A Miraculous Tale: Flashback

Ch. 8

Adrien looked at the test in front of him. Halfway through. He continued the test, but his mind kept wandering to Marinette. Why doesn't she stay home from school? She'll never get better treating herself this way. Half an hour passed. Adrien wrote down the last answers, stood, and handed the test in. As he walked back to his seat he saw Marinette staring blankly at her test. She looked pale. Another ten minutes went by, and various students turned their tests in. Finally, Marinette walked to the front of the classroom with her test. That's odd, usually she's one of the first to finish. Marinette turned back to go to her desk, but she stopped suddenly, holding her head. Then, like a puppet whose strings have been cut, she fell to the ground.

The class sat in shocked silence for a second. Ms. Bustier was the first to come to her senses. She ran up to Marinette and knelt down beside the limp girl.

"Marinette?" She said kindly and gently. "Marinette, wake up, sweetie." She shook her gently. "Marinette." She said more urgently. She looked up at the class when no response came from Marinette.

"Nino, call 911. Ivan, go get the clinic lady. Alya, call Marinette's parents and tell them to meet us at the hospital." Ivan stood and ran out the classroom. Alya called Marinette's parents, and Nino typed 911 into his phone. A minute passed as he talked to the operator. He hung up.

"They're on their way, but they won't be here for a half hour. Traffic is bad, and the hospital is on the other side of Paris."

"Adrien's bodyguard!" Alya stood and shouted. "Ms. Bustier, Adrien lives right around the corner. We can call his bodyguard. Marinette will be at the hospital quicker than if we wait for an ambulance."

"Good thinking, Alya. Adrien, call your bodyguard over." Adrien nodded and dialed the number. Please pick up, please pick up! Much to Adrien's relief he did pick up. Within five minutes he was waiting at the front of the school.

"Adrien, carry Marinette down to the car." Ms. Bustier said. "Alya, you can accompany them to the hospital. Nino, let's help Adrien get her downstairs. Class, stay here."

Adrien walked up to Marinette. He knelt down next to her. She looks so fragile. He picked her up. He did so gingerly, scared that her frail form would easily break like fine china. He stood slowly. Ms. Bustier held her head as he did so, then she rested Marinette's head against Adriens chest. He walked out of the classroom with Marinette in his arms. When they reached the car Nino and Adrien gently laid her down in the back seat. Alya sat on one end of the backseat, and Marinette's head rested on her lap. Adrien took a seat next to his bodyguard. The car started, and they drove off. Please be okay. Adrien thought as they drove to the hospital.

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Adrien sat in one of the hospital chairs. The muted white walls and dull buzz of fluorescent lights did nothing to ease the turmoil inside of him. One of his closest friends laid motionless in the hospital bed. Alya and Marinette's parents were scattered around the room, and their worry was evident on their faces.

The doctor hovering over Marinette broke the tense silence. "She isn't doing well, to say the least. Looks like she has a concussion. Does she do any dangerous activities? Anything that would result in her bashing her head?"

"Well, she is a bit of a klutz." Alya said, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't.

"Not that we know of, Ma'am." Marinette's dad said.

The doctor nodded. "I see. Well, she'll certainly live, but she'll need to take it easy for at least two weeks. She'll stay in the hospital's care for the first week. Rest and limited excitement are all that we can do for her, but it should be enough."

Marinette's mom nodded, and tears leaked from her worried eyes. "Thank you, Doctor."

The doctor nodded. "I'll have to ask you all to leave in five minutes. Parents, you can come back in an hour to spend time with her if you wish."

Everyone nodded their understanding, and the doctor exited. They sat there in silence, every pair of eyes on the slender girl in the bed. Adrien was scared she would break like a dropped china doll anytime she took a second to breathe or breathed deeper than usual.

Marinette's dad stood. "Thank you, kids, for making sure Marinette got here quickly and safely. I don't know if..." He trailed off, choking on the last words, but everyone knew what he meant. The mood grew more somber in the hospital room.

"At least she's still here, right? That's all that really matters." Adrien said. They all nodded.

Adrien stood abruptly and excused himself. He couldn't stand to sit by and watch Marinette helplessly. He hated feeling helpless. He walked into the restroom and leaned against the wall.

"She's okay right?" Plagg asked as he flew out of his hiding spot.

"She is." Adrien said simply, not wishing to talk at that moment. He stood in heavy silence for a moment, Plagg hovering near him. The silence was suddenly broken by screaming in the hallway. He peeked his head out the bathroom door. An akumatized villain walked down the hallway. He was clothed in green, purple, and black. He wore gloves. As a nurse approached him, he touched the side of his head. Then he threw a whispery ball of black at the nurse. It hit her own head, and her eyes glazed over. She fell to her knees sobbing.

Adrien wasn't quite sure what happened, but he knew Cat Noir was needed.

"Plagg, claws out!" He yelled into the empty bathroom. He transformed into Cat Noir and clenched his hands. Time to be useful for a change.

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Cat Noir ran out into the hospital's hallway. He heard more screaming to his right, and his head swiveled in that direction. That akumatized creep is heading for Marinette's room!

He ran hard toward the door. The villain entered, and Cat Noir entered a few seconds behind him. The Villain formed and threw another wisp that was aimed at Marinette. Her father jumped in front, taking the hit himself.

"Everyone out!" Cat Noir shouted. He ushered Alya and Marinette's mom out of the room. He turned to confront the villain, and let out a strangled cry as he saw a black wisp floating toward Marinette. He darted nimbly around the villain and tried to catch it, but his fingers were a second too late. The black wisp disappeared into the side of Marinette's head.

He turned, angry at the villian. "You will pay for this. I'm going to destroy your akuma!"

"The name's Flashback, and I'm not scared of little, helpless kittens." His hand reached for his head, and Cat Noir shot his staff in Flashback's direction. His staff interceded Flashback's hand. Flashback grabbed the staff and yanked it away. Cat Noir's arms suddenly flew in the direction the staff was yanked, and he let it go because of the sudden force.

Cat Noir leaned his head from side to side. "No problem, Flashy, this cat likes his scratching posts." Cat Noir ran toward Flashback. They fought fist to fist. Cat Noir was nimble, and Flashback had a surprisingly strong force behind his blows. Cat Noir winded Flashback, and in the moment he quickly glanced over his hunched form. The akuma must be in the gloves he's wearing. Cat Noir reached for the glove, but Flashback was ready. He grabbed Cat Noirs wrist and twisted it away painfully. Cat Noir jerked back before any serious damage was done, and Flashback ran away. Cat Noir began to chase after him, but hesitated when he heard his name being called from the hospital bed.

He ran to Marinette's side. "Marinette, are you okay?" He looked her over. She appeared no worse off than before, but her brow was crinkled.

"No, Cat Noir!" She said urgently but quietly. "Time..." She rolled over and buried her face in the pillow. "Not enough time... it's serious." Cat Noir stood. She must be stuck in a bad memory. Time? What does she mean? More screaming alerted him to the present task of defeating Flashback, and he pried himself out of Marinette's room. That'll have to wait for later.

He retrieved his staff and ran toward the hospital exit. He called Ladybug multiple times, but she didn't answer. He left a message, then he reached the street. People all around were stuck in bad memories. He didn't know what to do. Where's Ladybug? He thought as he scanned the city, which was devoid of his partner in crime.