"What are you doing here?" Kim asked.
"Same as you," Adrien said. He squeezed Marinette's hand.
"Oh?" Kim said, with suspicion. "And why so suddenly?" Adrien looked at the faces of his classmates. They didn't trust him, that was clear.
"You know why," Adrien tried to sound calm and indifferent. "You also watch TV 12. You also eat HAWK-LICORICE. Don't you?" It looked like Kim relaxed. He looked at Sabrina and Chloe. They grinned at each other. They weren't laughing, they had a grin on their face that looked unnatural, Marinette thought.
"It's okay, girls," Kim said. "Adrien is cool." He got closer, walked around Adrien and Marinette and started to rap.
"Look at that guys, there you have Adrien. Adrien is hip and Adrien is cool." He snapped his fingers to the beat, while he kept staring at Adrien. "Hand in hand, how cute. So you got yourself a lassie, Adrien. And those sunglasses are cool. Can I try them?" Before Adrien could do anything, Kim grabbed them off of his nose.
"Give them back!" Adrien shouted. But, Kim took a step backwards and looked Adrien dead in the eyes.
"I already suspected it," He said in a cold voice. "We shall have to inspect the eyes of your girlfriend as well." He snapped his fingers and Chloe approached Marinette. With an angry shout she slapped Chloe's hand away.
"Don't touch me." Marinette quickly took a step back, but behind her was Sabrina. She clasped her arms around Marinette and held her tight.
"Let her go!" Adrien yelled and he jumped forward. How dare they touch Marinette! Kim put his foot out and Adrien fell to the ground. His face against the stones. Marinette screamed in shock. When he raised his head, a thin stream of blood came out of his nose. He saw how Chloe pulled the sunglasses of Marinette's face. The girl let the glasses fall onto the ground and smashed it with her shoes. The glasses broke and Marinette screamed angrily. Adrien stood back up and threw himself on Sabrina, who was still holding Marinette. He didn't care if they were girls!
Chloe grinned darkly, grabbed Adrien's hair and pushed his head back. The black pupils looked frightening, her teeth looked like hell itself with sharp edges. Chloe then kissed Adrien. His eyes widened and he immediately pulled away. He yelled in frustration and kicked Chloe in her stomach. Chloe cursed and clutched her stomach. In the meantime, Marinette was furious, but she didn't wait for anyone to save her. She pushed her elbow in Sabrina's stomach, so that she had to let her go.
"Come," Adrien shouted. He grabbed Marinette's wrist and pulled her with him, but Kim blocked their way.
"Where are you going, Adrien? It's already too late. Don't you understand?"
"Move!" Adrien snapped. "I understand that I don't want to be one of you!"
"Bummer," Kim said and he grinned again. "Grab them, girls." Chloe and Sabrina approached them again. At that moment, a car parked on one of the empty spaces in the market square. The lights died down and someone stepped out.
"Help," Marinette shouted. "Help us, please!" Across the square, a long figure was walking towards them. The three bullies hesitated for a moment and didn't move. Adrien and Marinette ran up to the figure. When they were close to the person, Adrien recognized her.
"Miss," he shouted. "Miss Bustier, help." Miss Bustier walked towards them in the moonlight. Adrien noticed his mistake too late. In a flash he remembered Miss Bustier in class: the bowl full of licorice, the yellow eyes. Suddenly, Miss Bustier was already in front of them. She watched Adrien and Marinette attentively. The black pupils in her eyes, narrowed to streaks.
"Adrien, what a pity," She said. "You didn't listen. Not to me, not to your parents. Everyone has changed except you. Bummer. Then you can't be part of The Becoming. And the same counts for your little girlfriend."
"What shall we do with them, Miss?" Kim asked, who had regrouped with his two friends and were now behind Adrien and Marinette. Miss Bustier looked at her watch. She put her hands to her side and shrugged.
"They are of no use to us anymore. Garbage. And garbage is something you have to clean up." Marinette couldn't believe her ears. The indifference in Miss Bustier's voice was even worse than the threats of those three bullies. Without looking at anyone, Miss Bustier walked away. They saw her walk along the path of the church and she disappeared in the darkness.
The three bullies grabbed Adrien and Marinette for a second time. This time, they didn't fight back. Adrien no longer had the will to fight back. He knew they lost. The terrible words of Miss Bustier rang through his head. 'Everyone has changed except you two.' Everyone! Everything is lost. No-one was able to save them anymore. it looked like all the strength in his arms and legs were gone. He helplessly looked over to Marinette. I have to save her, he thought. They can't….
"Oi, Kim, where are we putting them when we're done?" Sabrina asked. Her hands locked on Adrien's throat like teeth.
"Garbage belongs to the landhill," Kim said. "So we'll dump them there when we're finished."
"Another time maybe," An unknown voice said.