Chapter 15
Angela felt her head about to explode with all the hard digging she was having to do get her essay together. She had been at this for hours and it wasn't getting any easier the closer she got to the end. She dropped her pencil and rubbed her temples.
"Are okay Angela?" she heard Tikki ask from her bed.
"I'm fine, just tired. This essay is killing me from the inside." Angela groaned leaning her head back.
"Maybe you should take break. You've worked hard, you deserve it." Tikki said floating over.
"Yeah, you're right. Maybe we can take a walk to the park, stretch my legs for a little bit." Angela said stretching and grabbing her purse. "It's such a nice day, a walk through Central Park sounds like heaven right now."
Angela walked out to the bus stop trying not to think so much about her essay and instead tried to let her mind relax. For some strange reason, she caught herself thinking about what happened two weeks ago just before Valentine's Day. She had been hit by Heart Thorn's hate inducing thorns and somehow Cat Negro had been able to free her from his spell. While she had no solid memories about what happened while she was under the hate spell, other than just feeling nothing but that horrible emotion. How he had been able to free her, she had her suspicions. While she normally would have been repulsed by that, she couldn't help but wonder if he had been able to free her, not just because it was a kiss, but also because he kissed her to free her because he loved her.
At first, how she thought he really saw her was just another pretty face. But if she was freed by his kiss because he really did love her, then maybe he really was true only to her. Suddenly she felt guilty thinking that, because he may really love her, but the one she was in love with was Miguel and she could not betray him by trying to fall in love all over again with someone else. If Cat Negro ever confessed his feelings to her, she was going to have let him down easy. As much as she cared for him, Cat Negro just wasn't her match made in heaven. He was her partner and a good friend, that's what she would tell herself.
Angela shook her head trying to let all of that just slide, she had other, better things she could think about to help her mind relax. Finally the bus stopped about a block from Central Park and she took a good walk getting there. With leisurely stroll, she took in the bright sun shining in through the trees and reflecting off the waters of the ponds in the park.
"Central Park is just so beautiful this time of year." Angela breathed as she began to turn and walk slowly backwards.
Suddenly, she felt herself bump into someone behind her. "Oh, I'm so sorr…ahhh!" she gasped seeing who it was. "Miguel! What are you doing here?" she gasped trying not to faint.
"I was just out, enjoying the sun." Miguel answered. "Nice to see you out here too. Would you like to walk with me?"
"Baah, no I mean, nay… no, that is, what I mean is, yes." Angela stammered mentally slapping herself for looking like a complete idiot.
"Ok, well, shall we?" he said pointing further down the path.
Angela felt her body flush with heat as she walked right next to him. Her tongue suddenly went dry and she was having a hard time making words come out in their conversation.
"Your hair looks different." Angela commented seeing his new hair cut.
"Yeah, my Dad thought it could use a trim, and a wash." Miguel said brushing a few strands out of his face. "And to be honest, I kind of like it." Miguel said. "It's so much more tamable now and it's fluffier than it was before."
"It looks amazing." Angela heard herself slip.
"Thanks." Miguel said with that smile that made Angela feel weak in the knees. "So hey, there was something I wanted to ask you about earlier yesterday."
"What?" Angela asked feeling her heart begin to race.
"The theatre club is doing a musical audition next week after courses and I was wondering if you would like to be my audition partner. I just need someone to sing with for the duet part I'm auditioning for."
"You want me to, with you, sing, audition for musical?" Angela babbled.
"Yeah, I was asking around for a singing partner and many other people say that you're a pretty amazing singer." Miguel explained.
Angela could not feel her limbs anymore. She felt her mind go numb and her legs turn to jelly. She couldn't think or speak.
"I can understand if you don't want to."
"No, I mean, That, love to, I would do….ugh!" she said slapping herself back to attention. "Yes, I would love to do that." She said breathing that she finally got her response out.
"Great. So, do you think you could come by my place after classes tomorrow to rehearse?" Miguel asked.
"Yes, I will be there." Angela answered feeling in a daze.
"Awesome, here's my address. I'll see you then." Miguel said walking off.
Angela just stood there, staring at him as he went off. "Oh, Tikki! I can't believe it! I'm going to be doing a singing audition with Miguel!" Angela cheered leaping with joy through Central Park.
"I'm so proud of you Angela. Now you just have to learn the song and you'll be great." Tikki said poking her head out.
Angela walked in a daze around the park for the rest of her time out and was still feeling hazy as she got back on the bus to go home and work on her essay. She snapped out of it when her phone went off.
