Last night wasn't very good. Maya crossed out wasn't very good in her mind and replaced it with an epic disaster. The trial was unorganized and a mess, a murder took place, Franziska was arrested and Pearl's life was put in danger. Alita Tiala had to be found and Franziska had to get her name cleared.
Nostalgia hit her. In a situation like this, Phoenix would ask her if she had any ideas. They would discuss what to do and they would head off to investigate the crime. When she worked for Franziska, they were straight there. Maya was on her own and she had her friend's old lawyer badge. She knew everyone would be shocked and advise her to stay away, but she had just as much right to help solve the murder case as anybody else.
Maya felt guilty that she hadn't spoken to Pearl since the trial. Even more now she heard that she was in danger. Pearl was her cousin, but they were more like sisters than anything else.
The police were pushing all the crowd away. Thalassa had just started to make a name for her self as a singer. She got negative press for abandoning her son and not telling the father for it and now everyone's praising her because she's dead. Paparazzi loved to stick their nose in where it shouldn't be. They don't care if it promotes or tarnishes a person's reputation. As long as people read it, they'll blend the facts and opinions then sprinkle some white lies to make the article interesting.
She didn't think of Thalassa as the type of person who would dump a child, quite the opposite. She had only met her the few times and she sounded like a lovely person. She couldn't think of anybody who would want to kill her. Apollo had a reason to be annoyed with her, but not enough to kill. She didn't know Apollo very well, but her instincts didn't tell her he could be a murderer.
Everyone had to be treated as a suspect, even those who were present in the trial. There were many possibilities to be considered. No matter how crazy the idea was, she still had to note it down. The only three official suspects were Godot, Franziska and Alita. She was on Franziska's side, and had planned everything planned out to clear her name.
Maya had to know how and why she was framed? What false evidence was planted to suggest Franziska was behind it and to see if there was any chance Godot was innocent. The easiest way to clear Franziska's name was to believe that Godot had murdered Thalassa. However, the easiest is not always the best. She had to sort out what was right and what was simple.
She saw Gumshoe sighing behind his car. His eyes seemed like he was out of space, which was strange for Gumshoe as he's always the one to show his determination to solve the case. She called out his name. No response. She marched over to him and patted his back. He jumped, gasped, then faced Maya.
"Hello there," he chuckled. "How's Franziska been?"
"She's seen better days," Maya admitted. "Poor Franny is petrified inside. I promised her that I would clear her name though."
"That's the spirit," Gumshoe said, smiling. "I've got some good news to. There was evidence to suggest Franziska hired Alita to kill Thalassa. They found a diary, a phone number a stun-gun: we can confirm the diary is a fake! The stun gun belonged to Manfred Von Karma but it was stolen from one of the lockers. The phone number written in the diary was a stripper. Ema's going to examine the finger prints, if none of them match Franziska, it's great news, pal!"
"Franziska will be cleared?" Maya asked. Gumshoe nodded. Maya grinned. "This is great news, but like any lawyer, I have to ask..."
"HOLD IT!" Gumshoe interrupted. "When did you become a lawyer?"
"I've been one for a very long time," lied Maya.
"... what?"
"Here's my badge to prove it!" Maya flashed "her" golden pin to Gumshoe. He widened his eyes and gasped again.
"Holy crap! That's awesome!"
"Now you're going to tell me about the murder?" Maya asked. "I know Franziska is going to be found innocent but just in case them fools try to take her to court."
"I'll ya everything you wanna know pal," Gumshoe announced. "Last night, the victim was killed in his car park. The estimated time of death is half ten. She was stabbed all over her body. Meanwhile Alita blackmailed Wocky by attempting to stab Pearl in the neck. Alita was also seen talking to fugitive Kristoph Gavin. We believe these two met after escaping prison."
Gumshoe passed Maya a photo of a tall man with blond hair passing a knife to Alita. If was Kristoph Gavin. She was sure of it.
"So why would they wanna team up and get revenge?" asked Maya.
"Kristoph and Alita were both convicted and exploited by Apollo. Kristoph's brother helped out too." Gumshoe told her. "Them two trials are stories that fend for themselves. I guess they wanted to attack Apollo by killing his mother."
"It makes sense," said Maya. "So are the police looking for Alita and Kristoph?"
"The police are hunting as we speak," Gumshoe announced. "We've found a fugitive named Edward Fartalot, we believe that he may help us with the case."
"So what about Godot?" asked Maya.
"He's the prime suspect now," Gumshoe said. "Won't be long until Franziska gets her name cleared."
"I'd like to think he's innocent too..."
"Well I bet his son is gonna help clear his name," Gumshoe announced. "We're all going to have to really work as a team if we want to lay Thalassa to rest."
Maya took a deep breath and sighed. "You're right Gumshoe. I want to talk to Nick soon, things are going to be really tough for him. Trucy's going to be so upset."
"You can go to him if you want?" Gumshoe said. "He could really do with a friend right now. You've got Franziska sorted. All you have to do it assure her it's fine and let us do our jobs."
"Thanks Gumshoe!" Maya said. She hugged him then ran away.
