What Shall I Call You?

Aquaticmage: hey i made a new one i'm going to see if it goes well and people like it or i'll just leave it and not update.

/ start story/

I quickly pulled on a baggy white tang top and some baggy jeans. I slipped on my socks and shoes. Quickly combed my hair and applied deodorant. Pulled on a beanie and put on my pentagram earrings. Ran down the stair into the kitchen, grabbed a bagel and my bag pack and raced out the door to school. This was how my mornings usually were. Always a rush. I never wake up at the right time because my tormenting big brother likes to turn my alarm clock off to make me late for school.

I don't really look forward to going to school but, today was the first day after spring vacation and I didn't want to miss anything to day. Especially since it was rumored around the school that our school gym teacher was being fired and I didn't want to miss the first day of getting a peaceful gym class for once. Even though we'd only have a substitute at first. Although that's the only reason I'm going because I have to for I'm Autumn Mandrake, a high school loser. Even the geeks and nerds don't want to hang out with me, but the funny thing is that my brother is one of the schools most popular and hottest boys in school. He's only second to Suichi Minamino. Me I don't even go near his type I'll just depress them or scar there reputations, beside I'm just a big fat loser. Although I lost a lot of weight over the summer, because now I look like an f'n model, but I'm still the same loser from last year.

One of the reasons I'm always picked on is because I always carry a laptop around, I'm always typing on it, I'm fricken smart so I've skipped a grade which put me in the senior class with my brother and Suichi, plus I've got pink hair and I'm pale as hell, oh and the piece of resistance is that I'm afraid of men. So I'm a real whack job if I do say so myself. As I keep talking to myself inside my head about why people make fun of me I just make it to the bus. My older brothers in the back grinning like a retarded monkey at me because I look all frazzled from running to the bus stop. My seats always unoccupied so I sit right behind Tory the bus driver. He's a pretty cool guy, he's actually one of my only friends after my friend Summer moved. So the people I was left with for friends were Tory the bus driver, my counselor Ms. Jingoist, and the Janitor Sally who I eat lunch with every day.

So I get to school and go through the whole hazing thing as I walk to my locker, when I notice Yusuke Urameshi leaning on my locker. Oh. Great I wonder what he wants, I think as I walk towards my locker. When I start to get closer to the locker he notices me and walks towards me. I start to get really tense but just as I'm about to hyperventilate he walks right past me and starts being all chummy with his girlfriend Kieko. Oh god I was so stupid to think he wanted me for something, he doesn't even know I exist, he must have just been leaning on my locker waiting for Kieko she is after all using the locker right next to me. So I hurry over to my locker and notice all the pictures of Summer and I, hanging out, traveling, and acting stupid together hanging on the inside of my locker. I grab a soda from my locker and put it in my bag because I use my locker as a fridge. As I'm about to grab a snack pack my locker slams shut. I look over to see my tormentors standing beside me.

It was the Suichi fan clubs top members and their president. "What not even a nice high in the morning Autumn? Don't you like us any more? Oh wait you don't have any friends. But let me just get to the point, I'm here because I caught you sneaking a peek at my dear Suichi during class last week and I just witnessed you near one of his friends. Let me remind you one last time stay away from him, his friends, and importantly don't even look at them. Ok. Well have a super day," Amanda their president spat at me.

Well it looked like my day was starting out just fine. So most of my classes went on uneventful and lunch was just the same usual eating in the janitors' closet talking with Sally about life. And then the period I'd been waiting for gym. And the rumor was true, the teacher was fired and we had a new one. He was this super hot lookin' oriental man with short blue hair with green bangs and he told us to just call him by his first name Touya.

He was a bitch of an instructor though. He had us do fifty laps around the gym, do one hundred fifty push ups, and to top it all of we had run 50 more laps caring medicine balls. But thankfully for me I wasn't to out of shape and I didn't even break a sweat.

As I finished my last lap with the medicine ball I made my way over to the benches and sat down. I then began to watch some of my tormentors suffer as they tried to finish their laps to no avail. I quietly laughed to myself as they kept stumbling and falling all over the place. "You know it's not nice to laugh at others if their failing."

