The tower begins shaking and collapses, making Lady WiFi yell in panic. I scream, struggling, though I don't have to fake my nerves to convince Lady WiFi. "Unlock me, quick! Please!"

As the part of the tower I'm on starts to fall away from where Lady WiFi is, she shoots something at me with her phone that looks like an open padlock. It manages to hit my lock icon and, thankfully, I'm freed.

She falls, but Ladybug and Chat Noir go after her, just as I'd asked. I quickly reach into my bag and pull out the turtle Miraculous, sliding the bracelet onto my wrist. "Wayzz, shell on!"

In a flash of green light, I've transformed.

"Shell-ter!" I yell as I get too close to the ground for my liking. Another issue? The freaking Eiffel Tower is about to fall on top of me! Even if I had Arya with me to become Cygnet, I'd never have a chance to fly out of here safely.

The shield forms around me just in time. I hit the ground and bounce up, only to be knocked back down by the tower. I grunt in exertion, doing my best to keep the shield intact to keep me safe.

When I finally settle, I slowly roll the spherical shield out from under the tower, which collapses to the ground with a colossal thud once I'm no longer holding it up. I scream loudly just before it does so, making sure I'm heard as well as possible to catch the attention of the others.

Sighing in relief that I pulled it off, I dismantle the shield. "Wayzz, shell off!" I detransform again and remove the bracelet, smiling at Wayzz. "Thank you for your help."

"Just be careful, you could have been killed!" Wayzz scolds. "I thought this through, I promise," I assure him. "There should be some cookies in my bag, you eat up. I can't let Lady WiFi see you and something tells me she'll be here any minute now."

Wayzz nods and heads into my bag with the bracelet just as Ladybug shows up, a bottle of ketchup in her hand for some reason. "Esme?! Esme!"

"Shh! Right here!" I reply. "Don't worry, I had Wayzz with me! I'm safe!"

She sighs in relief and drops down beside me. "I hope your plan is good, we all thought you got crushed!"

"That's exactly what I want her to think," I assure her. "Found a use for that Lucky Charm of yours, or...?"

"Huh? No, not yet," she replies, frowning. "I have," I smile, taking the bottle and squirting it all over a spot where the tower reaches the ground. "What are you doing?" She asks in confusion, watching me.

"Setting up a scene. Act sad, call for Chat and say you found me under the tower," I smirk, squirting some ketchup on my chest and smearing a tiny bit on my forehead. "Your Miraculous Ladybug better clean this up," I sigh as I hand her the bottle back and lay under the tower where it starts arching a bit. It's a squeeze, but it looks more realistic. I close my eyes, playing dead.

"Ohh, got it! And I'll get her phone while she's distracted!" Ladybug says. "Good idea!" I hear rushed footsteps toward me as she begins pretending to panic. "Oh no! No! Chat Noir?!"

"My Lady? What's wro-...?"

I hear slow footsteps towards us. "E-Esme...? Oh no..." he rushes over. I can sort of sense him crouch beside me. "She's... she's gonna be okay, right?! Esme? Esme, can you hear me?! Esme?!"

He gently picks me up, carrying me like I'm something fragile and delicate, as if I may break in his arms. He's buying it. If Chat Noir believes it, Lady WiFi will, too.

I hear someone drop down nearby. "What, had enough already and have to lick your wounds?" Lady WiFi taunts. I feel Chat move slightly, probably so he can glare daggers at Lady WiFi. "Come see for yourself," he hisses, voice cold as ice. "Look what you've done!"

There's no retort from Lady WiFi, just slow footsteps, as if she's expecting a trap or trying to taunt them still. Once she's close enough, though, I hear a gasp. "Esme?! I-I-... no! It's a trick! It has to be a trick! Please... tell me this is a trick..."

Her voice sounds so broken at the end that I almost want to reassure her, but I keep up the act. If I break it, we're screwed. She'll just get more mad and I'll be in deep trouble.

"You did this! You killed her! You killed Esme! It's all your fault!" Chat Noir yells. "I never meant to hurt her! Not her!" Lady WiFi whispers. There's a moment of silence, then she speaks again.

"Take the phone. Please, just take it. Get the akuma out and fix this, please! I can't... freezing people is one thing, hurting people is one thing, but I never thought... I never wanted anyone to die! Please, just bring her back!"

Smash!

"No more evil-doing for you, little akuma! Time to de-evilise! Bye-bye, little butterfly! Miraculous Ladybug!"

I feel the Miraculous Ladybug power surround me, clearing my ketchup-stained clothes, and know it's time to quit faking. "We good here?" I ask, opening my eyes. I see Ladybug dealing with Alya, who's very confused, and Chat Noir looking down at me in relief. "Esme! You're back!" He hugs me tightly. I chuckle and hug him back.

"Don't worry, I was never gone. Sorry, it needed to be convincing and there was no time to fill you in. It was all a trick, I didn't even get a scratch. I had Wayzz with me."

He pulls out of the hug and looks at me in shock. "You mean... you never died?! You were safe all along?! You made me think you'd been killed because of my Cataclysm?!"

I gape. This wasn't what I wanted at all. "You thought you'd killed me?! Chat, I'm so sorry, I was trying to make Lady WiFi think that, not you!"

His ring beeps. He only has a minute left. He takes out his stick and uses it to vault to the rooftops towards my place, taking me with him.

Once we arrive on the balcony, he sets me down and storms inside, furious with me. I feel terrible. It takes a lot to make Chat Noir mad, especially this mad. Okay, forget mad, he's furious. What kind of friend am I?

I head inside, stopping outside the door to the room he's in. "Chat, I'm sorry," I say again, meaning it. "Sorry doesn't change anything, Esme!" He shouts back. "Just go! I can't deal with you right now!"

"Chat, I-!"

"Go!"

A hand rests gently on my shoulder. I glance up to see Viperion. "Come with me, give him some time," he says in his mature, calm voice as he leads me away from the door.