Chasing Ladybug 📸 (A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic)

A Retelling: 17 | The Secret Under The Floorboard

What a horrible nightmare... Marinette groans, squeezing her eyes tight as she tries to fight off a horrible headache residing at the top of her head, stained with a purple-tint of a bruise. Dry blood crusts at the side of her mouth, and her busted bottom lip stings from where Copycat hit her.

She blinks her eyes fast and looks around. Dim light shines through the—ceiling?—above her. Where the hell am I? She tries to stand fast, but is pulls back down to her knees. Two thick metal chains sit locked around her wrists, connected to the floor. "What?!" She shakes the chains, trying to free herself, but the harder she pulls, the deeper it digs into her skin.

With her eyes more adjusted to the darkness now, she notices shapes and shadows throughout the dark room. It's tiny, about half the size of her bedroom. There's a table against the left wall and a staircase to her right. Am I underground? How did I get here?

The memories of last night come rushing back, playing in her head over and over like a sick, twisted movie, and she gasps, eyes wide with tears.

Copycat.

Marinette stands up, hunched over as she grounds her foot into the ground and pulls on the chains with all her strength, all her might. The metal doesn't budge. I have to get out of here. I can't be stuck here.

Light pours into the room as the ceiling above is opensfast. She tries to cover her face with her hands, but as she raises her arms, they're pulls back to her sides, so she squeezes her eyes tight. Soft footsteps echo as someone walks down the staircase.

She looks up, a sliver of hope racing through her heart, but her fantasy is crushed when she realizes the cruel truth.

It's not Cat Noir. It's Copycat.

He presses his hand to the wall and flicks a switch. A light turns on, illuminating the rest of the room. On the table, there's a case of bottled water, along with boxes of protein bars. Now noticeable in the corner, a toilet with a sink, and a tiny shower with a blue curtain.

Marinette's eyes widen. Oh my God... he's going to keep me down here.

Copycat raises his arm and closes the secret hatch above, holding eye contact as he locks it.

"H-How long have I been down here?" She asks quietly, thinking of every thought, idea, plan, and escape route to get out of this creepy dungeon.

"About ten hours," He answers as he steps off the last step. "You slept through all of it."

"Yeah, no wonder," She snaps, "Because you hit me so hard I fell unconscious!"

Copycat takes in a deep breath. "I warned you, Marinette. You didn't listen."

"What am I doing here? What do you want from me?!"

"Do you know about your boyfriend's double life?"

Marinette tilts her head, confused. Is he talking about Adrien being Cat Noir? Does he know? Is it safe to confess I know? "I..." She looks around, and instead asks, "Where am I?"

"I know about your boyfriend's double life."

She looks back at him. "His double life?"

Copycat kneels down in front of her, and she scoots back as far as she can, ignoring the chains digging into her wrists. "Turns out your boyfriend... your loving, caring, loyal boyfriend... he's in love with another girl. Actually, I'm pretty sure he's dating you both at the same time."

Now Marinette's really confused. Adrien had dated Kagami, yes, but that's ancient history, and as far as she knows, they were just friends. "You know who my boyfriend is?"