I jumped and quickly turned around to see my gym teacher. He was sitting right behind me and if I wasn't breathing heavily before I was now. "Me… laughing at… them. No. I just find it…amusing that the lazy…used to be fat girl…can do this and…they can't," I let out between breaths. "I sound like you just made it through," Touya stated. "I…did…just hyperventilating…now."

He kind a looks at me with wide eyes. "Do you need to go to the nurse," he asked me. "Who's…the nurse…today," I ask. "It's Mr. Puccini."

"No…that'll just…make…it worse," I gasped out. "Yeah it probably will," I heard come from next to me.

I looked over to see my counselor. "Honey when I heard that you got a new gym teacher and that he was male I new I had to come and get you out of here before you can't breathe. So come on Miss Mandrake lets go."

Oh thank the gods; I didn't know how much longer I could stand this torture. "Excuse me, but she's in the middle of her gym class she can't just leave," Touya said.

"Actual she can because her state of mind will be compromised if she doesn't. I say this as simple as I can to get the seriousness of this is only once. Miss Mandrake is afraid of men," My counselor said. I can't believe she said that. I wish I could just die on the spot. Actual no that I mention it I'm feeling a bit dizzy. "Ms. Jingoist… lack of…oxygen to…brain...feeling dizzy," I shot out between gasps for air. "As you can see she has to be taken out of your class now. Let's go child before you pass out and we need to call 911."

As Ms. Jingoist helped me leave the gym I looked back at Touya to notice him and Hiei Jaganashi looking at me weirdly. Oh god he must have been behind me the whole time. Great the Suichi fan club was going to beat me up now. I know I could take them, but I didn't want to get kick out of school for fighting. Especial since I only had a few months left.

I talked to Ms. Jingoist for the rest of the period trying to find out why I'm afraid of men when then the final bell rang and school was out. I had to stay after today any way so I wasn't going home anyways. I worked with the librarian after school to help her clean the library and organize it. After I finish with that I help the Janitors clean up the place and the helped the teachers make their teaching plan s for the next day. After I got finished with that I helped the bus drivers clean their buses and it would be about six thirty. Thankfully one of the female bus drivers lived near me and would drive me home after I was done. I already did my home work when I was at school so I was basically free to do what ever I wanted to do. And for some reason we had no school tomorrow I could stay up and talk to Summer online for the rest of the night. By the time I got home it was about seven at night. When I entered the house I knew something was wrong. Especially when I saw nine set of shoes that belonged to no one in the house so I quietly shut the door behind me and quietly went up the stair. When I was close to my brothers room I tried to sneak past it to get to the stair that lead to the attic which was my room when I heard some one say, "Hey there pretty thing why don't you come in here so we can get to know each other." I turned my head to the side to see my brother hanging out with Suichi and his friends and some kids I didn't recognize, and my gym teacher Touya. Wait was he hanging out with my gym teacher? Oh goddess some one save me please!

"Hey that's my sister Chu don't hit on her besides she afraid of men you might give her a heart attack. So leave her alone," My older brother scolded him. "Really Dante, well I can fix that, come here Shelia," the Australian voice named Chu purred. I yelped when a hand shot towards me and I ran up into my room slammed the door and locked it behind me. I threw my bag into the recesses of my room and jumped on my and grabbed my laptop from my dresser. As I logged onto the inter net I heard the people down stair laughing and joking around. I wish Summer was still here we'd be the ones laughing and joking around but she wasn't here any more.

Every one really did believe me when I told them she moved but the truth was she ran away. Her parents died last year and she was living by her self, but every now and then she'd stay here. But right before my senior year started she got up and left, she told me she had to go and find some thing out for herself and wouldn't be back until she did.

Every now and then she'd be on IM to tell me she's okay but lately I haven't heard any thing from her and I was starting to get worried. I guess today was the same. She wasn't on today.

