Note: Rated M for future sexual situations between adults.

Trigger warning: This story will deal with religion and child abuse, topics which the show Criminal Minds has touched on in the past, including sexual abuse, which will not be discussed in a graphic manner.

Copyright notice: All cannon characters are copyright to their creators, not owned by the author of this piece, and no copyright infringement intended. This is a piece of fan fiction, shared freely and without profit. Any resemblance of any original characters to any other person or character, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Written in homage to The ones who walk away from Omelas by Ursula K LeGuin

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Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.

- The Talmud

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Chapter one

Sherif's substation

Polk County, Arkansas

"So, that's it then." Sheriff Willmer hung up the phone. "The Army confirms what she's telling us, her father died in Afghanistan 4 days ago. They just informed his widow this morning. She was heading for Boston when Billy Meyers ran in to her. He'll be charged with vehicular manslaughter as a result of a DUI."

"And there's no other family?"

"No, Pastor, there isn't." The Sheriff looked over at the two men there. It was just luck that the Pastor Dan Green happened to be in the county when this happened. There wasn't a wiser man when it came to properly training children as far as he knew. And as a former Federal lawyer he was just that kind of smart as well. And even though Bob here had been a member of a different home church than he himself, why, those were good people. They had fellowshipped with his congregation at a number of events over the years. Couldn't ask for better help in a crisis. "They came down here to be close to his mother when he was called up the first time a few years ago. Technically they went to church with us but his wife and stepdaughter there were never really a part of things. They would even stop attending when he was overseas. She was Homeschooling like the rest of us, but there wasn't really anything similar."

"What do you mean?" Bob Tucker, who owned much of the commercial real estate in the area and was now a published author of sorts, wanted to know.

"She said she was teaching the girl university courses. Said she was autistic or some such thing, which was really just an excuse to not make her sit still in church. Spoiled her every which way."

"The sins of the parents are visited upon the children. Orphans carry the sins of their birth parents." Pastor Dan connected something. "You said stepdaughter?"

"Yeah. She got pregnant out of wedlock at that fancy university of hers. No record of the father at all. Married Paul when the girl was still an infant"

"So she's an orphan with nothing?" Bob concluded.

"Yeah, that's about it. Now I can go through all the trouble of calling in Social Services from Little Rock if you think it best. Ours closed down two years ago when the budgets started getting bad. But who knows what kind of family she'd end up in then. I was hoping you two fellows would know a family that could just take her in, give her a good, God fearing home."

Pastor Dan took a deep breath, rubbed his chin, and looked over at Bob. "You sure about this?"

"Oh yeah. I already have fifteen at home, one more won't be a strain."

"Yes. But you have that intern coming in in a few weeks."

"Which will give me extra help. No, the Lord said we are to help the widows and orphans, and Sandra knew her grandmother well. No, we'll take her in."

"That settles in then." Pastor Dan nodded to the Sheriff, who was quite a bit happier when he left the room then when he'd come in.

The Sheriff went into his interrogation room, where the little girl in question had been waiting. Suffering nothing more than a small cut on her head in the car crash that killed her mother, or so the doctor at the clinic had said, which was a miracle. She was supposed to be nine, but looked all of six or seven, with long brown curls and blue eyes. She was sitting there rocking slightly, staring off at nothing, and hadn't said a word since the accident, not one. When the Sheriff came in she looked at him, but not in the eye. "Okay Maddy, Mr. Tucker is going to take you in. You be a good girl for him and don't give him any trouble."

Obediently the girl slid off the chair and followed him out.

Tucker home

Polk County, Arkansas

Madeline's first thought when she walked through the door following The Big Man was that she had been dropped into the second circle of hell. It took her a moment to justify that thought, for the second circle, according to Dante, was punishment for the sin of lust, and these were clearly children. But the way they were running about and shrieking it certainly fit the description of souls being torn about by the endless winds of their own passion. And what had at first appeared to be a giant house from the outside was actually a giant hall on the inside, clearly to give them room to blow. All she could do was cover her ears tight against the incessant noise and shrink away when the violent souls whirling about got too close.

"Everyone to the table," The Big Man was calling out, "right now!'

Madeline watched as the souls immediately stopped their whirling flight, some of the largest gathered up some of the smallest, and they immediately settled in one of the more distant corners of the room. The Big Man took her by the shoulder firmly enough to almost hurt and led her in that direction. She saw that they had all sat themselves at a long table, filling each side, boys on one side, girls on the other. Without realizing she was doing it she started counting. There were fourteen children there, assuming the one holding the littlest was the mother here. Fifteen faces were staring right at her.

"Now you all know that in James 1:27 we are commanded to care for the widows and the orphans of this world. Maddy here lost her father four days ago. He was serving our great nation over in Afghanistan. Earlier today she lost her mother as well, and she has no other family, so she will be staying with us now. I want you all to follow the Lord's command and love her as you love yourself, and your brothers and sisters. Becky," He looked down the table and Madeline saw a girl at the very end stand up, "Maddy here is your age, I want you to be her buddy for a while, help her find her way around here."

"Yes sir." The girl sat back down.

"Beatrice," A much bigger girl, near the head of the table stood. "I want you to sit her down and go through the academic placement tests with her tomorrow; we don't have any of her records. Becky will look after Bernadette for you while you do that if need be."

