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

Chapter 4

Marinette's POV:

When Lunch break was over and I got to school I was still puzzled. In the long run, what could Lila gain from telling everyone the truth? I arrived at Mme. Mendeleiev's classroom and took my seat. Looking around the classroom, I saw that not everyone was depressed. Alya and Nino looked fine, and Rose was as happy as ever. Now that I think about it, Lila didn't pull them aside to talk. Huh, I guess she didn't tell everyone. But why tell almost the whole school, and leave a few as oblivious as ever?

If her goal was to spread chaos and devastation, wouldn't it be better to reveal the truth to everyone? Alya may not be one of her followers, but she still has a lot of trust in Lila and her stories. As a junior journalist, it's her job to be able to figure out what's authentic and what's imaginary. She let Lila and her lies go undetected for almost two years and believed almost all of them. That alone would crush the girl, but she also cast aside her supposed best friend for the liar. Alya's devastation would be immense.

Nino would probably be a little less devastated than everyone else. He doesn't fully believe all of Lila's stories, but I still don't see a reason not to tell him. Well, maybe it's because if he knows, he might tell Alya. Those two still trust each other and Lila has left their relationship relatively alone.

Rose, on the other hand, would probably be extremely miserable. She isn't one to hide her emotions and because of her positive outlook on life, when she's upset or angry it's very intense. So why not tell her? Lila's betrayal would tear the poor little blond apart. I know for a fact that Lila would be delighted if that happened to Rose.

I look at the door hoping to spot Chloe. The class will start in a few minutes and I don't want to have to begin without her. I'm terrible at science and nine out of ten times when I work with chemicals by myself I cause a fire. I've also cause various explosions, toxic fumes, and many other disasters.

There are only two more minutes and Chloe's still not here. I glance nervously at the clock, and then back at the door. This goes on for about twenty more seconds before Chloe finally comes into the lab. She takes her seat next to me and gives me a reassuring smile. I'm about to inform her about what Lila told me, but Mme. Mendeleiev walks in and I know better than to start talking.

I take out my science notebook and silently tear out a page. I scribble a message in the margin of the paper and slide it to Chloe. She discreetly picks it up and reads it. Turning to me, she gives a thumbs up and a subtle nod. So it's settled, she'll meet me and the others at the bakery after school. I wonder how they'll all react to the news of Lila confessing to almost everyone.

_-*-_-*- 𝕿𝖎𝖒𝖊 𝑺𝖐𝖎𝖕 -*-_-*-_

A Few Minutes Before School Ends

I waved goodbye to the art teacher and exited the art room. I was about to leave school and head to the bakery, then I remembered Mme. Bustier's announcement. Today at the end of class, she told us all to head to the courtyard before we went home. I take out my phone and send a quick text to Kagami and Luka telling them to meet me and Chloe at the bakery in a little while.

I walk off the last step and maneuver my way through the crowd that had gathered. I stand there for about three minutes before I finally see M. Damocles in front of everybody ready to speak. He tries to get everyone's attention but the noise of the crowd is so loud that no one hears him. I'm tired, I have things that I need to finish, and the sooner this is over the better. So I do what I need to do to get out of here as soon as possible. I shout at the top of my lungs so I can get their attention and make them quiet down. 

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP! MONSIEUR DAMOCLES IS HERE!" That turned everybody's heads my way. I pointed to M. Damocles and then shifted to face him. He looked a little startled by my sudden outburst, but he cleared his throat and addressed the crowd. 

"Hello, students. As I'm sure most of you are aware Lila Rossi transferred to Collège Françoise Dupont almost two years ago. I regret to inform you that she is moving, and will be changing schools due to inconvenience. I understand that Madame Rossi is very well-liked and I wanted to announce her relocation to her peers. That is all, and have a great weekend." The mass of students began to disperse, and many of them were murmuring to classmates. I start heading to the bakery

It all makes so much more sense now. She's leaving, and it's more than likely that she's not coming back. That's why she destroyed her carefully created persona. She didn't need it anymore, so she decided that she might as well bring even more devastation upon her followers. She must've blackmailed them to keep quiet. After all, she does know almost everyone's deepest fears and secrets.

I sigh and open the door to the bakery. Papa was walking towards the display case with fresh madeleines, his apron covered in flour. "Welcome home Marinette! Luka, Kagami, and Chloe got here a few minutes ago and are waiting in the living room." 

I walk over to Papa and give him a quick hug and peck on the cheek. "Thank you, Papa. I'll be with the others, and I'll come down to help in the bakery when they leave." Papa smiles at me and I smile back before heading to the living room.

When I get there, Chloe's sprawled on the couch, her head in Kagami's lap, and her feet laying over Luka's legs. I walk over to them and take a seat on the edge of the sofa. Chloe, who was looking at her phone, turned it off and put it on the table. "So, Dupain-Cheng, why'd you ask us all to come over so last minute? Did you find out what Lila was up to today?" Kagami and Luka looked a bit confused, so I filled them in. 

"Lila's been acting strange all day and has been discreetly pulling people away to talk. There was also an announcement about how she's moving again and will be transferring to another school." Chloe nods her head, confirming that was what she was talking about. 

"And to answer your question Chloe, she stopped me on my way to the bakery at lunch. She said she needed to talk to me. She told me all those people she pulled off to the side now know the truth about her. That's why they all look so, as Lila put it, fragile. It's been driving me crazy because there's still a lot of unanswered questions."

This time, Luka spoke up. "I get why she would tell everyone she's lying. She untangles herself from her web of lies, while simultaneously creating devastation. Plus, if she's leaving Paris or even this general area, it wouldn't matter if they all knew the truth, it can't affect her too much. I'm sure she has her ways to keep everyone quiet."

Kagami was the next to speak. "What I still don't understand is the unanswered questions you're talking about Mari. Luka just explained why Lila would tell people the truth, and I know that you already figured that out."Chloe and Luka nod in agreement, and I start to recall all the queries I still have. 

"Well for starters, why wasn't anyone akumatized? Enough negative emotions were running rampant for another Hero's Day, but there wasn't even an attempted akumatization. Not only that, but Lila didn't tell everybody. While I was in science, I noticed Alya, Nino, and Rose all seemed fine. Why keep some in the dark, and tell almost everyone else?"

They all seemed to be contemplating what I had just said, and we settled into a comfortable silence. Chloe got up from the couch and stretched. "Well, I hate to cut this short, but I have an essay that's due tomorrow that I should start working on. Bye guys, see you whenever." Luka and Kagami both got up as well and said they had to leave too.

After a few quick goodbyes, I head down to the bakery to help my parents. It's all finally starting to sink in. Lila's leaving, for good, and almost everyone knows the truth. I won't have to live through all that torture anymore, I don't have to be so afraid. I can't help but smile at the thought. I haven't felt this free in a very long time.