A/N: Alright, here's the next chapter! Here, we see how Apollo starts influencing the game!
But first, review replies!
Gamergirl: Magnifi has screwed with Apollo's head so much growing up, he sometimes can't help but think the man's right about a few things. Phoenix will set him straight though! You'll see what happens here! Apollo won't get in trouble though, because he did have gloves. After all, he wears the full Gramarye getup. More track references, yay!
Nonny: Yep! I work fast when I have time! And that explains it: I don't really go on tumblr. I'll definitely check it out though! Thanks!
No time jump here!
Alright, onward!
…
Chapter Seven: Abandoned
The defendant lobby was calmer then I had been expecting it to be. I was sitting on a small, red couch, near the doors, while Dad paced. I felt sick, nausea rolling through my stomach, at the thought of the impending trial.
Especially when I found out that Dad hired his Defense Attorney over a game of cards.
"I'm gonna go to the bathroom!" Trucy announced, hopping up and dashing off.
"Ah, Trucy, wait!" I called, standing.
"She should be fine, Apollo, don't worry," Dad said. "After all, we are in a courthouse."
"R-right…" I sat again.
I had a really bad feeling about today.
Just then, a tall man in a blue suit with spiky hair walked in, looking deep in thought. He snapped out of it only when Dad walked over to him.
"Ah, good morning, Mr. Enigmar," he said, flashing a smile.
"I'm… sorry to have sprung this on you so suddenly," Dad said.
Isn't this his job? I thought.
"I reveived the files from your previous attorney only yesterday. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure I'm prepared," the man admitted.
"Wait, previous attorney? Yesterday!?" I demanded, standing.
"Apollo, shush," Dad said, glancing back at me before looking at his attorney again. "…I understand I am asking the impossible of you." The attorney rubbed the back of his head with a sigh.
"Yes, well, you haven't really told me what happened yet!" he said. I groaned. I loved Dad, but he was just digging himself into a hole here! If he didn't tell his attorney what was going on, then how could he defend him!? "All we did… was play cards."
"And that was enough."
I could almost see a vein throbbing on the man's temple, and I couldn't blame him.
Just then, Trucy skipped back in and right over to the two men.
"Oh, morning!" she said brightly, her stance matching Dad's: hands on hips, eyes closed with a big grin.
"Ah, I'm glad you're back," he said. Trucy crossed her arms, studying the attorney.
"You okay, Daddy? They picking on you?" she demanded, and I couldn't help but smile at how cute she was being. Dad laughed.
"I am fine, as always," he assured her. "This old boy is here to help me, after all."
Another vein on the man's temple, but he smiled anyways and kneeled down to Trucy's height. I stood from the couch and wandered over.
"Good morning," he said. "That's a cute outfit you have on."
"Thanks!" Trucy said brightly. "My first show's today, after all!"
"Huh?" I asked, looking down at her, confused. Show? What show? Why hasn't she told me?
"Oh, I'm sure it is!" the man said enthusiastically, though he seemed just as confused as me.
"Oh! Old boy!" Trucy said, as though just remembering something.
"Huh? Me?" the man asked with the slightest twitch of his eye.
"Um, uh… here." She held out what seemed like a folded paper, ripped from a book. The man took it, reading it with curious eyes.
"What's this…?" he asked.
"I dunno! I just got it over there in the hall," she admitted. "They told me to give it to the 'old boy in the blue suit with the spiky hair.'"
"Trucy what have I told you about talking to strangers?" I said in my best older brother voice. She looked at me for a moment.
"Not to talk to them? But this was different! I wasn't talking to them, I was doing a favor for them!" she retorted, crossing her arms. I groaned softly at that, pinching the bridge of my nose.
It was impossible to win an argument with an eight year old… especially when Dad laughed at all of her answers, like he was doing now. The man, on the other hand, was studying the paper again, and Trucy turned back to him.
"They said it was really important!" she said brightly. Dad finally stopped laughing, and looked over curiously, albeit a lot more seriously.
"…What's this? A memo for you or some such?" he asked. I looked at it curiously as well.
