CHAPTER TEN:
SECRETS IN THE SHADOWS
After two helpings of cake (three in Plagg's case), Marinette and the fairies cleared the dining hall and bade each other goodnight.
By the time Marinette reached her bedroom, only Tikki and Plagg were still with her. The ladybug fairy was drunk on music and cake, so Marinette took the liberty of carrying her in her open palms. Plagg hovered beside the girl's head, yawning like a happy kitten.
Marinette was tired too, but all the fun and excitement she enjoyed at dinner still made her giddy. She wished she could look around some more, but perhaps it would be best to wait until morning. Besides, the fairies were all tuckered out from all that singing and dancing.
"Thank you so much for dinner, you guys," Marinette said, giving Tikki a friendly tickle. "That really did cheer me up."
Tikki yawned before smiling up at her sleepily. "Our pleasure, Marinette."
"And if you ever need another magic show," Plagg said, "just call us. We have nothing else to do around here."
Marinette's smile faltered a bit, and she decided to voice a question that had been bugging her for a while. "Why do you stay here in such a lonely place? Don't you ever want to… leave?"
Tikki blinked up at her, mostly because she was nodding off again.
So, Plagg stepped in for her. "I know where your head's at, kid. Believe me – I once had my doubts about staying here with hardly a soul to talk to. But we have each other… and we have Cat Noir."
Marinette bit her lip, yet she realized there was genuine affection in the cat fairy's tone. "Why do you care for him so much?" she asked. "He's so… so…"
"Different?" Plagg shrugged. "He's not as bad as he appears. Once you get past the claws and fur and fleas, he's really all mushy underneath. He can be pretty sensitive, too. You really think it's easy for him to be here, too?"
Marinette glanced away. "So, why doesn't he just leave?" But then she knew the answer, and she grimaced. "Oh… right."
"There's a bit more to it than that…" Plagg met Tikki's eyes. "… but it's not our place to talk about it." He yawned again. "Right, then. If you'll excuse me, mademoiselle, I've got to get Sugarcube to bed." He scooped Tikki gently into his arms and hovered away from the blunette. "Sweet dreams, Sleeping Beauty."
"Good night… Marinette…" Tikki whispered as she curled up in her friend's embrace.
"Good night," Marinette said as she slipped into her bedroom and shut the door.
All the while, Plagg's words got her thinking again. Next to being a menacing cat creature who concealed himself from others, what other reason would Cat Noir have to stay cooped up all alone in this castle?
The wind was howling, casting hoarfrost in its wake. The night sky was a bitter shade of blue with not a single star to be seen.
The shadows kept whispering at her, egging her on. Go, go, go…
So she kept going, gliding farther and farther along the open, snow-filled passage. At the end of the tunnel was an iron gate. The twin handles came together to form the face of a snarling lion.
"Do you wonder what he's hiding in there?" the shadows spoke, the words sickly sweet.
Yes, she did.
"Aren't you afraid?"
No.
"You will be," the shadows promised. "You won't like what you see."
But if it was something dangerous – or something that could help her learn more about the curse – she had to know.
The shadows hummed – rather, chuckled – with intrigue. "Then, follow the path."
The eyes of the lion lit up as bright as a scorching sunset.
Marinette gasped awake.
But the only light she saw now was the beam of moonlight blanketing her bedroom. The fireplace had gone completely cold. Hadn't she lit it before she went to bed? She looked over at the window. It was still closed. What could have put the fire out? Or who?
Marinette sat up in bed, pondering over the dream. "Follow the path," she repeated.
She didn't know who had spoken in the shadows. It was a voice she had never heard before.
But she did know one thing. The hidden place beyond the iron gate. She knew what it was, deep in the bowels of her soul: the western courtyard.
Cat Noir had told her he was using it for storage… but he hadn't specified what he was storing there. And the shadows in Marinette's dream had told her she wouldn't like what she would see. It made sense, given that even the fairies were too reluctant to speak of it.
