A/N: Another chapter!
Apollo is 22 here, making Trucy 15.
ONWARD!
…
Chapter Eleven: The Past
Four Years Later
I stared at the paper in front of me, the words swimming slightly due to my nervousness. I was in a large lecture hall, other law hopefuls like myself scribbling away at their papers.
Today was the bar exam. The thing that would determine if I passed or failed.
The test that determined my future.
I took a deep breath, closing my eyes.
I'M APOLLO WRIGHT, AND I'M FINE! I shouted in my head. I had been running late this morning, so I didn't have time to do this before the test. A few more times, and I opened my eyes, feeling a little calmer.
Time to ace this test.
…
"Well!?" Clay demanded as I walked out of the room, surprising me slightly. I shrugged with a grin.
"Eh. I think I did alright. Didn't you have a final today?" I asked. He laughed, slinging an arm around me as we walked down the hall.
"Finished early," he said, waving it away. I chuckled at that, shaking my head.
"Well, alright."
…
"DAD! TRUCY! DAD! TRUCY!" I yelled barreling into the living room, holding the mail. Both looked up in surprise.
"What is it, Apollo?" Dad asked.
"The results are here," I said, looking down at the envelop.
"For the Bar Exam? Well? How'd you do?" Trucy asked. I bit my lip slightly.
"I don't know. I didn't look," I said softly, staring at the envelope.
"Do you want me to open it for you?" Dad asked, his voice half-amused, half-sympathetic. I looked up at him and shook my head, before taking another deep breath and opening it slowly, pulling out the letter.
"Well?" Trucy asked after I stared at the letter for a while. I looked up at them.
"I… passed…"
"YES!" Trucy squealed, tackling me in a hug.
"Don't sound too surprised!" Dad said, laughing. I started laughing as well, relieved.
…
Since I had access to law files now, I continued my investigation into Zak, mainly. His disappearance still really bothered me, for Trucy's sake (who still loved him), and his dropping off the face of the earth just didn't make sense.
I sighed, resting my head against my fist, sitting at my desk in my room, my laptop open in front of me.
"Apollo?" Dad asked, knocking, then entering. I looked up.
"Yeah?"
"I was thinking we could celebrate your new badge, tonight," he said, motioning towards where it was pinned to my lapel. I smiled, brushing my fingers over the small, metal disk. "Trucy has a performance tonight, but you and me can get dinner with a friend at the Borsht Bowl Club."
"A friend?" I asked.
"Kristoph Gavin," he said. I perked up.
"The 'Coolest Defense in the West'?" I asked.
"The very same," he replied. I grinned.
"Okay." I stood, grabbing a hoodie. It was cold in the restaurant Dad worked at, after all…
…
"So, this is the new Wright Attorney," Mr. Gavin said as he walked over to the table Dad and I were at, near the piano. Dad smiled, clasping my shoulder proudly.
"Yep. Just passed his bar exam and everything," he said, giving my shoulder a squeeze. I smiled warmly at that, before offering my hand to Mr. Gavin.
"Apollo Wright. It's nice to meet you, sir," I said.
"The pleasure's mine," he replied, sitting and adjusting his glasses. "I can see you have some of your father's old spark." He glanced over at Dad with a smirk. "And persistence." I chuckled weakly, rubbing the top of my head.
"My teachers said that too," I admitted sheepishly.
"I'm buying him dinner to celebrate passing the Bar Exam," Dad said.
"And you didn't go to Eldoon Noodles?" Mr. Gavin asked, causing Dad to laugh.
"Nope, not tonight."
Just then a waitress came over, taking our order, before heading back to the kitchen. Dad watched after her, a weird look on his face, before turning back to us.
Mr. Gavin asked me all kinds of questions about school, my interests, and the law. I got the feeling he was quizzing me, which was fine. As odd as it sounds, I actually found law interesting, meaning I remembered it. Mr. Gavin, and even Dad, were impressed by my knowledge, and I was having fun.
Finally, though, Mr. Gavin stood.
"I'll be taking my leave, now," he announced. "Still have some work to do back at the office."
"Then I guess it'll just be the two of us," Dad said, glancing over at me with a small smile.
"It was nice meeting you," I added.
