This was reflected on the faces of the class. Those who hadn't fallen asleep had expressions on their faces as though they were just a fraction above braindead.
Marinette Cheng's ahoge drooped limply along her equally drooping face, as she tried to invest any interest in the lecture whatsoever that would keep her awake.
That's when, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the object of her obsessive affection, the handsome and stoic Felix Agreste,who seemed actually quite rapt with attention at the excercise in tedium.
Feeling a sense of inspiration inside herself, Marinette's body.. and ahoge stood up straight and erect with attention. [Well, if it's good enough for HIM..] She mused in her thoughts.
Suddenly, her eyes were then drawn to the somewhat unnerving image Professor Delon had etched on the whiteboard, that of a young woman in colonial attire tied against a post, jagged flames all around her, with a look of fright and agony on her face...
The uneasy feeling stayed with Marinette as she walked towards her locker, her thoughts preoccupied with the continual challenge that wooing Felix presented, along with the appaling fates that had befallen those young women.
Just as she had began twisting the combination to her lock, a frightening figure with the face of a half-melted zombie jumped out from beside her!
"RAAAWR!" It roared inhumanly.
Marinette immediately let out a yelp of fright, her pigtails and ahoge shooting straight up, before instictively assuming a combat position, her face cold and determined.
"WHOOOAH! Wait, Marinette! Don't kick me or anything!" Came a somewhat familiar tone from the apologtically posing creature, who then removed it's head to reveal the face of society girl Amber Bourgeois beneath!
"Ah! Oh.. Uh, Amber! You.. Uh.. Really had me there." Marinette relented, shifting into more of a casual posture. [Whew! Have to remember to not snap into "hero mode" so quickly. I might be found out!]
"Well, of COURSE! It's Halloween!" Amber concluded in an matter-of-fact manner. "Speaking of which, did you recieve my text?"
"Which text?" Marinette asked with obliviousness and suspicion.
"You didn't get the text I sent last week about the masquerade party at my mansion?!" Amber asked with what may or not have been legitimate surprise. "I only sent it to ALL of my friends!"
[Oh, so THAT'S why I didn't recieve it..] Marinette reflected gratingly to herself, her teeth already beginning to grind in a rythmic fashion, before composing herself and replying as sincere as she could muster "No, Amber, I must have overlooked it."
"Well, it may be short notice for you, but I'm inviting you as well. I hope you already have a costume picked out." Amber replied with her usual paper thin amount of diplomacy.
"Oh, of COURSE, I was going to go to some other boring Halloween event in town, but I'd rather attend your glamorous party instead!" Marinette affirmed, laying on the flattery so thick, it nearly made her gag!
"Good to know, Marinette! Felix and I will see you there!" Amber said as she turned to walk off.
[GRRR! You did that on purpose!] Marinette thought begrudgingly.
Just as Amber had taken her eyes off of Marinette, however, she came face to face with a hideous, wide eyed Medusa!
"YAAAAAAAH!" She shrieked in a way that nearly broke the glass entrance doors nearby.
"Wow! So, this mask DOES work!" A quite muffled self-assured voice said beneath it.
Quickly recognizing it, Amber switched into damage control mode and let out a nervous giggle "Save it for the party tonight, Alya! Well, got to be off!" before quickly trottingt away.
Turning back to her friend, and removing her mask, brushing her hair to the back, Alya then smiled with a not so apologetic mischieviousness and stated "Sorry, Mari, but it had to be done."
Marinette just returned her friend's smile and replied "No problem. Someone has to keep her in check occasionally."
"So, I assume that our gracious Mayor's daughter "forgot" to invite you to her little masquerade soiree until the last second.." Alya stated pragmatically.
"That obvious?" Marinette retorted.
"What are you going to do?" Alya asked with gravity.
"I don't KNOW.. If what Amber says is true, and Felix WILL be there.." Marinette began in an uneasy voice, her posture slumping somewhat.
"Then so will YOU, cherie!" Alya replied, embracing Marinette around her shoulders, giving her a comforting embrace.
"I don't know, Alya. How will I be able to get a costume on such short notice? I don't have that much cash to throw around." Marinette started to realize, her ahoge slumping in front of her face.
Alya drew back with a terse expression, "Now Mari, I thought you wanted to be a successful fashion designer!" She reprimanded "Do you know what all the top designers in the industry do when they have to put an outfit together at the last second do?"
"No. What?" Marinette asked with uneasy curiosity.
Alya then adopted a smile and with a wink, answered "Improvise!"
