Chapter 39: Messages and Memories

Chris' POV

I look back at the still-playing music box, then back to my phone. The message was sent just last night, before three am.

I open my texts and see a recorded message in Autumn's chat tab. I click it and it plays.

"Hey Chris!

Yeah, you know who sent this message. Duh."

Sarcastic as ever. I roll my eyes and smile. But it's nice to hear my little sister's voice again.

"Hey um. I know that you probably haven't checked your phone since last night. I mean who could with all the confusion and shi-iiizzz."

I chuckle at how she tried to censor her cursing.

"Aaanyways. Hey, Sis what's up?"

She sounds...okay. Like she's actually, just fine and not...dead. Like she's still alive right now. Like this isn't a recorded message and she's right in front of me and we're just hanging out.

"Okay so, by the time you hear this message, I'll be gone already and you may or may not have found my body yet. Right now, I'm on my way to the carnival. I'm gonna go on a mission - a really important one - and...I don't think I'm coming back." A short silence.

"Yeah. Sorry. But before I leave, I just wanted to tell you some things…" I hear her sigh slightly.

"You're my sister, and I didn't wanna go in the first place cuz I didn't want you to feel left behind. Okay? But I'm sorry. For you know...leaving...and everything. I know that it's pretty hard right now, and I know that you might be sad. But don't...okay? You'll probably need someone to comfort you about my death, so I thought, hey. Who can better comfort you about me other than me? Haha!" She chuckles. I chuckle, too.

"Listen. You gotta hang on. You can't be sad. Cuz even though I'm gonna end up murdered, I know I'll end up okay. Cause I know I'll remember the good times. The times I had with The Family. And even though at first, we were enemies, we still ended up being friends. And I know that we weren't friends for so long, so we didn't get much time to be friends. But we still were! And I think, mission complete! And since I'm okay you gotta be okay too."

"I've got my fair share of deaths in the family, but I'm not gonna be gone forever, 'kay? I won't be gone for good. We'll see each other again, okay? So no worries. But remember. It's a normal attitude of anyone who loses someone close to them to blame themselves for their death. Here's a piece of advice: don't blame yourself. For anything. Nothing is your fault, nobody's fault but mine. Remember that...when someone close to you goes away, the bad memories get replaced by the good ones. Then it won't hurt so much anymore. So don't think of the bad memories. Don't think of me dying, cause I'm okay. And maybe, everything won't be the same as it was before. But, everything will get better. So no worries big sis!"

I hear a roar of an engine over the phone and then a sigh.

"Welp. I gotta go. In case you don't wanna forget what I said over the time I'll be gone, I left this as a recorded message cause I'm cool. Hehe. Plus, it would be a lot harder to type all this out into a text. Remember, just hold on. And don't be so rebellious to your dad and grandpa...unless it's necessary. Cause man, there comes those times when it's actually necessary. Don't push anyone away and lock everyone out like I did. Continue shiping Dickbabs! Haha! And quit bullying Tim so much, k? I mean, teasing him is okay, but don't bully him so much. He's still your brother. Yeesh. Oh yeah, and I know you love matchmaking, so I when we meet again, Damian better not be still forever alone. And Chris. When I said you can tell me anything, and I'll listen, I meant it."

A long pause.

"Goodbyes are for losers so I'm saying see ya!"

The recorded message ends.

I notice another message bubble on the bottom of the screen.

Merry Christmas! You better enjoy it! :)

I'm ending this with my favorite quote, cuz I think it's cool.

"Ohana means family, and family means no one ever gets left behind. Or…?"

"Forgotten." I mutter, wiping the tears that I didn't even notice earlier.

I turn off my phone. I turn around and see that the music box has stopped and the song has ended.

But even as a few more tears drop on the bed, I smile. A genuine but heavy smile. I smile at the box.

****Break****

Damian's POV

I sit in my room, staring at the sword Autumn gave me.

"It wasn't fair. You deserve it more than I did."

