San Francisco, Ca November 15th 1998

All I could do was stare at the text books in front of me, my mind sharply focused with terror. I knew that if I didn't finish reading them I would be beaten or worse, I would be murdered like the girl that had been in the cell next to mine was when she refused to do as she was told. I had already learned the penalty for talking back or refusing to do as I was told, which was evident by the black and blue markings that decorated my whole body. Sighing deeply I tried to focus back on the books but my eyes where too weary and stung from the fresh tears that threaten behind my eyes. Knowing that I would be tempting the wrath of my captor, but not really caring anymore; I closed the book in front of and shoved away from the desk. I took a look around at my 10x10 windowless concrete cell, wondering if I was ever going to escape this hell. Climbing onto the old cot that was my bed I decided that maybe if I went to sleep I would wake up and all of this would be a horrible dream. As I closed my eyes my mind drifted over that past few days? Or maybe even weeks? That I have been held captive and the gut retching events that led up to me been kidnapped.

I was anything but your typical teenager, my name is Amelia Marie Skinner, I was 15 and a senior in high school. To say that I was smart would be a understatement. I have an IQ of 189, eidetic memory and could read about 19,000 words per minute. From a early age my parents knew that I was more advanced that other children my age and that I was really smart, so smart that I had been skipped up several grades in school. I was only 11 when I started high school, before I entered high school I was put through multiple tests and then placed in a school to the gifted. I had been so ecstatic. I never did fit in in at regular school, I guess you could call me a geek. I was pretty short (5' 2"), a bit on the chubby side, I wore glasses, and I loved science. Finally I would be in a school with people more like me. Now I was a senior and soon to be off to MIT to study science. I had so much going for me, such a bright future and then it was all ripped away from me.

**Flashback**

San Francisco, Ca October 5th 1998

It had been a typical Tuesday, after school and science club was over for the day I headed home. My mom was I the kitchen cooking dinner when I got home, she always insisted on having family dinners at least 3 times a week. After I was done with my homework I came down to help my mom with setting the table. Just as we finished, my dad came home and we all settled down for dinner. After dinner I decided to head to bed early because I had a big test the next day and I need rest, I told my parents goodnight and headed upstairs. Once I had showered and changed into my pajamas I crawled into my bed and started reading a book that I had just gotten, which happened to be One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcìa Márquez; and settled in to read a little. I must had drifted off to sleep as I was reading because the next thing I know was I was being woken up by a piercing scream. Jumping out of bed I knocked my book onto the floor and grabbing my glasses off of my night stand. I ran out my door and down the hall towards my parents room. Their bedroom door was open and without thinking I ran right into their room. As I approached their bed my legs stopped working at the sight of the horror in front of me, all I could see was blood. Both of my parents throats had been sliced open and I could tell just from where I was standing they had also been stabbed several times as well. I fell to the ground and started sobbing. Moments later I heard the floor creak behind me, but before I could even react a hand reached around me and covered my mouth and nose with a strange smelling cloth. I tried to struggle, tried to scream but I started to black out and realized the cloth had chloroform on it, moments later everything went black.

When I awoke my head was spinning and I was having trouble getting my eyes to focus. After another minute or two my head was clear enough to sit up. I found my glasses laying next to me and I put them on so I could see where I was. I was in a small windowless room, the walls were gray concrete. The only opening was a metal bar door that looked like a prison cell door. In the room there was a small desk and chair with a single dim light hanging from the ceiling. The desk was stacked high with various large books as well as a stack of blank paper and a few pens. After sweeping my eyes over my surroundings the events of what had happened before I had blacked out came rushing back to me. I slid off of the cot to my knees sobbing. My parents where dead and I was being held captive by god knows who and for what purpose. I don't know how long I sat there crying for, but after a while my sobs turned to hiccups. I finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell back asleep on the cold concrete floor.

I awoke some time later to a male voice calling my name. Slowly pulling myself out of sleep I almost though it was my dad trying to wake me up until I opens my eyes and saw that my surroundings had not changed and that the voice was coming from a speaker up in one corner of the room. "Amelia...Amelia, you need to get up now, you have a lot of studying to do." The male voice said. I just sat there kind of stunned listening to the voice, I could not place it but it sounded so familiar. "I said get up, NOW!" He said again with more force. That time I shot up to my feet and ran over to the speaker on the wall, looking up I saw a small camera just above the speaker. "Who are you, what do you want from me, why are you doing this" I cried out at the camera "Why did you kill my parents and take me?" There was no response. I ran to the door and tried to see if I could open it or see through the bars. All I would see was a dimly lit hall way with 3 other doors like mine that led to a flight of stairs. Seeing those other doors I wondered if there was any other people being held down here like me.

