Chapter 5: James's Story.
"What do you mean, 'banished!'" I asked.
"Banished." James replied. "No longer able to enter. Made an outcast."
"Why?" I asked. "How did you get yourself banished?"
"It's a long story." James replied.
"I'm curious. I want to hear it." I said earnestly.
"Well alright." James said. "But not here. I don't want other people hearing us."
"Alright." I responded. "Let's go to my office."
James nodded. "Let's go."
Date: June 3rd, 2006. Time: 2:10 p.m.
Location: Wright and Co. Law Offices.
Once I got home, I placed a call to Maya's cell phone.
"Nick!" Maya bubbled excitedly. "How have you been!"
"Been better." I said honestly. "Things have been a little crazy here actually."
"Really?" Maya asked. "Like what?"
She doesn't know? I wondered. Well the trial just ended…
"Well, there was just a trial about a 'Miranda Fey…'" I said.
"Wait." Maya interrupted. "Did you say Miranda Fey?"
"Yes." I responded. "Why?"
"She's caused trouble in Kurain before." Maya said darkly. "She's caused some mischief here, and also stolen things from the Elders."
"Sounds like a troublesome girl." James said cheekily.
"Hey, who was that?" Maya asked. "Who was that other voice, Nick?"
"May I?" James asked me, holding out his hand.
I handed the phone to him and he put it to his ear.
"Hello Maya." James said. "It's James."
"James?" she asked, astonished.
"Yeah." James said. "It's me."
"How have you been!" Maya quickly replied. "Where have you been?"
"Well after being banished…" James started. "I've been just at school. But I had to come back because of this trial. I knew Miranda's background, but not much about herself. It's kind of funny, really."
"True." Maya said. "Least your doing good."
"Same to you." James said. "Here's Mr. Wright."
James handed the phone back to me and I spoke again.
"So you know Miranda Fey, Maya?" I asked.
"I do." Maya said. "Like I said earlier, she causes trouble in the village. Nobody knows why exactly, she just does."
"Has anyone ever asked her why?" I asked, confused.
"They have." Maya said. "But she never answers."
Great. More to think about. I thought.
After talking to her a little more and saying hi to Pearls over the phone, we ended our conversation.
Now for James's story…I thought.
"So tell me." I started, sitting behind my desk. "How did you get banished from Kurain?"
James pulled up a chair in front of my desk.
"Well, it all started 3 years ago…"
Date: April 24, 2003. Time: ?
Location: Kurain Village
I was 15 at the time. It was my junior year in high school. Because I had aced most of my exams, I skipped a grade, which is why I was so young in my 3rd year in high school. I was living with my mother in California. Every vacation, or time off I had, I'd return to Kurain and work with the acolytes on their training. I myself have no spiritual power because I am a man, but I was a hard worker. A motivator, so to speak. I had met Mystic Maya in Kurain before. She was a year older than I was. Very nice, bubbly, and optimistic, I was friends with her for sometime. But she left Kurain that same year to live with her sister, Mia Fey, as you know.
"Ahh." I said. "That was my first case."
James nodded and continued:
She was missed, here in Kurain, but it was her little cousin who took it hardest. Pearl Fey. She was 8 years old at the time. I, as well as a few other acolytes, helped to comfort her. She eventually got over it, and she would see Maya again a year later.
What caused my banishment was after Ms. Mia Fey died. After you made the news with that fantastic case you won against Mr. Edgeworth and freed Maya from custody, the Elders realized that Maya Fey would be the new master born into Kurain. Half of the elders were annoyed at this turnabout, but none were as angry as Morgan Fey, young Pearl Fey's mother. She devised a plot…and you know what happened from there.
"Mimi Miney's case…" I said.
"Correct." James replied. "I was angry at the Elders for being lenient on Morgan. I told them that she doesn't deserve to be pardoned. She was a convicted murderer who wanted to extinguish the Main bloodline."
"And they didn't believe you?" I asked, surprised.
"They saw everything, but they denied it." James said. "They claimed that she was framed…by you."
That astonished me. They blame me for FRAMING Morgan! I thought angrily. Everyone knows she was guilty! She even admitted it!
"That's crazy!" I said. "Does this mean they think Maya did murder Dr. Grey!"
"No." James replied. "If they did, then they would have rejected Maya to become the new Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique."
True…I thought. Then who do they blame?
"Then who are they blaming?" I asked.
"No one." James said darkly. "They claim Dr. Grey's death was a tragic accident, even though Mimi Miney was the accomplice."
"That's worse!" I yelled angrily. "How could they say that?"
"Now you understand my anger at them when they made that decision." James said. "I was enraged by the ruling, and I mouthed off to all the Elders during a meeting after that."
"What did you say?" I asked.