"It's probably my Dad." She said taking her phone out of her purse. "Called it," she said seeing her father's name on the caller I.D. "Hey Dad." She answered.
"Angela, you will not be going out with Brock on trades anymore." Isaac said into the phone.
"What?"
"Brock has informed me that one of your class mates recognized you on your last trade. From now on, Jet and Brock will handle the trades."
"Dad, I don't know what…"
"Just don't, and don't do anything to give us away."
"Yes sir." She said as she hung up. Even though she was having a hard time processing what had just happened, she dialed Derek.
"What's up bra?" Derek answered.
"Derek, you are not going to believe what my Dad just told me."
"What?"
"He's not going to have me go out on trades anymore."
"What? Why?"
"It's because Jezebel's brother recognized me at my last trade and now apparently Dad thinks it's too risky for me to go again."
"What does that mean for our mole operation?"
"I guess for now, nothing. We're going to be in a holding pattern for a while until I can get more info. For now, it's best that we keep our heads down."
"Gotcha dude."
"I gotta go, but Derek, thanks for all your help."
"No prob dude." Derek answered before they each hung up.
Angela was still having a hard time wrapping her mind around what had just happened. But she couldn't shake the feeling that her Dad had another reason in mind that he just didn't want to tell her. Was he trying to protect her for some reason from something? Or had he finally figured out that she was the leak this whole time? Either way, she was going to have to be even more careful now, whatever her father's reason was, she couldn't let her guard down.
When the bus finally pulled up by her house, she went up to her room and got started on her essay again. It went a little easier after getting out to clear her head. Now it wasn't so stressful to write. Finally, it was finished, when she looked at her clock, it was just about time for her to get herself to bed.
"Today was awesome, wasn't it Tikki?" Angela said as she changed into her night clothes.
"I'll say, I can't wait to see how you will handle tomorrow. Especially singing with Miguel." Tikki giggled.
Angela felt her knees start to shake again thinking about it. Miguel had asked her to sing with him for an audition.
"Singing with Miguel." Angela swooned flopping onto the bed. "I must be dreaming."
"I'm pretty sure you're still awake, but maybe you should go to sleep. You have a big day tomorrow." Tikki said landing next to her.
Angela let herself drift off. But after what only seemed a few minutes, she felt something shake the house.
"Earthquake!" she cried scrambling to get into the doorway. But as suddenly as it had come, it just stopped. "What was that?" she asked Tikki holding her kwami close.
"I don't know." Tikki said shaking in Angela's hand.
Angela slowly made her way to the door out to her balcony. When she looked out, she saw something that made her heart pound. A massive woman spider thing standing outside.
"At last, there you are." It hissed at her.
"Who are you? What do you want with me?" she asked trying to keep Tikki hidden in her shirt pocket.
"I need you to deliver a message for me. Tell Cat Negro if he wants to see his Ladybug again, he will have to come fight me for her." she hissed at her.
"Why me?"
"I know you and Cat Negro have a history. Find him and tell him to meet me at the Northern Manhattan bridge at noon tomorrow."
Without another word, she lashed out a strand of web and swung off.
"What was that about?" Tikki said poking her head out of Angela's pocket.
"I don't know, but we need to find Cat Negro. If Hawk Moth has unleashed another akuma that has it in for Cat Negro, then we need to find him and warn him." Angela said. "Tikki Spots On!" she called transforming into Ladybug.
Without a second thought, she took off after the spider woman. After she caught up with her, she saw why she thought she had Ladybug, hanging off one of the taller rafters up on the bridge, a girl in a Ladybug costume was hanging by spider webbing screaming for someone to get her down. Ladybug stayed out of sight.
"Who is that?" she asked herself in a whisper.
"I was going to ask you the same thing." She heard from behind her.
Startled, she turned around and saw Cat Negro standing behind her. "Oh, you scared me." She breathed.
"You scared me, when I saw that girl, I thought she was you. I'm just glad you're okay."
"That's sweet, but we still have a major problem here. Hawk Moth has obviously unleashed another akuma and for some reason, she seems to have it in for you." Ladybug explained.
"So what do we do?" Cat Negro asked.
"You go out there and keep her attention away from that girl and me. While you're keeping her busy, I can get the girl to safety."
"Sounds like a plan."
"Good luck." Ladybug said swinging her yo-yo toward the underside of the bridge.
