I look into the darkness. I still can't find them. It sucks to be the only one without night vision. On the other hand, I can see more colors than normal, which is amazing. But right now the ability to see more colors is useless, as there is no light.
A soft thump sounds behind my back. At least one of the two has already arrived.
"Where's Ryuko?"
"I do not know. In case you don't remember, I don't see in the dark."
Light footsteps come closer and Bunnyx sits next to me.
The last time there was an akuma, we agreed to meet on Wednesday nights at the Eiffel Tower. Last Wednesday, Bunnyx told us that we should change places and here we are, at my school.
At least the two of us, because Ryuko isn't coming.
"Have you learned to use your umbrella yet?"
"Not yet. I've asked Ryuko to help me, but it doesn't do a lot for me. I think my style is more instinctive, like you."
Why did her suppose I have no idea how to handle my weapon? She offends me.
"My style is not instinctive, it is pure technique. I have been in rhythmic gymnastics since I was four years old and I am very good at handling the ribbon aparatus."
She opens her mouth, as if she isn't expecting it. I'm a complete stranger, why should she know?
"Is that why you are so thin?"
"What do you mean 'so thin'? I am perfect. My weight is perfect. My body is perfect. Perfect tits, perfect waist, perfect belly, perfect hips, perfect ass and perfect legs. All perfect."
Before I was thinner, but now I'm fine and I also manage not to gain weight.
Bunnyx looks at me like I was crazy. It is obvious that she has no concern about being perfect, seeing her body.
A thud is heard in front of us.
"It's about time." I complain.
"I am sorry. I had to wait until the house was asleep."
"Well, now that you are both here, I have to tell you something." Bunnyx starts talking. "I've been doing some research and found out that Aurore's akumatization was planned. It seemed strange to me that a rich man did not whine about having to pay a large sum of money for something he had caused. The rich never want to pay for damage, whether they cause it or not."
It's true. My father always tries to get rid of paying for things.
"Hacking into the Kidz director's bank accounts, I discovered some banking irregularities a couple of days before the program was sabotaged. He received ten times what he had to pay with a message: 'Aurore has to be humiliated.'"
How? Why?
"But the account is untraceable. It belongs to a bank in Switzerland and I also can't know where the transfer was made from because the address bounces too many times. Someone went to a lot of trouble to make Aurore angry that day. Don't you think?"
I can't see anything, but I can feel the tension. We believe the akumas must be furious to function. Nothing has shown us otherwise.
"Are you saying that Climatika was not random? That Hawk Moth specifically planned to go after Aurore and wanted her under the circumstances? Is that why Hawk Moth takes so long between one akuma and another?" Ryuko questions.
There is movement to my left, I think she is there.
"And if he has been able to pay that money, she means that she is a millionaire." I point.
"Or a very good thief." adds Ryuko.
I nod. It is also possible.
"Why did he choose Aurore?" I ask.
"I do not know. The first akuma seemed very spontaneous. On television they said it was because of love problems. How do you plan a love problem?"
"No idea, but I think we have to find a connection between the two and depending on the third akuma, a pattern." Bunnyx responds.
We already have three akumas. Kagami's mother was the first. But she was different: her appearance did not change and her power was not so destructive, in fact we did not see her use it. She did not attract attention. And unlike Ivan and Aurore, she was an adult. I have no idea what the 'pattern' could be.
"Have you noticed any change in you?" Ryuko says suddenly.
"What are you talking about?" Bunnyx asks.
"Well, since I have the miracle, I feel very good when there is a storm. I have always liked them, but now... It is different. I do not know how to explain it."
That is similar to what happened to me.
"I understand you." I second "I used to hate honey. If you think about it, it's gross. It's bee vomit. But since I've been a Queen Bee, I want to eat honey constantly. And it tastes good."
The first few days I didn't even notice it, I was unconsciously picking up the honey. But after a while I went from a teaspoon of honey every three days to half a bottle a day. It's unpleasant not being able to control it. I'm going to get fat.
"Really? I haven't noticed anything."
"It may be taking longer." Ryuko suggests.