I quietly placed the laptop back on the dresser and turned on my radio and started listening to Eminem's song mocking bird. I blasted it to drown out the happy voices down stairs. I wanted to cry and didn't know why but I knew mom would be home soon and she'd know that I did and want me to tell her why. And she knows if I'm lying so I wouldn't know what to say, besides I didn't need them to think I was even more screwed up.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard banging coming from my door. I walked over to my door and unlocked it. I slightly opened it some I could see who was knocking on it and it was one of the people from downstairs. It was the girl named Boton who showed up at school every now and then. I noticed that the rest of them were crowding at the bottom of the stairs. "What do you want," I asked. "Oh I came up here to ask you if you'd turn of your music. It's a little loud and well the songs kinda depressing," She said cheerfully. Oh god her voice sounds so happy and preppy, god I think my ears are going to bleed. "No. I like this music and I don't care if its depressing because I'm a very depressing person."

I slammed the door in her face, locked it and went back to my bed. Dante started yelling at me through the door when I heard my moms' voice and it sounded like she needed help carrying groceries. I turned off my music went to the door unlocked it, opened it, shut it, locked it with my key, walked past all of the people, and walked out side to help my mother.

When I got out there and she looked like she was having trouble closing the car door. I smiled at her and closed it for her. "Need some help mom," I asked. "Oh would you. I can't carry all these it's just to heavy," she whined as she dropped all of them in my arms. I quickly followed after her through the front door and into the kitchen shaking my head at her antics. I set all the groceries on the table and started to put them away as she went to the fridge and grabbed a soda.

"So how many friends does your brother have over today," My mom asked me. "Oh he has about nine friends over and two of them are girls and apparently they didn't like Eminem very much," I told her.

She looked at me appalled over something I said and I knew exactly what too. "They don't like Eminem. Oh the in humanity of it all. Well I'll just have to fix that. Honey you go ahead and listen to as much Eminem as you want, and if you really want me to I can go up stairs and embarrass you brother and scare all his friends," she said looking at me hopefully. "Well since you put it like that would you," I chimed looking at her. "Of course any thing to cheer you up!"

I laughed as she started up the stairs singing Dante's name. I then ran up the stairs as fast I could to my room when I heard Dante yell, "Autumn I going to kick your ass for this."

I then heard him come up the stairs as I closed my door and locked it. He started banging on the door screaming at me as I started laughing out loud. After I wiped away my tears of joy, I sighed, I didn't get much enjoyment out of life. Not since my father got up and left this family and never came back. He broke moms heart that day, I remember she had cried for days, But she said at least he was still alive. I don't remember much back then but I do remember he was the only family member who actual believed in me and took the time to play with me. Even back then I had no friends, my dad was my only friend and when he left a part of me died. My happiness.

I guess I spaced out for a while because the banging on my door stopped. When my eyes focused I noticed my brother hovering above me. Wait my brothers hovering above me. "Well welcome back space cadet," he said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

I then proceeded to launch off my bed to see all his friends in my broken door way. Wait broken door way. He broke my fucking door off the hinges. He will pay. In cash of course. I don't take checks. I then glared at him from the corner of my room.

"Hey guys do you think we should stop him from fighting his sister. I mean he could really hurt her," one of the girls said. Great even they think I suck. "Na, this is some thing you don't come between. When siblings fight it can get brutal. Besides I'm sure he'll hold back from doing any real damage," Yusuke informed.

They act like I'm not even here. I hate it when people do that. But I have the advantage, we're in my territory and I have a few tricks up me sleeve. Dante started running towards me when he hit my wire and an anvil fell from the ceiling and almost hit him. "What the fuck is wrong with you. Why the hell would you put something like that up there? Are you psychotic," Dante yelled at me. "No I'm paranoid. There's a difference, and it's not my fault you're to stupid to realize my room is booby trapped. It's been that way since you read my diary you bastard," I bit out. "That was when you were seven years old. What if mom walked in here she could have gotten hurt."

"Mom has me turn it off when she comes in here plus she knows where all the booby traps are anyways," I screamed back at him. "Where the hell is it so we can fight fare and you can lose," he shouted at me. "It's right by the door. Under my lamp. Just press the button," I told him smugly. He walked over to the lamp, shucked it across my room and presses the BIG…RED…BUTTON. Idiot doesn't he know not to press the big red button, it always does something bad. Flashing red lights went off in my room as a loud noise permeated though it. Then a machine like voice came on, "Finger print denied. This is not Autumn Mandrake, eject, eject".

