CHAPTER 4

Miles had made it a point to wake up early to carry Franziska back to her bedroom before anyone else woke up. He laid her down softly in bed, and started out the door when he found her riding crop on the floor and decided to lay it beside her; as he did this, the young girl, still sleeping, grabbed on to the riding crop and pulled it close to her side.

He made his way back i nto his room and laid down in his bed. He was unable to go to sleep, so he just closed his eyes and rested. He did not mind this; he avoided sleep as much as possible. Ever since that day 5 years ago, every dream he had was a nightmare; one that involved a demonic scream, an earthquake in an elevator, and a 10 year old version of himself throwing a gun that ultimately fired, killing his father.

He lay like this until 7 a.m, when it was time for him to wake up for breakfast and school; Mr. von Karma only taught one day a week, leaving that strange fat man to give them their work the other 6 days of the week. Some of it was regular schoolwork that both he and Franziska breezed through, but most of it was work Mr. von Karma left behind that pertained to law and prosecution. After they were both finished with their daily routine, Miles escaped into his room to read a book the butler, Alfred, had checked out for him at the public library.

His fingertips trembled with excitement as he picked up a book about a boy and his two hunting dogs entitled Where the Red Fern Grows. He opened to the place in the book marked by a picture of a young version of himself and his father on a fishing trip together; he glanced at the picture for a moment, but feelings of grief swept over him, so he quickly immersed himself within the pages of the book. After he read for about 30 minutes or so, a knock came at his door. He knew this wasn't Franziska, as she never knocked, so it must've been Alfred with some tea or a new book.

Miles granted entrance into his room, and the family butler came in, closing the door behind him in case Mr. von Karma was to come down the hall. "Hello, Master Edgeworth." Miles placed his finger on the sentence of the page he was on and looked up. "Hello, Alfred. How may I help you?" The old man pulled what appeared to be a thin, orange book from behind his back. "This is what you youngsters call a 'comic book' I believe. My grandson really enjoys these, so I thought you might enjoy it as well, Master Edgeworth." He handed the book over to Miles, he looked the bright yellow letters on the neon orange cover, and the shiny, silver, sword-and-spear wielding man depicted on said cover. He read the title to himself; The Steel Samurai. He didn't want to turn down Alfred's thoughful gift, although he found it to seem a bit silly at the time. "Thank you, Alfred. Anything else?" Alfred thought to himself for a second. "Mmm...no, nothing I can think of, Master Edgeworth." A smirk shot over Miles' face. "Then I suggest you leave, Alfred. You know Franziska comes up here everyday, and it's getting to be the time she comes up." A look of fear and shock came over the old man's face; "A-ah, yes, I, erghh, have business to take care of, if you'll excuse me, Master Edgeworth. Y-you know, dishes to clean, dogs to feed..." His voice trailed off down the hall as Miles was amused by the grown man's lack of ability to conceal his fear of a 7 year old girl.

Upon this, he placed his picture into his new spot in his book and promptly closed it. He had an idea for his and Franziska's encounter that day that broke off from their usual routine. He began searching through his book-laden end table drawer for book he thought she'd enjoy. He pulled out a dusty old book with yellow pages and a torn cover. SMACK! "Miles Edgeworth! I've been standing here for 5 minutes and you have yet to extend a greeting to me. What is the meaning of this?" Edgeworth felt a ton of fury in Franziska's riding crop as he rubbed the back of his neck where her crop had made contact. "Hello, Franziska. I was just finding a book for us to read together." He extended the book for her to see. "You can't possibly want to hear the same stories you've been hearing for the past 2 years now, can you?"

She handed the book back to him, and he read the cover to himself as he swept some of the dust off of the old book. The Call of the Wild. Franziska hugged herself tight; "I...um..." Miles made room for her on the bed beside him. "I first read this book when I was a little older than you; I think you'll enjoy it, Franziska." She laid down beside him and he put his arm around her in a brotherly fashion and reached to hold the book with both hands; as he did this, he felt her tense up. He turned to the first page and began reading: "Chapter One..."

After an hour or so (Miles had intended to read her a chapter a day, but after he finished the first one, she pleaded for him to read her another) he had finished reading to her, and Franziska got up and left the room, visibly less angry than she normally was. Miles felt a sense of pride after seeing this, as he had made a positive impact on the young girl he came to see as his little sister's day. He then got out of his bed himself with his journal to make his way to the kitchen for a cup of tea to accompany him on his daily retreat into the backyard.

After he had picked up his cup of tea, he exited through the backdoor and took a seat in the chair he always chose to sit at; he placed his cup of tea on the small table beside him and opened his journal. As he was writing the date, he smelled cigar smoke, followed by the sound of a cane hitting the concrete of a back porch. He looked up to see his mentor, Manfred von Karma, standing beside him with a cigar in his mouth, looking into the vast backyard with a case file held between his arm and his side. Miles extended a greeting; "Good afternoon, sir." The legendary prosecutor didn't seem to notice him until he spoke up. He sucked on his cigar, causing the cherry on the end to light up, and turned to Miles, blowing the disgusting aroma of cigar smoke into his face. "Be gone boy, I need no disturbances as I look over my notes for a case." He motioned towards the door to the house with the cigar between his two fingers. Miles got up, and when he was to where Manfred couldn't hear him, let out a sigh of dissappointment. He saw Franziska standing at her doorway, giving him a look of pity as he made his way back to his room. He heard his father saying "A defense attorney never shows his weaknesses to others and smiles until the very end." He gave the young blue haired girl a smile and said, "Hey, Franziska." as he walked past her to his room.