I had to post something in honor of the rest of Season 3 being on Netflix today! I also just completed another chapter and felt very proud of myself :)

Enjoy a restful and relaxing Sunday!

THREE DAYS BEFORE HEROES DAY

The bell rings and the class parts ways for their lunch break. Marinette and Ayla are engrossed in a conversation about the latest Majestia comic and don't notice Lila hanging back. Ms. Bustier is preparing the board for reviewing the test the students had just taken when they return from lunch. The test and its answers are laying on her desk.

Lila silently swipes an answer key from the desk. She saunters to the locker room, hiding in the shadows. She knows Marinette is still at her locker. Lila distracts the girl with a phone call, slipping the test answers into her bag. Marinette is none the wiser.

xXx

"Is it done?" The white butterflies hover around Hawkmoth and Lila.

"Yes. I left the anonymous tip and they should be returning from lunch very soon." Anticipation swelled within her chest.

"Are you ready to test Phase One?" The villain prepared an akuma as Lila steeled herself.

"I'm ready, sir! Power me up!" The girl welcomed the familiar feeling of hatred and power as it washed over her.

"Welcome back Volpina. Prepare your illusion and Phase One will begin…"

xXx

Ivan held the door open for Mylene as students filed into the room, their stomachs full. Lila followed Sabrina and Chloe, chatting with Nathaniel about an idea for his next comic book. Chloe glanced behind to see if her boyfriend was alright. He gave her a reassuring wink.

Marinette rolled her eyes at each lie as she took her seat next to Adrien. He patted her shoulder.

"Don't let her get to you." She sighed.

"I know it's just hard someti…"

"Welcome back class!" Ms. Bustier passed back everyone's papers… except Marinette's. "I graded your papers during lunch. Most of you did very well. One person in particular did a little too well. Before we get to the rest of you, Marinette, will you please bring your backpack down here? I need to follow up on an anonymous tip I received during the break."

Heat flooded Marinette's face as the tone of the class shifted. Adrien frowned. Marinette rose to do as her teacher asked.

"Is there something wrong, Miss?"

Ms. Bustier began poking through the girl's bag. "I received a tip claiming that you had stolen the test answers…" The room filled with gasps as she withdrew an extra sheet of paper with Ms. Bustier's handwriting. "It looks like that tip was right."

Marinette had never seen a look of disappointment like the one Ms. Bustier was giving her now. "But Miss! I've never seen that paper before!" She scrambled to think of what could have happened. "Someone must have planted that in my bag!"

The woman showed Marinette her test compared to the answer sheet. "But you answered every single question correctly…"

The girl inwardly applauded herself, but she wasn't out of the woods yet. "That's because I studied!" Chloe leapt to her feet.

"That's true, Miss! I was studying with Marinette, Alya, Nino, and Adrien last night. She knew all of the material front ways and backways – without an answer key."

Ms. Bustier paused. "That still doesn't explain how the answers got in your bag, Marinette." A sniff from the back of the room turned everyone's head.

"Oh Marinette! You must be under so much pressure to resort to something like this!" Lila sniffed again, tears pooling in her eyes. Things started to click for Marinette.

She pointed an accusatory finger at the brunette. "It was you! You gave Ms. Bustier the tip!" Lila gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. Marinette ground her teeth at the girl's expert playacting.

"I'm coming to your defense and you're accusing me? I got the worst grade in the class, see?" Lila held up her paper. Sure enough, there was a bold 10.0 with the note to 'study more next time'.

Marinette crossed her arms. "You must have flunked the test on purpose!" That sparked a debate amongst the students. Shouts were heard defending both students and Ms. Bustier attempted to regain order.

"That is ENOUGH!" She roared. The room went silent. It was rare for their teacher to raise her voice above a stern warning. "Marinette, Lila, both of you please go to the principal's office until we get this sorted out."

xXx

"If I may say so, Volpina, that was a masterful manipulation." Hawkmoth commended his young partner. The girl gave a mock curtsy.