As she made her way to rafters at the time, she could see Cat Negro doing his bit, but this new villain really seemed to have it in for him, she was really putting up a fight and Cat Negro looked like he wasn't going to be able to hold his ground much longer. Ladybug knew she was going to have to work fast. Swinging rafter by rafter, she finally made it up to the girl and was pretty stunned to see who it is.
"Jezebel?" she said in shock.
"Ladybug, where have you been?"
"Shh. I'm gonna get you out of here, just stay quiet." She whispered.
Ladybug quietly untied Jezebel and carried her as she swung over to the closest rooftop and dropped Jezebel off.
"You'll be safe here. Just take the stairs to the ground floor and take the first cab to your place." Ladybug instructed her.
"Wait, you're not leaving me here."
"I have to go." Ladybug said turning to leave. "Just do what I told you and you'll be fine." She said swinging back to help Cat Negro.
But just as she was about to land behind the spider woman, she found herself caught in a web.
"And there she is." The spider woman laughed hanging upside down in front of her. "You really think I believed she was the real deal? Hello, I'm a spider, I know how to lure my prey."
"What do you want?" Ladybug snapped trying to get free. "Where's Cat Negro?"
"Oh believe me, he'll be joining us shortly, but not before this." she said pointing to what looked like a giant bug, but as Ladybug got a closer look, it was a camera bug. And from what she could tell, it was on and broadcasting. "Good evening everybody. This is the web master Webi-Abbey bringing you the biggest news story this side of the Big Apple. Now we have all wondered it is that is really behind the Ladybug mask, well tonight, we are about to find out who our mysterious heroine really is." she said turning to her reaching for her mask.
'Abbey!' Ladybug gasped in her mind. Her best friend's girlfriend had been akumtized!
She pulled at it, but it was not coming off. "Why won't this come off?" she grunted.
"Uh, because it's magic." Ladybug smirked at her.
"Doesn't matter, there are others to, oh how shall I put this, skin a cat." Webi-Abbey sneered at her. Snapping her fingers, several webs collapsed to reveal Cat Negro trapped in a web cocoon. With a slash of one of her legs, the cocoon dropped into the river.
"No!" Ladybug cried out.
"Oh I'd hurry if I were you." Webi-Abbey sneered at her releasing her from the web that held her and then disappearing onto the roof tops a good ways off.
Without thinking twice, Ladybug summoned her Lucky Charm and what came to her was rubber raft. Quickly releasing what it had to be for, she released the valve and it inflated, she jumped into the river with the cord around her wrist and swam to find her partner. Whether it really was luck or some unseen power guiding her, she found Cat Negro and was able to break off what was left of the dissolving web cocoon and pull him up to the raft.
"Are you alright Cat Negro?" she gasped as she helped him up onto the raft. Presently her earrings started to beep.
"You used your Lucky Charm, there's not much time left." Cat Negro said helping her up.
"Then we'd better catch Webi-Abbey before she causes any more trouble." Ladybug said as they made their way to the river bank.
Finally on dry ground, Ladybug and Cat Negro found Webi-Abbey not far from where he had left them. Ladybug got a good look at Webi-Abbey and saw a webcam around his neck.
"Cat Negro, that webcam, that's gotta be where the akuma is." Ladybug said getting Cat Negro's attention.
"Good eye mi senora." Cat Negro said pulling out his rod.
"Cat Negro wait, if she gets her powers from her webcam,"
"If we take out the wifi signal, that'll bring her down. Buen pensamiento mi senora." Cat Negro said catching up with her thinking.
"I'll keep Webi-Abbey busy while you go take out the wifi signal." Ladybug said pulling out her yo-yo. "Good luck."
"Gracias." Cat Negro said slipping away.
"Don't think you're gonna get away with it." Webi-Abbey said launching more webs to cut Cat Negro off from the antenna. "I'm not gonna let you both cut me off so easily."
"To bad you don't know how to multitask." Ladybug said wrapping her yo-yo around his arms.
"Multitask this." Webi-Abbey said sending a lash of webbing to swat Ladybug aside.
Losing her grip, Ladybug fell. "No! Ladybug!" She heard Cat Negro call to her. She saw him launching down toward her.
"Grab onto me!" she cried back throwing her yo-yo to him.
Grabbing it, Cat Negro was able to stop their fall with his rod between two fire escapes. Ladybug pulled herself up.
"You saved me, I save you." Cat Negro said holding helping her keep her balance. "That's how we work."
Ladybug heard her earrings beep again. "We've got to hurry, I only have three minutes left."
"Lo tengo." Cat Negro acknowledged. "Keep trying for Webi-Abbey, I'll take out the wifi."