"Hmm… Not from the looks of it," the attorney said, still studying it. Dad grew thoughtful. "I'll give it a read later," he said, putting it in his briefcase.
"Well, how do you feel about the trial today?" Dad asked.
"We'll get through it. Somehow," the attorney said, not sounding sure at all. A groan bubbled up in my throat at the thought. "Incidentally… the prosecutor today is a new guy, I hear."
"Ah… an easy win then, yes?" Dad asked, and I perked up at the thought.
"They're calling him a 'true thoroughbred in the history of the prosecutor's office.'" The attorney said thoughtfully. I deflated, and Dad sighed. Trucy, on the other hand, was over at the red couch, studying the painting hanging over it. "…Of course, there's one of those every year."
"…The switching of attorneys just before the trial… I know it is a difficult situation I put you in," Dad said. "But… allow me to say one thing, Mr. Wright."
"…Yes?" Mr. Wright sounded unsure.
"They will not be able to pronounce me guilty today," Dad announced. My eyebrows drew together in confusion, and I looked up at him.
"Dad? What do you mean?" I asked, though my question went unanswered.
"So, do your best, but do not worry."
"I'll do what I can," Mr. Wright said with a smile, causing Dad to laugh.
"I see you do not understand," he said in amusement. Anger began to grow in my chest at the way Dad was talking in circles. "You see, it will be impossible for them to declare a verdict."
"I-impossible?" Mr. Wright asked.
"Dad, what are you saying?" I demanded.
"Yes." Again, I was ignored. It was starting to sting a little. "Isn't that right, Trucy?" Trucy twirled around, skipping over.
"Yup! You bet, Daddy," she said. I looked between my father and little sister, realizing I was out of the loop of something pretty big.
"Dad, Trucy, what are you talking about?" I asked. Trucy looked at me, like she wanted to tell me, but Dad simply gave my shoulder a squeeze.
"Nothing, Apollo, nothing for you to worry about," he said, giving me a warm smile. He then looked up at his defense attorney. "I believe the curtains will be lifting any time now. I am in your capable hands, Mr. Wright."
…
Trucy and I quickly found seats in the galley. I wanted to sit up front, to see what was going on, but Trucy yanked me down in the back, right near the doors.
"I wanna sit here, Polly!" she announced.
"But we're too short, Trucy. Can't we sit up front?" I asked. She looked up at me with determined, on the verge of tears eyes, her cheeks puffed out, and I relented. "Fine, we can sit here," I sighed.
"Yay!" she squealed, flopping down. I sighed once more, taking my seat as well.
Everyone around us talked amongst themselves. After all, this case wasn't exactly unknown. They didn't fall quiet until the judge slammed his hammer thingy – a gavel? – down.
"Court is now in session for the trial of Shadi Enigmar," the judge announced.
"The defense is ready, Your Honor," Mr. Wright announced, a calm, collected look on his face. The man on the other side of the courtroom, however, didn't look anything like a prosecutor. He wasn't wearing a suit. Instead, he had a heavy medallion hanging from a chain around his neck, and was wearing sunglasses (inside? Who does that?).
He smirked, snapping his fingers to a tune only he could here.
"Is the prosecution ready?" the judge asked.
"I was just thinking, is this what all the fuss is about?" the man said, putting his hands in his pockets and looking up at the defense attorney. His German accent sounded totally fake. "Bit of a buzz-kill, really."
"'Buzz-kill'…?" the judge asked. "Is this some new kind of crime?"
Seriously? This was the man who would determine if Dad was guilty or not.
"Oh man…" I mumbled. Trucy giggled, swinging her legs.
"One of the worst. This is a trial, ja? Where are the sweaty palms? The pounding hearts? A Gavinners concert's got ten times the thrill this gig's got."
Trucy gasped, grabbing my arm.
"Polly? Is he a performer?" she asked.
"Maybe. If so, definitely one of the more eccentric ones," I replied. "Now shush, I'm trying to listen."
"Klavier Gavin. I came… to get the party started. Legally, ja?"