"That's nothing, Hawkmoth. Let's get Marinette in some real trouble… how about pushing a poor defenseless girl down a flight of stairs?" Volpina grinned maniacally as she waved her hands, preparing the next illusion.

xXx

"But sir! It wasn't me! I didn't even lay a hand on her…" Sabine placed a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder. Marinette could feel her mother shaking with anger. Whether it was at her or the situation, she couldn't tell.

"I don't know why Marinette doesn't like me! She's been like this since I've moved here. I've been nothing but nice to you!" Lila cried into her hands.

"That is a lie and you KNOW it!" Marinette seethed.

Mr. Damocles held up a hand to silence her. "Please continue, Lila."

The girl sniffed. "She even took a necklace I had received from my grandmother before we left Italy… before she died…" That sent Lila into hysterics again. Mr. Damocles sat straighter in his seat.

"Took? As in stole" He glared at Marinette.

That did it! Marinette shot up. "That's not true! I never stole anything!"

"My daughter is not a thief!" Tom protested. "You're accusing her without any proof!"

Lila sighed, like she didn't want to reveal the information she possessed. "Oh… I've got proof…"

The group left Mr. Damocles' office and walked down to the locker room, Marinette front and center. She couldn't meet the curious eyes of her friends as they walked past. She knew that she was innocent, but this walk of shame wasn't helping her case.

Mr. Damocles pointed to Marinette's locker. "Please open your locker, Ms. Dupain-Cheng."

Knowing there was no possible way for Lila to get into her locker without her knowledge, Marinette opened the door. If Lila wanted to make a fool of herself then let her…

Everyone looked to the floor as box clattered open, revealing a fox pendent. Alya's eyes went wide as she grasped her own pendent under her shirt. Marinette's wide eyes met Lila's.

"How did you get that in there?"

Lila cried out. "See! That's my necklace! She DID steal it!"

Marinette backed up, the weight of everyone's disappointed stares baring down on her. "No… it's not possible. I didn't take it, I swear! Mom?" Her mother had turned away, sobbing into her husband's chest. Marinette looked to her boyfriend standing next to them. "Adrien, please…" She choked out.

Adrien reached for Mr. Damocles. "Sir, I know Marinette…"

The principal held out a hand. He had had enough. "We cannot tolerate lies or thievery at this school. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you are hereby EXPLELLED!"

No one believed her. Marinette all but fell to the ground in grief.

xXx

"You were right, Volpina! I have never felt such negative energy! The downfall of this girl brings about the despair of everyone who trusted her! This is a perfect test group." Hawkmoth grabbed another akuma out of the air, infusing it with dark energy. "Are you ready?"

Volpina nodded. "More than ever!"

Hawkmoth placed the akuma into one of the ears of Volpina's costume. "You are now Catalyst. You show great dark promise. I give you the ability to boost powers." A dark aura washed over the girl, changing her into a new form. During this transformation, Hawkmoth turned to face the window. "Mayura, are you in position?"

Unbeknownst to the group inside the school, Mayura hovered just outside the window, spying on their little experiment. "I am, Hawkmoth. Everything is going as you had planned. That daft owl man is escorting the girl and her family out of the room. Now is the time!"

"Hawkmoth," He turned to face his newest creation. "I give you the power to release as many akumas as you desire. You are now, Scarlet Moth!" Catalyst infused his cane with red energy. Scarlet Moth quickly infected several akumas. He could not lose the opportunity to test his theory.

"Fly my akumas! Evilize them all!"

xXx

Marinette's heart had fallen as far as it could. She was being wrongly accused for something she didn't do; none of her friends believed her, except for Adrien; and to top it off, she was expelled! This day couldn't get any worse.

Her father opened the door to exit the locker room when it was flooded with angry red butterflies. It took everyone by surprise. There was no escaping this.

