Tell Me Why You Love Me

Underground

The first thing Marinette felt pulsing through her head was pain. Sharp, throbbing pain shot from the sides of her head down to the soles of her feet. Everything ached and felt like they were going to snap off if she moved a few inches too much. The ground felt cold. It could compare to icicles shooting up into her skin like needles. Her muscles were sore whenever she placed any amount of strength into them. Dryness blanketed over her tongue and mouth. It leaked into her throat to the point where she wasn't even sure if her voice would work. She was scared to open her eyes, but when she did, it was hard to peer through the darkness. There were very minimal dim lights spotted down lines outlining a walkway. Her neck hurt and she didn't want to turn her head, but she forced it anyway.

Swirls smoked out in her vision like speckles of stardust. It was like an aura had overcome her and her sight as she continued to wake up.

Her mind was foggy. She tried to remember as much as she could. Everything blurred together like a line. Almost the same as before her eyes went dark. This time, it was refreshing. Her consciousness was coming back to her, slowly but surely. She had to collect her thoughts quickly. Who knows how much time she had? The last thing she thought was Adrien.

Adrien.

Gabriel.

Gabriel's face was the last thing she saw before waking up.

She shot up from the ground, fighting through any aches that maimed her limbs. Forcing through every bone in her body, she stood up, shaking and about to break. Silence surrounded her until the first click of her step echoed within her own vicinity. She was still wearing her flats.

Quickly, she looked down. She wore the same outfit she had been wearing at her job. Leggings and a blouse with a white jacket. The same clothes she wore when she went to Gabriel Agreste's residency. Monarch's residency.

Monarch.

Marinette's mind raced at light speed, trying to catch up with her environment and situation. Her eyes gradually started to adjust in the low light of this enormous room. Where was she? This did not look like any room she had seen in the mansion. The surrounding was like a throne room with metal arches and vines growing along pillars and poles alike. With the wall and ceiling lights, it was like beams from a disappearing sunset had barely crept into the room. The thin fabric on her body was not enough to keep her from shivering. Goosebumps trailed down her arms and legs as she hugged her torso tightly and protectively. Her stomach growled, hungry and empty. How long had she been unconscious?

Hesitantly, she took a step forward, testing the weight limit of her weak legs. They seemed to cooperate with her enough.

She looked up and saw a singular dim spotlight shined on a glossy capsule at the end of the walkway. Marinette stood beside it, off to the side within the darkness. The capsule was patted with leaves and bushes around it. It laid in the center of circular greenery. In the daylight, it might have looked like an evergreen garden.

Without thinking, Marinette's arm reached out toward it, wanting to approach such a beautiful sight. But something stopped her hand from reaching any further. Her eyes shot back at her hand that rested still on a panel of glass. Her mind, still foggy from her sleep, struggled to process what invisible boundary had been placed in front of her. She lifted her other arm to the same point in front of her and it, too, was also stopped.

Her eyes scanned up and down, bending her knees and lowering herself as she trailed her hands down the glass. Then, she tried to the sides. Her hand was stopped by a corner that only led to another panel of glass. Four corners surrounded her, marking a cubed enclosure that encased her within. Even a foot above her head, she felt the cold, smooth surface. Except it wasn't glass, it was metal or some sort of steel that fitted the top. Her head spun around her in panic. Not only did glass encase her, but bars of metal came down like a prison cell, creating another boundary of her imprisonment. She felt her chest breathing in and out at a faster rate, not knowing if she was even receiving oxygen. No, she had to. Otherwise, she would've stayed passed out. It wouldn't make sense if there were no ventilation.