Marinette's brow furrowed with resolve. She was tired of being kept in the dark. If she was going to stay in this castle for the rest of her life, she deserved to know what was going on. She needed to know what kind of creature Cat Noir really was, and what the curse was all about.
Marinette swept the covers away and went over to the window to peer outside. A snowstorm was rolling towards the castle, its clouds as grey as ash. Through the frost-covered glass, Marinette could see a large part of the hedge maze on the front lawn to the right, along with snow-covered gardens to the left. Then, just along the edge, she noticed something familiar. When she squinted, she could see a narrow, open passageway walled with stone and curling off to the left of the castle.
The passage from her dreams! "Follow the path!" Marinette breathed. That must be it!
Wasting no time, Marinette changed out of her white nightgown and into her old travel clothes from home: her pink riding pants, her white shirt and black jacket, and her traveling boots. Her blue cloak and mittens were the last to go on.
Once she was ready, Marinette inched her bedroom door open and stepped out into the dimly-lit hallway.
The candles had all gone out, and no sound or voice echoed from down the hall. Marinette carefully closed her door before creeping along the marble floors as silently as she could.
Apparently, finding the passage leading to the western courtyard wasn't as hard as it seemed.
All Marinette had to do was head downstairs and hang a left until she came to one of the darker hallways. She remembered that this was one the fairies had avoided during their many tours, so she decided to trust her gut and follow it.
Her gut didn't fail her. The hall ended in a glass door that led outside into the cold. Marinette slipped her hood over her head, checked over her shoulder, and then proceeded through the door. She had to push it open due to the heavy mound of snow, and then squeeze herself out the rest of the way.
As she expected, she now stood at the base of the open passage. The moon had vanished behind the clouds, and a light snowfall was starting to come down like icing sugar. Marinette knew if she didn't find the courtyard and head back inside quickly, the fairies might wonder how her cloak and boots became wet with snow. Or worse, a certain someone might notice footprints here where there shouldn't be.
But then Marinette realized she didn't care if anyone found out that she was sneaking around. Everyone back in Villeneuve used to tell her all the time what she could and couldn't do. Forbidden courtyard or not, she had the right to think for herself and make her own choices.
So, she hastened down the path.
The frost-covered stones were hauntingly dark, and they seemed to moan as though they were alive and watching her. It's just the wind blowing through, Marinette convinced herself. That's what's making that noise. Nevertheless, she wished she had brought something to defend herself with. A candlestick, perhaps, or a dinner knife. All she could do was pull her cloak tightly around her and press onward.
Finally, Marinette stopped when she beheld the iron gate with the lion-faced handle – exactly like the one in her dream.
She reached for the handle with one gloved hand… and then froze from the sudden rush of uncertainty flowing through her veins. She glanced over her shoulder. No one had followed her… yet. And she had come this far, hadn't she? No point turning back now.
With a determined huff, Marinette grabbed the handle. The gate groaned a little as she pulled it open, but now she could clearly see what lay beyond it.
It wasn't what she expected, but it was still unnerving.
The entire courtyard stretched about a hundred feet in diameter, with several large deciduous trees sprouting out in different areas. At first, Marinette thought there were actual figures standing throughout the area, but as she went further in, she realized they were all statues. Stone monuments of people – men, women, and children. Big and small, thin and chubby, young and old. As Marinette walked and looked around, she saw a man in a chef's hat holding up a stone frying pan, a beautifully-dressed little girl hugging her mother's leg, and a man wearing a party mask looking like he was stretching. A close inspection of his gaping mouth and flailing limbs told Marinette that he wasn't stretching – he was running away, or trying to. And he looked scared.
In fact, they all looked scared.
Marinette felt the winter cold seep into her bones as she noted the horrified expressions on every statue she saw. Everywhere she turned, it was all the same thing: people cowering, crying, screaming or running off. The only exceptions were the rare few who were bravely trying to shield their loved ones from some kind of harm.
"W-W-What?" Marinette shivered as she backed away, her heart pounding. "What is this place?"
