Key:

"Normal Dialogue"

Thoughts, "This is Emphasis", or Dreams

"Dream Dialogue or Memory Dialogue"

"Radio or Recordings Dialogue"

Disclaimer: Own nothing except for the plot and my little ideas.

Chapter 6: Snitching

It took a while for Allen to get back to where the group was staying but he did. And thankfully for everyone there, he brought food for them. Of course, Lavi pouted, stating that it was his job to supply them with food. Other than that there were no complains. Some confusion from Allen though, when he saw that there was more food in the bag than he had claimed to have ordered. They all were able to happily go to sleep with full stomachs. Of course in the night, they encountered some chilling issues.

Lou Fa sat awake in the night. Her hair loose and free from their usual hair ties. She was curled in on herself while trying to keep herself warm with the sheet. Of course, the only other warm body that was close to her was only a tiny gap away. But it would be weird to just cuddle up next to him. As much as she desired it and as much as she fantasized about it, there was no way she would survive cuddling him. Warmth be damned. What if I did and he instantly pushed me away?! Or thought I was throwing myself at him!? She wouldn't be able to be around him if that was the case.

Goosebumps crawled up her skin as she tried to tighten herself into a ball. Why the hell is it so cold!? The balcony doors were closed and locked. Any windows were tightly sealed. So why was it so cold? The chilly night air was just seeping into the walls and fazing through the sheet that she held onto for dear life. She let out a quiet sigh and looked at her companion. He was sleeping like an angel. His hair falling in just the right places and seemingly shining like a beacon. His face was still and content. His jacket was open and wrinkled upon his chest. Oh, how she wished she could go to sleep every night by his side and wake up to him every morning. The only thing separating her from him was her anxiety and common decency.

What if he was disgusted at the thought of cuddling for warmth with her? They were not in a relationship, so there was no way he could be okay with it. She'd rather freeze to death than ruin any chance she had with the boy. But how will I know if I don't try? That confident part of her whispered. How would she truly know? It would be so easy for her to slide closer. But-! I'm a natural cuddlier! What if he's not and wakes up and thinks I was trying to make a move on him?! Which she was but wasn't because this was about getting warmth not love…But still, the temptation was there.

A chill ran up her spine and she accidentally let a small squeak out. With her body shaking, she quietly scooted closer to her angel companion. She didn't get far before her face lit up and she rolled away from him. NO! What am I thinking!? This is nuts! Another shiver and she found herself scooting back towards the man. Again she rolled away in embarrassment. If her friends saw her now they would never let her live this down. She took a deep breath. One more time. If I can't do it, then freezing is the only option! She rolled back over and slid towards her target. This time she got close enough to feel the warmth generating off of him while still being a decent-well a not so decent centimeter or a few away. Okay, this will have to do. Of course, it could be better but she will celebrate the little miracles in life.

A yawn formed on her lips and she covered her mouth. The exhaustion finally caught up to her. She let her eyes droop and slide close. Unaware of two silver orbs peeking at her in amusement. She felt one last shiver before slipping into the darkness. Where her dreams and wishes awaited.

She awoke again when a scream pierced into the darkness. Her eyes snapped open, she was found herself laying on top of a comfy bed. The blankets were bundled close to her and she felt so warm. It was like she was in heaven. She glanced up and found that her bed was a canopy bed. With a curved canopy. The bed's frames were red with yellow accents. It looked elegant yet familiar. She glanced around the room. The room's color scheme was similar to the bed. Red and yellow was everywhere. As well as some brown and tiny spots of green.

Across from the bed was a fairly tall dresser. It was a crimson red with a black circle in the middle. The circle had handles attached to it. Next to the dresser was a curved doorway that was covered by a sparkling yellow sheet. Adjacent to that doorway was a brown hexagonal stool that sat in front of a rectangular desk. The desk had an upside down cone shape on it. Opposite of it was a skinny cylinder that was tilted away from the stool. Without a second thought, she knew that the cone held ink and that the skinny cylinder opposite of it held a brush.

She rose from her bed and crawled to the edge. Her feet hung off the edge. She spied a pair of slip-ons. She hopped down and, as if it was routine, slipped into a pair of black slip-ons. The shoes were bright blue with black trims. Her feet slipped in comfortably. She sprang off the bed and ran across the floor to the doorway. She pulled the curtain back and stepped through. It led her to a hall that was pitch black save for candlelight at the end of the corridor. She walked along and suddenly everything clicked into place. She knew what this place was and she knew what would come next. Still, Lou Fa walked along, hearing metal move and labored breathing.

