Miraculous Games

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three:

"I just can't believe it!" Alec exclaimed, pushing his papers across the desk.

"Neither can the rest of the country," Nadja agreed. "If Adrien doesn't come back, the Miraculous Games would have been for nothing."

Alec shook his head, his expression turning sad. "Well, you heard it here first, viewers. Adrien Agreste is still missing after three days of searching. President Agreste is extremely upset, at least, that is what we have heard, yes?"

Nadja nodded. "That's correct, Alec. President Agreste has had the police forces on high alert for the past few days, and though they've scoured the entire district, they still haven't found him. The one thing that we are all hoping and praying for is that he won't be too far from home."

"Do we know why he disappeared in the first place?"

She shook her head. "It hasn't been revealed to the public yet, though I can assure you that many of us are worried about his well-being."

Alec bowed his head. "Indeed. We at the Miraculous Games studio definitely are. Well, now that we've got the sad news out of the way," he plastered a giant smile across his face, "we are now down to only five charms left!" He gestured behind him at the big screen and clips from the previous few days began to play.

"Wolf was kicked out of the games only two days ago by the unbreakable team of Ladybug and Fox! In the process, Ladybug lost both of her ponytails. Crazy hair cut, am I right?"

On the screen, the clip of Mylene cutting off Marinette's right ponytail began to play.

"I would hate if that happened to me," Mrs. Chamach replied honestly.

"I know right? But, then again," Alec run a hand over his bald head, "It's not like I can understand."

The two hosts laughed, and even if it may have been forced, it was a blessing that the mood had been lifted.

"Well, what can we look forward to in the games, Nadja?" Alec asked once the two host's laughter had calmed down.

"Now that we're down to only a few Charms left, we should expect a lot of bloodshed. As with every year, the arena slowly gets smaller and smaller until the Charms are forced to fight with one another. No matter what, we should expect to have a real show."

Alec smiled. "Sounds like a party! Let's flip to it now."

* * *

Marinette knit her eyebrows and rolled over in her sleep. Nathanael, who had an arm around her, watched her snuggle into his chest. He could feel her trembling. He knew he was shaking as well, it was so cold outside, but there wasn't anything they could do.

The pair had taken over Mylene's cave in the pile of rocks, thankful for the supplies that she left behind, but it didn't change the fact that both of them were shivering. The rain had passed after a day and a half of downpour, which was a blessing since water no longer trickled into the cave. Even with the rain gone, however, the night air was chilly. Their clothes had dried slowly over the past few days, but as the clothes had become dry, the two of them had gotten sick. Their noses were stuffed, they shivered almost constantly, and, in Marinette's case, her forehead was burning up. Fox could feel the heat of it through his musty shirt and jacket.

Though they were sick, Nathanael wasn't going to give up hope. They had made it this far, why not make it to the end? If they stuck together, they could win. He knew it; he knew it so deeply in his heart, there was no denying it. They could win if they fought all the way to the end.