Lila wasn't at work, and so the question just repeated itself over and over again in Marinette's mind. As she flipped burgers, threw fries into baskets, and called out order numbers, it played in there on a loop. Why? Why would Lila do something like that?
Part of her wanted to deny it all. An innocent mistake. An undercooked burger. But Lila was an excellent cook, and there was no doubt that whatever she had done to that sandwich was not accidental. It made Marinette queasy to think that it was supposed to be her, being rushed to the hospital, instead of Michel.
But why? For what reason?
The answer sat there, waiting for Marinette to be ready to face it. And halfway through her shift, as she made change for a tall businessman who was snapping at her to hurry up, she let herself think of it.
Lila knew about the miracle stones. She suspected Marinette of having one. Why else would she go through her jewelry at home? And before that, break into her locker, and even before that, to remark on her ring when they were walking home from the bar that night, so many nights ago?
Was Lila one of those people M. Ramier warned them about? It was so hard for Marinette to believe, to reconcile her idea of the types of thugs who cornered people in alleys, the types of people who would steal a miracle stone, with her idea of Lila — a fashionable but lonely young woman, who wasn't much bigger than Marinette herself.
But it had to be. There was no other explanation. Who else carried poison on themselves?
Marinette forced herself to stop ruminating. She would be on her guard from now on, especially at the party.
Although the hat was due on Friday, Marinette had her internship tomorrow, and was planning on getting it turned in then so she wouldn't have to make an extra trip. Besides, she didn't want to seem like a slacker.
Before jetting to her apartment to spend the rest of the day finishing it, Marinette took a detour to the park to find the perfect pigeon feather. When she arrived, she was surprised to find M. Ramier there as well, sitting on a bench, with a whole crowd of pigeons gathered about, pecking at the ground where he tossed them birdseed. Marinette smiled, considered approaching him, but then thought better of it. It would be safest to act as though they weren't acquainted.
It didn't take long to find a feather large enough for the hat, and Marinette returned home to wash and dry it before setting it with the rest of her materials. Alya was studying at her own desk, and so Marinette discreetly left her purse by her bedside so that her kwamis could fly under the bed unnoticed.
Then she got to work, fashioning the iridescent ribbon (which shone purple, green, and gold) into ovular shapes to mimic feathers, and sewing them onto the exterior of the bowler. It was painstaking work, to ensure every ribbon feather was the same size, spaced the same distance apart, across the hat's whole surface. When it was finally finished, Marinette took a break for homework, and then dinner, and once she had spent sufficient time away from the hat, she could appraise it objectively.
She chose a thick off-white ribbon to tie where the rim of the bowler met the base, tying it in a neat bow. She realized, with a smile, that the reason she felt the hat needed a touch of elegance was because M. Ramier always wore a suit.
Finally, she trimmed the pigeon feather and tucked it between the ribbon and the hat's base.
"Finished!" she cried, placing it on her head and doing a twirl for Alya, who gave her an approving nod and a small applause. Marinette chuckled and curtseyed.
"I really think you've got a great chance to win, Marinette. I've never seen that hat's equal."
Marinette just blushed, but said nothing. She certainly hoped so but she didn't want to jinx it.
That night, Alya was updating her blog website and Marinette was laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, so relieved to be finished with her hat. Now that one stress was over, another began churning in her stomach. It had been a few days since the last sentimonster, which wasn't the norm but certainly wasn't a cause for alarm. Still, Marinette felt jittery. She hadn't yet gotten the chance to use Nooroo's powers, and didn't want to be too inexperienced the next time she was on the battlefield.
So she shot off a text to Adrien. "Wanna hang out? Have a scrimmage?"
A moment later, his response came in. "Like, in a fox-and-butterfly way?"
Marinette just sent back a winking emote.
"See you at the courtyard in 10!" Adrien texted back.
Marinette popped off the bed and grabbed her purse, turning to Alya as she reached the door. "Gonna hang with Adrien for a bit," she told her roommate.
Alya raised her eyebrows, her expression heavy with implication. "Have fun," she teased.
Marinette smiled, going along with it. "Oh, we will."
As she left the apartment, she laughed to herself. Finally, the perfect cover story.
