I hope you like this chapter! Thank you all so much for your patience, but I've had some stuff going on which has made it stressful to try and write as well. But your support is greatly appreciated!

Enjoy this chapter!

The gentle patter of the rain against the window stirs me from my sleep. Opening my eyes slowly, I look around me, nearly jumping out of my skin when I notice how close to me Adrien is.

Adrien.

I'm lying next to Adrien!

I immediately tense, not knowing what to do. I can feel his skin brushed against mine, and it takes until I realise that I'm not dead for me to properly remember everything that happened yesterday. Adrien and I, we can touch skin without consequence. And, he kissed me. He kissed me. Adrien. Blond Boy. Kissed me. Me! Marinette. I have to pinch my arm to stop myself from giggling in excitement.

I'm lying next to him, our legs touching. And I still can't believe it. I notice his arm is around my shoulder and I follow it with my eyes to see his fingers are resting on my upper arm, their touch as light as a feather. Managing to supress a sigh of contentment, I think about how safe and certain I feel right now, and I don't even know what it is that makes me feel like this. As I try to figure it out, I stare at him, figuring out the answer after a while. I think it's because for the longest time, Adrien has been nice to me, and he relies on me just as much as I do him. It is refreshing in the best way to have someone depend on you and look at you like they need you desperately. I focus on Adrien once more. His eyes are closed, breathing is heavy as he sleeps, and I try to absorb the moment, because nothing is ever perfect. From my own experience, I know first-hand how dangerous it can be to get comfortable and think that things are going to stay good. In a perfect world, they would. However, in this flawed and imperfect universe, I better absorb this moment. Absorb it and savour it like it's the last drop of sunlight that has fallen from the sun. Absorb it like it's all I have.

If only I could unscrew my head, take out my brain and use it to soak up this moment like a sponge.

A small movement from Adrien breaks my chain of thought and I watch his eyes open slowly. I smile at him, his emerald eyes training on my face. He cracks a grin, showing his pearly white teeth. It strikes me how perfect he is. Almost unreal, model-like. I smile wider in reply.

"There it is again," he chuckles to himself, squeezing my arm.

"What?" I ask, my voice still sounding tired when really, my mind couldn't be more awake.

His soft grin melts my heart.

"Your smile. Waking up to that makes all these years of loneliness worthwhile."

I close my eyes and giggle softly, my skin prickling softly as his fingers lightly caress my arm. We revel in each other. It's relaxing.

I'm just about to reply to him when an ear-splitting, deafening, shattering, blaring crash vibrates through the room, ricocheting from wall to wall.

The door nearly flies off its hinges.

I think my heart forgets to beat as I gasp in shock, head spinning wildly from the noise. It spins faster when I realise that Adrien has pulled me closer to him, holding me protectively. I'm begging that he doesn't notice my blush.

Just as soon as it had started, the noise is cut silent and Adrien and I wait, unmoving, for something else to happen. The sudden silence is almost enough to make us stop being uneasy.

Almost.

I'm not sure if it's my imagination at first.

But judging by the frown Adrien is giving me, I believe it isn't.

The sharp and quiet click of shoes sounds from the distance, growing louder. With every step the person takes, a sick feeling floods the pit of my stomach. My mind is shuddering, my heart is jittering. I have no idea why I'm so nervous. But it's because I recognise the feeling. The feeling I've known only once before.

The clicks are growing louder.

Closer.

Faster.

More prominent, more chilling.

I've only ever experienced the same feeling once in my whole life before, the smallest, most insignificant noise has only ever struck nothing but extreme trepidation into my very being once before. The raw fear that is cascading down on me in waterfalls, blocking off my airways and stealing the oxygen from my lungs has only ever done so once before.

The day they took me away.

5 more clicks.

Louder.

Closer.

2 more.

Louder.

Closer.

It's okay, I remind myself. Adrien is here, you trust him, he'll not let anything happen to you, it's okay.

I grip onto Adrien in fear.

The clicks are nearly here.

All too soon, the clicks approach the door, and I'm not ready. In a way, I'd kind of expected it to be her.

Lila.

She clicks into the room, her dominating aura nearly crushing me with its power.

I don't think I've ever been so intimidated. Ever.

Leaning on the door frame, she stops slowly, her every moment seeming to be so nonchalant in the eeriest of ways. Like she's in no particular hurry and being so nasty is the most natural thing in the world to her.