The akumas infected everyone. Those who had been akumatized before transformed into their former villains. Lady WIFI. Princess Fragrance. Reflecta. Timebreaker. Horrificator. Evillustrator.

Try as she might, Marinette couldn't avoid the creatures. One infected her bag. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one infect her mother's wedding ring. They stood at attention, ready to receive Hawkmoth's orders.

"Princess Justice, Verity Queen, my faithful followers. I am Scarlet Moth. The despair that fills you comes from losing the trust of those close to you. We will be performing several tests. Everyone please raise your right hand."

The group obliged.

"Now your left leg"

Several people kicked rather than lifted, knocking each other down.

"Very good. Everyone surround Princess Justice." The group menacingly blocked any exits for the girl.

"This concludes our tests. Thank you for your… cooperation. I will be seeing you all very soon."

The akumas left as quickly as they arrived. Marinette dropped to the floor, breathing heavily. She was aware of everything that had happened while Hawkmoth was in control. Adrien emerged from a locker that he had been able to hide in and ran to her side. The poor girl was trembling.

She had avoided becoming akumatized in the past, so this was the first time that she had experienced the sensation. It had been… cold. She was filled with so much fear, anger, and hopelessness. While her mind had been her own for the moment, she knew that if Hawkmoth had asked them to retrieve the Miraculous, she would have handed her earrings over without a second thought. It was enough to terrify her.

Adrien embraced her, trying to rub some warmth into her arms. He glanced around. "Hey. Where did Lila go?" Everyone looked for the girl.

"She's gone!" Rose exclaimed

"So's the necklace." Juleka mumbled.

She was right. Lila, the box, and the necklace had simply vanished. No one had seen her leave.

"This must have been some sort of setup, Mr. Damocles. I know that Marinette would never steal or lie about something like this." Adrien pleaded with the stunned principal. "Lila didn't even stick around."

"I suppose that you're right, young man." Mr. Damocles rubbed the back of his neck. He turned to Marinette's parents. "Your daughter is not expelled." He addressed the rest of the room. "Everyone go ahead and go home for the rest of the day. You have all been through much and deserve some rest. I will see you all tomorrow morning."

Marinette still sat numbly in Adrien's arms. He shifted to help her to stand. "Marinette?" She blinked away her haze. "Can you walk? We're taking you back home." She patted his chest.

"Yeah. That sounds good."

Students flooded the front steps of school. Many were happy with a sudden half day of school, completely unaware of what had happened with their classmates.

Adrien held an arm around Marinette's waist to help her down the stairs. He knew that she could take care of herself, but she had experienced something traumatic. She gladly accepted his help. Sabine and Tom walked ahead, telling them that they would prepare some snacks across the way at the bakery. The rest of the Miraculous Squad had already parted ways, needing to recover on their own.

Marinette hissed and stopped midway down the stairs. Adrien followed her gaze and saw Lila leaning against the wall adjacent to the stairs. He ground his teeth.

"Where did you disappear to Lila? How did you get away from the akumas? Why did you setup Marinette with your lies?" He spat.

The girl simply waved him off. "So many questions, model boy. But they'll all be answered in due time." Marinette straightened and lightly pushed Adrien away. He let her go, trusting that she knew what she was doing.

Marinette stood in front of Lila, her body still trembling. "I don't know what you're up to, Super Liar," He voice wobbled. "But Ladybug and Chat Noir will stop you."

"We'll see, Marinette." She patted her shoulder, like a parent would an annoying child. "We'll see". She sauntered off away from the couple.

The strength Marinette had summoned slipped away, sending her to the pavement. Adrien rushed to catch her. "Marinette!"

"I'm fine." She struggled to not tremble in his arms again. He helped her to her feet.

"What was that? Since when does Hawkmoth have that kind of power?" They stopped at the crosswalk to wait for the light.

"He doesn't. And this isn't like the power we've seen from Mayura. He's gathering an army." She looked at him worriedly. "I don't know if we'll be enough…"