This book will be alternating between Adrien's and Marinette's PoV, starting with Adrien this chapter.
Adrien's PoV
All Adrien could remember was darkness and this freezing sensation that surrounded him. His body was starting to go numb, but he didn't make any attempt to warm himself up. He felt deep inside him that it was useless, pointless to even move a fraction of his body as he stared into the deep pit of nothingness that he was in.
He felt as if he were suffocating, like his lungs were collapsing within his chest. His body was being squeezed tightly from the pressure of whatever he was in but he still couldn't shake that name out of his head. He couldn't feel his heart beat either. It was like he was dead. Is he dead? He couldn't remember dying. Is that how it works? Do you die, and end up not remembering how you die? Do you just end up in an empty space once your dead and gone?
Adrien was never one to believe in God fully. He use to, when his mother was with him, but after she left, he had doubted God. He hated him actually. Blamed him for everything. Is this what Hell was?
I guess I should have went to church more. Maybe I should have believed in him.
He didn't know where he was, or how he got there. He could barely remember his own name. But there was one name that stood out to him. It was painted on the back of his eyelids, shining bright and projecting itself as an image inside his head.
Marinette.
Who's Marinette?
Marinette.
Pictures of a smiling blue eyed girl flashed at the back of his eyes like a movie with no sound. Her hair was constantly tied back into two identical pigtails as dark blue bangs swept over her forehead. To anyone else, Adrien would have thought the pigtails were childish but for some reason he didn't think that when he saw her. No, he thought of one word. Beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful. He knew that if his heart was beating, it would be beating faster.
The freckles that dusted her nose, the nose that scrunched up in the slightest when she had a wide grin on her face. Her rose colored lips were stretched into a smile showing off pearly white teeth.
Marinette.
It was so familiar, as if he had said the name hundreds of times before. The name rolled off his tongue easily, metaphorically speaking. Why was it so familiar? Where was he? Why was he here? The images of the smiling girl began to flicker, instead being replaced by a different image. An image so gory and heart wrenching, he wished he could unsee it.
The same girl, the same beautiful girl, was now lying on pavement, rain pounding down around her as a dark red liquid left the backside of her head, pooling around her blue locks and creating a puddle on the sidewalk. Her blue eyes were open wide, mouth slightly parted as she stared off at nothing.
Her sparkling blue eyes were now dull and lifeless and her once rosy lips were a light blue. Adrien was gasping now, begging for air to come back into his not functioning lungs as he continued to see the image of her corpse.
Marinette. Marinette. Marinette.
Who was she? Why did she have this effect on him? Why was she dead? Did he do it? Did he kill her? He couldn't remember. His thoughts were overcome with an unbearable sadness and something else mixed into it.
Did he kill her? Did he kill this beautiful girl? Why would he kill her? She looked so innocent, and unsuspecting. Why would he do that?
Marinette.
Is she Marinette? Is she the person that's stuck in his head like glue, repeating itself every second? What is happening? Why is this happening? What did she do to deserve this end, this demise?
Marinette... Princess. Marinette.
Marinette, which was such a beautiful name. He had never heard a name quite like that before. It was the name of an angel. A dead angel now. He had to remind himself.
Marinette. My Marinette.
My Marinette... My Marinette. Why was she his? He had so many questions; too many left unanswered. He knew this girl was Marinette, and that she was somehow his and was dead. But why? How? Was it him?
Why did he keep thinking he killed her? Was it his fault?
Marinette. Marinette! Marinette! Marinette!
The voice in his head was getting louder with each passing second. Her name was pounding against his temple, as if trying to escape his mind.
Marinette! Marinette Marinette Marinette! Marinette Marinette Marinette! Remember Marinette!
The voice chanted, screaming it as if it were a mantra. His skull felt as if it were being pierced by thousands of needles and he screamed in pain and agony. This was truly Hell wasn't it? This pain, the memory of her being dead. This was all Hell wasn't it?
Marinette Marinette Marinette! Marinette! Remember Marinette! You have to remember Marinette! Marinette Marinette Marinette!
"Shut up!" Adrien screamed into the void as he gripped his hair painfully, writhing in the cold air as he yanked his arms down, tugging at his roots. "Marinette! It hurts! Stop it! Stop it stop it stop it!"
Marinette Marinette Marinette! Remember her god dammit! Remember her! She's Marinette! Remember her!
Adrien was going crazy, he just knew it. He was having a screaming battle with the voice inside his head, which was a huge red flag. Pain erupted from his skull, leading down to his temple and further to his jawline as he tore his own flesh with the black claws attached to the suit he was wearing.
"Make it stop." He whimpered. "Marinette... I need you. Where are you? I need you princess... it hurts..."
A sudden warmth wrapped around his wrist, spreading up his arm. The pressure on his wrist was firm and comforting, as he felt the nice warmth surround his entire body. He felt his body instantly relax at the touch and he felt calm.
The voice in his head had quit yelling Marinette. Marinette... A black paw pendent popped into his head.
I gave that to her right? It was on her birthday... she's my girlfriend right? I love her? But she's dead? No... She can't be dead... I wouldn't have allowed it, right? I promised I would protect her right? So I would kill for her, but if that's so, then why did she die?
Why are you assuming she's dead? Maybe she's okay and was just hurt.
A tug on his wrist tore Adrien out of his trance as hot streaks ran down his face.
Am I, am I crying? Why am I crying? She's okay, right?
"Chat! Chat Noir, snap out of it!"
So beautiful. That voice, so beautiful...
Vanilla and freshly baked bread swirled around him, filling his nose with every breath he took.
That smell, is so familiar. I love it... it's the smell of her right? She smells like home...
"Chat Noir!"
Air suddenly filled his lungs as he gasped as if he were coming back to life. He broke through the surface of the darkness, the cold instantly leaving his body as he shot forward, his green eyes snapping wide open.
Where am I?
"Chat Noir move!"
What's going on?
He was back on the Eiffel Tower. Why was he here?
Nothing makes sense...
A sudden weight on his back pushed him flat onto his stomach just as a jet black spear soared above his head, narrowly missing him.
Adrien turned his head back and saw her. Marinette, alive and well.
"Chat, why are you crying?"
Crying? He didn't realize he was crying, but he didn't care. She was there, right in front of him.
His precious princess was alive.
So what in the hell is going on?
Yayyyy I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Stitches! And yes, Stitches is the last book to the Red String series.
Date, November 28th, 2016
Word Count: 1,361
Until next time, peace!