Marinette sighed for what felt like the fiftieth time today as she tried, once again, to actually focus on her classwork.

...it wasn't working very well. The complete absence of anyone at her side was doing a spectacular job of reminding her what was wrong: Lila Rossi, liar extraordinaire, had come back to school this morning and promptly twisted all of Marinette's classmates around her little finger again. Not only had she convinced them to completely rearrange the seating chart in order to accommodate her supposed "hearing disability", she'd gotten them to banish Marinette to the very back of the room in the process. No one had even thought to so much as ask Marinette if she would mind, including Alya, the one person in the class that Marinette had thought would always have her back.

As if that wasn't upsetting enough on its own, it was incredibly obvious that Lila's "tinnitus" was a complete lie, given the absolute nonsense story she'd concocted to explain it. As if Jagged Stone would ever keep something so tame as a housecat for a pet. Unfortunately, no one seemed to agree with Marinette in that regard, and Lila's faux-apologeticness about the trouble she was causing had successfully managed to make Marinette look like the bad guy, turning almost all her classmates against her within the span of a minute. Even…

Marinette felt her heart pang in her chest. Even Adrien, who knew full well that Lila had lied to his face at least twice before, hadn't bothered to confront her on the obvious falsehood. He probably just didn't want to make a fuss, and it wasn't as though he owed it to her or anything, but that didn't stop it from hurting all the same.

Unable to stop herself, Marinette looked up and tried not to glare as she zeroed in on Lila, currently sitting less than three feet from Adrien up at the front of the room. Alya still seemed to think the reason for her animosity towards Lila was that she was just jealous of the other girl for trying to date her crush, and Marinette could even admit to herself that maybe, just maybe, her supposed best friend wasn't entirely wrong. However, that didn't mean she was wrong either. Marinette had seen with her own eyes that Lila lived and breathed deception, and watching everyone else dance to the other girl's tune like this was nearly enough to make her skin crawl.

As if sensing the gaze on the back of her head, Lila twisted around in her seat and glanced up at Marinette, smiling maliciously as their eyes met. Turning back to Adrien, she said something to him that Marinette couldn't make out from where she was, then placed her hand on his shoulder in a far-too-familiar way — something she'd done at least five separate times within the past half hour.

Marinette bristled, a few choice words threatening to bubble up past her throat. Swallowing them back down, she forced herself to take a few deep breaths, allowing her frustration to return to a mere simmer. Even Miss Bustier seemed to buy Lila's every word, so it wouldn't do her any good to say anything right now. She'd probably just end up in trouble for interrupting class, or something along those lines.

Looking back down at her tablet, Marinette realized she'd completely missed the last few minutes of the lecture, and sighed again. Honestly, now that her initial anger from this morning had passed, she mostly just felt hurt... as well as more than a little confused, truth be told. She just couldn't understand it — how had everyone fallen so completely for Lila's act? Half the things the girl claimed should have been incredibly simple to disprove, and the remaining half Lila clearly had no proof whatsoever to back up. By all rights, her credibility should have crumpled like tissue paper the moment someone confronted her on her lies… except, that wasn't what had happened. Instead, when Marinette tried to point out the flaws in Lila's stories, she was either rebuffed or utterly ignored, and the class was still practically fawning over Lila like the royalty she kept claiming to know. It was actually getting to the point that Marinette honestly couldn't help but be reminded of-

Marinette blinked. Wait a minute... no, that wasn't even possible. It couldn't be.

…could it?

She got her chance once lunchtime came around. Lila had apparently decided to eat at the school cafeteria today, so of course the vast majority of the class had decided to do the exact same thing, trailing along after the deceitful girl like a group of ducklings. Not that Marinette had any room to talk, since she'd followed Lila there as well. The absurd stray thought she'd had earlier simply refused to leave her mind, and some even less rational part of her was insistent that she investigate it.

"Oh no, I forgot!" Lila loudly proclaimed as she entered the large room. "I sprained my left wrist while competing in a tennis championship last week! I don't know how I'm going to get food for myself like this..."