Kitty Noire arrived at the courtyard near their apartment buildings, and was shocked that the man meeting her looked nothing like she had been expecting.
Kitty was intending to travel together to a private location, and then fuse there, but Coccinello had already got a jump on it. Because here he was, no longer his regular spotted self, but a new hero clad in orange, long fox ears pointing up out of his head, just as her own cat ears did.
His shoulder pads and chest plate were gone, leaving him looking leaner, looking more like Adrien and less like Coccinello. His arms and legs were black with orange spots, his core white like a fox's chest, black dots trailing down his shoulders and back. His classic yo-yo was still there in place around his waist, but his new weapon attached to his back just as his turtle shield had done.
When he saw her gawking, he pulled out the weapon — a flute! — and played a few notes, which made the end of the instrument glow, forming an orange orb. He threw his arm out and the orb flew off, landing right beside Kitty Noire.
She covered her eyes as the magic came toward her, but after a moment of silence, she peeked down at her feet. A tiny ladybug was crawling across the pavement toward her boot.
Kitty Noire laughed. "All that for just a little bug?" She bent down to pick up the critter, and it vanished as her finger made contact.
"It's only an illusion, Kitty."
For a moment she had forgotten what his power was. "Very realistic, I must say," she countered, getting back up.
But his expression was clouded, his ears not quite as perked. "It's the biggest thing I can create," he sighed.
Kitty Noire stifled a giggle, closing the distance between them and wrapping her arm around her partner. "That's why we're doing this."
So, at Kitty's suggestion, the heroes bounded off to the Eiffel Tower, and once they were there, balancing on the steel beams, Kitty Noire unzipped one of her pockets, fishing out the purple ring hidden in its depths.
She looked up to see her partner ogling the jewel in anticipation. She chuckled when she caught him, and he reddened. "Sorry," he coughed. "I just can't wait till I get to see what you look like with that miracle stone. Butterfly and cat… beautiful and majestic, probably."
Kitty Noire, too, colored at that. She certainly liked Coccinello's new look. "What are you going by now, anyway?" she asked, trying not to think too hard about how much more he looked like Adrien like this, trying not to think too hard about what Alya thought they were up to right now, trying not to think too hard about whether or not she wished Alya was right.
"Oh!" His hand flew to his chin, fidgeting there as he thought of a new superhero name.
Meanwhile, Kitty Noire's eyes raked over the changes this miracle stone had given him. The fox ears were tipped with red, the hands of his suit were black, a few orange spots adorning the backs of his palms. His domino mask was black, just like hers, with a few orange spots and red accents. His hair was as long as it always was, but the bangs were gone this time. Something about the way he pulled off this costume was mesmerizing; Kitty couldn't quite put her finger on why. But she was distracted from those thoughts with the relief that his eyes were still the same blue they always were when he was transformed, and the familiarity made her smile.
"I dunno, it's kind of dumb. But all I can come up with is Fennello."
Kitty Noire shook her head adamantly. "It's awesome, what are you talking about? Better than Coccinard or Renardello or one of the other awful ideas I had," she teased.
That made Fennello laugh. "Okay, those are truly awful. Fennello it is."
Kitty Noire smiled, but after a beat, both of their gazes fell to the ring that she had still not put on. It was getting harder to ignore its pull, so she didn't.
With a flash of light, Nooroo reappeared, twirling in circles around Kitty Noire's head. "Woohoo! Fusion time!"
She giggled, putting out her hand for him to go into. He landed there obediently, looking up at her with excitement and admiration. "One thing first. Remind me how to use your power, please."
Nooroo perked up even more, if that was possible. "Of course! Your weapon, the cane, has the ability to summon you an enchanted butterfly, which you can activate by saying, 'darkwings, rise.' If that butterfly lands on an object someone is holding, you gain the ability to recruit that person to be your hero, an ally in battle. You can give them any power of your choosing."
"Any power?" Kitty boggled, breathless. That seemed dangerous.
Nooroo wiggled his head, as if to say, not exactly. "Within reason, of course. The higher your skill level, the more complicated the ability you can grant to your hero."
"I see," Kitty answered. This miracle stone's contingency was the skill of the wielder, much as the bee stone's had been; much as the peacock's must be, she theorized.