As she dashed to Phoenix's place, she wondered did she really solve this case alone? Was there a greater challenge to come? Proving Franziska innocent just seemed too easy, but it didn't mean that she expected it to happen. She was hoping he would be at home, with the family. She hoped they were coping.
She truly did.
At last, she reached Phoenix's department and banged on the door. She waited and got a slow response. The door swung open and her eyed widened. Phoenix resembled a zombie. His eyes were half open, his scruffy hair and clothes made him look like he had slept in a bin.
"Nick..." Maya asked. "Are you okay?"
"Not really," he admitted. "But it's nice to see you Maya."
"What's wrong?"
"Shit happens," said Phoenix. His eyes had been red as if he had been crying. "Come in."
Maya walked in and to her surprise, the house was tidy. Of course this was the work of Iris. If he was single the place would have been a lot worse. "I'm sorry to hear about Thalassa," Maya said.
"Thanks," said Phoenix. "I'm really going to need the support. Pearl came over earlier."
"She did?" Maya asked. "I haven't seen her since last night. Is she okay?"
"She's fine," Phoenix said. "She wanted my help on something."
"What was it?"
"She wanted to talk about Larry and Alita," Phoenix said. "She wanted to help track Alita down. She wanted my opinion of where Larry was hiding Alita. We managed to find it out. Larry had been hiding Alita in Harazuka Temple."
"Wow!" said Maya. " That would have been the last place I'd imagine her to be hiding."
"Larry's smarter than we thought he was," admitted Phoenix. He passed Maya a beige piece of paper stabled together and said, "Larry sent me this letter today."
Maya unfolded it and read it. The feminine patterns on the page were the first things that grabbed her eye. The wild writing layered on top had her shaking her head.
"Hello Nick!
I hope things are doing great out there! I'm so happy right now. This letter alone could never describe either the quality nor the quantity of my joy. I was always the happy monkey at school.
We've had great times. You're my best friend but I'm afraid this is where I have to say goodbye to you. You'll always be close to me by heart. We've done so much together and so much for each other. You've been there when I lost my jobs and girlfriends, but being a prison officer is my best job of all. I lasted longer than I ever did, and I found my true love.
You see all the pink polka dots, yellow flowers and glitter on this page. Aww it's so cute. Everything that's cute reminds me of Alita. She's one of the most beautiful women in the world. She's a survivor! She's had such a tough life, but now I'm going to give her the happy ending she deserves.
Alita confided in me about her deepest secrets that she never told. She told me all about her life. How she had to sin to find redemption and freedom. It's enough to make me cry. I loved her from the moment I saw, but when she broke down, it was painful to find it adorable. I gave her a big hug and she cheered up. All she wanted was a bit of love, which nobody around her was willing to give.
Alita had come from an abusive childhood. Her mother was a prostitute and her father was so addicted to food that she had to eat his own vomit or the crumbs on the floor. She was so skinny when I first met her, prison had reminded her of the time where she was locked up in the attic for three days when she was three.
When her dad died, her mother sold her like meat to some sick perverted doctor. Once he got locked up to grooming girls on the Internet, Alita was moved around foster parent after foster parent. She became confused, but once she settled in school, she really got drilled in class. She became a nurse, but she still wasn't happy. I know how she feels, some people can make you feel worthless at work.
Not to mention getting strangled all the time by Wocky. The scars still remain in her heart.
I know the media describe her as a bitch and a whore, but she isn't. She's a sweet person. She's been through so much. She never got a chance of a good life and when she tried, she ended up in jail for it. Everything was in self-defense. Her own employer went against her, and Wocky had abused her. I'm so worried that he's going to do the same to Pearl.
She might have said nasty things to Pearl but that;s because she's trying to show her the monster that he is. He tried to turn Alita into a monster and it almost succeeded. I'm glad she's under my care now. Alita will be treated like a goddess.
I'll tell you the truth, yes I did help her escape prison. If you were still a lawyer you probably would have found that out, but you're not, so I'm safe. Alita agreed with me as well, so that's a plus. Wocky tried to stop me letting Alita go, but I sorted him out. He would have been better off dead in my opinion. He needs to stop trying to add poison in my relationship with Alita.
Since hiding Alita, I gambled, robbed banks and cheated in the casinos. It was an excellent second income for the great pay I already get in prison. I would have got to stick around for longer, had I not lost my job yesterday. It's okay now, I'm packing up for the new adventure of my life with Alita.
Sorry I can't invite you to the wedding. By the time you've read this, I'd be a wanted fugitive. I took Alita to the casino one night, won a lot, asked her to marry me and she said yes. I believe I am the happiest man in the world right now. I'm not letting anybody lift me off the ground now. Happiness is a human right and not a privilege.
Wow I've written so much more than I expected: I could be a novelist. I've sold all my artwork now, so I've got all the money I need for a happy life. I'd love to have babies, but I don't think Alita's ready. She's still young. I guess we should wait until she is thirty, but I might accidentally get her pregnant way before then. never-mind, as long as we're together we'll be great. I have a feeling, Alita and I will both be legends. We will become the new Romeo and Juliet & Bonny and Clyde. Only unlike them we will have a happy ending and have brand new identities.
