guys later," waved Marinette. The two girls kept moving through the aquarium, stopping to look at each tank and marvel at the creatures swimming there.
"Next is the penguin exhibit," announced Marinette, looking down at the map. She yelped as Alya suddenly grabbed her shoulder and pulled her down behind a rubbish bin. "Alya! What-"
"Shhhh," Alya hissed. "Look over there!"
Marinette carefully peered around the bin and saw a girl standing in front of the penguin exhibit. She was wearing a baggy green jumper and dark jeans, with a large satchel strapped across her shoulder. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a hairtie made of seashells. The girl looked around nervously. She lifted the strap off her shoulder, holding the bag opened with one hand, and reached down into the enclosure with the other.
"She's trying to kidnap the penguins!" Marinette gasped loudly. The girl spun around, dropping the bag in her surprise, and looked around for Marinette.
"Hey, you there! Stop!" called an angry voice. Suddenly two security guards came running up the corridor, grabbing the girl roughly by the arms. They were followed by a stern looking woman in a stiff jacket and tight pencil skirt.
"That's the Director of the aquarium," whispered Alya, zooming in her camera. "What a scoop!"
"Coralie. Did you think I would forget about you? This is the second time you've tried something like this," sneered the woman. "I've been watching you since you entered the aquarium. Did you really think you could get away with stealing my animals?"
"They're not your animals, they belong in the ocean," cried the girl emphatically. "They're miserable being imprisoned in these tiny glass tanks, they should be free!"
"These animals are not going anywhere. And neither are you." The woman turned to one of the security guards. "I've called the police, take her to the foyer until they get here".
Marinette and Alya watched as the girl was dragged away, followed by the Director, the click of her heels echoing up the corridor.
"I hope the penguins are okay," said Alya, walking over to the exhibit and peering through her phone at the penguins. Marinette stared up the empty corridor where the girl had been taken.
"Poor girl," she said softly.
"She did the wrong thing though," chimed a small voice from her bag. Marinette ducked back behind the bin and unclasped her bag.
"I know Tikki, but I still feel sorry for her," Marinette whispered to her tiny red kwami. "She really seems passionate about the animals here, and wants to make sure that they are happy".
"Yes but there are better ways of going about it," Tikki chirped sagely.
"Marinette, you coming?" called Alya.
"Ah yeah, coming!" stammered Marinette, jumping to her feet. However, in her hurry she slipped and fell forward, knocking the bin over in the process. Alya sighed.
Coralie sat on a hard plastic seat in the foyer, the two security guards seated either side of her. She glanced up at the Director, who was talking to Officer Rogers. Coralie clenched her fists on her lap. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair!
A skylight opens in a darkened room, revealing a man surrounded by hundreds of white butterflies. As the sunlight touches their wings, the creatures lift into the air, swirling around the man.
"Ah, this poor unfortunate soul," grins the man. "The perfect prey for my little akumas."
He holds out his hand, and a butterfly lands there, stilling its wings. The man cups his other hand over the butterfly. A black light glows from between his hands, imbuing the creature with his dark powers. He lifts his hand, revealing the now black and purple butterfly.
"Fly away my little akuma, and evilize her!" he commands, twirling his staff above his head before stamping it firmly on the ground as he watches the butterfly disappear out the window, and over the rooftops of Paris.
Coralie looked up at the guards either side of her. She wondered if she could outrun them. Lost in thoughts of escape, Coralie didn't notice the black and purple butterfly that flew over the heads of the two guards, alighting on her seashell hairtie, and slipping inside it. Coralie's eyes darkened.
Sea Queen. I am Hawkmoth. I hear that you are trying to rescue your friends from their glass prisons. I'd like to help you, and all I ask in return is that you imprison Ladybug and Cat Noir, and give their Miraculouses to me!
"Yes, Hawkmoth," she murmured. A purple light glowed in her hairtie and spread over her body. Her baggy jumper was replaced by a tight sleeveless tunic covered in scales that shimmered green and blue in the light. Her arms were covered by long fingerless gloves made from the same blue and green scales. Her legs were covered by tight, shiny black leggings that looked like seal skin. Her hands and feet grew longer, a thin delicate webbing appearing between each finger and toe. A band of seashells stretched around her head, the long twisted shells spiking out all around like a crown. The guards jumped up in surprise.
"What's going on?" demanded the Director. One of the guards tried to grab Coralie's arm.
"That's no way to treat a Queen!" she snapped, throwing him back. She stalked forward to where the Director and Officer Rogers were standing, and smiled darkly. Sea Queen held out her hand towards them; a ball of blue light burst from her hand and hit the floor at their feet. Four clear walls sprang up from the floor around them, then came together to mesh above their heads, trapping them.
"Now it's your turn to be trapped in glass prisons," cackled Sea Queen, turning and walking away.