"Plagg.." Felix said out of the side of his mouth as he collected his books from his locker "You've been around long enough. Were any of the Chat Noir's before me hanged or burned for Witchcraft?"
The question was only met with an unusual calm silence.
"Plagg? Are you there?" Felix asked with a slight hint of concern.
Suddenly from the back of the darkened locker game the glow of two inscensed looking green eyes "I won't tell you until you apologize for calling me OLD!" The creature complained.
"Alright fine." Felix said resignedly "Let's see how you like my not ordering any camenbert for the next THREE WEEKS!" Concluding with a growl.
"NO! NO, NO! STOP! YOU.. YOU MONSTER!" The imp whined in horror.
"TELL ME!" Felix shouted into the locker loud enough to attract a couple of bystanders. A quick cold glance from him quickly sent them on their way again.
"Alright.. Alright.." The black cat creature conceded. "No.. They.. They were suspected from time to time.. But.. They were never tried.. However.. Someone.. VERRRY familiar was.." He ended with a delicious vagueness.
"WHAT..? YOU.. YOU DON'T MEAN.." Felix began to exclaim. His face adopting an expression of horror.
"WHAT?! SHE WAS?! OW!" Marinette, now back home exclaimed just as she poked her finger with a sewing needle. Her ahoge vibrating with her pain.
"Yes.." Tikki answered somberly, her big bright eyes looking downwards. "I.. had tried so hard to keep it from my mind.."
"I don't believe it.." Marinette said, sucking on her wounded finger with a distant expression. "One of my predecessors as the Ladybug.. Was.. Was.. Ohhh, it's.. Too terrible to think of!" She moaned mournfully, resting her head her hands.
The Kwami then floated over to Marinette, laying comforting limbs on the young lady. "Please, Marinette.. Times have changed. Just try to move on. Remember, people today think of The Ladybug as a hero!"
Marinette looked up at the little red creature reflectively, her eyes still moist with tears. Tikki stretched out a limb and wiped one away. This brought a smile to both their faces, and Marinette took hold of Tikki in a grateful embrace. "Oh, Tikki! You ALWAYS know just what to say!"
"Anytime, Marinette!" The Kwami giggled. "So, what have you decided to be for that.. young lady Amber's Masquerade party?" She then asked suspiciously.
"Well.. Alya told me to improvise my fashion skills.. So I did!" Marinette said, proudly holding up her work. "I took this old black fabric dress I was working on earlier and stuffed a peice of long fabric up with cotton into a cat's tail at the end! When Felix sees me wearing this, there's no WAY he'll be able to talk to Amber." She concluded with a blush.
"You're.. You're going as a.. black cat?" Tikki wondered aloud with a cautious expression.
"Y.. Yeah.. I even made these cute paw mittens and I was just finishing work on these ears and "cat's eye" mask." Marinette said with a smile of achievement, before her face fell "What's wrong with them?"
"Well.. Don't they represent BAD luck?" Tikki asked with concern.
Marinette just smiled assuringly "Oh, Tikki. You worry too much. Your power is MORE than enough to ward off any potential black cat luck. Besides, I've never had any trouble with Lucky over there!" Marinette indicated, pointing to the black cat reclining on her bed's pillow, sunbathing with a lazy glare in their direction, before closing his eyes once again.
"Well, there's also the issue of that.. Chat.." Tikki began to suggest.
"YOU LEAVE THAT CREEPY CATBOY STALKER OUT OF THIS! HE DOESN'T HOLD THE AUTHORITY ON BLACK CATS!" Marinette blared out in an enraged voice.
"Alright! Alright!" Tikki waved her arms defensively. [I just hope you're right..] She thought with uncertainty.
The sunlight poured down a somber and forboding layer of colors from the large stained glass window in the pattern of a tremendous butterfly. The rays shown down coldly on the three men assembled in the large, well furnished living room. In the center, the vile terrorist, Le Papillon sat in a casual position in a luxery arm chair, flanked on his left and right by The Mime, and Monsieur Pigeon.
"Tonight.. Gentlemen.. As you know.. Shall be Hallow's Eve.. One of the most WONDERFUL nights for.. MISFOURTUNE.." The silver eyed, crag faced villain hissed malevolently. The two henchmen turned to each other and affirmed their agreement.
"Seeing as how we may NEVER have such a prime opportunity.. THIS NIGHT, we will finally kill two birds with one stone, and get ahold of the Pharoah's Staff in Mayor Bourgeois' little stronghold, for he is holding one of his little frivolous costume balls, and while we're there, we might as well as KILL the Good Mayor HIMSELF.." Papillon concluded with a contemptuous glare.
TO BE CONTINUED...