This chapter includes the super underrated side character who I secretly adore, Miss Bustier. Like seriously, I want her to be my teacher. She seems super rad.

Marinette woke up with dark bags under her eyes. The night hadn't been nearly as peaceful as she wanted. With a yawn, she got up, washed her face, and changed into her school clothes. Tikki snacked on some cookies as Marinette prepared for school. Marinette put her homework in her bag and headed downstairs. Her parents were helping some customers and wished their daughter good-bye before she left.

Marinette arrived at school early. For once, she was glad to go to school. It would keep her mind off Chat Noir and give her some extra time to come up with a plan. Despite thinking about what to do the entire night, she had nothing. She knew she had to confront Chat Noir, but what would that do? He was clearly possessed by an akuma, but she didn't know where it was. Not to mention, Chat Noir was harboring the power of two miraculouses. It was unheard of. Chat Noir now had power that Marinette couldn't predict.

Marinette entered her classroom and sat down at her seat. She laid her head on the desk and closed her eyes with a sigh. "Wake up, sleepyhead!" Alya giggled, slapping Marinette on the back. The girl gave a yelp and sat straight up. She hadn't noticed Alya sneaking up behind her.

"Morning…," Marinette grumbled as she set her head back down. Alya pouted and pulled her chair close to her friend. Marinette's expression worried Alya. Normally, her friend was chipper and bright all the time. She was clearly down in the dumps. And like any best friend should, Alya decided she had to turn that frown upside down.

"Guess who happens to have an article all about super-hot teen model, Adrien Agreste, which just came out this morning?" Alya smirked as she reached for her bag. She teasingly pulled the magazine out of her bag. The cover was a picture of Adrien modeling the Agreste line's newest fashions.

Marinette glanced at Alya and gave her a weak smile. "Sounds cool…" Marinette whispered. She didn't show her usual enthusiasm. Alya expected her to go bouncing of the walls and immediately snatch the magazaine away. The article was a good one too. Though Alya liked Nino, she had to admit the photos of Adrien were stunning.

Marinette's distant expression and lack of interest in Adrien made Alya begin to panic. Marinette wasn't just upset. She was downright depressed.

"Is there something you want to talk about?" Alya said seriously. "For real girl, I'm here whenever you need it. I can tell with just one look that something is going on. Don't keep it bottled up inside. It isn't good for you."

Marinette listened to Alya's kind words and wished she could tell her friend everything. It would be a ginormous weight off her chest. Though Marinette couldn't tell Alya the entire truth, she could tell her some of it. After all, Alya was well aware of what had happened at the Eiffel Tower last night. She had been there herself.

Marinette looked up and said, "It's not a big deal. I'm just worried about…"

"Did you guys hear about Chat Noir?" Nino exclaimed as he bolted into the classroom. He ran straight towards Alya and almost tripped on the steps that led to her desk. He was out of breath and his face was slightly red. "Woah," Alya said, helping Nino keep upright as he breathed heavily. "Calm down. We know. It was all over the news and I was there. No need to rush."

"I can't believe it!" Nino cried. He put his hands on his head in shock. "He was like my hero, dude! But then he went nuts! What the hell happened?"

Marinette moaned and slammed her head on the desk. Alya and Nino glanced at her, confused, but then returned to their conversation.

"I don't know," Alya continued. "I think he got possessed by one of those weird butterfly thingies. Ladybug calls them akuma. I don't why they would target Chat Noir though. He's usually such a carefree guy. I don't think there's a serious bone in his body and I thought the akuma only attacked people who were upset."

"Everyone has their problems they keep secret," Marinette said suddenly. She rested her head on her hand to keep herself propped up. "Chat Noir might have been shouldering a heavy burden that none of us knew about. Just because he put on a happy face doesn't mean he felt like that all the time. Who knows? Maybe he felt lonely or vulnerable. Maybe he was just mad. Maybe he felt… betrayed."

Alya and Nino were silent. They hadn't expected such wise and introspective words from Marinette. "Is that what you've been worried about?" Alya laughed. "Don't worry, Mari. Ladybug will handle this like I said yesterday. I promise that by tomorrow everything will be back to normal. I'm sure this is a piece of cake for her." Alya crossed her arms and winked at Marinette. She had absolute faith in Paris's superheroine.