"I said that they were being stupid and blind and that they pulled a veil over their eyes and refused to see the truth." James said. "I also said that Morgan was a murderer and shouldn't be allowed to be pardoned."
"That got you banished?" I asked.
"No." James said. "That was my first offense. The Elders were shocked at my outburst, and they threatened to punish me if I didn't keep quiet. At first, I did. I decided to let it go and move on."
"But you didn't." I said.
James continued:
A few months later, I started hearing rumors about Maya from some of the elders. Some claim that Maya doesn't deserve to be Master, and that she should be killed for leaving the village and not being responsible.
"What!" I sputtered, surprised. "Killed!"
"Yes, killed." James said unhappily. "I grew worried, but did nothing. They were just rumors, so I didn't think too much of it. But then I came across something that nearly sent me over the edge."
"What was it?" I asked, nervously.
"An envelope." James said. "Might not sound important, but the contents are what surprised me. "There was a letter, and a check inside. The letter was to Morgan Fey, promising to set her free by making bail, and to have her bring Maya back to Kurain when she leaves jail. The check was for the bail, it worth 150,000 dollars.
"No way!" I shouted, surprised. $150,000! I thought, astonished. They have that much money!
"I'm glad you understand." James said. "At this point, only one thing confused me. How do they have this much money to set Morgan free? I now decided enough was enough. I angrily sprinted to the Elder's chambers and exploded.
Date: July 3, 2003 Time: 4:45 p.m.
Location: Elder's Chambers.
"HOW COULD YOU!" I shouted. "I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT EVEN AFTER ALL THIS TIME, YOU INTENDED TO FREE MORGAN FROM PRISON AND LET HER COME BACK HERE! ARE YOU THAT BLIND! EVERYONE IN THE VILLAGE KNOWS SHE NEARLY MURDERED MAYA, YET YOU CONTINUE TO SIT HERE AND ACT AS IF EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT!"
All of the elders looked horrified and surprised. The head Elder stood up, looking at me, enraged.
"How dare you!" the head elder boomed angrily. "You talk back to us, and question our judgments! You don't deserve to be in this village!"
"Neither do you." I snapped back, matching her rage.
Gasps echoed from the other elders.
The Head Elder's hands began shaking.
"How….Dare…You!" she shouted again. "You've been to hard working for us, Mystic James, I didn't think of all people, YOU would act like this!"
"I wouldn't had to act like this if you weren't such a moron!" I exclaimed, enraged.
Even more gasps from the other elders.
"I know that some of you know the truth." I said, furiously. "Yet you all pull a veil over your eyes and deny it! I should've done this a long time ago."
I looked up at the Head Elder, matching his fury with mine.
"I'm leaving." I said.
All the elders gaped in shock. The Head Elder didn't move.
I turned and started for the exit.
"JAMES FEY!" the Head Elder shouted angrily. "IF YOU WALK OUT THAT DOOR AND OUT THIS VILLAGE, YOU ARE NEVER COMING BACK! YOU WILL BE BANISHED FROM THIS VILLAGE FOR GOOD!"
I turned to her, still seething.
"Go to hell." I said, and left.
"I never returned to Kurain Village after that. From that point on, I stayed in California with my mother. My father was away on business, so I finished High School, then left and went to MIT. I haven't been back since then." James concluded.
"You said that?" I asked, stunned.
"You would too if you were as angry as I was." James replied bitterly. "I swear, Kurain hasn't been the same. Things are worse now, and I didn't want any part of it. But now, with this new mystery, I can't shy away from it."
"Sounds reasonable." I said. "But how did you know about Kristoph Gavin?"
"Oh, him." James replied, unhappily. "Even in the East Coast, he's talked about. Now I know that the 'latest gossip' isn't always about lawyers, but I read and watch the news too. Some newspapers have written the rumors that Gavin is a shady character. He forges evidence, steals evidence, illegal evidence, many other things as well. Usually I don't believe in most gossip, but when I was close to Gavin, my suspicions vanished. This trial also furthered my belief in the rumors."
I said nothing. I didn't really have to, because I understood.
"Well…" I started. "Not much we can do now except investigate."
"Yeah." James said. "Maybe I should sneak into the village and investigate as well. I know I'm banished, but this mystery irks me too much."
"Well, you're on your own if your going to sneak into the village." I said. "But if you do get in there, please don't cause any trouble." "Especially with the elders." I added.
James looked at me and smiled.
"Come on, Mr. Wright." He said grinning. "You know I would never do that…"
So what do you think? I think adding some fire to James's story would make it more exciting. Plus, James yelling about "Morgan," I know since he's young normally he'd be polite, but I decided that Morgan Fey does not deserve that. HA! Leave a review and tell me what you think about the story so far!
EDIT: The name "Andre James Fey" was changed to just "James Fey." The name "Andre" is already being used for another story that I am reading from someone else. My apologies. Didn't see it until recently.
