Prologue: The Sun Sets

Every artist has his inspiration.

Nathan Holler was an artist. There was no other word that better described him. Yet it could not even begin to scratch the surface. Art was his life, his art reflected life. His sketchbook and paper called to him, like a wolf is called to the moon. Both are inexplicable, and both are inescapable. Luckily, his family was very well off. Therefor he could dedicate his whole life to what he loved to do.

 

His love of art brought him to a secluded waterfront, almost completely untouched by man-made features. It was mere luck that he found it and common sense that he kept returning for inspiration. It was truly a stunning landscape; a sandy beach faded into a crystal clear lake, stretching far into the horizon. A few trees provided shade for the extremely sunny days, and a particularly comfortable rock provided the perfect place to just sit and think. It was exactly the place that suited his purposes.

 

This particular evening, Nathan was just sitting by the waterside, enjoying a nice glass of red wine. His sketchbook and pencil were set aside not too far away, waiting for their chance to be used. In a few minutes the sun would dip below the horizon, causing the normally blue sky to morph into a array of different colors. The perfect subject for his drawing capabilities. He took another sip of his wine, feeling a sense of tranquility as the liquid slid down his throat.

 

His mind was adrift. Gone somewhere that even he didn't know. It was so far away that he almost missed it; he brought himself back just in time to witness the lower tip of the sun to touch the horizon. The entire water side seemed to hold its breath as it waited for the show.

 

The sky exploded with color in a way that he had never thought possible. Reds, oranges, pinks, and even a hint of purple extended from the sun outward, dancing across the sky. They blended together to create new colors. Colors that the human language doesn't even have a name for. The colors extended to the nearby clouds, causing their white shades to be tinted ever so slightly with pink and orange. The pristine water reflected back the colors shown in the sky, only causing the scene to be even more beautiful.

 

It isn't often when a mere human has the pleasure of seeing true beauty in its raw, natural state. Nathan was the type of man who searched far and wide for such instances. Yet very rarely did he ever find a worthy subject of his attention. Now that he finally found the perfect source of such beauty, he didn't even feel obliged to record it on his sketchbook. It was enough to just watch.

 

Nathan leaned back slightly in his chair, shifting his body into a more comfortable position to see the show better. As time passed and the sun set even further, the colors only got more and more brilliant. It was a good five minutes before a sign of life other than himself let itself be known.

 

A single bird, a pure white bird, flew into his view. Unconsciously his gaze fixed itself upon it. It flew across the sky, going closer and closer to the source of the radiant color. Once it was flying right in the middle of the setting sun, something truly spectacular happened. Its gleaming white feathers transformed into brilliant red and oranges, as if it spontaneously combusted into flames. It no longer looked like an ordinary bird; it had morphed into a phoenix.

 

Hands twitching with excitement, Nathan quickly grabbed his sketchbook and pencil and began working furiously. This was what he was looking for; the subject for his next masterpiece. A phoenix, reborn from the flames.

 

His mind drifted into a different world, which it always did when he started to draw. Where time and mortal needs didn't touch him. All he needed was artistic inspiration. The pen seemed to move itself, gliding across the page with such ease that it made him forget there was a time where the pictures didn't come so easily.

 

Time passed, but exactly how much, he didn't know. He lost track of it. Nathan might have continued that way until the natural light have faded if something hadn't snapped him out of his trance. A noise, a simple thud, and all of his motions ceased instantly. Thirty seconds passed. He didn't hear another noise, and he let his muscles relax. He was about to get back to work when he heard another noise, this time slightly different.

 

Screaming. High pitched, shrill screaming that only desperation can bring out.

 

Sighing, Nathan slowly got up from his chair, muscles a bit sore from sitting in one place that long. Just when he thought that things were going to be quiet, something had to happen to cause it to be otherwise. He made his way across the sand to one of the trees, easily the tallest of the bunch. He then crouched down by the base of the tree and brushed some of the sand away with his hand. Within seconds a wooden trap door was revealed. It looked out of place; no one would have guessed that it was right there, hidden under the sand.

 

The screaming suddenly stopped. Whoever was down there obviously knew that someone was up there. The rattle of chains could be heard Nathan pulled on the handle, revealing a ladder leading into a dark basement-like room. Leaving the door open behind him, he quickly climbed down the ladder and faced the source of the noise.

 

She was young, only twenty-five, but her fiery orange hair and round face made her look younger than she was. Her ocean blue eyes shown through the darkness, bright saucers filled with trepidation. Nathan could almost hear her trembling as he reached up and turned on the light above him. "I thought I told you to be quiet," Nathan growled, pulling out a switch blade from his pocket. The blade glinted menacingly in the artificial light.

 

"I-I'm so s-sorry!" the girl managed to get out. Jeannette, that was her name. "I d-didn't mean�"" She shrieked as he took a few long strides until there was only a few inches between them.

 

"You should be," he said, taking the knife and pressing it against her neck. Jeannette pressed herself against the wall, desperate for an escape. "I already told you, no one is going to hear you. No one is going to find you. We're all alone out here�"just you, and me. With no distractions." She let out a small sob at the implications; little did she know that he did not want to use her in that way at all. He had much grander plans for her.

 

"Don't make me come back down here. I would hate to ruin your pretty little face prematurely," Nathan said gingerly, as if he wasn't saying a threat. "I'm almost done with my first sketch, and then… well, and then you'll become my masterpiece." He then removed the knife from her neck and headed back up the ladder, leaving poor Jeannette to sob on the floor.

Author's Note

My first ever Crimimal Minds fanfiction. The prologue is a little dry action-wise, not nearly as bloody as the rest of the story will be. Please enjoy! And remember, I don't own anything!

Reviews

[compositionc]

Scary. Yo. KICK HIM IN THE BALLS.
I enjoyed it very much.