Chapter 6 - And It Began With An Umbrella

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"Alya, let me explain!" Marinette squeaked.

"You jumped out of a window!" Alya yelled back firmly as she returned to pacing around the room frantically. She was vigorously biting her nails, something Alya did often to cope with nervousness or stress.

Marinette bit her lip as she sunk deeper into her dusty white mattress, shuffling her legs closer together. She turned her brain inside out, trying to look for an excuse.

Other than suicide...why would someone jump out of a building!?

Think Marinette think!

"Ladybug!" Marinette finally blurted out.

"Huh?" Alya halted, turning to face her friend in astonishment.

"Ladybug saw me in your room and uhh..." Marinette stumbled. She never usually stumbled. Lying had become a convenient and practised skill for her through her 6 months. Though when she stumbled, she resorted to excessive and over-the-top hand gestures. "Since I was crying and didn't know what was going on, she burst through the window to save me! Sorry I caused so m-"

"Woah, woah, woah," Alya interrupted sharply. "Hold it right there for a second."

"Okay?"

"Marinette," Alya began cautiously, staring Marinette dead in the eye. "You saw Ladybug?"

"Hhhhyes?" she purred slowly.

It felt like a power move. If Alya knew Marinette saw Ladybug, and was an unexpected fan, it would affect her missions when she's trying to get away from Alya. Then again, it would make her less of a suspect for being Ladybug.

"Interesting," Alya grinned, and her eyes shined. "Mars, you better tell me everything that happened."

Uh oh...

This is not going to go well...I need someone to interrupt or something. Nino please come save me!

"Well uh...she's like, super cool," Marinette mewled. "And fast?"

"Anything...specifically?" Alya said with an undertone of disappointment.

"She was...very very quiet," Marinette said finally. "Painfully shy. We didn't talk like, at all."

"Really?"

Well technically, we didn't talk to each other at all.

"Alya! Where's Marinette?" a voice called out as Nino burst throw the door, followed by a meek Adrien.

"I'm here!" Marinette said, a huge grin on her face, relief washing over her face as she shot up from her mattress. "I'm fine! I'm safe!

Bless you, Nino.

"Uh...okay," Nino replied, slightly stunned. "Where were you? Alya told me she couldn't find you, apparently you jumped out of a window."

Adrien's eyes narrowed to slits as he side-glanced Marinette.

Jumping out of a window? That's a bit cowardly...isn't it?

"I didn't jump!" Marinette explained, engaging with her lie more. "Ladybug saved me! She must have thought I was locked in or something!"

"Of course Marinette," Alya said, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "We believe you, you don't have to be so frantic about it."

"You saw Ladybug?" Adrien asked Marinette with a piercing stare.

Marinette turned toward Adrien, still slightly flustered.

"Yep! She's awfully shy and quiet, y'know," Marinette shrugged. "Didn't say a word to me when she burst open windows and carried me out."

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