Then Dante went flying though a whole that opened up in the roof and out into a pool a few blocks down from the house. The hole re-closed and every one was staring at me like I had three heads. "I'm very good with machines, plus since I have no friends I have a lot of time, so I got bored and think of new ways to improve the performance of my security system. I'm probably going to fix that one, it's to slow," I said turning towards them. "And now if you'll excuse me I'm going to fix and barricade my door now," I said as I walked towards them and put the door back up leaving them on the other side.

When I finished I started laughing so hard, especially when I heard him walk through the front door. Finally I got some pay back for all the times he's tormented me over the years. It told you I had some tricks up me sleeve. And if I know Dante and I do, he'll probably try and sneak in here at night, But boy oh boy will he be 'shocked' to find out what happens if he touches that door knob.

I heard angry foot steps on my stair case; they then stopped at my door. "Hey, sis," he sighed, "I'm…I…goodnight and sweet dreams."

I heard the strain in his voice, and that's when I knew, as he took his first step down the stairs, "Be safe."

He pauses, then trudge the rest of the way down. It was the only thing I could say to him, 'be safe' cause when he spoke I knew he wasn't ever coming back up those stairs and when I heard him and his friends walk out the front door I knew he wasn't coming back for a long time. And I knew where ever he was going to he wasn't going to be safe. And for the first time in a long time I cried, even though she was down stairs, Mom cried with me too because she knew just like I did. He wasn't coming home for a long time. Just like Summer wasn't either. I wasn't sure if they would see each other down the road but I prayed to the fates that their safe. Even if I never see them again and my life becomes hollow.

 Two years later 

I quickly rushed up the stairs to my office. Oh damn I'm late I'm late. That stupid elevator was on the fritz again. God I hate this building. I barged through the door and then walked to me desk and plopped my ass down and tried regaining my breath. I would have been fine running up the stairs, but because I had to run all the way across town to work because my car broke down so I'm a little winded. When I caught my breathe I looked across the room to see my partner Asher sitting at his desk giving me a goofy smile. Over the past two years I've finally gotten over my fear of men, now I'm just afraid of men who hit on me, but since I'm used to Asher its okay.

I even started my own business when I got out of school, I'm now a private investigator slash detective and we always get our man or…big bad creepy crawly. We don't always get the normal cases; some times we get some that are on the supernatural side of things. I call anything super natural a creepy crawly because I'm too lazy to have to call them by proper name all the time. I've seen some things I wish I didn't, but we can't turn back the clock now can we. I really never thought I'd be a private investigator slash detective when I got older, but when mom was brutally murdered a few weeks after my brother left us; I guess I wanted to find her killer. The police never even looked, they put it in the cold case files, and funny the first bad guy I caught when I had this job was moms' killer. He was supposed to go on death row, but some one sot him before he could walk down that long cold wall way I was mad though I'd rather be the one pulling the trigger, but at least he was dead.

I glared at Asher, "What are you grinning about. Wipe that stupid grin of your face."

"Oh, I'm grinning because I'm thinking about you panting naked in my bed underneath me," he purred. I couldn't help it, my face turned like five different shades of red. I've always had a problem with blushing, when ever I got embarrassed I always did this no matter how hard I tried not to.

Asher laughed at my reaction to his flirting. "I'm just kidding; I just checked the messages and your two most favorite people called. First is Chief of police Chuck Morris from the police department, he called about you making the police department looking bad and that if you didn't stop you'll get in trouble."

I laughed, "Ha he's just jealous that I'm better at crime fighting than he is and it's my face on the newspapers and not his."

Asher laughed at that because he knew it was true, but then his face went serious. "The last one probably will get you in a mood so don't take it out on me. It's from your brother Dante. He wants to see you and connect or something, you know make up for lost time. He even said your dads with him, if you want to see them they're in a motel on the outskirts of town called The Elise Inn. So if you want I can-"

"No, I don't want to see them. Maybe some other time, right now I think I'd rather finish the Kelly case. I've already pin pointed the perps location I just need my partner, my gun and his car and I'm good to go," I told him trying to hide the bitterness in my voice. "Well then lets go my beautiful partner in crime," he said flirtatiously.

