"I've booked a plane ticket to Los Angeles and I'll be there by Monday."
The glittering lights breathed life into the city of Frankfurt. I held my handbag as I walked down the block, my red cell phone against my ear.
"I can't wait to work with you, Miss Mariposa," the man on the other end replied. "Welcome to the Wright and Co. Law Firm."
"Of course, Mr. Wright, likewise," I chuckled and closed my phone, dropping it into my bag. I stopped at the crossroad, waiting patiently for the sign to change. Once it did, I started walking again, mingling with the large crowd.
My name is Merah Mariposa. I'm twenty one years old and fresh out of law school. I stand at five foot two with long platinum blonde hair, red eyes and skin as pale as a ghost's. I was born in New York, skipped two grades during schooling and was able to move to Germany to attend law school. It was one of those dreams a little girl had long ago and she had finally made it come true. Who was that on the phone just now? That was defense attorney Phoenix Wright. For the past six months, he's been the main headline on every American news station. He is a rookie attorney who solved several criminal cases flawlessly and I will be working in his law firm next week.
I crossed another street and made my way towards an apartment building, fetching my keys out of my handbag. I felt relieved to be home. Today's case was tiring but I'm overjoyed that I was able to win a verdict of not guilty.
"Pardon me," the voice of a man came from behind me and I turned to face him. "I've seemed to have forgotten my way around here. Can you tell me where the nearest hotel is?" He carried himself with confidence, those fine dark eyes collected and his angular face stiff. His ash black hair was well groomed and he wore a red suit with a cravat under his black coat. He held a brief case and he towered over me with his broad frame.
"Yeah," I nodded. I turned pointed to the next block. "You'll find a hotel right there."
The sides of his mouth twitched ever so slightly and he bowed, "Thank you." He turned and walked toward the next block, tucking his right hand into his pant pocket. I wondered who he was...I've never seen a man like that before. I stared at him until he became a speck in the crowd and retreated inside the apartment building. This would be probably be my last night here in this apartment building. On Monday, I'll be returning to the States.
-2 Days Later-
I grabbed my bags and left the airport, stepping into the hot sun of Los Angeles. The sky was a clear, crisp blue and the sounds of beeping cars filled my ears. This wasn't New York but it still felt like home and I found my smile coming back onto my face. I stepped into the shade, taking care that my skin didn't burn under the sun and waited for a cab.
"Merah Mariposa! Merah Mariposa!" I heard someone call out my name and glanced around the street. "Merah Mariposa!"
I found him. He was broad framed with black spiky hair and brown eyes. He wore a blue suit and he held a sign with my name on it. With him was a young Japanese girl no older than seventeen with ebony hair and eyes dressed in a shrine maiden's garb, a spirit medium's charm around her neck. I walked straight towards them, my suitcase rolling beside me.
"You're Phoenix Wright?" I asked.
He nodded and scratched the back of his spiky hair, "Hehe, yeah, that's me. Phoenix Wright," he looked to the girl next to him. "And this is Maya Fey, from the Kurain Village of Spirit Mediums."
Maya bowed politely before me, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Mariposa."
"Please, call me Merah," I told her. "I look forward to working with you."