PRINCESS JUSTICE

5. CHAPTER 5

Alya had walked into the school's library, trying to find Nino. He was not only needed to help fix the situation, but she needed a shoulder to lean onto as well. When it came to her emotions, she always tried not to let her fear and sadness overcome her heart. But with everything that had happened that day, her walls naturally crumbled to the invading emotions. She needed to let them out before going into the battle, and this would be her only chance to do so.

At first, she couldn't tell if there was anybody in the room. It wasn't uncommon for people to flee when somebody had been akumatized. At school, if someone had succumbed to Hawkmoth's power, then classes weren't able to start back up until they were back to normal. Nobody ever tries to stop those who run from the danger. She just hoped that Nino hadn't been one of the runners this time.

When listening carefully, the auburn-haired girl could hear the low thumping of someone's music. Following the noises, she discovered her boyfriend sitting in one of the book aisles. His headphones covered his ears, the volume of music at its loudest, and his eyes were shut. She had learned that this was his way of blocking out the world, either from angry or fear. She didn't want to disturb him, but right now, the world needed him.

She kneeled down to the spot next to him, grabbing his shoulder in the way down. When her touch hadn't registered to him, she slightly shook his shoulder as if to wake him from a nap. The boys' whole body froze for a single instant before jumping away. Without pausing his music, he ripped his headphones off of his head. He turned to look at her, his eyes widened with fright at the thought that an akuma had come to attack him. All she could give him was a shy, gentle smile in apology. She hadn't meant to scare him, but an akuma attack could make even the bravest people become cowardice.

"Oh hey," Nino started, letting out a sigh of relief. "Sorry for jumping away, I just thought that you were one of the akumas that had come out of the locker room."

"It's fine," Alya replied. "I understand." She felt as if she could barely speak, her throat tight with tension. She had come here to make him understand the dire straits that they were in, yet she couldn't get any more words to come out of her mouth. So instead of completing her mission, she laid her head down onto her boyfriend's shoulder.

She thought that this wouldn't be a problem. That, somehow, she would be able to share all that she had learned with one of the people she trusted the most. For her, it was usually the easiest thing in the world to do. But that wasn't the case today.

The Creole girl knew her troubled lied with her emotions regarding the knowledge and not with the weight of it. She didn't really have bad feelings concerning the secret identities of Ladybug and Chat Noir. Honestly, she loved the fact that two of her best friends were actual superheroes and were always saving the day! No, her real problem was with Lila's confession, the exposing of her true nature. Truth be told, she was still furious about how much of a lying snake the Italian girl turned out to be. No one in class even suspected that she could have been in anyway malicious. But Marinette had known. She had even tried to warn everyone about the girl, but no one believed her. Alya hadn't even believed her best friend, chalking the animosity up as just her just being jealous of having a new love rival. She had to wonder, maybe if she had had faith in Marinette from the beginning, this whole crisis could have been avoided. That maybe she wouldn't have transformed into Princess Justice, that the ladybug miraculous would still be with her hands rather than in Hawkmoths. That thought caused the real pain in her heart.

Nino wrapped his right arm behind his girlfriend's shoulder. Slowly, he kept moving his hand up and down her arm, trying to soothe her worries. The couple sat in silence for a few moments, trying to enjoy each other's comfort. Then, the boy finally broke the tranquility.