Chase landed a crisp high five with Genevieve. He felt about a quarter of his stress wash away with just one piece of news.
They had been trying to get a proper venue for the musical for the past three months. They couldn't perform in the school's courtyard -they asked, just to make sure- because the set would be an inconvenience for gym class, not to mention passing periods or people not involved in the musical messing with stuff without knowing any better. Most of the theaters around were either too grand and expensive to rent out to a High school production with minimum adult supervision.
Monsieur Garnier had continued his trend of not helping run the musical in the slightest for the past five months. But Chase and Gen had managed to wrangle the man into coming with them to supervise a deal with a small local theater they managed to discover after scouring what felt like the entire city.
And as much as Chase hated to admit it, they probably wouldn't have secured the deal without Garnier there, along with the generous donations Chloe's father made to the musical. After all, Chase was just a seventeen year old. He technically wasn't even a citizen of France.
But the deal went through.
"I need a drink," Gen just about collapsed to the ground.
"Hear, hear," Chase agreed with the sentiment, but he didn't actually want alcohol for several reasons. 1. he was underage, 2. Mom would kill him, and 3. he heard enough horror stories about what it did to the body that he wouldn't want it on principal. Same thing with smoking - after his elementary counselor showed up with an actual pig's lung, damaged by second hand smoke inhalation, any desire kinda went away.
But this was cause for celebration.
The next day at rehearsal, Chase was the one to announce the news.
"Announcements," Chase clapped his hands to get everyone to quiet down. People continued mumbling, until Gen shushed them with a look. "Great."
"I have a few important things to say, so y'all better get your phones or planners out and write it in your calendar." Chase waited for everyone to settle back down.
"First off," He tried to play it cool, but he couldn't keep a smile off of his face. "We got a spot."
"Wait-!" Beast's actor widened his eyes. Lumiere and LaFou exchanged an overly complicated handshake. Several people cheered. Chase spotted Keana looking a bit faint in the back of the group. A few techies burst into sobs of joy.
"Let's Gooo!" Gaston cheered.
"Shut it!" Bianca, the stage manager, shouted. "Chase still has things to say!"
Since Bianca terrified the ever loving crap out of everyone, they quieted down.
"We're going to start doing all our rehearsals there. I'll send you guys the location. It's a bit of a walk, so I'd recommend car pooling-"
"-or cycling or public transit-" Gen added.
"-right." Chase acknowledged. "It's important that we start there now, because tech week is in three weeks. And if you're on any crews, you'll be going to the theater on Friday and Saturday to build the set and get familiar with the area. For people who are in charge of lights and sound, a few of the techies are going to be there to teach you how the equipment works and in case you need help. Any questions?"
"Yeah, are you single!?" LaFou crowed.
Chase smirked and didn't respond.
"That seems like a personal question," Gen rolled her eyes. "If you want to ask him out, do it later."
Things descended from there.
. . .
"Crew, I want this van loaded by 4:30, we don't have time for any goofing around or bullshit, got it!?" Bianca ordered. She pointed a glare over at a pair of sophomores who were still snickering about some joke they made.
Mylene cowered in her seat. The van was a dinged up U-haul that one of the parents had rented for the occasion. It wasn't nearly big enough to hold all of the props, the set, and the clothes. It was also only 3:00.
But they had to try fitting everything in there anyway.
Packing the van was nearly anxiety inducing. Bianca was yelling like a drill sergeant, while everyone was trying to shove as much as they could in the van. It was filled up with the set pieces and several people hopped in to make sure the set wouldn't get damaged on the way. The van was back five minutes later.
Mylene really wished Ivan wasn't sick today.
Soon the van was filled again, and Mylene was volun-told to make sure nothing got messed up in the drive.
She tentatively got into the dark back of the van, grabbing onto a clothes rack for support. The engine started with a roar and the door closed with a loud slam. Other crew members babbled excitedly to each other.
"Isn't this kind of exciting? I've never been in the back of a truck like this!"
Mylene disagreed. The truck started and everyone stumbled. She thought it might have been more bearable if Ivan was there for her to hold onto.
The drive felt a lot longer than it actually was. Every turn was unexpected and sent Mylene into the wall or another person and people squealed. Each stop was jarring and sent a shock of fear through Mylene. At one point the truck honked, but it sounded more like a blaring horn and she flinched.
It stopped suddenly and Mylene's shoulder rammed into a metal wall.
She closed her eyes and breathed through her nose. She thought back on what Ivan said to do when a situation was stressing her out. She didn't have his hand to hold, so she did the breathing exercises instead.
The door opened, letting light flood into the van. It was overcast out, so the light was rather dreary, but it made Mylene feel a bit better anyway.
She could do this.
Unpacking the van took less time, even if no one really knew where they were putting anything. One of the more confident kids started walking, and everyone else followed them, forming one giant line full of people who didn't know what was going on. Luckily, a crew member who was on the first trip eventually showed up and led them to where the backstage area was.
It was a bit bigger than Mylene expected, but not nearly as extravagant as the theater's her dad has worked at before. That must be the difference between a small local theater and one that garners attention nationwide.
Soon enough, the whole crew was gathered in the backstage area, chatting and waiting for someone else to take charge. She didn't know who to talk to. Marinette was in the corner, already organizing clothes with her costume crew. She seemed busy, so Mylene didn't want to bother her. Mylene instead gravitated over near Rose, who was talking with a group of people Mylene didn't know.
"Wait, is Juleka your girlfriend?" One of them gasped.
Rose giggled. "Shhhh! We aren't official yet! Juleka's nervous people will get upset, but I don't see the problem! Her mom's chill and her brother is out as bi-"
Mylene stood awkwardly behind the tight circle. She felt like she was eavesdropping, even though Rose had already told her this before over some boba tea.
"Juleka's the one with a purple streak in her hair and the nice eyeshadow, right?"
"Yes!" Rose squealed. "Doesn't her eyeshadow compliment her perfe-?"
"Alright!" Bianca shouted to get everyone's attention. Mylene jumped and turned around to face the stage manager. "I want everyone to get into their groups. We have the theater helpers with us today. They're here to help us have the best show we can have and teach us the ropes. They don't have to be here! So don't waste their time! If any of them complain to me about your behavior, you answer to me, and I'll come up with something to waste your time, got that?!"