I hope you have a good life too, Nick. I'm sorry I can't make it to be the best man at your wedding. Miles or Apollo could always do it. Well I guess you wouldn't want to have Apollo as a best man after all the rumors that he slept with Trucy. I hope they're false: incest ain't good.
Give my regards to my sweet Iris, Maya, Franny and Gumshoe next time you see them.
Your friend forever,
The legendary Larry Butz. "
"Larry's been fed lies," Maya snapped. "How on earth could he fall for that rubbish Alita gave him."
"Reminds me of myself a long time ago with Iris and Dahlia," Phoenix admitted. "I was a mad boy in love."
"I guess you're still are," said Maya.
"Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision," Phoenix admitted. "I knew being a father wasn't going to be easy, but I didn't know it would be this hard! Apollo's had it rough too, I don't wanna ask questions that will destroy the entire family."
"Nick, you've done so well."
"Would you say that after I tell you this?
"What?"
"Trucy had a miscarriage," announced Phoenix. "She didn't know she was pregnant either. I don't know what to do with her. She slept with Matt Engarde, now I dread to think who else she's slept with. These thoughts are making me sick."
Maya jumped over and hugged him. "Who cares what anybody else thinks," Maya whispered. "I know you're a good father. You guys will all need to talk it through and be honest."
"Apollo was covered in psyche locks," Phoenix told Maya. "I'm too scared to open them, because I won't like what I see."
"The truth can hurt," Maya said.
"Yeah," muttered Phoenix, "it does."
"We'll all get through it," Maya promised. "Even if we don't like the truth, it's going to come out soon." Maya bounced away from Phoenix and showed him the lawyer badge she stole him all those years ago. "Do you remember these?" Maya asked.
"Of course I do," replied Phoenix. He wiped his eyes and started coming his hair. "It's a lawyer's badge! I've got my new one in my room. Why do you have one? You're a lawyer too?"
"I'm defending Franziska in court if she goes on trial," replied Maya. "She was a bit shocked at first but she warmed up to it. We do love each other after all."
"That's cool," said Phoenix. "Congratulations on passing your exam. It was tougher than the first time I took it all them years ago."
"Thanks Nick," said Maya.
"When did you take the exam?"
"I didn't," Maya admitted. There was no point in lying. "I stole it after you handed it in."
"Why?"
"Because I needed something to remember you with," Maya said. "And I didn't want you to give up being a lawyer. But since Franziska got arrested, I found a need for it."
"You can keep it then," Phoenix said. "I've had this magatama of yours for years anyway. So what's it like being a lawyer?"
"It feels great," Maya responded. "It looks like Franziska is going to get cleared of murder."
"That's good news," Phoenix said. "Well done."
"Well I didn't really do much, Gumshoe did most of the work for me."
"Good old Gumshoe then."
"Anyway, it was nice to see you," said Maya. "I gotta go to the detention center again to visit Franziska."
"You take care," said Phoenix. "Thanks for coming."
December 15th 2027
Lana could feel the winter storm that was ready to take rampage. The fog hugged the windows and the coolness of the pillows. She sat on her bed, facing the window and spacing out. She touched her red silky dress which was a present from Damon Gant, the biological father of Machi. In nine days time, she was going to make Ema one of the happiest girls in the world. She had the help of Albert Salsa and Mike Blitz. None of this would have happened without the two of their personalities clashing. All these days of planning and by next month, it could all be over.
Her first year of freedom had made a lot of dramatic turns. Franziska von Karma had been dropped from all charges. Maya and Franziska had announced thier relationship and took a holiday. They promised to return in time for Christmas. Godot was still trapped in jail, and Thalassa's murder was far from solved. Lana had a feeling Kristoph murdered Thalassa, or one of the members of his gang.
Alita and Larry had made the runaway that they had desired. Lana only wished it was that easy for her. USA was no longer the place for her anymore, and she didn't want Ema to stick around for long. She wanted Ema to achieve her dreams, do the things that Lana never got to do. The same had applied for Machi, Lana wanted him to speak fluent English. He was improving greatly at school. Lana wanted Machi to travel with him.
Machi had inherited a great sum of money by Thalassa. The two of them had been looking out for each other for a while, still it had surprised Lana that Machi had received more money than Apollo and Trucy. Apollo hardly got anything compared to Trucy and Machi. The poor woman had died thinking the pair of them would have a happily ever after.
Lana wondered if the reason Apollo didn't get as much was because she knew about the affair and blamed it on her eldest or something much more complicated.
Lana knew she had to kill this habit of stalking Ema one of these days. It made her feel unhealthy, but she knew it had to be done. Lana had spent nearly a decade apart with her younger sister and felt like she had to protect her. She had always told herself this; it made her feel less guilty about her dreadful plans.
She was paranoid for Ema. It was coming to the point where she was ignoring her son.
