"Marinette, time for school!" called my mother.
I groaned as a sharp jab of pain hit my side.
"What the hell...?" I mumbled to myself as I checked my side and saw a huge bandage covering the whole left of my abdomen.
Everything rushed back to me.
The floating figure in a ripped Dior dress threw a deathly sharp high heel at me and it pierced my side. Why wasn't Chat here yet? Ugh. I called for my lucky charm but it just made a sputtering noise and fell to the ground. WHAT WAS HAPPENING? I rushed to Master Fu's to figure out WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON.
"Ah, Marinette. Shouldn't you be fighting the Akuma right now?" said a quiet and aged voice.
"I'm terribly sorry, Master Fu." I bowed. "But my lucky charm isn't working and I can't fight the akuma."
"I was worried this would happen." he sighed.
"You knew this would happen?" I asked, wondering if this tiny man had psychic powers.
"I was expecting this. Ladybug cannot fight without her counterpart. Therefore, if Chat is not..." Master Fu trailed off, scared of my reaction.
"Chat is not WHAT?" I pressed.
"Alive." answered Fu, lowering his head with sadness.
Author's note: This chapter is rather short, but there are longer, better chapters to come!