Secrets and Betrayals

Chapter 6: Trouble With Alya

A/N: Yeah, some of you might find this chapter a little boring, because I'm really trying to set everything up for the action here. The next chapter will have slightly more action and with mostly be in the POV's of Hawkmoth and Chat Noir. Yay!

Trouble With Alya

The night was long and unforgiving. Marinette was restless, unable to sleep. So many thoughts pounded in her brain, swirling around and around. She wasn't sure what to do. When the first rays of sun shone through her window, she was positive that she had gotten maybe two hours of sleep at most.

"Marinette! Marinette!" she heard Alya's excited voice call as footsteps approached her bedroom. The trap door slid open and Alya's head popped up. "Your parents sent me to wake you up. And you won't BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT!"

Marinette groaned and pulled herself off of her bed. "What happened?" she asked while rubbing her eyes. Alya eyes her friend suspiciously.

"Mari, are you okay? Did you sleep in your clothes? You look really tired." Alya planted her hands on her hips firmly. Marinette resisted the urge to groan. Alya could be such a mother hen sometimes.

"I'm fine Alya. I stayed up late working on a project again," she lied, knowing that it was perfectly believable. "Anyway, what was so exciting you just HAD to rush over here and wake me up to tell me?"

"Omigosh, so I was at the Agreste mansion, and I was hoping that Ladybug would show up like I told you, so then she did, but she pushed away all of the news people," Alya waved her hands around happily to accent her story, "And then she came right up to ME! And she spoke to the Ladyblog viewers right through MY PHONE!" And then Alya squealed really loudly.

"Wow Alya, that's awesome!" Marinette congratulated her friend, while clapping her hands over her ears. "She really came right up to you?"

"YEEEEESSS! IT WAS THE BEST MOMENT OF MY-" suddenly Alya stopped abruptly and squinted her eyes. Marinette followed her gaze to the desk and gulped. She had left the notes from Chat on the desk last night.

"Uh, so Alya, what was it like seeing your hero so close? I bet it was super exciting!" Marinette babbled as she threw herself at the desk, swiping the notes smoothly off of it and hiding them behind her back.

"What are those?" Alya asked.

"Oh, just some designs I've been working on," Marinette chuckled nervously. Alya wasn't buying it.

"Can I see them?" she asked eagerly. Marinette panicked.

"Um, no. Because I-uh, want them to be....a surprise?" she finished weakly.

"Come on girl, let me see!" Alya insisted. She reached for the pieces of paper.

"No!" Marinette squealed as she jumped backwards. Unfortunately, she tripped over her math book. She let out a shriek as she fell backwards, flailing her arms wildly. The notes went flying into the air. She landed on the ground hard.

"What the heck?" Alya asked, shocked as she snatched up the ransom note. Her eyes narrowed as she read it and then examined the red paw print. "Where did you get this? Is this a ransom note for Adrien? From Chat Noir? WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK MARINETTE?"

"I can explain!" Marinette said, scrambling to her feet and stuffing the other note in her pocket. If Alya found the friendly note from Chat, she would find out that Marinette was Ladybug for sure.

"YOU HAD BETTER!" Alya fumed. "THIS IS BEYOND THE POINT OF CREEPY STALKING! ADRIEN WAS KIDNAPPED AND THIS IS A FREAKING RANSOM NOTE FROM CHAT NOIR!"