Welcome to my new book and hope you all enjoy!!

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   She could remember it started about a year and a half ago. Those were the dark times. A drought of ideas swept the poor girl's brain which many fashion designers feared.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng had designer's block.

   She paced back and forth in front of a park bench that contained her sketch pad, ready for new designs to fill the pages. Yet, no inspiration had struck the teen.

Her world was falling apart! Just like her, after tripping on a root that stuck out from the ground. The bluenette tumbled into the bushes behind a tree and into a small, private opening.

The girl sighed and grumbled about her clumsiness before sitting up. At the right moment, a glare shined into her bluebell eyes. She moved slightly out of the way of the glare to see a jar with a folded piece of paper and a pencil inside.

She blinked a couple times in confusion before picking up the jar.

"What is this?" Marinette asked herself, hopefully knowing that there would be no reply. She unscrewed the top and set the lid aside then reached inside. Her fingers pulled the slip of paper out and unfolded it. Scribbled on the white canvass, a note read:

Want to be my pen pal? :)

Yes No

Marinette reread the question over and over again. It seemed like a silly thing or maybe even dangerous but...it also seemed intriguing. Without a second thought, Marinette reached into the jar to retrieve the pencil and with a little hesitation, she circled 'Yes'.

   The teen visited the park everyday after school out of curiosity to see if anyone replied.

She was about to give up after day six, Friday. No one had responded to her answer since Sunday. The jar with the note could have been just another lost item in the park for all she knew.

   Worrying about a silly thing like this didn't help with any new designs. Sketching outfits was still on hold which it frustrated her a bit. The week didn't make any improvement at all for her.

That was until she unfolded the paper and saw a new note located under the 'Yes' and 'No'.

It's a pleasure to meet—write—to you! Man, you have no idea how long I've waited for someone to find this message, didn't think anyone would ever find it! Thank you! It's a true honor to write to you!

   Marinette thought, whoever her new pen pal was seemed really sweet and didn't mean any trouble. That didn't make her any less cautious though. This person may seem kind one minute then be some kidnapper the next. She would have to be careful.

   The bluenette picked the pencil out of the jar and replied:

It's nice to meet you as well!

   Marinette paused for a moment to think of a nickname. She didn't want to give out her name to random stranger! She chewed slightly at the eraser to think up a name but, just like her designer's block, none came to mind.

   Just then, a ladybug landed on a nearby flower. The insect had a beautiful shade of red and decorated with black spots on its wings. Its big, white eyes filled with mystery and wonder. Even the name 'ladybug' sounded endearing and striking to the ear.

Marinette stared at the insect for a second longer before ideas struck like lightning. Her mind went into overdrive and overloaded with ladybug-like designs. A simple and cute look.

The clumsy girl smiled as another idea came and wrote down the finishing touches to her note.

~Ladybug

Then, Marinette drew a little doodle of a ladybug next to the word before slipping the note back in the jar and screwed the lid shut. She placed the jar back in its spot before walking back home to await next Friday for the next message.

   Every Friday, without fail, a new message was written in which Marinette always replied. She enjoyed talking to her pen pal who dubbed them self as "Chat Noir".

Over the past year and a half, the two practically became best friends and told each other everything. Well...almost everything.

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"Good morning, Collège Françoise Dupont! This is your Gossip Girl, Alya Césaire with the evening's announcements!" Alya enthusiastically chirped through the school's intercoms.

   Marinette would have classified Alya as a sports announcer with how she talks with the exact same excitement and loudness. It was pretty surprising that the principle and teachers allowed Alya to get away with it too.

   Although, the bluenette wasn't paying much attention to the announcements. Instead, she was dreamily drawling in her notebook of a certain boy that sat right in front of her. Luka Couffaine, her long-time crush.

Marinettte was certain that Luka was her secret pen pal from gathering hints left in their past letters. It was almost too obvious when she knew of his likes and dislikes making it clear as day. It seemed like a dream come true after fitting the pieces together.

Yet, Marinette still never had the guts to confront Luka about the topic. Her response would be jumbled words and weak knees. So figuring that he still had no clue it was her, she wanted to keep it like that until knowing he returned the same feelings.

After the bell rang, everyone piled out the door into the halls. Marinette hurried to pack her things then stood up, tripping after the first step. Some of the passerby's held back their laughter while making their way to the door. The teen girl optimistically got back to her feet before leaving to find Alya.

"Girl!" Marinette heard a familiar loud voice from down the hall. She stopped and turned to see Alya race down the corridor to then stand in front of her best friend.

