Marinette had this strange feeling all day. She had felt like someone had been watching her every move. Like she a mouse and somewhere there was a cat; slowly, stalking, waiting to pounce.
She just couldn't get the feeling of unease out of her gut. Marinette tried explaining it to Alya, but her friend didn't seem to understand; eventually Marinette gave up and just tried to pay attention in class.
She was walking home, Alya had offered to walk with her but for some odd reason she had turned down her offer. Marinette regretted that decision now.
She had turned the corner and there was a huge crowd of people covering the whole street. It seemed to be a rally of some sort.
Marinette sighed, it didn't look like she would be able to get through the crowd. She was left with two options: either go back a street and go around the long way— which would take her an fifteen extra minutes to get home— or cross through an alleyway, which would only delay her by a few minutes.
She sighed and headed towards the alleyway, immediately regretting her decision. An immense feeling of dread washed over her body
"I'm not sure this was such a great idea, I should have taken the long way."
Tikki opened Marinette's purse, "what's wrong? You don't usually think twice about taking a shortcut if a road is blocked"
"I know it's just it's so dark and isolated here, and you know how I've been feeling paranoid all day."
Marinette shook her head, to rid herself of paranoid thoughts; and tightened her hold on her school bag.
A can rolled in front of her, pushed by an invisible wind, Marinette shivered and speed walked the rest of the way out.
Once she was on the other side, Marinette looked back at the alley. Her blood ran cold, there was a dark figure standing in the entrance where she had been just a few moments ago.
Marinette took a sharp intake of breath and blinked a couple of times. The figure was gone, but her paranoia wasn't. Had she imagined that? Was she going crazy?
Marinette practically sprinted the rest of the way home. Once she arrived she slammed the door shut and ran upstairs to her room, barely greeting her parents on the way in.
She reached the safety of her room and slumped down on her desk chair.
"Are you sure you didn't imagine it?" Tikki asked sitting on Marinette's desk, cookie in hand.
"I don't know Tikki." Marinette put her head in her hands and sighed. "Do you think I'm going crazy?"
"Maybe you're just tired, those late night Akumas have been taking a toll on you. I'm sure if you rest everything will be okay and you will feel way better." Tikki said.
Marinette smiled and nodded, but she still couldn't shake the eerie feeling she had.
.
"Wow, no Akuma tonight huh?" Chat asked as he took a seat next to Ladybug on the Eiffel Tower. "By the way you look ameowzing tonight."
Ladybug shook her head, completely ignoring Chats pun. "No, at least not yet."
"Let's hope it stays that way." Chat said with a confused look on his face.
"Hey Chat?"
"Yeah?" Chat looked at Ladybug.
"Have you had a strange feeling lately? Like paranoid or like something was wrong?"
Chat shook his head.
"Oh I see." She looked down and fiddled with her thumbs.
Chat looked at Ladybug, there was something wrong with her. She wasn't her usual self tonight, she didn't even acknowledged his pun.
"Hey," Chat touched her shoulder and she looked up. "You know you can tell me anything right?"
She sighed, unsure if she should tell him. Would she think she was crazy?
She looked at Chat; he looked back at her, worry in his eyes.
"I don't know, it's just that all day I've felt kind of off. I felt like someone was watching me." Ladybug but her lip thinking if she should tell him about the alleyway.
"And then after school, I took a shortcut through an alley. When I reached the other side, I looked back and saw someone at the other end. But then I blinked and they were gone."
Chat was quiet for a second.
"I'm sorry I shouldn't have told you, I'm probably just imagin-"
"No," Chat interrupted. "I believe you. This all happened in your civilian form?" He asked raising an eyebrow.
Ladybug nodded.
"Do you feel like you're being watched right now?"
She shook her head, "just when I'm not Ladybug so far. The feeling only just started today."
Chat looked thoughtfully at the horizon, "I have no idea who it could be, but we need to be careful. We don't want anyone finding out your identity."
Ladybug nodded. "Thanks Chat."
Chat smiled. "Hey no purroblem bugaboo. I'm always here when you need mew."
Ladybug rolled her eyes and giggled. "I should probably head back home, it doesn't look like there'll be an akuma tonight."
Chat nodded, both heroes said goodbye and went their separate ways.
But Ladybug still couldn't shake the feeling of dread and paranoia she had.
.
The next day Marinette went through a fairly normal school day. She woke up in the morning feeling refreshed and no longer felt like someone was watching her every move.
Now she was headed on her way to lunch with her friends.
"Oh my gosh, my mom packed me her famous tuna salad!" Alya exclaimed, lunch pail in hand.
"I thought you normally made your lunch." Nino said with a confused look.
"I do, but since today was my mom's day off she made my lunch for the today instead. And I'm not complaining, my mom's cooking is the best there is."
"Hey I heard you say last week that Marinette's dad's baking was the best." Adrien said, joining in on the conversation.
At the sound of her crush saying her name Marinette let out a strangled cry of surprise and turned to Adrien with a red face.
Alya waved her hand nonchalantly, ignoring her best friend's reaction. "Yeah that's baking, and I stand true to my words. Mr. Dupain is the bomb dot com when it comes to baking, my mom is the best when it comes to cooking. It's like two completely different worlds!"
Adrien shrugged, "food is food no matter how it's made, as long as it's good I'll eat it." Adrien turned to Marinette. "Alya is right though, your dad is the best when it comes to pastries. And you've inhereted his talent for baking too, your macaroons are amazing Marinette."
Marinette smiled and looked down, a quiet blush on her face. "Oh uh, thanks!" She said a little to eager for her liking.
Then Marinette remembered she had made cookies to share with her friends. "Oh! I made cookies for you guys!" She said to the group, but stopped short when she realized she was missing something.
She looked down at her empty hands in shock, "oh no!" She said and looked at her friends.
They all turned around in confusion.
"Are you okay?" Alya asked, her eyebrows scrunched together in worry.
Marinette facepalmed herself, "I can believe it! I forgot my own lunch!"
Alya took a step towards Marinette, "do you want us to go with you?"
Marinette shook her head. "No it's fine, you guys go on ahead. Make sure you get a good table you know how crowded it gets during lunch."
"Are you sure?" Alya asked.
Marinette nodded and started running in the other direction. "I'm sure, save me a se-gah!"
Marinette exclaimed as she tripped over her own feet. She stood up straight and held up a thumbs up to her friends.
They all chuckled and shook their heads typical Marinette.
Marinette sighed to herself as she spun her locker combination. Of course she would be the one to forget her lunch. She shook her head.
As she opened the door, something white fell out and caught her attention. She scrunched her eyebrows, it was a piece of paper.
Confused, she reached down to pick it up. She read it as she stood back up; her blood running cold.
I know who you are Ladybug.
Meet me at the park after
school, or I'll expose you.
-Anonymous