Rebel Girl

chapter 1

"The FBI are advising women not to travel alone at night, until they find the person or persons responsible for the recent killings in Arlington." Mia switched her TV off with a sigh, all the media seemed to talk about was the current serial killer killing members of the punk rock scene - Mia wasn't worried about it, or rather she hadn't been worried about it until someone she considered a friend was found brutally murdered. She threw her leather jacket on before leaving her apartment and beginning the ten minute walk to work. Mia worked at a local bar, The Loft, it was frequented by those of the punk scene, a scene Mia was proud to be a part of, there was almost a stigma surrounding the scene and she felt although these murders were fuelling it. Mia worked as a bartender, but she might as well be the manager- her boss Matt had even told her himself that he'd be happy to promote her, but she didn't care for the extra responsibility that came with managing the place, she was more than happy to run the place the way she currently did.

The BAU had set up at the local police department's office to make it easier rather than running things from Quantico, they only had one lead which agent Jareau and Dr Reid were going to check out later in the evening. All three victims had last been seen at the same bar, they were going to go and ask some questions to the employees and some of the patrons while agents Hotchner and Morgan were working with the information they got from the ME, agents Rossi and Prentiss were studying the victimology and the team's technical analyst Penelope Garcia offered help from behind her computer screens. The team felt drained, the police department were utterly incompetent and seemed to be making the case into a huge spectacle - they'd gone on and done a press conference which agent Hotchner had strongly advised them against until they knew more about their unknown subject, or unsub. Dr Reid and agent Jareau were getting prepared to make their way to the bar where all the victims were last seen while everyone else was getting ready to head back to the hotel and sleep.

Mia's shift had just finished, this was her favourite part about her job, she could stick around after work and enjoy the live music and the atmosphere of the place. Tonight was the final show of a local cover band who were promoting their first EP, they'd played a number of gigs at The Loft and numerous other small venues around the city. The band were just starting to play Bikini Kill's Rebel Girl, one of Mia's favourite songs, so she found herself moving towards the dance floor. It didn't bother her at all, dancing surrounded by people as sweaty as her, as the song played she found herself getting lost in the music, singing along with the crowd.

When Dr Reid and agent Jareau arrived at The Loft they were met with a series of raised eyebrows, they couldn't have looked more out of place if they had tried. Dr Reid was a tall, lanky genius; he wore a navy shirt with a black crooked tie and black trousers, his tan leather satchel across his body, mis-matched socks peaked out of his black converse. Agent Jareau was a stunning blonde who could've easily been a model, she had kind blue eyes and a delicate face, similarly to her partner she wore business attire that most definitely didn't fit in at the venue. The pair of FBI agents made their way over to the bar: after being in the place for a few minutes they got used to the volume of the music, as they had entered Dr Reid had almost winced- he didn't care for such heavy, loud music. They asked the barmaid to point them in the direction of the person in charge, she had smiled at them and said,
"Mia's out on the dance floor, she'll come back between songs for a drink." The two had thanked her and turned their attention to the dance floor, that's when he saw her.

She stood out from the crowd, but Dr Reid couldn't put his finger on why. Was it her carefree attitude? Maybe. He watched her as she danced, her wavy dark hair shone purple under the lights, a grin was plastered on her face as she danced with the people around her, she was too far away for him to make out her facial features. She wore black doc martens, leather pants and an off the shoulder black top. As the barmaid had suggested once the song came to an end she jogged through the crowd to the bar where a large glass of water was waiting for her, she eagerly took a few gulps before the two FBI agents caught her attention,
"Mia is it?" Agent Jareau asked, Mia nodded.

Mia had spotted the two feds as soon as they walked in, she'd noticed their attire and instantly figured they weren't here for the music. She ignored them for the duration of the song; she had heard a few whispers from the patrons of the bar as she made her way over to the bar.
"Mia is it?" A petite blonde asked, Mia nodded,
"That's me, what can I help you with?" The blonde asked if there was somewhere more private they could speak, so Mia led them behind the bar and upstairs to the office- once inside the agents introduced themselves; Dr Spencer Reid and Agent Jareau, or JJ. Mia gestured for the two agents to take a seat on the small sofa in the office while she perched on the small desk across the room from them, she fiddled with the bracelets on her right wrist as JJ began explaining why they were there.

Spencer had tried to focus on the task at hand, but he was fascinated by the woman sitting in front of him. She was stunning; her vivid green eyes stood out against the black eyeliner she wore, her plump lips were painted a burgundy shade of red, she had a button nose and a well sculpted face. She wore quite a bit of makeup but Spencer could tell she would be just as beautiful without it. He was brought back into the real world when Mia rose from the desk and began rummaging in one of the drawers, she picked up a piece of paper before handing it to JJ,
"That's Sofia, she was one of the bar staff here- we were friends, if there is anything at all I can do to help I will." JJ studied the photo for a few moments before handing it to Spencer, in the photo Mia and Sofia grinned at the camera from behind the bar- Mia had an arm slung over Sofia's shoulder, they looked happy.

Spencer handed Mia the photo and she looked down at it with a sad smile,
"Have you noticed anyone out of place in the past few weeks?" Spencer asked Mia as she made her way back to the desk,
"Honestly? the only people i've noticed out of place here are you guys. I don't think anyone from the club would do this though." Mia stated with confidence,
"How can you be so sure?" Spencer fired back, Mia sighed,
"This place is like a community, I don't know everyone but this is like a safe space. It's easy for people to judge us when we walk down the street or when we shop, but here everyone fits in and there's no judgement. I really don't think anyone here could be a killer, if you'd like to follow me back downstairs I can point you in the direction of the regulars."