"This is getting me nowhere!" I shouted, glaring at the screen of my DS. "I can't find anything to trade her!!!! How am I supposed to get them now……!?"

I leaned back in my swivel chair and stared out the window. The sky was cloudless blue. After school, I had come home, changed into my house clothes and sat down with my CD player and my DS, training. I had pulled my scruffy, poofy dark brown hair back into a ponytail, and my glasses lay discarded on the hardtop of the desk. The orchestra music of one of my favorite games was playing in my ears, and I hummed along, despite the drowsiness I was feeling after the long day. My dad was asleep in his room across the hall, so I had the upstairs part of the house to myself. I absentmindedly flipped through my 'Ace Attorney' walkthrough I was compiling, even though I wasn't playing the game. I was nowhere near finished; I would have to finish later.

"Maybe…" I muttered, "I should just have a nap, and worry about this later…"

I closed my eyes, leaned back in the chair, and drifted off to sleep.

A loud beeping woke me from my dreamless sleep. Grumbling in disgust, I rolled on to my other side and pressed the pillow to my head. This, however, didn't help. So I rolled back over and searched around in the dark for it. I hit my hand on the nightstand looking for it, and when I found it, I pounded down on the edge to shut it off. My hand aching more, the beeping continuing on, I sat up and fumbled with the digital alarm clock, looking for the button. Finally, I turned it off. That's when it struck me.

(Wait a second…. I don't have a nightstand….)

I looked around the room, confused. It was a lot bigger than my bedroom, and was a complete mess; clothes tossed everywhere - as opposed to my normally tidy, tiny room. I didn't recognize where I was or anything in the room. I just sat around for a moment before I shook it off and stood up to shuffle off to the washroom. As I passed by the mirror, I glanced up, wondering how I could see so well without my glasses. When I saw my reflection, I screamed, tripping backwards over the rim of the bathtub. As soon as my head stopped spinning from the impact, I scrambled to my feel and stared at my reflection - or what should have been my reflection.

In place of the usual reflection I saw in my mirror, I found myself staring at an adult version of myself, but much more beautiful than I ever imagined. My short, puffy hair was long, straight and wavy; I was thinner than I ever remembered looking; and I looked so much more awake that I'd ever looked before in my life, the dark bags of my sleepless nights gone.

After staring at myself for a while, I finished my business in the washroom and walked back into the bedroom. I pulled open the blinds and looked around the room. A black business suit was lying on a chair in the corner, and I wondered what it was for, frowning in disgust at the skirt. The clock on the nightstand read 8:45AM and a Post-it note was stuck to the wall above it. I stared at it in horror, taking note in the midst of my shock that the writing was mine.

FIRST TRIAL: AUGUST 3. BE THERE BEFORE 10AM. LOBBY #2: STATE VS. BUTZ

(Hell no…….I'm in the Ace Attorney game!? WHY, CRUEL WORLD!? WHY!?!?!?)

With a loud growl of protest, I dressed in ten minutes and then scoured the apartment for a map. In the mess, it took fifteen minutes. 9:10AM. I searched the map frantically for the court building. To my dismay, it was pretty far away from where I figured I was. When exited the building, I stared down the street. Shaking my head, I burst into a run.

(Thank God, this outfit includes flats.)

I skidded to a slow when I reached the courthouse, less out of breath than I had expected. I dashed past the elevators, in too much of a rush to wait. I stumbled into Defendant Lobby #2 and leaned up against the door, trying to catch my breath.

(Safe……I think.)

"Out of breath and the trial hasn't even started," a voice laughed.

I jumped, startled, and slammed my head against the door. Mumbling profanities, I rubbed my sore skull and looked up, almost jumping back in surprise again.

Mia stared back at me as I tried to regain my composure. "Are you sure you can handle this, Andrea? You seem…tense."

(Andrea? She's not talking to me…is she? …She is…. Great, that means my name is Andrea here, huh? Oh well, I'll play along.)

"No, I'm fine," I replied confidently, "I'm ready for this!"

Mia smiled, looking slightly relieved. "Well, that's good to hear. I'm very impressed with you, actually. Taking on a murder trial as your first case is pretty big for a rookie."

