Alya walked through the CDG listening to Chloé's voicemail another time. Chloé sounded...off...and oddly emotional. She knew they didn't have the closest relationship, but they'd been working on it, and now suddenly Chloé sounded...insecure? Was that even possible? Something was off with the miraculous holders in general, and Alya was determined to get to the bottom of it.

She'd gotten in a few hours earlier than predicted because she got bumped to an earlier flight and Alya was hoping to surprise everyone at Marinette's student showcase tonight. She hadn't told them yet about her last visitor in Jordan. Truth be told, she was still unsettled by it, but her anger had subsided enough for other emotions to seep in.

Just what were they getting themselves into?

This threat felt ten times more sinister than Germain had. Were they somehow supposed to be older and wiser and able to handle it? She barely managed to keep herself fed on a regular schedule, let alone save Paris from some supernatural demon.

She was pulling at her curls anxiously when someone grabbed her wrist. Without thinking she spun and was about to use her momentum to flip her assailant when the hand left her arm and Alya caught a flash of golden hair.

"Chloé?" She tried to slow the tempo of her heart and focused on the girl she hadn't seen in months. Long gone was Chloé's signature pony tail. Since university, she'd cut it and instead wore it in a sleek bob and dressed mainly in neutrals choosing expensive accessories to compliment her looks. She looked the same as Alya remembered her, but there was a wariness in her eyes that was new. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw you took an earlier flight," Chloé waved her hand dismissively, and Alya didn't even bother asking how she'd tracked her without knowing her flight number. Chloé had a scary number of connections and a large network of informants. It really was a work of art, and the reporter in Alya was always impressed by how easily Chloé managed to get information. "But we need to talk."

"Yeah, I got your message." She looked at Chloé seriously, wondering what had gotten into her.

"Well, here's the thing. I need to apologize. I've been thinking a lot recently, and I realized I never apologized to you for how I was in lycée to you and Marinette and…"

Chloé went on, but Alya had stopped listening, a surge of anger washing over her like a tsunami and tearing through all logic. It was like all her anger towards Chloé's treatment-not of her, but of her best friend all those years ago-suddenly bubbled to the surface. As if it'd been festering in the depths of her subconscious for half a decade...Wait.

Alya paused, and held her hand up to stop Chloé from talking. Her suspicion was confirmed when Chloé accepted the signal and shut up without so much as a nasty look.

"Do you feel that?" It was an undercurrent buzzing subtly through their bodies. She saw Chloé's face dawn in comprehension and realized just how out of sorts her friend must have been to not realize it before. Both her and Chloé's miraculous were unique to the others. Adela and Gabriel might have realized it sooner if they had been targeted.

Marinette, Adrien and Nino's miraculous were much more physical, whilst Adela, Gabriel, Alya and Chloé's had to do with mental manipulation. Volpina didn't actually make things appear, she made you think you saw things there. Queen Bee did the opposite, manipulating your mind to make you see reason and not the lies before you. Despite those differences, both were keenly aware of how their miraculous felt. Adela, a few months after she had been rescued, took the two girls aside to make sure they were cognisant of the responsibility they held. They were entering people's minds, and if Hawkmoth had taught them anything, it was how easily that power could be manipulated and used for the wrong reasons.

Both girls were very aware of their powers, just as they were both very aware that something frighteningly similar was being used on them at that moment.

"She's here," Chloé breathed, glancing around, her eyes narrowing into slits. The buzzing stopped.

"When did you first feel it?" Alya asked, urgent now. If Chloé couldn't even recognized what was happening, then the others were in danger. They still didn't know how to defeat whatever this was, but if it was trying to divide them, then they needed to be stronger than ever.

"Yesterday, when I texted you and then again this morning when I called. We need to go, now." Chloé turned, without making sure Alya was following, and led her to a black car she had waiting. Alya got in without question, resigned to her friends' luxury by now.

"Where are they?"

"They're already at the university. We might be able to make it by the time the show ends." Chloé looked over, worry evident in her eyes, and Alya grabbed her hand, squeezing in solidarity as they sped through the snow dusted streets.

It was finally the night of the student showcase and Marinette was frazzled.

She paced back and forth in front of her three dress forms wringing her hands. She wasn't worried about the pieces. She actually loved all three. They'd come out exactly how she imagined, and her mini freak-out two weeks ago, while stressful to completely rework her collection, had been completely worth it. The pieces were soft and comforting, but strong. Adrien hadn't seen them yet, but she wondered how he'd react when she told him her true inspiration was imagining Chat Noir in a sherlock-holmes-esque deer cap. She giggled to herself then, remembering Plagg chortling along with her when she had drawn a cartoon of that very image and stuck it up on her inspiration board. It was covered by a fabric swatch, but she and Plagg would look at it every once in awhile for a laugh. Tikki would pretend to look on disapprovingly, but the little red kwami couldn't completely hide her amusement either. Marinette would have to make him a hat like that for Christmas. No, two. One for Adrien and one for Chat with little ear holes.

She was smiling at that thought, much more relaxed now, when her advisor came it.

"My, my," Madame Bernard remarked, watching Marinette with a curious smile. "I must say, this is the largest show you've been in, and this is the calmest I've ever seen you." She looked over at Marinette's work. "But then, you do have reason to be proud, my dear. Although, I would watch out for some angry fourth years after you steal their thunder. Good idea with the personal introduction, by the way. I'm sure you're small design website will have many new visitors after tonight."

