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"CAN YOU REMEMBER WHO YOU WERE BEFORE SOCIETY TOLD YOU WHO TO BE?"
•
Morgan and Prentiss now sat in the other room with the rest of the team, watching Natalia stare at the wall.
"She's good." Rossi said.
"She was toying with me." Prentiss took a seat and looked over at him.
"She was proving a point."
The conversation was interrupted when Agent Hotchner started to speak. "So far we have good progress. Our main concern right now is getting her to work with us in order to find Moore."
"We should try to gain her trust." JJ stepped forward.
"How do you suggest we do that?"
"For starters, I say we get someone to talk with her outside of the interrogation room." Jennifer looked to Hotch for any expression of approval.
"I can do it." All eyes turned to see Spencer Reid, who had just spoken. "JJ and Rossi brought her here, and Prentiss and Morgan questioned her. It's likely she'll warm up to someone that hasn't been involved in her arresting."
Hotch didn't reply. Instead, he gave a subtle nod and let Reid head over to the interrogation room.
•
"Check." Natalia lifted her fingers from the chess piece and took a glance at her surroundings. 10 minutes ago she was cuffed to a table, and now she was sitting in an air conditioned office, loosing a game of chess. "Why'd you bring me out here?"
"What?" Reid lifted his eyes off of the board for a moment.
"Look around. I'm not where I'm supposed to be. I doubt many criminals come in here and play chess with you."
"You'd be surprised."
Natalia chuckled and moved her piece.
"Why'd you join the cartel?"
The sudden question caused the girl to quickly raise her head and furrow her eyebrows, before averting her gaze to somewhere else. "Wow. You're not even going to ease into that."
"Sorry-"
"No, no it's fine. It's Spencer, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, Spencer, I'll answer your question in the simplest way I can. My brother was sick, and I needed something to pay off medical bills. Luca found me and promised he could make things better."
"Did he help?"
"No." She shook her head. "He only made it worse. When I thought I had nothing left, he proved me wrong. I just... I wanted to help my brother." Her voice began to crack and she swallowed hard. "I care about him, you know?" Natalia never showed people when she was upset, but she couldn't think about her brother's situation without feeling guilt. She could've done better. She could've helped him.
Reid stood up from across the table and sat on the couch next to her. "I know." He looked downward, picturing his own mother in his head.
"I was just a clueless idiot." She took the palm of her hand and roughly wiped at a tear on her face. "So," She cleared her throat. "Who is it?"
"What?" He looked up from the floor and met her eyes.
"Don't play dumb. You're empathizing. You're thinking about someone."
"It's nothing."
Natalia tilted her head in concern, but she decided to leave it alone. She quietly turned back to the chess game and watched as Reid got up from the couch. He returned to his seat, and picked up from where the game had left off.
