Psychosis

Chapter 2- The Psychotic Ciara Byrne

Isabel watched as they boarded the plane around her, her redheaded friend joining her as the others sat down. Isabel knew they were three of the members of the BAU, and she knew they were coming for her. The redhead saw that her crush wasn't there, and through her pouting, she ignored Isabel's questions. Isabel got up from her seat and sat next to the one she liked. The nerdy one. He was nerdy. He was one of the few people who totally understood her books, and she wondered why that was. Why no one else seemed to understand as well as he did. Would he understand when he met her? Would he understand that she couldn't help being the way she was? He would never know too much about her past. None of them would. They would probably see her, see who she really was, and turn right around and leave her where they found her. After all, who wouldn't? She was psychotic.

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Dr. Spencer Reid looked over the small file they had made of Ciara Byrne. What concerned him was the spotty life that this girl had. First appearing when she was five, then graduating at thirteen, then being shipped off to a mental hospital until she was nineteen. What would she have been like if that hadn't happened? What would she have done with her life if six years of it weren't taken away from her? But at the same time, reading about how she was sent to a mental hospital reminded him of his mother. Hadn't he placed her in a sanitarium as soon as he possibly could? He got his mind off of that by rereading through each of the medical records they had on Ciara. He counted and found out that in between the ages of six and thirteen she had five broken fingers, four broken arms, three broken ribs, two broken legs, two first-degree burns, three third-degree burns, six serious infections, and four concussions. Yet, he had a feeling that there were more concussions and first-degree burns. They both stopped when she was eight. Possibly her parents had just started to understand what they were and how to treat them and stopped reporting them.

Why hadn't there been any investigations after the first? How else, besides abuse, did they think that one little girl got that many injuries? That was one thing Reid wanted to ask Ciara. Besides everything about her books, which he had refreshed his memory on by reading all three of them again.

"Reading that again? Reid, we've been through everything that's in that file." Reid jumped when Morgan appeared behind him, having read over his shoulder what was being read. They were waiting for Hotch and Gideon to decide who would be going to Omaha with them to find Ciara.

"It just doesn't make any sense. An investigation was started when she was eight. Why weren't there anymore when the injuries just kept piling up?" Reid asked.

"I don't know. It's a tiny town. Maybe her family had a reputation to uphold. What I can't figure out is how exactly she managed to fly under the radar until she was signed up for first grade. I'm starting to think that even Ciara Byrne isn't her real name. I'm starting to think that she has yet another identity," Morgan revealed.

"But if she does have another identity, then how are we going to find out what it is?" Reid questioned.

"Simply by asking her. That's the only way we can. Don't worry about Ciara too much. We'll have time for questions when we bring her back to Quantico," Morgan assured.

"Assuming she comes with us at all," Reid mentioned, and Morgan shrugged.

"We're the FBI. I don't think we'll have a problem." Morgan laughed and left Reid alone then, and he knew he needed a break from poring over Ciara's file. He looked around and saw that JJ was still reading Forever Mine. That would have to do. Reid got up and dragged his chair to JJ's desk, and she looked up briefly before going back to her book.