"Isn't that the problem?" Marinette grumbled to herself. It was easy for Alya to say "just leave it to Ladybug". It was easy for Nino to think "that thing about Chat Noir kind of sucks, right?" It was easy for them to say those things when they were on the outside of the problem. They didn't know what it was like to deal with it. They didn't have to worry about saving their best friend and partner from himself and stop him from destroying the whole of Paris. Of course, Marinette couldn't expect them to. How could they? For them, it was like watching a show on TV. It was exciting and fun, but eventually it would end and the hero would save the day.

"Where's my main man, Adrien?" Nino asked, looking around the classroom. He spotted Adrien's vacant seat. Nino gave a tiny pout and said, "I bet that old man made him work today. That dude sucks big time. What a lame-o! "

"I don't think so," Alya frowned. "Mr. Agreste was a victim of the Chat Noir attack last night. He was hurt pretty bad and should still be in the hospital. I doubt even he'd make Adrien work right now. That would be cruel."

"Adrien's probably just visiting his dad at the hospital," Marinette chimed in. "That would be so like him. Even though his father is distant, Adrien cares about him. He's probably really worried about his dad. I feel so bad."

Marinette thought about how terrifying it must be to have your dad almost murdered even if your dad was the sole reason behind all of Paris's troubles. She shuddered at the thought of her own father being hurt like that. The idea felt like a nightmare. How could you recover from that?

A terrifying thought crossed through Marinette's mind. In worrying about Chat Noir the night before, she hadn't thought about the awful realization that Hawk Moth was indeed Gabriel Agreste. Marinette clenched her fists in anger and her brows furrowed. Once he was out of the hospital, she planned to really give it to him. That man deserved a good beating after what he had done to all her friends and most importantly, Chat Noir. Not to mention, she wanted to get at least some revenge for Adrien.

Adrien.

Marinette shot up like a bullet out of her seat. "What's wrong now?" Alya asked, rushing over to her friend. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

If Mr. Agreste was attacked, what happened to Adrien?

Marinette looked over at Adrien's empty seat and began to panic. Yesterday, Mr. Agreste had surely gone home with his assistant, Nathalie. The chances of him leaving his home were slim to none after that since it had begun to get late. That meant that he probably had been attacked in his own home, kidnapped, and then taken to the Eiffel Tower. And who was also probably at home after storming away from the photoshoot?

Adrien.

"Alya, I have to go!" Marinette said firmly. She quickly grabbed her books and stuffed them in her bag. She was in such a hurry, she dropped on of them on the floor. Alya grabbed her friend's arm, stopping her.

"Marinette, you need to calm down. Everything will be fine. You're overreacting. Besides, it isn't your problem. Ladybug will take care of it. She always does. Tell her Nino."

"The lady's right," Nino agreed. "Chillax. Leave it to the superheroes. It's what they do."

"You don't understand!" Marinette shouted in exasperation. She pulled her arm out of Alya's grip and picked up her book. "I think Adrien is hurt. He could be in serious danger. I have to go look for him." Alya and Nino's face whitened and they looked at each other in shock and then back at Marinette.

Alya gave Marinette a concerned expression and asked, "What makes you think that? Is this why you're acting so weird? You just said that he's probably visiting his dad at the hospital."

"I know, but then I thought of something and…. Alya, I need to go. If he gets hurt, I won't be able to live with myself."

"If he was hurt, it wouldn't be your fault, Mari. I know you care about him, but you're overreacting. He's totally fine. I'll even have Nino text him to make sure."

On cue, Nino pulled out his phone and texted Adrien. He texted, "Hey dude. Are you okay?" He showed Marinette the text to help calm her down. Nino pressed the send button and off the message went.

Marinette's shoulders relaxed and she took a deep breath. "They're right. Adrien is fine. You're blowing things way out of proportion. If Tikki was out right now, she'd say the same thing. If Adrien had been hurt, surely his dad would've mentioned something to you as Ladybug or Alya would've heard something. Just calm down…"

"Ok, I feel a bit better now," Marinette smiled. She sat back down and Alya did too. Nino returned to his seat and Miss Bustier walked in to begin class. Everyone else had been quietly chatting also about the news of Chat Noir. Like Nino, everyone was shocked. People considered him a great hero. It was scary to see someone so great fall from their pedestal and succumb to evil.