Marinette's eyes narrowed as her classmates immediately sprang into action, grabbing first helpings of everything available and delivering them to Lila without any further prompting, not even getting any food for themselves. They stood at attention by Lila's side, obviously eager to please her; to serve her. That ridiculous theory was seeming more and more plausible by the second...

"Man, it must be tough to take notes with a sprained wrist." Alya said from behind Marinette, startling her from her thoughts. "Maybe someone should take them for her until that heals."

"Isn't Lila right-handed?" Marinette pointed out. "You should know, she was sitting right in front of you this morning."

"Yeah, I saw her using it, but I think that might have just been because her dominant hand is injured." Alya replied. "I'll bring it up with the teachers when we get back to class."

Marinette's suspicions plunged into overdrive. Even with everything Alya had said before in Lila's defense, this took the cake. Her best friend simply could not be this ignorant. That did it — somehow, some way, the idea that wouldn't stop circling her brain had to be correct, no matter how little sense it made. In which case, something needed to be done, and it needed to be done ASAP.

"Come sit with the rest of us Marinette." Alya said as Marinette looked around for a good table from which to spy on Lila. "You've got to get over your problem with Lila eventually."

"Yeah dude," Nino added as he walked up next to them, "I'm pretty sure you two could be good friends if you just tried."

Marinette almost refused the offer out of hand, but stopped herself just as she opened her mouth to do so. Taking into account what she was thinking, the best place for her to actually do something about Lila was… probably right next to her, wasn't it?

"Alright..." Marinette said, forcing the word out from between her lips.

"Thatta girl!" Alya said with a wide grin. Nino nodded beside her, smiling as well.

Steeling herself, Marinette followed her friends over to Lila's table. She had to stay calm. This was a battle, and she'd faced way worse than Lila before. If she could just keep that in mind, she'd be fine.

Alya and Nino cheerfully greeted Lila as Marinette sat down, setting her lunch tray in front of her. Her presence immediately drew everyone's attention however, and all other conversation halted as Lila turned to face her.

"Marinette?" Lila said questioningly, raising an eyebrow. "You're sitting here too?"

"…yeah, I guess I am." Marinette slowly replied.

She couldn't help but notice that she seemed to be the only one other than Lila to have actually taken a seat thus far. Everyone else was just standing around, like attendants waiting to be called upon.

"Is that a problem?" she asked.

"Of course it's not a problem." Lila said with dubious sincerity. "Though I do feel like I have to ask, why the sudden change of heart? I mean, this morning I… couldn't help but get the feeling that you don't like me very much..."

Lila looked away with a face so exaggeratedly sad that it wouldn't have looked out of place at a funeral, and the others all immediately gained sympathetic expressions, several of them turning to Marinette with judging eyes. Suddenly put on the spot, Marinette had little choice but to try and explain herself.

"I was just thinking that... maybe I haven't been completely fair to you, Lila." Marinette said evasively. "That there might be… things I hadn't really considered about you when we first met. Alya and Nino keep telling me we should get along though, and everyone else seems to like you. So… maybe we could start fresh?"

Lila raised her other eyebrow, then smiled widely, making sure to turn her head so everyone around her could see it. "Oh wow! I am so glad to hear you say that Marinette! I'd hate to leave you thinking poorly of me just because of a bad first impression."

Marinette nodded idly, not actually paying any attention to Lila's words as her eyes rapidly darted around the other girl's person. Where was it? She'd been so sure just a minute ago, but nothing really seemed to be standing out the way she'd expected. Was she just crazy…?

"I mean, to tell you the truth?" Lila said, leaning forward. "I actually really admire you, Marinette. I mean, just look at you: class president, up-and-coming fashion designer, artist of Jagged Stone's latest album cover..."

Lila's eyes narrowed, her smile shifting into a smirk as she placed one hand over her heart. "And you did it all despite coming from such humble origins. I mean, if my parents were just a couple of bakers, I doubt I'd have been able to accomplish nearly as much as you have!"

The insult in the guise of a compliment would have normally left Marinette seething, but at the moment she was too otherwise focused on the twin bundles of hair framing Lila's face, which had swung forward slightly and caught her eye when the other girl leaned over. The hairband that bound the right bundle was a lurid orange, about as bright as the color could reasonably get.

