Hunted

Chapter 36 - New "Home"

Marinette looked out the window as they drove hours and hours away from where she knew. She didn't speak a word and just listened to Nathalie's radio which was playing music she didn't care for. Nathalie didn't speak a word either except for the occasional hum along to a favorite song. They drove until midnight and Marinette was exhausted. They finally drove up to an apartment complex. Nathalie was a realtor so she had professional houses all over different cities. She stopped and looked back at Marinette. Her dress was stained with Hawkmoth's blood. Her face was flushed from anxiety and a few tears escaped her eyes. Nathalie opened the door and they both stepped out. She placed a jacket onto Marinette to hide the stains and took ahold of her shoulders. They went inside and the man at the desk waved. 

"Welcome back Ms. Sanceour. I received your call and this is?" He asked pointing towards Marinette. 

"My stepdaughter. She will be living with me. Her name is Marinette." The man waved at Marinette who gave him a small smile in return. "She's very tired from the long ride here. I'm sure you can get acquainted tomorrow." Nathalie said and walked up to her apartment. She closed the door and let go of Marinette. She motioned towards the couch and they both sat down. 

"Marinette you will be living with me until I say otherwise and I expect you to help with things around the house and the more I can trust you, the more freedom I will give you. Of course, now that you are so stubborn, I have some extra precautions in place. If you try to escape or defy me, there will be pain." She said holding up the device. 

"Why are you doing this to me?"Marinette asked with tears in her eyes. 

"You are all I have left of Thomas, and I don't want to forget him." She said in an agitated voice. 

"What if I don't want to be with you? I could sneak away while you were asleep." She said crossing her arms. 

"That won't happen, and you know the consequences of disobedience." She threatened. Nathalie gave Marinette pajamas and had her take a shower. When she was in bed Nathalie attached a chain to her ankle. Marinette was annoyed by this but accepted it and went to sleep. Just as Marinette began to fall asleep, she heard the faint sound of someone crying from the other room. It sounded like Nathalie. Marinette felt bad for her and knew what kind of loss she was going through. 

The next morning, Marinette woke up and sat up. She tried to fidget with the chain on her ankle, but it wouldn't budge. All she had to do was wait for Nathalie to free her as long as that may take. Finally, Nathalie walked into the room and undid the chain. Marinette saw dark circles under her eyes and slowly got out of bed. She quietly went to the kitchen and Nathalie didn't seem to be paying attention to her as if there were other things on her mind. Marinette cooked up a nice breakfast and made a plate for Nathalie. She walked over and placed it in front of her. 

"Hey, I thought you would enjoy this and hopefully it will brighten up your day." Marinette said with a smile. Nathalie blankly stared at Marinette's face and then formed a small smile. 

"I'm fine but thank you." She said taking the plate. Marinette went back to the kitchen and wiped her forehead. 

"Phew who knew impressing someone would be this hard." She said to herself. She was determined to stay positive and make the best out of her situation. She made her own breakfast and sat down to eat in peace. She glanced around the apartment. If this was going to be home, she might as well start feeling like it. She got dressed and relaxed for the rest of the day. A few weeks passed she helped with things around the house and read books that were in the apartment. She was still chained to her bed at night but by now she was used to it. She had tried to protest but Nathalie was firm and wouldn't trust her with freedom just yet. One day as she was minding her own business, she heard Nathalie come into the room.