The light grew closer and when she crossed the threshold, her eyes laid upon a small table with glasses and bowls on it. A young woman was flat against the opposite wall. The woman was dressed in shiny fabrics. Her eyes were round and bright blue. Her hair was long, curly, and pitch black. Not like her own. She looked disheveled. Her hair was sticking out all over the place. Her clothes, while expensive looking, were ripped and falling off her shoulder. Her eyes were blown wide in terror. In front of her was a large, grey balloon type of figure. Cylinders stuck out of its body and were pointed at the woman.

Everything flew by like a blur. The woman turned her way and was even more horrified. The beast noticed her distraction and turned her way. The women let out a shout as the cylinders aimed at herself. Still and scared, the woman took action and ran towards her. There were loud bangs and crashes that came after. Lou Fa was pushed across the room near another door. The women in front of her now laid on her stomach with her arm outstretched. Suddenly black stars crawled up her arm and covered her face. She hardened like a rock and crumbled like sand.

Metal on metal movement made the girl tear her eyes away and up at the beast that aimed her way once again. Tears welled up in her eyes as her mind chanted. RUN! RUN! RUN! She listened to the words and stumbled up towards the door behind her. A brown door with a golden sheet in place of a handle. On it was a cat and ladybug engraved into it. She didn't have time to think about where she had seen the door at all. There was a loud click as she pushed on the door. It the door lead to more darkness but this time she fell in. Screams clawed her throat and pushed passed her lips. Her hair waved wildly around her in her decent.

As if luck was on her side, she landed on a pile of plush toys. Everything from large rubber balls to stuffed animals and objects. She had to force herself up, her heart pounding in her rib cage. Around her, for miles, was a floor that was black and white checkered pattern. Children's toys littered everywhere. Everything from ancient to things she had never seen in her life. Off in the distance were large silhouette structures. Most were tall and slender but one was curved like a horse's head. Another had a cross on top the crown of its head. For a minute everything was calm. Everything was safe. Her heart could peacefully get down from its chaotic beating. Her hands could stop trembling. So, she let her guards down. A mistake.

She felt a sharp pinch in her neck followed by painful biting sensations. She reacted by grabbing the thing that was hurting her. However, it didn't pull away. So, she twisted her head and pulled on the thing. Only to stop short. Perched like a bird on a branch was those death butterflies. And it was eating her away. Eating at her skin. Blood trickled down her shoulder and arms. Another scream ripped it's self from her throat as she pulled and pulled on the bug. She successfully tore it away, crushing it in the process. Another noise reached her ears. Flapping noises. Butterflies.

Desperate, she pushed herself up, her hand pressed tight to her wound, and ran. Stumbling over toys as she went. As she ran, the horizon seemed to get further and further away. The world seems to stretch out and it was becoming increasingly difficult to dodge toys. Her bad luck showed up at the worst time when she tripped over a pink bunny rabbit and was sent flying to the floor. Or at least what she thought was the floor. The pattern seemed to grow as she fell and she found herself falling in a black square. This time she didn't fall for a while and instead instantly hit the water. Sinking into a deep and dark void, she was forced to hold her breath.

Lou Fa turned her chocolate eyes towards the surface. All she saw was a blackish blue darkness above her. However, her instincts ordered her to swim upward and that's what she did. As she swam, the dark world around her started to get lighter and lighter. Until she saw white above her. Mistaking it for light, she swam faster and reached her hand out. Instead of breaking the surface she hit the cold ice.

No!

No! No! NO!

Trapped, the Asian pounded her fist against the ice. The water slowing her movements dramatically. Her heart was beating like a drum. Panic engulfed her as she tried to break it. In her panicked haze, she noticed and failed to identify a figure standing on the other side of the ice. Looking down yet not down at her. Her efforts tripled as she tried to get the being's attention. Why wasn't it looking at her? Did it not see her?

The figure straightened and turned away. No! Don't go! She looked around her and saw a pillar of light shining through the water. An opening. She quickly swam towards it like her life depended on it. Once she was close, she quickly hoisted herself up and out of the water. The first thing she did was cough violently and try to fill her lungs with air once again. Water rolled off her hair and clothes. Sticking to her skin and making them heavy. In her weak state, she looked up and gasped. Only to be sent in a coughing fit.

