Twice Bitten, Thrice Shy (Change in writers/ownership )

Chapter 3

A/N: Hey guys, I just wanted to thank you again for reading this book. And I want to know what u think of the picture up above. Anyways, I now present to you, Chapter 3! I hope you enjoy it and try to stay safe.

Marinette's POV:

Lately, I've tried to make it a habit to be punctual. With that being said, I usually arrive at school on time. Surprisingly, when I got to school, Lila wasn't there yet. Odd, she's usually one of the first ones here. I head to Mme. Bustier's classroom and take my seat. 

You'd think an outcast would be exiled to the back of the class. Well, that's not the case here. I have instead been pushed to the front. They said it's because this way they can all keep an eye on me, and the teacher can see what I'm doing. And now that I'm in the front row almost everyone's been throwing stuff at me. But of course Mme. Bustier doesn't bother to confront them and I'm left to deal with the problem on my own. I'm left to deal with a lot of problems alone nowadays.

I have my job as a class president, plus homework and projects that I need to complete.  I also have various responsibilities as Ladybug and as the new guardian of the Miraculous. Plus I usually help my parents out in the bakery. I normally babysit Manon every Friday too. To top it all off, I've been trying to make a name for myself in the fashion world. I have an online boutique and various custom orders that must be completed on time.

Thankfully, Uncle Jagged wearing my designs and commissioning me for his album covers has given me a bit of a head start. It's not a secret that I'm Marigold (My other persona, when it comes to fashion.) but because my civilian self isn't very well known, everyone just assumes I'm keeping who I am a mystery.

I'm not, and if you did just a minimal amount of research, you'd see that my real name is not intentionally kept a mystery. I am grateful that nobody seems to be able and put two and two together though. Because if it wasn't a mystery, I'm sure Lila would've convinced the class to trash my website and reputation.

Plus, if the media knew, they'd most likely never leave me alone, and I'd possibly be hounded by fans. That would make it much harder to keep me being Ladybug a secret. I don't even think I'd be able to transform without being caught on camera. The advantage of being forgotten is that no one cares what I'm doing, and no one pays me any attention. It makes it a lot easier to keep my identity unknown.

I was snapped out of my internal monologue when I heard someone call out to greet whoever was at the door. I turned my head to the area where the noise was directed and saw that Lila had arrived. Almost everyone instantly surrounded her, vying for her attention. Amidst all the noise, I heard someone ask why she was later than usual. I expected her to come up with an excuse to make herself look good, but she said it was nothing. She waved off all the other students and took her seat. Strange. 

Something was off, and everyone else seemed to notice it too. Chloe nudged me with her elbow and when I turned to look at her she raised an eyebrow. Chloe was one of my allies. We weren't friends, nor enemies. It was an unsaid partnership. I help her, she helps me. Seeing as how I was pushed to the front of the class I decided the safest option was to sit by her.

She looked at me expectantly, her silent question still unanswered. I looked over to where Lila sat. The vile menace was seemingly more tired than usual. She was hunched over and looked devoid of energy. She had bags under her eyes, and for once while in the presence of the class, she didn't wear that sickeningly sweet smile.

I looked back at Chloe and shrugged. Chloe seemed dissatisfied and glared at Lila. "I don't trust that she's not up to anything. I know you can feel it too. There is no way today is ending without a huge change happening." I sighed because she was right. I could feel that something was going to happen. " Yeah, I can feel it too, but I'm not sure if it's going to be good or bad. The best thing we can do right now is to wait and see what happens." Chloe nods and directs her attention back to the front of the classroom. Mme. Bustier had entered and was doing roll-call. 

_-*-_-*- 𝕿𝖎𝖒𝖊 𝑺𝖐𝖎𝖕 -*-_-*-_

During Lunch Break

Everything's gloomier than usual, and I think Lila's the cause. All-day she's been going up to people, asking to talk to them alone for a little bit. No matter how many times I try to eavesdrop, the conversation is too quiet for me to hear. After Lila has her little chat with someone, they end up looking like their whole world was taken away from them and then crushed before their eyes.

Now everywhere I look, I see people ready to burst, whether it be in tears, anger, fear, or guilt. There are so many emotions around me I can't even name them all. I keep expecting to see a little purple and black butterfly, but an akuma hasn't come yet. There are so many negative emotions today that if Hawk Moth decided to have another Heros Day I'm not sure I'd be able to stop him. Is he just waiting for more chaos to emerge? Is he taking a break, is he on a vacation? Or is it something else entirely going on? 

My attention is turned back to my sketchbook. I was currently sitting on the front steps of the school planning  Uncle Jagged's newest album cover. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times. I'm about to stand up, but I feel a tap on my shoulder. I look up to see Lila staring down at me.

 "I need to talk to you, can you come with me to the park real quick? I want to be relatively alone when I tell you this." I don't trust that she has any good intentions. Or that she needs to talk to me. She must see my uncertainty and skepticism because she rolls her eyes and mumbles something under her breath in Italian. "If you want, you can pick where we go to talk. I swear that this isn't a trick, I really do need to tell you something."

I'm still doubtful, but if I'm the one picking the location, I can pick someplace where I'll be safe. I rack my brain for somewhere we can talk, and I decide on a spot. "I was about to go home for lunch, we can talk inside the bakery." Lila nods and gestures for me to lead the way.

I put my sketchbook into my black satchel before I stand up and start walking to the bakery. When we arrive, Maman was at the register talking to two customers. She smiles at us and gave a small wave before diverting her attention to the couple in front of her. I lead Lila to the glass display case and walk behind the counter. I turn and look at Lila.

"What do you need to talk to me about that you couldn't tell me at school." I grab a brown paper bag and begin selecting a few delicacies. "I just thought you might want to know what I've been telling everyone. As you probably saw earlier they're all a bit, well, fragile right now. That is if they didn't already break. Everyone that I've pulled aside to talk to today, knows the truth. They know I'm a fraud, they know I manipulated them, they know it all. Your innocence, and how you tried to shield them from my lies. That all the things they've done to you were for no reason. That I'm the villain, and all those promises I gave were empty. I don't give a damn about them, and now they know. I played with their emotions for fun, and I don't care if they're hurt because of it. They know that too. They see the truth, but it's too late for them to untangle themselves from the web of lies I've spun."

Lila wore a satisfied smile on her lips. She was happy that everyone knew the truth. She enjoyed the suffering she's created. This was her plan all along, and I didn't even see it coming. But why? Why would she destroy her reputation? She may have caused a lot of distress, but once it blows over, she's ruined.

Before I can voice my question, Lila starts explaining again. "You'll find out later today why I did this now, and why it won't affect me later." With that, she walked off, flipping her now shoulder-length brown hair as she exited the bakery. So that was the big change that was supposed to happen today. Everyone knows the truth. Well, I didn't suspect that.