Marie's Path

Chapter 3

"I'm fine." Marie muttered but let him help her up, she pulled her hair away from her face, getting a good look at him. She realised then that he was one of the guys from the table that was arguing with the woman. She swallowed hard, embarrassed that one of those guys would find her like this. Looking around, she saw no one else outside. She was afraid after being grabbed, and knew she was shaking, but tried to hide it. 

To her, emotions needed to be kept hidden. Her mother's voice was shrieking in her head, "Stop crying!' slap, 'Stop laughing!' slap, 'What do you have to be happy about?' slap, slap, 'You're scared? You don't know what scared is! Get in the closet little girl!' She learned early on that being emotionless kept you safe. And never let anyone see you as vulnerable, at best, you'll only be laughed at, at worse, attacked.

She blinked her eyes bringing herself back to the present. "Thanks for scaring that guy off. I need to go." Hugging her bag tight she tried to moved around him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he said grabbing her arm. He let go of her when she jerked her arm away, but put himself in front of her to keep her from leaving. He held his hands out in front of her, careful not to touch her."I can't let you just walk away. We need to go inside and tell them what happened. Do you have someone to call that can come get you?"

"No, no one." She shook her head and moved back. "But I'll be fine, really, I don't live far. You can go in there if you want, but I can't, not now. Please, just let me go."

Trying to go around him again, he curled his finger under her chin stopping her. Tilting her head up, he looked deep in her eyes."What's happening to you?" He couldn't look away, he knew that look.

"What the fuck is going on?" They both looked over to see North coming towards them glaring at Marie. "What did you do now Marie?" Before she could answer, his eyes left hers. "Brandon, what's going on?"

Brandon turned to face North while keeping his body near Marie's in case she tried to go. "She didn't do anything. Some guy with a white mask grabbed her, he took off when I came out. I was trying to get her to go in and tell Uncle"

Marie gasped as North grabbed her arm tight, glaring at her."What did he say to you?" His tone was low and menacing. His jaws were clenched. "The masked guy! What. Did. He. Say?" Marie flinched back. She'd always saw North as loud, tough and protective of Sang. But this was the first time he'd ever made her genuinely afraid.

"He said to stay away from here. And that Sang didn't listen, but I better." She talked fast as she felt tears build in her eyes."That's all! Now let go!"

Brandon put his hand on North's wrist. "Hey, loosen up man, you're hurting her."

North eyes softened slightly as he let go of her and reached into his pocket. Pulling his keys out, he pointed the remote at his jeep unlocking the doors. "Get in Marie. I'll give you a ride home." She hesitated one second too long for North. He pointed at the jeep and yelled. "Go! Now!"

North's back was to her as she sat in his jeep. She tried to get her breathing under control as she watched him talk to that Brandon guy. Brandon kept his eyes on Marie, never looking away, occasionally nodding at what North was telling him.

"Who was that guy?" Marie asked him when he got in the jeep.

"We don't know. We call him Volto. He's been trying to get to Sang for months. We thought he gave up." North glanced at Marie. "I guess not. He's been fixated on her."

"I don't think so," she mumbled looking out the window.

North sneered at her."What would you know about it?"

She cocked her head at him, feeling brave again. "Well, gee North. It seems to me if he wants Sang so bad, why would he give a shit what I do?" She smirked at him." I don't think it's Sang he's fixated on, I think it's you guys."

"Yeah, well, we could never be sure." North told her. "Hey, I'm sorry for squeezing your arm like that." Marie kept quiet and they drove the rest of the way in silence. North pulled into the driveway and shut off his jeep. Marie reached for the door handle but stopped.

" What are you guys into that you have some guy with a mask after all of you?" Marie stared at him waiting for an answer that didn't come. "Whatever, if you don't want to tell me, fine. I don't think I want to know anyway. But my earlier question was really about Brandon, who is he?"

North finally turned his head to look at her. He ignored her question and blurted out what had been on his mind for so long. "Why are you such a bitch to her? She's your sister. You should have looked out for her. Your sicko mother could have killed her. You did nothing. Why?"

Marie scoffed at him. "Killed her? Aren't you being a little dramatic? Sure she was hard on her, I'll give you that. She isolated us from everything, but in her own warped mind she thought she was keeping us safe. But kneeling in rice and putting her in a closet wasn't going to kill her."

Stunned at her response, all he could do was look at her until he blew up."You're a real piece of work Marie, you know that? You think that shits normal? What about forcing her to drink lemon juice and vinegar? What the hell's wrong with you? "

"Screw you!" Marie fired back. "I was a kid too! What was I supposed to do? I didn't know anything about her being made to drink that! Nobody told me!"

"And the shower!" North yelled. "She's so traumatized she can't even get near a shower, even hearing a shower running about sends her into a panic attack!"

"No!" Marie shook her head at him. "I always made sure Sang never-"

"I saw it Marie!" He raged at her. "I saw what your mother did to her! For hours she was tied to the chair in the shower with the water running, hot water Marie. She had to drink lemon juice and vinegar that day too! Your fucking mother left her there!" North rocked back in his seat, his hands clenched his hair. "If we hadn't of gotten to her when we did, she could have died."

"I didn't know that happened," she admitted softly. "Nobody ever told me."

"Maybe you better get your head out of your ass and see what goes on around you. All you ever thought about is yourself !" North countered.

Marie looked at him, still shocked at what he said, but also a little hurt, and that made her angry. "Well, she isn't trapped here anymore is she? She got out. My mother can't touch her now! So anything else that ever happens to her? Will be on you!" Marie got out slamming the door.

North watched her run to the house. "Bitch," he muttered as he pulled out of the drive.

Volto got close enough to the jeep unseen, that he heard everything. He eased back into the shadows and watched Marie run into the house. He focused on the jeep as it drove away, and watched until the tail lights disappeared. Only then did he walk out to the street. He looked once more at the house before he turned away. Putting his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, he casually walked away.