(Let's hope I can handle it….Wait, where's Larry?)

"I'm DOOMED!" Larry shouted from the other end of the room, "WHY!?!??!?"

I sighed. "So much for that. He thinks the apocalypse has already come. How the hell am I supposed to defend I guy like this?"
Larry suddenly turned and ran over to me, locking me into a tight embrace. "Andy! What do I do!? It's over! My life is over!"

"Calm…down," I grunted, prying myself from Larry's grip, "You'll be fine. I'll have no problem defending you." Larry and Mia both looked surprised, so I quickly amended: "because you're innocent! Discovering the truth of this case will be a piece of cake, because I know you didn't do it, Larry. I believe it."

Mia opened her mouth to comment, but we were quickly called into the courtroom. (I'm saved….for now……Here I go! Let's hope I memorized the walkthrough thoroughly enough.)

I couldn't help fidgeting in the courtroom. (So many people are staring at me, and I'm horrible at public speaking! I'm gonna pass out if I get any more nervous!)

Finally, the Judge banged his gravel for order. "The court is now in session for the trial of Larry Butz."

Prosecutor Payne smiled smugly. "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

I glared back at him. "The defense is MORE than ready, Your Honor."

"Ms. Giusto, I hear this is your first case," the Judge commented. "Are you sure you're ready?"

(THAT's my name? Hell, this world sucks.) "Of course, Your Honor. The prosecution won't know what hit him."

Payne glared at me from the prosecutor's bench, and I stuck out my tongue childishly back at him. Mia rolled her eyes.

"V-very well then. Um, Prosecutor Payne, the details of the case, if you please," the Judge announced.

"Skip 'em," I snapped. "Just call your first witness and present to murder weapon. If you please," I added sweetly.

Prosecutor Payne looked startled, but complied. "The murder weapon is this statue of the Thinker."

"The court….um, accepts the statue into evidence," the Judge muttered, still lost for words from my outburst.

"The prosecution calls Larry Butz to the stand," Payne declared, seeming to have revived some of his flair.

"What does he hope to accomplish with this?" I muttered to Mia, but loud enough so that the prosecutor could hear.

Prosecutor Payne snorted. "And what would the rookie know of court proceedings?"

I blinked, pretending to be surprised, and then leaned forward with a mocking smile. "That questioning the defendant would be a waste of time. It seems to be that my impression is that you intent to waste to court's time with useless questioning."

The Judge also looked surprised. "Waste time, Ms. Giusto? How so?"

"The prosecution is trying to pull a motive out of thin air, which is surely going to take longer than it should, and then deduce that my client was at the scene of the crime on the day of the murder, which, if I might add, is PROBABLY why he's a suspect to begin with," I retorted, matter-of-factly.

The prosecutor smiled. "Then what, pray tell, are the answers to those little tidbits of information? It seems obvious that the court should know."

"First of all, the prosecution aims to create a motive by revealing to the court that the victim was seeing other men," I muttered, rolling a strand of hair around a finger, "But the defendant had no knowledge of this, and thus it is not valid as a possible motive. Second, he was at the scene of the crime, as I already mentioned, and claims that the victim wasn't at home. Can the prosecution prove that my client was the murderer?"

Prosecutor Payne, freaked, breaking out in a frenzied sweat as he rushed to reorganize himself. Mia leaned over towards me. "What are you doing? I've completely lost you."

"No worries," I smiled back, "I saved us time, worry, and the confusion of court sign-language. Now all I have to do is trounce the prosecution's other witness and the case is in the bag!"

"Before you call your witness, Mr. Payne," the Judge spoke up, "I would just like to ask if the defense is correct in saying that the victim was seeing other men. As was pointed out, it makes for motive material, but I'd like to see proof."

"Y-yes, Your H-honor," Payne mumbled, eyes darting around his bench. He picked up a passport off the countertop. "Th-this is the victim's pa-passport. She was in Paris with another man until the day before the murder. The prosecution looked into the matter thoroughly."

"I see. The court accepts the passport into evidence," the Judge nodded. "You may now call your witness."

"Now," Payne began, glancing at his witness, "You sell newspapers. Is that correct, Mr. Sahwit?"