It wouldn't surprise me.

We watch her expression change ever so slowly, the corners of her mouth twisting upwards, almost amused. She raises her eyebrows expectantly and tilts her head so she's looking down at us even more.

Then, I realise something.

We've given ourselves away.

Of course she's seen our skin touch by now, of course I wouldn't put it past her. Adrien appears to have noticed too, and we jump apart quickly, knowing it's useless. Now I just feel even weaker. Lila folds her arms, trying to angle herself against the decayed door frame in the most aesthetic way possible.

"Well, this certainty isn't the welcome I'd expected. Anything you'd like to tell me, you two?" she giggles, her voice devoid of any emotion but malice.

We exchange nervous glances and decide in a look that it's best to stay quiet. So we do.

She unleashes a cold cruel laugh, before wiping a tear from the corner of her eyes.

Oh, I'm so glad that our discomfort amuses her.

"Awh. Isn't that sweet? I've got to say, I'm impressed Adrien. I'm surprised you've done what we asked. I didn't think you had it in you," she taunts.

Her words are a blade, slicing clean into my skin, stealing into the wound and making it burn with realisation. I freeze, paralyzed. What does she mean? Slowly, I turn and face Adrien, shivering from the goose bumps that have infested my skin. What makes me feel instantly terrified is when he doesn't meet my eyes. He's hugging his knees, awfully resembling the position he was in when I first met him, eyes glued to the floor like he never wants to move them.

He won't meet my eyes.

What don't I know?

I seem to amuse Lila even more. She laughs out loud, feeding off my confusion and worry like a vulture.

"She has no idea, does she? You mean you haven't told her? Ooh, that has to sting. Even better," she continues, her voice relishing every syllable.

It takes my voice a moment to come out from it's hiding place and work.

"Tell me what? Adrien what is she talking about?" I ask, my voice shaking, my fear in the answer evident.

Adrien says nothing at first. He just sits there, opening his mouth as if his voice has been stolen. Then he meets my eyes, and I notice they're glistening with tears.

"Marinette, I-" he begins, reaching out a hand to try and comfort me before he's cut off by Lila.

"No, no. I'd quite fancy telling her. It'll make it more... dramatic."

Her eyes light up at the last word, filling with the scariest evil I've ever been faced with.

"When you were first brought here, Adrien was given the task of... experimenting with your abilities. Testing what you were willing to do to help him. Weren't you?" Lila explains, prowling slowly towards me and towering over where I am hunched in a little ball of hurt.

I spin back around to Adrien, my eyes willing him to tell me it's not true. To deny it and show me it's a lie. I'm hoping. I'm risking the belief.

But he doesn't.

I refuse to believe it. I shake my head quickly and repeatedly, my brain searching and rifling through folders and files of memories to find some, any, other explanation. There must be one.

My voice has been buried in a draw, a flame that Lila has just stepped on and put out. I can't think of any words, sentences, that will possibly help myself feel less alone and... and.

Betrayed.

"No. No! You... y-you couldn't have, you w-wouldn't have..." I trail off, and a new wave of realisation crashes into my face, waking me up, "Adrien?"

One tear slides down his face.

One tear.

So many answers.

It's all the confirmation I need to know that she's not lying, he's not denying anything.

This is the truth. The truth never kills you, never. It knocks you down and breaks you, but never kills you.

Why?

So it can point its icy finger at you and laugh until its stomach hurts, and you? You're left wishing that it killed you.

"I wanted to tell you, I didn't know how," he tries to reach out again as if he knows that I'm about to break down.

But I surprise myself.

I don't cry.

I'm stronger than that.

"Oh, it's true. But I suppose that you're the only one who isn't willing to treat him like the monster that he is, so, when we tried to... how shall I put this... extract, information from him about you, it seemed he wasn't willing to cooperate."

I'm intrigued now, dying to see how much wrong he could actually do me. He's already managed to gain my trust and fill me full of happiness, all on a broken promise. So now, I want to feel the pain, like it's a drug and I'm addicted, no matter the cost. I want to experience the full extent of what these deranged people want me to feel. No matter how much they want me to hurt, I won't show them. I remain with a neutral expression on my face, letting it be a mask in which I will paint and carve neutral, uncaring features, and I will not let anyone chip the mask. Not even Adrien. I don't even know what I'm supposed to think anymore.

