Chapter 3
Angela's eyes met with the new guy Miguel's for a moment, and in that moment, she swore she could feel her heart flutter. Sure he was cute with that shaggy black hair and those emerald eyes, but she didn't know him so why was she having such a reaction? And where had she seen him before? Half way through class, Angela heard her name called and realized the professor was asking her to answer the question. Terrified, she wished she had been paying attention, and scrambled to find an answer.
"Uhh, I, I don't know professor." She stammered.
"Then maybe next time you'll pay attention." The professor barked.
The professor moved on and Angela felt her face going red with embarrassment. She stole another glance at Miguel and swore she felt someone else watching her. She looked back and saw Jezebel shooting her the skunk eyes. For the rest of class, Angela did as best she could to remain focused on the professor and on her paper, but she couldn't stop her mind from wandering back to Miguel. When the lesson was finally over, she quickly grabbed her bag and her notes and tried to get out of the room as quick as she could. Out the door, she rested against the wall to catch her breath and gather her thoughts.
'Alright,' she thought pulling out her phone and pulling up the internet. "Let's see, search well known Miguel's from Mexico City." She ordered the app.
What came up were several entries for the name Miguel. Scrolling through the images, she found Miguel's under the music category and then realized why he was so familiar to her. He was the lead singer to her favorite band out of Mexico, El Malos Buenos Chicos, The Bad Good Boys. But the band broke up a few years back, she was devastated.
"No way." She breathed.
"Yes way." She heard someone say next to her. She turned and saw Jezebel hovering over her shoulder. "Now you listen to me Angela Martinez, that boy is mine, so you better back off or I can make your life so miserable you won't be able to show your face in public ever again."
"How could you make my life any more miserable than it already is?" Angela sassed back. "I already share a class with you."
"Keep up with that attitude and you'll find out real soon. Just remember, Miguel is mine, so hands off hooker." Jezebel growled at her as she started off.
Angela felt a red hot flag flare up inside as she had to bite her tongue to keep from saying things that would not be very lady like. She took a deep breath to cool down and then she started off to find her next class. Out of nowhere she heard yelling coming just down the hall. She got a closer look and saw two guys from her previous class going at it like badgers. It Danny Jones and Sam Williams.
Sam in a fight came as no surprise to her, he had always been a hot and so quick to lose his temper, but Danny was always the mild mannered one. What had happened that made these two want to go after each other? She tried to get in there to break it up but the professors beat her to it. Danny was taken to one room while Sam was taken to the principal's office. Angela sighed with relief that the fight was ended before someone got hurt. Straightening her mind, she headed for the library for her English and Literary Arts class. Taking her seat near the back, she pulled out her essay and hoped that with what little time she had to work on it, it would be good enough to at least allow her to pass.
Suddenly the fire alarms started to go off and everyone started to panic. Angela grabbed her bag and dashed for the doors leading off of the campus and ran for her house. As soon as she mad eit home, she ran up to her room and locked the door and switched on her t.v. for the news.
"…and we have just receive some breaking news from New York community college that a freak fire accident occurred barely even a few minutes ago, although these are not your typical fire incidents. Witnesses claim to have seen a man covered in flames setting and controlling the fires as if he were in command. We bring now live to our eyes in the sky over the scene."
Angela's eyes grew wide as she saw what looked like a huge fire in the shape of a man as he made his way over the city, setting fires everywhere he went.
"Oh, why did it have to go like this?" she groaned in fear. She looked over at her night stand and saw a small black box. "What's this and what's it doing here?" she thought out loud.
She opened it and saw a pair of earrings which then started to glow and in a blinding instant, she closed her eyes and then opened them to see a small red thing floating in front of her.
"Ahh, a bug! An, an, alien! A, a bug alien!" she shouted freaking out.
"It's okay, no need to be scared." The little red creature spoke.
"Ahhhh! Bug thing talks!" Angela screamed as she tried climbing up her wall to get away from the thing.
"It's okay Angela, I'm a friend."
"Ahhh!" Angela yelled hiding under her covers.
"Okay, if that makes you feel safer."
"What are you and how do you know my name?" Angela asked peeking out.
"I'm a kwami and my name is Tikki. I'm here because you're the chosen one Angela, you're the only one who can stop Inferno."
"What! No way! There is no way anyone can expect me to stop that thing!" Angela said looking at the news report again.
