บท 16: Hero or villain?

[Marinette's Room]

"What was that?!" Marinette screams, grabbing Alya by the shoulders and shaking her desperately. The reaction takes her completely by surprise, leaving her frozen for a few seconds as she tries to process what's happening.

"Did you see that?!" Alya exclaims, her eyes widening as she realizes Marinette clearly knows what just happened.

"Of course, I saw it! You did it right in front of my house!" Marinette responds, her voice laced with anger as her furrowed brow reflects her outrage.

"It was... it was an accident," Alya murmurs, nervously clenching her hands as she looks away, unable to hold the intensity of the situation.

"How can that be an accident?" Marinette insists, crossing her arms and raising her voice slightly, waiting for an answer that makes any sense.

"I don't know, okay! It just... happened," Alya admits, letting out a trembling sigh before collapsing into a nearby chair. She covers her face with her hands, visibly frustrated and struggling to organize her thoughts.

Marinette watches her friend in silence for a moment, letting her own frustration fade away. Finally, she sighs and steps closer, placing a gentle hand on Alya's shoulder. Her tone is now calmer, but firm. "Take a deep breath. Everything will be okay, but I need you to tell me exactly what happened."

Alya nods, takes a deep breath, and begins to recount the details of the afternoon. She tells how Aiden picked her up, how they spent the whole afternoon going from place to place. She talks about how they went to see the new Ladybug movie, where the atmosphere became more intense than she expected, and before she could process it, he was kissing her. She continues explaining that, on the way back, Aiden told her he wanted to get to know her better, and he walked her to the door, kissing her again as they said goodbye.

Marinette runs a hand through her hair, feeling a slight pain start to form. "How could he?! He seemed like such a good guy... but the first chance he gets, he takes advantage of your trust."

"He didn't take advantage of me!" Alya protests, defending Aiden firmly.

Marinette looks at her, clearly confused. "Am I missing something here?"

Alya sighs, looks away, and murmurs, a little embarrassed, "Well, maybe he kissed me first... but... maybe I kissed him back."

Marinette stands still for a second, her eyes wide open, before she starts pacing back and forth, clearly frustrated. "He's a bad person. He kissed you knowing you have a boyfriend!" she says, clenching her fists as indignation reflects in every word.

...

The atmosphere fills with an uncomfortable silence. Alya doesn't respond, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor.

Marinette, noticing this, narrows her eyes, studying her with suspicion. Her voice softens, but the inquisitive tone remains: "Does Aiden know you have a boyfriend... right?"

"Well..." Alya says, avoiding Marinette's gaze. "Now that you mention it, it's kind of funny..."

Marinette doesn't need her to finish the sentence to understand. "Alya, why didn't you tell him?!"

"I don't know... Everything happened so fast," she responds, shrugging. "The topic just never came up."

"Alya!" Marinette exclaims, clearly irritated. "It's getting really hard for me to put all the blame on Aiden."

"It's not my fault!" Alya protests. "I thought we were just hanging out as friends."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh," Marinette says, crossing her arms and looking incredulously at her friend. Then, she points to Alya's wrist. "And that bracelet?"

"Oh, this?" Alya gives a somewhat nervous smile as she shows it. "Aiden gave it to me," she says nonchalantly. "He said it's for good luck."

Marinette says nothing, just crosses her arms, watching her with an expectant look, waiting for Alya to realize it on her own.

Finally, Alya loses her smile, her face lighting up with a mix of surprise and concern. "Oh no... this was a date," she murmurs, bringing a hand to her forehead.

"THANK YOU! Finally!" Marinette throws her hands up in the air, celebrating sarcastically.

Alya flops onto Marinette's bed, curling up and burying her face in the pillows. "What do I do now?" she asks, not daring to look at her.

Marinette grabs Alya's phone and holds it out firmly. "You call him and tell him the truth."

Alya slowly sits up, taking the phone and looking at it as if it weighed a ton. "Do you think this will affect my sponsorship?"

