For the Love of Marni

Author’s Note: Thanks to all those that reviewed my work, it’s the reviews that really keep me going. I look forward to hearing more from you in the future. Unfortunately chapters are probably going to be sporadic though I’m going to try to put out a couple very shortly.

Enjoy!


Chapter 5 – Reality

Marni woke up slowly, finding it hard to pull her head from the pillow. Her limbs felt heavy, as if she had not used them in a while, like her strength had been sapped out of her. Her tongue felt like it was made of cotton and her nightgown clung to her, wrinkled and sweaty. Her first thought was that she did not recognize the article she was wearing. Her second thought was that she did not know where she was. She couldn’t summon up panic, though, and that in and of itself alarmed her. It was like she couldn’t be bothered. Then she remembered her daughter.

The thought was enough to dredge her up into a sitting position, though she had to lower herself as her head swum. It was sobering, though, thinking of Hannah and she soon found herself getting up and stumbling awkwardly into the bathroom to splash some water onto her face and gargle a little bit to get the saliva working in her mouth again. Marni then went to what she assumed was the outer door to the hallway, only to find that it was locked. She tried the other doors and found that they were closets, one holding men’s clothing and one holding clothing that was all her size though she had never seen it before. She tried the windows but they seemed to have been locked somehow from the outside.

Slowly but surely panic, anger, and worry welled within her. She did not know where she was, she did not know where her daughter was, and she did not know what had happened to her. All lethargy had left her and she went back to that locked outer door to try to somehow twist the knob open. Marni was almost at the point of trying to kick the door down when she heard a voice coming from everywhere and nowhere around the room.

“I’m glad to see you are finally awake,” it said simply. A man’s voice. It seemed vaguely familiar but she could not place it. The voice paused and then continued, “You look very beautiful today.” Marni started at that last bit and the voice paused as if sensing her unease. “I have some food here for you but it would be easier for me to bring it to you while you’re on the bed.”

“Who are you?” she finally asked him, not knowing if he would be able to hear her.

“I’ll explain everything once you’re in bed and under the covers like you should be. Your daughter is very worried about you, you know. I’d like to be able to tell her that you’re resting up,” he said.

Marni made a split second decision and decided to do as he asked. There was nothing except the locked door to indicate that he had malicious intent and the truth was that she was very hungry. She started back towards the bed and slipped the robe off as far as to her elbows before catching her reflection in the mirror and deciding it would be better to leave the thing on. Much better for appearances sake, she decided.

She sat on the bed and did not hear the lock being undone until she was covered up. He must be able to see her somehow, she decided, and that was a disturbing thought. Her thoughts were wandering, Marni realized, and she had to somehow prevent that from happening. Hannah!, she thought to herself, demanding that she remember.

The door opened to reveal a man that she did recognize. Luke, from across the street, walked in carrying a breakfast tray with what appeared to be a rather complete breakfast complete with cereal and milk, coffee, eggs, hash browns, bacon, toast, and even a slightly sorry looking daisy stuck into a small vase. Whatever his reasons, he had surely outdone himself with this display. Coming closer to her laying on the bed he set the tray down in front of her and wrung his hands slightly. “I can bring you a bagel and cream cheese or oatmeal if you prefer. Not all of it would fit on this small tray,” he said lamely.

Marni studied him, his angular face and slightly thinning hair, his wiry arms and small waist. Her thoughts were drifting again. Hannah, she reminded herself gently, and she steeled her voice. “Where is my daughter?” she asked, her voice cracking despite her. Her stomach growled but she refused to eat before she learned where her daughter was.

“Hannah is in one of the other rooms. She is still asleep, as far as I know, and you may see her when you are feeling better.”

“I am feeling fine,” she almost growled at him, “and I would like to see her now.” Marni’s voice left no room for argument but still he answered her calmly.

“As I said, she is asleep. You would not want me to wake her, would you?” he asked, arching an eyebrow but not waiting for her answer before he continued. “Still, she is safe and you will see her when you are rested again. And that is that,” he said, as she opened her mouth to object.

Marni dropped the subject but then went on to the next, still not picking up one of the utensils. She noticed the absence of a knife in the place setting. “Why was my room locked?”

“Your room was locked because I wish it to be so, and when I leave later your room will be locked again.” Luke sighed to himself and Marni’s face darkened with every word.

“So when will I be allowed to leave?” she finally asked, flatly.