"Not alone, you see, I can give you powers to stop him. Trust me Angela, you and your partner are the only ones who can save the city."
Angela's mind was racing and her heart pounding out of her chest as Tikki explained what it is she had to do and how to use her powers.
"Okay, so just break the thing where the whatever you called it is hiding and everything will go back to normal?" Angela asked putting on the earrings.
"An akuma, which you must then capture." Tikki answered.
"And what were those powers again?"
"Lucky Charm, it's your super power."
"Oh Tikki this all too much too fast. I'm not going to be able to do this. To be honest, I'm pretty sure all I'm going to do is get someone hurt."
"You'll great Angela, trust yourself. Just say 'Spots On'." Tikki instructed.
"Spots on?" Angela asked.
Suddenly, Tikki disappeared and Angela found herself enveloped in a bright flash that quickly subsided. When she looked in her mirror, she saw that wasn't wearing her normal clothes anymore. In their place was a red turtleneck unitard with black spots all over it and a sheer short skirt around her waist, red with black spots as well. On her arms were long red with black spot gloves that reached her just up to her upper arms. Around her ponytail were some red ribbons that hung just below the length of her hair. On her face was a red mask with black spots, just like the rest of her costume.
"Uh Tikki, this great but I really want my old clothes back." Angela called not seeing Tikki anywhere.
"…we're taking you live to our footage of the monster known as Inferno who has made his stop in Central Park. It seems Inferno has set his sights on a target and is willing to destroy everything in his path to get to it."
Angela looked at the footage and say Abbey following close to Inferno. "Oh no, Abbey, what could you possibly be thinking?" Angela gasped as she realized that her friend needed her. "Oh I don't know if I can do this, but I have to save Abbey." She said to herself as she crawled out her window and saw that she had a yo-yo tied around her waist.
"Okay, so apparently I have these new lucky powers and this magic unbreakable yo-yo." She said giving it a swing.
As it wrapped around the smoke stacks, it pulled her off her feet and over the buildings below. Startled, she screamed as she flew over the roof tops and then crashed into something or rather, someone.
"Well hola senorita, nice of you to drop in." the boy she had accidently crashed into said as he helped her up.
"Uh, hey." She said taking his hand getting on her feet.
"You must be my new partner. I'm Cat Negro." He said shooting her a grin.
"I'm, I'm…" she tried to say but her yo-yo crashed into Cat Negro's head. "Sorry, I'm so sorry."
"Not to worry Sorry Girl. I'm new at this too." He said as he extended his staff and leapt on to the roof of the building following Inferno.
"Where are you going?" she called after him.
"To save the city, right?"
"Oh, okay, trust yourself." Angela said as she gave her yo-yo another swing and followed Cat Negro.
She and her new partner raced to catch up with Inferno. They finally caught sight of him in the middle of Central Park.
"Let's blow out this candle." Cat Negro said as he started to race for the opponent.
"Wait." Angela said to Cat Negro grabbing his tail before he could take off. "Don't you see, he's made entirely out of fire. We can't just rush in there, we'll be roasted alive."
"You gotta plan then?" Cat Negro asked.
"Well," Angela said remembering her chemistry class the day before. "If there's three things a fire needs to burn, it's heat, fuel and oxygen. If we can remove even just one of them, we can bring him down."
"Sounds pretty legit, how do we do that?"
"Uh, I'm not sure." Angela said feeling stumped.
"Then how about we use our powers." Cat Negro suggested. "Cataclysm!" he summoned his powers. "Apparently my powers allow me to destroy whatever I touch."
"Well, that's just great." Angela said feeling annoyed.
Cat Negro reached over about to touch a flag pole. "No wait!" Angela yelled grabbing his arm to stop him. "You only get one shot to use your powers and then you'll have five minutes before you change back." Angela explained in a cold sweat.
"Oh, sorry."
"Didn't your kwami tell you anything?"
"Guess I was too excited about my new life."
"Great, anyway, I think I have an idea but I still need a little help." She said pulling out her yo-yo. "Lucky Charm!" she summoned.
What came to her was a blanket. "A blanket, what am I supposed to do with this?"
"Isn't hot enough around already?" Cat Negro laughed.
Angela looked around and figured out what she had to do. She spotted a hose, a hydrant and then got another look at Cat Negro's cataclysm.
"I have a plan, you see that fire hydrant?" she said pointing at it.
"Yeah."
"When I give you the signal, use your powers to open it." She said grabbing the hose and wrapping herself in a blanket.