…the remaining hairband was a dark, nearly-black shade of purple. A shade that Marinette happened to recognize quite well.

Without warning, Marinette darted forward and grabbed the small band, slipping it off of Lila's hair before quickly backing away.

"Wha- HEY!" Lila yelled, standing up with fury written across her face.

"Did Marinette just steal Lila's hairband?" Rose asked, raising her hands to her mouth in shock.

"She did!" Kim confirmed. "What the hell Marinette?!"

"Completely uncool!" Nino said.

"Give that back, Dupain-Cheng!" Lila demanded through clenched teeth. "Don't you DARE do anything to-!"

Marinette took the hairband between both hands and pulled with all her strength. Lila screeched in rage and lunged forward, but the thin material of the band quickly gave way, the elastic snapping in half...

...and a small black butterfly fluttered out of the remains.

The furious cries of Marinette's classmates were abruptly replaced by a chorus of shocked gasps. A triumphant smile crossed Marinette's face as vindication swept through her... just a moment before it was replaced by utter panic. She hadn't thought about what to do past this point; she couldn't transform in front everyone, but she couldn't just let the akuma escape-!

Frantically looking around, Marinette grabbed a small plastic bowl from a nearby table. Turning it upside down, she swung it down at the akuma as it tried to flutter away, catching the butterfly inside before forcing the bowl to the floor. Thank goodness the cafeteria was serving soup today...

Lila fell to her knees, a wave of roiling darkness passing over her body. When it passed, the other girl looked no different, but it was still quite clear to everyone what had just happened.

"Wait wait wait, Lila was… an akuma?" Alya said, sounding almost dazed. "But wasn't she- when did-?"

"Dude, how long has she been like that?" Nino asked. "...and… why did I only just realize how off some of that stuff she said sounds...?"

"Now that you mention it, didn't she say she was in a tennis championship last week?" Juleka added in a low voice. "But earlier she said she hasn't played sports since her grandfather broke his ankle competing in the Olympics..."

"It doesn't matter right now." Mylene spoke up. "Lila's still our classmate, and she's probably feeling pretty confused... I know I was, after being de-akumatized. Max, could you help me get her up?"

Max startled slightly at being addressed, then nodded. Bending down, the two of them helped Lila back to her feet.

"You okay there Lila?" Kim asked, placing a steadying hand on her back.

"Yes...?" Lila said uncertainly, her expression one of utter bewilderment. "What's...?"

Marinette attempted to quietly creep away so she could find a place to transform, but before she could make it more than a few feet, Alya whirled around to face her.

"Girl, wait a second! How did you figure out that-"

The bowl on the ground abruptly shuddered, causing everyone near it to recoil backwards. In a flash, Marinette grabbed up her lunch tray and slammed it on top of the makeshift prison to weigh it down, quickly letting go before the butterfly within attempted to possess her through the bowl.

"Nobody touch that!" Marinette warned, rapidly backing away from the still-dangerous object. "I'm gonna go, ah... get help, or something!"

Marinette turned around and ran for the cafeteria entrance before Alya could hold her up any further. As she sprinted away, she heard Lila speaking to her classmates in an extremely confused voice.

"I'm sorry, but... what's going on? Where am I? Who are all of you...?"

Marinette caught one last sentence before she finally ran out of hearing range.

"...why are you all calling me Lila...?"

AN: If it wasn't clear, the idea is that "Lila" (or more likely "Lie-la" going by Hawkmoth's naming conventions) has been akumatized since the very first time she showed up at school, with the power to make everyone believe pretty much anything she says without question, barring directly contradictory evidence. She gains people's trust with this until they're basically her servants in all but name, sort of like a much more subtle Princess Fragrance. Can Hawkmoth actually akumatize someone long-term like this, while still sending out other akuma in the interim? Probably not. Did that stop me from writing this anyways? Not in the slightest.

This is just a oneshot, but I actually had a lot more thoughts about this scenario. If this little snippet goes over well, I think I might make a longer, more plot-driven version where a few things are different, and the issue isn't quite this easily resolved.

(EDIT: After an enormous influx of support, I have decided I am DEFINITELY making that longer version/"sequel". Expect to see the first chapter of that up soon!)