The Telepath's Daughter

They Meet

Julio Ruiz blocked out the distractions of his surroundings.

In the past he would have cast an offering, even if it was only water to attract the attention of the orishas that permeated the Palero world, but he'd refined his methods of communication thanks to living among so many who were psychically gifted. It was still his preference to offer a gift out of respect for the spirits of his religion, but now he could sense when they were listening and, if he asked with all his heart and soul, they sometimes deigned to respond.

So now Julio walked a few yards away and let all his private feelings surface; his admiration for Melinda's talents and his wariness of her as well; his appreciation of the love he could see flowing between father, mother and child; and a little envy for the family Reid had managed to build against so many seemingly insurmountable odds. Julio knew he himself was an oddity in the tiny, hidden sanctuary; even more so than he'd been in Florida where he'd at least been among those who shared his religious beliefs. He'd given up thinking he could be part of a traditional family unit. He was grateful for the place he'd found with the old doctor and Millie. If it wasn't quite what most would call 'family,' it was still an arrangement that enriched Julio's life.

But at this moment with his back turned toward the others, Julio let all the longing he kept hidden pour forth. I was there at her birth, he told any spirits who might be listening. I have seen the gifts she brings to her parents, how she lives in the center of their hearts, their souls. He squeezed his eyes closed and pictured Melinda's own large, curious eyes. Golden like her father's. Please help us find her. Or help her find us. Please, please don't let this special, little creature disappear from our lives. Not yet. I think her father and mother would not survive without her.

Julio cleared his mind and waited for the odd, disjointed sensation that usually preceded an orisha speaking through him. He could never recall afterwards what the spirits actually said, but he was certain, having brought the images of Reid and Ana into his thoughts, that the orishas would realize how close Reid was and would seek him out to deliver their message.

Julio waited. And waited. And only felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that wasn't mysterious at all.

He recognized it as despair and utter abandonment...the death of hope.

xxxxxxxxx

Reid shifted his weight from foot to foot; his anxiety making it impossible for him to stay still when everything in him cried out to do something!...anything! Hotch kept his youngest agent contained and made sure Reid didn't bolt into the woods in another useless attempt to find Melinda. It took all of Hotch's attention.

Rossi, however, was more observant of his other companions. He saw Julio's shoulders tense at first. Then the Palero priest raised his head, as though questing for something, or making himself available. Then, after a time, his posture sagged. Rossi read defeat in the man's entire demeanor. A tiny, niggling worm of fear began its journey up Rossi's spine. He'd begun to expect almost magical results from the inhabitants of this village. He couldn't begin to understand how their gifts worked or what it might feel like to have ESP-er talents, but he'd always harbored a sort of safety net in his mind that these people could almost work miracles. And the chief miracle worker was the old doctor.

Rossi was aware of him...an elderly man standing back from where Julio was trying to call his orishas. He was paying scant attention to Hotch's efforts to keep Reid in line. In fact, the old doctor was so quiet and still that he was barely a presence at all against the backdrop of the actions in which the others were engaged. Maybe that was why, when he did move, Rossi caught it in his peripheral vision and turned to see if the one person he'd thought of as the resident master-wizard would pull a rabbit out of his hat and give them all a happy ending.