Miss Bustier noticed the nervous expressions on her students' faces and clapped her hands. "I know what you're all thinking about," she announced, one hand on her hip. "Let's not dwell on the negatives. I don't like a bad atmosphere in my classroom so to cheer you all up, I decided to switch around some lesson plans. Today we'll be watching a movie instead of discussing yesterday's reading and taking a quiz. The movie is based on the book we're reading and one of my personal favorites. I hope it will brighten your day."

Marinette grinned as she watched her teacher prepare the projector. Miss Bustier was a great teacher even if the subject she taught could be a little stale. She always put her students' needs first and had a calm, rational mind. When Chloe's bracelet went missing, she tried her hardest to keep the situation under control. She didn't pick sides and listened to everyone's version of the story. Her advice had proved helpful to Marinette as Ladybug on multiple occasions. Miss Bustier truly was a great person.

"Nino, could you get the lights?" the teacher asked politely. Nino stood up and turned off the lights, making the room dark. The projector turned on and the movie began to play. Miss Bustier returned to her desk to do some work on her computer while the students watched.

Marinette watched the movie mindlessly. It was funny, but she wasn't in the mood to laugh. Her classmates' chuckles and side comments filled the air, but they weren't enough to snap Marinette out of her funk. She glanced up at the clock and realized that they had only been watching the movie for 20 minutes. It felt like an hour. With her mind still focused on Adrien, it felt like an eternity.

"I wonder if Adrien texted Nino back…" Marinette thought, tapping her foot anxiously. She sneakily pulled her phone out of her pocket to text Nino. She couldn't sit and wait any longer. She wanted confirmation that Adrien was okay. Marinette began to type on her phone when all of a sudden, the projector shut off and the movie stopped.

"What's going?" Marinette heard Chloe yell rudely from across the room. Miss Bustier stood up and told Chloe to settle down. "Something must be wrong with the projector," she explained calmly. "Nino, would you mind turning back on the lights?" Miss Bustier got up to examine the projector and Nino went over the light switch. He flipped the first switch and to his surprise, the lights didn't turn on. So he flipped the next one. And again, nothing happened.

"Um, teach?" Nino said. Miss Bustier turned around and said, "What is it, Nino?"

"The lights aren't working."

Miss Bustier raised an eyebrow and walked over to the lights. She flipped all the switches and the lights didn't turn on. "Is there a power outage?" Marinette thought to herself. It seemed strange that the lights weren't working. But there wasn't a storm outside. Why would the power have gone out? Maybe something happened to the generator. It wouldn't be strange if some animal had accidentally gnawed on a few wires or if some circuits blew out.

"Can everyone sitting near a window open the blinds to let some light in?" Miss Bustier asked. "I'm going to phone Mr. Damocles." She reached over for the phone when there a loud crash from outside the classroom. "What was that?" Chloe yelled again. Marinette watched as the scared blonde clung to Sabrina for dear life. As if that would do much to protect her. If Marinette needed to be saved in a dangerous situation, she'd rather place her bets on Kim. At least he could outrun anyone dangerous.

"Calm down, everyone!" Miss Bustier said. "I'm sure it's nothing. I'll go out and check." There were more sounds coming from outside the hall. The students were noticeably worried now. "What could it be?" Nathanael whispered. "I bet I could take it," Kim boasted proudly. "I wonder if it's terrifying," Juleka added in an excited tone.

The sound was getting louder and louder. It was starting to hurt Marinette's ears. "What is that noise?" she thought. "It's awful. It sounds like claws being scraped across the wall…"

Marinette watched Miss Bustier approached the door, prepared to open it and check outside. The noise had reached its peak and it sounded like it was right outside now. Miss Bustier reached for the door handle and Marinette jumped out of her seat and exclaimed, "Get away from the door!" In shock, Miss Bustier jumped backwards and just in time. The moment she moved, the door crumbled to pieces and in the doorway was a frightening, white cat.

"It's Chat Noir!" the class exclaimed. Chat Noir stepped inside with an evil grin. "My, my…" he clicked his tongue. "I see this place is just as boring as ever. I'm glad I decided to stop by and make some changes. And by the way, the name's Chat Blanc. Make that mistake again and I'll have your head!"

