"Are there any objections?" the judge said.

The courtroom was quiet. Partially because everyone was focused on the silent battle raging between the defense attorney and the witness.

"Alright then, witness?" the judge said.

"Yes, Mr. Judge," Iris said.

"Wait, isn't anyone going to help Wright?" Larry said.

"I'm sure Phoenix will be fine," Mia said. "Honestly, I can't believe he passed out this time too."

"Oh yeah, Maya told me about that," Dahlia said. "Even Edgeworth lost consciousness."

"Indeed," Mia said.

Testimony

I'm afraid I have no idea what my mother was thinking.

This is my first time being channeled. And I certainly never killed Mia Fey.

My mother probably just thought I was going to go along with it.

But no one ever channeled me anyway, so it doesn't really matter.

"Alright, time to press her like there's no tomorrow," Dahlia said.

"You seem to know what you're doing," Mia said.

"I guess," Dahlia said. "I just need to examine all the evidence carefully. I'm still really glad you're here though."

"Oh, why, thank you," Mia said.

Dahlia smiled at her cousin. "Seriously, I wanted to thank you for everything earlier."

"No, you don't have to," Mia said, smiling back.

Dahlia glanced at Phoenix on the ground, then back at Mia.

"Um, is there something you…" Mia said.

"She wants to draw on his face," Larry said.

"What? Don't do that," Mia said.

"Aw man," Dahlia said.

"You are… full of surprises," Mia said.

"Yeah, but is it really that surprising anymore?" Dahlia said.

Cross-Examination

I'm afraid I have no idea what my mother was thinking.

"Hold it!" Dahlia said. "Who does know what she's thinking?"

"Her, I'd hope," Iris said.

"Exactly, so she must have thought a plan like this through," Dahlia said.

"Well maybe she did, but she never told me about it," Iris said.

This is my first time being channeled. And I certainly never killed Mia Fey.

"Objection!" Dahlia said. "You were channeled before Iris, and I can prove it!"

"No you can't," Iris said.

"Oh yes I can!" Dahlia said. "In fact, I know you were channeled and I know who channeled you."

"Prove it," Iris said.

"First, there's the tape from the department store," Dahlia said. "In addition to several witness supporting this, the tape captures your face walking around buying the knife and flower found at the scene."

"It's your face too!" Iris said.

"Yes, but that's you," Dahlia said. "You were the one that went to the salon, the flower shop, and the cutlery store!"

"You can't prove that," Iris said.

"Take that!" Dahlia said. She held up a plastic evidence bag.

"Is there anything even in that bag?" Iris said, peering through the plastic.

"Yes!" Dahlia said. "It's a lock of Mia's hair."

"What about it?" Iris said.

"Well, first let's review your movements," Dahlia said. "You went and bought a knife and a black dahlia, both of which were found at the crime scene. But before doing that, you went to the salon and got your hair dyed red like mine."

"So I would look like you, right?" Iris said. "What does Mia Fey's hair have anything to do with that?"

"Mia was the one to channel you," Dahlia said. "It was her brunette hair that you had dyed scarlet red."

"What?" Iris said. "Was her hair red when she was found?"

"No, actually it wasn't," Dahlia said. "Obviously, you washed it out. It was temporary dye after all. But there's just one thing."

"Spit it out already!" Iris said.

"I looked at this hair closer, and I realized something," Dahlia said. "Some of the strands were red."

Iris gasped.

"That's right!" Dahlia said. "They turned red when you had them dyed!"

"No!" Iris said.

"Just admit it," Dahlia said. "You were channeled that day. By none other than Mia Fey!"

"And if I was?" Iris said. "That doesn't mean I killed her!"

"Actually, it explains even more," Dahlia said. "The knife that took Mia's life had an unusual trait."

"The fingerprints," Larry said. "Or rather, their positions."

"Exactly," Dahlia said. "The way they were positioned, the knife would be pointed towards the holder. Mia was the one to get stabbed, but if she was channeling Iris…"

"But, they were your fingerprints," Larry said.

"Yeah, I know," Dahlia said. "But I was thinking about this last night. The prints were a little smudged, weren't they?"

"Yes," Larry said.

"Well, twins can have very similar fingerprints," Dahlia said. "Are you sure mine weren't just the closest match?"

"What?" Larry said, caught off guard.

"Now, I don't know what my sister's fingerprints look like," Dahlia said. "But it's possible they at least resemble mine, right?"

"Interesting theory," Larry said. "However, I've been thinking about this too. Couldn't someone have just come from behind and stabbed the victim?"

Dahlia thought about it for a moment. She face palmed. Oh, duh.

"Surely you're not trumped that easily?" Mia said.

"Well, he's got a point," Dahlia said.

"Dahlia," Mia said. "Would you want to kill me?"

"Of course not," Dahlia said. "But I could have, right?"

Mia chuckled softly. "I can assure you, you weren't the one to kill me."

"Why is that funny?" Dahlia said.

"I suppose it's not funny," Mia said. "But it is impossible."

"It is, huh?" Dahlia felt the red flower in her pocket. She took a deep breath. "Of course, you're right."

"But then, evidence is everything," Mia said.

Dahlia poked through the court record, searching for the answer she needed. She came across the photo of Mia, limp against the wall. Grimacing, she glanced at her cousin.

"Probably not the photo you wanted to see," Dahlia said.

"Not the best picture of me, but don't worry about it," Mia said.

Dahlia looked at the photo again, and something clicked inside.

"I got it!" Dahlia said. "Larry, you're wrong!"

"Heard that before," Larry said.

"Look at this photo!" Dahlia said. "This is how Mia was found. Notice how she has her back against the wall?"

It was Larry's turn to face palm.

"No one could've gotten behind her!" Dahlia said. "Iris is the only one who could've done it!"