"Yes ma'am!" Several people responded. Everyone else just nodded.
"Good." Bianca nodded and pointed to a corner. "Lights and Sound, over here. Costume, I see you're already with Marinette, good! Run crew, meet onstage-"
That was Mylene's group, so she started walking away as several people peeled off from the throng. They shuffled over to the stage, where an adult stood waiting. He was tall, maybe early thirties, and had a fairly lengthy haircut.
"I'm Andre, and I'll be showing you guys around the theater today." He introduced himself once everyone was here. The tour started without any more dawdling as he led them around the backstage. They entered the dressing rooms- there were two large ones filled with tables and mirrors. Mylene wondered for a moment if there was enough room for the full cast; it seemed a bit cramped.
They moved on quickly, passing through the backstage area full of ropes and wires and levers. Andre stopped to briefly explain what each one did. They connected to the curtains, lights, and various other things. They were interchangeable, so people could hang different things up for different shows.
"A few shows ago, one of the props up there started smoking. Apparently it was too close to the lights, but everyone knows the real reason is because we're haunted."
A few people snickered.
Mylene paled considerably. H-haunted?
They moved on and Andre led them through winding tunnels that apparently went to the sound/light booth. It felt like a maze to her frazzled mind - the thought of making the trek by her lonesome or worse, getting lost, prickled her anxiety.
She passed by a dark mark on the wall that looked like a face and jumped into the air.
"Are you good?" The person next to her asked.
Mylene felt a burst of shame in her gut. She frantically nodded. "Yep!"
There wasn't anything even going on, but she felt like she was losing it. Now she was bothering other people- she needed to keep it together.
By the time they made it to the light/sound booth, Mylene's legs were shaking. It was dark, but after a few muttered curses, Andre flicked the light on, showcasing the control panel with various buttons and sliders. The amount of options was a little overwhelming. Mylene was glad she wasn't a part of lights and sound.
A light bulb flickered overhead.
You're just having a bad day , Mylene told herself. Breath .
It wasn't long before they reconvened with the main group. Time had flown by. It had taken a few hours to move the set, props, and costumes. The tour took up the remainder of the time they had.
The van ferried all the students back home. Another nerve wracking trip for Mylene. But it was far less noisy as everyone was exhausted now.
Her dad was at the school, waiting to pick her up so she wouldn't have to walk home in the dark. That made her feel better.
"How was your day?" Her dad asked as she buckled her seatbelt.
She had a bad day. "Ivan was sick today." She said instead.
"That's too bad." He said softly. "How was the theater?"
"It was fun but..." Mylene didn't want to lie. "My theater guide said it was haunted ..."
Even thinking about it made her shiver. That creepy face on the wall, the flickering light.
Her dad chuckled. "Sweetie, all theaters are haunted."
That was the opposite of what Mylene needed to hear.
The rest of the car drive was filled with silence, until her dad got bored and turned on the radio for some white noise.
That night, Mylene struggled to get to sleep. She tried counting sheep, keeping her eyes closed, and listening to relaxing music. Nothing seemed to work. She felt uncomfortable, tossing and turning the whole night. No matter what position she tried, unease prickled her spine: she felt like someone was watching her. But her closet door was shut, so was her regular door and her window blinds.
She must have succumbed to sleep at one point, because she woke up at 6:35 on a Saturday morning, feeling the opposite of refreshed. She was de-freshed.
Mylene got up anyway, knowing she had a busy day ahead of her. She brushed her teeth, ate breakfast, and got dressed. She made sure to wear her more comfortable clothes, and prayed that today wouldn't be nearly as overwhelming as yesterday.
With how anxious she was, she still had no idea how she stayed so calm when Stoneheart kidnapped her. It was a miracle, considering how nearly everything terrified her. Maybe it was the shock of the situation. Maybe it was because she recognized that it was actually Ivan underneath that stone exterior.
She brushed out her frizzy hair, tying it back and putting on a bandana. She was ready to go, even if she didn't need to be there for at least another hour, so she left early.
She walked to the theater, Chase wasn't lying when he said it was a bit of a walk, but Mylene had time before she needed to be there. It was brisk outside, but sunny and there wasn't a breeze at all, so it was overall a nice day. The weather helped soothe her nerves and the walk was a good distraction from any unpleasant thoughts.
She got to the theater early, but luckily there was someone already at the door to let early birds in.
Walking through the halls of the theater by herself undid the positive impact the walk had on her psyche, and Mylene was once again reduced to nervously looking over her shoulder at every sound. She had no idea where anyone else was, so she wandered aimlessly for a few minutes. There wasn't anyone in the audience or the booth, so she eventually made her way to the dressing rooms.
The dressing rooms had chairs and were easily accessible from the backstage, so it made sense for people to gather there.
There were a few more people than Mylene expected. The other people in the room were lounging in chairs, scrolling on their phones. Someone hooked their phone up to a bluetooth speaker and was playing some upbeat music. Probably in an attempt to keep people awake.
Oddly enough, Alya was there chatting to Marinette, who was in the corner, guarding a mannequin that had a clothes protector encasing it. Not that it was weird that Alya was talking with Marinette, but it was weird that Alya was there in the first place.
Mylene, not having anything better to do, decided she might as well ask. She walked over, waiting patiently for Alya to finish up with the train of thought she was on. She didn't want to interrupt the blogger.
"Anyway, I have big plans, you don't even know, girl!"
"Uh-huh," Marinette agreed with whatever Alya said absentmindedly, gaze entirely focused on the costume that was hiding beneath the opaque bag.
Alya seemed fine with ending their conversation on that note, which was when Mylene had her opportunity.
"Hey, Alya, I didn't know you had to be here today." Mylene started.
Alya looked over to her, putting down her phone. She was clearly eager to have another conversation, especially since her BFF was seemingly non-responsive. "I don't actually have to be here. But since I'm the Publicity head, I figured I'd start advertising. Y'know, getting a few pictures of people getting work done, really build up the hype. I still need to track down a few people to send me their bios if they want to be featured in the program."
"That sounds like a lot of work," Mylene noted.