Surely, these statues were only just statues. They couldn't possibly have been real… could they? And if they had been, who had done this to them? One prime suspect came to mind.
I've got to get out of here, Marinette's instincts warned her, or I'll be next!
But then, she saw something flickering ahead in the darkness: an orange light shining upon the snow.
Someone else was here. Was it Cat Noir?
Marinette's stomach dropped, but somehow, her feet managed to move on their own. She ignored the pleading, terrified gazes of the statues as she went over to the source of the light.
To her relief, there was no one there to greet her. The light was coming from several candles that had been lit at the base of one of the statues. An assortment of roses adorned the bottom as well, ranging from white to pink. The statue bore the shape of a woman: a regal-looking woman wearing a plush ballgown… and a small crown on her head. Her hair was curled into an elaborate plaited braid. Her right hand reached out towards Marinette in a desperate yet loving gesture, her delicate fingers covered with a healthy layer of snow.
Marinette cocked her head curiously. She could see why this particular statue would be worshipped more than the others, but… there was something oddly familiar about the woman. More snow covered her head and face, so Marinette couldn't quite make it out. Careful not to disturb any of the candles, Marinette stepped closer and reached up to brush away the layer of white powder.
Yes, that was better. Now, she could make out the woman's triangular face, and the thin mouth that was open not to scream, but to call out. Her stone eyes were grey and glazed over, yet Marinette recognized their half-round, half-almond shape.
The eyes, the face, the mouth…
So lost and absent-minded was Marinette that she couldn't help but reach up to stroke the woman's face again, as though to comfort her.
Another hand grabbed her wrist like a snake.
Marinette gasped and snapped to her right. Her scream caught in her throat even as she gazed into Cat Noir's glowing green eyes, which reminded her of an angry predator who had finally caught his prey.
The first thing she thought in that heart-pounding moment was, I am so dead!
The second thing she thought was, What was I thinking? Idiot! Idiot!
The third thing she thought was that she now remembered why the woman's eyes were so familiar.
Cat Noir's mouth was drawn up tight, but his fangs weren't hard to notice. And in his black leathers and tattered cloak, he looked all the more intimidating. "What are you doing here?" he demanded coldly.
That hard tone, which had once come from the lips of Chloe Bourgeois and had always made her feel weak and inferior, now made Marinette fumigate. She swallowed the pitiful apology forming in her throat, and instead answered his question with one of her own: "Who was she?"
The cat creature's cheeks were flushed, and it definitely wasn't from the cold. "You really are your father's daughter," he remarked as he tightened his grip. "Snooping around in places you're not supposed to be, touching other people's property…"
Marinette winced and tried to squirm out of his crushing claws. "Let me go."
"Didn't I specifically tell you not to come here?" Cat Noir raised his voice a little, obviously forgetting what he was doing to her. "Didn't I say that this was my private place?"
"You're hurting me!" Marinette was the one shouting now.
Like a ribbon being snapped in two, Cat Noir's eyes went from feral to humane. He glanced down at Marinette's wrist in his clenched hand… and dropped it like a hot coal.
Marinette backed away and rubbed her sore wrist while glaring at her beastly host with all the anger and disgust she could muster. "And don't you dare," she snarled, "speak ill about my father again."
Something like hurt flashed on Cat Noir's face as he glanced away. "You should go back to your room," he said. "We'll discuss this later."
"No! We'll discuss this now." Marinette lowered her hand and advanced on him as far as she dared. "Who are all these people? Who is she?" She beckoned to the frozen woman before them. "Does all this have something to do with the curse?"
Cat Noir's head snapped back to her, surprised. "Who told you about that?"
"Doesn't matter! What does matter is that something did this to them, and I want to make sure it doesn't happen to me! So, tell me the truth!"
His eyes flashed again, and for half a heartbeat, Marinette thought he was going to go all-out animal on her and tear into her with his fangs and claws.
