Shadow of perfection

Stephen’s mom left when he was young, leaving his father to raise him. Once a successful brain surgeon, her career took a nosedive, and she became known as the “Surgical Assassin.” Her reputation came from her perfect success rate—until her one and only mistake: Boe Jiden. The 101st president of the United States, Jiden was widely disliked for his relentless pursuit of perfection. He hired officers to ensure every person’s actions were “perfected.” If they caught you making any mistake—even a small one—you were sentenced to seven days in the notorious “Pretty Pretty Palace” prison. Inside, inmates underwent psychological torture designed to break their spirits and force them to “behave.”

No one knew for sure if her mistake was intentional. However, in court, she was found innocent—her tools had been worn out and faulty. Still, the internet was convinced it was deliberate and even hailed her as a hero.

Seven years after the assassination of Boe Jiden, Stephen lived with his father and attended Manor Elementary. Every Friday, his teacher played CNN 10, a program that covered modern history. Stephen had been watching it for years and loved it. Through CNN 10, Stephen discovered the story of Boe Jiden and the Surgical Assassin. He believed Jiden was the best president to ever serve, and he despised the surgeon for what she had done. The assassin’s identity was kept hidden to protect them, in case the mistake had been an accident. But Stephen spent most of his free time trying to uncover the truth.

“It should’ve been Boe Jiden,” Stephen thought, vowing to get revenge one day and see the assassin arrested.

When Stephen got home, he immediately returned to his computer, searching for anything that could reveal the assassin’s true identity. “I’ll get her,” he thought. That’s when he stumbled upon the story of a perfect surgeon who suddenly retired at 25. Before he could process the information, his dad called him downstairs.

“Your uncle’s here. Didn’t you want to learn how to make his pasta recipe?”

Stephen was ecstatic when he saw his uncle standing in the kitchen. “Uncle Mike!” he exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

“What’ve you been up to, little man?” his uncle asked.

“I’ve been looking for the assassin. I’m going to get her. I hate her for getting rid of Jiden. He was making everything perfect, right, Uncle Mike?”

“Maybe you shouldn’t hate the assassin as much as you do. Jiden was doing bad things to achieve his goals. That’s why your mother isn’t here, right, Adam?”

Stephen’s dad joined in. “If you didn’t seem perfect, he’d put you in jail.”

“Maybe that’s what we need—to become perfect,” Stephen replied.

Sensing the tension, Mike jumped in. “Alright, alright, let’s start cooking. Nothing’s worth fighting over, right?”

They began making the recipe, but the earlier conversation still lingered in the air. After Mike left, Stephen returned to his room, the article still open on the screen. In the article, Stephen learned that the surgeon not only had a perfect record, but also an almost perfect life. She was married with a child—until one day, she vanished without a trace. The disappearance occurred the same month the assassin was tried in court.

Convinced he had uncovered the assassin’s identity, Stephen ran to his dad’s room, shouting, “I found her! I found her!”

His dad, knowing exactly what Stephen meant, rushed into his son’s room and saw his ex-wife’s face on the computer screen.

Stunned into silence, Stephen’s dad screamed, “HOW DID YOU FIND THAT?!”

Terrified, Stephen stayed silent, staring at his feet, trying not to cry. Still overwhelmed with anger, confusion, and shame, his dad muttered, “You want to find her that badly? Let’s go see her.”

They got into the car and drove in silence for an hour and a half, the quiet broken only by the occasional sniffle or cough. Eventually, they arrived at a casino, with a hotel next door. They entered the hotel and climbed three flights of stairs to the fourth floor. They stopped outside a door: 420.

“How do you know where she lives, Dad?” Stephen asked.

His question went completely ignored by his father. His father knocked on the door, and the woman from the article opened it, looking almost exactly the same as she had seven years ago when the article was published.

The woman’s eyes filled with tears. “Steph?! Is that you?”

“Don’t act happy to see him. You’re the one who ran away from our family,” his father snapped.

“They kept me away, saying that if I ever showed myself near you, they’d arrest us all. They claimed it would start a worldwide assassination group if I lived with you.”

Adam’s voice cracked. “I never knew.”

“Come home with us, Maria.”

She didn’t hesitate. She nodded through tears and pulled her son into her arms.

They drove home that night—a broken family, slowly piecing itself together. Monday came back around, and Stephen’s mom made breakfast. They enjoyed their first meal as a family together and then Stephen went to school.

Adam walked outside, ready to go to work.

Maria waved from the front porch, smiling like the past never happened.

Adam smiled back—then got into his car, shut the door, and made the call.

“I have her.”