"Was that all you wanted to know?" Nooroo inquired.
Kitty Noire could only nod, the words, "transform me" coming out of her mouth almost without her realizing it.
Power pulsed through her body as Nooroo disappeared into the ancient jewel. This power was similar to the way it had felt to become Buzzy Noire, but not exactly the same. It was hard to describe, but if she had to put words to it, Kitty would have said it was more electric, more energizing.
"Whoa," Fennello breathed once the transformation was finished. His eyes were blown wide in… wonder?
Kitty — or whoever she was now — had to look down at herself to see what was so different, and she gasped before she could finish taking it in.
So much purple. Her legs and arms were lavender, the seams still electric green as always. She now had a small, flowy skirt, in classic violet, starting at her waist and ruching down to her knees. Her torso was still black, although her collar was lavender, so light it was almost white. She couldn't resist doing a twirl, trying to see her back, and she couldn't contain a second gasp as the light purple of her collar continued down her back and sprouted out in a pair of iridescent butterfly wings.
Her midnight hair now flowed free about her face, shorter than it had been as Kitty Noire, but still a bit longer than her true length.
Fennello closed the distance between them, threading her loose strands in his fingers. She looked up into his eyes, and the awe there took her breath away.
Her color rose at his proximity, and Fennello couldn't help but kiss her. Kitty Noire was more than happy to melt into his embrace, but after a short moment he let her go, his eyes shining.
"I'm sorry, I know we're supposed to be sparring. But you look so beautiful, so elegant, so powerful, I couldn't help myself. It's as though the butterfly miracle stone was made for you, Marinette."
Emotion overwhelmed her, and she had to look away from the intense expression in his eyes. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and tried to calm her racing heart, but it was hard to recover from such a compliment. It filled her with hope, hearing him say those words. It made her feel as though the safety in the strength that she so desperately wished to possess, to protect them both, was closer to her reach than she had dared dream. Even more overwhelming was the fact that he looked equally right in his fox miracle stone. Mme. Lenoir's words about fate intruded on her thoughts once more and she found she was beginning to believe in them.
"You shouldn't say my civilian name when we're transformed," she said, instead of everything she was really feeling, in an effort to deflect. As always, however, Fennello saw right through her.
He offered her a reassuring grin, his hand squeezing her shoulder gently. "Of course. My deepest apologies. But I don't have another name I can use, o lovely butterfly," he sang, all teasing.
That made her laugh, which was exactly what he had intended it to do. Now it was her turn to run through name ideas in her head. "Maybe… Papillonne Noire?"
Fennello nodded. "A perfect fit."
The heroes tried out their new powers on the other for close to two hours. Fennello was finally able to create moderately-sized illusions, and Papillonne Noire learned more about her mysterious abilities.
Her cane was tucked in her belt, right next to her trusty baton. A small dome sat on the top, and if she touched it while saying the summoning words, a deep purple butterfly manifested itself inside of it. With a bit of pressure from her thumb, the dome opened on its hinge, and the butterfly flew free, landing on the nearest person, who in this case, was Fennello.
The butterfly merged with Fennello's flute, and suddenly a mental pathway opened up between herself and her partner. She could read impressions of his thoughts, could gauge his abilities as a fighter. Right now, he seemed a bit ill at ease, she guessed from the strange experience. Could he read impressions of her thoughts, too?
Choosing a power to bestow on him was much easier than she feared it would be; it was almost instinctual. By getting an internal reading on his abilities, her mind could immediately see that the power of intense speed would be a good fit. That way he could create illusions to leave in his stead, and their enemy would never notice that he had left at all.
As soon as she had decided, it was done, and the mental connection was broken. Fennello's eyes shot open and he stared at her, a small smile growing on his lips. "Did you see that?"
"See what?" she asked, still reeling from the sudden disconnect.
"I just ran a whole lap around you!" he cried in excitement.
Marinette had been right to trust her gut.
That afternoon, she finally submitted her hat to the PDH. It was in a special white hatbox, completely blank and security sealed, so that no one could see the piece or know who had created it until judgement time. The submission area was near Hera's office, and her eyes were wide with delight as she took in Marinette rushing about.