"Alya!" Marinette yells, exasperated.

You're right!" Alya says quickly. "Aiden is a nice guy, he'll understand."

Alya takes a deep breath, preparing to dial the phone, but before she can, the screen lights up with a notification. "It's a message from Aiden," she says, looking at the phone.

"What does it say?" Marinette asks, leaning a bit toward her.

"He wants to know if I'm interested in having dinner with him," Alya replies, reading the message. Her face softens as she looks at it, smiling. "Oh, that's so sweet," she murmurs, clearly touched.

"ALYA!" Marinette yells, crossing her arms impatiently.

"YES, I GET IT!" Alya responds, rolling her eyes and giving her friend an exasperated look.

Suddenly, a beep interrupts the conversation. Another message appears on Alya's screen. She quickly opens it and reads aloud: "He says I could interview him while we're having dinner."

Marinette sighs, shaking her head. "What a shame. That would have been an interesting interview."

Alya stays silent, her eyes fixed on the phone. Marinette notices and frowns. "Alya, why don't you just send him the message already?" she says, pointing at the device in her hands.

"Well, it's just..." Alya looks down, trying to find the right words. "I really want to interview him," she finally confesses, looking up with a shy smile, the kind that screams 'sorry.'

"Alya, you can't be thinking of going on another date with him!" Marinette yells, incredulous at what she's hearing.

"It's not a date, it's a work dinner!" Alya quickly defends herself.

"That's what you said last time!" Marinette reminds her, pointing a finger at her.

"Listen, Marinette, you don't understand," Alya says, her tone more serious, trying to stay calm. "I really want to do that interview."

"Why?" Marinette asks, crossing her arms. "Why is it so important to you?"

Alya takes a deep breath and looks at her friend. "Marinette, when was the last time you saw or read an interview with a Green Couture recruiter?"

Marinette tries to remember, putting a finger to her chin. "Hmm... I don't remember. When was the last time...?"

"BECAUSE THERE ISN'T ONE!" Alya interrupts, raising her voice with determination. "No one has interviewed a Green Couture recruiter! They're like ninjas, Marinette, no one knows anything about them."

"And what about Nino?" Marinette asks, shifting her tone to something more serious. "What about your boyfriend?"

Alya lets out a sigh and, with a hint of frustration, repeats the same words Marinette once told her: "You said it yourself, Marinette: 'It doesn't make sense to stop now that we've already started. As long as Nino doesn't find out, it won't hurt him.'"

"That's not what I meant at all!" Marinette protests, clearly offended. She takes a deep breath and puts a hand to her forehead, trying to calm down. "So, what? Are you going to cheat on Nino?"

"NO! God, no!" Alya responds, outraged that Marinette would even suggest such a thing. "I've come up with a plan."

"Uh-huh," Marinette says, looking at her skeptically and raising an eyebrow.

"No, seriously, listen to this!" Alya says enthusiastically, leaning toward Marinette.

"On the night of the dinner, I'll tell my parents I'm spending it with you. Then I go to the dinner, we eat, I interview him, and when everything's done... I break his heart. After that, I sneak back into your room and we act like nothing ever happened. What do you think?" Alya finishes with a smile, clearly satisfied with her plan.

"WHAT?!" Marinette exclaims, horrified. "Why would you lie to your parents? They already know about Aiden!"

"Because my parents talk to Nino, and if he asks where I am, I'd rather they say I'm at your house than on a date with someone else," Alya explains, shrugging as if it's the most logical thing in the world.

"I thought it wasn't a date," Marinette replies, narrowing her eyes.

"I said dinner, Marinette. Don't put words in my mouth," Alya snaps, frowning.

"So... you're not going to tell Nino?" Marinette asks, crossing her arms and waiting for a direct answer.

"No..." Alya replies, looking down, her eyes filled with sadness. "Nino has been so intense these days, and if he finds out I kissed someone and then went out to dinner with that person, I'd surely break his heart."