"No!" Iris said. "You're wrong! Where did you even get the idea about Mia Fey channeling me anyway? Based on that stupid letter, our crazy mother wanted her youngest daughter to summon me!"

Dahlia was stunned. "Iris…"

"What?" Iris said heatedly.

Dahlia blinked, too surprised. What could this mean?

"No one read that letter out loud," Mia said.

The spirit instantly cooled down. "Oh, er, I figured it out."

"You say that like it's a question, Iris," Mia said.

"Iris… how?" Dahlia said, finding her voice.

"Why are you so surprised?" Iris said.

"How do you know about Pearl?" Dahlia said.

"Your little sister?" Larry said. "Well she's the witness' sister too, isn't she?"

"Yeah, but Iris doesn't know that," Dahlia said.

"Eh?" Iris said, the corners of her mouth twitching.

"No one every told Iris when Pearl was born," Dahlia said. "She had already left the village, and no one stayed in touch with the Hawthornes."

"Um…" Iris said.

Voices from the gallery boomed throughout the courtroom.

"What is going on?"

"First spirit channeling, now this? What kind of trial is this?"

"Who is that witness?"

"Order! Order!" the judge said, banging his gavel.

"How is any of this even possible?"

"What's wrong with these people?"

"I said order!" the judge said.

It was no use, the gallery was too excited. Dahlia could barely hear the judge give up and call a recess until the crowd died down.

Dahlia stood in the defendant's lobby with Mia and Phoenix, who had finally awoken.

"This is nuts," Dahlia said. "Even for me."

"Yeah, I'm a little lost here," Phoenix said. "So Iris never found out about Pearls?"

"No. I actually tried to call her, but she wouldn't pick up," Dahlia said. "And the weird thing is, I could have sworn she acted like she didn't know earlier."

"You're right, she didn't seem to know who Pearls was," Phoenix said.

"It was almost like she let it slip," Dahlia said.

"Things certainly heat up when you mesh worlds together," Mia said.

"What?" Phoenix said.

"She's referring to the spirit world," Dahlia said. "I don't know too much about it myself, but every Fey knows spirit channeling is traveling between the living world and the spirit world. That's why they're called spirit mediums; they're the medium ground between life and afterlife."

"Really? That's where the name comes from?" Phoenix said.

"That's what I always assumed," Dahlia said. "I don't know that much about the subject, because I'm not connected to the spirit world like other Feys. Same with Iris."

"But you still wear that Magatama," Mia said.

"Well yeah, I have enough power to use this," Dahlia said. "Come on, Mia, you know that."

"Yes, of course I do," Mia said.

"Are you sure you're okay? You've been acting a little off," Dahlia said. "Rough channeling for something?"

"No, it went smoothly," Mia said. "Your little sister truly is a prodigy spirit medium."

"She really is," Dahlia said. "I swear; she could travel between worlds before she could walk across the carpet."

"Her powers were unlocked quite early," Mia said. "I couldn't channel spirits until I was 17. Same with Maya, I suppose."

"Yeah, that is about when Fey girls usually get their full potential unlocked," Dahlia said.

"I don't suppose anything happened to you at age 17?" Mia said.

"Well, when I was 17 Pearly was born," Dahlia said.

"Hmm…" Mia said.

"You know, you are acting a little strange," Phoenix said.

"I really am fine, Phoenix," Mia said, her mind obviously somewhere else. "Hey Phoenix, where is Maya?"

"That was her channeling Iris," Phoenix said.

"Of course it was," Mia said. "My, that's a troublesome spirit. Just when I thought we had taken care of her, Phoenix…"

"What are you talking about?" Phoenix said.

"Hmm? Oh, uh, nothing," Mia said.

Dahlia felt something tug at her mind, but she just couldn't put it all together. She seems to be really comfortable with Nick. And she's asking some really weird questions. Did anything else happen when I was 17?

The defense attorney observed Mia. She seems to know who we all are, but…

"Mia?" Dahlia said.

"Yes?" Mia said.

"What's my name?" Dahlia said.

"That's an odd question," Mia said. "It's Dahlia Hawthorne."

Dahlia reeled back, feeling like she had rammed her head into a brick wall. Only it was deeper than that. She felt something rush through her mind, dulling her senses. It was a familiar sensation, and she didn't resist. Soon her eyes lost sight of what was in front of her, allowing her to see something that wasn't.

"No!" she screamed.

"You just can't win, can you?" Mia said, glowering at her.

"What?" she said, on the verge of a meltdown.

"She's right," Phoenix said. "Terry Fawles died, you lost the diamond, I'm still alive, and you were given the death sentence. And now you've been caught red-handed. Everything you've down has failed!"

"No!" she shrieked.

"You will never win," Mia said. "Even in death, I will make sure of that. You will have to go on, and accept that you always lose!"

She was silent, her face shrouded in darkness.

"Now leave Maya Fey this instant!" Phoenix said.

"No!" she said defiantly.

"You cannot stay, Dahlia Hawthorne," Mia said.

She gritted her teeth, shaking with rage and hate. "Mia… Fey… Mia… Fey… Mia… FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!"

She felt herself being pulled away as she screamed the name she despised most. It was a slow transcendence, and she fought every moment of it. It hurt, but she didn't care. She wasn't finished.

"NNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she felt her soul being ripped out, and she released all the malevolence in her cruel, black heart.

"No… I'm not ready yet," she said. The devil's flame that illuminated her eyes was focused on the hardened, determined woman behind the defense bench. "I'M NOT FINISHED!"

Dahlia gasped, and her vision returned. The first thing she saw was Mia Fey.

"Mia…" Dahlia breathed.

The spirit woman nodded her head.

Revelation after revelation flooded into her mind. "So then…"

Again, Mia nodded. "She's not finished yet."