"Oh. I hadn't thought you were going to enter!"
Marinette shrugged, not wanting to go into it. "I spent a lot of time going back and forth on the design."
Hera smiled. "I'm rooting for you!"
Marinette thanked her and began heading upstairs to check on Ronaldo when her phone alerted her, with the beep that could wake her from her deepest sleep, that there was a sentimonster.
Adrenaline pumping, Marinette discreetly turned around and began walking in the opposite direction, casting about for somewhere to transform. Her coworkers were already heading down to the basement, and Marinette knew they would be asking her to join them any second now.
Before she could think about it, Marinette dived into the nearest hiding place — a janitorial closet — as she saw Mireille beginning to turn in her direction.
"Marinette! What are you doing?" Plagg hissed.
"I know!" she sighed. "But there's no way I could escape if I went to the basement. Here I can wait for everyone else to hide and then I can slip out."
In the pitch blackness, Marinette pulled out her phone to watch the livestream on the Kittynello Blog. The sentimonster appeared to be some kind of amphibious creature.
Marinette cursed as Fennello arrived on the scene. Alya was too distracted by his new miracle stone to wonder after his partner, but the look on Fennello's face was enough to cue Marinette in. She needed to join him, and soon.
She put her phone away and gently eased open the closet door, praying that everyone was under cover already. Not seeing anything, she opened it a little wider, making a run for the exit before truly ascertaining if the coast was clear.
"Marinette! Where—" Mireille faltered as Marinette didn't stop.
"Sorry, I forgot something important! I'll be okay!" Marinette tried to smile, hoping to be convincing enough. Hopefully Mireille didn't think she was crazy for running into the danger. Hopefully Mireille didn't have any suspicions, either, but Marinette didn't linger on that. She slipped into an alley, opening her purse in the darkness. "Nooroo, Plagg, transform me!"
In a flash, she was Papillonne Noire, elongating her baton to throw herself into the air, allowing the wind to catch on her butterfly wings, gliding her toward the Pont des Artes.
She touched down onto a nearby roof, scoping the scene. Fennello was trying to trip up the frog-like beast with his yo-yo, presumably to get a reading on the sentimonster's abilities. Papillonne watched, also searching for a weak point, a clue as to where the trapped victim could be located.
For the first time in her life, Marinette wasn't afraid. She searched her insides, trying to drudge up her fear and anxieties, wondering where she had hidden them. But she dug and dug and revealed nothing. And as she watched Fennello expertly dodge a swipe of the sentimonster's hand, a warmth grew in her chest. They could do this. They were finally at a point where they could fight any sentimonster, with any miracle stone, and win.
Her veins electric with confidence, Papillonne Noire jumped up from her point on the roof, unsheathing her baton, aiming for the sentimonster's eye, using that force to send her flying over its body in a wide arc.
"Ack!" The beast's hands immediately went to cradle its eye, and Papillonne touched down next to her partner at the same moment. Fennello had to blink in surprise, but his lips split into a dazzling smile at seeing her.
"When did you get here?"
She put her hand on his arm and returned his grin. "Not long ago. I think the victim is in the body this time. The way this thing carries itself, it seems really bottom-heavy."
Fennello nodded in accordance, just as the monster turned back toward them, one eye closed tightly, swelling from the impact.
"You'll pay for that, Kitty Noire!"
Papillonne jumped away as the monster swiped in her direction, but it wasn't as precise as before. Its vision was certainly impaired, which meant it would probably be deceived by even a simple illusion.
In the middle of her jump, her wings caught on the wind once more, and she rode the push to alight on an adjacent roof. "I'd like to see you make me," she taunted. "Besides, I'm Papillonne Noire now!"
Afraid to communicate her plans to her partner, at the risk of the sentimonster hearing, Papillonne did the next closest thing.
Pressing her palm to the dome at the top of her walking stick, she called out, "darkwings rise!" The power pulsed in her ring, pushing down into the dome, manifesting in the deep purple butterfly she was beginning to grow fond of. She popped the dome open with her thumb, mentally commanding the transmitter to land on Fennello.
