The Miraculous Games

Chapter 18: Trust Issues

Ladybug could see the early morning sun reflecting of the lake through the trees and tried to double her pace. She heard loud footsteps from the trees behind her and spared a glance to see a familiar Career - and a dangerous one.

"F-Felix," she panted, "Did you make it out before getting stung?"

"Of course. I'm alert, even in my sleep," he boasted, then sent her a look, "but I didn't think you were. How were you the first one to notice, and how did you make it out so quickly?"

They were at the lake now, so Ladybug dove straight into the water, plunging beneath the surface as she say the buzzing gold shapes approach. She held her breath and tried to compose herself, knowing that Felix was good at seeing through lies.

When the large insects hovered away, she waited a bit before surging up and taking big gulps of air. She felt a vice close around her arm, and turned to see Felix treading water right beside her, his steel grey eyes locked into hers.

"You haven't answered me yet Marinette. How did you know what was going to happen. Are you in a league with Adrien?"

"N-no, I know what would happen to me if I betrayed you," she told him, shivering. He needed to feel in control. If he did, he would leave her alone. "I woke up to the sound of Adrien sawing at the branch, but I only noticed what was actually happening when the branch started to snap."

"Really?" he said, increasing the pressure on her forearm. "I thought you'd be smarter than that. And it doesn't explain why you had everything ready in your backpack."

"Oh I, um, packed everything up at the start of my watch. I knew Chloe would fall asleep, and I thought I could take her watch as well, but I guess two watches was too much for me. I fell asleep too."

He wasn't completely buying her answer, she could tell. He was too intelligent, too suspicious and too used to the nature of the Games to be otherwise. She needed to say something more.

"Aaaaaaaaand if I was helping Adrien I never would've called out to everyone to wake up. If I hadn't, maybe everyone would be dead in their sleeping bags, killed by the tracker-jackers."

Felix nodded to himself at that, and Marinette felt her chest relax in relief. He bought her lie.

The truth was, she'd seen him take a silver skinsuit from the supplies at Cornucopia, and spotted flashes of it beneath his clothes. After thinking back on her training, she guessed it must be a suit similar to armour that couldn't be penetrated by anything. 

Felix was almost completely covered by this suit and most of the tracker jackers that tried to sting him would've failed. Even if they had managed to get him, he still would've only received one or two stings, and considering the amount of sponsors he had and the medication available at the Cornucopia, he would've survived. Judging by how quickly he could run, if she'd really betrayed him, he'd be onto her now and she'd be dead, unable to protect Adrien.

She didn't take the risk, and was glad. Master Fu said to either go of plan or instincts, and she was the planning kind of person. She would do what was rational and safe, and according to Fu she was doing it right.

There was movement in the treeline nearby, and Marinette and Felix turned to see the remainder of the Careers stumbling towards the water, nursing the couple of stings they had. 

"Well, if you really weren't helping Adrien I'm sure you'd love to go back to that tree with me to see if we can finish him off," Felix said with icy satisfaction, and she nodded firmly, refusing to look back at his face. He tugged on her wrist to lead her towards the shore, and the movement held a bit of resentment. He still distrusted her.