Machi was head over heels for Trucy, while she seemed to be just wanting some teenage fun. She knew Trucy was cheating on her son. She had lied about being raped by Matt Engarde. Phoenix had went to Lana and told her Trucy had lied about it. And last night, Lana had lost and regained respect for Apollo. However, Lana would never kill Apollo: he was a good friend of Ema. He had to trust her a lot to confess to them naughty things he did with Trucy.
Naughty confessions where not the only thing that were going on last night that would be considered immoral. Last night, Lana had been spying on Ema just to make sure she was fine. Mike Blitz was at work, and Ema had invited Apollo to stay for the night. Apollo told her that he had sex with Trucy and regretted it. He also stated the miscarriage was a slice of karma.
Ema had snapped at him. Called him a coward. Lana laughed and continued to watch. In return Ema had told Apollo some secrets of her own. Lana listened on. She was curious to see if her name would be dropped into the conversation.
Ema had three secrets. The first one was that she had a short fling with Trucy. Trucy had begged her for alcohol. Ema rightfully refused, but got herself drunk and ended up having sex. Lana shook her head wishing it was all false, but she knew that Mike would like the idea a little. A few minutes ago, she lost respect for Apollo for sleeping with Trucy, but now the respect had returned. He just needed a thicker skin like Ema. If Trucy was planning on being Lana's daughter-in-law, all that promiscuous activity would have to be chucked in the bin.
The second secret; she had a small crush on Klavier. Just a small one, but even a small one was not acceptable for Lana. Lana wanted Klavier to be forgotten. Just the sound of his name made Lana's skin crawl in disgust. Ema admitted to sending messages to Klavier and had formed some cyber relationship. Oh dear, thought Lana. Mike had to be alerted about this. Lana didn't want Ema to be tricked by him again,
As for the third one; Lana assumed it would be something like she was bisexual or that she fancied Apollo. Ema had told Apollo, "I think Lana is up to something." She wasn't wrong with that at all, but Lana felt it was for her own good that she didn't know a thing for now. Ema had mentioned the day of Thalassa's murder and that Lana had called Mike and not her.
"I got that feeling that Mike's cheating on me to get to Lana..." Ema told Apollo. "Every guy I've dated has cheated on me so I won't be surprised if Mike was sleeping around. I heard that he broke a marridge up once."
"I'm sure he wouldn't do such a thing," Apollo said.
They talked and laughed. The pair of them drunk their issues away, got tipsy and shared a passionate kiss. Lana knew that Mike Blitz used to be a bad guy, but she could safely say he had turned his life around; assuming he ever had one. She was glad that she was spying on her sister now, she knew her plan wasn't going as well as she thought it was going.
Reflecting on last night, she decided a change of plan was needed. She composed an email to Salsa and summoned Mike into her bedroom.
"What was the email you sent Salsa?" Mike asked. He sat down on the chair near Lana's bed. She reached her phone and read out the email she sent the quirky judge.
Albert,
There will be several changes to the plan. You know which plan I mean. Ema still has a crush on Klavier and has seemed to have lost her way. She thinks Mike and I are having an affair and that idiot has gotten a hold of her again. But we are going to change that! I want to meet up with you today at the church where your brother works. I want to talk to you two and arrange a wedding for 24th December at 11:00 PM. April May's death will be on 1st of January. Klavier Gavin's trial shall take place on 5th December. Needless to say we know what the verdict shall be. I will be discussing the honeymoon arrangements with Mike this morning.
"Does Ema know about the wedding?" Mike asked.
"It's a surprise," said Lana. "She knows we're up to something."
"So I see," said Mike who sighed. He rolled his eyes away from Lana. "I don't think the wedding is going to solve anything."
"You don't wanna marry her?"
"Of course I do," replied Mike. "But... only when she's ready."
"I think this is the best thing for Ema right now," Lana announced. "She kissed Apollo, she's admitted to having a fling with Trucy. She needs you to assure her that everything is alright."
"I will do that," said Mike. "We'll have some talks to each other."
"Good," chuckled Lana.
"Salsa will tell you what you need to do," Lana instructed. "You will marry my sister on Christmas Eve. You will spend your honeymoon in England. You are to not to come back until Klavier is dead."
"What about Klavier's trial?" Mike inquired. "I would like to see the look on Klavier's face when he goes down."
"Sadly you will be missing the trial," Lana announced. "You will wonder why."
"Yes, I am."
"You or Ema would be the prime suspect of April's murder," Lana said. "I don't want either of you to be arrested, so if you two go to England for the whole month, then they'll suspect you. We'll make a nice little runaway to the country where nobody can stop us. Sounds tempting dosen't it?"
"Yes," admitted Mike. "But what if it's not what Ema wants? What if she wants to stay here, with her friends?"
She smiled. "You really do love her," Lana confirmed. "I was right about hiring you."
"Get out Apollo!" Phoenix roared. He punched him in the face and roared again. "How can you betray us like this?"
Back to square one again.
Apollo had been kicked out of Phoenix's home. Hadn't heard a thing from Trucy since seeing her hospital. He spent the night at Ema's place and was now living at Godot's old department.