I hold the sword in my hands, as if it's not a weapon but something so much more fragile. I hold it as if the shining silver will simply turn into dust. My hands begin to quake and slowly, I place the long sharp sword on the bed. I stand up and walk out of my room, leaving the sword on the bed.

I walk into the cave, trying to look completely detached. I walk into the autopsy lab where the body lays still and cold. Todd stands beside the cabinet, looking down at what's left of my friend. My eyes fall on her face - completely bereft of life.

We stand here in silence as moments pass by.

The girl is completely still, like a doll. Frozen in time forever.

"There will be a funeral...right?" I break the silence out of irritation.

"A simple one. A quiet one." He mutters. "No one will know that she died. No one can."

"Not even her friends?" Like the children at the orphanage.

He shakes his head. "Not even them. No one can know. Just us."

"So what? It's as if she's never even existed?!" My eyebrows furrow.

He shrugs slightly. "Yeah."

"But that's not fair."

"That's what Bruce said."

"But-"

He darts to face me. His large frame overshadows me. "What do you expect from Bruce? She was murdered in cold blood. He never even made her officially a part of the family, much less a resident in the manor. Of course he'd keep it a secret!" He turns back to her. "No one will know about how hard she struggled to stay alive." He sighs. "As far as we know...she never even existed."

He looks back at me, turning his head. He gives me a toothless smile, the smile that reminds me that Autumn was his little sister. "But we will bury her respectfully. Don't worry Demon."

My eyes swim back to her face, a face embedded with an eternal struggle. I move closer towards the cold corpse. "Looks to me that she won't ever get to rest. Not even in death."

He looks back down at her and sighs. "Never really thought that she'd actually die…"

I scoff. "By the looks of it, she didn't seem like anything could stop her. Who would've known that it would end like this?"

He bows his head. "Even to me...for a while she looked unstoppable." He hushes.

"For a while she lived a normal life…" My lips hardly move. "We should know by now that once you walk through those doors...you never have a chance to live a normal life."

"No…"

He chuckles to himself. "We were a lot alike. Not too different from me. But you know...when she came barging into my crappy apartment, I didn't know how to react. I mean one patrol, you save a kid from getting raped and find out the not-so-scared kid is your little sister. Same mom, different dads. The next day, I think about dropping her off in an orphanage. But just after a few hours, the kid starts to grow on me. I guess it was mostly 'cause she reminded me of me. So I decided to keep the kid for a while longer, then eventually we really did become family. I was worried though that I didn't have enough money, and as The Red Hood, how the hell was I gonna help this little kid out? But in the end...she helped me more than I helped her. I mean, c'mon. She helped me reconcile with Bruce. We were a pretty cool team…"

A heavy silence scratches at the walls of the cave. "I went to Ethiopia, looking for a mom. I died, not finding anything. Then I came back to find a sister. Then I thought, now I know why I came back to life: to find my little sister."

He just stares down at her. "I know what you guys think. That she was evil and dark. She even thought about herself the way you did. You all thought she was complete darkness, but really, Phoenix or Autumn, the house was filled with light."

He pits his hands on the white sheet, folded neatly over her body. He pulls the white sheet over her face. "Bye little sis." He says with an exhausted smile.

****Break****

Dick's POV

I sit in my room, looking over at the posters of Haly's circus. The posters of The Flying Graysons.

I hold my phone to my ear and listen to the ringing. "Hey Dick."

"Hey Babs." I smile sheepishly.

"What's wrong?" She can always tell when something is wrong.

I sigh. "Remember that girl."

"Hm?"

"Autumn Cross."

"Phoenix?"

"Yeah. Jason's sister, the kid that I told you about."

"Mhm…"

"She's uh, dead. She was killed this morning, and according to Bruce, she died at around three in the morning. We got a distress call from the kid at that time, but by the time Bruce got to her, she was already...gone."

"Oh…"

"Jason's still trying to figure out how to react to all of this."

She's quiet for a moment. "What about you? Are you okay?"

I stay silent for a while and then I open my mouth. "Honestly Babs...I don't care about the kid. When she was alive, or now that she's dead."

