The Darkness of Perfection by Michael Schneider

poke around. It was near the port, making it easy to move the ‘merchandise’ once it was ready for delivery. What went on from the moment the ‘merchandise’ was brought into the facility until it received the stamp of approval and was sold was not something I would ever allow to happen to Jayden.
    If she had never been stolen from me, Jayden would have grown up having each part of her life molded to perfection. She would have accepted each stage as the natural progression of growing up.
    The very idea of fighting or questioning rules and instruction would have never entered her mind.
    I drummed my fingers on my desk, contemplating my next move like a chess game. However, instead of defeating an opposing king, the ultimate goal was to win the queen. Jayden was beautiful and innocent; a noble queen to win. I had already captured her, and now I just had to convert her so she would willingly stand by my side.
    The shower was still running and I looked at my watch, smiling when I saw the time. I’d let her hide in the bathroom for an hour. I knew she would drag out her shower until I forced her to come out, but that was okay. She needed this time to fully grasp what was happening to her, to dig into the recesses of her mind and pull the memories out of where they’d been locked away. I needed her to remember so I could use those memories. I needed her to plot so that I could show her the hopelessness of escape. I needed her to defeat herself until she folded and placed herself willingly into my care. False hope was a wonderful tool in manipulation.
    When I beat on the bathroom door, I laughed when I heard her strangled cough. I’d caught her off guard, which meant she’d been deep in thought.
    “That’s long enough, Jayden. Get out now,” I called to her.
    I took the clothes from the dresser and set them at the foot of the bed before going to stand at the window and pulling the curtains back, letting the afternoon sun throw its rays across the room.
    Our home sat on over one thousand acres of pastures and woods. Ten acres were set apart and fenced for my parents’ home that my mother had worked diligently over the years to landscape. Most of the year, other than the few months of actual winter, it was a full riot of color.
    The view from my room was one of my favorites. My bedroom was in the back corner of the house and from here I could see the pool and just beyond the fenced yard where there were pastures with cattle. To the left of the fence was a new blacktop drive that cut a path through the grass leading to the house I had built for us. It would be complete within a few weeks, and then Jayden and I would move in. William’s home was built at the far end of the property, away from everyone.
    I turned my head, smiling when I heard the bathroom door opening. Let the games begin.

    I stepped hesitantly into the room, searching at once for Nicholas. I found him standing by the windows with his back to me. He seemed like he was trying to appear relaxed with his hands tucked into the pockets of his dark-washed jeans, but the stiff, squared set of his broad shoulders beneath the white dress shirt belied that image. A leather belt and expensive cowboy boots finished his look. The only thing missing was the black hat he’d worn to dinners on the ship. The curtains were pulled back now and I saw fields and trees beyond the walls. I didn’t see any streets or houses nearby where I could call for help. If this was the same house I was in before, my situation was hopeless.
    There were clothes lying on the bed and I walked quietly over, keeping an eye on him. I picked them up and held them against me, then turned to run back into the safety of the bathroom.
    “You will dress in here. I won’t look.”
    I jerked my head to look at him, then swallowed hard and clutched the clothing tighter to my chest.
    “Can-can I please get dressed in the bathroom? I-I’m not comfortable changing with you in the room,” I asked