Alya chuckled. "Girl, you have no idea! I didn't realize it earlier, but I still have so much more work to do. I totally procrastinated - I've been focusing on the Ladyblog so much that I didn't realize I had a few deadlines creeping up on me! Oh!" Alya's face lit up as if she just remembered something.
"Oh?" Mylene prodded. Alya was a great story teller, but she sometimes took a while to get to the point.
"Speaking of the Ladyblog, I have big news coming up! I still need to edit the video, but it should come out soon!"
"Don't you normally just stream things?" Mylene asked with a tilt of her head.
"I do," Alya agreed. "But this is big. All caps, B-I-G. I even started learning how to use video editing software, it's that big. So big, I bought an actual video camera, not just my phone, in order to record it."
"Wow..." Mylene gaped. "Did you rent out a studio?!"
Alya winked. "Not quite, I did the next best thing. Anyway, no more spoilers!"
"Well, I'll be sure to watch it," Mylene promised. This clearly meant a lot to Alya. Mylene wasn't the bestest of friends with the blogger, but they were friendly with each other. A social butterfly like Alya was a little difficult not to be friendly towards, especially since she put her all into everything she did. She was very charismatic.
Mylene retreated and passed the time while even more people filtered into the dressing room. Before long, it was time to start.
Chase, Genevieve and Bianca stood at the front of the room. The music was promptly shut off and everyone quieted down.
"It's good to see everyone here." Chase smiled. "We're going to have a packed schedule today. On the agenda, we're setting up the prop table, setting up the set, organizing costumes and the works. Alya over there has posters. Feel free to take a few home and hang them up in different areas: the school, businesses, anywhere you can think of. Just make sure to get permission to do so with the owner of any establishment-"
"-At noon the Cast is going to come in. Costume crew is going to fit them with their costumes. We're going to be running scenes so Run Crew and Lights and Sound can get used to the cues. Any questions?"
No one said anything. Chase nodded. "Great. If anything pops up, feel free to ask the leadership about it. Alright, go!"
In a flurry of motion, people got to work. Lights and Sound retreated to the booth, Marinette began commanding her squad, Alya began taking pictures. Mylene was part of run crew, so she started helping with the set and the other group began organizing props. Makeup crew began sectioning off the dressing rooms with tape so everyone in the cast had their own area to get ready.
Once the set was reassembled and checked to make sure nothing broke (the wheels brakes apparently broke whenever people tried to move it without turning them off), they then fixed anything that was broken. A few paint touch ups removed any scuff marks from the backdrops Nathaniel helped design.
The overhead lights flickered occasionally, which kept Mylene on edge, but other than that she was fine.
Time passes quickly when you're productive, so it felt very sudden when the entire cast showed up out of the blue. Most everything was finished, so the crew prepared for a taste of what they'd be doing for the next three weeks.
It was fun, watching the actors run through their scenes. Chase had them run through a whole scene, to both help them adjust to the stage and to point out where things needed to be moved for the run crew. Bianca would assign jobs to run crew members and then they'd run through the same scene, pausing every time to adjust where the set would go and when it needed to be there.
Every so often, it got a little rowdy and Gen would remind them -in a nicer way than Bianca would- that the show was in three weeks, and they really didn't have time to goof off.
Mylene had a few things she was assigned to but the most important one was a cut out bush. It was big enough for her to be hidden from the audience when she stood behind it, which was good because she was supposed to move it around during forest scenes to simulate characters traveling.
It wasn't entirely convenient: its bulk and awkward shape made it a bit difficult to carry around casually. They had to repeat the scene a few times because she and her fellow bushes struggled to get where they were supposed to on cue. One of the other bushes brought the difficulty of moving to the Student director's attention. Mylene worried that they'd get yelled at for complaining.
Chase and Gen didn't do that. Instead they threw out a few solutions - namely making some sort of handhold.
Mylene returned her bush backstage. There was a small area that stored props and set pieces under maintenance, so she set it back there. It was chilly and the lighting wasn't the best in there, leaving most of the room shrouded in darkness. Strange silhouettes filled the room and splashes of discoloration marred nearly every surface.
Logically, Mylene knew that the strange shapes were just poorly lit set pieces and the discoloration was just spilled paint, but she couldn't help but shiver as the door clanged shut behind her, cutting her off from the rest of the world. In her mind, the silhouettes looked like the shadows of people and the paint looked like blood.
She set her bush down quickly and rushed out of the room as quickly as she could, scrambling to find the handle of the door in the darkness. She yanked on it, but it barely budged. Panicking a little bit, she pulled harder, and the metal door nearly shuddered. Was she locked in here?
Then she tried pushing, and the door scraped the floor before easily swinging open.
Mylene exited quickly. No one seemed to notice her blunder, thankfully. She shook her hands out, retreating to the dressing room where she left her stuff. She carefully opened the door, staring resolutely at her shoes. Then she looked up.
Only to come face to face with the growling visage of a monster.
Mylene screamed. Then clamped her hands over her mouth.
Everyone in the room jerked to look at her. What she thought was a monster, was just the stylized mask of one of the wolf costumes. Marinette stood in the corner, matching an ensemble member with costumes, making sure they fit. The monster in front of her was just an ensemble member trying on their wolf costume.
They jerked the mask off. They seemed concerned, but mostly found the situation humorous. "I didn't know I was that scary."
A few people laughed, but Mylene could barely hear them over the blood rushing to her ears. She backed out of the room quickly, only to turn and see everyone backstage also staring at her. The door hadn't been closed behind her.
"Are you ok?" Someone asked.
She didn't answer the question, instead rushing off into the hallways of the theater.
Where was the bathroom?
She eventually found it, a two stall bathroom with one dingy sink. She chose the smaller stall, sitting down on the toilet, shaking from adrenaline and shame.
She once again found irony in the fact she had been nearly comfortable being kidnapped by Stoneheart, but was reduced to a sniveling mess the moment something small triggered her anxiety.
Why was she such a coward?
. . .
While Marinette was concerned about Mylene, she admittedly had bigger fish to fry.
That fish in question: making sure that Belle's ball gown actually fit her.
It took her forever, but she managed to pull Belle from the rehearsal and have her understudy do a few lines while she fitted her.
So, currently, Belle's actor was standing on a stool while Marinette flitted around her, pinning various saggy areas of cloth to mark it for temporary stitches. This dress was supposed to be one size fits most, but there needed to be adjustments per person. And this Belle was a bit smaller than the average size, and the elastic didn't quite work for her.
