Chapter Four: An Opportunity to Shine

Lana was drinking her coffee while listening to her little sister tell her about the bewildering new scientific experiment they had done at school. It wasn't unusual, far from it, and it was why Lana was almost always in a good mood to start the day.

Today, Ema was rambling about how their teacher had shown them what happened when you mixed coke and mentos. Lana smiled and had to pretend she was amazed when it was actually an experiment her middle school teacher had shown them when she was Ema's age.

Eventually, though, the younger Skye was stopped by the ringing of Lana's cellphone.

"Hm? I wonder who's calling so early…? I'll pick it up; go pack your bag for school in the meantime, okay?" Lana asked her sister, who simply nodded. She took the phone and took the call. "Lana Skye speaking."

"Hey, pretty lady! How's it going?"

Lana sighed and shook her head in exasperation. The friendly voice on the other line was one she always appreciated hearing. Still, after glancing at the clock against the wall, it annoyed her a bit. The nickname was usual, though.

"I was fine until you decided that calling me at ten past seven in the morning was a good idea, Neil," Lana told him, her voice showing that she was not genuinely mad. "What was so urgent that you couldn't wait until I was on campus to tell me?"

Neil Marshall was another law student at Lana's college and a good friend of the Skyes. He studied in order to become a prosecutor. The plan was for him and Lana to work together in the future as partnered detective and prosecutor. The two often hung out together, and Lana knew she could count on him for pretty much anything.

"Sorry, Lana… Hope I didn't wake you or the young bambina?" Neil apologized.

"It's okay," the young woman assured him. "Ema and I were just having breakfast. You didn't answer my question, though. I'll be on campus in not more than twenty minutes. I think it could have waited."

"Well, actually, it probably couldn't have," he said. "I got on campus like ten minutes ago and noticed a poster in the main hall. Sounds like they want to organize a mock trial soon. Just wanted to know if you were up for it? You know you're my favorite detective, pretty lady."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Neil," Lana told him, smirking. "You know I don't lean this way, don't you?" hearing Neil laugh, she continued. "But yeah, I wouldn't mind a mock trial. It's been a while since our last one."

"Glad to hear that. The early bird gets the worm, so I need to sign us up ASAP," Neil explained, and Lana could hear him walking in the halls. "I'm going to go see the sheriff of this town and get us in, alright?"

"Yes, you do that," the young woman said, taking a sip of her coffee. "Well, I need to drive Ema to school, but I'll talk to you whenever I get on campus so you can explain this to me in more detail."

"Sure thing, pretty lady! Tell the young bambina I said hi, will you?"

"Will do."

Lana ended the call and put her cellphone back in her purse. This was unexpected, but it could be interesting. She had participated in a number of mock trials before with Neil as the prosecutor. So far, they had gone undefeated, which was a rare feat. Getting a chance to defend their perfect record sounded like a nice change of pace from her usual schedule. Besides, it was always the best way to learn.

"I'm ready to go, Lana!"

Lana turned around and noticed Ema with her school bag on her shoulders, standing close to the door. She nodded and finished her coffee in one sip. She grabbed her purse and stood up.

"Let's go. Neil said hi, by the way."

"Oh, really? What did he want to tell you, Lana?" Ema asked, following her sister out of the apartment.

"He wanted to know if I wanted to participate in a mock trial at our school soon," Lana explained, locking the door behind them. "We'll discuss it a bit more when I get there. I'll also ask him if he'd like to come over soon, so you can see him again, alright? I figure it's been a while, and it could be fun to have dinner or something."

Ema seemed to like the idea. "I'd love that, Lana! Mr. Marshall is always so kind to me whenever you invite him here!"

Lana smiled. Making plans wasn't her forte due to being busy with her studies and raising a teenage Ema. Still, they were always worth it, especially with a friend as close to them as Neil was.

"Good morning, cow-boy," Lana greeted with a friendly grin as she approached Neil. "Here I am, in the flesh. I hope I didn't make you wait?"

"No, it's alright. Good to see you, Lana. As pretty as always," said Neil, smiling at Lana, who blushed the tiniest bit. "Just saw the sheriff of this school and got us in for the trial. It's in a month, and the crime scene will be set up three days before the trial for the investigation."

"A month, you say…?" That's plenty of time to prepare and study for it… Lana thought.

She always made sure to review her legal books very thoroughly before each mock trial as to not embarrass herself in court. Her duo with Neil, her most frequent study partner, was always victorious because they knew their cases very well and were always prepared for any trick their opponent could use against them.

The two friends sought the truth of the cases they worked on - even if these were fake - and battled to earn a decisive yet fair verdict in the end. If their defendant was guilty, then they would prove it. If they were innocent, Lana hoped for them that their defense attorney would be competent enough to demonstrate it during the trial.

"I see. I'll be ready by then," Lana said. "I trust my favorite future prosecutor will be too?"

Neil laughed as they headed to class, walking through the halls. "Of course I'll be ready, Lana! They'd shoot a man in Texas if he wasn't ready to perform his duty! Besides, you know I couldn't fail a beautiful lady like you, right?"

