The Algorithm

Chapter twenty - The Siren Without a Voice

Marinette sat down across from Adrien and Plagg, Tikki soon joining them on their side of the white table. Pollen entered the room, set a tray of food down in front of the starving girl, smiled at her, then left. The smell of grilled meat and onion soup filled the room and it took everything Marinette had not to tear the chicken from the bone like a malnourished dog.

"Eat," Adrien said, pushing the tray a little closer to her. She said nothing, she did nothing. Adrien urged the plate of food a little closer. "You need to eat."

Just let me die.

"You need to eat," Tikki repeated.

Marinette hurled the tray off the table, sending it flying with a clang as it hit the ground. A mess of chicken and soup spilled across the white floor. Marinette slumped back in her chair as the three figures in front of her sighed their annoyance, but their concern for her gave them patience.

"What happened in the maze?" Plagg asked. No response. "Are you hurt? Is that why you can't talk or is it that you won't talk?" No response.

Plagg and Tikki hadn't seen this type of behavior before. After the burial, she became short-tempered and vicious. There was always a cold edge to her words and then the temper grew worse and worse until finally, she broke her vow.

When Marinette was still young and didn't know the full power she possessed, she made a promise, as did the others, to never kill. Killing would make them no different from the people who carved the scars on their backs. They were all determined to keep that oath, and three of them did, they died without taking a single soul with them, not a drop of blood was spilled by their hands. But Marinette was a different case, she was alone, she was angry. Anger was better than tears, better than grief, better than guilt. Anger was easier, and it made killing easier. And she hated herself for it.

Marinette never told anyone about the nightmare she had where she murdered Alya, it was like a flip had been switched. Marinette was so ashamed whenever she had the thought of killing someone. Her friend's lives had been taken unjustly, she would not do the same to someone else, not again.

But now, she closed herself off, she'd given up.

Tikki called Pollen back in over her commlink, the mismatched eyes looked sorrowfully at the spilled food and handed her another tray before scurrying off.

"Marinette please," Adrien begged. "We can't help if we don't know what's wrong." He looked deep into her eyes. The blue that used to carry the power and strength of the ocean was reduced to that of a dripping faucet.

"Mari." Plagg stated gently, "We're all here right now because we all care about you."

Marinette's gaze fell from Adrien's eyes and went back to her folded hands that laid in her lap, her face stayed unmoving. "You say you're here for me because you care about me," Marinette said, her voice barely rising over a whisper. The three figures perked up at the sound of her voice. "But if that were the case." She looked up from her lap and gave Tikki a bitter look. "She wouldn't be here."

Tikki looked taken back and her eyes instantly glossed over with tears. The last time Marinette saw her cry they had just dug Chloe out of the rubble and her empty stomach twisted with guilt. "I'm sorry," Marinette mumbled with her head hung low. "I shouldn't have said that."

Tikki waved off the apology and blinked away her tears. "If you want to show me you're sorry, then eat."

Reluctantly, Marinette put a spoonful of broth in her mouth. It was the only warmth she had felt in days and the pleasant heat spread throughout her body the more she ate. She knew that as she filled her stomach that her plans of starving herself were out the window, she didn't have the willpower to resist food any longer.