"Oh...that doesn't sound much like you, Dick."

"I know...but it's just...she and I were never really close. When she came here, we just had a mutual relationship...it's the rest of the family that I'm worried about."

"Yeah." I hear typing on the other side of the line.

I raise an eyebrow. "What are you hacking into?"

"Autopsy files. Says here she died around 3am. Dick."

"Hm?"

"Wasn't that the time Wally woke up?"

"Yeah, so?"

She stays quiet for a while. "Her time of death may be important. It could be connected to Wally suddenly waking up."

My mouth stretches into a thin line. "Babs. How could it be connected?"

"Autumn Cross. Time of death: 3:12am." She says. "Wally West. Exited coma at 3:13am."

I sigh and decide to slightly humor her. "So let's say it was connected. So what?"

"It could be connected to her murderer-"

"Why would her killer connect her death to my best friend waking up? Wally and Autumn don't even know each other."

"Oh contraire. Wally did know Autumn. They've met once. In fact, Dick, Autumn is connected to a few members of the team-"

"Wait. How'd you find out?"

"I asked. Showed them her picture and a few family members, and then asked around." I mentally facepalm.

"Wally and Roy met Autumn while searching for a dealer and a robber. Turns out the dealer they were looking for was their supporter for money. Roy got the man known as Lawrence caught...so they did meet."

"But it wasn't on good terms. Babs. I just don't think it's connected." I say as she just continues to type rapidly. Then suddenly the typing stops. "Babs, even if your theory was right, it has no evidence, and it hardly makes any sense."

"Holy- Wow. That's interesting. I wonder if Artemis knows." She mumbles, being as stubborn as usual.

"What? Knows what? Babs?"

"Oh, nothing. Probably none of my business. I'll just save that story for another day."

I feel like my eyes and mouth have just turned into thin lines.

"Babs. I'm sure Jason would appreciate what you're doing. But for now. I have to go get ready for a funeral."

****Break****

Damian's POV

A/N: This would really set the mood, and if you wanna know the song in the music box, here it is: watch?v=bY_EvbARc5Y, it's from a really wicked movie! The song is Long, Long Time Ago by Javier Navarette.

We decided not to bury her beside my grandparents, but in a simple cemetary where no one really visits. I'm wearing a heavy jacket and worn out jeans. It's cold this morning, snowing heavily.

All our black hoods are covering our faces. Even Alfred stands outside with us, wearing his usual butler's outfit. Chris is holding onto a worn out box. We all surround the small coffin fit for the small body inside it.

I tiptoe, stealing a sight of the little girl inside. Her dark brown hair is braided and placed neatly on her shoulder. Her eyes are closed tight and her eyebrows slightly furrowed. A little blush was added to her pale cheeks and her salmon pink lips, which form a small frown.

She is wearing a simple white dress with puffy shoulders and a soft material.

My eyelids lower slightly as my lips etch into a sad frown and my eyebrows arch sadly. Even with the slight touch of makeup on, her face still looks like a ghost white mask that lit up my life one day. "You never really looked good in makeup." I mutter to her as if she could hear me. On the contrary, she looks fine with or without the makeup on. But Autumn was never one for compliments.

I remember her little encouraging smile, her well known evil smirk, that little toothless grin of hers. I remember her voice, how she could adjust the volume to make it sound little and fragile when she was scared, or loud and booming to make others scared.

The little brush on the cheek she gave me one night left me in a short trance, with her confusing voice still ringing in my ears.

And her eyes, her teal green eyes, are confusing as ever, changing colors from one to another, unable to simply settle on one color. It was always blue or red. Always cold, hard or anger driven, flamed with a harsh fire. But other times, it was warm, filled with concern for the people she cared about. Flashing with - well I would not say happy, never happy - but a thin ray of light.

We stared up at the tree, "Damian! Your balloon!" She pointed up at the shiny red balloon. I started to turn around. "You're not gonna get it?" She asked.