He met his father for the first time in a few weeks in prison. He looked well as if he had just accepted his fate. He smiled at his son and said, "it's nice to see you again. Things are tough, but I know that things will be good for you again. I'm screwed, I'm going to get executed. They should never had let me out but at least I got to see you."
"But you didn't kill Mom," Apollo reminded his father.
"I know that," Godot muttered. "I'm not innocent, so it will be useless trying to save me."
"If didn't commit the crime then you shouldn't do the time," shouted Apollo. "We're going to find Alita and bring her back to court!"
"Son..." Godot whispered. His voice was weak, his confident ego begun to fade. "They've investagated and it couldn't have been her."
"She's got something to do with it," Apollo said.
"They'll consider the case closed when I die."
"Well its not," Apollo snapped. "I'm not giving up, neither are you. Anyway, I got a question for you," Apollo mumbled.
"What is it?"
"What would you have done if my Mom had dropped me at doorstep."
"I would have brought you up," Godot admitted. "I would never have abandoned you."
It was just as he thought he would say.
Phoenix hated gossip: his family had almost crashed and burned.
"I'm sorry Phoenix," Kay Faraday said. She bowed her head and whispered, "I failed Trucy didn't I? I wasn't there where she fainted. She told she miscarried Apollo's kid. That's so sad."
"I actually think you've done really well," Phoenix admitted. He smiled and patted her strands of blue hair. "You told me everything I needed to know and you've been a good friend to Trucy."
"So how is she?"
"She's with Iris," Phoenix told her. "I'm keeping Trucy away from a lot of people at the moment. Including Apollo, I've been avoiding him."
"Must have been awful," Kay said. "I can't believe that the two of them did that. "
"To be honest I had some suspicions," Phoenix admitted. "I should have acted on it sooner rather than now. Trucy could stay over at your house tonight, if it's okay with you."
"Of course it is," Kay assured Phoenix. "If Trucy's fine with it."
"She'll be fine with it." Phoenix stared in the mirror and saw the reflection of a lost man. He had a happy family and good friends. It seemed like he just looked away, turned back and everything seemed fine until he blinked. His great friends were moving on with their own lives and his family had been torn.
He was going to get married soon, but he didn't feel the excitement of being a married man. Not because he didn't love Iris anymore, all the issues have made him almost forget the date of his wedding. Right now a wedding wasn't what he wanted: he wanted a miracle or a wish to turn back time.
Back to the days where Kristoph was put to justice. Trucy was performing magic tricks and when the pair of them were innocent. He should have told them about their mother right there. He was sure that the mess would have been avoided.
He hoped Trucy would have told him the whole truth, she should have known he had ways to find it out. He just didn't want to find it out the way he did.
Trucy told Kay, who told Phoenix. But she was already beaten to it. Larry's letter caused tension. Apollo told Ema, which Lana overheard and Lana told Phoenix the day after. Now that he knew the truth, he wished Apollo and Trucy could have just spoken to him or Iris.
Godot knew about it as well, and he kept silent about it. Phoenix believed that Godot murdered Thalassa so she would never know about it.
It would never sink in. Phoenix put his hand on his head and asked himself, does nobody trust me? He felt invisible to his own family. Just like the time he lost his badge he became hero to zero overnight.
He even got a new lawyer badge for passing his exam, but he didn't feel like using it. Not until he sorted his family issues out.
He was scared and feared nobody cared. Even in a conversation right now it felt like he was in a frozen solitude.
"I'll see you later then," Kay said. She hugged Phoenix from behind and left the room. Phoenix knew what Egdeworth saw in her.
Phoenix went to check his email and found an a message written by Kristoph Gavin. It was tempting to just delete it at first site, but he wanted to see what was written. It could have been just a silly prank or a serious talk. Avoiding temptation, he opened the email.
Dear Phoenix,
I understand things are hard at the moment. I thought writing you an email would make you relax. We were very good friends after all. I do miss your frequent visits, asking me the same things over and over again. Annoying as it seemed, it was quite amusing. I am very sorry to hear about your grandchild. She died before she even got a chance to live. What a shame, you would have made an interesting grandfather, but you have a long way to go.
I hope you're not treating Apollo too harshly. I looked at him like a son, we're more of a fatherly figures to him than those good-for-nothing parents combined. Godot is a mad man: he's in no fit state to be a father.
You may be wondering where I get this stuff from, but these things spread like wildfire these days. Let's just say someone has been leaking information deemed... very confidential.
The very same person met me at the day of Thalassa's murder. I gave her a deal; as long as my brother and Apollo were safe from harm, I in return would not danger the public.
You do remember sweet old Dahlia don't you? I've met up with a witch called Castilo Yew, and she's managed to rise Dahlia from the dead. The police officers are wasting their time hunting Alita down, for it was Dahlia that brutally murdered Thalassa that night. I'm telling you this, because nobody could ever convict her nor prove it. Nobody would believe this email.
Nobody said it was simple nor did any one mention it would be this tough.
