Psychopathy

Chapter 30- Close To Heaven

"Well, hello, BAU. I must admit, I've been looking forward to this livestream. I've been looking forward to showing you what I've accomplished," the Unsub said.

"Where's Ciara? What have you done to her?" Reid asked, and the Unsub laughed softly.

"What have I done to her? Nothing she hasn't wanted. In fact, she's been so eager these past months. Always looking for new ways to please me. Always looking forward to the pain."

"No, that's not Ciara. She would never try to please you," Akilah said through gritted teeth.

"Don't believe me? Well, why don't I show you? Princess? Come here," the Unsub ordered, and Reid sucked in a breath when Ciara slowly ambled into the frame. She didn't look horrible; in fact, just the opposite. She looked healthier than she had in her whole captivity. She hadn't put back on all the weight she had lost, but she had obviously gained a little. She'd clearly been eating. She had some color in her cheeks now, when before, her skin had carried a sickly pallor.

But what hurt more than any of that was the fact that on her face was a dreamy smile.

"Yes, master?" she asked, and Reid's breath caught in his throat. She was calling him "master"? And when she'd said it, there wasn't a hint of fear or nervousness. How far gone was she? Was it even possible to bring her back from this? How could she turn her back on them, on everything she had been fighting for, and let herself fall so far?

"Master?!" Morgan asked incredulously. The Unsub turned away from Ciara, giving the camera an irritating smile.

"Oh, yes. Isn't it lovely? I've got her in the palm of my hand now. I can do anything I want to her. I can ask her to do anything, and she'll do it without question. Finally, all my hard work has paid off," the Unsub told them victoriously.

"No, it's not true. Ciara, you've got to snap out of it!" Akilah cried, and Ciara's brows furrowed. Then her face fell into one of apprehension, and the Unsub turned to face her.

"What is it, princess?"

"The voices, they're back. I know what you said about them, and I'm trying not to listen, because you said not to, and I'm a good girl!" she cried, and the Unsub shook his head in amusement. But Reid wasn't sure what to focus on. The fact that Ciara was once again thinking they were just voices in her head? The fact that she was pleading with the Unsub, claiming to not want to listen simply because he told her not to? Or that fact that her lovely Irish lilt was completely gone?

"Her accent... it's gone..." Akilah whispered.

"Oh, that? Yes, that did take a bit of work. It's quite difficult to train someone to speak in a completely different manner than they're used to. But I simply told her that her way of speaking was wrong. That speaking like an Irish peasant made her a bad girl, and that she was supposed to be speaking like me. It took some time, but eventually, she got the hang of it," the Unsub explained.

"And how many times did you torture her before she 'got the hang of it'?" Akilah asked, sadness and anger in her voice.

"Torture her? Oh, I didn't need to do any such thing. You make me out as a monster. I'm no such thing. I understand it's not easy for someone to ditch the way they've talked their whole life and learn a new way. Occasionally I'd have to remind her not to speak like an Irishwoman. I may have been a little forceful, but sometimes that's just what you've got to do. As long as I could tell she was trying, that was enough for me," the Unsub answered.