Maldo Fam

The Deal

Shinobia re-entered the bedroom with apprehension, wondering what new torment awaited her. Maggie sat primly on the edge of the large bed, still smiling to herself over her twisted plans. Bruce remained seated beside her, staring blankly ahead.

"Let's begin going over your story," Maggie said the moment Shinobia came to stand before her. "It is vital you have every detail memorized!"

She launched into an elaborate fictional backstory for how Shinobia and Bruce supposedly met and fell madly in love within months. According to Maggie's fabrication, they met by chance at a bustling coffee shop downtown. Their eyes locked across the crowded room and it was love at first sight.

Shinobia listened numbly as Maggie described their whirlwind romantic escapades - long walks in the park, candlelit dinners, and sentimental gifts. It was the picture perfect fairy tale romance. At least on the surface.

"You must gush when speaking about your first date!" Maggie instructed. "The viewers will eat up a storybook love."

Maggie then quizzed them extensively on the finer points of their supposed courtship. Shinobia stumbled over details, unable to recall the elaborate lies. Her hesitation earned sharp reprimands from Maggie, whose excitement morphed to frustration.

"No, you foolish girl! The trip to see the botanical gardens was your third date, not the fifth!" Maggie corrected shrilly.

Shinobia shrank under the woman's harsh glare. "I don't understand why any of this even matters," she tried reasoning.

"You will understand because I say you must!" Maggie snapped. "Now let's try again from the beginning. And do attempt to keep the facts straight this time."

Maggie drilled Shinobia again and again on the fictitious timeline, growing increasingly upset by her inability to recount the details accurately.

"Useless, just useless!" Maggie seethed, rising to her feet in anger. She pointed imperiously to the new dog crate. "You'll spend the next two days locked away studying that script until you know it backwards and forwards. And no food during that time! Clearly you need additional motivation."

Shinobia's heart dropped, instinctively backing away from the cage. "No, please," she implored desperately.

Her pleas fell on deaf ears. "Bruce, lock her away this instant. I've had enough of this nonsense."

With that Maggie swept furiously from the room. Bruce obediently approached Shinobia and gestured to the crate, face still expressionless. Seeing she had no choice, Shinobia reluctantly knelt and crawled inside the cramped cage, vision blurring with tears.

The door clicked shut behind her with dreadful finality. In the sudden darkness, her tenuous composure broke. Sobs wracked her curled up frame as despair overwhelmed her. The metal floor was icy against her skin and the stench of her own waste still lingered faintly despite cleaning. She had never felt more trapped and demoralized.

Time lost meaning in the windowless room. Her tears eventually subsided, leaving her empty and numb. She passed the endless hours studying the script containing the repeated lies about her supposed relationship with the stranger named Bruce. The words swam before her hungry, exhausted eyes but she persevered, terrified of Maggie's promised punishment if she failed to memorize her role again.

When Maggie and Bruce finally returned an eternity later, Shinobia recited the fictional details with perfect precision, voice trembling. She would say or do anything to avoid another stretch locked in this cage, she realized hopelessly.