It took us fifteen minutes to get to the perps location. It was a nice looking blue Victorian house with red shudders. No one would ever suspect the guy inside was a serial rapist and kidnapper. If we were lucky Kelly was still alive. If not well all we could give her family was vengeance.

Asher flanked the left while I flanked the right, I would go through the back and he'd go through the front. When I gained entrance to the facility it again had an appearance of normalcy. I then proceeded to the basement door. I walked down the rickety stairs like a cat, if our rapist was down here he'd never hear me coming.

When I got to the bottom of the stair well I looked around and spotted another door with a lock this time. I grabbed my Nextel and bleeped Asher twice. Letting him know I found the girl and I'm going in. I then ran the door down and heard screaming coming from the corner of the room. I looked over to seem our missing kid, Kelly Sanderson. Poor thing looked like she'd been through hell, she'd been missing for two years now. "Hey don't worry I'm here to help you just be quiet and stick close to me," I said gently as I put my jacket around her. She nodded and grabbed my hand. We quickly made our way to my car, which I then put her inside, "Hey it'll be okay just lock the doors and stay in here until I get back. Here's my phone, if I don't come out in exactly fifteen minute call 9-1-1 ok."

She only looked at me with her tiny face and nodded. As I began to shut the door she grabbed my hand and smiled at me, "thank you," she rasped. I smiled at her and stalked aback into the house. This guy was going to pay for what he did to that girl. She was only seven when he took her, I can only imagine the things he's done to her.

I then proceeded to look for my partner and noticed the house was unusually quiet. My instincts told me my partner was in trouble and that he was in the attic. I didn't even think twice, I ran as fast as I could up the two flights of stairs. I then busted down the door to the attic to see Asher slide down the wall, the perp standing in front of him with a bat. The police were coming; I knew it because I could here theirs sirens mixed with the ambulances a mile away. So I aimed and shot the perp in the lung, he would live, but he would be in extensive care.

Asher shakily stood up and the perp fell to the floor. "You know you could have warned me he was sneaky," Asher grunted. "Now where would be the fun in that," I teased.

It didn't take long for paramedics to pick up our perp and fix up Asher. I turned around to see two things Kelly's parents crying as they hugged her for the first time in two years and the chief of police heading my way.

I groaned inwardly as he glared me down from ten paces away. I put on a fake smile and forced my self to look him in the face. "Hello Chuck, how you doing. I hope you're not mad at the fact I bagged another one," I said pleasantly.

His face began to redden and contort but then it began to relax. "Hello, detective Mandrake. You seem to keep bagging them as quick as they hit the cold case files. What's your secret Mandrake, aw who am I kidding you detective types never share your trade secrets. But I have to ask you though, it'd be nice for us to catch one once In a while," he spoke. I stared at him thoughtfully; I could use him better if he were an ally. "Well how about every time one of the cases your working on starts to go cold, call me I'll find your perp and tell you guys where he is and you can take all the glory, but you have to lay off when I solve another cold case, do we have a deal," I asked him.

He looked thoughtful for a while like he was weighing his options. "We have a deal," he said as he shook my hand. After that the press and news were all over the scene asking me questions like, "You did it again miss Mandrake so what's next," or, "How did you know exactly where to find them," or, " How does it feel to reunite a family after so long?"

I answered like I always did, giving half truths or saying no comment. The whole way home from the scene of the crime I couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched and funny thing was I probably was.

We reached our office around closing time, Asher decided to go home early and nurse his head. I didn't mind, he deserved to get off early, besides I was going to stay late and finish my report on the Kelly case.

When I entered my office I noticed two things, the front door was unlocked and the windows were open. I carefully shut the door and grabbed my gun from its holster. I walked across the thresh hold to my desk when I felt a presence or more likely presences from behind me. I quickly spun around gun up and saw a face I thought I'd never see again.

"Is that any way to treat your brother? You know you could shoot some ones eye out with that right," Dante my used to be non existent brother said. I stared at him wide eyed for a few seconds but then gained my serious composure again and aimed my gun at his crouch. I heard a collective gasp through out the men with him in the room.