(More like Mr. Did-it…because he did…)

Sahwit nodded affirmatively, sweating more than the prosecutor had been moments before.

Payne smiled. "Mr. Sahwit, would you like testify to the court about when you found the body?"

(Oh great, more wasted time. Why do these court proceedings take so long?)

"I was going door-to-door," Sahwit testified, "selling subscriptions, when I saw a man fleeing an apartment. I thought he must be in a hurry because he left the door half-open behind him. Thinking it strange, I looked inside the apartment. Then I saw her lying there... A woman... not moving... dead! I quailed in fright and found myself unable to go inside. I thought to call the police immediately. However, the phone in her apartment wasn't working. I went to a nearby park and found a public phone. I remember the time exactly. It was 1:00 PM. The man who ran was without a doubt, the defendant sitting right over there!"

(SURE you did…….) I rolled my eyes at my inner monologue, ignoring as the Judge asked Payne about the blackout in the building. Mia leaned towards me, looking a little nervous.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" she asked, more concerned than actually curious. "You seem so…relaxed."

I smiled, feeling my grin take on more of an evil note. "And that's a problem?" I was too busy making a mental note of the time on the blackout record to answer any further.

"Now then," the Judge announced with a cough, "The defense may begin its cross-examination."

"With pleasure…" I replied, composing myself.

Sahwit ran through his testimony, pausing after each statement in anticipation of my interruption, but I remained silent, leaning up against the wall behind me for support. Mia looked at me in concern, probably because I wasn't asking any questions. At last, Sahwit came to the part in his testimony concerning the time, and I leaned forward.

"Mr. Sahwit," I asked calmly, "Are you completely sure the time was 1:00 PM when you found the body? 100% sure?"

He nodded. "Of course I'm sure. 1:00 PM, for certain."

"Bullshit," I snapped.

The Judge stuttered. "Ms. Giusto, please watch your language, and explain yourself."

"It's obvious. The time of death was listed in the autopsy report as between 4:00 and 5:00 PM. If Mr. Sahwit was telling the truth, there was no body for him to find!" I countered, my voice surprisingly even and calm. "How do you explain this three hour gap?"

Sawhit jumped, startled by the realization of his mistake. He glanced around the room frantically, looking for something to use as an escape from the slip-up. "Oh, I, er…"

"OBJECTION!" came Payne's shout from across the room, and I jumped. (Hearing an objection is more startling in real life than in the game… I'll probably have a heart attack against Manfred von Karma)

"This is trivial!" the prosecutor snapped back, "The witness merely forgot the time!"

I frowned. "Trivial, my ass. He's sure, so he's surely lying."

"Ms. Giusto…" the Judge muttered, warning, "But still, the defense has a point. Mr. Sahwit, why were you so certain that you found the body at 1:00 PM?"

"I, uh," Sahwit stuttered, "Gee, that's a very good question…"

Mia stared at me incredulously. "You really are something…. You know you should have objected at least twice in that argument, instead of interrupting, correct?"

"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled back, waving my hand to dismiss the subject, "The whole 'yelling, slamming the desk, and pointing' thing. I'm loud enough as it is, and I didn't really think it was that important. I'm saving it for later." (I so own the Chords of Steel with this voice of mine…)

Sahwit suddenly snapped his fingers. "Wait! I remember now!"

"Would you care to give us your testimony again?" the Judge asked, more of an order than a question.

Sawhit cleared his throat and began again. "You see, when I found the body, I heard the time. There was a voice saying the time... It was probably coming from the television. Oh, but it was three hours off, wasn't it? I guess the victim must have been watching a video of a taped program! That's why I thought it was 1:00 PM! Terribly sorry about the misunderstanding..."

(Sure, you are….) I rolled my eyes, trying to look irritated and sarcastic at the same time.

The Judge nodded sagely. "I see. You heard a voice saying the time on a taped program. Ms. Giusto, you may cross-examine the witness."

"You know what to do," Mia whispered to me, "It's almost like you know what he'll say next. I trust you can finish this without my help."

I chuckled. (If only you knew…) "Before you begin running through your testimony, I must point out that you can't hear for shit."

