CHAPTER 28 – FLASHBACK
Félix had been alone, putting on his fencing suit in the locker room when screams marked the arrival of Seamstress. He had never seen an akuma victim before, though he had seen video footage of them often enough on the BBC News. Curiosity got the best of him though and he pressed his back against the wall next to the door before popping his head around the door.
"ADRIEN AGRESTE! Where are you?" called Seamstress, her bobbin flying out and snagging one of the students who had changed quicker than him and was already outside.
With a shock Félix realized that Seamstress was looking for HIM. He ducked his head back into the locker room, his back slowly sliding down the wall as the gravity of his situation struck him. "She's looking for ME!" he thought again. A panicked student suddenly ran into the locker room, Seamstress's bobbin following close behind. Energy surged down the thread converting the student to a multi-coloured blithering idiot, free of all cares, who raced back out into the courtyard muttering something about feeding pigeons.
Félix used his gloved hand to wipe his forehead which was suddenly wet with sweat. He could feel more sweat trickling down his neck and under his collar. The air in the locker suddenly felt humid and oppressive. His mind spun. What did akuma victims do when they caught the source of their negative emptions? Félix wasn't sure, but if they treated innocent bystanders so poorly, he could only imagine what he would be in for if Seamstress found him.
Félix's eyes scanned the locker room for a hiding place. The lockers were too obvious and if he would be trapped if she found his hiding spot. Under the changing bench in the middle of the room was perhaps a better option. Several bags and items of clothing lay on the seating section, preventing one from seeing through the slats and creating a darkened hiding place underneath. The added advantage of the hiding spot was that he had several escape routes and would be able to see out of the door to get warning if Seamstress approached. Félix ran to the bench, sliding under it like a batsman stealing third base.
Félix's emerald eyes peered from under the bench. Cat Noir had arrived, swirling his staff and dodging Seamstress's bobbin. His athleticism was a sight to behold. Leaps and twists in the air were made to look effortless. Cat Noir landed close to the locker room door. As he glanced up he made eye-contact with Félix, but gave no sign of having seen him.
That fleeting glance was enough to steady Félix's resolve. His feeling of helplessness was replaced with hope, and he felt that everything was going to be all right. Then Cat Noir was gone, twisting through the air with the grace of an eagle.
Félix was mesmerized. If you have ever seen a black panther moving then you will know exactly what Cat Noir looked like as he ducked and dived. Muscles rippled under the black suit, flowing like oiled silk. Movements seemed effortless, Seamstress almost seemed to move in slow motion compared to Cat Noir.
Then Alya raced across the courtyard, calling for help. Cat Noir moved in front of her to protect her, twirling his staff. Félix's heart missed a beat when Alya turned and ran at Cat Noir, tackling him to the ground. He watched as the bright yellow patch sailed through the air. Cat Noir twisted. The muscles in his leg bulged as they tried to twist his body out of the way … to no avail.
"NOOOO!" gasped Félix as the patch struck Cat Noir's leg, which started to shimmer, almost as if it was dissolving. The resolve that Félix had felt seconds before melted away like snow on a sunny day. He backed up, moving further under the bench. Cat Noir leapt into the air, out of sight.
Almost as quickly as Chat Noir had disappeared though there was a flash of red and black. Ladybug? No, someone dressed like Ladybug, but not Ladybug. This was very clearly a guy, with a flash of golden hair.
The call "LUCKY CHARM" carried clearly across the courtyard, but it was a young man's voice, not the voice of Ladybug. Like Cat Noir this new superhero exhibited extreme athleticism, easily dodging the bobbin. His grace reminded Félix of something … someone … but he couldn't quite remember who.
Then suddenly streams of thread were flying through the air, Steamstress's bobbin was trapped and then a black butterfly was flying upwards.
The call "TIME TO DE-EVILISE" carried to Félix, and then "MIRACULOUS MISTER BUG." A cloud of ladybugs swarmed over everything and then all he could see was Cat Noir and Marinette kneeling on the ground, her sobs carrying into the locker room.
-000-
Félix had never seen anyone so sad before. Marinette's grief was raw and terrible to behold. Félix's mother's grief at his father's funeral had ripped at his heart, but it had been grief tempered by the social graces of an adult and she had had a few days to prepare for the end before the cancer had taken his father. Marinette's grief was the pure grief of teenage love ripped to pieces with no warning.