"Gavin? Defense Attorney Kristoph Gavin's…?" the judge began to ask.
"Ah, figures my bro's more famous in this part of town." He looked up at Mr. Wright, then back down with a smirk. "I know what you're thinking: 'You're out of your league, rock-boy.'"
Mr. Wright didn't answer.
"True, my debut single, '13 Years Hard Time for Love,' went platinum overnight…"
That has to do with this… how exactly? I thought, finding myself liking the prosecutor less and less.
"…But that's just a hobby to me compared to this, ja?"
"…Talkative, aren't you?" Mr. Wright asked. "I like your affected Euro-rock accent, but the way." I had to smother my laughter at that, finding myself liking the defense attorney more and more.
"I'm just getting warmed up, Herr Attorney Wright," Mr. Gavin said. The judge slammed his gavel.
"Perhaps you would be so kind as to fill us in on the case?" he asked.
"…Achtung, baby. Time to call on the opeing act."
"Polly, what does 'ach… achoo...' that word mean?" Trucy asked, pulling on my cape once more. I pressed my lips together for a moment, before leaning in closer to her.
"He just sneezed, Trucy, that's all. Now shush. Please?"
"Hmph." Trucy crossed her arms, puffing her cheeks out, and turned away from me. I sighed and looked up again.
A detective, who seemed to have history with Mr. Wright, gave his testimony, talking about the scene of the crime, and the circumstances. He was so… nonchalant about it.
However, I couldn't help but remember the feeling of the pistol in my hand, its weight, the power I had to take the life of the man who made mine hell for the past fifteen years. I shivered slightly, wrapping my arms around myself under my cape.
Obviously, I couldn't shoot him. But did Dad? I mean, I doubt that. Despite his torment for the past three years, both Dad and Uncle Valant looked up to him.
"Hm… I believe the question before us is clear, then. Why did the killer have to shoot this dying man?" the judge asked after they had discussed all of Grandfather's medical issues. "What reason could he have had?"
"Very will, Detective. Perhaps you can enlighten us as to the circumstances of the shooting," Mr. Gavin directed.
"Y-yes, sir!" the detective on the witness stand saluted. He then proceeded to tell the court about the letter, where Grandfather had been shot, and the pistol. I gripped my arms at the thought of the pistol.
"One thing bothers me about this," Mr. Wright said, tapping the letter. "Why didn't he just say '11'? Why have hi come at '11:05' without some specific reason…?"
"The devil I is the details, Herr Attorney…" Mr. Gavin said with a smirk.
"Well? Was there some reason?" the judge demanded.
"As it turns out, there was. Every night, for a half hour, starting at eleven… the victim, Magnifi Gramarye, was given an IV," Mr. Gavin announced, and my stomach plummeted as I realized how close I came to being the one on the stand. If I had staying the hospital room any longer, a doctor would have walked in on me pointing the gun at my grandfather's face.
I stood.
"Polly?" Trucy asked, looking after me.
"Bathroom," I muttered, quickly making my escape. I needed air.
I quickly made my way to the door, pushed it open, and took a few steps outside, sinking down onto the top step.
Down, at the bottom, was a large group of reports, complete with cameras, waiting for the end of this trial.
"Hey, are you okay?" a voice asked. I looked up in time to see a girl, maybe about eighteen, sit next to me. She was wearing a white lab coat and pink glasses on top of her head, which matched the pink hat she wore.
"Yeah," I said, surprise. She looked at me thoughtfully.
"You don't seem it," she replied, tipping her head to the side, a finger on her chin. She took in my hat and cape. "You bummed about the Gramarye case, aren't you?"
"Huh?"
"Well, scientifically speaking, the odds of someone wearing that getup and not being part of Troupe Gramarye is almost nill!" the girl said.
"S-scientifically?" I asked, feeling a sudden sense of whiplash. Who was this girl!?
The girl nodded. "Yep!" She leaned back. "Wait a minute! You're Apollo Gramarye! Assistant to the great Zak and Valant Gramarye!" she gasped. I blushed slightly.
"Yeah. Um… want to see a trick?" I offered. She perked up.