Instead, he grunted angrily and said, "Yes, the spell… curse, whatever you want to call it… It did this to them." He gazed up at the woman's stone face with something like remorse. "I did this to them."
Marinette was shivering again. "You cast the spell?"
"No, but I'm the reason it was cast." Cat Noir looked back at her with that frozen anger again. "And that's all you need to know. Believe me – it's for the best."
Red simmered in Marinette's vision, and she forgot all about being cold. "I have lived my entire life surrounded by people who believed they knew what was best for me," she stated boldly, making Cat Noir blink. "People who think that I don't deserve to know anything. Well, let me tell you, Cat Noir – I am sick of it! You won't give me the whole truth? Fine! Have it your way!" With that, she turned on her heels and headed for the gate.
"Where are you going?" Cat Noir asked, his words laced with newfound concern.
"Home," Marinette declared as she glanced back at him. "My real home!"
Against the backdrop of candlelight from the altar, the young beastman's masked face stretched with alarm. "No… Marinette, you can't leave!"
"Oh, yeah? Watch me!" Marinette turned and walked at a hastened pace.
"I'm serious!" Cat Noir called after, and his growing footsteps urged her to move faster. "You don't understand… The magic… Will you just stop and listen –!"
Marinette glanced over her shoulder just as she saw him reaching to grab her arm. She turned on a dime and she danced away… but it wasn't quick enough. She let out a sharp cry of pain as his claws tore through her sleeve and grazed the side of her forearm.
Cat Noir pulled away, his outstretched hand now holding a piece of torn black cloth. Marinette heard him gasp.
But she was too busy looking at the three marks on her arm that were slowly oozing red. She covered it with her other hand and finally faced Cat Noir, her lip quivering and her eyes burning with tears of rage.
His eyes, on the other hand, were almost lit-less as he gazed at her wound with shock. The human skin on his face turned as white as the new fallen snow. "Oh, god…" Cat Noir looked up pleadingly into Marinette's eyes, reaching out again. "Marinette, I'm so sorry –!"
"Don't touch me!" she yelled, recoiling from his outstretched hand.
Cat Noir flinched, as though she had just slapped him, and anything else he wanted to say got stuck in his constricting throat.
"Don't ever come near me again!" Marinette stated as she backed further away. "Promise or no promise, I'm not staying with you for another minute!"
The last thing she saw before she ran off was Cat Noir's ears drooping down, and his green eyes fading into dull, lightless orbs.
"No, wait! Please!" he cried after her desperately, again and again. But his fading voice told her that he didn't try to pursue her this time. Even when she raced back through the gate and into the castle, there were so sounds of padded footsteps following her.
Good. The sooner Marinette put some distance between her and that monster, the better she would be.
Cat Noir kept calling after the girl until his voice was hoarse with shock and grief.
Only when he knew she was completely gone did he realize he was still holding the sleeve he had torn off.
He looked down at it, his breathing haggard and his hand shaking.
"What… have I done?" he murmured.
He hadn't meant to hurt Marinette. He had purposefully stayed away from her these past five days to avoid such an incident. He knew she hadn't meant any harm. But the moment she had touched his mother's statue, something just… snapped inside him. Something vile and territorial, like a panther protecting its kin.
Without him wanting to, the beast within him had awoken… and Marinette had seen it.
Promise or no promise, I'm not staying with you for another minute!
He had seen the hidden message in her aggravated tone; heard that secret word she had meant to call him instead:
Monster.
And she was right.
Cat Noir quivered as he fell to his knees in the snow. The end of his cloak crumpled up behind him. Shame and guilt pierced his heart like a frozen dagger, and all his pain came out in burning hot tears along his cheeks. He clutched the piece of fabric with both hands and held it against his chest.
It was all over now. The spell would never be broken. His one and only chance had slipped right out of his grasp.
Cat Noir inhaled sharply, and he looked up at the iron gate that now lay open. "Marinette…" he breathed, hoping that whispering her name would call her back.
But the only company he had now was the whirling snowstorm that started howling across the sky.
