Age Eleven

Apollo hates Los Angeles.

He hates the noise and the smell of the thousands of cars speeding through the streets. He hates the huge houses and towers, and the grey of the pavement that is everywhere. Even the air here is horrible, making him feel like he has not been able to breathe properly for ages. And he hates the feeling of being so terribly, terribly lonely.

Everything and everyone is so cold here. The other children at the group home laugh at him because of his "strange accent", the matrons and tutors chide him for accidentally using Khura'inese words instead of English ones. He has no father, no brother, no uncle, not even a friend. And Dhurke still hasn't come for him.

What is taking him so long? Apollo lies awake at night, clutching the handmade music box Dhurke gave him for his sixth birthday and the only thing he has left of his home – he has already grown out of all the clothes that he brought with him from Khura'in – in his hands, silent tears streaming down his cheeks, while he asks himself the same question over and over. Maybe he is being too impatient or too sensitive about this – after all, Ata'oji has promised he'll come get him, which means he definitely will and there's nothing to doubt or be scared of; all he needs to do is wait. But he has turned eleven a few months ago, he's been waiting for such a long time already, and he… he just wants to go home.

"Do you still not get it, Apollo? He's lied to you. He's not coming."

"Yeah, he obviously wanted to get rid of you."

"He has already forgotten you. You just weren't important to him."

Apollo presses his lips together and tries not to listen to what the other children are saying to him. It's the same thing the matrons tell him whenever he asks them if there's been a letter from Khura'in for him in today's mail, or when they find him standing at the front gate waiting for Dhurke, his already packed backpack slung over his shoulder. "He won't come, child," they say. "There's no point in waiting or searching for him." It makes Apollo feel angry at them, at all of them. The other children, the adults – they don't even know Dhurke and how he always, always keeps his promises. He will come pick him up, and he hasn't forgotten him. It's just… it's just… maybe, Uncle Datz's car has broken down, or... or Dhurke has gotten lost somewhere in Los Angeles, huge as it is. Or some other thing – anything – has happened that is delaying him. Dhurke hasn't forgotten him. He just hasn't.

"Hey, by the way, that trip to the zoo with my aunt this weekend totally failed."

It's lunchtime, but Apollo isn't hungry. He ignores his food and instead continues working on cutting a little dragon statue out of a piece of wood to give to Nahyuta when he returns home – he has missed two of his brother's birthdays already – , half listening to two of the older boys talking to each other.

"It did? Why?"

"Well, she told me she was going to pick me up, so of course I thought she meant she was going to pick me up here, but she didn't come. Turned out she meant she would be picking me up at the nearby station, but forgot to tell me that. So I waited here and she waited there, and by the time she figured out what the problem was and called, it was already too late to go to the zoo anymore. Pretty stupid."

The other laughs and agrees and both turn their attention to their food again, oblivious to Apollo staring at them, mouth agape, the words fresh in his mind.

"Turned out she meant she would be picking me up at the station, but forgot to tell me that…"

What if… what if the same thing is happening to him at the moment? What if Dhurke has forgotten to tell him that he is going to pick him up at the station, too? Maybe he is already there waiting for Apollo, while Apollo is still here waiting for him?

Yes, this has to be the reason why Dhurke is taking so long! He has just forgotten to tell Apollo that he's going to pick him up at the station! He's probably already there, wondering why Apollo isn't coming, maybe, Nahyuta is there, too, and Uncle Datz! He – he will go home!

Hurriedly, he puts the unfinished dragon statue back into his pocket and when nobody is looking his way, he quietly slips away from the table and out into the hallway. After making sure that no adult is around, he quickly dashes up to the dormitory and grabs his backpack from under his bed, then runs back downstairs and out of the back door. He has done this so often by now that he knows almost on instinct how to get out without any of the adults seeing or noticing, and luckily, the front gate is still unlocked, allowing him to just walk off the premises without any trouble. It has been unlocked since this morning, he remembers - something involving at least one of the adults has happened at the group home. Apollo watches the small courtyard from the window of the dormitory every day for a sign of Dhurke and he has seen police officers going in and out of the house practically all day. Yet, him and the other children haven't been told a thing – obviously, the adults want to keep whatever has happened a secret. The others all want to find out about the mysterious event, but Apollo couldn't care less, especially right now, when he is finally getting away from this place.

He has been to the station before when the group home has organized a trip to the countryside for the kids and they have taken the train to get there, so he still remembers the way, and fortunately, it isn't a very long walk. It's cold and a bit windy – after all, it is the middle of November – but Apollo is too excited to take notice of it. He almost runs the whole way, accidentally bumping into quite a few other people in the process, and he is out of breath by the time he finally steps onto the platform, pushing himself through the crowd of people, eyes searching and failing to find the familiar figure of Dhurke. He must be here somewhere, waiting for him, but maybe he's standing behind some of the other people here or in some corner where Apollo cannot see him, and that's why he doesn't seem to be here.

