Chapter Seven: The Turnabout Sisters

"Whatcha doing, Lana?"

Lana looked back and noticed Ema standing behind her, looking at her laptop. It had been three weeks since she, Neil, and Mia had signed up for the mock trial, which had never been this close now.

In these three weeks, Lana and Neil had become good friends with Mia, the three of them going to class and studying together often. For the sake of fairness, the two partners had also given Mia some tips to prepare for the upcoming trial.

But right now, Lana was reviewing the online edition of one of her law books, getting reacquainted with it and court procedures. It couldn't hurt, in her opinion. The investigation was set to begin tomorrow, after all.

"Studying for my next mock trial, Ema," she told her, her eyes not leaving her screen. "Not the most interesting stuff, but it has to be done. Are you done with your homework?"

"Yes, I am!" the younger sister beamed, smiling broadly. Lana nodded. "Say, Lana… do you think we could order pizza tonight? I mean… I'd like to spend a little more time with you, watching TV or whatever," Ema's smile turned into a sad expression. "I feel like we haven't been together much since you've started studying for your trial…"

Lana sighed and turned around on her chair, closing her laptop. She noticed her little sister looking a little defeated.

"Sure, Ema, that sounds fun," she told her, giving Ema a reassuring smile. "I'm so sorry we couldn't spend more time together recently, Ema; I really am."

"I-It's okay, Lana, don't worry about it," Ema assured her, showing an easy-going smile. "I know you're working hard. I… don't want to take too much of your time, but just a couple of hours…?"

Lana got up and ruffled her sister's hair playfully. "Go find a movie to watch while I call the pizza guy, okay?"

"Yeah, right away!" Ema cheered, running out of Lana's room in a hurry, making her older sister smile in amusement.

With the trial getting so close, I didn't even realize I'd let Ema all on her own… I feel bad now… Lana thought guiltily, grabbing her cellphone and dialing the nearest pizza joint's number. And with the investigation beginning tomorrow, followed by the trial… She sighed. Let's hope that Neil and I can make it end quickly, so I have a little more time for Ema… The young woman let out a giggle. Sorry, Mia, but if we can have a crushing win, we'll take it…

Mia stood along the railway and noticed the train slowly coming to a stop. The doors opened, and the passengers got out. They were few, considering this particular train ventured into the mountains, where almost no one had to go. Kurain Village wasn't famous enough to warrant such attention from the citizens of Los Angeles.

"Sis!"

She looked up and noticed Maya running at full speed towards her with excitement. Mia smiled, opening her arms to catch her.

"Maya! It's good to see you again!" Mia said, embracing her little sister in a bear hug. "It's been too long… How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm fine… The usual, you know?" Maya told her, clapping her hands and giving Mia a smile. "I'm so glad to see you again, Sis! I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you, too, Maya… I'm glad you could come, even if this is only for today."

"Well, it wasn't easy to convince Aunt Morgan, but I eventually got through to her," the tween said with a shrug. "She agreed to let the trainees have a day off so she could look after Pearly."

"Ah, I see." I don't think Morgan will ever appreciate that Maya visits me in Los Angeles from time to time… Mia thought, sighing discreetly. I wish she didn't hold a grudge against Maya for the choices *I* made… Leaving these thoughts aside, Mia smiled at her little sister. "How's little Pearl doing?"

Maya giggled. "Pearly's doing great! She's always smiling when we play together, and it's a lot of fun. She's young, but she's adorable!" the youngest Fey combed through the pockets of her robe, taking out her cellphone. "I've taken a picture of her while Aunt Morgan wasn't looking, actually. Look!"

She pressed a couple of buttons on her cellphone (Mia was surprised with how much more tech-savvy her little sister was - she didn't even know how to operate a computer correctly!) and extended it to Mia. The law student looked curiously at the screen.

It was a picture of a very young girl dressed in a baby pink kimono and wearing a light-blue Magatama around her neck. Her brown hair was still short but tied in a small loop, and her light brown eyes and cute smile were adorable.