I shrugged. "It's pointless and childish. I never wanted the balloon anyways."

"Oh...but wouldn't it be fun to go climb the tree?"

"For such a stupid reason like a balloon? No, I don't think it would be 'fun'."

"I'll get it then!" My eyes slightly widened as I turned around. The child was already climbing the tree, using the branches.

"Autumn! Get down from there, now!" Mother would've killed me if she got hurt.

"No!" She said, still climbing the tree and reaching for another branch.

"Mother told me to take care of you!" She pulled herself up and put her feet on that branch.

"I can take care of myself." She said, still grinning like a fool.

"Cross! Get down from there. Right now!"

"Quit acting like you're older than me!"

"That's because I am older!"

"Only by a few months!" She was already reaching for another branch when I crossed my arms and closed my eyes smugly, shaking my head.

"But I am more mature, even if we're apart only by two months."

A small stick was thrown to my head. "Ow!" I rubbed my forehead and looked up. She stood on two branches with her legs a part into a perfect split, one foot on the right branch, the other on the left branch. She was holding the balloon in one hand and wearing a little smirk, her eyes bright and glistening under the warm sunlight.

"You know Damian, it wouldn't hurt to have a little fun sometimes."

With the thought of her eyes in mind, now cold forever, frozen in time, never to be brightened again, I take a step back.

Tim's POV

Damian stands beside me with a solemn face, trying not to make the tears obvious. Slowly, I move closer to the coffin. I look down at her.

I'll be here. Always.

That's what she told me. She told me that she'd always be there. She told me that she wouldn't leave. She'd be my little sister.

She was my little sister and I was supposed to take care of her, but I didn't really take care of her. Now, she's gone. "You never really know what you've got until you lose it." I mumble. That's what she believed. I wish I had listened.

She was my sister. Now she's gone.

She won't be in the car on the way to school anymore, occasionally resting her head on my shoulder and surprisingly comfortable on my high, thin shoulder. She won't be there to listen to me anymore, or at the table quietly sitting with her head slightly bowed, too afraid to speak up, very careful with each of her movements.

I close my eyes.

It was just a few weeks ago, just before the ball.

"Okay Chris!" Chris went upstairs to her room while Autumn and I stood downstairs at the bottom of the staircase.

She turned to me and smiled warmly. "Hey Tim?"

"Hm?" I nodded in her direction, telling her I was listening.

"Did you buy something to wear?"

"No. I'm just gonna fish through my closet."

"Oh, you're not gonna wear tux?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Aw. You'd look pretty cool in tux." I turned my head to her. She was looking up the stairs with a small smile and her eyes glittering with truth.

"Really?" I asked, not believing her statement.

She looked at me with a few strands of hair falling to her face. "Well yeah." She smiled.

"I don't believe you." I looked up the stairs away from her.

"Why not?" My head fell down.

"I'm not cool. Nobody thinks that."

She chuckled and hovered over to me. "Who says that?"

"No one. I just think that I suck."

"Why?" She asked carefully and I sighed.

"Because everyone left me. They thought that I sucked, they thought that I'm a horrible kid. So they left."

"You're not talking about your parents, are you?" I stayed silent with my head still bowed. "Pfft. Tim. I doubt that they thought that. You're awesome." She grabbed my face and squished my cheeks as she grinned. "Okay? You don't suck. I don't think you suck. And I doubt that your parents hated you."

I jerked my face away from her hands. "Then why did they leave?"

She sat down at the bottom of the stairs, and I sat beside her after her gesture. "I used to know this guy. Now, he was a horrible person. I've seen a lot of spoiled brats, corrupt people, rich and poor." Then she looked at me. "But you. Tim. I don't see why anyone would hate you. You've been through a long tunnel of darkness, but you never really let the darkness take over."

She scooted over to me. "You're parents left because they had to. Because maybe that's what life had in store for you. Not because they hate you. Haven't you noticed? Life gives and takes away. We receive blessings and we also lose them. But to be able to receive, something has to be taken. I know it's not what you wanted. B, but your parents didn't leave. They had to go. But Tim...take a look around you. Your parents were taken, but you also received a family. A bigger one. A family that would never replace your old one, but a family none the less."