"It was nice to meet you as well, Apollo. You have a bright future ahead of you," he said with a warm smile at me. I smiled warmly back, and he headed out. After a few moments, I let out a yawn as well.
"You should head home too, Apollo," Dad said, ruffling my hair. I chuckled, standing.
"You're right. Night, Dad," I said.
"G'night, kiddo," he replied, and I headed towards the door, bumping into someone right in front of it.
"Oof. Sorry," I muttered.
"It's fine," the man replied, stepping around me, a hand on my shoulder to steady me.
I froze.
That touch. That voice. I spun on my heel, watching the man, who was wearing a white suit and fedora, walk over to where Dad was taking a swig of grape juice.
He glanced to the side, looking at another man I hadn't noticed before, and I caught sight of his profile.
It's him! It's Zak! He's here. What is he doing here!? I pulled the hood of my jacket up and quickly moved over to the bar, sitting just within earshot of the group of men.
"Are… they well? Trucy and Apollo, I mean," Zak asked. I seethed.
Like you care, I thought bitterly.
"They're fine. Apollo just graduated college, and I've got Trucy working already. Hope you don't mind," Dad said, and I could hear an undercurrent of sarcasm in his voice.
"I hardly need express my gratitude. But, you have it," Zak said, looking away from the man who's life he ruined. "This is why I have come. That, and to settle a matter of cards."
"By which you mean poker?" Dad asked. I glanced over again, catching sight of Zak's eyes. He was serious about this game. Those were the most dangerous kind for Dad.
"I despise losing above all else," Zak said with a grin. "And so, I have decided that I will win tonight. No matter what it takes." The look on Dad's face showed that he felt the same way I did about people like Zak.
"Perhaps we should take this time to talk, before we play," Zak suggested. "I know you have much to ask me. And I, you."
The two talked about the first time they met, in the Detention Center seven years ago, when Dad first beat Zak at a game of cards, and how he hired his attorney over a game, a game where one's true nature is shown. Dad himself has told me about that, the few times he had me sit with him at the Hydeout. Trucy and I helped him from time to time when we were younger.
"So Trucy… she's fifteen this year? And Apollo… twenty-two?" Zak asked.
At least you got our ages right. Jerk.
"Yes. Trucy's still trying her best to follow in your footsteps, you know. Apollo… not so much," Dad said, sounding a little awkward.
"I… see. When I planned my disappearing act, it was the thought of them alone that gave me pause," Zak admitted.
Yet you still did it.
"Wait," Dad said, not sounding too happy. "You were planning on vanishing from the get-go?"
"Yes, and for that, I must apologize."
Apology NOT accepted!
"However…I could not be found guilty that day. Because of this."
From his pocket, he pulled out an old piece of paper, one that was folded and ripped on one edge, like it had been pulled from a notebook.
"This…?" Dad asked.
"A transferal of rights. You see the signature?"
"A transferal…? That's Magnfi Gramarye's signature, isn't it?" Dad asked, looking from the paper, to Zak. He then looked down at it again.
"'I hereby give all rights to the secrets, staging, and performance of my magic… to the recipient named below'," he read. "And the recipient's name… is you… Zak Gramarye."
"Yes, it is I," Zak said.
"Wait… this page looks torn," Dad said, surprise in his voice.
"You recall the diary, yes?" Zak asked. I thought back to the trial seven years ago, almost like he had been asking me. Dad had presented a paper that he said was torn from Grandfather's diary, then Prosecutor Gavin cleared the courtroom. Zak vanished after that, and Dad had been disbarred for presenting false evidence.
Evidence I was positive he didn't realize was false.
Was this the real diary page? If so, Zak ruined his life more then either Dad or I ever realized.
"How could I forget? That scrap of paper lost me my attorney's badge," Dad replied bitterly.
"This is the real page that was torn from the book," Zak admitted, looking away from Dad. "Magnifi gave it to me that night.
Dad was silent for a moment, his face impassive. "You could have told me this earlier. Like, seven years earlier," he said, his voice carefully composed. That was a sure sign that he was seething.
"Once again, I must apologize. It was all I could do to prepare for my escape from that courtroom," Zak said.
That isn't enough!
Zak shook his head. "The greatest of Magnifi Gramarye's illusions are true art," he said. "As such, they are well protected… by this document." He held the paper up. "Only its bearer may perform his illusions on stage. As the rightful heir to his art, I, too, wanted a rightful heir."