"Everyone, get to the back of room!" Marinette commanded. Alya gave Marinette a surprised expression, but quickly followed her friend's instructions. She helped funnel people towards the back with Nino's assistance. She wasn't sure what Marinette was planning, but she sounded confident. This was one situation where Alya would just have to trust her. This was going to get dangerous.

"Don't touch me," Chloe snorted in disgust as Alya grabbed her hand and pulled her to the back of the room. "Not the time," Alya hissed. This wasn't a good time to deal with Chloe's nonsense. Chloe shut her mouth and obediently followed. Even she was beginning to realize the gravity of the situation.

Chat Blanc stood in the front of classroom and sat down on top of Miss Bustier's desk. "The view is better from down here," he purred. "I always wondered what it was like to be the teacher." He rubbed the desk as if he felt some immense satisfaction from it. Almost as if being in the front of classroom gave him power. All the student's frightened eyes were on him.

He watched them shake and whisper to each other nervously. He watched Alya and Nino try to hold people back in a vain attempt to protect him. Mylene was crouched down in a ball, close to tears, with Ivan hovering over, trying to shield her from the sight of Chat Blanc. Kim had his fists clenched, ready to fight. Even Max and Nathanael seemed prepared to take action if it meant protecting their classmates.

Chat Blanc was pleased to see their varying expressions. People rarely showed such intense emotion. It was refreshing to see what they were really thinking. When in danger, no one could hide their true thoughts. That was when Chat Blanc noticed one person unlike the rest. There was one person that wasn't showing any signs of fear. Someone who stood their ground. They walked out from behind their desk and stood in the center of the classroom, staring straight at Chat Blanc.

It was Marinette.

"Her?" Chat Blanc thought in surprise. "What's she doing? I thought she was smarter than that. I've never seen a bigger fool."

Chat Blanc smiled at her and casually walked over to the window. Marinette watched carefully as he pulled up the blinds and opened the window. He leaned on the window sill and smiled. "It's such a beautiful day outside, don't you think? The birds are singing, flowers are blooming, and oh look. What lovely butterflies."

A group of white butterflies quietly flew into the classroom. Amidst the dark, they seemed to have a strange, luminescent glow. Chat Blanc shut the window and closed the blinds. "Too bad I like the dark," he grinned. He reached his hand into the air and one of the butterflies landed delicately on it. He put one claw over it and there was a black mist that surrounded his hand. When he removed it, the butterfly had turned a violent purple.

Marinette gasped as she watched the purple butterfly get released back into the air. "That power," she thought in horror. "That's what Hawk Moth used to akumatize people. What is this cat planning?"

"Don't be so scared," Chat Blanc grinned. His fangs were prominent, making Marinette uneasy. She could only imagine what would happen if he dared to use them. He could easily rip her to pieces.

"I won't hurt you…" Chat Blanc continued. "That is if you all behave. I came here for just one reason." Chat Blanc swerved around and looked at Miss Bustier, who had backed herself into the corner of the room. She paled as Chat Blanc stepped towards her. A scared whimper escaped from her mouth.

"I never liked teachers," he began. "They can be cruel, vicious even. They have such high expectations of their students. Do you know how stressful it is to be a student? Do you know how hard it is to live like that? My dear teacher, do you know how hard it is to live a life where you don't measure up to anyone's expectations? When you aren't good enough for anyone?"

Marinette's heart stung as she listened to Chat Blanc's words. It was clear that it wasn't Miss Bustier he was upset at. He was upset at her, Ladybug. He felt like he had disappointed her. He felt that he was worthless in her eyes. Ever since they first met, he tried desperately to live up to not only her expectations, but the expectations of all of France. Now, he was projecting his anger onto whoever got in his way. Right now, it was her innocent teacher.

The akuma was flying dangerously close to Miss Bustier now. "Is Chat Blanc planning on turning her into an akuma?" Marinette wondered. "She isn't upset though. What good would that do?"

Chat Blanc chuckled. "You've all seen these little things before, right?" he grinned as he pointed up at the butterfly. "I'll let you in on a secret since I like you all. These creatures can do more than turn people into villains. They don't just take control of people's emotions and harbor them for power. They can control people's minds, turn them into mindless slaves, but they can be even better than that. Yes, they can even steal people's lives if I desire."