Our shoulders touched. "Tim. Don't go thinking that you're horrible. That you're nothing. That everyone hates you. Because I can't think of anyone who does hate you. Everyone has their flaws, but they also have their strong points. And if people will only look at your flaws then that's their problem." Her eyes fell to the ground. "Phoenix would look at your flaws. But it was hard to think of your flaws, because all I could see were your strengths."

She placed her hand on mine and squeezed it a bit. "It doesn't matter what others think of you, you know. It simply starts what you think of yourself. I know it's cliche, but it's true."

She smiled. "Okay?"

My eyes looked at our hands and I nodded. "Okay."

I nod. "Okay." I say silently with small tears running down my cheeks. My lips thin into a line as I furrow my eyebrows.

Jason's POV

"A simple 'thank you for saving my life again Autumn' would be nice, Jason." She said with a smirk, dabbing the bullet wound in my shoulder with medicine.

I mimicked her, mouthing and pretending my hand was her mouth. "Bla bla bla bla. Don't you ever wonder if I wanted to be 'saved'? Maybe I can take care of myself."

"OR maybe, you can't." She said, wrapping it up.

"Maybe you should just leave me to die." I mumbled. She slightly slapped the wound. "Ow!" I hissed.

"There you go big bro." She smiled at her work, pretending not to hear me.

"You know the only humane thing you've done today, is well...I DON'T KNOW!" I smirked as she flailed her arms around, "So to add to our human points, we're going to buy cheese at the nearest convenience store."

"Cheese?"

"Yeah, we're out of cheese."

"Can't we just buy that next time?"

"No. We're going to buy cheese to get your mind off of things big bro."

I rolled my eyes. "But it's a waste of gas."

"Who said we were taking any of the cars?"

I grumbled. "I don't want to go." I crossed my arms, but then she started pulling at my better arm.

"C'mon! Let's go!" She pulled but I hardly moved. "Jase! Let's go!"

I layed down on the bed as she still tried to pull my arm and drag me out. "Wow little sis, you're weak."

"Or you're just fat!" She grumbled, still trying to drag me off of bed. "You gotta lay off the ice cream!" She said, her feet slipping as she still tried to tow me out of the bed. "C'mon! I'm bored! And I don't wanna stay locked up here until later!"

"Nah." My head lulled to the side. She stopped and threw a pillow to my chest. "Ow! Hey!".

"Canon ball!" Then I saw Autumn standing on the edge of the bed ready to jump.

"Autumn! No!"

She started running towards me. "Ready! Set! G-"

"Okay! Okay! We'll go get cheese!" She stopped running towards me and hailed in victory. I sat up. "Just don't jump on me." I mumbled.

I look down at her, still and quiet, stuck in bed, bored forever.

I never thought I'd have to bury her. I thought it would've been the other way around. I thought I would die first.

She's not going to smile again. Not going to talk, move, jump, run. She never got to live a normal life, and she never will. She'll never go to grade nine, never finish high school, never gonna go to college, or get a driver's license. She's never going to do anything. Ever.

Fate is cruel.

Fate ripped away her chance of living a normal life, ripped away her life along with her chance.

I sigh and look down at my little sister, my annoying little sister. I'll miss the kid. When we return to the manor, she won't be there anymore.

The man closes the coffin. Slowly, the coffin lowers into the ground and hides behind the dirt.

"She's asleep." Tim whispers beside me.

"Kid's tired."

Soon, we start to bury her with a shovel and some dirt.

I take the shovel from the man who's about to cover the coffin with more dirt.

Soon, she's completely buried. A small, almost invisible stone sticking out of the ground with small words encrypted on the cold hard stone.

"She will be avenged." Damian says loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Amen." Chris agrees quietly.

The snow starts to fall and the wind starts to howl, but I stand my ground, my body slacked and my eyebrows arched.