"Yes sir." She sat down.

"Now Maddy, I want you to go sit at the end of the table next to Becky. From now on that's your spot. When Mother Tucker or I call you to table you immediately stop what you're doing, come as fast as you can, and sit there quiet and still. Understood?"

Yes, sir, she wanted to say. But her mouth had slipped out of gear when she looked over and saw the glass that pinned her mother's throat to the car seat, and simply would not go back in so she could say anything. She nodded, though, and hoped it was enough. Then she quietly walked all the long way down to the end of the table, while every eye that could watched her go.

Once she was settled she heard The Big Man…Father Tucker, perhaps… quietly say "Now let us pray together and hear the Word of God." Everyone bowed their heads, so she did as well, but she really wasn't listening. She was so tired, and so hungry, she hadn't had any supper and lunch had been crackers and juice from the nurses at the clinic. And her head hurt and her ribs hurt where the seat belt had squished them. But her heart hurt the most, Mom was gone, she'd watched her go before the firemen got there to save her. Paul was the only father she'd ever known, but he wasn't coming home from the war. Mom and Paul are gone. Mom and Paul are gone. Mom and Paul are gone.

Without realizing it Madeline was rocking back and forth a little, and at one point she actually audibly sniffed a bit. Becky looked over and quickly nudged her a little, then shook her head. The new girl needed to learn to sit still and be quiet during devotionals or she was going to get into trouble, and get her new buddy in trouble too.

When Father Tucker said "Amen. Now off to bed." Becky jumped up and grabbed Madeline's hand. "Come on. We have fifteen minutes to get into bed. You get one chastisement for every minute past." Becky gave her a tug and got the other girl following her.

What's chastisement, Madeline wanted to ask, and where am I going to sleep? But Becky was tugging her up the stairs with the rest of the heard, for that was what they had become, and then down one side of the hall with the rest of the girls. First stop was a big room which was nothing but one giant closet. "Here" Becky said as she shoved a worn, old nightdress into Madeline's arms. "I'll explain how the closet works tomorrow. Just don't take your underwear off. Now come on."

She was tugging Madeline again, this time in to a big, open bathroom. Some of the older girls were already helping the little ones with brushing their teeth at one of the four sinks. Past that were four toilet stalls, looking a lot like the kinds you would see in a restaurant, and past that were two shower stalls, with curtains, and a big tub on the back of the long room. "Here." Becky pushed Madeline into one of the toilet stalls. "Remember, you only get five minutes in there at a time, or in the shower. Or anywhere alone. If you're alone longer than five minutes Mom or Dad or Beatrice will come get you out, to make sure you're not sinning, and then you'll get chastised for making them come after you. Now change quick!"

Sinning, Madeline thought, it's a bathroom. There's a toilet and some paper, how am I supposed to sin? But she did what wanted doing and changed quickly. She gathered up her dress and blouse and hurried back out to where the other girls were washing hands and brushing teeth, mostly having changed already. She didn't even have a toothbrush. "Mom will have to give you one in the morning, they're downstairs in storage. Come on!" Just like a whirlwind Becky pulled her into another big room, this one all done in pastels and lace and full of beds. She pulled her down next to one on to her knees and waited. The big girl from earlier came over and tried to put one of the younger children next to them, and a squabble ensued.

"Make room for Brittany."

"No, she's going to have to sleep with you now. She's your buddy and Maddy is mine."

"But I'm the oldest. I'm supposed to have my own bed."

"But I have a buddy now!"

"She can sleep on the floor bed!"

"Girls." Came a quiet, worn voice from the doorway. The woman there was stock and looked old. She had a baby over her shoulder and spots from the baby on her clothes. "Apologize to each other for arguing."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry."

"Now I am sorry Beatrice, but Becky is right, Maddy is her buddy now and buddies stick together. Brittany will have to sleep in your bed. Next year when Benedict moves in to his own home with Anna you will be the eldest and have your own room." Beatrice capitulated and moved to her bed, but not before throwing a cruel look at Madeline, unseen by anyone else. The woman, Mother Tucker, sat down in a rocking chair by the window. "Prayers girls."

After the prayer was finished they all climbed in to bed. Madeline had never slept with anyone before, was used to her own room and lots of time alone, but now she didn't even have her own bed. Mother Tucker made the round, pulling up covers and saying good night. When she got to Becky and Madeline she said a quick prayer for the orphan. "Don't cry for your parents, there's nothing you can do for her now. Just go to sleep and tomorrow will be a new day in the Lord."

The light went out and everyone quickly settled to sleep. Before she closed her eyes Becky rolled over and whispered, "I'd rather have you than Brittany, she still wets the bed."

Madeline huddled down in the strange clothes in the strange bed. Nothing felt right, everything seemed to scratch and everything even smelled wrong. She thought of her parents, how they were never coming for her now, ever. They'd never understood her; they never really felt right, like they belonged together. But they cared about her, she knew that, and they tried so hard and she missed them horribly. All those times I wanted to go home, to some other home somewhere, and find my real parents who really understood, and now I don't even have the ones I had. I want to go home, she thought, I want my mommy and daddy. I want to go home. I want to go home.

Contrary to instructions she cried herself to sleep.