Prison Yard

Chapter eleven - Life or Death

 "Negotiate? What is there to negotiate?" The green-eyed snake smirked. 

 "You'd be surprised Marinette, at how easily I can make this all go away." Lila started to circle around her, like a lion closing in on its prey. 

 "What do you mean?" Finally the brunette stopped pacing around her and sat at the ledge of the roof, she bent over her knees and folded her hands.

"I can fix everything, or more accurately, you can fix everything. You just have to do one itty bitty thing." She said in a sly voice. 

"You want my Miraculous." Lila let out a twisted laugh. 

"Oh Marinette, you think you have me all figured out, don't you?" Marinette took a few steps closer. 

 "Oh but I do." Lila's face dropped into the lifeless expression of hatred. 

"You know nothing of me." Now it was Marinette's turn to laugh. 

 "Oh honey, you honestly think you have the upper hand here?" Lila rose to her feet and started circling again. 

 "I do." Marinette rolled her eyes. 

 "You're delusional."

Lila ignored her last statement. "I don't want you miraculous, I've moved on from such stupidity." Marinette scoffed. 

 "So what do you want?" Another sly smile spread across her face. She strode towards Marinette until they were inches apart. 

 "I want your reputation in shambles." Marinette huffed. 

 "Don't you think you've done enough to my reputation?" Lila's expression stayed steady and unchanging. 

 "Not yet."

Marinette shook her head in disgust. This witch had killed eight people in her name, had a bombing dedicated to her and an attempted assassination, and that still wasn't enough? What more could she want? Marinette sighed, trying to keep her composure, then thought back to Lila's earlier words. "You said I could fix this. How?" Lila turned around swiftly, her coat flapping in the wind. She sat back down on the ledge. 

 "It's quite simple really, you want this all to go away. Just die." Marinette's eyes narrowed. Die? 

 "And how is that going to fix this? How is that going to prove my innocence?"

Lila laughed. "Oh it won't. You will go down in history as a murderer. There is nothing you can do to change that." Marinette shook her head, not wanting to believe people like this existed. 

 "Why? Why are you doing this? I'm assuming you tried to kill the mayor on hero's day and planted that bomb. But all I want to know is why! Why do all this?"

Lila leaned back and tilted her head like a lost puppy. "You are right to assume that I was the mastermind behind all this, but you are incorrect to assume I do my dirty work myself. I don't have that kind of time." Marinette clenched her jaw. 

"Too busy blackmailing politicians?" She said sarcastically. 

"Yeah but that's just a hobby." Lila answers coyly. "My real work is a bit too much for most people to stomach."

Marinette gritted her teeth, wanting too much to push Lila over the edge of that building but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. "Anyway, I don't know why you brought me up here, I'm not going to die for your silly game. Whatever it is you want I'll give it, just please, for once in your miserable life, tell the truth!" Marinette yelled. 

 "First of all, I was never one for the truth, seems pointless to me. Second, what I want is you dead."

Marinette shrugged and let her hands slap against her thighs. "What good am I to you dead. Is this about Adrien?" Lila sighed, almost disappointed in Marinette's answer. 

 "You foolish child. Like I said, I've moved on from such stupidity." Marinette was practically foaming at the mouth. 

 "What good am I to you dead?" Marinette growled. 

 "Your death will mean the world to me." Lila said, crossing her legs.

"I just- I don't understand! Tell me, what is it that you want!" Marinette was practically screaming now. Lila shot to her feet so quickly that it made Marinette flinch backward. 

 "What I want is your reputation destroyed! I want you to go down in history as a villain who misled the people for years! I want you to go down in time as a murderer and a coward!" Lila grabbed Marinette by the collar and started her dead in the eye. She whispered.  "That is what I want."

Marinette had always seen Lila as an annoyance and nothing more, but it was becoming abundantly clear that she was much more than that. She was dangerous, and she could do a lot of things, with just the snap of her fingers.

"I don't understand." Marinette whispered. She had lost almost all confidence. She was terrified. Lila released her grip and brushed her hands over Marinette's shoulders, removing the nonexciting dust. 

 "What is there not to understand. It's quite simple. For years I have hated you. Not for any particular reason, I just hate you. And I will admit, there was a time when I wanted your miraculous and to wish that you were never born. But then I realized there is no fun in that. You never being born means that I sit and stir in my hatred alone. So I came up with a plan that would make the entire world hate you. I would mask you as a killer. A murderer. A monster. So that is what I did, but my plan is not over yet. You see, I want you to die. I want it to look like you ended your own life. I want you to be seen as a coward who saw no other way out. I need you to die."

Marinette gathered the little courage she had left. "And if I refuse?" Lila watched over to the edge of the building once again. "I'm sorry, am I boring you with this?" She motioned her hand for her to come forward. Marinette reluctantly obeyed. She stood at the edge with Lila. She reached into her coat pocket and Marinette began to worry that she had a weapon, but she pulled out a pair of binoculars and handed them to her. 

 "Four hundred yards down, straight ahead." Marinette looked at her with a knowing look but lined the binoculars up in the direction she had given and saw through them a man kneeling near the edge of the building. In his hands a rifle. It looked to be the same man that had tried to shoot the Mayor, those few weeks ago. The man was staring into an unknown direction but it was obvious he was focused on his target. Marinette didn't know what Lila was trying to tell her, there was a man with a gun, so what.

"Here is what I want you to do," Lila said. "You have two hours to jump off this building or that sniper put a bullet in Adrien's head." Marinette gasped slightly, and almost dropped the binoculars. She had no escape this time. No way out. She was trapped. "Do I have your attention now?" Lila asked. 

 "Yes." Marinette said in defeat. 

 "You have two hours left to live. I suggest you say goodbye." Marinette just stood there motionless. Lila had strode down the stairs and disappeared. She had two hours to live. Now what?

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Word count: 1992 (Not counting this)