But after walking up and down the platform for several times and looking into every corner and behind every group of people there is and still seeing no sign of Dhurke, doubts begin to creep into Apollo's mind. He really doesn't seem to be here… maybe he is on the opposite platform? No, there's only a few people over there and Dhurke is not among them. But he has said he would pick him up, has he not? Perhaps... perhaps he is still on the train, or in the car or the plane and just hasn't arrived at the station yet, and that's why he isn't here. Yes, that's it – he must still be on his way. Reassured, Apollo sits down on one of the benches, crossing his legs and wrapping his arms around his backpack, hugging it to his chest. He just has to wait here a bit longer then. He's sure of it.

The wind is getting a bit stronger now, and Apollo begins to feel cold. He has forgotten to put on his coat again, he realizes, holding his backpack tighter and closing his eyes. Maybe he should go back and fetch it? …No. It doesn't matter. Dhurke will be arriving any minute now, and then, he will wrap his jacket around him and laugh and pat him on the shoulder, like he has always done, saying that Apollo really should watch out or he would become a snowman. And Nahyuta will smile mischievously, take one of the hated woollen beanies out of his coat pocket and pull it over Apollo's head in such a way that his two carefully gelled up strands of hair get pushed down, laughing at Apollo's annoyance.

He imagines the little house in the Khura'inese mountains. It will be cold there now, too. The grass will be covered with a thin layer of frost, and the first small ice floes will start to flow down the river, while in the distance, the tops of the highest mountains will already be covered with snow. Every morning, Dhurke will go out and fetch a large basket of firewood. The wind will blow throughout the day and get stronger after the sun has set, but it will be warm next to the lit fireplace, where Apollo and Nahyuta will sit with cups of hot chocolate in their hands and listen to Dhurke reading a story or a book to them or talking about his time as a lawyer and the revolution. Or they will all play board games together, and Dhurke will become so invested in them that he will forget that Apollo's and Nahyuta's bedtime is already long overdue. And when they are finally lying in their beds, Apollo will listen to the wind howl and sometimes the rain pattering against the windowpane and feel safe and secure.

Hey there, Apollo!

The cold of the wind is gone and all that is left is warmth. And Apollo can hear Dhurke's voice. He lifts his head and sees that his father is really standing there on the other end of the platform, beaming.

Hah-ha ha ha ha ha! Surprised to see me, son? I said I'd pick you up, didn't I?

Apollo smiles. He knew he'd come. He's always known.

He stands up and starts walking towards him, faster and faster, until he's running, and Dhurke is kneeling down, opening his arms, and he's almost there...

"Hey, little pal. Everything alright?"

Apollo slowly opens his eyes, confused. It's cold again – in fact, it is so cold that he can't even feel his body anymore – and Dhurke is gone. Dhurke has never been there, he slowly realizes, it has all been his imagination. A man is kneeling in front of him, looking him over with concern. He is wearing a long beige coat and he has kind eyes.

"You're Apollo Justice, right?"

"Um..." Apollo bites his lip, remembering Dhurke telling him to always be careful around strangers. "H-How do you know my name?"

The man smiles. "Well, because at your group home, they're all looking for you. You were missing at dinner, and nobody had seen you since lunch, and because you weren't found in the house and your backpack was gone, a few of us went out to search the area. I'm a detective from the police, by the way," he quickly adds.

"But... what time's it?"

"It's 7 pm."

"...Oh." Apollo lowers his head. "Nasai mian- uh, I mean, I'm sorry. I didn't want to cause any trouble. I fell asleep."

The police detective laughs. "Yeah, I saw that, little pal! Don't worry, that even happens to me" But what were you even doing here all alone? It's quite dangerous to be out all alone at such a young age, you know."

"I was waiting for my father. He said... he said he'd come pick me up."

"O-Oh." The detective's smile fades and he now looks somewhat... sad. "Of course... the head matron told us you often wait for him... well, never mind... aren't you cold, little pal? You're not even wearing a jacket!" He shrugs off his own coat and wraps it around Apollo, then takes his backpack from him, shouldering it, and pulls him to his feet, gently leading him off the platform and onto the street towards a parking police car.

"Father didn't come," Apollo says, struggling to walk properly, because his legs feel so numb. "He never comes."

The detective watches him with that sad look again, but says nothing. He instead opens the back door of the car and helps Apollo sit down in one of the seats. "Let's just get you home quickly, alright, little pal?" He shuts the door, and through the glass of the windows, Apollo watches him walk around the car to the side where the driver's seat is.

"But Khura'in is my home," he mumbles, although he knows that nobody is hearing him.

He doesn't remember much of the ride back to the group home. He's tired and cold, and he keeps his eyes closed until they are there and he's being lead into the house again. He has been at the station for five hours. Five hours, and Dhurke still hasn't come. Has he done something wrong? Is Dhurke simply being late?

