Adrien sat at his computer, turning the playing card over and over in his hands. His green eyes scanned over the information on his computer screens. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't get the damned thief out of his head. He had managed to talk the on duty officers into letting him keep the only scrap of evidence they had on the thief, though he suspected it was out of pity for his wounded pride that they allowed it. As soon as he made it back home, he detransformed and set out a platter of foul smelling cheese to appease his ever nagging kwami before setting to the Internet to scrounge up any little bit of information he could find on the mysterious girl. Turned out that he didn't need to dig very far.

He was right in his name for her. It seemed as though many others around the world had also taken to calling her Spades. There were many stories of priceless gems and artwork disappearing in the dead of night and being replaced with a playing card, always in the suit of Spades. Many also claimed to have laid eyes on the thief, but from what Adrien could tell, they were mostly tall tales. For starters, most of the stories depicted a man in a flowing cape fleeing the scene, and those that didn't merely said they saw a dark figure running off in the night.

"What's the big deal?" Plagg asked, floating just above Adrien's shoulder with a slice of camembert between his paws. He tossed the piece in his mouth and swallowed it so fast that Adrien had to wonder if he even tasted his meal. "It's not like she had an akuma with her."

"I almost wish she did," Adrien sighed. "She made a fool of me, Plagg. And I let her get away with it."

"So what? You make a fool of yourself as Chat all the time. And you stopped her from actually stealing, didn't you?"

Adrien frowned. "Still, though-"

"Look, whoever this chick is, it's obvious she's been doing this for awhile now. Probably even years. You and Ladybug barely have a year under your belts. You can't expect to beat a master thief on the first go."

The blond fiddled with the card again. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I am. I'm always right. Can I have more camembert, now?"

Adrien shook his head and shut down his computer. "I think you've had enough, tonight. Besides, I have school in the morning. We should really get some sleep."

The little cat's ears drooped. "But Aaaaadrieeeeennn. I'm starving! Absolutely famished!" The young model just rolled his eyes. For something supposedly eons old, his kwami acted way too much like a toddler.

Marinette was running late, like usual. The young designer had spent her night stitching and restitching a beret she was eager to complete. Tikki had to remind her of class several times over before the teen actually laid down to sleep. By then, it had been two in the morning. Now she was majorly regretting it. She bounded towards her classroom, skidding to a halt at the door and nearly crashing into the nearby wall. She had to juggle the box of treats she had brought to share with Alya before it hit the floor. The black-haired girl sighed in relief. None of her rose flavored macaroons were damaged by her clumsiness. She walked in, slowly, hoping the teacher wouldn't catch her coming in late. By some stroke of luck, her teacher had seemed to be running later than she was. Another sigh of relief escaped her. As she made her way to her desk, Marinette's eyes landed on her crush. Adrien looked like he had gotten very little sleep himself, hiding a yawn behind his hand. For the most part he talked quietly with his best friend, Nino, but he did spare her a quick glance, making her heart flutter. She gave him a shy wave as she went to sit down...

Only to find a girl she'd never seen before practically in her seat.

The stranger was bent at the waist over her half of the desktop, dark blue eyes staring intently at Alya. Her red-streaked platinum blond hair was pulled into a side ponytail that rested against her shoulder. She wore a blue and green tee over black capris, and her lips were painted a luscious red that popped against her porcelain skin. Marinette frowned. She couldn't help but wonder where this girl had come from, or why her supposed best friend was just letting her take over her spot. As she listened, however, it became pretty obvious the reason why. Alya was gushing over her favorite superhero.

"Girl, Ladybug is like the coolest person out there," the dark-skinned girl said. "I can't believe you haven't heard of her!"

The girl chuckled, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. "Well, I've heard rumors, but I didn't think she was actually real. Does she really have superpowers? "

"Of course she does! I've seen her stop a helicopter from crashing with a yo-yo! Plus she can pretty much fix anything in a flash. I've got a ton of footage of her in action, too! You should check out the Ladyblog, run by yours truly."

"Sounds awesome. You should totally text me the url."

Marinette politely cleared her throat, causing both girls to look at her. Alya grinned.

"Well, it's about time you got here! What happened? Sleep in again?"

The black-haired teen scratched her head bashfully. "Spent too much time on my latest project last night," she admitted. Her gaze turned to the girl still laying on her desk. "Um..."

The blonde suddenly stood. "Oh, sorry! This is your seat, isn't it?"

"Sorta kinda," Marinette said with a laugh.