"And make it worse." I complete.
"I hope it's fried potatoes. I don't see the bad side of swimming every day in a mountain of fried potatoes . It's what I have dreamed of today. Very nice."
I can't help rolling my eyes. I'm realizing that Bunnyx is a bit of a clown. I hope she doesn't say that kind of thing in public, it would make us look foolish.
The two of them are silent for a while.
"Does either of you want to say something else? Because I want to go to sleep. And putting on all the nightly products that I wear takes a while."
I get up, but someone takes my hand to stop me. Her hand is smaller than mine. Bunnyx.
"Yes. I think we should stand guard every day."
"Stand guard?" Ryuko's tone is surprised.
"Watching Paris in case there are nocturnal akumas. So," Bunnyx moves "Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday."
"What happened?" It sucks not to see anything.
"She assigned us days. She gave you Tuesdays and Fridays and Saturday goes to three of us." Ryuko explains "Are you sure?"
"Yes. Saturday is the day we are most rested, surely. And better to keep coming here at this time. All agree?"
I am a superhero, quite unique, considering that there are only three of us in the world. I have super cool power and people love me. So yes, I agree, or the guardian will take it from me.
I would miss Pollen. She cares about me and treats me well.
I nod and go.
Also, fighting evil shows that I am a good person. I'm not the bad guy in the movie, as my classmates say so much.
When I reached the balcony I detransform. It's very cold, we are in December. The suit protects from the cold. I do not know how, if it is very thin and something similar to rubber. I've seen that Bunnyx has leather and Ryuko has scales. Luckily I don't have insect skin.
"My Queen."
I open the glass door to the room and enter, followed by Pollen.
"I know what you're thinking. And I don't want to talk about my weight and that you think I'm too thin." I interrupt Pollen. "We better talk about Hawk Moth. Do you think he is my father?"
"No, of course not. Your father is a good person."
"It's true, my father is too stupid to be Hawk Moth. He is a wimp."
"Don't say such things about your father. It is not well."
I give a bitter laugh.
"Not well? He let my mother go. He's never here for me, even after... he doesn't care. He is an idiot."
"You mean ..." Pollen stops, as if she doesn't dare to continue.
I will not continue with that topic. She thinks I'm sick.
I go to the bathroom.
I have to remove my makeup, put on my after-makeup cream, my pimple and pimple mask, make sure I don't have extra hair on my face, put on the exfoliating cream and the night mask. Of course, also the eyelash lengthener and in special oil to have lips always full and never dry.
I start to remove my makeup.
"Who do you think he can be then? In Paris there are many millionaires."
"And the option that he is a thief." she adds.
I sit for as long as the mask has to act.
"To be a thief of so much money you have to be as good a hacker as Bunnyx apparently is. Or be very old. However, there are few options."
I open my mobile phone and look at Twitter. QueenBeeFan187 has posted another picture. From me.
Yes, I have followed him. Yes, he hates me. Well, Chloe. He adores Queen Bee. And since he hasn't said anything else about my civilian self, his account is tolerable.
The drawings of his are beautiful and they are all of me.
His account is very tolerable.
And I have followed him with a secondary account that does not have my name.
I clearly have a problem. But it doesn't matter, because I could spend my life seeing my face drawn by this guy.
I don't know who he is, but I don't want to know either. He also would not like to know that his admired Queen Bee is me.
Anyway, I have to continue with my beauty ritual.
Queen Bee is Trending Topic. I wake up with that.
Apparently someone took a photo of me last night near my hotel and sent it to the stupid Shrill Snooper, who published it on her Super Triple Blog.
Dammit.
Luckily, it wasn't de-transforming me on my balcony. That would be a disaster. Although it could never have happened, my balcony has high walls.
I've been hearing theories from my colleagues all morning. The slightest nonsense makes people look like this and they can't get it right. School is finally over and I'm going to my limousine.
I'm getting along better with Kagami. I think we can call each other friends at some point. Although she gave me grief today.
Once again she tried to talk to the people in the class and once again they pushed her away. Hasn't she heard that pretty, rich, and talented girls are not appreciated in this class? They don't like someone to put all of that together, because just by changing one of those words they accept you.