His hand was on his flute when the butterfly made contact. To her pleasure, Papillonne could see that Fennello had intended to use his power, that he had come to the same conclusion she had. The logical option was the easiest. She boosted his skill at making illusions, and as soon as that decision was made, the mental connection between them ended.
Fennello's flute came to his lips, the haunting tune summoning a ball of power at the other end. When he was satisfied with the size, he pulled it away, throwing the ball across the bridge. "Mirage!"
In a flash of light, Fennello was on the other side of the monster. He waved, taunting.
"Grrr!" The monster looked to where Fennello had stood, and back to where he now hopped between his feet, clearly confused. Papillonne herself shared its confusion. She hadn't given Fennello speed. How had he moved so fast?
The monster charged Fennello, but he cartwheeled expertly out of the way, the monster missing him by inches each time.
Papillonne Noire's dread was beginning to grow. What was he doing? Trying to rile it? She was about to head down to help him when a hand on her shoulder made her jump.
Her hand flew to her weapon, but she relaxed. It was just her partner. She looked back down at the fight and it immediately clicked. The Fennello fighting the sentimonster was just an illusion. She continued to watch them go at it, her wonder growing. "That's an amazing illusion. How did you get it so accurate?"
Fennello gave her a meaningful look. "Your butterfly amped up my power by a lot. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm skilled enough to make this last much longer than a minute, so we'll have to be quick."
Papillonne nodded, and they both said their summoning words at the same time. Fennello's charm was a spear, and Papillonne Noire grabbed it, turning it unlucky as she launched herself from the roof, the wind gliding her right toward the beast. The spear's tip made contact with the monster's slick skin, its magic beginning to discharge. With a little more force, Papillonne pushed the spear into the monster, pulling her wings in and allowing gravity to do the rest of the work.
When her feet hit the ground, there was an incision running down the creature's back, and it bellowed before falling, already beginning to dissolve.
When the smoke cleared, there was only one Fennello — beside her — and an older woman sprawled onto her back on the bridge.
Fennello removed the feather and looked to his partner happily. "We crushed it, Papillonne. I really believe we've found the miracle stones for us."
She squeezed his hand. With that gesture she didn't have to say that she thought so, too.
In the next few days before Lila's party, Papillonne Noire and Fennello defeated two more sentimonsters, in record time. After the second, they even lingered to give Nadja and Clara an interview.
"Your new powers are breathtaking! Is that what's to thank for your improved fighting ability?" Clara urged, pushing the microphone into Papillonne's face.
"I don't think so. What's to thank is our skills and diligence on the battlefield."
Dissatisfied with that answer, Nadja tried to turn the question to Fennello. "Do you have anything to add to that?"
"Nope."
They laughed about it later. As if they would give up the secrets of their power! Papillonne shook her head, wiping away a stray tear.
"We didn't lie, though." Fennello told her, and she had to admit that he was right. There was no way they could have wielded these stones without learning the others.
On Saturday morning, Marinette rose early, as she hadn't done since leaving home. She got out the ingredients and mixed and beat in the dark, the kitchen illuminated only by artificial light. She gave her kwamis a lick of the dough before forming the first batch of croissants.
By the time all of the croissants were done, it was time to start on the macarons. By then, her roommates were beginning to wake, stirred from their rooms by the smell of baked goods.
"Marinette! Are you starting your own bakery?" Mylène asked, her eyes swimming with hearts as she took in the trays of fresh croissants.
She sighed as she separated the yolk from the egg whites. "Nope. Just the catering service for a friend's party."
Mylène tried to hide her disappointment, and Marinette shrugged her apology. "I'll make some goodies just for us another time."
That cheered her up, and she moved to the dining table to finish assembling her breakfast.
It was nearly the afternoon by the time everything was finished, and Marinette wrapped and covered all the goodies, cleaned all her dishes, and flopped back onto her bed, as beaten as an egg.
Alya took off her headphones and looked at her friend with concern. She sighed. "I know it's a little late to talk you out of it, since you finished all those pastries and everything… but, are you sure you want to go to that girl's party? She's such a creep."
Marinette didn't open her eyes to answer. Alya didn't even know the half of it. "Yeah, I don't want to flake. I'll just pay my dues and cut ties after."