The Judge glared at me, hoping I would have gotten the hint after his last warning. With a sigh and a shake of his head, he spoke. "Ms. Giusto, I'll condone your tone of voice for now, as long as you don't trail off into pointless conjecture. Please continue."

(Score one for the home team!) "As the prosecution stated earlier, as you should remember if you rack that tiny brain of yours, there was a blackout as the time of the murder. A record was even submitted into evidence, asshole."

"The defense has a point, despite her choice of vocabulary," the Judge admitted. "Mr. Sahwit, can you explain this?"

Sahwit laughed nervously. "Yes, well, I find that quite puzzling myself…" His face snapped into a look of shock and he quickly shook his head. "W-wait! I remember now!"

The Judge quickly reprimanded Sahwit for his inaccurate testimonies and called the witness to testify again. I shook my head in disbelief. "This is taking way too long. I think I might fall asleep."

Mia smiled. "From the look of it, you've got him running. Keep this up and the trial will be over in no time."

"Actually, I didn't "hear" the time..." Sahwit testified, sweating a bit more that before, "I "saw" it! There was a table clock in the apartment, wasn't there! Yeah, the murder weapon! The killer used it to hit the victim! That must have been what I saw."

The Judge blinked. "A clock? Well, I guess that would explain it. The defense may begin its cross-examination."

"With pleasure," I replied. I felt strangely calm, at ease, now, even though I had been shaking with fright before. My heartbeat had even slowed down to a normal pace. (This is…fun. No matter how nerve-racking it seemed before, I'm in my element now)

Sahwit ran through his testimony again, taking it more slowly than before, as if he didn't trust himself to speak any faster. (A sign of guilt) "Mr. Sahwit," I butted in, "Once again, your story consists of bullshit. The murder weapon isn't a clock, it's a statue. You can't see the time on here at all!"

"Why you!" Sahwit growled, losing his composure, "You will your attitude and your evidence. Just who do you think you are!?"

I glared back at him. "I'm the defense attorney, that's who."

"Uh…Your Honor, if I may…" Payne spoke up, his voice still low.

The Judge sighed. "Yes, Mr. Payne?"

"T-the murder weapon is, in fact, a clock. If you tilt the neck, it t-tells you the t-time. I submitted it as a statue as it doesn't look like a clock. My apologies."

"So, the murder weapon is a clock, meaning that the witness' testimony is right," the Judge muttered, working it out in this head. "Any problems with his testimony now, Ms. Giusto?"

"Hell yes," I blurted back. "The only way the witness could have known it was a clock would be to have held it in his own hands, and yet, he clearly testified that he never went into the victim's apartment. Mr. Sahwit went into the apartment on the day of the murder, and he even held the murder weapon in his hands!"

"Ms. Giusto, do mean to say that you're indicting the witness for murder?" the Judge asked, clearly startled.

(It's so obvious, so why ask!?) "I am. The defense asserts that Mr. Sahwit is the true murderer of Ms. Stone." I folded my arms across my chest, a sign of my confidence.

Sahwit looked defiant, but also very flustered. "Ha! You have no proof! Prove that I did it!"

"Certainly. You struck her and it triggered the clock, announcing the time. The time was ingrained in your memory, and that's why you were so positive about the time!" I replied. I could hear my voice rising unintentionally as I became more certain of what I was saying.

"OBJECTION!" Payne shouted. "Baseless! It's all baseless conjecture!"

I sighed. "Baseless? Ha! I think the witness begs to differ. Look at his face! He's panicking!"

"Would the witness care to elaborate?" the Judge asked, looking at Sahwit. "Did you strike to victim with the clock?"

"I... I...!" Sahwit stuttered, starting to sweat even more. "That... that day... I... I never! Look... I... the clock... I heard, no! I mean, I saw...Saw... nggg! Gwaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" I quickly ducked under the bench when Sahwit threw his wig, narrowly missing the sweaty projectile as it slapped noisily into the wall. Beside me, Mia skittered towards the farther side of the bench, putting as much distance between her and the wig as possible. The wig plopped to the ground with an audible splash. (Ewwwwwww…that's grosss…….) "Shutupshutupshutup! I hate you! I-it was him, I tell you! I saw him! H-he killed her and he should burn! Burn! Give him death!" Sahwit shouted, growling and glaring in my general direction. The courtroom burst out in conversation.