Meanwhile, lazy raindrops landed wherever they pleased. Lana, dressed in black was the only person walking the streets. The roads where wrapped in inpatient cars and she had just spent the five minutes finding somewhere to cross the road. An umbrella covering her hair as she reached the church. It could have easily have been a miserable Monday, but it was a wet Wednesday.
Albert Salsa was standing in the hallway of the church. He smiled and waved his hand. As Lana approached him, he began to rub his hands from the cold.
"Good Morning Albert," Lana greeted. "Didn't expect you to be here before me."
"You made a really bad typo in that email Lana," said Salsa. "You put the 5th of December instead January. Never mind, we know what you mean. All this careful planning is finally starting to pay off. So don't hit yourself over some stupid typo."
"I'm not."
"My brother is waiting for us," said Salsa. "Is Mike coming too?"
"I'm not sure," Lana replied. "I'm hoping he's gone to sort things out with Ema."
"Very well," Salsa said. "Now let's come in we've got a Christmas wedding to arrange." Salsa opened the door for Lana and the pair of them walked down to the stage. "Brother," Salsa called, "I'm here!"
"I'm coming Albert!"
To Lana's surprise, Salsa's brother didn't sound Jamaican at all. To an even greater surprise, Salsa's brother had white pale skin. The way Salsa had talked about his brother, Lana expected the two of them to look alike. How wrong was she?
"Good morning, I am Reverend Jack Salsa," his brother said it in a very unconvincing Irish accent. He looked at Albert and said, "It's good meet you brother Albert. I trust that the court keeps you busy."
"Yes, it keeps me busy indeed."
"What is it that you two would like to speak to me about?"
"I would like to arrange a wedding for Christmas Eve," Lana announced. "At 11:00 PM."
"Are you two getting married?" Jack asked.
"No," Albert replied. "Lana is arranging a surprise wedding for her sister and her boyfriend."
"That sounds very sweet!" Jack exclaimed. "Who are the lucky couple?"
"Ema Skye and Mike Blitz," said Lana. "The groom-to-be knows about it, but he needs a little persuasion."
"I see," Jack said. "What kind of persuasion?"
Lana said, "Ema is having trust issues and is starting to fall back into the arms of a cheating ex-boyfriend. We think the marriage will make her avoid temptation."
"I think we should discuss the plans with the groom," Jack thought.
"No need, he's already agreed with the plans," Lana assured. "I've arranged the honeymoon. The bride and groom are having words with each other. You may see him soon."
"So you've been arranging everything then?" Jack asked. "May I see them?"
"Sure," Lana replied. She smiled as she passed Jack the notes.
"To confirm," Jack started reading, "the wedding of Iris and Phoenix Wright will be on Christmas Eve. During the after party, the church will be arranged for the surprise wedding of Ema and Mike Blitz's wedding will take place in Saint Catherine's church on the same day at 11:00 PM. After the ceremony they will be taken straight to the airport to go on their honeymoon."
"Yes," Lana announced. "That's how I would like the wedding to be."
"As long as Ema and Mike sort things out, then I can see the wedding going ahead."
"Thank you."
"It would still be nice to speak to the groom before the ceremony," Jack told her.
"Sure," Lana said. "I'll let him know. Speaking of which, here he is now."
"Can I speak to you Lana?" Mike asked, muttering, biting his tongue in a bitter voice.
"Sure," Lana replied. "Let's go outside." Lana and Mike went outside. Mike stormed out the church contrasting the soft tip-toeing from Lana's footsteps. "What's up with you Mike?"
"I'm not ready for this," Mike snapped. "I can't do it!"
"You're marrying her weather you like it or not," Lana replied. "This is meant to be the happiest day of her life and I don't need your childish whining right now."
"We can't just force Ema to marry me," Mike spat out. "Nobody can. I'm only going to marry her when she's ready."
"I can and I have," Lana announced. "I chosen everything, the time, the place, the honeymoon, the things you two will wear and you two will be staying in England until Klavier is dead."
"Can't we just kill him, frame April and get it over and done with?" Mike suggested. "That way he won't have to runaway?"
"This way is much more fun," Lana admitted. "Now get in there and say that you will marry her otherwise I'll kill you."
"Death threats won't get you everywhere," hissed Mike.
Lana followed Mike into the church. She smiled, patting his back and said, "Mike is now happy about the plans aren't you?"
"... Yeah," Mike stuttered with a fake smile on his face. "I'm excited."
"Its completely normal to be nervous," Jack told Mike. "This is amazing news. Two weddings on Christmas Eve. Both will be fantastic!"
"There's a double wedding?" Mike croaked. He jumped and landed against a bench.
"Iris and Phoenix are getting married in the morning," announced Albert. "Gonna be a great party. Even greater on Valentines Day."
December 15th, 2027
It's Christmas in ten days... I should be excited, but I'm not. The rain is starting to turn into icebergs and it's freezing: even with four jumpers on.
My love life currently sucks at the moment. I know many girls like the idea of having around three guys that have a crush on you, but it's not glamorous to me. My ex-boyfriend is still sending me messages and I reply to them. He's apologized and I forgave him. I made out with a friend who made out with his sister, and I suspect my boyfriend is cheating on me with my sister. I know, it's confusing. I still don't understand it.
