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One year, six months, and fifteen days. Each day was as dismal and neverending as the last.
Lana sighed, putting a stack of paperwork down onto her desk. The wooden table was littered with an endless amount of paper-- case files, investigation requests, and countless other important documents.
Perhaps if I just stay a little later and come in on Saturday, then I can get some of this out of the way… She knew it was impossible, though. Whenever one set of papers left her desk, twice as many would be waiting for her the next day.
Lana rubbed her bleary eyes and attempted to focus. She read the words on the document nearest to her… and then again, and again. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t make sense of them. She frowned, and stood up to get another cup of coffee. Maybe she would pull an all-nighter… once again. It seemed like she never got much sleep these days, stumbling through the miserable days in a sleep-deprived haze.
As she stood by the coffee maker, her cell phone began to ring. She glanced over at it, feeling a twinge of guilt. Lana had already texted Ema, telling her that she would be home late, as always, but she didn’t blame her little sister for calling her anyway. It wasn’t like they saw much of each other, anymore. I’m doing this for her, she told herself, trying (and failing) to feel better.
Lana picked up the phone and hit accept call, not bothering to read the caller ID.
“Hello?”
“Oh, hi, Lana!” The voice on the phone most definitely was not Ema, but familiar nevertheless.
“Mia,” she greeted, almost relieved to hear her lover’s voice. Almost.
“How was work today, dear?” Mia asked, and Lana grimaced.
“...Still working on a couple of odds and ends. I’ll be done in… half an hour, maybe?”
“Half an hour?! Lana, it’s nearly midnight!”
“Is it?” She checked the time-- quarter til midnight-- and then looked out the window. The pitch-black night greeted her. She couldn’t see many stars, but the crescent moon shone brightly. Is it really that late? “...I hadn’t noticed.”
“I know being the Chief Prosecutor is a demanding job, but surely things could wait for tomorrow?” Mia said, and Lana could hear her frown even through the phone.
The chief prosecutor furrowed her brow and slumped in her chair. “I’m sorry, Mia. I… I really need to get these finished.”
“That’s how it always is now, isn’t it?” Melancholy seeped into Mia’s voice, and directly into Lana’s heart. “I just… I don’t want you to overwork yourself, dear.”
A little too late for that now…
“I won’t. You don’t have to worry about me; I can handle things.”
“Alright, I trust you. You’re a strong and capable woman, Lana, and I hope you always know that. But if there’s anything I can do to help… or anything bothering you…” Mia trailed off.
“I- “ Lana remained silent for a moment, choking on all the words that she wanted to say. “Thank you.”
“You know, I was wondering… if you had a free day sometime soon or something… it feels like so long since I’ve seen you.” Then, after a pause, “But if you don’t, that's fine too. No pressure.”
“I’ll check my calendar,” Lana said, already knowing what it would show. All of her days, filled with meetings or paperwork or other mundane office work. And September would pass just like the many months before it, full of pain and loneliness, and the constant weight of guilt crushing the air out of her lungs.
What I would give to see Mia again… maybe I can find a day somewhere, or a few hours, or something, anything…
“I should probably let you get back to your work, huh?”
“How have things been?” Lana queried, realizing she had forgotten to ask earlier.
“Well, it’s been pretty busy around here too, I guess! Phoenix-- you remember him, don’t you? The new attorney-- had his first trial a month ago. Did I ever get to tell you about that?”
“I don’t think you’ve told me yet, no.”
“He did pretty well, for his first trial. Won the case. He still needs some more experience, but I think he’ll make a fine lawyer.”
“That’s good to hear. How have your cases been going?” It wasn’t as if she didn’t know which cases Mia was on; most of the cases ended up reaching her at some point. She just liked to hear her girlfriend’s voice. She loved how passionate Mia was about her work. If only Lana could enjoy her work…
“Well, I’ve had a couple, and they weren’t too bad. I’ve…” Mia hesitated. “...been working on a project on my own for a while, so I’ve taken less trials than usual. I can’t really say anything about it, unfortunately.”
“Not even to me?” Lana teased.
“Especially not to you, Miss Chief Prosecutor,” the defense lawyer responded. The words themselves were playful, but underneath them, Mia’s voice was firm, and a little… worried? Maybe Lana’s tired brain was imagining things, but she couldn’t help feeling a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. More than usual, anyway.
“Mia?”
“Yes, Lana?”
“...I love you. Stay safe, alright?”
“I love you too, Lana. You stay safe too, and get some rest. I’ll see you soon?”
Probably not. “I hope so. Take care.”
“You as well. Goodnight.”
“Night.”