The Judge banged his gavel. "Order! Order in the court!"

"Y-your Honor, a-a mo-moment please!" Payne stuttered, trying to come up with a way out of his situation. "There isn't a shred of evidence to support the defense's claims!"

"Ms. Giusto," the Judge turned to me, "He has a point. Do you have any evidence? Any at all that says the sound the witness heard is from the clock?"

(As if you needed to ask) "Of course I do. Mr. Sahwit did hear that clock, and I can prove it. All you have to do is sound the clock. Your Honor?"

The Judge passed the clock to Mia, who handed it to me. Holding the clock in my hands, it was very heavy. It took me a couple moments to figure out how to work it, but once I did, I tilted the neck and it beeped.

"[I think it's 8:25]" it said in a robotic voice that sounded vaguely like Larry's.

The Judge blinked. "Well, um…that was a bit of a strange way of telling the time."

"Duh, it's the Thinker," I grumbled back. (He's more of an idiot than the game makes him out to be)

"So, we've heard the clock," the Judge continued. "Now what?"

"Does anyone have the time?" I asked casually.

Payne blinked, confused, and looked down at his watch. "It's, um… 11:25….ACK!" he jumped, realizing what I meant.

"As you can see, the clock is three hours off, which is the discrepancy between the time Mr. Sahwit heard and the time of death of the victim," I announced, this means, Mr. Sahwit was in the apartment with the murder weapon in his hands at the time of death. He's the murderer!"

Sahwit stared blankly at me for a moment before he smiled; sweat still pouring down his face. "...Hah! Hah hah! You forgot one thing! While it may seem like that clock IS running three hours slow... It proves nothing! How do you know it was running three days slow on the day of the murder!? If you can't prove that, you don't have a case!"

My eyes widened involuntarily. (Oh, so he's still gonna play that card, huh?)

"Well, Ms. Giusto," the Judge asked, "Do you have evidence that proves the clock was running three hours slow on the day of the murder? If you don't, I'm afraid that you can't indict the witness."

I felt Mia shift beside me, getting ready to bail me out if I failed. (But, I'm not Phoenix Wright. I'm not facing this case for the first time. I know what I'm doing. I don't need Mia's help. I can do this… I can!)

"I have evidence that can prove my claim," I replied calmly, staring out into space. "You bet you ass I have evidence!"

"Hah!" Sahwit laughed, looking smug. "Tough words! Let's see you pull this one off!"

The Judge nodded. "Very well. Let's see this evidence that proves why the clock was running slow."

"I present the victim's passport," I replied with a smirk. "She was in Paris until the day before the murder. The difference in time between here and there is nine hours, which is also the difference between what Mr. Sahwit heard and the time if death. The victim just hadn't reset her clock when she got home from her trip! Proof enough for you, Mr. Sahwit?"

Sahwit's face went pale and a deep grumble sounded from the bottom of his throat, obscuring his labored breathing. "Ngh!" he groaned in defeat, foaming at the mouth and collapsed on the floor. Mia and I both cringed away in disgust.

"Well..." The Judge sighed, sounding tired and probably bored, "This case has certainly turned out differently than we all expected. Mr. Payne... your client?"

Payne was sweating more that he had been during the rest of the trial. "He... er... he was arrested and has been taken away, Your Honor."

"Very well," the Judge nodded approvingly, "Ms. Giusto," He turned to me. "I have to say, I'm impressed. I don't think I've ever seen someone complete a defense so quickly... and find the true culprit at the same time!"

"Th-thanks, Your Honor," I smiled sheepishly. I could feel myself blushing despite my efforts to keep calm.

"Now," the Judge coughed, clearing his throat. "This court finds the defendant, Mr. Larry Butz... NOT GUILTY."

The courtroom was filled with applause of my victory. Payne looked disheartened down at the bench in front of him, obviously annoyed with himself at his loss. Mia was smiling happily beside me. (I….I won… but, well, this doesn't feel right…. This wasn't my victory. I'm not Phoenix Wright, so I'm not a lawyer. I shouldn't be doing this…)

"And with that..." the Judge concluded, "The court is adjourned."