"I have the most insane news ever!" Alya exclaimed, logging onto her phone quicker than Marinette was able speak.

"What is it?" Marinette asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Alya wasn't usually like this unless the news was really something to behold. This must of been one of those times.

"You know your favorite fashion designer, Gabriel Agreste? Do you know what happened to him yesterday?" Alya questioned.

"No," Marinette replied, slowly before a phone was shoved in her face. She began to read the article and was so astonished that she ripped the phone out of Alya's hands.

"No way! Did this really happen? Is it true?" Marinette questioned, hoping that the article was just a huge rumor.

"It's about as true as it can get," Alya stated, sadly. The bluenette's eyes went back to read the article's headline again. Top Drug Dealer Hawkmoth Found and Agrrested.

"I can't believe Gabriel Agreste was the most wanted drug dealer in all of Paris. I wonder what's going to happen to his business? I wonder if his son knew? What if his wife found out and that's the reason for her disappearance all those years ago?" Alya thought out loud, making theories for Monday's announcements.

Marinette wasn't as happy as her best friend. She was overly disappointed and bummed that her most inspirational role model happened to be one of Paris's biggest criminals. Gabriel was the one fashion designer she looked up to the most and a reason that inspired her to make clothes for a living.

   Marinette couldn't describe how let down she was.

   "Girl, are you going to be alright?" Alya asked, worriedly, noticing her best friend's sadness. The redhead placed her hand on Marinette's shoulder, snapping the dazed teen from her thoughts.

   "Sorry," Marinette apologized, shaking her head. "I'm just a little...shocked is all." Alya nodded in agreement, knowing what her clumsy pal meant.

   "I would be in shock too if I knew my idol was a huge criminal in disguise," Alya reassured, taking back her phone and looking at the time. "Oh, I gotta go. I'll see you Monday."

Marinette watched the journalist walk down the hall towards the exit. The bluenette soon headed to her locker before heading out the exit. The news might have ruined her day but there still was something that could fix it.

Today was Friday, meaning a reply from her pen pal, Chat Noir. The teen couldn't contain her excitement since figuring out her crush was the writer of their secret messages.

Marinette ran across the street to the park and went to the small opening. She made sure no one spotted her before going behind the bushes. Bluebell eyes searched for the glass jar containing a new letter and a pencil. Her gaze landed on the object laying in the grass.

Marinette found it a bit strange that the jar seemed like it hadn't been moved since the last time. Shrugging off the suspension and thinking her mind was playing games, the girl picked up the jar. She unscrewed the lid off then set it aside with a small smile.

There was still an odd feeling in her gut but ignored the feeling, pulling the paper out. The designer unfolded the white-lined sheet and began to read. After a couple of words, Marinette found them to be oddly familiar.

   She knew to find it oddly familiar too.

   This was her last letter she wrote to Chat. Her eyes carefully scanned the page until spotting her nickname at the bottom with a small doodle next to it. Something was wrong, very wrong. Chat always replied every single Friday without failure since the beginning of their secret pen pal lettering.

Yet, he hadn't replied this time.

   This Friday happened to be the first time he hadn't replied. Was Chat Noir bored of her? Did something happen to him? Did he figure out her true identity and didn't like what he saw?!

   The teen's nerves spiked off the charts with every horrible possibility that came to mind. There had to be a good explanation as to why Luka didn't reply. The bluenette would have to investigate.

Marinette grabbed the pencil from the jar and added another note at the end of the paper.

Dear Kitty,

It seems you have failed to reply this week for the first since the beginning of our letter exchanges for a situation I'm unknown too. I hope things are going well in your life and reply soon so I know you're okay. I'll admit, I'm worried.

Today hasn't been the best for me and not getting a reply from you spoiled it a little more (the second rottenest thing to be exact). Don't think that it's your fault just respond when you can. I'll pray that everything on your side is okay and gets better. Wishing you all my luck!

~Ladybug

Marinette drawled the usual little ladybug then folded the paper and slipped it back into the jar. Screwing the lid back on, she wondered what could've happened to that mangy cat that lit up her Fridays with silly letters and horrible puns.

Only time and patience would tell.

Marinette placed the jar back in the grass and hurried home before her parent's grew worried. Gray clouds gathered in the sky and the first drop of rain landed on the glass jar, sliding down its surface as if the jar were crying.

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The next chapter might take a while but let me know what you guys think in the comments! Have a nice day/night! 😆