Mari plucked a pin from her mouth, poking it through a section of cloth pinched between her fingers. Then she reached for her needle and thread only to realize...
"I left my sewing needle in the other dressing room," Mari explained. Gah, she was so disorganized! "Stay here, ok?"
Belle nodded and Marinette rushed to the other dressing room. How did she even scatter her stuff so thoroughly? The lights flickered off overhead, leaving her to search in the dark.
"Really?" Mari went to find the light switch, only to find it covered in a sticky goo. "Gross! Ugh, abc gum? How professional ," She grumbled.
She was left to search for the pin in darkness. She felt along the counter area, eventually finding a small piece of metal. "Aha! Found it."
"I really need to invest in a better travel kit. I lose these needles so easily..."
She went to the other dressing room, thankfully the emergency lights had turned on so she didn't have to stumble along in the darkness. The hallway looked a little foreboding drenched in the red light, like something out of a classic horror movie. There weren't any elevators for gallons of blood to pour out of, so she'd probably be fine.
She swung the door open to the dark room. "Was there a blackout, or something?" She wondered. She made her way over to her bag of stuff, fishing for her phone and turning the flashlight on.
It illuminated the room and Marinette gasped in horror.
There was pink goop everywhere! It lined the walls, coated chairs, it covered the costume rack, but even worse...
It completely encased Belle and the dress, freezing her like some sort of fruit suspended in jello.
It was obviously the work of an akuma, not a dumb slime prank.
That didn't make Marinette any less murderous.
. . .
Adrien hated photo shoots. They were the worst, and he didn't even get paid.
"No, no, no!" His latest photographer yelled. "You're doing it all wrong! Hold the apple like this, not like it just hit you on the head!"
One position adjust later and Adrien was at his limit.
"Monsieur Pierre," Nathalie interrupted. "I believe it is time for a break. Adrien has not had one for the past two hours."
Adrien smiled gratefully at Nathalie, and she nodded. An unexpected flash made him nearly wince, but he's been doing this since he was ten, so any reaction to camera flashes had been thoroughly trained out of him. Adrien's smile dropped and he rolled his eyes.
He wished Father would stop selling lending him to random commercial people without checking in with him. He swore that he was completely free today, but then Father informed Nathalie, who informed Adrien that he was actually booked for the entire day.
Adrien walked over to where his stuff was at, took a swig of water and sat down on a bench while the photographer rearranged the set for the eighth time. Surely one of these photos was good enough for the perfume commercial, they'd been going at it for hours.
He took out his phone, finding a notification from the Ladyblog.
PolkaDots4Ever: Me0w0 Sh4d0wD34m0n Akuma at a theater here: [ Location coordinates ]. Some sort of slime monster. People are trapped inside. I managed to get inside, but I think all the entrances/exits are blocked now...
Me0w0: Aye aye, captain!
Capricornicup: is that a real location? Has this turned into an arg?
Adrien put the location into his GPS and paled.
That was where Keana and Nino's play practice was.
"Uhm, Nathalie. I'm not feeling very good." Adrien said, pleading with his eyes. "Can we end this early?"
He blinked rapidly.
Nathalie's features softened slightly. "Of course. I'll cover for you."
She thought he was going to hang out with his friends...
The assumption wasn't entirely inaccurate.
. . .
The ensemble was in the middle of a musical number when the lights suddenly shut off. This caused just about everyone to let trail off uncertainly, even as the speaker continued blaring the music. Several people offstage let out shrieks of surprise or shouts of irritation.
Chase sighed and felt his eye twitch. If this was some prank from someone in the booth, he was going to lose it .
It was pitch black in the theater, until a few emergency lights flickered on. This was both a good and bad thing: a good thing because they could sorta see again and it meant no one in the booth was messing around and wasting time. A bad thing because it meant there was an actual problem with the lights, and that would waste even more time than if people were just being stupid.
"Everyone stay calm," Chase called out. "We'll get this sorted out."
He had a few phone calls he needed to make. One with the theater, then an electrician if they didn't cooperate.
"Gen," he said, "make sure they don't do anything stupid while I'm gone." Normally, he'd ask Bianca, but she was onstage.
Chase set out towards the exit, but found that the doors wouldn't budge. Were they locked? He knew this door was a pull door. He turned on his phone's flashlight and found that, no, they weren't locked, just thoroughly jammed. Literally.
Pink goop coated the hinges, making it quite clear that he wouldn't be going anywhere.
. . .
The moment the lights went out, I felt a vice grip immediately clamp down on my arm. I stiffened with confusion, but it wasn't like I could see the person who decided to use me as a crutch.
Their nails were long, so I assumed-
"Who turned the lights off!?" Chloe cried loudly into my ear.
Ouch. That explained it.
"Chloe," I said through clenched teeth. Her nails were digging into my arm. "Could you please let go?"
"Ugh, it's you?!" I could hear the sneer in her voice, like she was disgusted that she was touching me. First off, she's the one who grabbed my arm. Second, she still wasn't letting go.
"Why don't you go cling to someone else's arm?" I rolled my eyes. This had zero effect on anyone, considering it was pitch black in the room.
"I would if I could find them!" Chloe retorted. Suddenly, emergency lights flickered on in the audience area. They were pretty dim, so it didn't exactly illuminate the stage.
This was obviously an akuma attack.
"I'm going to the bathroom." I said. "Unless you want to pee with me, you should let go of my arm."
"You're disgusting."
"It's the truth," I lied. Chloe still hadn't let go of my arm.
"Fine, but you better lead me to a wall or something!"
"You're acting like I can see in the dark." Was Chloe scared of the dark? I shrugged and started walking, arm out in front of me to make sure I didn't bump into any walls or people or set pieces. This worked mostly, but it didn't save me from stubbing my toe.
Eventually I found a wall and left Chloe by it, while I felt my way towards the hallway door.
The emergency lights made the hallway red. The sight of it left my heart beating rapidly in my chest.
"I found the backrooms," I mumbled, moving forward as quickly as possible, thoroughly freaked out.
This was my worst nightmare: a creepy maze, dimly lit, with a creature that wanted to kill me. Hawkmoth must have watched a horror flick last night and wanted to spread the same terror he felt while watching it.
