3.) Guidance Counselor

Melanie

I've never been on a plane before, let alone a private jet, so you can only imagine my excitement/nervousness when I first stepped foot onto the jet.

"The protege is tagging along?" Derek questioned, looking up from his phone.

"The protege has a name and yes, Melanie is tagging along." Rossi said, putting enfaces on my name. "You can sit anywhere." I nodded, taking a seat next to, Dr. Reid, who started squirming uncomfortably in his seat. Maybe I should've sat somewhere else.

"So Melanie, where are you from?" Reid asked me, sitting his book down on the table.

"A small town in Texas." I responded.

"And what brings you to Virginia?" Derek asked.

"My grandma and I traveled a lot, so we decided to settle down here in Virginia. We've only been here a week, but it's already starting to feel like home."

"So how do you know our beloved Rossi?" Emily chimed in.

"I've known Rossi since I was little." I began, smiling a little. "He really helped me and my grandma out a lot."

"I only wish I could've done more." He said.

"Trust me...you've done more than enough." The rest of the plane ride was me getting to know everyone and everyone getting to know me. Derek was really cool and funny, with a hint of cocky arrogance. I could tell he was a ladies man and he took pride in that title. JJ was really nice and welcoming, giving me a run down about their jobs and how things usually go during cases. Emily was observant and determined, but she was also someone I could see myself hanging out with sometime. Hotchner...well, he was quiet and only spoke when someone asked him a question. Lastly...Spencer Reid...socially awkward, gentle, kind, and smart. I mean smart, smart. I was beyond impressed at how much he knew about things and his main sources were books. He liked to read, just like me, and that alone made me excited to get to know him more.

When we arrived in Michigan, we all headed to the police station, getting dirty looks from the officers, as we all crowded inside. Uh...okay? Does this happen everywhere they go or is it just me that notices we're not welcomed here.

"I'd like to get started on all the files. We're gonna build what we call psychological autopsies, to determine whether the victims killed themselves." Reid said, as the officer showed him to where a stack of boxes were.

"We also need to speak with the families of the deceased, as well as the principal of the school." Emily said.

"I'll get you the addresses." The officer said, walking away.

"For people that need our help, they aren't exactly welcoming." Derek said.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one that noticed." I murmured. Splitting up, we left Spencer at the precinct, while Rossi, Hotch, and I went to speak with the principal. JJ, Emily, and Derek went to speak with the families and planned to meet up once we were done.

Walking into the high school, I felt a sense of sadness throughout the hallways, as we walked into the office.

"Hi, can I help you?" The lady at the front desk smiled.

"We're here to see Principal Gardner." Hotch said. I then started to get uncomfortable chills, as I turned and looked around the quiet office. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so why am I feeling...weird? Nearby, there was a girl sitting on a bench, with tears in her eyes. Her leg was moving vigorously and she looked as if she was about to lose it at any moment.

"You okay?" Rossi asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Hm? Oh yeah, I'm fine." I lied.

"Melissa, you can follow me." I heard a voice say. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, as I turned around, seeing a man standing in the doorway with a warm smile on his face. He waved at me and I awkwardly waved back, before turning back around.

"Excuse me, who is that man?" I asked.

"Oh, that's Mr. Michaelson. He's the guidance counselor and such an amazing asset to the school. With all the recent suicides, he's been extremely busy, helping all the students in need."

"What's going on?" Rossi whispered, but before I could tell him about my weird feelings...the principal came out to greet us.

"What can I do for you?" He smiled.

"Principal Gardner, I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner, this is SSA David Rossi, and our intern Melanie. We'd like to ask you a few questions about your recently deceased students." Hotch said. No...he's not the one we should be talking to. The guidance counselor is the one we need to be questioning.

While they spoke with the principal, I wandered around in the hallway, making sure not to stray too far. I ended up coming across one of the deceased students lockers, that was surrounded by flowers, candles, bears, and heartfelt notes that were taped to the locker doors.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you." I whispered. I looked around, making sure I was completely alone, before removing my gloves and touching the locker. In a flash, I saw no signs of depression or anything. Just a happy girl, who was living her best life, before she took her own life.

"I still can't believe it." I heard, as I quickly pulled my hand back. I turned and saw the girl who was in the office earlier, with tears in her eyes. "Why would she do this? I just don't understand."

"You knew her well?" I asked.

"Yeah, she was my...yeah, I knew her pretty well."