I still like my ex and I don't even know why. He embarrassed me, he cheated on me and he's so vain he looks at himself in his iPod's reflection and grins a lot. He drives me nuts. I'm Twenty-Six, I shouldn't be having these stupid crushes anymore.
I love Mike, I really do. He's nice and all, but I think he can be too nice. First few weeks of dating were great but his smoking habit pisses me off. I don't care if it's electric or fake; it's still scientifically smoking. That's just a silly thing though, I can do whatever I want and he'll let me get away with it. Even when I look like a tramp he says I'm sexy.
Though it was since I began sending dirty pictures to my ex that I got suspicions that Mike was cheating on me with my sister, Lana. I haven't told Mike because I don't want him to fight with him, so it's better left unsaid. Knowing my ex, he'll most likely leak them or show them to my friends, but I don't care.
The reason I think Mike and Lana are having an affair is because the two of them are always together and instead of ringing me, Lana rings Mike. The two of them are always spending time alone with each other. I asked Mike about it at work and he said they were planning a Christmas present for me.
I'm disabling comments on this entry at the moment. I'm not really in a mood for talking right now.
December 20th, 2027
I've been so busy in the past few days. An hour after I wrote the last entry, Mike came in the room and gave me a hug. He talked about our relationship and how I think it could be improved. We both said the same things: no more secrets and no more lies. He bought me a really huge bag of snakoos and we shared them while we were watching documentries. Mike promised that he'd spend much more time with me.
And he was true to his word. We visited Apollo to see if he was okay, he's been having a really bad time lately. I'm hoping Christmas and Phoenix's wedding will help mend things up a bit. It's not good for him spending hours in jail trying to clear his dad's name. I still text my ex sometimes, just not as much. He asked me for some more pictures but I declined. Fifty pictures are more than enough and being sexy is seriously hard work for me for goodness sake.
I don't think things are going too well with his girlfriend. His girlfriend left prison some months ago and now works as a stripper. The two go rather well together if I do say so myself.
Mike also made a Snakoo sandwhich, in which he made the loaf himself. It was bloody delicious, I could taste the raisins, almonds and honey in the loaf and the awesome taste of the snakoo. A great muncher. Sex with Mike has been very good lately.
I haven't even got Mike a present yet. What do you guys think I should get him?
(10 Comments)
Magic_Panties16: SEX!
BOXERS!
THONGS!
SEX TOYS!
Kay_Faraday: Only you Trucy.
Queen_Of_Science Nothing rude please.
Magic_Panties16: How is my brother? Is he okay? Why don't you buy Mike video games, he seems to be the type who likes them.
Queen_Of_Science: He seems fine when I saw him. Thanks for the suggestions.
Magic_Panties16: I'm looking forward to Christmas Eve! My Daddy and Mommy Iris get married and I'll meet Apollo for the first time in ages.
Sucks2be_Maggey: Nice to see things going well for you Ema.
Queen_Of_Science:Thanks Maggey. How are things with your family?
Sucks2be_Maggey: They're very good. Working at McDonalds at the moment. Dick still has to bring Copper into work sometimes, but not as much now.
Queen_Of_Science: That's good Maggey!
December 23rd, 2027
Tomorrow is Phoenix's wedding. I'm really happy that Phoenix has made up with Apollo again. Mike said at that Phoenix announced on the stag night that he's a lawyer again, but he's not working until after his honeymoon. Even greater news. I'm going to be one of the bridesmaids with Maya, Pearl and Trucy.
But why are Lana and Mike packing my stuff into a limosine?
(4 Comments)
Sucks2be_Maggey: That's weird.
Queen_Of_Science : I know!
Sucks2be_Maggey: It's good to see Mr. Wright back on track again though.
Queen_Of_Science: It is!
Weddings. They're suppose to be one of the most happiest times of one's life. A moment to cherish till the day you die. It should be free of stress, pressure. Blooming with bliss to share with the world. Mike Blitz's wedding day was going to have none of that. He disliked arranged marriages and hated that his future sister-on-law had arranged everything without his permission. He found it unfair on Ema as he knew that she wasn't ready and if she wasn't ready: Mike wasn't going to be prepared.
It was Iris and Phoenix's night and if the arranged wedding goes ahead it will steal their limelight. He expected that Phoenix would at least catch that something wasn't right with Mike but he was too busy gelling his hair. In a tight blue tuxedo, Mike sulked in the mirror. The sequins around the suit dazzled, but it was not enough to stop Mike from cringing from the light green cuffs. He couldn't help it, the suit that Lana had chosen for him was dreadful.
Lana had went through the itinerary with Mike in every detail. He prepared a suit for himself to wear on the day, but Lana confiscated it and packed it for the honeymoon. Lana had become an insane perfectionist and planned everything that Ema and Mike wore from head to toe. He had no idea what Ema was wearing because Lana wouldn't let Mike see her at all. Lana reminded Mike it was bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony.