In front of her was a large mirror. In it was a young woman. Or at least a figure of one. She was merely a ghostly white silhouette with pitch black hair. The thing that made her silhouette odd was the white fur like shape around her neck. If she had to explain it, she would say that the woman looked like she was going to disappear. Like she was semi-permanent. The only color she saw on the woman's black and white color scheme was the ornament in her hair. It was golden and a white tassel at the end. Lou Fa took note that the women's hair had to have been long. It was styled up into a bun that held the ornament but her bangs were long and cut into three sections. Two pieces that framed her face and one that went straight through it.

The woman gave her a motherly smile. She reached out and pressed her white hand against the glass. Lou Fa pulled herself up onto the ground, which was submerged in about two centimeters of water. Shakenly, she stood up and hunched herself over. Trying desperately to catch her breath. Her hands on her knees as she tried to steady her racing heart. Once she was somewhat calmed down, Lou Fa lifted her head up at the woman and saw that, from her perspective, the woman's bangs cased a shadow over her eyes.

She straightened her form and walked towards the mirror. The scientist placed her hand on its surface and over the other's palm. The woman lifted her head and Lou fa gasped again. She wore a familiar silver mask but her eyes were merely two black voids with long lashes. The woman tilted her head slightly, her eyes slightly narrowed, and her smile widened. Suddenly, she watched as the other's fingers turned slightly and snapped forward. Locking her hand in her iron grip. The woman's gloved fingers were now pitch black and seemed to be oozing like a gelatinous liquid substance. Lou Fa shrieked and tried to rip her hand away. Instead, she was pulled forward into the glass. She passed through seamlessly but was stopped halfway. The woman's smile turned sinister as it stretched on her face. She released her hand but she was not free yet. For the lady relocated it to her neck. On instinct, her own hands flew towards the own that trapped her neck. She tried to pry it off but her nails just scrapped against her.

The lady leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Imposters hide in plain sight. Never Forgive. Never Forget."

Suddenly, she was violently thrown back out of the mirror. She assumed that she would fall back into the cold water but instead, she came to a harsh stop. It felt like everything had stopped. She was bombarded with three different sensations all at once. The first sensation she felt was a chill in her body. Like her limbs had been frozen from standing in the winter air for too long. The next one that she could pick out was a gradual warmth that grew into a flame on her chest. Followed by intense sharp pain and something wet that left a burning trail down her chest. She coughed and the fire ran down the side of her mouth and dripped off her chin.

Shakenly, she lifted her head towards the reflection and saw a white hand sticking out of the woman's chest. It had little cracks over it that made it look like porcelain and was dripping in crimson blood. Over the woman's shoulder was a man. With a creepy smile stretched on his face. (The edges of the mirror started to crack). He was of average height. His hair was dark and spiked up. His eyes were golden like the woman's but with deadly slits. (The cracks spread in towards the reflection). Across his forehead were seven crosses. A sign of the Order's foe, a Noah.

His lips moved, forming the words, "Good Night."

The cracks cut through the image of the man. Dividing his image up into pieces. Yet it was strange. Each piece was different. Some were normal but others showed a different person. Half his face was suddenly porcelain white with dark red sclera with eerie light green irises. The only things that were the same were his stance and grin. Wait…if that's my reflection then…Her eyes trailed down to her chest and she saw exactly what she had feared.

i'm dying.

he killed me.

The realization nearly made her throw up. There was nothing she could do. It was all over for her. Tears spilled out of the edges of her eyes. And I didn't get to tell Allen how I feel. After that, every sound around her turned into white noise and the scene in front of her started to crumble. Inside the static, she heard a scream. The scream seemed to be getting louder and syncing perfectly with the white noise. She didn't realize until later that the scream was resonating from her. Her focus was on the pain that was in her chest. Through the static, another voice pierced through.

"Lou Fa!"

I'm DyInG!

hE kIlLeD Me!

"Lou Fa! You need to wake up!"

Suddenly it felt like her whole body was being shaken. Which was odd since she hadn't felt herself move. Suddenly, the hand that had ran through her was violently pulled out. The scientist watched her "reflection" and felt herself fall forward. Her eyes closing and engulfing her in total darkness.

I'm Dead. He Killed US.

Lou Fa's eyes shot open and connected to silver pools that were filled with worry. She felt something wet running down the sides of cheeks while her eyes felt puffy and itchy. It took her a moment to realize her surroundings. Opposite from last night, she was warm. In fact, there was warmth all around her. It was comforting and safe. And it was resonating from the one person who took her breath away. When did this happen!? She was being held upright in Allen's arms. If she wasn't so shaky then she would've fainted right there.