I'm glad Pearl didn't inherit her mother's grumpy face… Mia chuckled amusingly. It's pretty unbelievable to think that a witch like Morgan gave birth to an adorable little girl like that.

"I'll have to make a visit to Kurain one day to meet her," she said, returning her phone to Maya. "Even if Morgan probably doesn't want to see me around."

"Well… she says it's regrettable that you left the village, but…" Maya paused, appearing to be deep in thought. "I'm sure she'd love it if you paid us a visit sometime!"

Yeah… I'm not so sure about that, Maya… Mia sweatdropped. Her little sister was still young and somewhat naïve. She probably couldn't imagine that the relationship between her sibling and her aunt was so… tense. Although, Mia was glad that Morgan wasn't insulting her behind her back, especially not in front of Maya.

"I'll keep it in mind," Mia said, trying to change the subject. She didn't want to be forced to make any promises she knew she couldn't keep. "Now, what do you say we go have a burger together? I'm sure you're going to beg me at some point, anyway."

Maya looked a little embarrassed, though quite hyped up, too! "I'd love a good burger, Sis! Or even a few, haha."

Mia shook her head. There wasn't a single person on the face of the planet who would be as excited for a burger as Maya Fey could be. And Mia loved her little sister that way.

"This pizza is so good! Scientifically speaking, of course."

Lana giggled as her sister laid in her lap, eating her slice of pizza while watching the TV. They had created a fitting ambiance for their TV-watching evening together, slumped onto the couch in the dark living room. Their food and drinks rested on the coffee table, though it was mostly Ema stuffing her face.

Ema had picked a movie about the blossoming romance of two young women going through the hardships of life. Lana had already seen it in the past, back when she'd been struggling with self-acceptance issues. Growing up, she had heard homophobic remarks from some of her classmates. They were in middle school back then, so Lana didn't think they were homophobic, but it definitely suggested that their parents were.

Puberty had come, and Lana had found herself attracted to girls and women. Boys could be handsome too, but Lana didn't feel any romantic or sexual attraction to them. She liked girls, and her secret fantasies involved her idea of the perfect girlfriend: feminine, charismatic, and more than anything, badass.

So far, Lana had never found that perfect girl, but she kept hope. Luckily, she had never been the victim of homophobic remarks herself - though it partly was because the number of people who knew she was a lesbian could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Ema was one, Neil was another, and his brother Jake was the last one.

The movie was one of Lana's favorites, though since she had not watched it in quite some time, some of the details had slipped her mind. She was relieved to see that Ema seemed to enjoy it so far, even if her focus remained on the food.

"You know that eating so much and so fast is unhealthy, Ema, right?" she asked her, then smirked. "Scientifically speaking, of course."

Ema pouted, but after a few seconds, she giggled. This was her catchphrase, and hearing her older sister use it against her was amusing.

"Fine…" Ema relented, slowing down her chews. "Don't you want some more, Lana?"

"No, thanks. I'm stuffed," Lana said, patting her belly. "You're the only one who can eat that much, Ema."

"Hey, maybe I am; who knows?"

The two sisters laughed together. They ended up losing their focus on the movie and instead chatted together, finally getting a chance to spend some time together.

Now that I think about it… didn't Mia tell me that her sister also had an unrivaled appetite? She wondered, trying to recall when she could have heard her friend say that. I think it was when we first went to the burger joint with Neil. I'd be curious to know what Mia's sister is like… Would she get along well with Ema?

Yawning, Lana left this question unanswered for now. She'd have to talk to Mia about having their respective little sisters meet one day.

She heard the sound of Ema's snoring. The teen had fallen asleep before the end of the movie, drooling cutely. Lana got up, making sure not to wake her sister up, before carrying her to her bedroom. She placed Ema on her bed and under the sheets, tucking her in and pressing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I'm glad we could have some fun together. Sweet dreams, Ema. I love you."

Yawning again, the young woman headed to bed, knowing that she couldn't be tired tomorrow.

"Maya, this is your fourth burger… You might want to stop before you get a stomachache, you know?"

The young teen swallowed the ridiculous bite of her burger. "Nah, don't worry, Sis! My belly can handle it!"

