A/N: in 2011, I uploaded the first four chapters of this story. I was twelve years old, and I'd never written anything longer than a paragraph. I received a few negative reviews, and quickly became bored with uploading. But the sorry never left. I'm seventeen now, and I have spent the last five years shaping the characters and developing the plot of this story, and I think I'm ready to tell it. So whether you followed the story five years ago, or you're discovering it today, welcome, and thank you for reading!

-Megan

Prologue

"You meet people who forget you. You forget the people you meet. But sometimes you meet those people you can't forget. Those are your friends." -Author Unknown

Special Agent Jason Gideon sat sipping coffee alone in the cafeteria of the academy, absentmindedly watching the birds through the nearby window. He smiled at the sight of a cerulean warbler chasing a group of Lincoln's sparrows.

Masses of academy students moved all around him, racing about and reminding him of the bullpen at Quantico. They were all like the birds, in a way. They were young, just opening their wings, and Jason doubted whether they had any idea what it meant to do a job like his.

His eyes turned to the small bookstore across the hall. He had spent a fair amount of time there as a student. Right now, a petite girl with long dark hair stood at the cash register holding a heavy textbook. She looked younger than most of the other students. She paid for the book in cash, smiled brightly at the clerk, and turned towards the exit. As she walked, she opened the book, and flipped through the pages so quickly that she reached the back cover before she reached the door. Jason watched in confusion as she closed her eyes, frowned, flipped through the pages again, and threw the book neatly into a nearby trash can. Across the hall, the book store employee looked scandalized.

After she had disposed of her textbook, the girl sat down at a table not far from him, and Jason continued to watch her. She had her eyes closed, but they moved rapidly under their lids. Her lips twitched as though she was muttering to herself, but she was making no noise that he could hear. Finally, Gideon allowed his curiosity to get the better of him. He drained the last of his coffee from its paper cup, stood, and made his way over to the trash where the strange girl had just been. He looked around to ensur that no one was watching before he reached out for her discarded textbook. It was relatively clean, thankfully, and turned out to be a lengthy volume on forensic psychology. The price tag stuck to the back valued the book at over 150 dollars.

Jason turned again and looked at the girl. Her back was to him now, but she hasn't moved an inch. He threw his coffee cup away and walked towards her again. When he reached her table he sat across from her with the book in his lap, and he waited. After a moment, the girl opened her eyes. They were green.

"Hello," he said. 'I'm-"

"Jason Gideon, BAU. I know," the girl interrupted, extending her hand. "Logan Michaels. I'm honored, sir."

Jason raised his eyebrows. "I've heard of you," he told her, smiling.

Logan Michaels blushed. Gideon continued.

"You were the youngest agent ever to graduate from this academy, and a celebrated agent in the Crimes Against Children division since the moment you turned eighteen. They call you 'das wunderkind.'"

At this, she smiled. "German for 'The Wonder Child.' Mozart was known as 'wunderkind' in the 1760's, during his early days of fame in Salzburg."

Jason smiled again, looking down at the table. His eyes fell on the textbook resting in his lap. Slowly, he lifted it to the table and pushed it towards her. Logan's smile only grew.

"I didn't take you for the dumpster diving type, Agent Gideon," she said with a smirk.

Jason didn't respond. Instead, he carefully watched her reaction as he spoke. "Why did you throw it away?"

Logan leaned back in her chair and shrugged. She thought for a moment before replying, "I didn't need it anymore." Sensing his confusion, she continued. "I have a photographic memory. I was able to absorb every word of that textbook within a few seconds, and I'll be able to easily recall the material. My mind works like a digital camera. It records every small detail, whether I acknowledge them or not, and I look through memories like you might look through a photo album. Approximately thirteen percent of the human population can do this to some extent, but they remember much less, far less often, and far less accurately."

Gideon was amazed. He knew firsthand how valuable a mind like hers could be. "How old are you?" He asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"I turned twenty last month," she told him kindly. "Evidently, that's too old to do undercover work in Crimes Against Children, but still too young to be taken seriously anywhere else. So, I'm doing a lecture circuit."

Jason nodded, understanding. After all, he was there for the exact same reason. After what happened in Boston, the teaching position at the academy had sounded much more appealing.

His thoughts were stopped from getting too dark when Logan reached out to the textbook between them. She brushed her fingers delicately across the cover. Again, Jason had questions. He couldn't explain it, but this girl had piqued his interest like nothing else had as of late.

"Why the interest in forensic psychology?" He asked curiously. At this, Logan Michaels flushed bright red.

"It's for my PhD. I'm writing my thesis on the psychological differences between adult mass shooters and juvenile murderers. Although, to be honest, this book was sort of a waste of time. 14% of it was references to material I've read already."

"A PhD by twenty?" Jason asked, although it wasn't really a surprise, "Impressive."

"I already have one, actually. In mathematics. But it's not really helpful working in law enforcement. So, I figured I might as well try again. Who knows, maybe I'll get it right this time." She smiled.

"I wouldn't be surprised, Dr. Michaels." He told her genuinely. Again, she smiled.

The two quickly finished their conversation, and exchanged phone numbers. Soon after, Jason Gideon bade the interesting young doctor goodbye. But their conversation wasn't one he was soon likely to forget. She had fascinated him. And he wanted her talent. He knew that people like her, people like Spencer Reid, were the future of justice in their country. So Jason Gideon walked away knowing that he had to have her.

But Jason wasn't the only one who wanted her. Someone watched them that day. They watched her the day before, and they watched her the day after. And their intentions were much more sinister.