"Hey." she heard him address her in a soothing voice. Don't do that. I'll end up melting right here. "It's alright. You're alright now."

She let herself relax against him. Leaning her head on his chest as his hands ran through her hair. The girl tried to relax her breathing. It seemed to work so far. Briefly, she closed her eyes but images from the dream flashed behind her eyelids. Snapping them back open, she glanced around the room and took note of the absence of Lavi and Kanda.

"W-Where-?" she silently cursed her shaky and hoarse voice.

"Oh…Kanda wanted to scout out the area and Lavi…well he went with him. Something about documenting our location."

"O-Oh." she chuckled softly. "I hope they don't cause any trouble."

At that Allen laughed and she swore a part of her died of happiness. "Knowing them, it's likely." the scientist giggled. She felt more relaxed now. That was just the power of Allen Walker. Always knew how to put a smile on others faces. Yet never asked for help for any problems he had. She held back a sigh. The woman wanted to be that person for the exorcist. To be someone he can confide in. A friend or…maybe something more. She wanted to be that person to help soothe his pain like he does for everyone else. To put a genuine smile on his face. Wipe away his tears. Comfort him after a nightmare. Just to be there for him. To be that one person he can rely on.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she heard him ask.

She already knew what he was referring to. At the memory, her eyes started to burn and she felt a lump develop in her throat. Forcefully, she swallowed and buried her face in the exorcist's chest. She shook her head from side to side and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"No…It was just- I." she felt her face heat up. "Can we just…stay like this for a moment…please?" she cursed at how pathetic she sounded.

"Of course."

BEEP BEEP BEE-!

Marinette rolled over onto her side and grasped her phone. With a tap, she successfully turned her alarm off, temporarily. She thanked her lucky stars that she had remembered to turn it on. Her tired eyes took a glance at the time.

It's only…6:30. I just a little longer.

The hero sighed and rolled back over on her loft bed. Her bluebell eyes fluttered closed. She felt something soft land on her head and curl in her hair. She smiled, thinking it to be her kwami. Just as she was about to fall back into slumber, something tickled her nose. Marinette scrunched her nose up and softly blew the disturbance away, believing it to be hair. However, it stayed and she was getting annoyed. It brushed against her nose once again and she brought her hand up and batted it away. Success. She was ready to go back to her dreamland when she felt it brush against her nose again.

A groan escaped her and she opened her eyes to see what it was. Imagine her surprise, when she saw a long golden wing hanging in front of her face. She gasped and the wing shot up and out of her face. So last night wasn't a dream then! She sprang up and the weight on her head flew off of her. The golden snitch she had the pleasure of finding last night was really here. It wasn't just a dream.

It hovered in front of her. "Ah…um…hey?" It said nothing, as usual, and instead gave her a shark grin. Creepy.

"Marinette! You're up early." the squeak of her friend diverted her attention. She saw Tikki floating over the loft's metal railing. A smile on her face as usual. "Are you planning on getting something to eat? You usually never wake up this early."

"Well yeah, I guess the fact that I didn't go on patrol because of this thing helped." she held her hand in front of her mouth and yawned.

As if it knew she was referring to it, its tail flicked back and forth as it's grin grew. She gazed at it with interest. I wonder…if this creature if is an acquaintance of 'Allen' then could it have a name? Is it like his pet? "Hey Tikki, what should I call it? I can't just call it a ball or those things in the famous Harry Potter series."

She gave it a thought. "We could ask it."

"But it can't talk."

"Yeah, but it does show recorded footage so may-" Marinette zoned out as she realized something important. This ball can record video and audio. How? She did not know. But what she did know was that it probably was recording this whole time. And if it did go back to those supers then they could find out her identity. "-Speaking of footage, it could have seen where those people went to. We could have it lead us to them!"

Panic filled her head. She could NOT let this thing go back to those supers. There was no way she could do such a thing. She didn't even know if they were the "good guys" or not. Sure they purified an Akuma but what if it was all an act set up by their nemesis? No, the first thing she needed to do was get it to reveal who and what those people were. That was a tough job in itself. She had tried to get it to show her more of the clip, but it hadn't budged. She even said Dinnertime over and over. In hopes of seeing something new. It only showed her that small clip that she had seen. It got to the point where she could almost recite the whole dialogue.

"Marinette?"

"huh!? Sorry, I just spaced out!" she laughed awkwardly.