Lana rolled her eyes. "Sweet talker…" she muttered with a smile. "When you'll be quite done flirting with me, perhaps I could ask you a question?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Do we already know who our opponent will be?" Lana asked, regaining her seriousness. "I hope that all the future defense attorneys haven't chickened out because we've yet to be defeated."

"Well, no one had signed up to be the lawyer when I paid a visit to the sheriff earlier," Neil told her, shrugging. "Seems like town's empty of defense attorneys brave enough for now. I'm sure they'll find someone eventually, though."

"Who knows?" So there isn't a defense attorney on the case yet. Hm… An idea began to form in Lana's head. Once they reached the door to the amphitheater, she peered inside and scanned the room for a couple of seconds. She turned to Neil. "Go in and wait for me a couple of minutes, okay? I've got an idea."

Lana hoped it wouldn't take too much of her time, but now that she had had the idea, it wouldn't leave her mind. The words 'defense attorney' had almost been a trigger for the young woman. Neil seemed surprised but didn't question it.

"Yeah, sure. I'll give you my notes when you come back," Neil said, entering the room. "Don't take too long, though, pardner."

"Don't worry. I'll be back in a few minutes at most." And hopefully… with a lawyer to be our opponent.

It didn't take Lana more than three minutes to find the person she was looking for. Smiling, she approached them as they walked in the hallway, heading to class, just like the tens of other students.

"Mia?" Lana tried, catching up to her in the hallway.

"Oh, Lana! Good morning!" Mia greeted. "Sorry, I didn't see you there. How are you?"

"Hi. I'm fine, thank you," the older girl said. "How have you been since yesterday?"

"I've been fine too, thanks. Worked a bit more on what we reviewed yesterday just so I could come back to your class today," Mia explained, walking alongside Lana. "Would you mind if I sat next to you again today?"

Lana shook her head. "No, not at all. I'm with a friend of mine today, though. He doesn't bite, don't worry," she told her, making Mia chuckle. "I meant to ask you something, though."

"Sure, what is it?" the first-year student laughed. "My phone number, perhaps?"

"… Had a clown for breakfast, I see…" Lana said and sighed in amusement. "More seriously, nothing like that. I just wanted to know if you had already participated in a mock trial since you've enrolled here?"

"Hm… No, I haven't. I think I've seen some posters in the main hall about one happening, but that was weeks ago," said Mia. "Why?"

"Well, the friend I mentioned seconds ago studies to become a prosecutor, and as I told you yesterday, I plan on becoming a detective," Lana began. "We've participated in several mock trials before as partners, and we've signed up for the one the school organizes next month, see?" seeing Mia nod, Lana continued. "There isn't a defense attorney on the case yet, so I was wondering if you'd be up for it. It could give you some good experience, even if I know it might sound a little intimidating to a first-year student."

"W-Wow, I didn't expect that…" Mia admitted, looking genuinely surprised. "I… I'm not sure I'm ready for something like that, Lana…" she sighed. "I work hard, but as you said, I'm only a first-year student, so even if I had the knowledge necessary, I couldn't compete against you and your friend, anyway…"

"If you want my opinion, Mia, we all start somewhere, you know? I was really nervous before my first mock trial, but it went fine, and I then realized that I shouldn't have put so much pressure on myself," she said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. "Besides, if I asked you and not someone else, it's because I think you have it in you. With one month of preparation, I'm sure you could handle it."

"You… put too much trust in me, Lana…" Mia assured her upperclassman with a laugh. "I'm really still studying the basics, and I don't know much about defending, so I really doubt that a month would be enough…"

"Well, it's your call, Mia. I'm not trying to force you or anything. This is just a suggestion, nothing more," Lana told Mia. "And you don't have to tell me right away, you know? Classes are starting, so I doubt that anyone will sign up for the position for a few hours. You can think about it some more, we can discuss it with my friend after class, and you can make a choice then, alright?"

She smiled at Mia to give her some confidence. Lana recalled her first mock trial down to the smallest detail. It had been a (fake) case of murder, nothing less. There was a lack of evidence, and her investigation had not turned up much proof of the defendant's guilt. Still, Neil had always been confident about their case, and he had asked Lana one thing and one thing only: to trust her abilities.

Ever since that day, Lana had not faced a single case she didn't feel confident enough to take on. She wanted to give Mia that confidence booster necessary to take the plunge and see how it would go.

"I'll… think about it," Mia said unsurely, taking a deep breath. "But I appreciate that you thought of me for the position, Lana. That was kind of you."

"Don't worry about it," Lana replied confidently. Mia has potential as a lawyer, I'm sure of it. Our previous opponents never really had a chance, but she could be different. And knowing Neil, he'll agree with me.

Soon enough, the two young women had reached the doors of the amphitheater. They headed inside. As they did, Lana couldn't help but wonder what Mia's decision would be. She would respect it, whatever it ended up being, of course, but she really hoped she would be up for it.

After all, when Lana Skye had a gut feeling, it usually meant she was right.

To be continued…

A.N: This chapter was the first of an arc centered around this mock trial. I don't know how many chapters it'll take, but I thought it could be cool. I hope you'll find it cool, anyway. I'd like to know what you thought of Neil, too! Please leave a review, and I hope you all have a nice day! :)