Miraculous the tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir; Princess Justice

Chapter 2

The bell rang, signalling the end of their lunch break. Marinette walked into her class next to Alya, both girls laughing, behind their class mates.

"I'm good friends with the best manga publisher in Japan you know." Marinette heard Lia telling the red haired and shy Nathaniel, "I could talk to him about your comic book project if you like."

Marinette glared after Lila as she walked to her seat, her blood boiling, as she tried to contain her rage.

"She's such a liar." Marinette hissed, ultimately failing, as she put her pink rucksack on the desk in front of her.

"You gotta stop obsessing over her Marinette." Alya advised her pig-tailed friend with concern, watching as Marinette finished getting her stuff ready for class and putting her bag under the table.

"I've graded your mock exams." said the kind voice of Miss Bustier, Marinette's ginger haired, favourite teacher, calling the class to order. All the pupils faced forward. Alya looked worried behind her thick rimmed glasses, as Marinette rested her furious face in her hands.

"Most of you did quite well," Miss Bustier continued brightly glancing at the clipboard she was holding, "some better than others. But before I hand them back, Marinette, could you bring your school bag to me please, I need to check something."

Marinette sat bolt up right and shared a shocked glance with Alya, alarm bells screaming in her head. The class gave out an audible gasp of shock and Lila, who knew that the whole class' attention was on Marinette, afforded herself an evil and satisfied smirk as she watched the events she had put into motion unfold.

Marinette, still clueless, was confused, but she got up and took her bag up to the front of the class and placed it on Miss Bustier's desktop. Dread began to gnaw at Marinette's insides as she watched and listened, unmoving, to Miss Bustier, ignoring the 19 pairs of eyes she knew were on her. 

"Today," Miss Bustier informed the class with a severe look, "someone placed an anonymous note in my mailbox," Miss Bustier turned and began searching Marinette's bag, while still addressing her students, "claiming that you'd stolen the exam answers."

There was a stunned gasp from all of Marinette's class mates as Marinette watched in shock herself, as Miss Bustier pulled the mock exam answers out of her bag, which Marinette hadn't cleaned out for several weeks.

"And it looks like the anonymous person was right." Miss Bustier finished in disbelief.

Marinette's head raced through all the explanations and knew straight away which one the truth was. She had been framed.

"But that's not true." Marinette said with desperation, her mouth voicing her thoughts as she had them, "Someone must have planted that paper in my bag."

"But you answered all of the questions correctly." Miss Bustier stated calmly.

"I did?" Marinette exclaimed, being momentarily over taken with joy before remembering her situation, "Yes, because I study."

"Miss Bustier," Alya said getting to her feet to help defend her friend, "Marinette always scores high on your tests."

"This is so terribly unlike you Marinette." Lila said in fake assistance, knowing that Marinette would explode, "You're usually so well-behaved."

Marinette's mind then knew who had framed her. It could only have been one of three people. Lila, Chloe, or Sabrina. It now all made sense in her head. Lila's threat, her confidence. Marinette looked at Lila and saw only the devil.

"Of course." Marinette growled in her uncontrolled rage, "You put the answers in my bag. You're the anonymous informer." Marinette jabbed her finger at Lila as if it might puncture Lila's innocent disguise, revealing the evil beneath. Lila raised her hands to her face, which wore a mask of shock and pain. But inside she was cackling with triumph.