Psychosis

Chapter 29- They Gone!

Isabel stood in her kitchen, washing the dishes by hand. She had a working dishwasher, but she liked doing them by hand. It was calming, in a way. She had just finished the last dish when she heard the door opening and closing. She figured it was her roommate, but then an instinct told her it wasn't. Something told her that it was something dangerous. She waited a moment to let the man think she didn't notice, and once he was close enough behind her, she spun around and hit the threat with a nasty right hook. He stumbled back, and before she could throw another punch, he fought back. They each threw as many punches and kicks as they could to deflect the other's, but in the end, he got her on the ground and pinned her down. In a moment, the attacker's face was changed into someone else's, and Isabel's chest contracted. She squirmed, panic building in her. Her squirming turned into full-fledged fighting, her panic causing her to lash out. Finally, her attacker pulled out a syringe and injected something into her neck. Soon enough, she relaxed, and the world turned to black.

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Akilah stepped into the bullpen, shaking off the little bit of snow that had accumulated onto her shoulders during the small trip from her car to the inside of the building. There had been a snowstorm that weekend that had let up Sunday night, just in time for Akilah to have to go to work Monday morning. She was shivering like crazy, not used to snow whatsoever. She had gone from Saudi Arabia to Florida, both of which had very little snow. And while she had been in Quantico for six months for training, she didn't see snow in that entire time. And then she had gone to California. Truth be told, this was her first time encountering snow, and she hated it. She had a bone to pick with whoever had turned off the heat. She honestly wanted summer back. She was just happy that Ciara was with Reid and out of the snow. Then again, she had told Akilah stories about snow, so Ciara was used to snow. Akilah shivered again, knowing she would have to get used to this. She sighed, putting her coat on the backside of her chair, rubbing her eyes as soon as she had sat down at her desk.

"Oh, Akilah! Have you seen Ciara?" Garcia asked. Akilah looked up at her, and immediately saw the concern on her face.

"Um, last I knew, she was with Reid," she told Garcia.

"Um, with Reid? Why would Ciara be with Reid?" Garcia asked, before smiling. "Has my ship finally sailed?"

"Your... ship?" Akilah asked, not really sure what Garcia meant by that. "Anyway, Ciara sees Reid every Saturday. She made the mistake of telling him that she never thought about dating because she lacked the social skills for it. So they meet up every Saturday and go do something, completely as friends, to work on her social skills. She must have stayed with him when the snowstorm started on Saturday. I'm glad she did. I didn't want her trying to get home in that storm."

"Completely as friends? Are you sure about that?" Garcia asked, and Akilah smirked.

"Well, that's what they say anyway. But I wouldn't count on either of them actually knowing if it was more than that. Despite their advanced intelligence, they both seem like dummies when it comes to love," Akilah answered, and Garcia agreed. Akilah thought about Ciara and knew that she was absolutely correct. Akilah knew that somehow Ciara's love map had been completely screwed up, but Akilah didn't know how screwed up or in what way. Ciara couldn't recognize real, true love, whether it be a friendship kind of love or a romantic love, even if it hit her over the head. Akilah didn't really know about Reid and how he handled love, so she hoped that he could show Ciara the way and maybe help heal her fractured love map. Or maybe there really wasn't anything at all between them. But Akilah knew deep down that she didn't believe that. "So I'm guessing that neither of them has come in?"