Like Adrien, he swapped a girl for a boy and everyone loves him. Or Marionette, change pretty for normal, pulling ugly and she is the most adored. Yeah okay, she's not rich like me, but her parents are far from poor. Or Rose, rich change for not starving and she gets along with everyone, even if her extreme happiness is unbearable.
Speaking of the devil.
Rose is coming towards me.
"Hi Chloe."
Wow! She has no interest in ever saying hello to me and now that we are partners for a chemistry job, she suddenly does. And sure that the fact that she gets five scrapes and I seven does not influence.
"I'm not going to help you with your part of the job. The division is what it is, full stop."
In any case, I will surely change what comes to me if it doesn't seem enough to me.
She looks at the ground. I hate that insecurity. I always hold my head high, even when I'm scared.
"That's not what I wanted to tell you. I wanted to ask you if, since Prince Ali is staying at Le Grand Paris, can you give him this letter." Rose takes a pink letter from behind her back and hands it to me. It smells awful. That kind of strong and cheap perfume that more than pleases the senses dulls them. "I'm a fan of his."
What? She never talks to me at all and now she suddenly wants me to deliver a letter from her to a celebrity she admires. But how hypocritical! False. And then, of course, the rest of the year will be spent ostracizing me and fleeing my gaze. Because I am very bad, the worst.
No. I'm not going to get mad. Getting so pissed off is bad for your health.
If she wants me to be the villain of the class so badly, I will be.
I laugh. This pathetic situation has a certain grace.
"Do you want me to give this to Prince Ali? This stinky thing. This 'Oh, how wonderful and princely you are, Prince Ali!' You think you going to get shit out of this? Well no. And do you know why? Because it will never get to him."
I cut the letter in half and throw it on the ground. I make sure she sees it. Tears fill her eyes and she leaves. Fuck her. She thinks that life is rosy and that everything will work out just because she wants it that way.
"Why did you do that?" shouts Pollen once we are in the limousine. "My queen, you have to be good with the subjects. Requests are very important. And to be a good queen you have to be fair."
"Fair? Is justice that a little girl tramples me and drives at will of her? Don't think so."
I stay quiet the rest of the way. I'm thinking what to wear. I had completely forgotten that Prince Ali was coming today.
"And this is my daughter, Chloe." My father introduces me.
The prince has arrived and there are a lot of cameras everywhere.
I am beautiful, as always. I have put on my new yellow dress with golden but subtle makeup, like a princess. Finally, I have left my beautiful natural hair. Nothing is better than my platinum ripples.
The cameras broadcast live, everyone seeing how superior I am for having the opportunity to meet the prince and they do not.
I step forward and hold out my hand for him to kiss me on the back. Instead, he shakes it roughly.
Hasn't anyone taught he manners?
This prince is brusque and not very delicate, completely different from how he should be. I dislike him.
Suddenly, the journalists and their cameramen turn in the opposite direction from where we are and bow.
Behind them is a girl with pink hair, green skin, red lipstick, and a black suit holding some kind of weird gun.
She is an akuma.
Her smile is a mix between superiority and satisfaction, indicating that she is in control. Does she have the power to make people obey her?
The girl walks slowly, her heels tapping on the stone floor.
She pushes me and stands in my place, facing Prince Ali. Who does she think she is? An akuma? No akuma is more than me.
"Nice to meet you, Prince Ali." she sings with a smile "I am Princess Fragrance. I come this far because we are destined to meet. Then we will get married and be happily ever after." She turns to me and makes a face at me. "Witch."
"You are more of a witch." I answer her. I don't even know who she is, but I'm not going to let her insult me, especially in public.
The girl points her gun at me.
At the exact same moment, a white portal opens behind her and Bunnyx emerges from it.
"And I'm a superhero!"
Fragrance Princess turns and faces her.
"The first one is here. I'll make you three my royal guard."
I have to find a distraction to run away and transform.
"Run." Bunnyx orders.