His eyes widened at my intentions at what I wanted to do. "Now I know you're mad, and you have every right to be but just calm down alright lets talk this through," he pleaded nervously. "Yeah, sure like you did when you left me and mom all alone, I don't think so. And my dear dear brother I'm not mad, I'm fucking raging. And your one of the sources of my rage of course my psychiatrist told me I see counseling on my apparent anger issues, but I find it helps me when I'm in a bad situation," I hissed at him.

I then heard him sigh. "I thought when I came back it'd be a little hostile but I never thought it'd be this bad. I'm sorry I left you and mom alone, but I wish I could tell you why I had to leave but I can't, it's the same way for dad," he said sadly.

"What do you mean the same way for dad?"

"He means I left for reasons that are the same as his," said a deep throaty voice.

I used to love that voice as I was a kid, but I'm no longer a kid. I then turned my head not moving my gun from its position to the voice that spoke. I gasped as a man came out of the shadows that resembled my dad; he looked the same as the day he left. Which was weird he should have started to age by now.

"Okay I've had enough of this shit if you don't leave I really don't care but I'm not talking to you, but if you so much as touch something I'll shoot you in a heart beat," I threatened them as I walked over to my desk and sat down.

Everyone in the shadows then came out and started to look at all the newspaper articles of me or of murders I was looking into. I started to type my report and then the realization hit me. Catching that guy was way too easy, in fact all my cases in the past two months have been like that. Then I realized they were all connected in some way shape or form. Each one had to do with a kidnapping of a child that had red hair with either blue, yellow, or both color eyes like mine. Whether it resulted in their murder or them being raped it had a similar M.O. Even a few of them had been in their twenties but they all had red hair and were female.

I couldn't believe I didn't see this earlier, this meant that all these murders and kidnapping that were cold case weren't just random, and some one was controlling all this from behind the scenes.

I immediately jumped from my seat and stared at my computer screen. Something really big was going on and it had to do with Females with red hair and eyes like me. Of course I had one blue eye and one yellow eye but their had been victims with the same appearance.

I then realized every one was staring at me kinda funny. I felt a little uneasy by their stares but I didn't let it show. You know I think I recognize these people. Yeah I do it's the ones my brother left with; even Shuichi, Yusuke and Kuwabara were here, weird.

"What are you staring at? Because if its me and you value your sight I suggest you stop looking at me."

"I see you've changed since I last say you and that you've been keeping yourself busy fighting crime," Dante accused. He then looked at the one article I had hoped he wouldn't. He then got a sad expression and turned towards me, "how long has it been since she died."

I looked at him with a some what hurt expression, "It's been one year, 9 months, three days, and twelve hours. And I could go into the specific seconds but I'm not going to," I told him.

The look in his eye told me he new why I now chose this career and why I acted so cold. It was the same look I got from all of them but my fathers was one that was laced with sadness and worry. I glared at every one of them for the look they all gave me.

"If you'll all excuse me I've got-" I stopped mid sentence and fell to my knees as a sharp pain sliced through my heart. White hot pain hit me behind my eyes as a vision came to me. This is how I always found my killer, through visions I had.

It started off as a man entering a house, wait it was Asher, my vision was about Asher. He jumped on the couch. It was about ten thirty at night, which was in five minutes. He then got attacked by something. He was fighting it but losing, I started to come out of it but I could feel him dying. Oh my god he was dieing. Right now.

As soon as it started it ended and my eyes started to adjust to my scenery. I was on the office floor and every ones face was near mine. "Are you alright sis," Dante asked. I pushed everyone and jumped to up to my feet but almost feel from a wave of dizziness. "Hey you should sit down you don't look to good there lass," a man with red hair and an irish accent said. "No I have to go, he needs me. He'll die if I don't get there in five minutes," I rasped out quickly. "What are you talking about Autumn," Shuichi asked me. "Asher's going to die in five minutes if I don't get to his house on 23rd street," I screamed as I tried to get out the door.

/end story/

to be conitnued... rate and review please or i'll keep crying T.T