“You will never leave. This is your new home. I built it just for you. I took you away from your old life and have given you this new one. Frankly, I expected more gratitude...”

“Gratitude?!” she sputtered, cutting him off, she shifted the tray to one side of her and made to get up off the bed, he put one hand up to halt her. Marni sat back and folded her arms under her breasts, unconsciously giving Luke a delicious view of her cleavage. “I don’t even know where I am, and I doubt you’re going to tell me, right?” she paused to see him nod agreement. “Fine. I’ll play this little game of yours. I need to know that my daughter is safe and the only way I can make sure of that is to see her with my own two eyes. I’m assuming that she is also in a locked room?” she paused again to receive another nod. Marni’s head spun. Thoughts of rebellion filled her head but she quickly rejected them. As slim as he was he could still probably tackle her. There was no chance of getting to the unlocked door with him standing between her and it, and if she remained calm she might be able to have some small control over her situation. She watched him watching her, trying to anticipate her next move, then watched him relax slightly when he realized she was not going to attempt to rush him.

“As I said before,” he said, “you may see her after you’ve gotten some rest. Whether or not you remember, you fainted last night and you need to get your strength back. Eat what I’ve brought you. When you are done place the tray by the door and I’ll come to get it when I bring you lunch.” He looked down at his shirt, smoothing a wrinkle then ran a hand through his hair. “Get acquainted with your rooms, you’ll be here for a while. If there’s anything you need, within reason, I can make sure you have it. I’ll see you in a little while, Marni.”

Luke turned and left the room, locking the door behind him. Of course he would lock the door. Marni shivered at the way he had pronounced her name, the first time he had ever said it to her as far as she could remember. It wasn’t any unusual pronunciation, he just made saying her name seem like a caress. A caress that was completely unwanted.

She moved the tray back onto her lap and studied what he had brought her. Eggs “sunny side up”, honey nut cheerios, rye bread with black raspberry jam; all her favorites were there. Marni had a feeling that it was not just coincidence.

Finishing her meal she got up, placed the tray by the door, and went in search of a towel, washcloth and a change of clothes. She found everything in places where she would have put them, and while she did not pick out the clothes herself, they were all in styles that she enjoyed wearing. She picked out a conservative V-neck sweater and jeans, grabbing a pair of comfortable looking loafers, some knee high stockings, a bra that was remarkably her size (though all of the choices were lacier than she would have picked herself) and paused when she saw that the only choices for underwear were various satin, silk and lace thongs. She sighed and grabbed one that matched the bra she had selected.

Setting her things down on the toilet seat in the bathroom she found a suitable towel and washcloth and began to run the water for a bath. Despite her steadiness now, she had a feeling that she would faint if she tried to stand in a shower.

The tub itself was freestanding, with clawed feet. Marni moved the curtain aside and out of the tub and discovered to her small delight that all of her favorite bath products, shampoos, and soaps were all there, lined up on a shelf hidden behind it. Well, she felt delight at first and then realized that it must have been Luke who had purchased them for her. It was frightening how much he knew about her, and even more frightening when she realized that it must have been he who undressed and redressed her last night in this ensemble.

As Marni started to undress herself she studied herself in a full length mirror on one of the walls to make sure there were no bruises or other injuries she should be aware of. Her skin was smooth and unmarred and she let out the breath she did not know she had been holding. She pulled the short negligee over her head and then pulled the matching thong down to let it drop on the floor. Marni ran her fingers over her bald crotch and gasped, He shaved me!, she thought bitterly to herself. Further examination revealed an odd wetness between her thighs that she had not noticed before. Dragging her fingers through it she brought them up to her nose to smell the whitish substance and almost collapsed as she realized it was semen. That bastard raped me, she thought coldly, falling to her knees and heedless of the bruising it would cause. Now more than ever she wanted to be in the hot water, scouring herself to get the crawling feeling on her skin to go away. Her mind raced and she could only imagine that her daughter had suffered a similar fate. She hated Luke for what he had done to her, but she hated him even more for that other violation.

She staggered to her feet, using the side of the tub as leverage, and nearly fell again as her foot slid on wet tiles. It took nearly all of the strength she had left to lift one foot into the tub and make the rest of her body follow it. The water was too hot but that was how she wanted it. Marni grabbed the most caustic soap on the shelf and began to rub furiously. No matter how hard she scrubbed, though, she could not get the feel of Luke’s violation off of her.