A/N: Okay, this is my first Criminal Minds fanfic, so I'm not sure how good it'll be. You'll notice a lot of the story will be from Spencer's point of view, and that's because he's my favorite character, but others will be focus from time to time. :D There will be swearing, so if you don't like, don't read. Please, tell me what you think, just no flames. Constructive criticizim welcome, just not about spelling. I'm a horrible speller sometimes and I don't have spell check. Anyway. I don't own Criminal Minds or any of it's characters (too bad :() and I am not making any money for this. The only things I own here are my OC's and my (sometimes evil :)) imagination. Hope you like it. -A
Chapter 1: Why Do the Good Die Young?
I don't believe in happy endings, but I do believe in happy travels, because ultimately, you die at a very young age, or you live long enough to watch your friends die. -George Clooney
The BAU sat in the confrence room, somber and quiet as a case was passed out. When everyone had their copy open, Prentiss stood and started talking.
"Okay, this is a case sent over from Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Three fifteen year-old girls were reported missing at different times, and a few days after each report, they were found. The girls suffered from blunt-force trama from the back of the head, but the C.O.D was asphyxiation.
"The first victim," she paused to press a button, making a photo of a blonde girl appear. She was smiling broadly, not a care in the world, happy. Then another picture appeared. This one was of the same girl, but was the exact opposite of the other. Her blonde hair was dirty and matted with blood. The ligature marks were obvoius, stark agains the pale skin. Her baby blue eyes stared unseeingly up, "is Chelsea Dumant. Her mother reported her missing nearly six weeks ago, she was found in a local park five days later by a woman walking her dog."
Two more pictures appeared on the screen. One was a school photo of a black-haired girl with startling green eyes. She didn't look happy, really, but not upset. Just... there. The other picture was similar to the photo from the first girl's death. "Andria James. Reported missing by her grandparents four weeks after the first girl was found. Andria was found in a Wal-mart parking lot by an employee who worked a moring shift."
The last two pictures came up. This one was a family photo. The parents had their arms wrapped lovingly around her. The girl's hair was a deep red, sort of like cherry. Her eyes were chocolate brown. She had a young boy on her lap, maybe five or six. The crime-scene photo was the same as the other two. "This is Kathrin Perish. Her little brother found her in their back yard last week. She had stayed home from school, her parents were at work, and her brother went out to play after he got home from school." Everyone internally cringed at the thought of a five-year-old boy finding his big sister dead. He must be tramatized.
"Are the victims connected in any way?" Reid asked.
"They were all freshmen at Mt. Vernon Public High School."
"Do local P.D. have a suspect?" Morgan asked. Prentiss shook her head. Of course not, why would anything be that simple?
"Do they know why anyone would want them dead?" Hotch asked.
"Um. They interviewed the families who all gave the same answers. They were sweet girls. Everyone loved them, they never did anything to anyone. P.D thinks it's a random selection."
"Okay," Hotch said, standing up. "We can talk more about this on the plane. Be ready to leave in half an hour." With that, he walked out, everyone following suit. Everyone except Reid. JJ noticed him still sitting there, staring at the photos that remained on the screen.
"Everything okay, Spence?" She asked, coming up behind him.
"Well, I have a hard time beliveing that this could be random."
"Why? The victim's look nothing alike, they were found in completly different areas. The only connections are the town, age, and school."
"But it's not exactly a big town. The chances of a serial killer who's just now surfacing and killing this close together, being this sloppy... I can't imagine there not being a reason that the UnSub chose these girls."
"I guess... if he does have a reason, we'll find it and we'll catch him," she told him. He gave her a tight smile and stood.
"You're right. Thanks, JJ." With that, he left the room.