That's fine. They all run off while Bunnyx fights Princess Fragrance. I take advantage of the confusion to go in another direction, away from the security cameras.
"Merging with me will not be comfortable with the feeling of hatred that you have at this moment." Pollen warns me with an expression of panic.
Still, I have to.
She is right. The yellow light that surrounds me is not pleasant like the other times. Burning The suit sticking to my skin. Said changing color. My eyes. Everything burns. Like accidentally touching a kitchen stove.
Is this what Hawk Moth feels every time he transforms? Or has he succeeded in overriding his emotions? If I'm going to suffer this every time I transform thinking about how I hate someone, I won't be able to continue.
I go back to the room I was in before. Bunnyx bounces everywhere: floor, walls and ceiling, dodging both journalists and the shots of pink smoke from the akuma. She also protects herself with her umbrella.
"Goodness." She says a little relieved "It was about time. I have to go. I left you with the party for a moment."
She exits so fast it almost seems like her power is speed.
Everyone who remains stares at me.
"This is not a place for queens, only for princes and princesses" sings Princess Fragrance again. I don't think I can get used to her cheesy and off-key tone. "My subjects go for her."
I can't attack normal people so I imitate Bunnyx and dodge them. Who I can attack is this one who thinks she is royalty.
She shoots me with her pink smoke. I use my spinning top to protect myself, like other times. The magic material is hard and it can make a very good shield when I spiral it. It is something different from the tape, but close enough not to give me problems.
My movement is useless to protect me. I don't stop the pink smoke, but rather stir it in front of my face. I breathe it in.
This is bad.
My body stays still. She smiles a lot. She's going to break her face.
"From now on you will be Knight Bee, not Queen."
I bow. My mind is clear but I cannot control my movements. It is unpleasant. I don't want to be controlled.
"At her command, my princess." I sing with a horrible whistling voice. It is clear that the modification of Pollen is not made for singing.
Ryuko and Bunnyx enter.
"Oh shit!" Bunnyx exclaims as Ryuko opens her mouth in amazement.
"Knight Bee, attack the rest of Triple Super." Princess Fragrance sends. I am not your slave.
I advance towards them, against my will. Bunnyx whispers something to Ryuko and she nods. They are planning something. My body does not stop. Yes I am her slave.
When I'm about to reach them, Ryuko cuts a column in half and the ceiling falls on me. They both know that this won't hurt me, as the magic armor protects from everything except magic, and that it will be enough to slow me down.
"Do you really think that will work?" says Ryuko.
I hear fighting noises. Grunts, thumps, things breaking, and Princess Fragrance giving orders to the perfumed civilians.
"Knight Bee, get up." she commands me again. It seems that if she doesn't give constant orders her slaves won't do anything. "Paralyze Bunnyx."
"Ryuko doesn't scares you?" says the aforementioned "It is not good to underestimate a Triple Super."
There are several sounds that I would say are from a sword, but I'm not sure. During those sounds, my body tries to get out of this pile of rubble. And then there is only silence. My body does not invoke the 'poison' from my spinning top. The order has changed.
Now that there is no noise, another of my senses prevails over the others: smell.
In this room there is a horrible smell, stinky, of cheap perfume with a strong smell that becomes unpleasant. It makes me want to show off how strong it is.
I've smelled this before.
The smell, the obsession with Prince Ali, the cheesy Disney princess vibe of going around singing ... It's Rose!
And that means that the akumatization is my fault. If I had delivered the letter, Rose would have no reason to attack us.
Rose has always been weak, whiny. She thinks that we live in a fairy tale and that everything is unicorns and rainbows. Of course, I am the villain in her fantasy world, as I am to everyone.
Rose has to learn that the world is unfair and cruel. That people will adore the person who has destroyed your life while you suffer. Is that how it works.
And it doesn't matter how much money you have or who your father is. If a certain type of person decides, they can turn your life into hell.
Rose has had a reality shock for the simple fact that I have not been nice to her. I could have done a lot worse to her.
She is ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous.
My body comes out from under the rubble. I don't know how Ryuko could destroy my father's hotel like that.