"'Rightful'…?" Dad asked.
"I'm sure you know who I chose as my successor," Zak said. I lifted my head slightly, turning it towards the man a little more.
"Your son," Dad said.
"No," Zak said, and I winced at that one word. "I always saw Apollo as my son, but the truth of the matter is that he and I are not blood related."
"You weren't blood related to Magnifi," Dad said.
"We were related lawfully, through marriage. And, at one time, I was lawfully related to Apollo, through adoption. Even that is gone now, now that you've adopted him," Zak explained. I clenched my hands into fists, my eyes swimming with angry tears.
Whatever. I don't want the stinking magic anyway. I'm a lawyer now, I thought bitterly.
"Your daughter, then?" Dad asked, his voice impassive once more.
"Yes. That is why I have risked all to come here tonight," he said.
The two, along with help from the third man there, did the official signing for the transferal of rights and discussed the law that stated that a missing man would be declared dead after seven years.
That was a law I paid close attention to in school. Zak's time was coming, and Mom…
Well, it's been nearly ten years.
The third man left, his job done, and Zak and Dad talked some more. Zak first explained the Gramarye power to him: the ability to perceive when someone lies. I touched my bracelet, realizing that was what he was talking about. Dad had said Trucy could do it too, but I had never realized that ran in our blood.
Then they talked about the night Grandfather had died. The letters had been a test, set up to decide which of his students would gain the rights to his magic. I shook my head, looking at my hand.
If I had shot him that night, neither of them would gain his magic…
"It seems that before I can once again disappear from this world…" Zak began.
WHAT!?
"…I have one more act to perform."
You're leaving us again!? I glanced over my shoulder at Dad's face. It was impassive, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
"Isn't it odd that sorting out my life should prove so complicated, even though I'm 'dead'?" Zak sighed. My hands clenched into fists at that, a thousand dark thoughts swirling around my head. He wrote something, signed it, and gave it to Dad, before the two headed down into the Hydeout.
"You okay, kid? Want something?" the bartender asked me. I looked up at him, half tempted to ask for whatever was the strongest drink they had.
"A Pepsi. Please," I sighed, handing him a few dollars. I needed to confront Zak before he vanished again, and to do that, I needed a clear head.
Or, at lease, as clear as could be.
Dad and Zak were downstairs for a while, the bar steadily clearing out. Finally, though, Dad came upstairs, talking quickly on his phone. He seemed worried, and kept glancing back at the door.
"Dad?" I called.
Seeming to not hear me, he returned back downstairs. I stood and quickly followed him.
At the door, I froze.
Dad looked up from where he was inspecting Zak, who was sitting in the seat at the head of the table, a pained look on his face.
One look at him, and I could tell Zak was dead. I stumbled back, hitting the wall behind me.
"Apollo!?" he gasped.
"W-what… what…" I shook my head. I was angry, upset, confused… I held my head in my hands, trying to think straight.
"Apollo," Dad said firmly, putting his hands on my shoulders. I looked up at him, and could see the fear and confusion in his eyes too.
"What happened!?" I demanded, finally finding my voice. Normally, I wouldn't think Dad did it. After all, he was the most morally stable person I knew.
But he had motive.
Zak had destroyed his life, after all. Cost him his Attorney's badge, withheld evidence that could have saved himself and Dad…
"He attacked the dealer, so I went upstairs to call the police. When I came back, he was like this," Dad explained. I hesitated, before nodding, wanting desperately to believe him. "I have to make another call, okay?"
"Who?" I asked, my voice soft.
"Kristoph. I believe I'm going to be arrested for this," he said, walking past me. I caught his sleeve.
"Dad, let me defend you," I offered. He stopped, looking back at me in surprise, before smiling warmly.
"If that's what you want. Alright then. I'm still going to call him, and ask him to mentor you through the case though, alright? After all, this will be your first trial."
I gave a small smile and nodded. "Alright. Makes sense," I said, letting him lead me back up the steps.
That when I realized… he probably doesn't know that I know the real identity of the victim.
…
A/N: Dun, dun, duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun! Next chapter will be Turnabout Trump!
This'll be fun, hehe.