Pulling themselves up back onto the roof, Webi-Abbey was on the web again. "Don't change you page just yet because Ladybug's about to drop the bomb on her real indentity."
"I don't think so." Cat Negro said at the base of the antenna. "Cataclysm!" he summoned swatting his hand against the tall wifi antenna.
"No!" Webi-Abbey cried out as she lost the web signal.
"I'll take that." Ladybug said grabbing the webcam from her neck as she fell from her webs. Crushing the camera under her foot, she opened her yo-yo for the capture. "No more terrorizing for you moth. Time to be purified!" she called capturing it. "Be free little butterfly." She said releasing a white butterfly. "Miraculous Ladybug!" she summoned with her used Lucky Charm as everything was put back to normal.
"Olé!" she and Cat Negro congratulated each other with a high five.
"Oh my gosh! Ladybug and Cat Negro!" The de-akumatized Abbey gasped seeing them. "Oh I have to totally get an interview from you guys. Just let me grab my camera."
Ladybug's earrings beeped again. "We've gotta go, you've only got a minute." Cat Negro warned.
Ladybug and Cat Negro disappeared down the stairs of the building to the ground floor. Ladybug found a closet and was ready to shut the door when Cat Negro stopped her.
"Stay, por favor." Cat Negro said holding the door. "I won't tell anyone who you really are, lo juro cat's honor."
"No one must ever know who we really are," Ladybug said almost regretting saying it. "Not even us."
As much as she trusted Cat Negro, there was just too much risk in letting him know who she really was. She disappeared behind the door she thought she had shut just as her transformation wore off. It was after she changed back she saw the door was partially open. Her heart pounded for moment as she saw it barely move, knowing Cat Negro was on the other side. In that tiny movement, she sensed he was debating with himself if he should. But then, the door shut completely and she heard his footsteps disappear out the building. Both her and Tikki heaved a sigh of releave.
"That was too close for comfort." Tikki sighed.
"Tell me about it." Angela said placing Tikki back into her pj shirt pocket.
Angela poked her head out the door and saw a lost and found box by the door. Borrowing a coat and a pair of boots from inside, she headed out the door and caught a taxi for home. When they made it back, Angela slumped in bed as Tikki flopped on the pillow next to her.
The next day after courses, Angela could feel her heart racing as she caught a taxi for Miguel's.
"I can't believe I'm actually going to sing with the love of my life." Angela sighed in the back seat.
"Just don't forget to breathe Angela." Tikki giggled.
Angela was still in a daydreaming daze when they pulled up and she dragged her jelly legs to the front door. With weak arms she knocked on the door and Miguel welcomed her in.
"So, should we get started?" Miguel said leading her to the basement where he said all their music gear was.
"Yeah." Was all Angela was able to say in her daze. "So what are we going to sing?" she asked shaking herself awake.
"This is an old classic from the 21 century. The performance is called High School Musical, and the song we're going to be auditioning with is 'What I've Been Looking For'." Miguel said handing her the music.
"Oh wow!" Angela said holding the music. "I loved High School Musical! My Mom and I used to watch it all the time when I was a kid."
"Really?" Miguel asked sounding impressed.
"Yeah, I used to sing their songs all the time."
"That's cool. If we're lucky, we'll both get a part in the show." Miguel said handing her a microphone.
"Yeah." Angela breathed as the song began.
The whole time they were singing, Angela wasn't sure how she did it, but the words just came so naturally to her as her voice hummed the music in a melody she hadn't used in a while. As the song ended, she could see Miguel was staring at her.
"Those guys were not exaggerating." Miguel said taking the mic. "You really do have an amazing voice. I wonder why I've never heard you on recording before."
"Well, to be honest, I've never been much of an 'On Stage'person. No that was my mother. She was the musical star in the family. I've never really had the stomach to go on stage in front of so many people." Angela confessed fiddling with one of her curls.
"Well I think you would be amazing on stage if you gave it a chance."
"You really think so?"
"I know so."
"Wow, thanks." Angela breathed. "I'd better, go. My Dad's probably wondering where I am." Angela said looking at her phone.
"Yeah, so I'll see here again tomorrow for practice?"
"Yeah sure, I'll be here." Angela said as she headed up the stairs and caught a cab home.
That evening, she sat in her room practicing the song again and again until she went to bed.
"Miguel sure is lucky to have you as his singing partner for the auditions." Tikki said laying down next to her.
"It's almost as if the universe is telling us that we were made for each other." Angela sighed as she dozed off.