Alya hesitated, squirming. "I guess, what I'm meaning to say is, what if she tries something at the party? Like, are you going to be safe?"
Marinette chuckled into her pillow. Very sweet of Alya to be concerned, but Marinette was sure she could hold her own in a fight. Instead she said, "I'll be okay. Adrien is coming as my plus-one."
"Oh, okay." Alya's tone shifted to surprise.
"What?" Marinette asked with a smile. Was she going to tease her about being one of those girls who brings her boyfriend everywhere?
"Well, Nino asked if I wanted to do the same and I said no, but if you're bringing Adrien, maybe I should come as well." She glanced back at her desk, as though unsure.
"You should! It would be nice to support Nino by being there."
Alya still wasn't sold on it. "I don't want to get behind on studying."
Marinette shrugged. "It's up to you. I'm not sure how great the party will be, although I can vouch for the food."
That got a laugh out of her. "That I can believe. Okay, we'll see. If I get all my work done I'll show up."
A party guest opened the door for them, and Marinette tried not to sigh in relief. They didn't have to face Lila just yet.
"Oh, sweet! The caterers are here!" The guy opened the door wider, calling to some of his friends, and Marinette frowned.
"I think I resent that, but yeah, basically," she rolled her eyes, heading in, Adrien and Alya in tow.
Nino was already DJing, and the bass shook the floors as they entered. The lights had been programmed to strobe through all the colors of the rainbow, and assorted streamers hung from the ceiling. Overall, it looked awesome, and Marinette tried not to let her guard down, no matter how harmless this party seemed.
To everyone's disappointment, Lila caught sight of them and waved. "Marinette! You're here!" She weaved through other friends to meet them, helping take one of the trays of macarons. Alya took that as her cue to talk to Nino, i.e. escape.
"Um, thanks," Marinette had to let out. She couldn't act differently, she couldn't let Lila suspect that she'd been found out.
Lila led Marinette and Adrien to the food table and helped them set up all the treats, grabbing a coconut macaron and appraising the two of them, catching when Adrien's hand would linger against Marinette's.
"Oh, Marinette? Is this your boyfriend?" Lila raised her eyebrows, gushing like a good girl friend should.
But now that Marinette's eyes had been opened, she knew nothing good was coming. "Uh, yeah. This is Adrien, Lila. Lila, Adrien."
Adrien smiled and offered his hand to shake. "Thanks for letting me tag along. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Lila gasped, scandalized. "The Adrien? Oh my God, Marinette, why didn't you tell me?" Her eyes moved from Adrien's to Marinette's. "I'm so pleased you guys finally got together. Since Marinette was so heartbroken over you, it's sweet." She grinned, her tone dripping with sugar.
It was Marinette's turn to gasp, reddening against her will. Sure, Adrien knew the truth, but that didn't mean Lila had to go into the details of it! She'd prefer to keep her pride intact, thanks!
Marinette's eyes shifted to Adrien's face, trying to ascertain if he had caught that, but his expression remained unchanged. "Yeah, I'm really lucky to be with her."
Lila's smile fell just a degree. "Well. That's so awesome for you two. I'll let you enjoy the party together." She excused herself to talk with some other guests.
"Ugh, she's literally the worst!" Marinette hissed once she was out of earshot. "If you and I didn't have a history that transcends pettiness, I'd be really humiliated right now."
But Adrien wasn't listening, instead staring intently at Lila's receding figure. "Have you ever noticed her ring?"
Marinette balked. "What — what ring?"
He gestured with his chin, disguising the action with a reach toward the croissants.
Marinette's gaze locked onto Lila's hand. A beautiful blue sapphire set in a golden band. "I can't say I ever have. She's never worn it to work before."
Adrien shrugged. "It might be nothing. But it also looks suspiciously miracle-stone-y."
She gave him a look. "Are you suggesting what I think you are?"
Adrien nodded, and once Lila was distracted by something her friend was saying, he ducked around the corner and toward the bedroom. Marinette had no choice but to follow him.
He wiggled the door handle, and it opened with ease. Marinette's stomach dropped, but it was just Lila's bedroom. A bedroom like any other. "I don't know, Adrien," she mumbled, feeling suddenly ill at ease. "What evidence are we looking for, exactly? It's not like she's gonna have a kidnapped victim tied up in the closet during her party."