"Hello? Hello!?" "Is there anyone else down here?" I waited for a minute and then heard a noise like the sound of a chair being moved in the room next to mine. "Hello? Is there some one in there?" "Shhhh" said a low whispering shush sound came from the other room. "If you aren't quiet and don't do as he says he will hurt you" said the whispering voice. "Who are you? How long have you been here? Do you know where we are? Do you know who has us or what he wants?" I asked in a low voice. "My name is Abigail Freeman, I'm not sure how long I have been here but it feels like its been months. I'm not sure where we are, but I'm from Sacramento. I don't know who he is, but as for what he wants all he tells me to do is to study, to all the books that he gives you and if you don't he...he..." Her voice faltered. "He what? What does he do?" "He says he will hurt you or hurt your family if you don't do what he tells you to" she said. I felt fresh tears come to my eyes and a sob catch in my throat when I said "He already killed my parents, I was asleep when I heard my mother scream. I ran into their room and found them both dead, that is when grabbed me. Then I woke up here" There was a long pause of silence and then she said "I'm sorry about your parents, I don't know if mine are still alive but I just can't give up the hope that I will see them again" I was just about to ask her another question when the sound of a door opening and being slammed shut stopped me. "Hurry up and get to reading before he come down here" she said in a squeaky rushed voice.

"I thought I told you two to study those books" said a booming voice from down the hallway. Thinking it might be best for now to do what he says I went quickly over to the small desk and sat down. I pulled the first book of of the pile and opened it up. It was a school text book on Advanced Quantum physics, a book I had been studying at school. My eyes focused on the book, but my ears and mind were focused on the loud foot steps coming down the hall. As the foot steps stopped at my door I squeezed my eyes shut and sent up a silent prayer that he would not come in here. After what seemed like forever he kept walking down to the next door. I heard the jingling of keys and the squeaking protest of the cell door opening. "Didn't I tell you to study or are you too stupid to follow simple orders?" he yelled at the other girl. My insides were cringing knowing that she was probably in trouble for talking to me. "I'm sorry, but my eyes hurt too much to keep reading right now. If I could please just rest for a while..." she was cut off by a loud slap that seamed to resonate through the wall to my cell. I could hear her sobbing and I felt tears falling down my cheeks. "I told you last time no more warnings and yet you still refuse to do as you are instructed. You really must be stupid then and I do not abide my self with stupid people" I was paralyzed with fear, wondering what he was going to do to her. "Please, I promise I will do better...please...don't do this...nooo" her words were cut off with a chocking sound. After a few more seconds the only sound coming from the other room was the heavy breathing of my captor and the sound of the other girls body being dragged a crossed the concrete floor. I listed as he dragged her body past my door and up the stairs before I began sobbing.

I just sat there staring at the open book in front of me as I cried my eyes out. I wasn't even sure who I was crying for anymore, my parents, my self or the girl I just met that was just murdered in the cell next to mine. I cried until my eyes ran dry and I just sat there in a sort of catatonic state. I don't even think I blinked the whole time until I heard the door at the end of the hall way open and shut again. As I heard my captor's foot steps stop at my door and the sound of keys in the door I wondered if I was to die next. "Stand up please Amelia" he said in a softer tone. Once I heard his voice in this lower tone I knew exactly who it was. I jumped out of my seat and turned around. "Mr. Fredrickson?" It was a my science teacher and head of the science club at school. "Why Mr. Fredrickson, why did you do this? How could you kill my parents and kidnap me? Why did you kill that other girl?" I cried out. He stepped up to me and tried to brush the tears off of my cheek but I flinched away from his hand. "Shhh, it's ok. Please don't cry, this is a good thing. You should be happy, I freed you from those that were holding you back." I was in total shock, I tried to back away from him but he grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me into a hug. "They weren't worthy of being your parents, they deserved to die. But it's ok. I'm here now to take care of you an nurture your intelligence." I was in total disgust, I pushed his away so I could look him in the face. "You killed my parents because I'm smart?" With out even thinking I slapped him across the face. He pushed me back onto the bed and just stood there over me. "I'll let this slide this time, you just need some time to adjust to living here. I will warn you just this one time, disobey me or try to escape and you will regret it." With that he left, locking the door behind him. I just laid there too stunned and too frightened to move. Eventually I fell into a fitful, nightmare filled sleep.

