Live for them

Chapter 33/Marinette

One of the figures dropped to their knees beside me as I screamed.

I held my head in my hands and rolled onto my side as tears poured out of my eyes like a dam had broken.

Eyes closed, I could see Chloe. I could hear her giggle. I could see her smile. I could hear her teasing me like friends do. I could see the excitement in her eyes whenever I approached her as Ladybug.

I opened my eyes to only see Chloe's puddle in front of me and Alya staring and shaking, scooping up the puddle with her hands and holding it to her heart. Carapace was one of the people that had dropped in and he pulled Alya into his chest.

I looked to my other side and saw Chat Noir. He was on his knees, eyes screwed shut as he cried.

A sob escaped him as his hands curled into fists.

I soon realized that Adrien had just realized his first ever friend. The friend he spent most of his life with. But I had also lost a friend today. A friend that I had never had before. Queen Bee. Chloe.

Then out from the puddle, shined the Bee Miraculous.

With a shaky hand, I reached for it and picked it up. The skin-liquid didn't leave a mark on it, and the Miraculous shined brightly in my eyes.

I growled as I felt the urge to hurl it away from me, but instead, I pulled it closer to me.

I screwed my eyes shut again as I whispered three words that broke me as I spoke them:

"I'm sorry, Chloe."

🐞🐞🐞

We dragged our feet slowly as the rain started to pour. But we couldn't care less.

The Bee Miraculous clenched tightly in my hand, we all walked back toward the hotel, where our parents were waiting in the lobby.

I took a deep breath as we stopped in front of the door.

I could feel my heart slowly cracking, hurting more and more with each second that passed by.

I suppressed a sob before pushing open the door and walking into the lobby with the remaining friends that I had.

"Marinette!" My dad rushed up to me and buried me in a hug.

"I'm so glad you're alright! What if something happened to you?" My dad pulled away from the hug after I didn't hug back.

My arms hung loosely at my sides and I was keeping my eyes on the floor as Alya and Nino's parents rushed up to them, pulling them in for hugs with minor scoldings.

"Where's my Chloe?"

At the sound of his voice, I looked up.

Mayor Bourgeois was scanning the group, his forehead wrinkling with worry.

Our families stepped away from us as all of my friends looked at the ground and stepped closer to me.

I sniffled as I averted my eyes to the ground again.

"I'm sorry, sir." I whispered as I held out the Bee Miraculous in my shaking hand. "Chloe isn't here."

The room went silent for a moment.

"I beg your pardon?" The Mayor's voice caught as I swallowed the lump in my throat, even though I couldn't stop the tears from spilling.

"Chloe isn't here. Chloe's... dead." I said louder.

I looked up slowly at Mayor Bourgeois as he started to shake his head as his body shook like someone had scared him out of his socks.

He dropped to his knees and crawled closer to me. As if he were begging for mercy.