AN: Sorry for the wait. I've had some problems and couldn't post anything. So here, just for you guys. Enjoy.
LINE BREAK
11:15 A.M
WRIGHT ANYTHING AGENCY
I opened my eyes, to find myself in familiar surroundings. Athena was standing in front of me smiling.
"Nice to see you again Sylf." She said and I nodded.
"Likewise. So, what's going on?" I asked.
"Pearls is channeling you, because Maya and Mr. Wright are out on a case. Trucy and Apollo are out as well, and so is Quinton." She said.
"So, why am I here?" She looked over her shoulder, before answering.
"If you don't mind, I have some questions about Quinton." I was surprised.
"About Quinton? Why?"
"Well, ever since your last visit, Quinton has been hiding something from us. I
was hoping you could tell me what t is." That made sense to me, so I nodded.
"Alright, ask away." I said. She smiled. "What's been bothering you?"
"Actually, I'm glad you asked me that, because there is something strange." She began playing with her earring. "So, Quinton is sort of a newbie at this defense lawyer stuff, right?"
"That's how I understand it, yes?" I said. She looked at me in a way I just knew meant trouble for me.
"Well, If he is a newbie at this, then why does he have as much experience as he does?" The question shocked me so much that I almost told her. I began to break out in a cold sweat.
"I-I have no idea. He was never that good before." Athena's eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean 'before'?" Shit, I said too much.
"W-Well, he always wanted to be a Defense Attorney, so he would practice with me. He was never very good." Buy it, buy it, buy it. Athena leaned forward.
"Why are you so nervous Sylf? Are you hiding something?" She asked slowly. I backed up, then an idea popped into my head.
"Well of course I'm nervous!" I cried. "You're looking at me like some kind of dog in heat." Her eyes widened and she stepped back.
"I was not!" I smirked. Yes, I've got her now.
"Did too.!"
"Not."
"Did."
"Not."
"Did."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes." We were both silent after our argument, then we both began laughing. After we were done, Athena looked back at me.
"Seriously, do you have any clue what he may be hiding? Cause if you ask me, I think it has something to do with the courtroom."
"Why do you think that?" I asked her, even though I was sure I knew what she was going to say.
"Almost every time he's been in a courtroom, Quinton has felt fear. Extreme fear." She grew quiet for a moment, then she continued. "So, you truly have no idea why that is?" I shook my head.
"Sorry Athena. I have no idea." I said. She sighed.
"Alright. Sorry for calling you." She said.
"Not at all. I'm always here to help. Call me anytime." I said, and with that, I closed my eyes and left Pearl's body.
LINE BREAK
3:30 PM
WRIGHT ANYTHING AGENCY
I walked into the Agency after I had successfully defended another client from charges of arson, bagged the real culprit, and had a bite to eat. When I got there, I saw that everyone was waiting for me.
"What's going on?" I asked. Mr. Wright looked at me.
"Ah, Quinton, we've been waiting for you." He said as he gestured to a chair. Everybody else was already seated.
"Why?" I asked as I sat. Athena leaned forward.
"The time has come to tell us exactly what you've been hiding." She said. I laughed.
"Really? I thought we went over this already. I'm not hiding anything." I saw Mr. Wright open his mouth, and quickly carried on. "And even if I was, you would need evidence." I smirked. "And you don't have any evidence, do you? So, how can you prove that I'm hiding something?" It was then that Athena started laughing.
"I believe we do have something to prove you've been hiding something. It may not be evidence, but it's the next best thing: Testimony." I suddenly knew exactly what she was talking about.
"You didn't." Athena grinned.
"Oh, but I did. Sylf herself testified that you were hiding nothing at all. And guess what. There were tons of contradictions-"
"In her emotions." I finished. I quickly glanced over at Trucy. She noticed, and she shook her head slightly. I smiled. Apollo noticed.
"What was that just then?" He asked. I grinned.
"What was what?" I asked. He leaned forward.
"I saw that little byplay between you and Trucy. Is she in on whatever you're hiding?" I laughed and leaned back in my chair.
"Of course she is." I said. Everybody was completely silent, even Trucy herself. It was glorious. I did my signature pose. "Think about it. If Trucy wasn't an accomplice, then why would she have told me about your conversation with Sylf." Athena fell out of her chair.
"I don't understand." Said Maya. I smirked yet again.