There wasn't anyone around me, and I didn't need to go to the bathroom, so I just transformed on the spot.
"Knight," I mumbled. Knight's eyes appeared before me and I jumped. They seemed pleased that they managed to jumpscare me. "Void Rise."
Knight vanished into the charm in my chest and void enveloped me. I was glad my transformation didn't emit light.
I felt my nerves ease and felt my cloak draped across my shoulders. I palmed my sword, feeling the cool metal of the handle.
With the red light shining down on my mask and the masks, empty eyes, I was scarier than anything I could encounter in the theater. I was scarier than anything Hawkmoth could ever dream of creating.
And now the theater really was haunted.
. . .
Up in the booth, Alya was buzzing with excitement. She was so glad that Nino showed her how to get into the booth. These were great photos, she could see the entire stage, and the whole set up looked like a sound studio with so many levers and sliders! She wanted to touch all of them, but knew the theater hand observing the crew would definitely stop her. And then Nino would get upset with her for messing with his job.
The Lights and Sound crew was a pretty spread out crew. Only four of them had jobs in the booth, those four being Nino and Luka and two third years. Nino and Luka were in charge of the music tracks that played behind song numbers and also sound effects. It was a lot of work that needed a lot of coordination, which was why they needed two people for it.
The other two people were in charge of stage overhead lighting. They needed to pay attention to the whole show, for every cue and then some. If they messed up any transition, it could throw off the actors. They were still learning the controls, so Alya wasn't disrupting their concentration. The other light crew members were in charge of spotlights, which was also a demanding job.
Alya wasn't even a part of the Lights and Sound crew, but she was learning so much about production and she was thriving !
Suddenly the lights flickered overhead, before shutting off entirely. From the booth's window, Alya could see the auditorium and stage had the same problem.
"That's weird," Alya could hear the frown in the stage hand's voice. "You guys didn't touch anything you weren't supposed to, did you?"
Everyone in the booth instantly denied it. A second later, the emergency lights flickered on.
"That isn't good," The stage hand said. "I'm going to go see if I can call someone about this. Don't touch anything."
He left the booth.
"Nino, Nino, Nino !" Alya excitedly whispered, poking his shoulder repeatedly. "We should investigate!"
"That doesn't sound like a good idea." Nino said.
Luka nodded. "You should stay here."
Alya waved him off. "We'll I'm going even if you don't. This is going to be great footage."
She pulled out her phone, turning the camera to night mode. She grinned, unaware how the red emergency light made her look like a maniac.
"Alya, don't!"
Alya left, and Nino trailed after her.
"I thought you said you weren't coming," Alya teased.
"You shouldn't be walking around here alone." Nino nervously eyed their surroundings. "You could get lost."
Alya rolled her eyes. "Pssh! It can't be that hard to navigate this place!"
An akuma was probably the thing that caused the blackout, Nino thought, but didn't say. Because if he did say it out loud, it would only encourage Alya more. Nino really didn't want to end up like a dumb teen in a horror movie, but he ended up following Alya anyway. And it felt like she was trying her best to ditch him.
"Ooh, what's over here?" She rushed forward, phone at the ready.
The thing that caught her interest was a particularly dark corner of the corridor. Only it wasn't actually a corner: it was an open door leading into either a room or another hallway without any emergency lights. There was a wet substance splattered on the door that Nino really didn't want to touch.
Alya, fearless as ever, went into the dark without any hesitation.
"Alya, wait!" Nino whispered. He followed her, trying not to lose sight of her. This was the worst possible time for his phone to be dead. Luckily Alya's flashlight was bright enough for the both of them, even if it made shadows dance on the walls.
The gunk that was on the door was smeared through the hallways, glinting strangely whenever Alya's flashlight hit it at just the right angle. Nino hoped it was paint, or water. Alya followed the trail to another doorway, one that was absolutely covered in the stuff. It hung from the top in gloopy strands, like some sort of slime.
Nino changed his guess from 'probably an akuma' to 'definitely an akuma.'
Alya zoomed in on it to get a close up shot, before ducking under and through the door.
Nino decided he would pick his battles and stayed outside.
Alya pointed her camera around the room. It was completely covered in gooey clumps of what she assumed to be slime. It stuck to her shoes when she stepped in it, squelching obnoxiously. Her eyes darted around and she whirled around to another huge chunk that coated the entire wall. Odd lumps filled it out and as she got closer to it with her light shining on the nearly opaque pink slime-
Alya gasped and stumbled back. Her hand started shaking as she realized what was going on.
"What? What is it?" Nino whispered.
In front of her was a face coated in slime, caught mid scream. She pointed her flashlight around, and found similar features in other lumps. Each lump was a person coated in slime.
"T-there's people in the slime!" Alya hissed her response.
Nino's eyes widened. "We gotta get out of here, dude!"
And Alya, a seasoned thrill chaser and akuma hunter, agreed with him for once.
They both turned and rushed out of the room, following the winding path of the hallway. Nino grabbed Alya's hand so they wouldn't get separated in the mad dash to safety. The goop on the floor stuck to Nino's shoes and made it hazardous and slippery.
The original entrance to the hallway came into sight, the red emergency light spelling freedom.
For a moment it flickered, casting their path into darkness, save for Alya's flashlight.
And then it returned. Except now it illuminated a monstrous silhouette, dripping with goo.
Alya tried to skid to a stop, but her foot found a goo puddle. She slipped and fell on her back. The ground knocked the breath out of her.
Nino frantically tugged her to her feet.
And in front of them, a monster stretched out it's goopy arms.
. . .
Chat Noir landed on the roof of the unassuming theater. It was one of the more 'modern' buildings - modern meaning it was probably built in the 1980s, not in the 1800s like the famous Paris Garnier Theater. It was fairly large, but it was pretty ugly and mostly made of concrete.
He scouted around the building, finding that most entrances were either locked, or jammed shut by what must be the akuma's slime.
"It's a good thing this building's about to undergo a renovation!" Chat smirked.
One Cataclysm later, and there was a gaping hole leading into the lobby, letting natural light stream in. All the lights were off inside, so the akuma must have caused some sort of blackout. The emergency lights were red, which was really eerie...