"Alya, I don't think you can do this without everything getting complicated," Marinette says, clearly concerned. "You can't lie to them like this."

"Lie to them??" Alya looks at her incredulously, hands on her hips. "Like how I lied to Nino about not being Rena Rouge anymore? Or like when we lied to your parents and mine about where you were when you were being Ladybug?"

"That's different," Marinette responds, trying to keep her composure, though her tone sounds less certain.

"It's not the same, but it's similar," Alya insists, leaning a bit toward her. "Both are situations where, if the truth gets out, my life would get really complicated in a very negative way."

Marinette sighs, pressing her lips together as she searches for a convincing answer. But she can't help but remember the times Alya has helped her cover her own secrets.

"Just like I help you keep Ladybug's secret, I'm asking you, Marinette, to help me keep this one," Alya pleads, her tone softer, almost vulnerable.

Marinette wants to refuse. Everything inside her tells her this is going to go wrong, but the images of all the times Alya has supported her cross her mind. She can't say no.

"I still think this is a bad idea," Marinette finally says, frowning and looking at Alya disapprovingly.

"But will you help me?" Alya asks, her eyes pleading, her expression full of hope.

Marinette sighs in resignation. "Yes, I'll help you."

"Thank you!" Alya visibly relaxes, her face lighting up with gratitude.

As Alya hugs Marinette in thanks, Marinette's laptop lights up with a notification. Marinette frowns and quickly approaches.

"What is it?" Alya asks, following her with her gaze.

"I set up my computer to get notifications from local news stations whenever a crime is reported," Marinette explains as she turns on the screen. On the monitor appears an image of Nadja Chamack in a live broadcast.

"This is Nadja Chamack, reporting live from the Central Bank of Paris, where a robbery went wrong, leading to a hostage situation and the kidnapping of several civilians inside the building," the reporter announces gravely.

The footage shows police surrounding the bank. Through the windows, armed criminals can be seen, hiding behind the glass and watching the surroundings.

"This reporter wonders: where are the heroes of Paris right now?" says Nadja, looking at the camera with an accusatory expression.

Marinette exchanges a glance with Alya. There's no need to say anything; Alya nods, understanding instantly. Both start to prepare to transform, but are interrupted before they can do so.

"What is that?!" the reporter screams, visibly surprised. Nadja's alarmed tone catches Alya and Marinette's attention, who look toward the screen.

Suddenly, a strange ray, almost a flash of light, crosses in front of the police and speeds into the bank at dazzling speed. Before anyone can react, the ray leaves the criminals tied up, their weapons thrown several meters away, and the hostages miraculously safe near the paramedics outside.

The camera shakes, refocusing on Nadja, who is staring in shock. "Did you see that??" she exclaims in amazement. "Could that be Mercury, a member of the United Heroez?"

Before he can continue, the ray changes direction and stops right beside him. In an instant, the light dissipates, revealing a figure in a colorful, eye-catching suit.

"Don't compare me to Mercury," the stranger says, taking the microphone from Nadja with an arrogant smile. "He's too slow to even try to compare himself to me." He looks directly at the camera, his tone boastful, amplified by a mocking laugh. "Stay tuned, Paris. This is just the beginning." With those words, he laughs out loud and disappears in a flash, leaving everyone stunned.

"You heard it," Nadja says, taking back the microphone and looking at the camera with a serious expression. "It seems the heroes of Paris have new competition."

Marinette and Alya stand frozen in front of the screen, processing what they've just witnessed.

"Ugh..." Marinette sighs, rubbing her forehead. "Another problem for the list."

"This day is becoming eternal," she murmurs, closing her eyes for a moment, trying to calm herself.

-/-

Author's note: New questions and mysteries. Who is the mysterious hero? How will Alya and Aiden's dinner go? Will Nino find out who the mysterious stranger is that Alya is hanging out with? Find out in the next chapter… maybe!

I'd love to hear your thoughts, comments, and ideas. Feel free to share them!