"Sure!"
I pulled a deck out of my pocket and shuffled them, grinning at the delight in her eyes as I did a few trick shuffles. I then fanned out the deck, holding it towards her.
"Pick a card, any card," I offered. He looked thoughtful for a moment before selecting one.
"Now, I'm going to fan through the deck. Tell me when to stop," I said once I was sure she remembered it. She nodded once more, and I fanned through the deck, stopping only once she said so. She replaced the card, and I shuffled some more, before replacing the deck back in my pocket.
"Tada!" I said, holding up my hands. Her eyes clouded in confusion.
"That's it?" she demanded, sounding a little upset.
I feigned confusion myself. "You wanted more?" I asked. "Alright, let's see…" I fiddled with my broach 'in thought' for a moment. "Well, do you have anything in your pocket I can use as a prop?" I asked. She studied me for a moment, before reaching into her pocket.
She froze, her eyes wide for a moment.
From her pocket, she pulled out a card, the back facing me. I smirked.
"Was your card the two of hearts?" I asked.
"Whoa!" she gasped, a hand to her cheek as she stared at the card, which I still had yet to see. "How did you do that?" she demanded. I grinned, holding up my empty hands.
"Magic."
"Here you are. Come along, we need to get to the evidence room," a man said, suddenly appearing behind us. The girl jumped to her feet.
"R-right!" She looked at me. "Um, here," she said, holding out the card. I shook my head.
"Keep it," I said with a smile.
"Really? Thanks! Bye Apollo!" she called, following after the man.
"Bye—" I cut off, realizing I never got her name. But by the time I could ask, she was gone.
…
By the time I returned to the courtroom, after taking a walk around the court house, Uncle Valant was on the witness stand, and Trucy was no where the be found. I sighed, feeling as though I should go look for her, but also curious.
"It's not too late to rethink this and avoid more… embarrassment," Mr. Gavin said with a smirk at the defense. I shuddered at how ominous his words were. The judge slammed his gavel.
"Very well. Please show us your evidence, Mr. Wright," he said.
"Incidentally, don't even think of showing us this diary I've just shown the court," Mr. Gavin said, holding up Grandfather's diary. Mr. Wright looked surprised for a moment. "Now that we've come this far, I hope you have something a little more… decisive. Show us evidence that proves the victim continued writing his diary!"
"Alright." Mr. Wright looked calm as ever. "I'd be happy to. The decisive evidence proving that the diary didn't end with this page is…" he rummaged through his files until he found a certain paper.
"Take that!" he put it aside and picked the diary back up. "First… take a closer look at this diary. Note that a page has clearly been ripped out!"
"What's this…!?" the judge gasped. "I hadn't noticed that at all…"
Mr. Wright stared at the judge for a moment before putting a hand to his chin. "As it just so happens, I have here what I believe to be the missing page." He held up the paper.
"Allaka-I-don't-believe-it!" Uncle Valant cried.
"Looking at this page…" Mr. Wright started, tapping the paper. "It's hard to imagine that the first visitor that night shot Magnifi Gramarye. That's the defense's position."
"W-wait! Let me see that!" the judge demanded. Mr. Wright handed it to the bailiff, who gave it to the judge, who studied it. "What in sam hill…?" he muttered. "Why, this is the continuation of the victim's diary!"
"Note the torn edge of the page," Mr. Wright said. "It's a perfect match with the torn remains of the last page in Magnifi's diary!"
"Quite… remarkable…" Uncle Valant gasped. My eyes were huge. I know Dad didn't killed Grandfather… but Uncle Valant did…?
"Would you care to explain what all this means, Herr Attorney?" Mr. Gavin asked.
"The diary continued after his first visitor came. Which means that the victim was still alive after Zak Gramarye left! Leaving no one to take his life but the second visitor!" Mr. Wright slammed on the bench before pointing at the man on the witness stand. "Valant Gramarye!"
"No…" Uncle Valant gasped, before jerking back. "Noooo…!"