Moments pass, and the snow piles up, lining the invisible graveyard. And little by little, they start to go back home, disappearing into thin air in my mind. All except one.

"Jase." I shake my head at Dick's voice. "Autumn...wanted you to have something." He places something in my hand, and the thick piece of paper pulls me back to reality. "Alfred, found it in her room. Beside...the gift."

I look down at the piece of paper, anchoring me back to Earth, and find her handwriting on the back.

Don't worry, everything will be okay :)

My eyes fill with sad tears as I turn the photo around.

It's a picture of me and the kid. I gave her a piggyback ride that time. She just hopped on my back without permission, so in the picture, I looked annoyed. As she held up the bar of cheese in one hand while holding onto my neck with the other, she grinned with a toothful grin. I still remember the kind woman that took that picture.

It was a tiny picture, but it's bigger now, because the kid photoshopped a picture of the rest of the family next to our picture. Bruce, Alfred, Dick, Tim, Chris, Damian. All of them - all of us in one picture in front of the convenience store. Smiling.

At the bottom of the picture, something is written, but I can make it out perfectly in a nice handwriting.

Family

****break****

Alfred's POV

I'm in the kitchen, on the chair in front of the kitchen table and having a warm cup of tea.

Autumn and I would sit here at times, during the weekends when she'd wake up early in the morning. She'd come down and sit in front of me.

She once came down with a classic in hand. To Kill A Mockingbird. Such a beautiful classic, and she asked if she could read it to me for a reason I chose not to ask, and so I nodded and she read.

It was nice to have some help around the manor. She would help me with the chores when she could.

Miss Autumn and I were quite close, and she reminded me much of her brother when he was younger.

"Alfred. Why do you call me 'Miss'? I'm not a grown up. And I was never addressed as 'Miss' before."

"Why? Is there a problem with it?"

"Actually, kinda. It's like you're saying that I'm higher than others, and I don't like being higher than others. So maybe you can just call me Autumn, without the Miss."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that, Miss Autumn." I smiled at her. "Addressing you and Miss Christine as Miss and the rest as Master does not show that they are of a higher class of some sort. Instead, it shows that they are my family. And so are you."

Her eyes fell to the ground in deep thought. "Oooooh…" And she didn't seem to protest.

She liked helping with the chores, reading classics, listening to music, writing stories, and talking might I say. She was quite talkative when she was not afraid to speak, and she liked being a part of a family.

The warm twirls of air come out of the tea as I continue to look solemnly at the empty chair in front of me.

A small smile tugs at my lips. She never liked drinking tea.

She said it was bitter and tasteless. She said it had tasted like simply hot water with an aroma. She had preferred to drink warm chocolate instead.

She had never liked anything bitter or bland.

In spite of everything she's been through, done and said, she was never really bitter or miserable. She was simply lost, a child searching door to door for someone to take her in or at least give her a tall glass of milk.

"Alfred. Is it...a bad thing...if...I miss my mom?" She once had asked, so unsure if it was a bad thing if she had missed someone she cared about.

"Why would it be something bad?"

"Is it not a sign of weakness?"

"No. It's simply strength." I had told her as I washed the dishes.

"Strength…" She mumbled.

She was only a thirteen year old. Still so much to learn. She wasn't supposed to go yet, it wasn't her time, but others like to play God and change that. No matter what the protests are, she was still just a child.

Quite child-like if you do not look for the darkness.

But she was never dark. She was dim.

"I'm afraid Master Bruce has fallen too deep into the darkness. There has been too much darkness in his life for him to live through."

"Darkness is just the lack of light. Just as cold is the lack of warmth."

That time, she had been the one teaching. She was getting the dishes dry when I looked at her and I stopped washing the dishes. There was a small light in her eyes.

"There is no such thing as too much darkness, Alfred. There's just too little light."

"But I'm afraid there cannot be light without darkness."

"Too little light." I mutter to nobody.

