Chapter 5

Marinette was drifting - or at least, that's what it felt like. Her body was weightless, floating through empty black space. She couldn't open her eyes, they were too heavy. The zero gravity didn't help as she tried to root her mind. There had to be something more than just the blackness.

"Mari..."

She turned her head. Had the voice come from that way?

"Marinette..."

She turned the other way. No, it had to be coming from that direction. After taking in a deep breath, Marinette tried to open her eyes. They cracked open just enough to see a gigantic box floating in front of her. She let out a squeak of surprise and tensed, ready for anything. When she realized it wasn't going to hurt her, her muscles loosened and she examined it closer.

The box was the size of a car and about as wide as one. It was in the shape of a stop sign and made of dark wood that Marinette didn't recognize. On the lid, a unique, red pattern was etched into the wood. The whole area around the box hummed with energy. In the midst of the humming, Marinette could make out a few voices. All calling her name.

Extending a hand, Marinette placed it on top of the giant box. The humming stopped. She sucked in a breath just before the lid burst open. Marinette pulled away in surprise, letting out a small scream as seven bright streams of light swirled around her. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to stay away from the multicolored light by rolling into a ball. When nothing happened, she opened her eyes.

The lights were swirling around her, except one. The red one. Tilting her head, Marinette studied the light. It drifted toward her slowly, almost as if it were scared as well. Marinette lifted her hand and reached out with her fingers. The red light stopped just before her fingers could touch it.

Then, it was smiling at her.

Marinette gasped as the light materialized into a tiny creature - one she couldn't even begin to describe. It was made of light, obviously, but it took on the form of a bug-like mouse. It had a single spot on the top of its head, four paws for arms and legs, big blue eyes, and a pair of antennae sticking out of the top of its head.

"Hello, Marinette," it said in a high pitched, girly voice.

Marinette stuttered, "U-uh... hi?"

The little creature giggled. "I'm sorry if we scared you."

"W...we?"

Just then, all of the lights stopped spinning around her. Each one - purple, blue, orange, yellow, black, and green - materialized into some sort of small creature. Some had green eyes, others had blue, and one even had purple.

"Marinette, you need to listen to us," said the red creature, which brought Marinette's attention back to what it was saying. "There is an evil energy spreading through the world. If nothing is done, it will take over everything!"

"What kind of energy could do something like that?"

"Akumas," the black creature said, its tail swishing back and forth. "Deadly creatures turned from their humanity to serve only one."

"Akumas..." Marinette's eyes widened. "Wait, what about the Akumahunters? What would happen to them?"

All of the creatures hung their heads.

"We... we don't know," the red one finally said. "All we know is that it will most likely overwhelm them to the point that they'll all be killed off."

Marinette stared at the little creature. Was this thing telling the truth? Could Adrien and all of his friends be in serious danger? And what about-

"My mom," she blurted out. "Where is she? Do you know?"

The red creature gave a little shrug. "We kwamis only know so much. Nooroo would be the best to ask." Its attention turned toward the purple kwami. Marinette followed the gaze.

The purple kwami, Nooroo, had his head down, his butterfly-like wings fluttering uneasily. "I cannot say where she is, for I do not know."

Marinette's hope deflated. Her shoulders slumped and she dropped her head. "It's alright. I'll find her."

The red kwami flew closer to Marinette and brushed a paw across her cheek. "We believe in you, Marinette. I can promise you that we'll be with you, all of us."

Marinette looked up. The little kwami was smiling at her, as were the rest of them. No matter how different they were, they all seemed to be there with her. They were present. And she... she had to get a grip.

Straightening, Marinette took a deep breath and gave the red kwami a determined nod. "Thank you, I appreciate it, uh... red kwami."

It giggled, its voice like a bell. "My name is Tikki, and you're welcome."

The two shared a smile. Before any of the kwamis could say more, something pulled on Marinette's leg. Yelping in surprise, she looked down. Nothing was grabbing her, but her whole body started to feel heavier. She no longer floated. She was being pulled back down to the ground - if there was such a thing there.

"You're waking up," Tikki said. "Don't be afraid, Marinette. You can do this!" She flashed her a big smile.

That was enough to make Marinette give a smile of her own.

* * *

"You're going to make a hole in the carpet," Chloe deadpanned, leaning up against the wall as she filed her nails.

"I don't care, she should have been awake by now," Adrien muttered. He ran his fingers through his hair for the millionth time that day.

Chloe scoffed. "Well, you're not going to help her by pacing back and forth outside her room."

"She's right." Juleka walked up and put her hands on her hips. "Patience is what's going to help both you and her the most."

"I don't care!" Adrien snapped. He turned on the two girls. "Don't you have something better to do other than irritate me?"

"Don't you have something better to do than pacing back and forth?" Chloe stated. When Adrien only glared at her, she let out a long sigh. "Adrien, you're going to run yourself short. We have things to do - the Lahiffe's are expecting us to check out the north end of town - and we don't have time to waste by waiting for some random girl to wake up."

With a huff, Adrien turned away. He didn't want to admit that Chloe had a point, so he said nothing. He stopped pacing, however, and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Adrien, we realize you're worried about her, but let's be real," Juleka said. "You just met her the other day."

"You weren't even this riled up when your dad disappeared," Chloe added.

He scowled and shot a glare over his shoulder at the two. "This is different."

Chloe's expression hardened. "Fine. If you are so worried, why don't you just walk inside and check on her?"

Adrien looked away. "It's not my place."

"That never stopped you before."

"Well, that's different."

"How is it different, Adrien?" Chloe fired back. "You walk into my and Juleka's rooms all of the time, sometimes without announcing yourself. How is walking into her room different?"

Adrien whorled around to glare at them. Clenching his fists, he shouted, "You wouldn't understand! Just leave me alone!"

Chloe scoffed and stuffed her nail filer back into her pocket. She waltzed over to the side of the hall, and before Adrien could stop her, threw open the door to Marinette's room.

"Hey-!"

"Oh, shut it, Adrikins. I'll take care of her." She glared at him and jabbed a thumb over her shoulder. "Go make yourself useful. Juleka needs help preparing meals for tonight."

And with that, she stepped inside and slammed the door behind her. Adrien stood in the hallway, gaping at the closed door before realizing what had happened.

"Come on, Adrien," Juleka said. She came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's not like Chloe's going to attack her in her sleep. Besides, she may have to help her get her bearings before she meets Fu."

Though he didn't like it, Adrien let out a frustrated breath and let Juleka guide him down the hallway. Before turning the corner, he shot one last look at the door.

His secret would soon be out of the box. 

---

Oh man, I can't believe I was able to update today. Miracles are a real thing, that's for sure. Also anxiety medication. Both are blessings. 

Thanks for all of the support you guys have given me, especially when it comes to this book. I was a little nervous to dive into some of the more important lore, but I'm mostly excited. I can't wait to get to the juicy action!

I also can't thank you guys enough for being patient. College mixed with the newfound discovery of anxiety has been a struggle to work with, but hey! I'm still here!

So, without further ado, my favorite comment. 

Favorite Comment: bhavya64

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO....
Please update
Like seriously, I love Cassandra Clare and I love Miraculous so this is like, amazing.
Still, though, PLEASE

Just as a heads up, it's comments like this that help me find the gumption to update. And I can't thank guys enough for the support. I just can't. I also want to give a shout out to Emilyabcde1ara for the supportive comment as well. 

Stay amazing!

And, as always, have a Miraculous day!