"Then allow me to explain Mystic Maya. Athena spoke with Sylf about how I feel fear in the courtroom. She then told Trucy about her conversation, and Trucy told me so that I could prepare myself for a confrontation. I then entered here pretending that I was completely oblivious about Pearls channeling Sylf." Everyone was shocked, so I decided to drive the nail home. "And now I'll prove it. You asked Sylf why I have as much experience in defending people as I do if I'm still rather new at this, yes?" Athena, who was back in her chair nodded silently. "And let me guess, when she replied, she was nervous and/or afraid." Athena nodded again.
"But what does that all mean?" Pearls asked. I laughed.
"It means that from the start I knew we would reach this point. The point in which I tell you all my secret." This time, it was Trucy who spoke up.
"Really? What is it?" She asked excitedly. I waved a finger.
"Tsk Tsk Tsk. Not so fast. Where's the fun in simply blurting out an answer. One thing I despise is lack of insight, so here's the deal. Consider each of the following options about why I have so much experience: That I had a great teacher, That I'm not as new as I claim I am, or That I am a sort of prodigy. Figure out which one it is, and I'll spill. I'll be waiting in my room until you're done. When you figure it out, send somebody up to get me. Get it right I talk, get it wrong, you'll have to wait." And with that, I got up and went to my room.
LINE BREAK
3:55 P.M
WRIGHT ANYTHING AGENCY
After Quinton left, we were all silent in thought. Just then, Maya looked over at me.
"Well, I give up. What's the answer Trucy?" I was taken aback.
"What makes you think I know?" I exclaimed. Just then, daddy leaned forward.
"Well, you were Quinton's accomplice just now. It makes sense that he would have told you." He said.
"Even if I did know, based on that logic, what makes you think I would tell you?" I asked them. Just then, Quinton showed up again.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I need to borrow a spirit medium." He said. Pearls stood up and went with him. "Thanks a bunch Pearls." He said with a smile. Then, both of them left. As soon as they were out of earshot, everybody looked back at me. I sighed.
"Look, all he did was ask me to notify him if anybody channeled Sylf. That's it." Then, I slumped back in my chair.
"It's going to be really hard to pick a single answer." Athena said. "Quinton is very clever." Just then, Maya shot up in her seat.
"That's it!" She cried.
"What is?" Polly asked. "Have you figured it out?"
"What Athena said is the ticket." Maya said. "You're right, it's going to be hard to pick a single answer, so why not pick more?" She then did Quinton's signature pose. "Think about it, when did Quinton ever actually say that we could only choose a single answer? He's had us thinking about only one answer, when multiple answers are true." I was grinning by the time she was done.
"If that's the case which ones?" Athena asked. I laughed.
"That's not the question we should be asking." I said. "The real question isn't what are the correct answers, but rather what are the reasons each answer would be correct." I closed my eyes, in order to think things through.
(Close up of Trucy's head)
REVISUALIZATION
THE CORRECT ANSWERS
"Okay, so firstly, what would make it true that he was lying to us about how new he was?"
FEAR OF COURTROOMS
KEEN INTELLECT
LOADS OF EXPERIENCE
COMMON SENCE
...
FEAR OF COURTROOMS
"Quinton is scared of being in courtrooms, which means he must have been in one before, in order to gain a fear of them. So, he must have been lying to us about when his first case was. Next, what would make it true that he had an amazing teacher?"
KEEN INTELLECT
OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK
LEGAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY
SWEET OBJECTION
…
LEGAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY
"Quinton is a legal Defense Attorney, which means he must have been taught about law. Therefore, he had a mentor. Lastly, what would make it true that he is a legal prodigy?"
OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK
KEEN INTELLECT
SWEET OBJECTION
LOADS OF EXPERIENCE
…
KEEN INTELLECT
"Quinton is brilliant, I daresay a genius. So it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that he could be a legal prodigy. But wait, that would mean...
ALL THE ANSWERS ARE CORRECT.
(Close up of Trucy's head pulls back)
I opened my eyes to look out at everybody and gauge their reactions. Daddy was grinning, Polly was smirking, Athena was shocked, and Maya was smiling.
"Pretty impressive Trucy." Maya said. "Have you been paying attention to Nick's trials?" I nodded.
"Well duh. What else would I be watching while he's at work?" I asked. Just then, Athena stood up.