Just what was her problem? Mike asked himself but could find to answers. In his opinion, she wasn't being a very good friend to Iris. It was the day Iris had been waiting for all her life and Lana was pushing the limelight away from her without her knowledge. Being the good convincer that Lana was, Iris would most likely fall for Lana's rubbish and say she was doing it to make Ema's Christmas happy. Mike and Lana wanted the best for Ema, but they both had different ideas to what was best for her.
Lana seeking avenge on Ema's behalf on Klavier was something he understood. Being away from her sister for so long had made her overprotective. The thing that Mike didn't understand was why Lana had to be so obsessive over every little detail. It was Christmas, it was a time for celebration though at times it was stressful. For a lot of people Mike knew, this year had brought in a lot of tears, laughter and pain. He knew Iris and Phoenix's wedding would lift everybody's moods again.
Phoenix Wright could easily be considered a hero. He inspired Mike to change his ways and bring some light into his life. He had helped so many people in many magnificent ways by just doing his job. He could have picked any woman to marry but he chose the humble-like-apple-pie Iris. No doubt a lot of people were going to attend the wedding. The town had seen him rise and fall and rise again. The day will never belong to Mike and Ema, as it belonged to Phoenix and Iris, Mike thought.
With nothing much to do unless accept scolding demands by Lana, Mike marched across the churchyard. As he marched he began to think about his task of catching Alita. She murdered Thalassa and Mike was going to hunt her down after Lana's plan had been completed. Alita was beginning to create a list of victims but there would only be one person who would be scared for a life time: Larry Butz. He had no idea how much danger he was in. What makes it worse is that Larry will give up anything for this criminal: even his own life.
Mike liked Larry, he was a poor liar and could be unreliable sometimes but he always looked on the bright side of life and didn't let anyone get in his way. At times he was still a child, but at the same time, Mike found him very likable. Mike frowned at the fact that Larry was going to miss his best friend's wedding. He could have been the goofy best-man making a speech with the bad one-liners thrown in. He was about to loose it all for Alita. She lied, and he believed. Mike feared that Alita will change him to the funny dude he once was to a jerk.
Though trusting his instinct, Alita had bewitched him and transformed him into a jerk. The chances of saving Larry were slim and even if the police were to arrive in time. Larry would never have the freedom he sought in Alita. He would end up in prison and find it hard to get a job. Mike himself had a tough time finding a job without a criminal record, so he could only imagine how tough it would be for Larry. Whatever Alita felt for Larry; it wasn't love.
In some degrees, Mike saw similarities in Wocky and Larry. The two of them could have easily been friends. But Alita had made them feel disdain against each other. Somehow, Wocky managed to recover, even after almost being locked up for a long time for a rape. Social-networking did horrors to him, but they also gave him a blessing in disguise. Pearl had been pushing him in the right direction. It was nice to see the two of them walking around the church too.
Pearl's lavender dress matched the cotton petals on her Alice-hair-band. Mike found it strange to see Pearl with her hair down. He had no idea it was that long. To Mike's surprise, Wocky was looking rather smart for a change. Was it even Wocky at all? Mike thought. A black suit, a tie and his hair tied back was the last thing that Mike would imagine Wocky to wear. Though knowing Wocky, he was forced to dress that way by either Pearl or Plum. Plum and Lana were both persistent women and Mike wasn't surprised the two of them were enjoying a long conversation
"You two are looking rather smart today," Mike told the pair of them.
"Thank you," Pearl said with a smile on her face. She held onto Wocky's arm in pride.
"Especially you Wocky," added Mike. "I mean I can't believe I'm seeing you dressed so smart."
"Yeah," yawned Wocky. "Cody's got a fancy dress party tonight so wearing this is going to be convenient."
"Oh really?" Mike asked. "Who are you going as?"
"I'm going as... uhm... Sailor Moon's boyfriend," Wocky replied with a shrug.
"Tuxedo Mask!" Pearl snapped. "We were watching Sailor Moon since 3 O'Clock this morning and you're forgetting his name already. I've showed you the pictures about a thousand times..."
"Sorry Pearl," Wocky muttered. "You know I'm not a morning person."
Mike chuckled, then said to Pearl, "I take it that you will dressed up as Sailor Moon!"
Pearl nodded.
"That's good then."
"At least all I have to do when I get home is but then white shades on, that long hat and a cloak," Wocky thought. "Pearl's got her costume at my house."
"You two will be enjoying yourselves."
"Would you ever marry Ema?" Pearl asked. It was a simple question, but one that blew him away. The words were stuck in throat like a door unwilling to open with the right stared at Mike asking, "you wouldn't marry Ema?"
"I'm just nervous about the thought of marriage,"Mike lied.
Lana watched her friend tip-toe
Down the aisle,
While petals curl alive
While squirrels peek inside.
Rejoice butterfly~
Wear your flames in the winter sky~
Glitter written on a wedding dress
Blending with her flesh.
Iris is marrying a phoenix by heart and soul.
Lana will take away her light.
She's the witch hunting in her sister's name.
Her vengeance takes flight!
Lana wishes
They are prepared for evening pride,
For the red bridesmaid will be another bride.