I awoke some time later to the sound of my cell door opening and saw Mr. Fredrickson entering with a tray of food. He set it down on the desk and as he was leaving my cell he said "Time to get up sweetheart, you need to eat so you have your strength so you can study". I just stared at him as he left then I got up and picked up the tray and threw it at the door screaming "Fuck you, you sick psycho". He can charging back in and grabbed me by the throat "You will learn to behave even if I have to beat it into you" With that he threw me onto the cot and started hitting me. Once he was done he stood over me and said " Next time I bring food to you think twice before you do that again, now get up and study" This became routine, the smallest of things would set him off and I would be beaten. I lost track of the days, many days I would refuse to eat and I could feel myself becoming weaker and weaker with each passing day. I started giving up hope on ever being rescued.

**End Flashback**

With my body throbbing from the last round of beating my mind is brought back to the present. Too weak to even cry anymore I start to drift off into sleep when I hear loud shouting voices and heavy foot steps above. I listen, trying to make out what is being said and I can swear I heard the word FBI being shouted. The yelling was getting louder and then two gun shots rang out and it became quieter. I could still hear multiple sets off foot steps moving around and hoped that they would find me down here. Too weak to get up, I just laid there and cried out for help but even my voice was weak. After a few minutes I heard the door at the end of the hall being busted open and heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. I could make out two sets of voices as they yelled out "Clear" every few seconds. Finally someone came into view on the other side of my cell door. "please help me" I cry out weakly to the person. "It's ok, help is on the way" I hear him say as he unlocks the cell door. I close my eyes and send up a silent prayer for this savior being sent to me. "I need EMT's down in the basement, I have found one of the girls alive down here" I hear him say into a radio, but his voice seems so far away. I am struggling to reopen my eyes and feeling suddenly very heavy and tired. I can feel him grabbing my hand and saying "I need you to open you eyes for me, can you do that for me please. Come one just open your eyes. Your safe now" finally I win the fight with my heavy eye lids and I am able to flutter them open and I look upon the face of my hero smiling down at me. "There you are, you scared me there for a minute, help is on the way and you will be just fine. Can you tell me your name, Sweetheart?" smiling weakly I say "Mm..my name is Amelia Skinner" Just as I tell him my name another man enters the room and smiles down at me. My first rescuer looks up at the other man for a second then back at me and says "It's a pleasure to meet to meet you Amelia, I'm SSA David Rossi, but you can call me Dave. The is SSA Jason Gideon. We are both FBI Agents, you don't have to worry anymore your safe now" A few minutes later EMT's rush in and Dave lets go of my hand assuring me that they would take good care of me.

Th next thing I knew I was waking up to the beeping of machines and the smell of antiseptic and rubbing alcohol. Fluttering my eyes open I scan the room the best I can without my glasses and realize that I'm in a hospital. It wasn't just a dream, I was really saved. Just then movement to my left caught my attention, it was Dave. "Agent Rossi?" I weakly whisper. "Please call me Dave, how are you feeling?" "Like hell warmed over, but I'm alive and safe...because of you. Thank you." I can feel tears rolling down my cheeks when my mind goes over all that has happened. "There is no need to thank me, It's my job" "It's more than just a job, you stop the bad guys and save the innocent. Your more like superhero" He smiled and chuckled at that "I'm not sure about that, but thank you" I feel my smile fade when I realize all that I have lost and that I have no idea what will happen me. "What is going to happen to me now? My parents were the only family I had." "Don't worry about that right now, all you have to worry about is healing and the rest will be taken care of." I just smiled and nodded at him. "I have to go now, but if you ever need help or just talk give me a call, ok." He says as he hands me his business card and kisses me on the forehead. I watch him leave then look back at the card he gave me. As I ran my thumb over the card feeling the texture and reading the wording over and over my mind finally clicks. I know what I'm going to do with my life. I would become what that had saved me, I would become a FBI Agent like Dave. He gave me back my reason in life and a new path as well. I would dedicate my life to helping save others from the horror I went through and putting away the sickos. Taking a deep breath I settled back into bed to get some well needed rest and a plan for my future.

So there is chapter 1, working on the next chapter now. Will be introducing all of your favorite BAU team members in the next chapter too. R/R Please...