I am moving in a very specific direction. It seems that my body is capable of knowing on its own where Princess Fragrance is.
I run through Paris until I reach Pont des Arts. She has scented my father, Prince Ali and his companions. She also controls many people filling the bridge except where she is and the group of her chosen. What is she going to do?
People leave me a path to reach it. Neither Ryuko nor Bunnyx are here. Where have they gone?
"Knight Bee, protect me from Triple Super." My father opens a box in which there is a pink padlock wrapped in pink smoke. Are others conscious like me? "I am very busy making a promise of eternal love with Prince Ali."
Oh, wow. I don't feel any sorry for Juleka.
I stand by her side as she do all her cheesy black magic shit for "love". I am not amused that my body does not obey me, but her. Before, I felt a little bad for knowing that not delivering her letter caused her akumatization, but seeing what she does now does not make me feel so sorry.
Yes, I know that akumatized people are not to blame, but it has to be based on something, right? For Ivan it was that he got angry with Kim because he called him a coward and his anger was legitimate considering that Kim is an asshole. For Aurore it was that they sabotaged the contest in which she participated and humiliated her.
They both wanted to prove something, the first that he was not a coward and the second that she was the best. But Rose doesn't want to prove anything. She's just a whimsical one who wants to date her favorite celebrity.
Before they can put the lock on the bridge, a strong wind blows people into the river. My body uses the spinning top to grab the bridge and avoid flying. Fragrance Princess orders me to hold her too, so my body does. Behind me I hear the sound of many bodies falling into the water.
Ryuko forms before me. She was the wind. Didn't she think that people would fall into the water?
"Swim! Don't drown!" yells the akuma. The perfumed ones can't do anything if she doesn't tell them to.
Is there still something good inside? Or is her akuma's personality based on storybook princesses?
"You have attacked my subjects!" Princess Fragrance points a finger at Ryuko. "You're not as heroic as they say. Knight Bee, attack her."
I go to her, spinning the spinning top in a spiral. I don't know how my body without consciousness is going to attack her.
Bunnyx reaches the bridge gasping.
"All safe."
She gives Ryuko the umbrella and jumps on top of me, knocking me off the bridge. We fall into the water and as Bunnyx is tired and I have no will, we begin to sink. Once again we have left everything in Ryuko's hands. I hope this time she is different from the first.
"She will save us. We have a plan." she tries to reassure me.
Nothing to keep us afloat. However, she does not succeed.
Hellish seconds pass. I could die, but I trust them, their plan. They are capable, like me.
We are going to drown.
I regain the ability to move. Ryuko has made it. She has freed me from the influence of the akuma.
Immediately, I grab Bunnyx and swim to the surface. It is hard for me to breathe. Ryuko looks out, jumps into the river and transforms into water to take us to the shore, which is not close.
She saved us.
Once again, Queen Bee is Trending Topic. My haters criticize that I let me get caught by the villain. If I have haters means that I am truly famous and important. Only people like that have haters, so I have to look at it from the bright side.
"She has allowed herself to be controlled. She doesn't do anything like that and she still gets the credit. #OutQueenBee" Yes, I'm clearly taking the credit.
"It's a plan. She's actually on the side of Hawk Moth. #OutQueenBee" You're a genius, girl. They should give you the nobel prize.
"It's useless. It was obvious that removing the magic perfume in front of her face would make her inhale it and she would be controlled. #OutQueenBee" This guy is the same asshole who made the thread with our failures versus Climatika. I don't know why I haven't blocked him.
"Her singing was pathetic. #OutQueenBee" Someone laughs at me.
"Queen Bee is wonderful. Everyone can be wrong. I would like to see you fighting akumas. #OutQueenBee #OurQueenBee" Thank you, QueenBeeFan187.
Although the adoration of him is not enough to counteract the hatred of others. It hurts me. I almost drowned and still people think they have the right to insult me.
It's a bit hypocritical of me to want people to treat me well. They treat me badly, I treat them worse and start over.
But the hatred of the people I save from supervillains I cannot return. If I did, I would be helping my enemy. And I am good. I would never intentionally help a terrorist. I've already helped him once without wanting to and I feel like an asshole.