With that comment, the woman touched on the true source of Marinette's nerves. She'd self-promoted in her short written statement about the inspiration for her collection and was worried about it looking tacky, but she went for it anyway. If her little side business was going to bring in enough to be able to support her through next year, she really needed to step up the sales. She couldn't keep relying on her parents to help pay for her apartment forever.

Madame Bernard walked over and was rubbing the cape of her final piece through her fingers, the smooth leather contrasting nicely with the softened tweed lining.

"I don't know what you treated this with, but this wool feels like cashmere. I may have to steal this after the show." Madame Bernard continued to look at the garment longingly and Marinette laughed, pleased by the woman's appraisal of her work.

"You'll have to fight my...my boyfriend's mom for it. She's had her eye on it since she got me the fabric." Marinette stumbled over what to call Adela. A part of her almost said mother-in-law, which displayed the closeness she felt to Adrien's family, despite the cold sounding term.

Where did that come from? Marinette though, mentally trying to shake it out of her mind and focus on the task at hand. Besides, she and Adrien had a lot of school left, and they had just moved in together, now was not the time for proposals. They had this strange philosopher's stone problem looming on the horizon, and she was only 21! She'd been in love with him for six years, but nothing was for sure…

Suddenly, there was a persistent feeling in the back of her mind that latched onto all of her past insecurities. She thought she'd gotten over this finally last year, but apparently it liked to pop up and rear its ugly head in moments when she really didn't have time for it. Like, for instance, a few hours before the most important showcase she'd ever been in. But once it got going, she felt powerless to stop the course of her thoughts.

Was Adrien staying with her out of comfort? He'd always gone out of his way to be his over-the-top cheesy self, but sometimes, usually after they went to a public event with his father, the tabloids would run a story about the two of them and maybe they were right. Not about her being a gold-digger or using Adrien for his fashion connections of course, but she couldn't help but listen when they questioned why this famous model was dating...her. He's amazing, he could definitely do better, they would write, and looking at her Kitty, she honestly couldn't figure out what she'd done to deserve him.

She knew he loved her, and she tried to be confident in that. Whenever it was just the two of them, she was. Adrien had always joked that as soon as they started going out in lycée, it was like they had a role reversal and suddenly he became the stuttering fool. Still, she didn't ever want to hold him back, and maybe she should have taken last year's lackluster proposal to move in together more seriously than she did... They'd only ever dated each other, and maybe if they weren't Ladybug and Chat Noir he wouldn't have even been interested…

"Marinette? Did you hear me?" She looked up then at Madame Bernard, who had a concerned look on her face. "Your models should be here in about five minutes. What just happened? It's like you transformed into a different person."

Marinette released a joyless laugh at the irony of that statement and tried to compose her face.

"Sorry, just lost in my own world for a second. Yes, models. Sounds good. Thanks." She tried to smile, but knew it must not look too convincing. Regardless, Madame Bernard just put a hand on her shoulder for a moment before walking out to check on the other students. Marinette released a sigh and tried to shake off the melancholy feeling. She walked over and started to fiddle with one of her garments, hoping to distract herself a bit from her recent thoughts. She was being ridiculous, even her own anxiety-ridden brain could recognize that. She thought she'd gotten over these insecurities a long time ago. After all, there was no one she trusted more than her chaton with her heart. So, what was going on?

Once the woman left the room, Tikki peeked out of her hiding place and looked over at Marinette with her eyes narrowed. Something felt...off, and one look at her charge confirmed that something was up with the girl. It was more than that, though. Tikki had felt a...disturbance almost, but she wasn't sure if it was just her paranoia over the current situation or something real. Either way, it would have to wait for later. She floated over to Marinette.

"Marinette?" She squeaked and Marinette looked around quickly to make sure they were alone.

"Sorry, Tikki." She shook her head as if to dislodge some lingering thoughts. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I was just having some weird thoughts," she sighed. "Maybe it's just the stress getting to me."

Tikki hummed, but didn't say anything else. She needed to talk to Plagg later, because something was most definitely going on.

"Marinette!" A man's voice called, and Tikki quickly zoomed inside Marinette's leather jacket.

"Nath!" Marinette replied, leaning over to hug her old friend who was followed into the room by his boyfriend Albert, the other third year in her program that had been chosen for the show. Albert smiled at the two of them as he unzipped his own creations.

"So, Mar, do I finally get to meet your famous beau tonight?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she laughed. It had been a joke between her and Albert about how their schedules refused to line up. Most of her design friends had met Adrien years previously, but Albert had been a transfer this semester and a late, but definitely worthy, addition to the showcase. Marinette had become attached to him quickly and kept saying how they should all meet up one night, but things had been so crazy, especially this last month. She didn't even think she'd remembered to tell Adrien that Albert was in the showcase too.

"Yes, I will make sure of it tonight." She finally answered him and was rewarded with a gleam of his white teeth against midnight skin. She was relieved to find that whatever dark thoughts she'd been having about her and Adrien's relationship had fled as soon as Albert walked into the room. She rolled her shoulders, trying to dislodge the remaining discomfort of where her mind had travelled to and focused on her two friends.

"Good. I can't subsist solely on Nath's description of your piece of eye-candy," he winked at her and rolled his eyes when Nathaniel pretended to be outraged. She laughed at the two, feeling lighter as the models walked in and they started to prepare for the runway.