A Light in the Dark

1.

After a week of working on the same case, you were ready for a break. Three girls missing across southern California and no bodies had turned up, which meant you and your team were still stuck on square one. Your boss, SSA Hotchner, had given you Saturday night off to get some rest so you could come back to work with a new mindset on Sunday morning. One night off wasn't much, but in the BAU you took what you could get.

You opened your suitcase up on the bed of your single hotel room, pulling out a fluffy white bathrobe. Room service had brought up exactly ten vanilla scented candles — per your request — an hour earlier. If you were going to have the night off, you might as well do it right.

Walking to the window that overlooked the city, you sighed. You had been with the BAU for almost a year now, and though it was your dream job, you still got lonely from time to time. No family left, no friends outside of work, and romantic relationships were totally out of the question.

Cold air from the AC unit blew over your body for a moment while you tried to dispel the California heat. After a few minutes goosebumps began to rise on your arms. You quickly shut the curtains, turning back to face your bed. Dwelling on the hard parts of life didn't help to put you in a relaxing mood, so you pushed it to the back of your mind.

Since you had a single room, you dropped your work clothes straight onto the floor. Relaxing mood means that dirty clothes are a tomorrow you problem. Pulling on the bathrobe, you breathed in deeply. It was time for your favorite part of your makeshift spa night.

You gathered the candles in your arms and made your way to the bathroom. Green tiles lined the walls, and plants hung from almost every empty area in the room. Though interior design had never been your strong suit, you could tell the bathroom was trying to scream "jungle chic."

They must have really went all out on the decorations. I guess it's working.

The bathtub stood out from the rest of the room, a traditional staple in an otherwise modern setting. It was all elegance, golden claw feet resting on the white tile floor, surrounded by dark wood shelves that made it pop out from the rest of the room. You couldn't wait to get in.

You placed the candles around the rim of the tub on the shelves, lining them up so they made a perfect U-shape around where you would soon be sitting. You made your way over to your purse on the nightstand to fetch your lighter, lit the candles, then returned it. You began to run the water in the tub, plugging the drain and pouring in mint-scented bubble bath. This was your very favorite part, watching as the bubbles grew and a sweet aroma filled the air. Finding time to do this, take nights for yourself, that's what made this job bearable. You don't know how you'd survive without an escape.

Finally, after the tub had filled with water, it was time. You dropped the warm white robe that you had wrapped around you to the floor, then stepped in carefully, one foot at a time. The water was hot, and you almost retracted your foot, but it was the good kind of hot, the kind that, if it burned you, it would be worth it. You closed your eyes and sunk down farther, resting your neck against the rim.

After what felt like only a few seconds, you heard the bathroom fan cut off, leaving you sitting in a sickly silence. You had always found complete quiet unsettling, and it wasn't any different now. Sighing, you opened one eye to find that the hotel bathroom, and from what you could see the bedroom too, had gone completely dark, save the candles sitting next to you.

Damn. Something always has to go wrong.

You started to slowly pull yourself out of the tub, wanting to try to turn the lights back on before you completely relaxed your body, but you heard a knock on the door to your room before you were even one foot of out the tub.