Sequel to IRONY

10

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I'm terribly sorry for the very, very slow update. Like I said in my update area, I had Finals for 2 weeks.Short note- *dyvu* means in italics. The options aren't working for me.Here we go...

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*I felt very still and empty, the way the eye of a tornado must feel moving dully along in the middle of the surrounding hullabaloo.*

She remembered the words so clearly, chanting them in the dull silence of her thoughts. That was precisely how she felt as she stood at the center of the lobby filled with boisterous people talking about the unfortunate accident. They murmured mixed words: some of comfort, some of pity, mostly of blame. They openly stared at her, wondering—always wondering. That's just human nature, she supposed. All these looks and whispers, she was used to them by now and it was always best to just ignore them.

Her mind was far too vacant, her eyes too bleak.

It was too quiet, not because the world around her had suddenly lost its voice and pressed its lips shut. It was because of the walls shielding her from everything else, rejecting all senses and experience, forcing her not to listen. In a way, she understood why Damian had allowed himself to be so indifferent for so long.

She could learn to get used to this— the numbness, the peace.

She thought of heading home, craved it even, anything to move away from the raging storm around her. Grudgingly, she headed towards the vault-like door of the underground passage for the second time that day, eyes red and tired, hair sticking out in all places. She shoved a baffled man who was blocking her way, ignored him when he started to say she wasn't allowed in.

The small safety point was currently off limits to the Unexhibitables, but she could care less. She needed to get something off her chest. She found a few people investigating the crime scene rather meticulously. Her gaze fell steadily on a woman who was squatting near the edge, staring below. She'd recognize that ruffled brown hair anywhere.

"Alya," she said quietly.

She made no move to acknowledge her presence and continued to stare down the pit, running her hands through her hair and shaking her head. "Nasty little things," she heard her mutter.

She felt sick on her stomach as thoughts of Lila being devoured by leeches popped into her mind.

"Is—is she alright?"

"She's fine... She lost a lot of blood, but she's fine." She shifted her gaze to the blue and purple flower in the middle of the pit, still planted atop a tall pile of earth and rocks. "I told you to go home, Marinette. You should rest."

"I'm not going to go home until you hear what I have to say."

"Come off it," she said, waving her hand, as if to dismiss her. "You're just going to blame yourself ag—"

"Well it is my fault, isn't it?" she said irritably.

"For merlin's sake—" Alya finally stood, dusting off her dress and sauntering towards her.

"Oh, don't lie, Alya," she said impatiently. "I know it's my fault and I know you think so too. I shouldn't have let my guard down when he was around. And don't you try sugar-coating it just because I'm your best mate."

"You couldn't have saved her even if you tried, Marinette."

"Excuse me?" she drawled, feeling insulted.

"What would you have done?" ahe said, while gesturing to the pit angrily with his hand. "Climb down the bottom of this hell hole and haul her up with your superhuman strength? Pray that the leeches would let you pass untouched? We couldn't even get her out fast enough. What makes you think you could have done any better?"

"Haul her up with my—?" she said incredulously. "What?"

Alya gave her a weird look.

Marinette blinked several times and felt the gears on her head turning. She suddenly realized that her magic would have been nullified inside the pit. "Of course!" she said abruptly. "The plant noticed the shift in the atmosphere. It must've had the ability to create wards to block the magic out! How fascinating!"

"Plants can do that?" asked Alya, before she shrugged. "See I told you. You couldn't have saved her on your own. It's not your fault."

Marinette looked away from Alya, still unconvinced. She could see Alya's mouth curve into a frown from the corner of her eyes.

"He didn't push her off, did he?" She questioned, hopeful.

"No. He was holding onto me when she fell."

Alya furrowed her eyebrows, looking extremely disappointed.

"Listen," she said. "They told me there was no sign that he was here at all."

"What?" she said in disbelief. "But I was here! I saw him! Doesn't that count as something?"

Alya shook his head. "No physical evidence—er—sorry."

Marinette cursed under her breath and clenched a fistful of her work-dress in anger.

She vaguely remembered Damian carrying her back to the staircases to the lobby, taking his sweet, precious time, while Lila screamed mercilessly behind them. She had struggled so much and had managed to bite his arm, sinking her teeth in his flesh as a growl escaped his lips. When she had finally gotten away from him, she'd hysterically ran to the lobby, screamed at everyone present and tried desperately to contact Alya.

But even though Alya had arrived five seconds after she had gotten her message, Damian was nowhere to be found.

Luckily, he'd left her earings on the ground. Merlin knows what would've happened if he took it with him.

"But that's not to say I don't believe you," Alya said, trying to sympathize with her. "I do... It's just that, I doubt that they will."

Of course they won't.

"Because he's always so bloody thorough with his crimes," she muttered to herself, seething quietly. She was breathing heavily, she realized, out of anger or exhaustion. Or maybe both.

"I know that look, Marinette," said Alya, while frowning at her again. "Remember you still need to finish the medicine. It's your number one priority right now. You've worked too hard for this. Let me handle Wayne."

Her head snapped up to look at him indignantly, pissed at the idea of not being allowed to get revenge. Alya sighed deeply.

"You know, I—er— dreamt of—of Adrien—last night." She paused and shivered a little. It probably hadn't been a very good dream, then. "Thought it must've been a bad sign... and then when you called I forgot everything else and went to you. I was scared, Marinette. I thought—"

She stared at the ceiling and tried her best to keep the tears from spilling out. Adrien. Oh God.