L.O.V.E vs. H.A.T.E #4
"The City of Fights."
It was a normal day in Paris, France, nothing strange or unusual happening. That might seem redundant, but sometimes, the city found itself under siege by dangerous super villains controlled by akumas. However, when that happened, a duo of young superheroes, Ladybug & Cat Noir, were always there to save the day. No one in the city knew who the two heroes were, not even themselves; soon however, both heroes would find themselves dealing with a pair of dueling groups in the weirdest adventure of their lives.
It all started earlier that day at the Franco-Dupont high school, where class was just beginning.
"Okay class, I have an announcement to make," Ms. Bustier began "we have a new student joining us today, coming all the way from America. So I want you to please give a warm welcome to Becky Botsford."
The girl came out and stood in front of the class. "Hey, it's great to be here in Paris," she said "I've always loved this city and its' culture, and I'm looking forward to knowing all of you in the week I'll be staying here."
"Thank you Miss Botsford, and I'm sure the class will like to learn much about you as well," Ms. Bustier told her "now please take your seat, class is about to begin."
Becky headed to where all the long tables of the classroom were arranged and scanned around for a place to sit. She ultimately walked over to a girl with short blue-black hair.
"Hey, mind if I sit here?"
"No, go right ahead," the girl said, as Becky sat down. "Welcome to our class, I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and over there is my best friend, Alya," she said, gesturing to a bespectacled girl with long red hair.
"Hey," Alya said, not looking up from her phone.
"Um, she's usually a lot more sociable," an embarrassed Marinette replied, a sweat drop nearly visible on her head.
"That's okay."
"So, you're from America, huh?" Marinette asked "what brings you to France?"
"Um, foreign exchange program," Becky replied quickly.
"Who did we exchange?" Marinette asked "I don't see anyone missing."
"Too bad it wasn't Chloe," Alya said.
"I heard that!" Chloe Bourgeois said from her seat across the stairs "and, for your information, any American school would love to have me as a student. I totally have that affect on people."
"Oh brother," Marinette replied under her breath.
"Marinette, did you have something you wanted to say?" Ms. Bustier asked, causing the class to look at the girl.
"Um, no Ms. Bustier, I was…just talking to myself," Marinette replied, embarrassed, and lowered herself into her chair.
"Well knock it off, we are trying to learn here!" Ms. Bustier told her.
"Yes ma'am, I'm sorry!" Marinette replied.
"Now class, if there are no further interruptions, perhaps we can get started," Ms. Bustier began.
After class, Marinette was hanging out in the courtyard with Alya & Becky.
"I can't believe Ms. Bustier called me out in class like that," she said "I was totally embarrassed in front of everyone, including Adrian!"
"Chill out girl, so you got caught talking about Chloe behind her back," Alya said "it's not like that hasn't happened before."
"You two don't seem to like this Chloe girl much," Becky commented.
"You don't know her," Marinette said "let's just say, she's not the easiest of people to get along with."
"And that's putting it mildly," Alya added.
"I think I understand; I have someone like that back home," Becky told them "she's always bragging about how she's the best at things, even things she couldn't possibly be good at."
"Man, and I thought Chloe's meanness was just restricted to us," Alya said.
"Hey, thanks for being so nice to me and showing me around the school," Becky said.
"My pleasure, I know it must be hard for you, to be so far away from your home," Marinette told her "so if Alya or I can do anything to make your stay here in Paris better, let us know."
"Actually, there is one thing you could help with," Becky said "I was hoping to see all of the great French landmarks while I'm here. The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triumph; well, I don't need to tell you, obviously you see them every day."
"If you'd like, I'd be happy to take you on a personal tour myself," Marinette told her.
"Wow, that'd be great, thanks," Becky said "say, do you two know anything about that hero Ladybug?" she asked "I've heard so much about her and I'm just dying to meet her."
"Wait, how do you know about Ladybug?" Marinette asked, worried that her secret may have gotten out.
"Let's just say, I'm a bit of a superhero aficionado," Becky replied.
"Well girl, then you came to the right place, because I am totally all about Ladybug," Alya said "I run the Ladyblog, which tracks all news about Paris' favorite superhero," she added, showing off pictures on her smartphone.
"Wow, neat."
"Well, I am pretty much Ladybug's number one fan," Alya bragged proudly "I'm surprised you've heard of her though, I didn't think anyone outside of Paris knew about her. I guess my blog must be more popular than I thought!"
Let's hope that's all it is Marinette thought.
"Are you talking about Ladybug?" Chloe asked, followed by Sabrina, as usual "I totally know Ladybug; she's helped me out so many times, we're practically friends."
"Excuse us Chloe, but we were trying to have a private conversation here," Marinette butted in.
"Look, Becky, was it? If you want to see the best Paris has to offer, you need to do it with me. My dad is the mayor and I can totally give you the VIP treatment," Chloe said, ignoring Marinette.
"That sounds real nice, but these girls here already offered, so…"
"Maybe you don't understand how things work around here," Chloe said, her tone now angry "I can make things very easy or very difficult during your stay here, so I suggest you stay on my good side."
"You have a good side?" Alya asked jokingly.
"Very funny!" Chloe replied angrily "I'd suggest you rethink who you want to hang out with on your trip here, if you know what's good for you. Come on Sabrina," she added, and both girls left.
"Wow, I see what you mean," Becky said "she almost makes Victoria look pleasant. Almost."
"Hey, you only have to deal with her for a week, trying dealing with her every day," Marinette said.
"Hey, are we gonna sit here talking all day, or are we gonna show our new friend around Paris?" Alya asked.
"Well, I need to talk to my parents first, but if they say it's okay, I guess we can go," Marinette replied.
"Great, and on the way, I'll tell you all about one of my favorite superheroes, WordGirl!" Becky said happily.
"Who Girl?" a confused Alya asked.
"WordGirl; the famed superhero with the incredible vocabulary, who is always ready to save the day or help define a word," Becky said proudly "wait until I tell you about her, you'll love her."
"A superhero who teaches people words? Sounds pretty lame to me," Alya said.
"I'm not…I mean, she's not lame," Becky said, hoping the two girls didn't hear her verbal faux pas "and besides, she's the most beloved hero in her city; she has so many keys to the city, she doesn't know what to do with them. How many keys to the city does Ladybug have?"
"Um none, because people don't give those out anymore," Alya pointed out "I mean, they don't really open anything; they're more of a symbolic gesture than anything else."
"That doesn't mean I don't like getting them!" Becky yelled, until she realized she had nearly blown her cover "I mean, she likes getting them; why would I get them? I'm not WordGirl, that would be crazy!"
"Um, okay," Marinette replied, although she didn't quite believe the newcomer "let's go to my house and you can tell us about this hero of yours."
"Works for me," Becky said, as the three girls left the school.
Next time, Becky meets Adrian and an attack by H.A.T.E causes Ladybug to meet two crazy new heroes, who know something about her.