The girl knew that her kwami would disapprove of not using the creature to find those people because she was afraid. But she had good reason! Who knows who they really were?! She convinced herself that she was being cautious. The girl gazed at her clock. Might as well get up. The heroine went through her usual morning routine. Stare with a lovesick sigh at Adrien's photos, get dressed, brush teeth, do hair and makeup, etc. However, what she usually didn't do was try to keep a squishy animal in her room.

The creature tried to come with her. Like hell, she was going to do such a thing. What would people think if they saw a magical flying ball in her possession? She could hear Chloé accusing her of being a witch already. Besides, what if it escaped? Then I would be ruined! To retaliate, the thing attacks her dolls again. Which she wasn't as worried about. However, once it wordlessly threatened her Adrien pictures, she gave in.

That was how Alya, as well as her mother, found her when she came to get her that morning. With an irritated yet defeated expression with a squishy "snitch" in her arms. Her mom only giggled.

"Are you going to see who your secret admirer is, sweetheart?"

"M-maman!"

Her friend's glasses shined as she pushed them up. A wicked grin on her face. "So Mari-bear has a secret admirer? Well then! Let's use this toy to sniff them out! Who knows it could be a certain…model boy."

A blush crawled up her face. "Okay! I'm going now!" she stomped towards the exit with a snickering Alya behind her.

The girl unconsciously held the "stuffed animal" closer as she fantasized about her crush being her secret admirer. How lucky would that make her? Unbelievably lucky. She held back a lovesick sigh when she saw Alya grinning her way. She saw her friend's eyes trail down to the "toy". The blogger's grin faded as she inspected it. Oh no! Has she figured it out!?

"I've never seen a stuffed animal fashioned this way before. And I should know I have crazy younger sisters."

"O-Oh. Yeah."

"Stuffed animals usually have eyes or something, but this thing doesn't" she reached out to poke it but Marinette panicked and twisted her body away. The whole lie would be gone if she felt the squishy things surface. Stuffed animals usually were soft and furry but this thing had a smooth and rubbery surface.

"Attached to it already I see?" Alya teased.

"Yep! I even got a name for it!" She mentally swore. Damn her and her impulse to lie.

Her best friend rose an eye. "I didn't take you as the type to name dolls. Then again you do have all those stuffed dolls in your room."

"Hey! I made those for Manon…and for fun." she mumbled that last part to herself.

"So what's the thing's name?"

"Uh…it's-" her eyes whipped to her surroundings. Her mind chanting for some luck that will help get her through this lie. Cars went by. Signs offered nothing. Not even a newspaper vendor title gave her ideas. I need a serious lucky charm for th-

"Mom!" A boy whined. "I wanna go home!"

"Timothy, We just have to make one more stop."

The boy let out a groan. "But we've already been to like 15 places, mom!"

"Three." the mother corrected.

Marinette's eyes flickered to another scene of two grown men talking. "Did you see that video from the Ladyblog, Tim? That was so fucked up."

"Yeah, I don't know about these new heroes. The way they do things is too violent."

Another sound reached her ears. It resonated from the alley that was ahead of them. The voice was more subtle and quiet yet it stood out from it's extremely fake happy tone. It sounds so familiar. "I wonder where Timcanpy went. Don't you, Yuu-chan?!"

"I will cut you."

"Marinette?" she toned back into her conversation.

"His name is Tim!" The being's wings twitched and it perked up in her arms. She prayed that Alya didn't notice. Thankfully she didn't notice.

"Tim? Doesn't look like a Tim to me. More like a snitch." the girl giggled.

"Yeah…"

"Well! Let's find the boy who gave Tim to you!" Alya marched on while Marinette followed after her.

The hairs rose on her neck as they got closer to the alleyway. The voices resonating from it grew louder. So much so that even Alya heard.

"What do you think Allen and Lou Fa are doing?"

"Who cares?"

"I do! I bet you that they're enjoying themselves!" the way the male voice said that was highly suggestive that it made Marinette burst into full-on blush.

A quiet gasp sounded in front of her. She stared at Alya who suddenly raced up to edge of the entrance with her phone in hand. Already recording. Jesus Christ. Marinette hurried to her friends side.

"Alya what-" she whispered but was cut off by her friend holding a finger in front of her mouth. The universal sign of be quiet. Her friend pointed at the entrance and looked back inside. The secret hero held back a sigh and followed the girl's lead. Peeking her head into the entrance, she saw those new "supers". The ball wiggled in her arms and she tightened her grip. No no no no! Alya crouched in front of her. Her phone screen was showing the duo talking.