Chat shrugged and detransformed to reset his timer. He ignored Plagg's complaints and waited a minute for the kwami to stuff his mouth with cheese. Then he transformed once again.
He had a mission: Find Ladybug, save Keana and Nino and the civilians, beat up the akuma.
Chat Noir stretched and smiled confidently. "I'll even have time to get some lunch."
He set out into the hallways, running. The darkness didn't bother him - his night vision came in handy.
For a while, it was just him. There weren't any signs of anyone around: no screams of someone under attack, no voices talking, just... quiet. Which was weird, considering it was supposed to be full of people. Maybe they were all hiding? There weren't even any traces of that pink gunk. He didn't have anything to track, he didn't know where he needed to go, so he just picked directions at random and ran with it.
And that's when he heard a pair of screams echo through the seemingly empty building.
His ear twitched, and he immediately switched directions.
He ran, each stride was silent. He navigated the hallways on instinct, as accurate as a bloodhound who caught a scent. And eventually he saw signs he was going in the correct direction: pink slime splattered on walls, smeared across the floor.
And then he heard the sound of something moving quickly and he turned a corner and saw it: an abnormally large pile of goo abandoned in the middle of a hallway. Glancing around, he didn't see any other sign that the akuma had been there, other than a trail of slime leading away from the pile of gunk.
It was an extremely tall pile, the highest point was just as tall as Chat Noir, give or take an inch. He squinted at it, only for the sound of footsteps to catch his attention. He turned and saw a source of light making its way down the hall. It messed with his night vision, making it hard to see who was holding the flashlight.
Chat ducked against the wall just in case the akuma was some sort of slime spitting angler fish.
Eventually the light got close enough, and he realized that it was just Ladybug with a flashlight. He briefly thought about staying hidden to scare her, but then remembered her quick reflexes and decided that he didn't want to get punched in the face.
He emerged from the dark hallway offshoot. Ladybug caught sight of his movement and immediately spun to point the flashlight directly into his eyes.
Chat Noir recoiled with a hiss.
"Chat Noir? You got here quickly." She still had the flashlight pointed at him.
"My Lady, I know your beauty is blinding, but please stop." Chat Noir blinked rapidly.
"Oh, sorry Chaton," Ladybug redirected the beam of light down the hall.
Chat let out a sigh. Sweet relief.
"What are the chances that we'd end up in the same hallway? This place is like a maze..." Chat Noir pondered.
"Well, I do have the Miraculous of Luck. But I assume we both heard the same scream." Ladybug answered. "Did you see anything suspicious?"
"I thought I heard something running away and there's this huge pile of goo-"
Ladybug cursed under her breath and rushed over to it. "Not another one..."
Chat blinked. "Another what?"
"It's hard to see without a light shining directly on it, but... just look." Ladybug's voice was dead serious.
Chat Noir didn't get it at first. The slime was opaque, solid and very pink. But then Ladybug shone her light on it and Chat got closer. There were sections of the slime that the light didn't entirely pass through and the shape looked like... a person.
"They're-" Chat started and moved even closer. And he recognized who exactly was trapped within the slime. It was Nino
Ladybug nodded.
"We have to get them out." Chat declared, poking and prodding at the goop. It wasn't as squishy as the other stuff. In fact it seemed like it had hardened. He hit it with his fist, scratched at it with his claws. But it hardly even damaged the slime. He raised his hand. "Cata-"
A hand grabbed his wrist.
Chat turned to face Ladybug, face twisted with confused anger. But he melted at the sight of Ladybug's sorrowful expression. "We can't free everyone."
She guided his hand away from the crystalized goop, holding it with her own. She gave it a small squeeze. "Okay?"
Chat Noir slowly nodded. "Yeah."
He turned away from the slime containing his friend to gather himself and he-
Chat yelped and just about jumped out of his skin.
There was a silhouette at the end of the corridor, a figure cloaked in shadows with horns growing out of their head.
Chat groaned upon recognizing them. "Ghost, really?"
Ghost's shoulders shook with silent laughter and they approached the hero duo.
Besides Chat, Ladybug's shoulder's loosened. "How'd Ghost sneak up on you, Mr. I-can-see-in-the-dark?" She teased.
Chat sputtered. "Well- I was distracted!"
Ladybug merely shook her head in faux disappointment.
It was a meager attempt to lift the mood -the overall setting with the darkness and the flickering red lights really made it difficult to crack a joke- but Chat latched onto the distraction for what it was worth. Normally, he was the one trying to lift the moods of the other two whenever the stakes were high, but seeing Nino's face, his first real friend, suspended in the goo like that... it shook something within him.
Chat shook his head.
"We should move," Ladybug suggested, voice dropping to a whisper. "I don't doubt that the akuma can hear the racket we're making."
Ghost's hands flashed a few signs, but their pitch black gloves made it difficult to make out what exactly they were trying to say, even with Chat's night vision, but Chat managed to figure it out.
"Hey," He gasped in offense. "I didn't scream like a wuss!"
' Scaredy cat '
Chat grumbled.
They moved out, trying to make some distance from where the akuma had already been. Soon they were back in the lobby area, which was much more spacious than those cramped, slime coated hallways. And it also had an easy exit if they needed to retreat.
Since it was so spacious, the plan was to lure the akuma there so they could fight it in a more open area. Ladybug theorized that it used the dark as an advantage so it could ambush unsuspecting people and cover them in the hardening goo. So if they take away the advantage, it would make the fight twice as easy. Also the cramped hallways made it difficult to dodge projectiles- Chat thought back to the Lady Wifi fight and wholeheartedly agreed.
The main problem was getting the akuma there in the first place. They definitely wouldn't come willingly, especially if they knew the heroes were there. The akuma would want to lie in wait for them to go into the narrow hallways, split them up, and take them out one by one. So they needed to give the akuma a reason to go into the lobby.
And so, a plan was formed.
. . .
"Wow! I'm such a scaredy cat! It would be awful for some terrifying monster to jump out and spook me!"
Chat called out into the void, strolling through the hallway. Ghost was hiding nearby, as backup in case something went horribly wrong. And just like Ladybug held the Miraculous of Luck, Chat Noir held the Miraculous of Bad Luck. So it was a fifty fifty chance of things going smoothly or things going awfully. Ghost was neutral ground, so they didn't affect the chances.