"Now, I'll let you come to your own conclusions about why he didn't say anything, because sadly that's all we have time for," Lila begins, the fake disappointment apparent in her voice, "however, as much as I'd love to stay here and chat with you two as if you're not both freaks, you are, I'm not, and I'm here on business."

I don't even register her pulling a small glossy black flute from one of her pockets since I'm so focused on looking everywhere but Adrien, because I know that my heart is hurting so bad it has broken my ribs. And broken ribs look fine on the outside, but really every breath hurts. I'm worried that if I so much as look at him, I will unleash the full extent of my sadness.

I finally snap back to attention when she blows a shrill series of notes on the flute. Instantly I'm reminded of music from snake charmers: lilting but still creepy enough to make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end.

Without warning, I hear a snap.

My hands are thrust behind my back and I'm powerless.

As I struggle to fight my own body, I can feel the cold, stiff metal of iron cuffs keeping my hands in place.

It appears that the same thing has happened to Adrien, because I can hear him struggling too, grunting in effort to keep his balance. Somehow, I still feel the urge to help him, after all of the revelations this morning has brought. I guess that's what happens when you love too much. Your heart attaches itself to someone so easily because it's so desperate that anyone makes a difference. And when the world blows up in your face, your heart is the one that held the matches for the dynamite.

Adrien tries to help me, but I move away from him, shuffling on my knees. Lila laughs, seeing our friendship, or whatever it was, fall apart under her grasp.

Through my teeth I can barely control my emotion, so I grit my teeth and speak in a dangerous tone.

"What do you want?" I growl, a strange mix between angry and heartbroken.

Leaning down ever so slowly, Lila flashes me another smile that never reaches her eyes.

"None of your business sweetheart. I don't expect you to understand anyway," she says in a patronising tone. I scowl at her receding back as she clicks over to Adrien.

I have to stifle a gasp as she drags him to his feet with more strength than I thought she'd have. Once more she produces the flute and spins it nimbly in her fingers. It is spinning so fast I don't see how it manages to morph into another object but when it has stopped spinning, I see the metal of the flute has been crafted into a sharp black blade that glints in the early morning light. I have to gasp out loud. Surely she's not going to... kill him?

In the amount of time it takes me to blink, she has pinned Adrien to the wall and is holding the blade millimetres away from his throat. Dangerously close.

Without moving her hands, she turns on me again, but I can't look at her. My eyes are glued to Adrien, who is focused on trying not to be impaled. He's gasping for breath, eyes locked on the blade that is too close to his throat. I curse my heart for twinging for him.

"So, I've got a proposition for you," Lila announces innocently. She leans closer to me, expression darkening, "would you like to hear it?"

Adrien finally meets my eyes for what seems like hours and fixes me with a look full of anguish.

Don't take off the mask.

Don't let him chip it.

Don't cry. Whatever you do.

So, I do everything in my power not to, and I turn back to Lila, my expression deadly serious and drained of emotion.

"Yes."

Lila looks so genuinely pleased I want to strangle her.

"Great! It seems like you've done such a good job with that mattress, haven't you? I mean, it was pretty..." she emphasises dramatically with her free hand, demonstrating how destroyed it was, "you know. So, here's the deal. You show me what else you can do, and I don't drive this blade so far up your boyfriend's throat he can taste the metal," she spits, voice low and warning. I can tell she means every word of what she's saying and is immensely enjoying the discomfort she has caused to both of us.

I reply with a cold steely look, all the time keeping a wary eye on the blade that is held against Adrien's Adams apple, glinting.

Adrien catches me off guard, shouting.

"Marinette, don't!"

I think Lila has pressed the blade further into him, because he immediately quietens, body writhing in pain.

"What do you want me to do?" I snarl back, eyes dead set on hers.

She looks around as if looking for inspiration, before pausing and clicking her fingers.

Great.

She's had an idea.

"It seems you are able to restore most of the things that he destroys. I want you to repair this whole room," she pauses for a second to let her command fully sink in to both of us.

I know what has happened every time I try to use my powers.

So does Adrien.

We both know the consequences. But Lila isn't finished.

She leans forward ever so lightly so she is hovering over my small frame, extremely imposing. I look up at her, some fear managing to break loose and create a tiny crack in my mask. In a low voice that seems like a whisper, she speaks again.

"Now."

I hope you enjoyed it! I'm in the planning process of co-writing a story with my friend Icarus who is a great writer. So, keep an eye out for that ;)