No Escape (Miraculous Ladybug)

A Safe Haven

Alyssa laid still for many moments, taking in deep breaths.

"That was stupid! You could have killed yourself!" Tikki squeaked, scolding Alyssa who was leaning on her elbows, her hair dripping water onto her face.

"It worked, didn't it?" She croaked, finally getting to her feet.

"What exactly was that? If I may ask" Adrien said picking up his ring as Marinette picked up her earrings.

"I'll explain everything, but first let's find some shelter." Alyssa said, all three of them set out to find someplace to stay for the night. There were miles upon miles of pasture in the countryside but no shelters. They wearily stumbled along a dirt road when the hum of a truck approaching made them jump. The truck came to a stop beside the exhausted refugee's. A woman rolled down her window, her eyes soft and kind.

"You all trying to get somewhere?" She asked, the rag tag group of three must have looked awful because the woman made them get in the truck. Her home was a beautiful, large, rustic looking log and stone cabin.

"Wow, it's beautiful" Marinette breathed out. The lady introduced herself as Lauren, she said that they could freshen upstairs. As Marinette took a shower Adrien and Alyssa sat in awkward silence. She took off her jacket and hung it up, it was torn, soaked, and caked with mud. Adrien saw how lithe she was, her shoulders defined and her abdomen rock hard. Marinette came out of the shower and Adrien went in. As she got dressed Alyssa stayed silent,

"What about your miraculous?" Marinette asked, Alyssa had retrieved hers and Adrien's miraculous. Alyssa shook her head,

"There wasn't enough time, I could only grab two." She said in a raspy voice. Marinette noticed how tired Alyssa looked, what happened to her when Tikki and Plagg entered her body. She also noticed a purple tinge to the skin on her back but didn't say anything, they all had been through a lot today. When Adrien and Alyssa were done cleaning up, Lauren called them down for dinner.

"We have steaks, mashed potatoes, rolls, steamed carrots, and apple pie. Dig in," she smiled warmly. While Adrien and Marinette chowed down, Alyssa wasn't eating. Lauren looked worriedly at them,

"Um, I've got to take care of the horses, get them in for the night." She said and quickly left them alone. The two paused mid bite, staring at Alyssa.

"Do you know what your miraculous are? What their purpose is?" She asked, Marinette swallowed,

"Yea, it allows us to transform." Alyssa nodded,

"Yes, but it goes deeper than that. A Kwami has so much power that if they directly transformed you, most people would be consumed by their power and die. The miraculous is a transformer so that you can use their power but it won't kill you."

"So, why didn't you die? You fused with two Kwami's." Adrien said biting into his buttered roll. Alyssa held up her finger,

"Well, technically, I did die but, with two Kwami's one can keep me alive while the other gives me power. None of us are ready to face Hawkmoth, he's had his powers much longer than all of us combined." Alyssa took a sip of water.

"So, what exactly is his goal?" Adrien asked, rubbing the back of his head. "What's that wooden box for?"

"If I remember correctly, it holds a Kwami that is more powerful than anything in the world, but all 7 miraculous must be present to unlock it. He has mine, and his own. Which leaves yours, and the others: blue, orange, and yellow. The only problem is that those Kwami's could be anywhere, and I have no idea where to start searching for them." Alyssa sighed,

"So, we need to go and find these Kwami's?" Marinette asked tilting her head in confusion. Alyssa nodded,

"because I'm afraid of what Hawkmoth will do to the holders of their miraculous if he finds them." She said lowly. Adrien and Marinette finished eating and went upstairs to go to bed. Alyssa stayed downstairs, sitting alone at the table. Her body was exhausted but she knew Hawkmoth was getting closer to his goal every second, what if he knew where the blue, orange, and yellow miraculous were now? The moon was high in the sky when she finally stood up and went upstairs.

Adrien was laying next to Marinette, who was fast asleep, staring at the ceiling. He heard the creak of the wooden stairs and saw the figure of Alyssa walk by, towards her room. He sat up and put on a shirt, silently walking down the pitch black hall he peeked into Alyssa's room. She clicked on a lamp that shed soft light into the room. He lightly knocked on the door before he entered. Alyssa looked up sharply,

"I though you'd be asleep by now." She said laying out pajama's for the night. Adrien shuffled his feet, his ears growing hot.

"I-er-I think we got off on the wrong foot." Adrien stepped towards her and held out his hand, "um- Hi, I'm Adrien, your younger brother." Alyssa looked at him and laughed, a genuine laugh. Her blue eyes sparkled beautifully with her happiness. She shook his hand,

"Hi, Adrien, I'm Alyssa. Your older sister." Her face was stuck in a giddy grin. "Here, have a seat." She said, gesturing to the bed. Adrien sat down and noticed a piece of half-eaten apple pie on a plate.

"So, how do you and Marinette know each other?" Alyssa asked, taking a bite of the pie, she hadn't eaten anything in almost two days and was completely famished.

"We go to the same school and we're in the same grade." Adrien said, crossing his legs in front of him. They stayed up almost all night sharing childhood stories. Alyssa thought Adrien was nothing like their father, but more like their mother: caring, patient, and a little shy. Unfortunately for Alyssa, she had inherited her father's fighting spirit and sharp tongue.