//June 23, 2028. Defendant Lobby No. 3, 9:34 AM//
"It's been a while since I've been in court," Ms. Shield commented. "Lucky duck Niamh has been in here a lot against that cool prosecutor."
Yuri elbowed me gently. "She means Vito," she whispered, shooting me the kind of grin that usually scares people. You know, the one where the person is smirking, as if they're going to mess with your personal life. Ms. Starr makes that expression quite frequently, truthfully.
"I know," I told her, trying not to blush. I looked down to avoid a certain glasses-wearing teen seeing my red face.
"Ooooooh! Do I sense a little bit of romance brewing?" Ms. Starr smirked. Of course she had to notice. She and Yuri began giggling, mischievous grins plastered on their faces.
Thankfully, Ms. Shield seemed to notice my unease. "Chrysalis, we should get ready to go on in. It's been a while since either of us have been in court behind the defense bench."
"A while... yeah...." I shot Ms. Starr a suspicious glance. I could hear nervous discord behind her voice. She looked away wordlessly, avoiding all eye contact.
"Believable," Mr. Morix muttered. I forgot that he was there due to his silence. I wonder what this remark was about....
"So, uh...."
A man walked up to us. Judging by the circumstances, I'd say he was Ms. Shield's client. I think his name was Sean Sparrow. I had overheard Ms. Shield and Ms. Starr talking about the case last night.
"So, you ready for the trial?" Ms. Starr asked, eager to change the topic. Relief overcame her when she was no longer speaking about the whole 'long time in court' thing.
"As ready as I'll every be," Mr. Sparrow shrugged. The fear behind his voice was overwhelming. I myself have never been in the defendant's chair, but I imagine it would be scary. For your fate to be in the hands of others like that...I hope I never have to experience that.
"We'll get you a not guilty verdict!" Ms. Shield exclaimed."Promise!"
"Hey, do you know who the witness is?" Ms. Starr questioned.
"I completely forgot about looking for witnesses yesterday! I got too excited with our big discovery yesterday to remember!" Ms. Shield gasped.
"Witnesses almost put a nail in your coffin," Mr. Morix whispered. I couldn't tell who he was talking about. But why would he be saying things like that? Maybe it had something to do with his comment earlier....
Ms. Starr seemed slightly distressed by this statement. She tugged at her sleeve nervously. "Whether we know who the witness is or not, I hope that we can shoot down this testimony."
"It can't be too hard, right?" Ms. Shield asked. "Right!?" The lack of preparation seemed to have stressed her out.
Mr. Sparrow looked stressed as well. "Right...?" he whispered.
"Enough with what's Wright or what's wrong!" Yuri exclaimed. She nudged Ms. Shield with a grin. "Do ya get it?"
Ms. Shield laughed quietly. "That's a great pun, Yuri."
"What is this about puns?!" Ms. Starr shouted, a grin breaking out onto her face. She paused for a second before hitting Yuri with the back of her hand playfully. "Okay. I get it."
"A professional lawyer would get ready to go into court by going over evidence," I muttered, shaking my head. "And then there's us, who spends their time joking about puns that nobody understands."
"Lighten up, Niamh!" Ms. Shield grinned.
"I'm light," Yuri commented. "Quite literally."
"Defense! Defendant! Into the courtroom!" a bailiff shouted.
"Some bailiffs are rather unprofessional," I whispered, shaking my head.
"Like some lawyers and their assistants," Mr. Morix said quietly. Surprisingly, I could hear nothing but excessive anger coming from his voice. After all of this odd discord, I'm wondering if something happened between Mr. Morix and Ms. Starr....
I began walking for the courtroom, Yuri by my side. Mr. Morix was close behind. "Good luck!" Yuri exclaimed merrily.
But even as I was walking away, I could hear Ms. Shield and Ms. Starr talking. "What's up with your brother?" Ms. Shield asked.
"I...I don't want to talk about it," Ms. Starr answered.
Ms. Shield gasped. "Psyche-Locks," she whispered. Maybe my suspicions were correct....
//June 23, 2028. Courtroom No. 3, 10:00//
"Court is now in session for the trial of Sean Sparrow," the judge announced.
"My Shield of justice is ready to protect, My Lord!" Ms. Shield exclaimed.
"See, Niamh? That's a pun," Yuri whispered.
"I know what a pun is," I told her.
"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," Prosecutor Moody announced.
The judge nodded. "Very well, then. Prosecutor Moody, your opening statement, if you please."
Prosecutor Moody nodded. "Alright. The crime took place two days ago at the local zoo. One of the tour guides, one by the name of Raven Crow, was shot in the neck with an arrow and died instantly. The bow that the arrow was shot from was found in the nearby bushes, bearing the defendant's fingerprints. Plus, the defendant's alibi is flimsy and cannot be proven by any witnesses. With all of this decisive evidence, the prosecution has intentions on proving the defendant, Sean Sparrow, guilty of the murder of Raven Crow!"
The people in the court began chattering. I rolled my eyes. Trials would be done in half the time if some people would just save their gossip for after the trial when the fate of a person is not being decided.
"Order in the court!" the judge shouted, slamming his gavel down. "Now is not the time for needless chatter!"
Somebody understands!
"I'll stick by my plea of not guilty, thank you very much," Ms. Shield told Prosecutor Moody.
"Whether you change your plea or not, allow me to call my first witness, Your Honor," Prosecutor Moody said.
The judge nodded. "Very well then. Call your witness to the stand."
Prosecutor Moody nodded. "I wish to call the detective heading this case, Detective Abbie Mills, to the stand!"
Detective Mills walked up to the stand. "Witness, name and occupation," Prosecutor Moody demanded.
"Abbie Mills, detective," Detective Mills answered.
"Witness, please testify about the details of the case," Prosecutor Moody instructed.
Detective Mills nodded. "Alright."
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Alright. I managed to post today with updating TITDW. And babysitting. Itotallydonotmissbeingaloneatthehousewhat.
OkayItotallymissbeingaloneatthehouseyoureright.
Well, I have to go sleep now, so peaces out from me!
-Dij
YOU ARE READING
Ace Attorney: Secrets Beneath Secrets
Fanfiction"I can't tell you that." Those are words Lily Shield has been hearing a lot, especially from her closest friends. Too many secrets seem to be floating around her existence as well as those around her. But that's to be expected when she's trying to c...
