"...And, good luck."
Alya stared into the darkness, her phone still pressed to her ear. She felt trapped, frozen by fear. But not the fear that had gripped Marinette. Not even close.
"If you'd like to save this message, press one. If you'd like to delete this-" Alya pressed the hang up button. She felt so numb... Her limbs had turned into liquid. She looked at her phone, and found the address - the location of Marinette's phone. She'd be able to see the scene, the very place that her best friend had been taken.
She swallowed hard, and stood up, beginning out the door. Marinette's phone came second. First? First came the box on the girl's bed.
Alya raced to the bakery, dimly nodded to Marinette's parents, who spoke to her but the words didn't reach. She felt so far away, like in reality, she was in space.
Finally, she reached the bluenette's room. On her unkempt bed was a hexagonal box with strange markings on it. Alya's breath caught. "No way," she whispered, slowly shaking her head as she reached for it.
She picked it up, and held it up to her face. She knew what this box was. Tears gathered in her eyes, as she opened it, and a bright flash of red light came from it.
The light faded, and revealed a red bug-like floating thing. She knew the word for it. "Kwami," she whispered, her heart in her stomach.
The kwami opened its eyes, and looked rather confused, but smiled anyway. "Hi! I'm Tikki, and I'm a-"
"Kwami," Alya repeated with a subtle nod. "I know..." Her throat was dry, as she swallowed. Tears began to form in her eyes.
Her eyes widened. "Don't cry, Alya, it's okay!" the little thing chirped, and hugged her cheek.
"It's not okay! Marinette... She... She's gone. They took her," she growled, gently touching the creature on her cheek.
Tikki's eyes widened. "Oh no," she whispered. "There there, Alya, we will help your friend - just put on those earrings, okay?"
The girl noticed the earrings in the box. The earrings Marinette always wore. Except today. With a deep breath, she slowly clipped them to her ears.
The kwami nodded and smiled. "That's it, Alya... It's going to be okay, trust me."
"But Marinette..." the girl muttered, tears swelling in her eyes.
Tikki looked pained. "We'll find her, and it will be okay... Have faith in yourself and her. After all, you survived, didn't you?" the kwami reminded her with a smile.
Alya's eyes widened, and she shuddered, as the memories came back to her. "I don't want to think about that..." she looked away, at the ground.
"I'm sorry... But you need to know that she will make it, just like you did! And the best thing you can do for Marinette right now is let her know that you're safe!" the kwami cheerfully chirped, with a smile.
The girl glanced at Tikki, before smiling softly too. "Yeah... I guess you're right..."
Hawk Moth stared into the endless darkness of his lair, his lip curled in a smile.
"There are only three rules of the akuma," he began, eyes hardening.
He chuckled, gripping his staff. "Only three," he repeated.
Alya stared at Tikki. "So, what are the words?"
"It's 'spots on'," the kwami gently replied, with a smile.
The girl took a deep breath. "Alright, Tikki... Spots on!"
"Rule number one... The akuma cannot be denied." Hawk Moth stopped, lifting his head to gaze out his window, a wicked grin slipping onto his lips.
"Once an akuma is sent, there is nothing, I repeat, nothing, that can stop it..."
Ladybug leapt out the window, with a grin. She used her yo-yo to swing forward, towards the location she was sure Marinette's phone would be located - if someone else hadn't found it already. She dimly wondered if there would be anything else there... Maybe the girl herself, if she was lucky.
"Rule number two... The akuma is driven by a single emotion - fear. It seeks out the afraid, the terrified..." He glanced at the ground, at his reflection, with a thoughtful frown.
The supervillain took a deep breath, "The more powerful the fear, the more powerful the akuma."
The spotted superheroine swung into the alley, to see a black cat eating from a garbage can. She raised an eyebrow at it, but reached to pet it, anyway. The thing was docile, and allowed her to. "Good kitty... Do you know where Marinette went?" asked Ladybug, heart pounding.
With a nudge, it gestured towards the darker part of the alley. She gasped, when she saw it - the black splotches on the ground, the police tape across the alley. She quickly swung over.
"And, finally, rule number three... The akuma causes permanent change. The longer the akumatized, the bigger the change... If left with the victim long enough, the two will be in separable," he finished with a satisfied grin.
A shuffling sound behind him. His eyes widened, as he turned around.
"Good, you're finally here."