Call ended. Lana stood up, holding on to her desk for support, and started getting her stuff together to leave. Her heart ached, as it did many nights.
Mia… There was never enough time in the day to see her, no matter how much Lana got done. Only enough time for a phone call or two, every once in a while. It wasn’t enough. Not at all.
One day… one day this nightmare will be over. That’s what she told herself in secret, the one thing that kept her going. One day, she would be free, and she would see Mia all the time. Maybe they’d live together, and Mia and Ema would be good friends, and Lana could spend time with Ema without feeling horrible, and they’d be a family. It would be a life full of warmth and happiness and love, so, so different from the dreary existence she was currently struggling in. Lana would live again, and Mia would be right there beside her. Her life would finally belong to herself, and no one else.
Of course, it would probably never happen. She was fated to a life of deceit and misery, and only a miracle could possibly change that.
------
One year, six months, and twenty-one days.
She never received a proper notice. Just another file for some recent case, carelessly tossed onto her desk.
She started skimming through it. Some murder case, a rather typical affair. But one line caught Lana’s eye.
Defense attorney(s): Wright, Phoenix.
One of his cases, huh? His second one ever, and it’s another murder trial? Intrigued, Lana took a closer look at the file. The next line punched the air out of her lungs.
Defendant(s): Fey, Maya; Wright, Phoenix.
She gasped. Maya! Lana had only met her a handful of times, but she would do (almost) anything for the young spirit medium. She reminds me a lot of Ema… Oh, I hope she’s…!
She frantically flipped the page. Please… please let her be safe…
Verdict: Not Guilty.
But even as Lana let out a sigh of relief, new terror gripped her.
Why didn’t Mia tell me about this?
Why didn’t Mia defend Maya herself?
Her hands shook, ever so slightly, as she picked up her cell phone and dialed the number she knew by heart.
Ring…
Ring……
Ring……….
“Hello, you’ve reached the Fey and Co. Law Offices. I’m not available right now; please leave a message or call me back later. Thanks!”
The sound of Mia’s pre-recorded voice made Lana uneasy. Maybe… maybe she’s just working on that ‘project’ of hers. Or she could’ve been helping Phoenix in the trial… she did say he needed more experience…
Lana absently flipped to the previous page as she began her message for the answering machine. “Hey, Mia, it’s me-- Lana-- and I was… um……………….”
The phone fell to the floor.
Victim(s):
It couldn’t be true, could it? Could it?
The crime scene photo confirmed it, showed her more than she cared to know, didn’t show her anything at all.
Fey,
no no no no no……………..
Mia.
Lana put her head in her hands, tears welling up in her normally-stoic eyes. Despair filled her entire body. It was all over, wasn’t it? Everything was over, and nothing would ever be the same again, and Mia….
“Oh… Mia…” Lana sobbed. I should’ve been there for you! I could’ve-- should’ve-- prevented this. There’s still so much I want to say to you…
We never even got to see each other, one last time… Mia…
No response, and there never would be, now.
------
Two years and three days. Not that it particularly mattered anymore. Lana’s day of reckoning had finally come.
All things considered, it felt more than deserved. The jail cell could’ve been worse; it was a bit chilly for her liking, sure, but at least it was quiet.
And here she sat, being framed for a crime she only partially committed. She glanced at her bandaged hand. It still shook slightly, despite her attempts to calm it. I really stabbed him… I’m sorry, Goodman.
With the way that things had been going for the past two years (and three days), surely she’d join him soon enough. After all, everyone knew what happened to murderers. The price for taking someone’s life: your own. It had seemed fair in the past, but for a fleeting moment Lana wondered if perhaps it wasn’t the right answer.
Maybe I’ll see Mia soon. She took comfort in the thought. Does-- did-- Mia believe in an afterlife? The haze surrounding her memories made it difficult to recall. Something about… spirits? Yes, that’s it… spirit channeling. So there must be somewhere that all the spirits go. I’ll see her there. They’ll execute me, but we’ll be together again.
Resigned to her fate, Lana-
“Sorry to interrupt you, Miss Skye, but there’s someone here to see you.”
She turned to the guard. “I don’t want visitors.”
“But, ma’am, she said she’s your sister-”
Ema. Her resolve broke, and she followed the guard to the visitor’s room.
Ema sat on the other side of the wall, hunched up, staring at the floor. When she looked up at Lana, her eyes were red.
Seeing her look so small and sad shattered Lana’s heart. I can’t just leave her, she realized. She’ll be all alone… and I’ve been doing this for her. Haven’t I?
But even so, if it had to be one of them on the gallows… If I don’t take the blame for this, the truth about the SL-9 incident will come out. She- she’ll forgive me eventually, won’t she?