Back in the lobby, Mia was more than ecstatic. "That was brilliant! A little unusual and unexpected, but brilliant nonetheless! Congratulations!"

(Well, this is… more than I expected….) "Th-thanks. Really, I was nervous, so I don't think I did a very good job- "

Mia cut me off. "Nonsense! You looked perfectly calm and relaxed. You're more suited to this than I thought you'd be. You just need to…. watch what you say."

I sighed. "I guess." (Don't people ever understand that I HATE compliments!? I don't like people making me sound better than I am…. Or maybe it's just that I have a deep-seated hatred for myself……..Wait, where's Larry?) Looking around franticly, I spotted Larry in a corner staring, deject, at the floor. I walked over to him and put my hands on my hips, pouting. "Larry, what's wrong now?"

Larry looked up at me, biting his lip to keep himself from crying. "N-Nothing."

"Tell me," I demanded, glaring at him.

Staring at my expression Larry chuckled. "Same only Andy…" He sighed. "My life is over. My Cindy-windy is gone forever… I… I loved her…"

(Larry…. I understand how you feel…. But… *sigh* What do you know about me? Who am I? I wish I could ask you.)

I looked up when I heard Mia's footsteps on the floor, coming towards us. "Congratulations, Harry!" she said to Larry, smiling brightly.

Larry and I gave her an incredulous glance. (His name is Larry…. But from what I've read, she's bad with names….)

"I can practically see the headlines now:" she announced, gesturing with her hands ""Harry Butz, Innocent!""

Larry laughed sheepishly, blushing a little. "Heh... um... thanks! I really owe you one. I won't forget this, ever! Let's celebrate! Dinner? Movie? My treat!"

(Hey…..what about me? I was the only who did all the work! Don't I get some praise!?)

Mia shook her head politely, "Oh, no, I couldn't. Really."

Larry looked deject for a moment, but then his face lit up with inspiration and he began fishing through the pockets of his coat for something. "Oh, hey! H-here, take this! It's a present!"

"A present? For me?" she blinked, surprised as Larry placed whatever it was into her hands. She looked down, shocked. "Wait... Wasn't this the evidence that..."

I gasped aloud when I saw the Thinker in Mia's hand, and both Larry and Mia stared at me, wondering what I was so startled by. I laughed sheepishly and waved my hands in front of my in an 'ignore me and continue' gesture. (Can't look suspicious....)

"Actually, I made this clock for her!" Larry announced, his tone of voice full of pride. "I made one for her and one for me."

"R-really? You? You made this?" Mia looked at it thoughtfully for a moment. "... Well, thank you. I'll keep it as a memento."

Larry turned back to me, still looking a little sad. "I still can't believe Cindy dumped me, and she was seeing other guys… It's really too much for me. I just can't believe she would do something like that… that she would use me like that…"

"Are you so sure she did?" Mia asked, looking thoughtful.

Larry looked confused. "Ex-squeeze me?"

"I think she thought quite a lot of you, in her own way." Mia added, still smiling.

"Nah, you don't gotta sympathize with me," Larry mumbled, staring at the floor again, "'sokay."

"Oh, I'm not just sympathizing, really." Mia replied, shaking her head. "Isn't that right, Andrea? Don't you have something to show your friend? Something that proves how she felt about him?"

I blinked. "Larry, think about. That clock you made for her, she took it with her on her trip. Trust me, this thing is heavy. I've held it. If it was something store-bought, I know I wouldn't bring it with me on a trip."

Larry stared at me for a minute, mulling over what I said. Finally, he smiled. "Andy, that's so typical of you. Mean to everyone else, but nice to me. I'm glad I asked you to be my lawyer. Really, I am. Thanks."

"No problem Larry," I smiled back. Larry nodded and walked out, hands in his pockets in a gesture of ease.

Mia laughed and turned to me, serious, but still smiling. "I hope you see the importance of evidence now. Also, hopefully you realize, things change depending on how you look at them. People, too. We never really know if our clients are guilty or innocent. All we can do is believe in them. And in order to believe in them, you have to believe in yourself. Andrea... Listen. Learn. Grow strong. Never let go of what you believe in. Never."

