Alone

Chapter 12

And that's when she noticed it. A small opening about three bricks in size was hidden on the wall across her. It was almost camouflaged and if Marinette had not had her Ladybug reflexes in trying to spot objects, she would not have noticed the opening. She concluded that it was big enough for her to crawl through but the only problem was getting up there.

Marinette glanced upwards seeing the ceiling a few feet above the opening. Knowing that she wouldn't get another chance to escape, Marinette took a step forward but retracted her leg when she felt the wall push against her. She desperately leaned against the other wall and saw that a few bricks were sticking out of the wall. 

"Strange..." Whispered Marinette, her breath hitching every time the bricks scraped across the floor. 

Taking a quick step towards the wall, Marinette placed a hand against the highest brick she could reach. The ceiling was still a few feet above the opening but it was too close for comfort. Marinette pushed against the brick wondering whether it would do anything. But to her dismay, nothing happened. The walls were closing in rapidly and now, Marinette could barely bend her arms in the small space. She decided to risk it all and placed her foot on the lowest brick. She got onto the brick. Testing her weight on the brick she was on, Marinette placed her other foot on the other brick. She continued her ascent and was soon looking over onto the other side through the opening.

She saw nothing but darkness on the other side but deciding that anything was better than getting impaled by spikes or being squished by brick walls, Marinette launched herself right through the gap, the spikes of the ceiling lightly grazing her back, tearing through her outfit. She flinched mid-air as she felt pain shooting down her spine. She seemed to fall into an endless pit but finally, ended up sprawled on a ground identical to the other room.

"I regret nothing." Groaned Marinette as she crawled onto her knees and checking herself for bruises.

She knew that there was a long cut running across the lower half of her back that was probably bleeding but she paid no mind to it. She felt her back slowly going numb and continued to wonder whether the spikes had been poisoned. Her thoughts were confirmed when her lower body turned completely numb. Marinette dragged her numb legs to the far end of the room so that she could rest. Knowing that this wasn't the best place to rest, Marinette fought with her eyes, forcing them to remain open. Her battle lasted for about ten minutes before Marinette finally relented and gave in, falling asleep.

" You poisoned the spikes?!" Solitude shouted at Twister, his voice sounding like a hammer on metal.

The Adrien side of Solitude acted up as soon as he saw Marinette leaning against the walls fighting sleep. He could clearly see that Twister was enjoying Marinette's suffering as he replayed what had happened in the other room over and over again. Twister had conjured a screen of purple magic when he had forced the ceiling to sprout spikes. Solitude hadn't actually planned on making Marinette suffer but unlike him, Twister was indeed twisted. 

"Why? Are you going soft?" Smirked Twister pausing right where Marinette crumpled onto the ground.

"Of course not!" Remarked Solitude.

The Adrien side of him disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Solitude clenched his teeth as he felt another part of his soul dissolve into the darkness inside him. Seeing a bright light on his right hand, Solitude focused on the diamonds on the glove lining his fingers on his right hand. He noticed that the first diamond had mended itself to form a complete unshattered heart.

"So. Every time Marinette suffers, one of these diamonds re-mends itself?" Asked Solitude in his gloomy tone. 

Twister nodded still focused on the screen rewatching the spike graze Marinette's back. Solitude was disgusted by Twister. The robed villain enjoyed seeing Marinette's blood spill, and Solitude had no idea what Twister had in store for her. Solitude had no control over this maze... This labyrinth. He couldn't interfere even if he wanted to and who knew what plans Twister had designed just for Solitude?