Dreamer (Book Two)

Chapter One: Without A Doubt

Everyone gathered that evening for a search party. I remembered the assurances everyone made to me. Reminding me of when I disappeared that one Christmas. I should've been more worried.

It seemed as if the whole neighborhood was there. Even my father, Nathalie, and The Gorilla came to help look. Alya and her parents, Nino, Chloe, and all of our classmates and even some teachers. The Dupain-Cheng's were, of course, there as well. We all fanned out in search of the missing girl.

As soon as I could, I separated from everyone to transform into my alter ego Chat Noir. Once transformed, I repeatedly called Marinette's phone while leaping through the city in hopes of picking the sound up with my hypersensitive hearing. Through all of the bustle of the city, the noises, movement, and lights I was able to focus only on this single sound. It called to me, her ringtone. Literally. Her ringtone for me was a cat's meow looped. She always thought it was hilarious.

A few minutes, and I had located the phone. It was in a dumpster, with a pink dress wrapped around it. My heart had jumped into my throat when my night vision detected the substance coating the dress. Blood.

Marinette's parents later confirmed that that was the dress she had been wearing when she went out of the house. And a DNA test confirmed that the blood on it was hers. There had seemed to be so much blood on the fabric. And all of the blood seemed to originate in a condensed area where there was a tear in the dress. I was told that it appeared to be a knife cut. I could almost feel a literal knife cut into my heart.

Snapping back to the present, I easily glided through my window and into my room. I flopped onto my bed just as the transformation wore off.

"Hey, kid." Plagg greeted softly. He had been cautious around me lately, careful not to say something upsetting. I supposed even superheroes could become akumatized when put through enough crap. But I was too determined to find Marinette to give into my grief of losing her, even after five weeks.

"Hey." I barely had the energy to look at my Kwami.

"Adrien... I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but maybe you should ease up a little. You're patrolling every day, fighting Akumas, and when you're not doing those things you're searching for Mari. If you could just... -"

"I can't, Plagg! What do you want me to do? She's missing! And I don't have Ladybug to help with patrols without her. Paris is in chaos. People are hospitalized because she's gone. I have to find her, or Paris is going to become a war zone. Don't you want to find her? To find Tikki?" I knew I hit a sore spot and instantly regretted snapping at him.

"Don't you dare throw Tikki in my face like that! Of course, I want to find her. I want to find her as badly as you want to find Marinette. Don't forget I'm having to work double time, too. It's not just you, Adrien. But I'm a Kwami. You're only human. And trust me, kid, I know we need her and Tikki. We need them bad. But what use are you to her half dead, huh? You've barely slept, hardly eaten. You're dropping weight, have dark circles under your eyes. You're starting to wear thin,  Adrien. Look at yourself!" Plagg huffed as he turned his back to me.

He was right, of course. I was depriving myself of food and sleep to look for her. But I hadn't gotten anywhere. I may have been a superhero, but Plagg was right when he said I was wearing thin. My rational side knew I wouldn't last much longer going like this, but my irrational side just wanted Marinette and was willing to pay any price to find her. But even now my eyelids were heavy as I laid on my bed, even though it was in the early afternoon.

"I'm sorry, Plagg." I sniffled as I rubbed my nose. "I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just so frustrated, you know? I'm sorry I took it out on you. I know you miss Tikki."