...Actually, what was Ghost's Miraculous thing anyway? The Miraculous of Not Talking?
He perked up. No, no, it was the Miraculous of Silence ! That sounded so much cooler!
Chat Noir kept pacing up and down the hallway, shouting about how vulnerable and terrified he was. But he was getting a little bored. And a little restless. What was taking so long?
His ear twitched, but he pretended not to hear the very obvious slimy, gurgling noise coming from behind him. Just for a little bit. He started walking down the hallway, towards where the lobby was, and he heard the monster behind him trying to slowly follow him.
He got faster every time he sensed it trying to get closer. It felt like some weird game of... Red light green light? Was that what it was called? He wasn't sure. Maybe it was a conga line, since he was leading it, the akuma was following him, and Ghost was following the akuma.
It didn't take long for him to make it to the hallways that lead to the lobby. He could practically sense the hesitation of the akuma. It knew where he was going, and didn't like it. Was it because the lobby's doors had windows?
He couldn't let it back away, because then it'd notice Ghost for sure.
"I think if I got jump scared right now, I'd faint from the horror !" He fake-whimpered.
And just like that, the akuma's greed overtook its caution.
And Chat Noir made it to the lobby.
. . .
"Chat Noir, duck!" Ladybug called out, readying the trap.
Chat lunged forward, rolling and spinning around so he faced the darkness of the hallway.
The akuma growled, still concealed by the darkness, save for the vague outline of its silhouette and three glaring eyes.
"It's a lot bigger than I thought it was!" Chat gulped.
It was true: its mass took up the entire space in the hallway.
Suddenly, the akuma screeched in pain and stumbled forward, into the light.
The light of the lobby shone on it, showing it in all of its glory. It had a pink body, legs that reminded Ladybug of a raptor from Jurassic Park and a whip-like tail. There weren't any horns growing from the top of its head. Instead, there were strange goopy blobs that faded into cyan that vaguely reminded Ladybug of thick hair. Its face was frog-like, with a wide mouth filled with teeth.
The akuma let out a bubbling hiss and straightened its back. It was a lot taller than Ladybug thought it'd be.
Ladybug shook her can and sprayed it. Gas spewed out, filling the air with the pungent odor of hairspray.
Then she lit her lighter.
Fire shot forward and the monster let out a cry and shielded themself with a big meaty arm.
Ladybug couldn't see much past her flamethrower, so she stopped the stream of fire for a second.
Cracks of dried slime covered the arm the akuma used to protect themself. It flaked off in chunks, visibly shrinking them. But before her eyes, she could see new slime start to coat it, reforming the lost mass.
What was causing it to grow? Every akuma had a weird power set, full of conditions. The last akuma that grew, Stoneheart, only grew whenever someone tried to hit it. This one was jump scaring people left and right, knocked the lights out in this sketchy building and hunted each victim like some sort of horror movie.
It suddenly clicked in Ladybug's mind.
"It feeds on fear! So get over yourselves!"
Ghost, who was blocking the retreat of the akuma, titled their head minutely and signed.
'I fear nothing'
Somehow, despite not even being able to understand the sign, the akuma seemed to shrink. They whirled around to face Ghost and roared, lifting their arms in an attempt to be as intimidating as possible.
Ghost flipped them off.
"You haven't scared me once this entire afternoon!" Ladybug declared. "In fact, you're just an inconvenience!"
The akuma flinched and tried to scramble away, shrinking further.
Except, Chat Noir was there to stop them. He frowned at them, his whole face pulled into a glare.
"Seeing Ni- that civilian trapped in goo didn't scare me. It made me want to hunt you down ."
His face was serious, filled with a cold anger. The expression on his face was the closest Ladybug had ever seen him get to replicating what he looked like under the influence of Dark Cupid. Chat was serious.
The akuma was smaller than they were now, eyes darting around in fear. Their features were more detailed now, and Ladybug could make out something among their 'hair' that she knew was the object the akuma was in.
It was Mylene's skull pin, the one that Ivan gave her as a good luck charm.
Ladybug heard her earring beep and pointed at the charm. "The akuma's there!"
"Got it!" Chat Noir lunged forward, chasing the fleeing akuma, who's roars had transformed into squeals that sounded like a mouse.
She tried to worm past Ghost's defense, but in one smooth movement, Ghost tripped and pinned the akuma.
Chat plucked the pin from her head, and crushed it within his grip.
A black butterfly fluttered from his grip, and Ladybug swiftly captured it, saving all the civilians and her beautiful dress inside.
. . .
Nino gasped as he opened his eyes. He panted, each breath rasping in his throat. His eyes watered and he coughed.
He glanced wildly around him, taking in the dim -not red- lights and the people around him. His heart thudded in his chest and he slowly sunk to the ground.
He was in the booth. It wasn't a nightmare. It was an akuma.
"Nino!"
Nino blinked in confusion, looking around for whoever was calling his name. It wasn't Alya, who was staring silently at the far wall. So-
He got the sight of blond hair and green eyes and that was it before a pair of arms wrapped around him in a death hug.
"Adrien? What'r you doin' here?" Nino wheezed.
Adrien didn't pull away.
"I'm glad you're okay." He said instead of answering the question.
. . .
It took eight months, but there was finally a (semi) official interview of the hero team. No one knew how Ladyblogger did it, but she managed to gather all three of the heroes and convinced them to answer questions.
The internet and general population of Paris was going bonkers.
It was clear to everyone that Ladyblogger had limited questions to ask, so she was limited to mostly serious questions. But she did manage to sneak in a few fan theories at times such as:
[ "So," Ladyblogger grinned cheekily. "Are you and Chat a thing?"
Ladybug raised an eyebrow. "Is that relevant?"
"Nope, but the people need to know!"
"We're not... a thing." Chat was ultimately the one to answer.]
Unfortunately for the heroes, now the ChatBug shippers believed there was some sort of unrequited pining going on, which was so much more tragic than just being secret lovers without enough time to truly appreciate each other's company.
But Ladyblogger managed to get a concrete answer for several of the questions that people merely made educated guesses about.
[ "What additional efforts are you making to take down Hawkmoth?"