“Lana.” Ema spoke, breaking the gloomy silence. Lana met her eyes.
“Please- please…” Ema’s voice wavered. “Please let me help you, Lana.” Her gaze was so earnest, so full of love. “You’re… all I have left…”
“I… really don’t know what you could do-” And then, Lana remembered. Her one, last hope.
“Go to this address,” she said. Ema listened intently, and nodded once she had it memorized.
“Ask for Mia Fey,” Lana continued. “She will know what to do. Got it?”
“Alright, Sis.” Ema stood up. “I won’t let you down!”
Mr. Wright… I hope Mia was right about you.
------
Two years and six days. She had survived it, and it was over, and she was safe. Ema was safe.
Seven hundred and thirty-six days after the incident, and here she stood, finally free.
Maybe ‘free’ was a strong word for it, seeing as she still stood in her jail cell, and likely would for years, but Lana didn’t care. Being able to smile again, and seeing Ema happy- she wouldn’t trade it for the world. Lana hoped that Ema would appreciate her plan for her; the prosecutor knew some people in Europe who would be more than willing to take care of her younger sister while she couldn’t, and Ema would get to study forensics like she wanted. One day, the two sisters would be reunited again, but they had a while to wait.
I wish you could see this, Mia. I wish you could be here with us. But I hope you’re happy too, wherever you are. It seems it’ll be a while before I see you again. Now, though, I realize that you would want me to live, for Ema-- and for myself.
“You have a visitor, Miss Skye,” the guard said. The chains on her handcuffs clinked as she made her way over to the glass, wondering who would be visiting now.
The miracle-maker himself, Mr. Phoenix Wright, apparently. He looked at her with a kind yet serious expression on his face.
“Lana, sorry again that I couldn’t completely get you out of trouble-”
“Mr. Wright-- no, Phoenix,” Lana interrupted. “You have nothing to apologize for. This is better than anyone else would’ve dared to dream of. You did marvelously.”
“Oh….” The lawyer’s face flushed slightly. “Thank you. Um, actually, I came here to ask… if maybe you’d want me to defend me in your upcoming trial? They haven’t given a date for it yet-- since, you know, today’s trial only ended a few hours ago-- but I happened to be thinking about it.”
Lana grinned. “Of course; it would be an honor.”
“Great!” Phoenix said, eyes sparkling. “The charges are… well, they won’t look good, but I think that if we can prove again that you were coerced, they should lighten your sentence considerably.”
“How long do you think it’ll be?”
“Your sentence?” He frowned. “Probably ten years, at best? I wouldn’t get my hopes up too much.”
“I’ll take it.”
They sat in quiet for a moment as Phoenix stared at the wall absentmindedly.
“Is something on your mind, Mr. Wright?”
He nodded. “Yeah, sorry, I was thinking. You know, earlier you said that I reminded you of Mia- but I see a lot of her in you, too.”
“Well, Mia was a better woman than I’ve ever been.” Lana’s voice contained no bitterness, just a calm conviction.
“I think you’re selling yourself short,” Phoenix rebutted. “Mia… she talked a lot about you. I know she was very-- what was the phrase that your sister used?-- ah, ‘intellectually attracted’ to you.” They both laughed, and he continued,
“Mia cared so genuinely about you. Almost any time she mentioned your name, she lit up like the sun. She saw you as one of the best people in the world, if not the very best. And I see why.”
“... Thank you. I really appreciate it.”
Phoenix stood up. “Well, that’s all I had to say, really. I suppose I should get going.”
“Wait just a minute, Phoenix. May I ask you a question?”
“Sure, go for it.”
“What do you think happens to people after they die?”
Phoenix tapped his finger against his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I’ve seen Maya channel spirits, so there has to be something there. But also… well, this is a little cheesy, maybe….” He scratched the back of his neck. “I think that perhaps people also live on in their loved ones, if that makes sense? In their actions, and their words, and their character. What about you?”
For just an instant, Lana would’ve sworn that she saw a flicker near Phoenix, the swish of a ghostly scarf next to him. Just as soon as it had arrived, it blinked out of existence. But she knew.
“I agree completely.” A pause. “On an unrelated note, you’ll be here when I get out of jail, right?”
“Absolutely!” The lawyer declared with vigor. “I’ll make sure everyone’s here. Ema, and Maya, and Gumshoe- hell, I’ll get Edgeworth to show up!
He left, but Lana had just one more question.
“You’ll be here too, won’t you?”
The glint of a transparent lawyer’s badge and a translucent smile were all she needed to see.