I am not the only Triple Super that is Trending Topic. So is Ryuko. Although hers is the opposite of mine. Everyone adoring her and freaking out because Shrill Snooper managed to record how she beat Princess Fragrance.
I saw the video: she used Bunnyx's umbrella as a shield to protect herself from the gunshots while also taking innocuous blows to Princess Fragrance. She moved with ease, as if she had done it many times before, which gave an advantage over her enemy, who being Rose she has no idea of fighting.
Her face had the butterfly all the time, indicating that Hawk Moth was saying things to her, presumably to help her win the duel. Although she was of no use, my partner's ability is far superior.
In one of the blows of the umbrella, the strange pistol flew off and Ryuko took the opportunity to jump very high and cut the pistol in half on the fly. Also, she caught the butterfly the moment it got out of the gun, before she fell off the jump and was out.out of her reach. That was the object where she was. I didn't even realize it.
Ryuko was awesome.
At least they recognize the effort of one of us.
Ungrateful shit.
They should recognize us all, even when we fail. In the last akuma, the insults were for Ryuko and the compliments were for me. They are disgusting.
After we finished with the akuma, we had a conversation and concluded that the pattern is Françoise Dupont's teenagers with negative feelings, not just anger. The feelings thing has to be for the akuma to have the proper motivation.
When I got home, Pollen was looking at me compassionately. I think she's not angry anymore about how I treated Rose, although I don't know what made her change her mind.
I also discovered that the rest of the perfumed were not conscious during their period of blind obedience. How lucky they were.
Although Rose didn't have that much. Prince Ali stated that he will not return to Paris and requested a restraining order for Rose. I thought he was stupid, but apparently he wasn't.
"Stop looking at your haters." Pollen speaks next to my ear. "Try to be positive."
I've been staring at my Twitter. The good thing is that they don't say anything about Chloe. But the day is not over yet.
"I'm not positive, it doesn't matter how much I try." I say as I close the app.
Pollen looks around with a sigh. We are in my suite, away from the lobby that Ryuko destroyed.
Pollen comes between me and my mobile phone.
"What if I put you makeup on? I know you like it and that my way of seeing colors is different from yours. It could be fun."
I think about it for a moment. It would be interesting to know my kwami's makeup ability and how different it looks with a larger color vision spectrum.
Putting on makeup is always fun. It encourages me to enhance the best aspects of my face. I am always more beautiful with makeup than without it.
"Okay. Let's have fun."
She makes an effort for me to be happy, I have to try too.
"How could you treat Rose like that? She has never done anything to you." To your knowledge. "It's because of this kind of thing that she didn't talk to you. You have to realize that it is wrong. Apologize to her."
Adrien is pissed off, even though he doesn't scream. He never screams.
He doesn't like me to act like that with people because he, like Rose, lives in a fantasy world of his own. I suppose Hawk Moth will now akumatize him and I will have caused two akumas for the price of one.
Rose has told her group of friends how bad I am. Of course, Marionette has been shouting it from the rooftops, which has caused Adrien to come to scold me.
In front of everyone in the class who has arrived.
"I'm not going to apologize. I doesn't feel like it."
I'm not going to apologize to an girl who wanted to use me.
Adrien looks at me with great pity. He runs his hand over his face.
"Tell me at least why you did that. There has to be a reason." he whispers. As if he was my confidante while he hangs out with Marionette.
If I told him the truth, he would never look at me as an equal again. I know him and I know that he would go around with compassion and grief.
I refuse.
"There is no reason." I lie.
Adrien goes to his seat shaking his head.
And Kagami arrives. She comes straight to my desk. This is never going to end.
"Tell me the truth. Without excuses."
Her gaze is penetrating, direct, strong. The girl is stupidly fair and good. She proved it by wanting to separate the fight from the park. She shows it every day by wanting to be friends with people who leave her aside. If I tell her the truth, she would not give me compassion, she would give me justice.
I'll tell her the exact reason for doing that 'horrible' thing to Rose.
She is the only person who listens it.