With a leap, she flew through straight to the heart of Inferno. "You're crazy!" she heard Cat Negro yell after her.
As she was about to pass through, she yelled for Cat Negro to open the hydrant. With a swipe of his hand, the hydrant burst open and water burst through the hose into the heart of the fire. Angela landed dosed but otherwise alright. As Inferno started to simmer down, she got a look at what it was the akmua must have been hiding in. A pair of brass knuckles. She made another jump and grabbed the brass knuckles and threw them on the ground shattering them. Out it came a dark purple butterfly. She watched fly off and sighed with relief when she saw Inferno disappear, but was surprised to see in his place was Sam.
"You were awesome Ms. Bug Lady." Cat Negro said putting hand on her shoulder as his ring started to beep.
"You better go, our identities must remain a secret." Angela said brushing him off.
"Got it, let's do this again some time." Cat Negro said racing off.
"Not too soon I hope." Angela said as she turned to Sam. "Hey are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I don't know what happened to me."
"It's going to be okay, but you should probably get home, I'm sure your family's really worried about you." She said sweetly as Sam looked at her.
"Thanks."
"OMG! You were so cool out there!" Angela heard as she turned around and saw that Abbey had been videoing her the whole time. "I have so many questions I want to ask you."
Angela's earrings started to beep. "Sorry, no time for an exclusive. I have to go."
"Wait, what's your name miss?" Abbey asked holding up her camera phone.
"Uh, Ladybug, the name's Ladybug." Angela said swinging her yo-yo and flying off for her house.
When she got here, she barely even had a minute before she switched back. She made into her room in time before she switched back to her normal self. Tikki reappeared falling into her hands.
"See, didn't I tell you you could do it." Tikki said smiling p at her.
"Well, I still can't believe I did it, but I'm just glad that me and Cat Negro were able to stop Inferno." Angela answered. "Are you okay, you look tired."
"I just need some food." Tikki answered.
"What do eat?"
"Anything, as long as it's food."
"I could sneak you some cookies out of the kitchen." Angela offered.
"That would be great."
"Okay, just stay here, I'll be right back." Angela said sneaking into the kitchen passed Brock and a few of her father's thugs.
She managed to grab a few chocolate chip cookies and quietly brought them up to her room. "Hope you like chocolate chip."
"Those are perfect." Tikki said swishing over. Angela laid them on her nightstand and let Tikki eat as she switched on her tv to listen to the news for the evening.
"…And New York is still in awe at our new guardian angels. Thanks to the ammature footage captured by a brave by stander, we now know the identities of these amazing individuals. Ladybug and Cat Negro. Mayor Harrison will now address us about these heros of the Big Apple."
"Speaking on behalf of a grateful city, I only have two words to offer for our defenders of justice, Thank you."
"Wow, to be thanked by the mayor himself, it's just wow." Angela breathed watching the Mayor Harrison continuing his address to her and Cat Negro.
"This just in, we are receiving reports of people suddenly being transformed into burning pillars of fire. These fire those hot do not seem to be making any movement or progression. Concerned citizens are wondering what will happen to these people? For now anyone's guess is as good as the next." The reporters called in.
"Tikki, what's going on?" Angela asked concerned.
"Did you capture the akmua?"
"What does that have to do with this?" Angela asked.
"An akmua can multiple and if Sam's emotions become negative again, he'll transform back into Inferno and be able to control these flaming people as his army." Tikki explained. "That's why the akuma must be captured and then purified."
"So then, all this is happening because of me, it's all my fault." Angela cried. "See, I told you Tikki, I'm not made for this, all I do is hurt people."
"Calm down Angela, it was your first time. You'll do better next time."
"No don't you understand, I'm not meant to be a super hero. If I keep this up someone is really going to get hurt, you, me or Cat Negro and many other innocent people for that matter. Cat Negro will do better off without me, I'm done."
"Angela you can't. Cat Negro can't capture the akumas without you, you're the only one who can capture and purify the akumas." Tikki explained.
"If Cat Negro can't then find another Ladybug, I told you I'm made to be Ladybug. I'm sorry Tikki." She said taking her earrings off.
When she opened her eyes, Tikki was gone. "Tikki?"
Angela placed the earrings in the black box and hid the box in her dresser. "I'm sorry Tikki, truly sorry." She sobbed crumpling to the floor in despair.
What could she do now?
