Stars Over Paris

The Sleeper

I was reading an assignment for school when suddenly the lights went out. Tikki was sleeping next to me and I got up carefully not to wake her. On my way to the balcony I knocked something off my desk. 

"Marinette?" Tikki asked softly. "What are you doing?" 

"The power went out," I explained and opened the balcony door. "In all of Paris, as it seems." 

I had never seen the city entirely dark before. Paris, the city of light. There was not one single light in any of the windows I could see, all the streets lay in complete darkness, the Eiffel tower wasn't lit as it usually was. 

Tikki flew to my side and took it in. "I think we have a problem," she said. "Do you think a power outage could do this?" 

"No," I stated firmly. "This is Hawkmoth's doing. I have to find out whom he has acumatised this time. Tikki! Spots on!" 

As Ladybug I went out into the streets. There weren't many people outside but the ones I could see seemed to have fallen asleep right where they were standing or sitting. At first, I thought something way worse had happened to them but then I spotted a man on a bench who was snoring happily into a melting ice cream cone. Everything was so dark, and I was incredibly grateful for the full moon, the only light source in the city. 

I landed on a chimney, trying to figure out where the villain was, when I heard the sounds. Maniacal laughter and a sort of quiet swoosh. Then a louder swoosh as someone clearly flew past me, screaming. My reflexes kicked in and I caught his ankle with my yoyo, before he could fall off the rooftop. 

"Hello, Cat Noir", I greeted him as I pulled him up and freed his ankle. "You're early."

"What can I say, Mylady? I'm a nocturnal cat." He smiled at me. 

"Do you know what happened?" 

"Yeah. This guy is all in black, it's almost impossible to see him. He's shooting those rays of darkness that make you fall asleep instantly when you get hit." 

That was all I needed. I nodded and was about to make the first step to the edge of the rooftop to go find and fight this villain when Cat Noir grabbed my arm and pulled me back. 

"Just a second,", he said. 

"What is it, Cat Noir?" 

"Look up." 

He watched at me as I sighed and looked up to the sky. There was the full moon and the sky was covered in a million stars. That's the disadvantage of living in the city of light – you can barely ever see the stars. I had never in my life seen as many as tonight. 

"It's beautiful," I whispered. 

"Yeah," he said softly. "It is." I glanced at him and realized he hadn't been looking at the stars at all. 

I cleared my throat and took a step back. His hand dropped off my arm. 

"Let's go!"

Usually the villains weren't at all hard to find. This one however was different. Cat Noir followed the streets, eyes peeled for someone who hadn't been made to fall asleep yet and I was following him, relying on his night vision. Suddenly he stopped and pulled me into a narrow alleyway. "There he is," he whispered almost too quietly to hear. 

"Oh Ladybug!" I heard the villain call. He was getting closer. "Cat Noir! Where are you hiding?"
I held my breath. 

"I'm the Sleeper! And soon the entire city will be asleep forever! And when I find you, you will sleep too, and I'll take your miraculous!"