"Did she ever show any signs of depression or anything? Maybe she was having trouble at home?"

"No, she wasn't depressed, nor was she having any troubles at home." The girl cried. "She was always happy. So smart, so fearless...so loved. The day she...took her own life...we..." She seemed hesitant, chewing on her nails, and nervously glancing at me.

"You what? You can tell me, I promise your secret is safe." I assured her.

"Well...nobody knew this, but...Lauren liked girls. She and I...we were secretly dating and she was planning on telling her parents the night she died, but instead I guess she..." She started crying once again, as I gently rubbed her arm. In another flash, I saw the two girls together, holding hands, smiling, kissing. They looked so happy and in love. Pulling my hand back, I quickly put my gloves back on, just as the girl wiped her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pour my heart out to you." She sniffled. "Who are you anyways?"

"I'm here with the FBI, looking into all the mysterious suicides." I told her. "I saw that you were meeting with the guidance counselor when we arrived. Did Lauren ever visit him as well?"

"Yeah, she needed advice on how to come out to her family, so she went to him for guidance. I thought he had helped her, because she seemed so determined to tell them, but...I guess I didn't know her like I thought I did."

"I'm really sorry for your loss and I promise we're going to do everything we can to find out what's going on." She smiled and nodded her head, thanking me, before heading back to class. I took a deep breath, heading back into the office, just as they were wrapping up with the principal.

"If I can be of any further assistance, please don't hesitate to call me." Principal Gardner said, shaking their hands.

"Actually, could we speak with your guidance counselor?" I asked him. He nodded, calling Mr. Michaelson on the walkie talkie.

"What are you thinking?" Rossi asked me.

"Something isn't right with the guidance counselor. Call it a hunch, but...dude definitely gives me bad vibes." Moments later, Mr. Michaelson strolled into the office, and the hairs on my neck stand up once again.

"Well hello there, I'm Peter Michaelson. What can I do for you?" He smiled.

"We were hoping we could talk to you about the students that...well you know." I said.

"Ah yes. Such an upsetting tragedy, but why don't we discuss this in my office." Hotch and Rossi exchanged looks, before we all followed him to his office. "I'm not sure if I can be of any help, but I'll try my best."

"Aside from Lauren Davis, did any of the other recently deceased students stop by to talk to you? Did they maybe feel depressed or having any troubles at home?"

"They were all battling some form of demons, but I wouldn't call that depression. They came to me for guidance and because it is my job...I guided them the best way I knew how. Unfortunately, they decided to take the easy way out."

"The easy way out? Is that what you're calling it?" Rossi questioned.

"We all have demons, agent. The real question is, are you going to battle those demons and win, or are you going to let them destroy you?" He asked, giving Rossi a dark gaze. "But I'm afraid that's all the time I have for now. We're having a vigil in the auditorium, to pay tribute to the students that we've lost."

"Well thank you so much for your time." Hotch spoke, as we all stood up. He shook their hands first, giving me time to remove my gloves, before shaking my hand. In a flash, I saw a young boy being bullied by a group of students. They were throwing things at him, pointing and laughing, while he curled up in a corner and cried.

"Melanie?" I heard Rossi say, as I let go of his hand.

"Is everything alright?" Mr. Michaelson asked me.

"Yes, everything is fine. Sorry about that." I said, giving him a smile. I slid my gloves back on, turning on my heels, and walking out of his office.

"Wanna tell us what that was about?" Rossi asked, the moment we were back in the car.

"He knows way more then he's leading on."

"What do you mean?" Hotch questioned.

"I met a girl who was...close to one of the students, Lauren Davis, and she told me that Lauren went to see the guidance counselor the same exact day she killed herself. So what if all the other students did so as well?" I explained.

"You seem pretty confident that the guidance counselor is guilty." I glanced at Rossi, who knew exactly how and what I knew. "What did you see when you touched his hand?

"I'm...sorry?" Wait a minute...did Hotch know about my gift?

"He knows all about you, Mel. I uh...I told him right before you guys moved in." Rossi admitted.

"Oh...well, I really didn't see much of anything. Just a younger boy, who I'm assuming was him, getting bullied by other kids." I said. That's when it clicked. "Maybe the kids that were bullying him, are the parents of the suicide kids."

"That could be likely, but if the kids are willingly killing themselves, then how is the guidance counselor involved?" Hotchner questioned, basically murmuring to himself. That was a good question. How was he involved in this?