Miraculous Games

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve:

The day of the games arrived. After hanging out with Chat Noir last night, Marinette had not gotten a wink of sleep. The night consisted of tossing and turning, and ever a midnight snack, but no sleep. Her mind kept spinning in circles. It kept going back and forth from fear to excitement to anxiety to her nerves eating away at her stomach.

By the time morning rolled around, the sun streaming in through her windows, Marinette was a living, breathing, nervous, zombie wreck. Nathanael wasn't much different.

Literally.

They were wearing the exact same clothes. They both wore brown cargo pants, combat boots, and a black V-neck shirt. He must have had the same outfit set out for him by their designers. There must have been some reason for it, and Marinette doubted it was a stylistic choice. They were going into the games, after all.

When he walked into the kitchen for their last planned breakfast, his hair was a mess and he was molding a piece of clay. Marinette figured it was a way to help him with nerves, but he didn't want to ask him. Besides, spending time with Chat made her feel guilty being around Nathan.

That was a totally different type of problem altogether. Marinette didn't want to admit it, but she was starting to like spending time with a certain black cat. She was competing for the guy of her dreams! She couldn't get distracted. Then that made her feel bad for pairing up with Nathanael. Judging by the amount of attention Nathan's interview had gotten concerning her and him, the whole country was shipping them. He was such a sweet kid and so supportive, but he wasn't for her. Part of her knew it would crush him if she told him that she liked another guy -- technically two guys now! Saying it was a little awkward was definitely an understatement.

Juleka and Rose escorted Nathanael and Marinette to the training building. Judging by Rose's lack of energy, they were headed for doom. Marinette felt so unprepared for this. It was no doubt that they were heading to the arena today, but why were they going to the training room? She could almost see the countdown she had seen last night with Chat ticking down. That thought scared her.

When they arrived, all of the Charms were there, standing atop platforms with their designers behind them. Chloe was mouthing off to Sabrina, Alix was describing something dramatically to Kim and Ivan, and everyone else had their own groups. Once Marinette and Nathanael were placed on their own pedestals, the door opened. Master Fu stepped into the room, his cane perched on his shoulders. Everyone fell silent. He walked to the middle of the circled platforms, his eyes closed as if he were on a stroll in the park rather than being watched by twenty-four kids. When his eyes opened, he looked directly at Marinette and smiled. She puffed out her chest a bit more.

"Welcome, Charms," he greeted. "Today is the day you prove your strength to the country. These games are usually to the death, but this year, as you all know, is very different." He snapped his fingers.

Next to their raised platforms, a table rose up from the ground. Placed carefully in the center, a purple and silver medal glistened in a velvet box. Each Charm's was different. Marinette's was a circle with five silver dots, one in the center with the other four dots surrounding the edges. A chain was tucked in the back as well as a fancy pin. She glanced over at Nathanael, who was holding his delicately in his hands.

His was in the shape of a fox tail, the end of the tail tipped with silver while the rest of it was purple. His, too, had a chain and pin. Marinette doubted they were for decoration.

"These are your lifelines -- the Lucky Charms," Master Fu explained. "If one of your competitors in the arena is able to steal your Lucky Charm, you lose."