The akuma almost landed on top of Miss Bustier's head when Marinette sprinted from the center of the classroom and jumped in front of Chat Blanc. She grabbed the akuma in her hands, damaging its wings. The insect crumpled to the ground and fluttered its crushed wings in a vain attempt to fly. "Don't you dare touch her," Marinette growled.

Chat Blanc looked at the fallen akuma in shock. "That should have killed you…" he said quietly. "What's going on?" he thought. "The instant it touched her, she should have died."

Marinette examined her hands also very surprised. The magic of Ladybug must have protected her. She always had wondered what would happen if she touched an akuma. Her Ladybug powers must have been too strong and kept her protected from the akuma's evil. She was the only one who could purify them of course. If only Chat Noir was also so lucky.

"I won't go down that easily," Marinette smirked. If she was going to take down Chat Blanc, she would treat him like anything other supervillain. She would sass them and irritate them. They would eventually slip up, giving her an opportunity to attack. Though she usually had Chat Noir on her side, not as her enemy and was usually Ladybug. Maybe this was easier said than done.

"You're interesting," Chat Blanc smirked. "I didn't know you had it in you. You were always a quiet girl, weren't you?"

"How do you know me like that?"

"I have my ways. A little blonde-haired birdie told me, you could say."

Adrien.

"So you have seen Adrien?" Marinette yelled. Her face was turning red from anger. Her worst fear was about to be confirmed. "Where is he? Did you hurt him?" Her voice was becoming hoarse from the yelling and her blood was pumping fast.

"That boring guy?" Chat Blanc asked. "He wasn't 'feline' too good before, but don't worry. He's all better now."

Marinette's eyes widened as tears began to form. They streamed down her face and she couldn't stop them. "W-what does he mean?" she panicked. "He… he hurt Adrien! Even if he is possessed by an akuma, I'll never forgive him!" Marinette's knees went weak. She felt ready to collapse, but she had to stand her ground. She needed to find a way to help her classmates escape.

"What's wrong?" Chat Blanc jokingly pouted. "You seem upset." He was speaking in a whiny, sing-songy voice. "Are you worried? Do you want to see him?"

Marinette gained a new hope. "He's still alive?" She breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe Adrien was still okay. "I want to see him," Marinette demanded.

"I like your 'cat'titude, Princess," Chat Blanc smirked. "I admire people like you who stand up for others. We have similar goals. We'll get along just fine."

"I'm nothing like you."

"Whatever you say, little lady," Chat Blanc shrugged. "Anyways, I'll let you meet up with Adrien. Meet me by my lovely statue in the park tonight at 10:00. Bring anyone else and you're as good as dead. Looks like my work here is done. I'll see you then."

Chat Blanc winked at Marinette and walked out of the room while whistling. Marinette poked her head out the door and watched him run off, probably to terrorize more people.

Once he was gone, Marinette sank to her knees. She buried her head in her hands, trying to understand what just happened. "That couldn't be him," she thought. "He still uses stupid cat puns and flirts, but he almost killed people!" She was shaking and could feel Tikki moving around her purse. The kwami must have heard the entire thing. Marinette needed to transform and chase after Chat Blanc. Now that she knew how dangerous he really was, she couldn't sit back anymore.

Marinette felt a warm hand on her back. It was Alya. Alya wrapped her arms around Marinette and hugged her. "That was really brave," Alya commended her friend. "But super dangerous. Are you crazy? You could've been hurt. Chat Blanc said those butterflies could kill."

"I'm fine," Marinette sighed. Alya helped her stand up. Her legs were a little wobbly, but she was able to manage. "Are you going to meet him?" Alya asked. Marinette slowly nodded. She had to. She had no choice. If it meant seeing and protecting Adrien, she would give her life. It was a risk she was willing to take.

Nino was helping Miss Bustier who was still shaken from the event. "E-Everyone please go home immediately," she said in a wavering voice. "Don't worry about homework. Class is postponed for a while."

The students quickly gathered their belongings and filed out the door. They exchanged hushed good-byes and hurried home. Marinette made sure Miss Bustier was okay and then decided to leave with Alya and Nino. The entire walk home was dead silent.