Miraculous Games

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Seven:

"Good evening, Miraculous Games viewers!" Alec greeted, waving to the camera. The TV announcer was wearing his giraffe suit, his face painted like the animal. It appeared as though he was on his way to a children's birthday party rather than the biggest event of the year. "Mrs. Chamach and I are just outside the marvelous ball that is taking place in honor of our winner, Chloe Bourgeois!" He gestured behind him to the shining government building like it wasn't obvious enough, what with the shining spotlights and guests entering the wondrous garden and all. "This is definitely an occasion that cannot be missed!"

"Indeed," Nadja responded, smiling at the camera. She was dressed up for the occasion as well, though not as enthusiastically as Alec. She wore a simple gray dress with small gray and pink ears pinned on the top of her head. With a touch of pink on her nose, it was obvious she was trying to be a mouse. "We have a lot to look forward to tonight. Sadly, though, we were informed that President Agreste will not be in attendance this year, what with the news of his son's death."

Alec nodded sadly, his painted face looking almost clownish as he tried not to frown. "The poor man must be going through a hard grieving process. However, I'm glad he's taking the night off! He deserves a break. On a similar note, we have been told that the Game Master will be the one who crowns Queen Bee this year! Isn't that exciting?"

"Definitely, Alec," Mrs. Chamach commented with a small smile. "This will be the first year ever to have the Game Master, creator of the actual Miraculous Games arena, give out the winning title and crown."

"Oh, it just makes me want to squeal!" Alec admitted, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He turned to look at the camera. "Stay tuned for the full broadcast of this extravagant event! So many amazing things are going to happen tonight - I can just feel it! Don't miss out on the fun!"

* * *

Adrien crouched in the bushes, peeking through the leaves of the shrub. Lights were flashing inside the building, very much party style. It was weird, sitting out in the cold. If he hadn't have gone rogue, he would have been inside that dance hall. Funny how things work out. He remembered the past few years, standing on the dance floor and watching all of the charms dance around him. It wasn't like this was his first rodeo.

His mind flashed back to a time when he was much younger, maybe ten-years-old or so. He had hidden behind his mom, her blue and turquoise dress clenched in his small fists as he watched Charms walk by. It had been a long time ago, and he didn't remember much, but what he did remember was that he had been terrified of all of the Charm's masks. His mother had told him that they weren't going to hurt him - that they were only pretending.

Ah, if little Adrien had known back then what the present Adrien had done.

"Where are they?" Alya hissed, pulling aside some of the shrub's branches. Her comment brought Adrien back to the present. He shrugged.

"They might be caught up in something."

"Probably partying, if I know Kim," Alix muttered, scowling as she batted some of her pink flamingo feathers away. Adrien had noticed that the pink feather dress had been driving her crazy, especially the feathers that kept drooping over her eyes.

Alya elbowed her. Whether it was playfully or not, Adrien wasn't sure. Understanding girls wasn't really his forte. He had learned that lesson quickly enough over the past few hours...

His mind drifted back to Marinette. Her beautiful hair, her amazing voice, and her stunning eyes.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to push her out of his thoughts. She was safe. That's all that mattered. She was locked away in a comfortable with enough to survive one night. She had a bathroom, a comfortable bed, and hey, even some food that he had secretly stashed in there. She was just fine. He just had to keep a cool head and--