That quiet young girl with a ghost white mask. For a moment, I had forgotten that she was dead, that she had perished - that she was at peace. At last, her tired young but broken body is at rest, set free from the brutal pranks of the world, from the snare of the city. In the end, she had been a whimpering withered consumptive, lashing out on the inside, her face driven to insanity with the trap of the red moon's horror, trying desperately to hide the pain with a smile...now nothing - nothing! Save a pile of rotting flesh and bones in a box.

Nothing was left of the young girl who had flamed so vividly, ghosting around the manor, walking up to her room one cold late night.

I begin remembering, remembering the child's sobs, her laughs, the little sad smile masking her tears.

I sob quietly for the little girl that came in through a door, looking for a warm home and a place to rest her head, but finding the whole world lashing out at her with a feisty tongue, burning her to death.

I look bitterly at the cup of tea, now so much colder.

"But all you need to do is make more light. Then there won't be so much darkness anymore. There will always be darkness. It has to be there. But when there's more light, when you wrap yourself in the light., you'll notice that it's not so dark anymore."

I pondered for a moment, listening to her words. Then I smiled and went back to working. "Yes...I suppose you're right."

My eyebrows arch.

"All you need is a little more light, Grandpa. It may be hard, but it's worth it. Just don't look at the darkness. Look at the light."

And my bitter tears dry away.

She smiled.

And that smile, I remember. I may be old, and quite worn out. But I am never forgetful.

I gingerly place the yellow sticky note that she had left on the fridge from what seems like long ago down on the table. I stand up and proceed to my duties, taking out the Christmas decorations.

I walk up to Master Richard's room and knock. "Master Richard, would you like to help me decorate the manor?"

The door immediately opens, revealing a wide grin.

Hi Grandpa!

I'll be out for a while. But don't worry! I'll be back!

I promise. I'm coming home. Just not today, okay?

I've just got some stuff to do.

Just take care of the family for me while I'm gone, okay?

Make sure it doesn't fall apart.

I promise I'll be okay. Just don't worry about me.

But when I'm done, I'll come straight home and accept the consequences. You can tell everyone to start decorating the manor already without me! I won't mind! Just as long as the Manor is bright and joyful!

I'll be back by Monday. Just promise to wait for me, okay? See you guys soon!

Merry Christmas! :D

Autumn

I simply have to wait for Monday for the rest of my life. But no - not alone. Never alone.

Autumn Skylar Cross

2001-2014

A/N: PLEASE READ THIS

We told one of our viewers, Citycatlife, that in the comic world, no one is truly dead unless there's a body. And well, in case you haven't noticed, there's a body.

We know that many of you think that this character is pretty unrealistic but really, the character was inspired by those who actually have been and are going through the things she has. Abandonment, abuse, loss, loneliness, bullying, exclusion.

Kids in the orphanage, children having a hard time in school (pressure, parents, friends), sons and daughters with mommy and/or daddy issues, people on the streets, soldiers in a war. Those who feel alone.

Those who are going through depression, suicidal men and women, and those who have mental disorders. And children that actually have died at her age and even younger. We tried to give Autumn all of the problems that are happening here. We know that Autumn was not very realistic but these issues are very real. We hope you know that.

And to any of our readers that are actually going through any of this, we can't tell you that it will get better, because we don't know that. But don't lose hope, okay? Know that you are never alone in this. Just hold on.

For this chapter and a few of the past chapters, reference to:

May Day Eve by Nick Joaquin

Batman (Robin's death)

Pan's Labyrinth (Long Long Time Ago)

Lilo and Stitch

Emily Dickinson

And no, the story's not over. No. It's not over. That's something we're super sure of. Thanks to all our readers and all those who have left a review! Any constructive criticism is welcomed and flaming as well since well, we just killed off one of the main characters. Some of you might be angry and we welcome all of your thoughts! We'll try to reply when we can, and don't be afraid to reply back!

DarkBlackStar13

silly60

You guys review A LOT, almost every chapter. We really appreciate it!

And yes, we do care about our readers. We care about you guys! Thank You very much!