Yeah, but my wallet soon won't… Mia thought and sighed. "Just who did you inherit this appetite from?! Mom wasn't like that, and Dad wasn't either!"

Maya shrugged, biting into her juicy burger once more. She was careful not to speak with her mouth full, or she knew Mia would scold her and tell her to watch her manners. In truth, Mia didn't mind that her sister would sometimes do a little as she pleased because she knew how strict Morgan could be.

Whenever she scolded her, it was more so that she wouldn't do the same in front of her aunt. Still, Mia knew that while Maya was cheery and visibly carefree, she was also an intelligent young girl. She often acted silly, but Mia knew that her mental strength was unrivaled.

"I dunno… I guess I might be an exception?"

Mia muffled a chuckle. Maya was an exception, alright. The right kind of exception, though.

"So, what's up at your school, Sis? Anything not boring happening?"

"Well, actually, yes. I've got something important starting tomorrow," Mia told her, nervousness creeping in. Maya looked interested. "Do you remember when I told you about one of my upperclassman called Lana?"

"Yeah, I think I do. Wasn't that the girl who also had a younger sister?"

"Exactly. Well, see, Lana suggested I participated in a mock trial against her and one of her friends," she explained, trying to hide her stress. "I've… been studying for a month now, but I'm not sure I'm ready…"

"What's a mock trial, Sis? Is it like a trial where you mock people?" Maya frowned. "Seems kinda rude if you ask me…"

The young woman laughed, shaking her head. "No, nothing like that, Maya. A mock trial is like a mock exam. It's the same thing as a classic trial, except the crime it is held for isn't real. I don't exactly know what this one will be about, but if it is for murder, they won't really murder someone. It's for the sake of training."

"Ah, I see. And you're anxious about it?"

Mia fiddled with a strand of her long brown hair, trying to relax. If she was like that now, then what would it be during the trial?! And what would it be if she ever had to stand in a real court of law?!

"Yeah, I am. My opponents will be Lana and her friend Neil, and they have lots of experience at this," she explained. "They have never lost against anyone during their trials, and Lana clearly told me that it's not because we're friends that they'll go easy on me."

"Ha, I'm sure you'll beat them easily, Sis! You're awesome! No one can beat you!" Maya encouraged, not looking any form of worried for her sister.

"I'd like to be as confident about this as you are, Maya, believe me…" Maya never seems to be nervous about anything… I kinda envy her on that front… "But I'll do my best. Maybe I have a chance. I'll tell you how it went afterward, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. And don't worry about it! I know my Sis will do great!" Maya told her, showing her sister a heartwarming smile.

"Thanks, Maya. It really means a lot," Mia replied, feeling parts of her nervousness evaporate. She was no fool, though, she knew it would be back tomorrow morning, but she wanted to appreciate not being a nervous wreck for a bit. "Well, we should get going. Morgan would be furious if she knew I let you stay up so late."

Not denying it, Maya quickly finished her drink and stood up, following her sister as she went to pay for their food. Mia dreaded the day Maya would find a boyfriend or a girlfriend and wouldn't be able to rely on her to pay for her burgers.

"Thanks for the burgers, Sis!" she said as they exited the burger joint, a smile plastered on her lips. "I'm full now!"

"I hope so, with all that you've eaten, glutton!" Mia joked. "Geez…"

The two sisters walked back to Mia's apartment under the darkening skies, allowing the young law student to relax for what was to come. Maya had given her confidence. Now, perhaps she would crash and burn, but at least, she'd do it a little more confidently.

To be continued…

A.N: I hope you liked this chapter! These sisters are just too adorable to write! Next chapter will be the start of the investigation for the mock trial! Stay tuned!

In other news on the Ace Attorney planet, the port of DGS 1&2 to the West was announced! It's gonna be called "The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles" featuring the one and only Herlock Sholmes! I don't know about you, but I'm hyped for it, even though I've already seen a playthrough of both games. Hopefully AA7 soon, too!

Anyway, please leave a review and I hope you all have a good day :)