Miraculous short- stories book 3 by Summer Cheng @SummerCheng37.

Sentenced for Life Part 2 by Summer Cheng@SummerCheng37

           Marinette's POV:

             As much as I despise Lila, I actually pity her, believe it or not. I realize her childhood was a traumatic experience for her. I read in the paper that she was accused of killing her father. I find it hard to believe she could have done it since she was only three at the time.  

             I  hate the fact that she feels a need to bottle up the past by lying and attempting to ruin my life.  I know she murdered Alya. I could see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice that she was the one who did it. I could tell with the look of guilt she had when the police questioned her that she was lying when she claimed, "Alya was depressed, and hurled herself off the tower. I tried to stop her, but alas, I could not get to her on time."

          I wanted to believe it was an accident, but the truth is Lila is an avid liar and a murdereress. She killed Alya; it is as simple as that, no matter how harsh that sounds. The video footage does not lie either.  So, all of Paris, France, and the world know Lila kidnapped and killed Alya Ceasarie, who was also the fox holder.

          It was a hard day for everyone.  It was an even harder month, since that was how long it took the police to discover the truth. It was especially hard for me because first I lost my best friend. Then, I had to testify against the woman who killed her, Lila Rossi. 

             I cried as I spoke out against her. Poor Nino, got up next, he was Alya's boyfriend, and the day she died was supposed to be the day he was going to propose to her.  Nino was heartbroken; the love of his life was dead, and it was all thanks to Lila, the horrible. 

           Adrien testified too, and so did Alix, who was still stunned about the entire experience.  Alix spoke about how Lila deceived her for many years. She brought up how she first discovered that all she thought was true was a lie. She overheard Lila threaten Alya, she witnessed her being kidnapped, and she tried to stop her. She was still hurt when, instead of listening to her, Lila attacked her. The next thing she knew, she passed out.  Alix sobbed as she told the court that when she woke up, she saw Alya dead at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. 

         Sabrina Raincomprix testified that Lila had altered the school records to show her grades as being higher than what they were meant to be, how the teachers were too terrified of her to do anything about it, how Lila faked many illnesses, how the bad girl had framed Marinette for stealing a necklace by putting it into her locker,  how Lila had gotten kicked out of a modeling school for assualting some of the other models. She had photos of Lila spilling coffee on one of Nino's textbooks, ripping the pages out of Marinette's diary, and various other photographs.

             Alya's mom testified that Lila had been cruel to her daughter in the hours leading up to her death. She was furious. "Please, don't let her free again, that ##### murdered my daughter in cold blood!  Please, stop her before she kills any more innocent people."

            The judge, the jury, the prosecutor, the lawyer who defended Lila, and Lila herself all listened to the testimonies. They all looked closely at the evidence that piled up: photos, the security footage, and the tape on Nino's phone.  The tape, which showed Lila threatening to expose Alya as the fox holder, and yelling at her. It showed her accusing Alya of cheating on Nino, which was ridiculous because Alya would never do that to him.

                There were the police photos, which showed the scars on Alya's neck, face, and hands. There were photos of Alya's body on the ground with a look of horror in her eyes. It was clear she was shocked by her untimely and horrid death. Photos on the tower itself with Alya crying. The video showed her struggling with obvious fear as she pushed Lila away. She yelled at her, "Go away, you creep!"  Lila was furious, "No one calls me a creep, and lives to tell about it, you #$%$%!" She grabbed her and, to everyone's horror, hurled her off the edge. As Alya fell, she called out, "I am sorry, Nino, sorry Marinette, sorry Ladybug!  I am sorry I was not strong enough. Sorry, everyone! I love you!" Then, there was a thud as Alya hit the ground.

              Months later, when it came time for her sentencing,  Lila arrived with a smug look on her face. It appeared she thought she was a free woman.   The jury said, "We, the jury, find the defendant, Lila Rossi, guilty on the charges of kidnapping, assault, and first-degree murder."  The judge nodded as he hit the gravel across the podium. "I hereby sentence you, Lila Rossi, to life in the nearest insane asylum due to the clear belief that you are indeed insane and will always be that way. You will never see the door to this establishment or any other place from now on."  

                 With that, Lila was sent to the Paris Isane Asylum.  I sobbed as the sentence was carried out. I knew she deserved it, but somehow it seemed so final.  Adrien did his best to comfort me. I did what I could to lean on him. It was not easy, though, because Alya knew my secret. She died keeping it. I had not told a soul since then. Trix, the fox kwami, hid inside my sweater. Trix was sad. She missed Alya, too. The poor dear could not believe Alya was not coming back. I could not tell Adrien any of this. How could I?  I had  not told him my secret, so how could I explain to him that Rena Rouge's kwami was close or that Ladybug was near but refused to transform?

                I had not been able to transform since that awful day, let alone since the trial. How could I?  I had not been able to protect my best friend. What kind of hero was I anyway? Maybe I should retire; perhaps that would be best for everyone. I sighed. I cried. Cried for what was taken away and for what I could not stop. I failed to prevent the death of Alya.  In some strange way, I felt as if I were sentenced for life.

     Find out more as the story continues in Sentenced For Life Parts 3 and 4

      by Summer Cheng 

   SummerCheng37