who are we (if not who they've made us to be)?

Four

"Marinette!" Kim shouted, just as the screen turned black. He whipped around to face the current one, grabbing her shoulders and looking her over. "Are you okay!?"

Marinette smiled sadly. "I'm fine. I resisted the akuma with Tikki's help and it flew away."

"That's our strong Nettie," Nino praised, ruffling her hair. She laughed, only stopping when Alya walked up. Alya frowned, meeting Marinette's stare head on.

"I'm sorry," Alya said. "I shouldn't have doubted you, and I shouldn't have chosen Lila over you. You're my best friend, and I abandoned you. I'm... I'm really sorry, Marinette. I don't know if you can forgive me but I wanted you to know that I'm sorry that I hurt you and that you have every right to hate me for it. I'll accept it if you don't want to be friends anymore."

Marinette shook her head, wrapping Alya in a hug. "You're my best friend. I forgive you."

Again, Douloureux watched them from the back with that conflicted face.

"Don't make sense," he muttered to himself. "Bad memories. Bad. So why happy? Why good now? I don't..."

He shook his head. Frowning, he prepared to play the next memory.

"Three."

Ladybug looked around. Her view was distorted slightly by the water, but nothing could hide the truth. She almost gasped at the first body, barely stopping herself from inhaling water. It was a woman, skin wrinkled and pale. Her eyes were still open, unseeing as she floated in the water. Marinette wanted to puke. Fish swam by, nipping at the dead body. A larger fish came out of nowhere, swallowing the body and all the little fish whole. Ladybug hid behind a chimney. Lungs screaming, she swam to the surface. She gasped for breath, shivering but not from the cold. The sight of the woman's body replayed in her mind, but she steeled herself. She was Ladybug. She had to be strong. She took a deep breath and went back under. The first body she'd reacted, but the next dozen she doesn't.

For a moment, no one spoke.

"Ondine...?" Kim whispered, horrified. Marinette shook her head.

"Syren. Ondine wouldn't do that. That was the work of Hawkmoth and his manipulation." She swallowed hard. She still had nightmares about the things she she saw that day. She still woke up, gasping and crying and desperately trying to hold herself together so that Hawkmoth couldn't send any akuma for her. It haunted her. This, Douloureux seemed to understand, as his confusion faded back into understanding.

"Sad," he said.

Marinette stared at him. "Very."

Not giving anyone any time to comment, Douloureux turned back to the screen. It was time.

"Four."

Marinette took a deep breath and prepared for the last memory. As soon as it started though, she found herself without air.