"Marinette, this is Luna," Alya said, motioning to the blonde. "She just moved here from the Americas."

"It's nice to meet you," Marinette said. Luna mirrored her kind smile.

"Likewise."

"Uh, excuse me? Do you losers think you could move your little powwow somewhere else? It's getting to be an eyesore."

Marinette's mood suddenly soured. She turned a scathing gaze to the blonde behind her. Sure enough, Chloé sat in the front row, gnawing on her bubble-gum with an obnoxious sneer. The blackette opened her mouth to tell the rich brat off, but Luna beat her to the punch.

"I'm sorry, sweet cheeks, were we disturbing you?"

All eyes were on them as the room went quiet. Chloé sat a bit straighter, now glaring. "Come again?"

"It's a simple question, honey buns." Luna winked at the heiress, causing her to turn red in rage.

"Do you have any idea who I am?" She huffed and folded her arms acrossed her chest.

Luna gave her a sickeningly sweet smile. "No, not in the slightest. Now, ask me if I care. Oh, wait, no. I'd rather you not speak. Your voice is extremely grating."

Alya barely hid a small snicker while Marinette and Chloé's jaws dropped. The heiress tried to say something back, but all she managed to get out were a few grunts abd huffs. The rest of the class seemed to have similar reactions. Half of them murmured and giggled under their breaths, while others still watched Chloé warily, almost expecting her to spontaneously combust. Adrien's gaze shifted between the two girls as he leaned partway out of his seat. If things didn't calm down fast, he might very well have to break up a fight.

Thankfully, Ms. Bustier chose that particular moment to walk in. The tension in the room shifted, though it didn't disappear completely. Marinette finally took her seat next to an all to happy Alya. Luna made her way to the back of the class, settling in next to the quiet Nathaniel. Ms. Bustier gave Luna a brief introduction before beginning their lessons, and Adrien frowned at her last name. Galemore... why did that sound familiar? Nino noticed him deep in thought and gave him a light nudge.

"Dude, you alright?" He whispered low enough the teacher wouldn't hear them.

Adrien shook his head, more so to clear his thoughts than to give the dj an answer. "Galemore... I know I've heard that name before."

A cellphone suddenly appeared between them. Alya leaned forward, adjusting her glasses.

"Seems like our girl's just as famous as you, Agreste," she said with a smirk. Marinette leaned over her desk, too, curious about what the budding reporter had dug up. She fought a blush when she realized she could smell Adrien's shampoo from that position. He smelled sort of woodsy, and God did she love it. She shook the thought away and focused along with the other three on the article Alya had found.

The blogger was right; Luna had made quite a name for herself. She was the youngest daughter of world renowned actor, Michael Galemore. Her mother, Ellen, had made a name for herself as a rather successful lawyer, a career path the couple's eldest daughter, Autumn, had chosen to follow. That left Luna to follow in her father's footsteps. From an early age, she had taken on small acting roles in several plays and even a few lesser known movies, and though she had yet to make her big break, she had still managed to amass quite a following. Many of her fans had been disappointed to find out that the young actress was taking a break from the limelight to focus on her schoolwork, and of course several rumors had surfaced as to the reason why. Some thought she had gotten herself knocked up, others said she was in rehab, and some hopefuls believed she was preparing for a role that would officially land her in the public eye.

All of a sudden, Adrien remembered where he'd heard the name. Gabriel Agreste had been friends with Mr. Galemore for years. He even recalled a few occasions where his father had tried to set up a photo shoot with him and the youngest Galemore girl to help kickstart her career. The family had politely declined every offer.

Adrien stole a quick glance at the girl in the back row. He couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of her. His father held such a vice grip on his life that the mere thought of any sort of break from routine was unheard of. He had to plead and fight to even be able to attend public school, yet here was another teen cut from nearly the same cloth as him and given the freedom he could only dream of without so much as a fuss. He found himself staring at a spot on his desk, a cold emptiness welling in his chest. Was his luck really that bad?

He felt a shift in his shirt pocket. Whether Plagg had picked up on his chosen's inner turmoil or was just trying to find a better position to nap, Adrien couldn't tell. Still, he took a small comfort from the kwami's weight against his chest. Even if he still lived in a glittering cage as Adrien Agreste, he still had his freedom as Chat Noir. He still had his stolen moments with his beautiful and wondrous Ladybug. Not even his father could take that away. He took a deep breath, doing his best to imprint the comforting thought in his mind.

He was so wrapped up in his own head, he didn't notice the worrying gaze from the dark-haired girl sitting behind him.