"We can't tell you any specifics," Ladybug began diplomatically, "because we don't know if he will watch this interview or not."
Ladyblogger nodded understandingly.
"But we can say that we patrol weekly, looking for any sneaky akumas." Chat Noir added.
Ghost scribbled something on their whiteboard. 'We do occasionally train together.' ]
[" How do your powers work? Were you born with them?"
All of the heroes exchanged a look with each other, though it was difficult for the viewers to tell where exactly Ghost was looking.
"We weren't born with powers, no." Ladybug said. "I won't tell you exactly how we got them, because Hawkmoth exists because he obtained a Miraculous without being worthy of it."
Ladybug smiled. "I can create an item that can help me win a fight or solve a puzzle. And I can purify the akuma and fix all the damage the akumas make."
Chat smirked. "I can disintegrate anything I touch."
Ladybug rolled her eyes and shoved his shoulder.
Ghost's marker squeaked on their board. 'i can dash through stuff.'
Alya perked up. "Really? I don't think I've ever seen you use a power."
Ghost shrugged. 'Most of the fights I've been a part of weren't in the open.'
Alya chuckled. "I'll get footage of you in action one of these days..." ]
[ "Ghost, you are by far the most mysterious of the three heroes," Alya started. "Care to answer a few questions about yourself?"
Ghost shrugged. 'That is why I am here.'
"Of course," Alya chuckled. "First off, what pronouns do you use? With that cloak and mask of yours, it can be a bit difficult for people to tell. I've seen a lot of people use different ones, and I just want to make sure everyone is on the same page."
Ghost stared off in the distance of a few more seconds than usual. After what felt like an eternity of the camera zoomed in on the featureless face, they eventually scribbled something down on their whiteboard.
'They/them'
"Thank you," Alya nodded, jotting it down on a little notepad. "Now, onto the next question: What's up with the mask-]]
I put down my phone.
I don't know how Ladybug convinced me to join in on the interview and I don't know why I agreed to it. I was perfectly fine with remaining a mystery. I was perfectly fine with being the superhero (most people in the meme channel had started calling me the 'supercryptid') with the least amount of fans. I wasn't really a superhero.
I was just someone who stumbled across a magic rock that was attached to a sentient eldritch being, who had a misplaced guilt complex.
But I didn't care if people knew my gender. I didn't care if people online called me a guy, a girl, or whatever.
So what compelled me to answer the question in the first place? And why did I answer it like that?
I was pretty confident in my biological gender. I had never experienced gender dysphoria before, so there wasn't any reason I suddenly labeled myself as non-binary. Except... I didn't label myself as non-binary, I labeled Ghost as non-binary. And it felt completely natural.
But that didn't make sense, because Ghost was just me, with a mask and superpowers...
Right?
. . .
The tome was a large, dusty thing. Each page was ancient, yellowed and wrinkled. They would have disintegrated years ago, if not for the seals of preservation placed upon them. They were bound together by thick leather, carved with symbols of protection.
It had no title, shrouding it in mystery from those who were ignorant of its purpose. Master Fu had removed its numerous metal decorations decades ago, to prevent any potential thieves from thinking it had any value.
He hadn't touched it since then. It was painful to look at - it held too many memories, too many responsibilities, too many failures. A thing part of his ancient past, something he wanted nothing to do with. Even as he would give anything to be a child again, learning with his mentor there to guide him.
It was the Guardian's Index of Miraculous and Charms.
And Fu was the final Guardian. He was the remnant of the fallen, a legacy of failure. His last task was given to him what felt like eons ago, when he was in his youth. Protect the Box of Miracles and prevent the Index from falling in the wrong hands.
With shaking hands, he gently opened the ancient artifact, reverently turning each page.
Now he had a new goal.
His weary eyes scanned the pages, searching for something, anything, to help him. He paused briefly at the images of the Ladybug and the Black Cat. Creation and Destruction itself. He traced each image, sketched and painted by the Ancient Binders. Then he shook his head and kept looking.
Page after page of lore and wisdom lost to the ages, and none of it gave him a clue about what was attached to his student.
Until he made it to the Charm section and discovered something that caught his eye.
Wyrm, Kwami of Unity
Beneath the title was an image of a round, white stone that was etched with patterns and had two round indents, filled in black, that resembled eyes. Under that was a picture of the kwami, a near pure white being with black eyes and several pronged horns jutting from the top of its head.
On the next page was a full illustration of what the holders generally look when transformed. The figure wore a full cloak of white, and underneath that was dazzling silver armor.
But really what garnered Master Fu's attention was the mask:
It wasn't a typical mask that merely covered the area around the eyes, nor was it a hood. It covered the whole face of the bearer of the charm, leaving only black eye holes. At the top, the mask pointed into horns that replicated the kwami's own, giving the illusion of wearing a crown.
The Pale King, of the Tsurugi Clan. A legacy Charm passed down through a family of users.
Faint memories of his lessons itched at his brain and he recalled that The Pale King fell in battle against the Old Light, the very battle that triggered the downfall of the Guardians.
The kwami, Wyrm, did not look like the being that floated in front of Keana that day. Yet Fu could not deny the resemblance between the two outfits: specifically the iconic mask that he could not find traces of elsewhere.
...But it wasn't just the Bearer of the Unity charm that fell in battle against the Old Light.
Wyrm itself was slain.
So how could Keana stumble across a kwami that replicated the unique appearance of a Fallen Legacy?
AN:
Got a nice 10k chapter for y'all today.
I initially wanted to do a more scooby doo vibe for this chapter - which is why they're so many povs.
As of right now I have up to chapter 22 written, so that's 2 more months of updates. Also, I've been writing a V&D pokemon AU that's full of wholesome vibes.
here are a few questions for this chapter:
The theater isn't that big, so why do the character's act like its a labyrinth?
It's easy to get lost and confused when you're unfamiliar with your surroundings. Add in the discombobulating nature of near blinding darkness, and the fear of knowing something else is hunting you, and suddenly the hallways of a very small theater feel like a never ending maze
Why didn't anyone notice the Alya blob of goo on the floor right next to Nino?
It's hard to shine light on something to test its opacity with a solid opaque object behind it. Also that would have dragged the scene on for too long. Rip Alya.
Any questions for me? Did y'all like it? Favorite part?