"Oh, I don't know," he trailed off, opening drawers. "A journal, perhaps?"
But Marinette's stomach just kept sinking. She wanted to help Adrien — after all, they desperately needed to take back the peacock miracle stone, and if Lila had it, this wasn't an opportunity they could afford to waste — but she couldn't will her feet to move. This just felt wrong.
"What if she catches us nosing in her stuff?" she muttered as Adrien lifted up papers from the desk, scoured the bookshelves.
"She won't. She's busy being the hostess."
Marinette finally allowed herself a step forward, reaching for the closet door handle. She probably wouldn't find anything but clothes. Lila was much too shrewd to leave evidence of her crimes laying around during a party.
The door slid away, and Marinette had to stagger back, trying to find the words, but unable to manage more than a choked exhale.
Everything seemed to freeze. Adrien was at her side in a moment, but she still couldn't speak. Her head felt light, her ears rung.
It was a shelf. Covered from top to bottom with jars and bottles of various toxic drugs.
"What the hell is this…?" Adrien breathed, his features twisting in disgust.
"Poison," Marinette squeaked out, her thoughts reeling, going back to Michel and that day at Sloppy Joe's.
Adrien's response was cut off by the door opening.
With a smirk on her lips and a glint in her eyes, Lila stood facing them, blocking the only exit. "I had a feeling I'd find the two of you in here."
Marinette's blood ran cold. If there was any doubt in her mind of Lila's guilt, it completely evaporated. That malicious smile was unlike any expression Marinette had ever seen on her once-friend.
"There's really only one reason we're all here right now, so let's not beat around the bush, Marinette. Or should I say, Kitty Noire?"
Marinette swallowed hard, took an involuntary step back, but stumbled into Adrien's bracing form.
"How nice of you to bring Coccinello along. Now I can finish you off at the same time."
Adrien stiffened. "Not sure what you're getting at, Lila. Marinette and I were just lost on our way to the bathroom."
Marinette closed her eyes. Like playing dumb was really going to help them now.
As she knew would happen, Lila threw her head back and cackled. "Oh, Adrien. Please. It's not time for games. You both know who I am." And with a toss of her hair, Lila brandished her ring. "That pathetic Mme. Bustier was no match for me, and she was a guardian. What makes you two think you can stand up to me? At the end of today, I'll have five of the seven stones in my possession, thanks to you." She winked.
Marinette's previously cold blood began to boil. How dare she! "Don't tell me you… killed her?" She could hardly say the words.
Lila's smug nod was enough to send Marinette over the edge, angry tears pricking her eyes. Lila was a killer. And she would have no scruples killing them, too.
She had to be stopped.
"It was so easy. That looney teacher never expected her TA would have ulterior motives. But I guess she underestimated me. Everyone does." Lila admired how her miracle stone reflected the light as she spoke, as though they weren't discussing anything more remarkable than the weather. Then she heaved a contented sigh. "Especially you. This whole party was a trap. And you fell right into it."
Marinette gasped in horror, her anger dying in her chest, to be replaced by the chill of fear. How could she have ever thought she could sneak up on Lila? The girl was a psychopath. She was always five steps ahead.
As Lila grinned again, Marinette's heart sunk even further in despair. But Adrien's hand squeezing hers gently but strongly reminded her that she wasn't going to have to face Lila alone.
Marinette squeezed back. It was time for action. "Nooroo, Plagg, transform me!"
Lila's face fell just a fraction at beholding the hero in her bedroom. "Duusu, transform me!"
In an instant, Papillonne Noire and Fennello finally laid eyes on their adversary. Ultramarine feathers decorated her deep blue dress.
Lila plucked a feather from her weapon, the fan. Papillonne extended her baton, whacking Lila's hand out of the way. There was no chance she'd be allowed to infect someone with those evil feathers here. Not on her watch.
Lila's frown grew more pronounced. She narrowed her eyes at Papillonne, not expecting to be thwarted. Her eyes darted to the side and before either hero could blink, Lila had vanished out the open window.
Papillonne Noire and Fennello wasted no time in following her.