"The handwriting, too, matches that on the other pages. This is, without a doubt, the genuine article!" the judge mused, still studying the evidence. Tears welled into my eyes.
Uncle Valant…? A killer? That can't be right! He'd never take another life, even if Grandfather tortured him and Dad… right?
"But, but wait! This is… that's impossible! That old man couldn't have written that…" Uncle Valant stuttered.
"Objection!" Mr. Gaven yelled, slamming his fist into the wall behind him. "…Finally," he said after a heavy pause. "You just couldn't resist, could you, Herr Wright?"
"…Resist what? Presenting solid evidence?" Mr. Wright asked. The sick feeling I've had all day grew worse. Mr. Gavin didn't answer, instead turning towards the judge.
"Herr Judge?" he said.
"Y-yes, Prosecutor Gavin?" the judge asked.
"Might I request we put the current cross-examination on hold? The prosecution would like to call a new witness."
"B-but, Prosecutor Gavin!" the judge gasped. Obviously, that was a very unusual request. "This evidence overturns the current witness's…"
"I ask only to put it on hold!" Mr. Gavin said, interrupting the judge. "Please. My new witness has a very, very important piece of testimony to give. Five minutes, no more. I promise… You Honor," the man pleaded.
"W-well, if you put it that way…" the judge said. "Mr. Wright, what's your take on this?"
"Well, your honor, judging by his enthusiasm, we'll have to hear this new testimony sooner or later anyways. So it might as well be sooner," he said after a moment's hesitation.
"Then, though this is highly, highly irregular… we will put this current cross-examination on hold. The witness may step down," the judge announced. Uncle Valant stepped down. "…Now, Prosecutor Gavin! Please bring this surprise witness to the courtroom!"
The next thing Mr. Gavin requested was for the courtroom to be emptied, except for the judge, himself, Mr. Wright, and this new witness. The sick feeling grew worse, and before I knew it, I was standing out in the lobby with the rest of the audience. With a sigh, I decided to look around for Trucy.
However, I was unable to find her before we were called back into the courtroom.
The entire atmosphere had changed. Mr. Wright seemed as though a huge burden had been thrown onto his shoulders, one he couldn't shake. Dad was lead to the stand.
"Though I deeply regret having to declare a verdict in this way… This trial is over," the judge began.
"What!?" I gasped, wondering what the special witness had said to result in this. Dad stayed silent and confident.
"You have the right to find a new attorney and make an appeal," the judge said to him. "However, this court must…"
"Ah, Your Honor?" Dad interrupted him.
"Y-yes, Mr. Zak?" he asked.
"There is one thing I wish to make clear. Today, in this courtroom… you cannot declare me 'guilty.' It is impossible."
This again!?
The judge shook his head at that. "I'm afraid the defendant is quite mistaken," he said. "I most certainly have the authority to declare a verdict on you."
"Except… tell me, how do you plan on announcing your verdict… when your defendant does not exist?"
"'Doesn't exist'…? What are you talking about?" the Judge demanded.
"Wait… no!" I gasped, jumping to my feet, realizing the answer to that, seconds before Dad revealed it.
"I am talking… about this!" Dad dropped a flash pellet, making light burst into the courtroom and temporarily blind everyone. I stumbled into someone next to me as I tried to reach the door. Once everyone could see, Dad was gone. I darted to the door, throwing it open, and ran towards the entrance of the courthouse, hoping to catch up to him.
What is he doing!? What about me and Trucy!? Why? Why!? WHY!?
Activity was happening all around me, and just ahead, I thought I caught a glimpse of pink cloak, but I wasn't fast enough. The Bailiffs closed all entrances to the courthouse just as I reached the front doors, and wouldn't let me out.
Dad… no, Zak wasn't found, though Trucy was, in one of the lobbies. Zak had abandoned us, knowing we had no where to go.
Zak was gone.
As soon as we were allowed to leave, Trucy and I were gone too.
…
A/N: Long chapter is long… Apollo doesn't change this one at all. It was mainly his reactions to it. Future trials, he will change though.
Three guesses as to who the girl he met is! And yes, I ship Apollo with her.