"Man, this place is amazing! Don't you agree?" the pirate exclaimed swinging around a small brown bag in his hand. She recognized the symbol as the one from her family bakery.

The Asian just glared at him and made a noise of disapproval. "No, the people here are weird. They keep pointing flat pieces of metal at us and screaming. It's annoying."

"It's not so bad! So far the food is great!" he lifted the bag as if to gesture to it. The other said nothing to that. The two fell into a suddenly tense silence. The pirate's smile was wiped away. "It's starting to sink in. The fact that we can't leave this place."

The man scoffed. "We just need the Moyashi to open another gate."

"But you heard him, the gate shattered and he tried all last night to reopen it."

"Well, he needs to try harder." the man spoke with an agitated tone while the other sighed.

"I wonder how freaked out everyone is back at The Order. They'll probably give Allen a hard time if—when we get back." Suddenly the pirate's attitude swung back into being Happy-go-lucky. Odd. "Awww! Now I'm getting homesick! Comfort me Yuu!"

"Screw yourself." 'Yuu' deadpanned and began to walk away.

"But Yuu!" the redhead followed after him.

Marinette wondered over the questions that now formed in her mind. What was The Order? What gate are they talking about? What do they mean they can't leave? Where are they from? Are they aliens? Before she could go further on her thought, she saw her bestfriend start to follow after the maniacs. In a panic, she grasped the blogger's wrist. Successfully stopping her.

"What are you doing?!" She stressed.

"What does it look like? I'm getting answers!"

The secret hero shook her head. "Are you insane? We still don't know if they are the good guys, Alya! What if they catch you and you get hurt?"

"I'll be fine! Besides, they sound like they're lost or stuck. And who better to help them than a Parisian citizen? For a price of course." Alya grinned.

"No, Alya. You can't—They can't be…" the girl hesitated. "They can't be trusted."

"Have they done anything to make you not trust them?"

"Oh! Well, let's see. Stabbed an akumatized victim, jumped off Notre Dame with a civilian, broke public property…" she trailed off.

"True…but they helped Ladybug and Chat Noir, that has to count for something!"

She just shook her head. "It's not that simple. Even Ladybug looked to be distrustful of them. You saw how they argued."

"One-sidedly." the girl added.

Yeah, he didn't even pay attention to what I had to say! How rude! "L-Let's just get to the school and help find my…" she nearly choked. "My secret admirer. From what we gathered they won't be able to leave here for a while. So they aren't going anywhere." she hoped her reasoning would work. It took a minute before her bestfriend gave a sigh of defeat and put her phone away. Marinette smiled at her corporation and together they made their way to the school. For once the heroine was not late to her classes. It was a true miracle. Of course, all good things have to come to an end.

"What is that?" she heard the snotty voice of her archenemy sneer in disgust. The blonde's perfectly, expensive, manicured finger pointed towards the ball—Tim.

"It's a stuffed animal, Chloé." Alya glared.

"Animal? It looks like garbage. Where did you get it? A dumpster on a dirty alley? How pathetic, I knew you were poor but not desperate." Marinette wanted to punch the girl in her caked make up face but held it back. She was in public and something like that, no matter how necessary, can not happen like that.

"Someone gave it to me." she lied.

"Who?"

"Why do you care? Jealous that you don't have your own?" Alya placed her hands on her hips.

The girl flipped her hair with a huff. "Me? Jealous of her? You must be mistaken. I get gifts such as stuffed animals everyday! I am the most loved person in Paris."

Alya and Marinette both rolled their eyes at that. Ha, yeah right. There were a number of akumas and people who disagreed with that statement strongly. The Chinese Parisian's bestfriend scoffed at Chloé and grabbed her wrist, leading her away from the cliché queen bee. The blogger's annoyance, Marinette noticed, came from not going after the new 'supers'. Of course, the girl had reasons for not letting her friend go after them other than the one that compromised her secret. She didn't lie when she said that they could not trust them. So having her bestfriend encounter them, when they are dangerous, would be a bad idea. Who knew what they would do to Alya.

The next person to question Tim came from the blogger's boyfriend, part-time DJ and aspiring director, Nino Lahiffe along with his bestfriend, Adrien Agreste. The former gave her a puzzled expression as he pointed towards the ball.

"What's with the toy? Did you make it?" This time Alya stepped in to answer for her.