I stared at Mia for a moment, absorbing everything she said. (Now I see it. I understand her now. Being a lawyer is a very complicated business. Now I know I'm not cut out for this… I've never trusted people…. but maybe…I can learn… This is much more effective in person.)

"Well" Mia nodded, hands on her hips with an air of victory, "I think our work here is done! Shall we be off?"

I nodded, stretching my stiff arms. "After that adrenaline rush of a trial, I could use a long vacation from this job…"

Mia laughed. "Say, how about dinner. On me? We'll drink a toast to innocent Butz!"

I stared at Mia for a moment. (I may be underage on the inside, but my adult body says I can agree to this, so here I go!) "Sure!"

"Oh, and I noticed that you know Harry," Mia muttered as we walked out, "I hope you can tell me some time…say…over drinks?"

I chuckled, "Alright." (Even though I don't know what I'd say.)

As we exited the building, I noticed a large crowd of press personnel hanging around outside. Before I could wonder what they were doing, hanging around the courthouse, the entire crowd rushed over to use, snapping pictures and asking me questions. The sudden attention scared me, but with a shrug, I smiled and struck a pose. Mia's sigh was barely audible from behind me over the chatter.

When I finally got back to my apartment, I dropped down on the bed, fully dressed and stared up at the ceiling wearily. I flicked my loafers off my feet with ease. They clattered to the floor a few feet away.

(Now I see why this apartment is a mess…. If it were left to me to clean my living space, it would stay a mess for an eternity.)

I closed my eyes in a desperate attempt to fall asleep, but with the adrenaline from the trial and the alcohol from my dinner with Mia, I couldn't get myself to rest. Growling in anger, I got up out of bed, had a shower, and wandered into my kitchen in my pajamas, looking for something to eat even though I wasn't hungry. I grabbed a can of Coke out of the fridge and settled down on my bed.

(There are still a lot of unanswered questions floating around. Why am I here? Who am I supposed to be to these people? I know from what Larry said that I'm a much different person than Phoenix Wright, but what changed. What can I expect from the past I'm supposed to have lived here? I guess I'll figure out in time…but there is one thing that's bothering me. What happened to Phoenix Wright? Where is he? Does he even exist?)

I glanced at the clock on my nightstand. 11:52 PM. I had to go to work in the morning, even if Mia seemed too drunk to walk when I had left her two hours ago. Placing the half-empty can down on the nightstand, I lay down on my back, staring at the ceiling again. Uncomfortable, I frowned and rolled onto my side. That's when I saw it.

In my mad dash in the morning, I had completely missed the guitar sitting in the corner. Gasping, I scrambled off the bed and over to it, staring. (I had a guitar at home, but a crappy acoustic one! This is electric! It's a…. Rickenbacker 620, and it's blue….. Wow… something like this would cost at least two thousand dollars, at least! How the hell did I get one of these?)

Carefully, I picked it up and sat down on the bed, feeling the weight in my hands. I adjusted my hold on it until I was sitting in a playing position. (If only I knew how to play it….. Well , there's not time like the present in which to learn) I grabbed a book off the floor beside it, which was full of playing instructions, and read, staring intently at each page. (It's going to be a long night)

In the dark of the office, the sound of the paper rustling against the desk resounded. The chair creaked as the occupant stood up, shuffling around in the dim glow of the streetlamps outside the large-paned windows. There was a grunt of disapproval and a ruffling of hair as the person turned back to the discarded newspaper.

"ROOKIE TRUMPS VETRAN IN COURTROOM COMPETITION" the article on the cover read. "Young female defense attorney Andrea Giusto, age 24, defeated long-standing prosecutor Winston Payne today in a show of intelligence and profanity. The rookie attorney won her first case defending Larry Butz, who had been charged with killing his girlfriend, Cindy Stone. Ms. Giusto defended Mr. Butz in a decidedly odd manner, but showed definite skill in her battle against the famed 'Rookie Killer'. The question remains whether this junior attorney will continue on her winning streak." The picture next to it was of Andrea, wide smile, fingers spread in a victory sign, Mia shaking her head in disbelief behind her.

"Andrea, huh?" the voice of the person in the office muttered. "Seems that we may meet again after all."