"Well, I should go and tell Quinton that we solved his little puzzle." She said, and with that, she left to get Quinton. I sighed. Finally, we can get to the bottom of this.
LINE BREAK
MEANWHILE
WRIGHT ANYTHING AGENCY- QUINTON'S ROOM
I opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was Quinton. I looked around, and we were in his room.
"Hmm. Let me see." I said. "You've called me after a relatively short amount of time has passed since my conversation with Athena. That leads me to believe that you got wind of it, and about what it was about. So, you called me in order to discuss the outcome of all this. Am I correct?" Quinton smirked that ridiculously amazing smirk of his, which told me I got it correct.
"Staying sharp I see." He said. "Spot on as always." The joking mood suddenly became serious.
"So, what do want to do?" I asked him. "I kept our little secret, though Athena was a problem." Just then, Quinton surprised me by taking my hands.
"Thank you Sylf. I've been meaning to tell you that for a long time. Thank you for everything you've done for me and everybody else." I could see tears trickling from behind his shades. I gently wiped them away, and he didn't cringe like he normally did. He suddenly started laughing.
"What's so funny?" I asked him. He walked over and sat down on his couch, and clutched his head in his hands.
"It's ridiculous." He said. "I'm eighteen years old, and I need to whine to my dead girlfriend about my problems. It's appalling." He took a deep breath, and let out a long, ragged sigh. "Thank you again for keeping this a secret. But I can't do it anymore. I can't deal with these emotions anymore. I can't deal with how every time I walk into a courtroom, I feel like I'm about to die. So, I've decided to tell them. All of it. But, this concerns you too, so it's up to you Sylf." When he was done, he looked up at me, waiting for my input. I smiled.
"Have I told you how adorable you are when you worry about others?" I asked, and he nodded. I went over and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Well, It's nice to see you thinking about your own well-being for a change. Besides, I think they need to know. So, ultimately, the decision is yours. But if you decide not to tell them, then you can vent to me anytime. I'm always listening, I promise." Then I suddenly kissed him on the top of his head. He looked up at me, and I smiled. He smiled back at me, even though he was still crying.
"Goodbye Sylf. I'll miss you. I always will." He said. I hugged him one last time.
"Don't mention it." I whispered in his ear as I left Pearls' body.
LINE BREAK
4:25 PM
WRIGHT ANYTHING AGENCY- RESIDENT HALLWAY
I was right outside Quinton's room, when I heard Pearls' voice.
"Are you OK Quinton?" She asked. I, about to knock on the door, paused and listened.
"Yeah, I'm fine Pearls. It shouldn't be to long until Trucy or Athena figure out my little puzzle." It was just then that I knocked on the door. "In fact, that must be Athena now. Let's go Pearls, I've got some explaining to do." I stepped back, and a few seconds later, the door opened, revealing Quinton and Pearls.
"How did you know it was me?" I asked.
"Nobody else knocks the way you do." He said. "So, what is the correct answer?"
"All of them." I said. Then I grinned. "Clever Quinton. Very clever." He smiled at the complement.
"Thank you. And congratulations." Then he walked past me, towards the stairs. "You coming?" He asked.
LINE BREAK
4:35
WRIGHT ANYTHING AGENCY
The suspense was killing me. Athena had left ten minutes ago, and hadn't yet returned with Quinton. I was just about to go and see what was taking them so long, when Athena, Quinton, and Pearl showed up. Athena and Pearls took their seats, while Quinton remained standing. All of us focused on Quinton, giving him our undivided attention.
"All right Quinton, what's this all about?" Daddy asked. Quinton smirked and did his signature pose.
"Think about it. Think about all the clues that you've recovered about me. You should have enough to piece together an explanation. I told you about Sylf, You've spoken to her, you know I feel fear in courtrooms, you know I'm an experienced Attorney, you figured out I had a teacher, and you know about my ability. All of it points to one point, one event. All of it points to the darkest event in my life. Can you guess what event that was?"
"The plane crash." Polly said. Quinton nodded.
"But what does that have to do with your fear of courtrooms?" Maya asked. Quinton chuckled a little bit.
"Because we weren't in the plane when it crashed."
LINE BREAK
AN: That's it. The start of Quinton's explanation. How many of you have been waiting for this? If you think you've pieced together exactly what happened, tell me what you think. Thanks.