With a wicked grin, she spoke in a low and playful tone. "Oh no. This is a gift from Marinette's Secret Admirer…know anything about that?" that last question was directed towards Adrien the most. Her crush did the oddest thing ever when she said that. His eye twitched as if he was irritated or angry for a moment before it was washed away. Wha-? In it's place was his famous model smile. It caused her to frown.

"No. I wonder who it's from!"

Alya gave the boy a Cheshire-like grin. "You sure you don't know anything about it?"

The blonde rose an eyebrow and shook his head, "No. If I did, I would help you guys find them."

At that, the girl deflated while Marinette gave a sigh. Of course, the boy wouldn't know. There is no admirer after all. Still, she had to act like she was upset about it whenever Alya asked. It was just another one of the many lies that she told her best friend. One of these days, she'll catch onto my lies. Hopefully, that day was not today. The group changed subjects as they made their way to class. After many miscellaneous subjects, they finally landed on the popular subject that week, She felt the ball in her hand tense when Alya mentioned the supers. Especially the one super's name.

"Wait—So his name is Allen?" Nino questioned.

"Yeah, if you couldn't gather that from the loud scream of his girlfriend saying his name." Alya replied with sarcasm.

"Sounds English to me. Maybe he's American or British." Adrien offered.

The girl's mind wandered back to what her mother retold during dinner. How the boy looked lost and unsure of how to use the Euro. It would make sense if he were American or British. According to her mother, he was very polite that she almost didn't think he was real. She then reminded the young hero that she shouldn't stare at people like how she did. For it was rude. Of course, she couldn't help it. What else did maman say?

"I wonder if their parents know what they did? They're probably worried."

"Or angry."

Their parents or guardian figures must be furious or scared for their kids. Maybe not for 'Bakanda' but for Allen and Lavi—was it? And that girl. She tried to think of the possibility that maybe their parents were part of this "Order" they briefly spoke of. And how the albino was going to get in trouble way more than the rest of them. She wondered why that would be so. Could he have done something to make them distrustful of him? Did he have a record of being bad or something? Or was it something way worse than that? Or it could not be worse at all…A silly theory bubbled in her head at that.

"What if that boy, Allen, parents are the leader of the organization they spoke of?" she blurted the thought out on accident.

The trio gave her a puzzled look that made her blush in embarrassment. Alya, however, looked to be considering it. "It could be the case."

"Wait, what organization?" Nino questioned.

"Oh yeah! Hold on!" Alya pulled her phone out and played the footage she got. While the ball in her arms squirmed a little.

Marinette's eyes found Adrien and she watched as he and his friend examine the video. She held back a lovesick sigh as she stared at him. How can a boy be so perfect? She watched as he looked at Alya and began to talk. Her world seemed to slow and narrow. Only focusing on him. His hair seemed to sparkle like gold and his eyes glisten like stars. How perfect would it be for them to direct their undivided attention to her? As his mouth moved, she let herself think of what his lips would feel like on hers. How his arms would feel wrapped around her frame. Maybe it would be warm and safe.

"Maybe he has a strict father and they don't get along. Maybe the man has high expectations of him and he tries and tries to make him proud, but the man never notices and-"

"Dude, are you okay? You're projecting again." She saw Nino place a hand on Adrien's shoulder. Breaking her from her lovesick daze.

"Yeah sorry, just a rough morning." Adrien replied with a sheepish grin.

Alya butted in, "Then~! Let's get ourselves some hot chocolate later. Marinette makes the meanest coco. Right, Mari?"

"Huh? O-Oh. Yeah! Coco. Mean! I mean…I angry make chocolate hot-! NO, wait! I mean…I…ugh." she sighed.

"Then it's settled! After school!" Alya quickly saved her from further embarrassment.

And so her day went without any trouble. Not even a peep from a potential Akuma. It was strange. She expected Hawkmoth to jump at any chance to turn someone. However, when she saw Chloé send a fellow classmate running and crying. She was pleasantly surprised and suspicious when she saw said classmate return. Their eyes dry and looking happy. Of course, her luck ended when Lunch rolled it's delicious head around. The four of them sat together as usual. Each with their own lunch. The other three had already started to smash down on theirs. While Marinette was hesitant to let go of Tim. Would it fly away and expose her?

"Marinette? Ya gwyng ta eat?" Nino questioned with his mouth full.

"Uh…well." she pulled Tim closer and looked downward toward it. She couldn't trust it to stay still.