Or... has he really forgotten about him?

The detective sits him down on one of the small benches in the hallway, wraps him in several blankets and tells him to wait here before turning to talk to a man who has just come out of the head matron's office and whose stern eyes have the colour of steel. Apollo absentmindedly plays with his bracelet, running his fingers over its strange ornaments again and again, only catching fragments of their conversation.

"...was waiting for his father, like the head lady suspected, sir..."

"I see... nothing to do with the case then... if you're sure, detective..."

"I'm very sure."

"Very well... you can wait outside for me, I'll tell the head matron our investigation is over for today, and then we'll go back to the office and look over the findings once more."

"Yes, sir."

A door closes, and then, steps are approaching him. Apollo looks up. It's the detective again.

"Goodbye, little pal," he says, smiling, pressing a handful of chocolate bonbons into his hands. "Keep your head up, alright?" He ruffles his hair, almost like Dhurke has always done, and then walks out, the front door falling shut behind him.

Apollo glances after him, feeling a bit warmer then before, and clutches the bonbons in his hands, closing his eyes. Dhurke... why has he not picked him up? Why is he never coming to pick him up? Is he really so unimportant? Has he – like the other children keep telling him – lied about picking him up and just sent him away to get rid of him?

He hears the door of the head matron's office open and being shut again, but he doesn't open his eyes. Steps of one person walk past him and towards the front door, before suddenly pausing for a few moments. Then, they hesitantly come back towards the bench he is sitting on. Someone clears their throat.

"May I sit here?"

Apollo lifts his gaze. It's the man with the steel eyes, the one the detective has been talking to before. He looks a bit insecure now however. Perhaps he is tired as well.

"Yeah, o' course," he says.

The man stiffly sits down next to him. Apollo turns his attention back to the bonbons, turning one after another in his fingers, when the man speaks again.

"Your... your name is Apollo, correct?"

"Yeah."

"And... you were waiting for your father?"

Apollo nods. "He told me a real long time ago he'd come pick me up, but he never comes."

"I... I see." The man pauses and seems to search for words again. "And... How long have you been here already?"

Apollo thoughtfully presses his finger against his forehead "I... think I was brought here when I was 'bout nine."

"...Oh," the man says, almost like it makes him remember something. "I... I see."

For a few moments, there is silence between them. Then, Apollo asks: "Are you a police detective, too?"

"Hm? Oh, no. I am a prosecutor. Do you know what that is?"

Apollo nods. "O' course I do. My father was a defence attorney."

Something appears in the man's steel eyes; something that almost looks like some kind of recognition. "He was?"

"Yeah. He was a really great one. I want to become a defence attorney, too, someday, just like him. A really famous one."

The man's steely eyes widen a bit at those words, so many emotions flickering over his face all at once; emotions that are too deep and too complicated for Apollo to understand. Then, his expression settles again, but the stiffness of his features and his sternness has disappeared, making his face look softer, his eyes warmer. He puts a hand onto Apollo's shoulder.

"Stay true to yourself."

Then, he stands up, his expression unreadable and closed off again, as he turns around and walks out the front door. Apollo watches after him, confused, but then, the head matron calls his name and he flinches, already hearing the anger in her voice. He gets up and takes a deep breath. A dragon never yields.

Later, he is lying in bed, holding his music box in his hands, listening to the soft melody it is playing. It is the Khura'inese lullaby that Dhurke has always used to sing to comfort him, and hearing its melody still manages to calm him down even to this day, chasing away the head matron's harsh words that are still echoing in his mind, and leaving only the feeling of peace. He snuggles into the sheets, keeping the music box close to his chest, its melody and the memory of Dhurke's deep voice singing the Khura'inese words washing away the feeling of cold, making his eyelids feel heavier and heavier. And when he is on the verge of falling asleep, it is almost as if he can hear another voice singing along to it; a voice that is not as deep as Dhurke's, but soft, filled with love and warmth, and sounds so, so familiar. A voice that is so far away in his memories that he cannot quite grasp it, but still at the same time etched so deep in his mind that he is unable to forget it.

That night, he dreams of the warmth of someone holding him close and safe until suddenly, flames blaze up and tear them away from him, leaving Apollo alone and terrified. He dreams of Dhurke's arms around him, protecting him, and then his hands on his shoulders, ushering him towards a plane which carries him into a strange, cold country filled with strange, cold people and empty platforms, and Dhurke' voice echoing faintly in his ears:

"Nahyuta, Apollo... Don't you ever hesitate to call when you need me. Understand?"

Apollo wakes up from his own voice calling for his father, his face wet with tears, hands still cradling the now closed music box to his chest.

Nobody answers.

AN: So, can anyone guess who the mysterious prosecutor is? ;)