Teen Ink

5

Spencer's P.O.V.

I had thought high school was tough for me. Annabelle had it worse. If I had been stronger and knew what I should have known then...Who was I kidding? I'm not the fighting type or even the confrontal type. I just wish she would have told me. I could have at least helped her out and got her through it. The worst part of it was I didn't think it was over. She may have failed to notice the victims strike an almost perfect resemblance to her, but I didn't. Nor did the rest of the team. It's why she was here in the office with me just trying to figure out the little details we might have missed. I looked up from my work and stared at Annabelle. She was concentrating hard and I couldn't help but smile. Whenever she was really concentrating she would stick her tongue out just slightly. I guess some things never changed. I turned back to my work and we sat in silence. When my phone rang she jumped slightly. I apologized quietly before standing up and answering my phone.
"Hello?" I asked. "Hey Reid, It's Morgan...We found out the name of our Unsub" He said. "Oh, who is it?" I asked. "His name is Ryan Stiles...” He replied. "That sounds really familiar" I said more to myself then to him. "It should. He went to your high school Reid. We're almost there so we'll go over everything with you and Annabelle when we see you" He said. "Okay...See ya" I said before shutting my phone. I sat back in my chair and tried to think back. Ryan Stiles...Ryan Stiles...He was a football player. His senior year he got hurt so he started drinking more and more. He had been the quarterback and lost his sports scholarship. He also had been the first one to grab me when they tied me to the post. I looked up at Annabelle when she broke through my thoughts.
"So what's going on?" She asked. "Umm, they found out the name of the Unsub" I replied. "Oh really, who is it?" She asked just like me. "Ryan Stiles" I said. Right after I said that she got quiet and it looked like the color drained from her face. She sat back in her chair and turned back to what she was doing. I wondered what was wrong and was about to ask her, but the team had returned. They all came and sat around the table. "So what can you tell us about this man?" Hotch asked looking between Annabelle and I. "He was a quarterback for the football team, but got injured his senior year. Lost all the scholarships he had and fell off the wagon after that. He became drunk and after I graduated I hadn't heard anymore from him" I said. "He has an anger problem" Was all Annabelle said. "Could you explain that?" Prentiss asked. "He just...doesn't handle rejection well" She said looking off. "Alright, well he's targeting pretty, small, brunette women. They are all between 22 and 25. He's keeps them in a locked up room for approximately 3 days before killing them. The way he kills them is the worst part of it" Prentiss said before Garcia was phoned in.
"Cases like this make me happy I am a blonde and not a brunette...This guy has earned an official ten on the creepy factor. He keeps them somewhere, where there are a lot of trees. He tortures them...and I mean really tortures. Everything you can think of happens to these women. How they can sustain it all I don't know. There are burn marks, cuts, bite marks, marks from where he tied them up. This guy has no soul. The most common thing is that he breaks their left leg and cuts it. They all have the same scar and cut when they are found. It's only that marking that sticks out too. Everything else is just here and there. No pattern other than that" Garcia explained. I felt myself look over at Annabelle. She looked even paler from before. I swallowed hard and cleared my throat. The team needed to know that Annabelle was the target. Hotch looked over at me. "Do you have something to add Reid?" He asked. "Yes...umm...Annabelle...has a scar...just like that and I know I'm not the only one who noticed how much these victims look like her" I said.
When I looked back at her, she seemed to be thinking everything through. The team looked at her and she nodded slowly before rolling up her pant leg and showing everybody. "Oh Jesus" Garcia said. "What is it Baby Girl?" Morgan asked. "Well I just looked through to see what ties Ryan Stiles might still have to Annabelle...I also looked through the other files. I found some more victims guys...They have different haircuts though and some date back as far as when you guys first graduated" Garcia replied. "Different haircuts? So he's been following me and whenever I made a change...his victims also had that change?" Annabelle asked "That's what it's looking like" Prentiss said. "Why would he want his victims to look like you?" Rossi asked. "In high school...I rejected him...I guess you could say...” She said quietly. "All of that plus the new rejection from his scholarships probably set him off" Morgan said. "Why hasn't he ever tried to contact me though?" Annabelle asked. "He could have. His appearance probably had changed from when we last saw him. If he sees a certain type you seemed to be drawn to. He could have changed his looks to that as well" I answered.
"Until we find him, Annabelle, you are to have a team member with you at all times. We're ready to give the profile...” Hotch said before walking out the door. We all stood up and Annabelle waited until everyone left the room but her and me. We walked out together and went to stand with the rest of the team she stopped and grabbed my arm. "What is it?" I asked. "I really have to go to the bathroom. I'll only be five minutes" She said. "You're not supposed to go anywhere alone" I said. "Reid...It's only the bathroom. If I'm not out within 5 minutes send Prentiss in. But you shouldn't worry" She said smiling at me. I smiled, but still felt uneasy. I walked with her to the bathroom and waited outside of the door. I continued waiting until I looked down at my watch. 5 minutes had come and passed. I began to get nervous and called for Prentiss. She walked over. "Could you go in there and check for Annabelle?" I asked. "Of course" Prentiss replied walking in the bathroom.
A couple minutes passed before she came running out. Her look confirmed my fear. She called out for the rest of the team and we all went inside the bathroom. There was a knocked over trashcan and a broken stall. Also one of the mirrors was broken. How did I not hear any of this going on? The window was open and there was a small amount of blood on it. My heart felt like it could beat right out of my chest. I should have heard something. How in hell did the Unsub get into a police station and manage to take Annabelle? I leaned against the wall and cupped my face. Morgan came over to me. "Don't worry Reid. We'll find her. She's the object of his obsession. He won't kill her. He'll want to keep her alive" He said trying to reassure me. It didn't help though. Nothing would help right now except getting her back. This was all my fault. My gut had told me not to let her go in there, but I did anyways. Now she was gone and he had her. My Annabelle.