"Oh—" Alya gulped down a chuck of food. "—Were you planning to find your mystery person now? Since everyone is here and it would be—!" A loud thumping sound cut her off. Marinette snapped her head up towards the source and was surprised to see that it came from Adrien of all people.

His canned drink was flat on the table and spilling it's contents over the table. The boy seemed shocked by the fact that it slipped from his hands. With a sheepish smile, he picked up the can and his eyes flicked up. For a moment, their eyes met. It was like time froze. It was like Ben Franklin with a key and a kite. It felt electric. Yet at that moment, the can slipped from his grasp again and spilled the rest of his drink over his hand. The connection was broken and he was back to trying clean up the mess.

He shook his hand and gave the group a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

Marinette set Tim down without a second thought and pull out a handkerchief from her purse. It was pink, black, and white like most of her personal possessions. And like all of them, it held a black cursive M that stood for her name. She held it out to Adrien and blushed. It's just like in a fairy tale, where the princess gives her handkerchief to the prince that rescues her. Her "prince" graciously took the cloth with a blinding smile and proceeded to dry his hand with it. She held back a sigh. How perfect ca- Her thought was cut of by a loud shriek.

The whole group snapped their heads to the sound and gasped as they saw Chloé on her feet with a lunch container in her hands. The container was empty, save for the crumbs that decorated the container's walls. "Who ate my Chouquettes!?"

Another shout sounded across the room. This time it was Rose. "My Quiche!"

Then again with another scream. More people yelled out. Surprised and infuriated at their missing food items. It ranged from missing croissants to tarts. From pastries to hot spicy lunches. Whatever was stealing their food did not discriminate. Suddenly, she heard Nino swear across from her. He was looking down at his-now empty box of baked potatoes. That were smothered in butter and still were piping hot. Her eyes found Adrien's plate. His can was now bitten in half and if there was any remaining liquid left, then it was long gone. His lunch, which used to be Curry Chicken Crêpes, was also gone. Save for a few crumbs. The model was gawking at the sight and Marinette felt her stomach lurch. She quickly looked at Alya and found the same situation. Raspberry Tarts that she had gotten from her bakery, now gone.

Suddenly she felt a weight on her lap. She cranked her head downward and found Tim on her lap. Just happily munching away. Crumbs of every kind of color were decorating his cheeks. I didn't know it needed to be fed. Was one of her first thoughts. The second was a loud wailing scream. As quick as a cat, she grabbed the golden orb and jumped from her seat. Her friends looked at her and she blurted out an excuse.

"I need to go the bathroom!" without any warning, she booked it. She ran like an akuma was on her heels.

Her shoes clicked against the ground in a musical rhythm as she took herself away from the scene. Instead of the bathroom, her legs carried her out the front doors and to the nearest hiding spot. An alley way. There she let Tim hover in front of her as she went to work scolding it.

"Listen here! You don't just go around eating other peoples food! If you were hungry you should've said- I mean done something other than that!" she scolded.

The orb tilted itself downward looking ashamed. The ball's stunt made her wonder again what exactly it was. It records like a phone or camera but acts like an animal. Could it be some advanced Kwami? At that thought, she gasped. Did I take "Allen's" Kwami?! Oh my god! He'll definitely come looking for him!

"Okay…this is fine…" she mumbled to herself. The trick was to get it to stay for as long as possible. That meant giving it food that it loved like how she did with Tikki. Her mind ran over any food ideas. The hardest part was that it couldn't talk, so she had no way of knowing what to make it. Suddenly an idea clicked in her mind. She snapped of her fingers, "That's it! After school! I'll make all those dishes the pirate mentioned and see if you like those! I'm sure since he is an acquaintance of your holder then he must know what foods you like!" Flawed logic but logic none the less.

She heard a gasp and her eyes widen. Marinette cranked her head towards the source and found a man standing at the entrance with a wine bottle in his hand. It was too early for drinks, so she assumed that he must've liked alcohol a lot for him to drink this early. An alcoholic maybe? She quietly judged. The man looked shocked beyond believe and that's when it clicked. Wait…floating golden ball that looks like a snitch. Oh no. She plucked Tim from the air before turning tail and running away again. This time she was unaware of the man gazing at his drink before pouring it out onto the sidewalk. That day she unknowingly helped push in motion a stop to a dangerous habit.

This chapter was 11k...11k. So, I split it mostly in half because that is just...too much. So here is the first half.

Ciao-su~