Falling From Grace ~ A Miraculous Ladybug fic

Chapter 19

Marinette

She sat at the kitchen table, not touching her lunch. She didn't deserve it. She deserved to starve to death. Her parents were quiet as well, barely picking at their plates. When she had returned home, her parents had been in the middle of an argument, a massive one at that. Tom had been shouting about how he knew she shouldn't have gone to the Agrestes, her mother screaming about how she didn't know Gabriel was that much of a monster. She kept her gaze on the table, her stomach churning. She would have to give Tiki to Alya. Paris hated her now. There was no fixing this.

"Good afternoon Paris."

She looked up at the familiar voice, expecting to see Chat standing in the doorway, but what she saw horrified her. It was instead a projection, floating above their table. And the person on it, was Adrien. He was smiling, wearing a purple suit, one that resembled his father's, or hawkmoths. She could see the pin on his chest in the projection, and she glanced at her parents to see if they saw it too, horrified to see that in their place was nothing but darkness. A form of black in the shape of what her parents used to be, almost like silhouettes.

"If you're hearing this now it means you get to be a lucky contestant in our brand new game!"

She turned back to the projection, Tiki flying out of her purse to watch as well.

"If you aren't a shadow being that automatically makes you a player in round two!" He spoke as if he was a game show host, speaking into the cane as if it was a microphone.

"Oh no." Tiki breathed, and Marinette felt her stomach dropping.

How had this happened?

"If you're hearing this now, it means you are currently, or were previously in possession of a miraculous."

"What happened?" Marinette mumbled, and Tiki shook her head.

"You hear that Ladybug? All your precious little pawns are alive and well, because unlike my father, I like a good challenge."

All. Her. Fault.

"This means you get to bring your entire team. But I get the entirety of Paris."

As he spoke the shadow creatures that her parents had become stood, turned and walked out the door.

"You took everything from me, so it's only fair I do the same. To ensure you are able to gather to the best of your ability, anyone awake report to the eiffle tower to meet your adoring hero Ladybug to recieve a miraculous. I will remain at the Agreste manor, awaiting your arrival."

She couldn't fight him. Not after what she had done to Gabriel.

"Oh. And Ladybug? Since you like ultimatums so much, I've got one just for you. Make it here in an hour, or I start killing shadow creatures."

He winked, before the projection was cut off. She stood up from the table, her chair scraping loudly on the floor.

"Oh god."

"Marinette."

"Oh my god. Adrien's been acumatized."

"Marinette." Tiki tried again, but she couldn't hear her over her own panic.

She started pacing, her breath coming in gasps.

"He's going to start killing people."

"Marinette!" Tiki shouted then, and she snapped her head up, shaking her head.

"What do I do Tiki?"

"Exactly as he says."

She couldn't. She was supposed to give up the miraculous to a new holder. She couldn't be Ladybug anymore. She didn't deserve it.