With a jolt Félix realized that his actions must have been the source of her devastation. The sweet-natured, charming girl who had gone out of her way to make Félix feel welcome had been destroyed, only to be replaced with a pathetic shadow of her former self. "What have I done?" he asked himself as he got out from under the bench and ran up to comfort Marinette.
As she looked up at him her face changed. Her visage of despair was masked with anger.
"YOU! YOU! HOW COULD YOU? GET AWAY!" she snarled, raking the air in front of his face with her fingernails. Félix backed up. His shoulders slumped as her realised that his dastardly plan had been a little too successful. He hadn't thought through the consequences of his actions properly. He knew there would be collateral damage, but he didn't realise what "collateral damage" actually meant.
Then Cat Noir moved between them. He said something to Félix, but Félix was beyond hearing. His heart had sunk down into his stomach and all he could think of was what he had done to Marinette.
The last thing Félix saw before Cat Noir whisked Marinette away was her face. It had crumpled like a paper bag. The friendly blue eyes which had welcomed him to class a few days before were dull and lifeless, as if the spark of life itself had left them. Félix felt terrible.
-000-
The fencing class was cancelled due to the akuma attack and Félix soon found himself back in the locker room with his fellow students, changing back into civilian clothes. He sat in the corner, lacing up his civilian shoes. The low murmur of subdued conversation washed around him like an incoming tide swirling around rock pools. Every now and then he caught a snippet of conversation.
"… Marinette … akuma …"
"… but what made her so sad …"
"… Adrien … crushed her …"
Félix could feel his class's eyes boring into him. That was the reaction that he had intended with his plan, but now that his scheme had reached fruition he didn't feel a sense of satisfaction. Instead he could only think of Marinette's soulless eyes, the blackness that smothered her spirit and her sobs of despair.
Then he thought of his cousin. Félix was experiencing ostracism for a few minutes while he changed, if he continued his plan his cousin would have to live with it for the rest of his life. He thought back to how his cousin had comforted him a few days ago. He could almost feel the warmth of his embrace again, the knowing look in his emerald eyes, the wry smile of understanding. His cousin didn't deserve a lifetime of no friends.
A tear ran down Félix's cheek as he realized that his actions were just as bad as, if not worse than his uncle's. Nobody deserved the fate that Félix had prepared for his cousin.
Félix stood up and cleared his throat.
"Excuse me everyone. I've got something to say, something very difficult to say.
Most of you have by now probably seen the video of me kissing Chloé Bourgeois. Most of you will have worked out by now that that video is the reason Marinette Dupain-Chang was so upset that she got akumatised. Most of you probably think I'm despicable, and most of you are right."
There was a low murmur of assent at Félix's last comment.
"What most of you don't know is that I'm not Adrien Agreste. Adrien has been in a coma for the last day or so. I'm his cousin Félix, who most of you met a few days ago."
This time the room was completely silent. Félix could feel the eyes on him. He wished that he could burrow into the earth, but he had to make things right. He looked at his feet, breathed deeply and then looked up again.
"What I have done is unacceptable. It was motivated by jealousy and greed. I know that I have caused untold damage by my actions and that, try as I might, I can never undo the damage that I have caused. That being said, I have to try.
Adrien had nothing to do with this, like Marinette he is a victim, and I hope that you will not treat him any different after today's incident. I know that many of you might be asking if I'm not Adrien pretending to be Félix. If you know Adrien then you know that he would never be capable of such despicable actions. You are his friends. If you look deep inside you, you will know that Adrien is incapable of acting how I have acted and that I speak the truth."
Félix looked at his class. One of two of the fencers were nodding.
Chloé is also a victim – the video you saw is taken out of context. I kissed Chloé, she didn't kiss me. And you are missing out the end of the video too, where it is clear that Chloé loves Adrien as a sibling would, not as a potential love interest.
Félix took another breath.
"I don't deserve forgiveness, and I don't ask for forgiveness. But I do ask that you don't punish Adrien, Chloé or Marinette for my actions. I am so very sorry."
With that Félix picked up his tog bag and walked out the locker room. He had a lot of work still to do.