The Misfortunes of a Black Cat

Chapter Twenty-one

The choice

The blue-eyed girl found herself in a very unusual place. It was unlike anything she had ever seen or even experienced in her entire life. The place gave off a very eerie vibe as her thoughts became mere echoes disappearing into the background. And her physical body was but an apparition roaming around an empty, unknown dimension.

Opening her mouth to say something, the teenager soon came to realize that no words would form. She was overwhelmed with confusion, almost forgetting the whole entire reason why she was there in the first place.

Taking in her unnatural surroundings, the troubled female suddenly saw a few of her thoughts materialize around her. In the far distance, she could see all of her memories as clear as day.

Every moment from the time she was born, till the time she momentarily left the natural realm had been recorded. Of course there were many happy memories, but there were also many sad, depressing ones...

Every memory, except for the most recent, most painful one of all, seemed to disintegrate into oblivion. She merely wanted to forget that memory, wishing that it was nothing more than a terrible nightmare.

Being forced to relieve that awfully painful last moment of her life, was too much for the superheroine to bare. An uncomfortable feeling began to settle in her stomach, resulting in a bad case of nausea.

Seeing him die over and over again, was excruciating to say the very least. She could do absolutely nothing to save him! For that reason alone, she hated herself for not being strong enough...

One of the worst feelings of all, was the enormous amount of guilt she felt for not being able to tell him just how much she loved him. Even though she said it once before, it wasn't enough to reassure him that he was loved.

Not being strong enough to save Chat, was the worst punishment of all. Marinette made the conscious decision not to cry. If she cried, she would lose herself completely, and might even wish herself dead. She needed to get a grip before it was too late! She was here for a reason, and nothing was going to alter her decision!

Before she could form another concrete thought, an unexpected, angelic voice interrupted her. The voice seemed to be coming from behind her, but when Marinette turned around, there was nobody there.

Raising an eyebrow, her thoughts were quickly broadcasted for 'everyone' to hear, "Uhm... Hello?" Having no response, the teen softly sighed, "That's odd..."

"Indeed it is." The voice suddenly spoke up again.

"Who said that?" The young woman questioned inside her own mind, as she began looking for a hint of life. She needed to find the answers so that she could bring Adrien back to life, and hopefully soon.

Adrien... Now realizing that she had only discovered his true identity after he was already gone, instantly gave the lonely girl a terrible case of posttraumatic stress.

As if a switch was suddenly flipped inside her frail mind, the bluenette's body uncontrollably trembled in depression.

"How could I have not figured it out? What could I have done differently so that he could have still been here!?" Questioning her actions, the blue-eyed girl thoughtlessly fell to the ground in despair.

It was clear that Marinette was angry at herself for what had happened: she unknowingly blamed herself for Adrien's death. Every single negative thought seemed to devour its victim's entire soul, leaving no room for forgiveness nor positive thinking.

She was just about to give up completely; to wish herself gone, when the voice spoke up again.

As if her body was no longer in control, she immediately stood up as she wiped away the last remnants of unfathomable anguish.