Shadow

7

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Marinette's P.O.V

My vision went completely red.

Anyone trying to call out to me is merely a far away, muffled echo. My body is moving by itself without the control of my brain sending out messages to stop. My adrenaline kicked in, blood rushing through my veins.

   Everything went blurry within a flicker of the mocking lighter's flame. It's like something within me snapped, a trigger blindly being pulled after the threat.

   This isn't right. I shouldn't be doing this. I need to stop! This isn't who I am! This isn't like me! I don't hurt people over pettiness...

Do I?

Why am I even asking myself that in the first place? I'm supposed to be a hero! I'm Ladybug! I'm suppose to save and protect people from danger, not inflict it.

   Why am I so conflicted? My mind and body aren't getting through to each other. One acting without the others consent, a disagreement between the two. A constant war of do and don't.

   She's a brat and needs to be punished!

   She's probably scared and putting on a tough getup.

   She has mistreated you ever since her arrival!

   She's my sister!

   She tore out a page from your designing book and burned it, nearly doing the same to the family photo!

   I can feel myself splitting into two people. One righteous. One logical. One justice. One revenge. One Ladybug. One Marinette. There is more than just the fight I'm having with my sister but within myself as well.

I need to stop, right now!

I need to stop!

"Marinette! Stop it!"

I'm pushed away from Shadow, regaining my control over my senses and emotions. I blinked for a moment, regaining my composure. My hands are shaking and my breathing is irregular. There is a few scratch marks on the back of my left arm, luckily not deep enough to spill blood.

   Slowly, I can feel myself gradually returning but the tear between my two personas is still making itself apparent. I quickly covered the cracks in my mask and drew my eyes over to the two on the floor by my desk.

I see dad dumbfounded—in disbelief—with what just occurred. He's never seen such an outburst come from me before...although, I've never reacted that way before. If not, I'm just as flabbergasted. I've never blew up so badly in my entire life like a dormant bomb waiting to explode.

   I've never done that before and I hope I don't ever do it again.

   Dad glances over at me ever once in a while, trying to stay steady and calm. He's attending to Shadow, asking if she is okay. She puts on a performance with a few alligator tears as the cherry on top. Every time dad looks away for a second, Shadow gives me the smuggest smile I've ever seen on a person.

Like she wanted this to intentionally happen.

I kept a stoic face, biting the inside of my cheek. This is all of her fault. This is all her fault. This is all her fault! She went too far with burning up a page then nearly doing the same with the picture, speaking poorly of mama.

This is all of her fault!

"...but I'm also in the wrong," I thought, arguing in my head again, "I shouldn't have attacked her even if she was going to do something awful."