95 Muted Voices

A/N: Just wanted to say that I sincerely hope the scene at the party with Franziska and her random tryst in the previous chapter didn’t make anybody uncomfortable in reading it. As I’ve said before, occasional steam scenes (and angst!) aside, Turnabout Everlasting is intended to be a romantic love story, where my readers have seen my characters physically express that love. In the case of how on a couple of different occasions, more mindless hookups “fling” style, like Lana and Miles, and the most recent, Franziska and a filthy random pig, my intent was merely to show how different “casual” joining can be compared to the tender passionate union between my characters when they are in a loving relationship. In this case, I also wanted to show how the ramifications of sex, when with the wrong person, rather than be an expression of love, can be a weapon that can make someone feel very
vulnerable and deeply affect them emotionally for some time after! On a lighter note, slight spoilers for Layton games. Also, this chapter goes out to Milady Fair, my fave UK gal, Chloemcg! I hope to have done your wonderful country accurate justice with my descriptions!

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“The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the mysteries. There are no secrets time does not reveal.”
~Saint Jerome~

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Wright Talent Agency
May 3, 2025, 8:00 AM

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Beep!

“You’ve reached Phoenix Wright, Vice-President of the Wright Talent Agency! He’s the pianist you’ve been searching for! Please leave a message and he will call you back quicker than you can say Abracadabra!”

“…..Hey there, pal, it’s me Gumshoe.  Huh, I thought I’d be able to catch you since you don’t work at the bar until evening…anyway, I hope everything is good since I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for a few weeks now and it’s like you’ve fallen off the face of the earth again!… I’m having some crazy déjà vu flashbacks from six years ago!  I hope you and Trucy are OK…you do know you can always come to us if you need anything, don’t you? … I can’t seem to reach you on your cell phone or via email, so that’s why I thought I’d try calling your office. Also, I can’t get a hold of Maya on her cell either! Whenever I call it now, the voicemail says ‘the cellular customer you are trying to call is currently out of the service area or unavailable.’ Should I be worried? Anyway, pal, I know I’m rambling …The thing is, I got a call from Kay with some news about Mr. Edgeworth and Sir that I wanted to let you know about, and it’s pretty important, so please give me a call whenever you get this. I guess that’s it for now…. Oh, right! Sorry honey, I almost forgot! Oops! The wife just reminded me of just one more thing… I wanted to let you know that in July, Maggey’s sister is throwing her a baby shower, as she is due with little Jeff in September. Just wondering if Trucy would want to come. Gordy asks about her all the time…it’s been ages since we’ve seen you guys. Maggey and I miss you! Call me.”

Click.

Fey Manor
May 3, 2025, 8:06 AM

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Beep!

“Greetings and Mystic Ami’s blessings be with you! You have reached the personal and confidential voicemail of Maya Fey, Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique. Please leave a message detailing your request, and I will be happy to discuss how I can help reacquaint you with your dearly departed. In the meantime, keep your spirits up and see you on the other side!”

“…Hiya pal, it’s Gumshoe. I just left a long message on your other half’s voicemail… Hmmm… Do I need to whip out the tracking device, since I can’t reach either of you? Did you two crazy kids run off somewhere and elope without telling us? I mean, you’re not around and … Phoenix isn’t either…As they say … The plot thickens! Heh heh! Listen, Maya, I know when we last emailed with regards to Maggey’s baby shower, you said Little Missy would be attending … we’d love to have you too but do understand your Master duties may keep you from joining us and that you can’t commit to any dates yet.  However, as I can’t get a hold of Phoenix, I’m not sure whether Trucy will be there, and if that would affect your ability to come. Or has that all been sorted out since we saw you guys at Christmas? So, uh, I also kind of have some news about Mr. Edgeworth and Sir… and it’s nothing I want to leave in a voicemail. Give me a call whenever you get this since I can’t get you on your cell phone. I hope everything’s OK. Maggey and I miss you girls like crazy. See ya, pal!”

Click.

Maya Fey and Pearl Fey
Beaugosse Private Jet Plane
May 3, 2005, 8:30 AM

The luxurious ride on Longines’ private jet over to the UK, despite offering every sort of pampering, on-air entertainment, and comfort that one could ever hope for, was filled with tense silence.

Despite her lacklustre enthusiasm when Maya had told her about the Euro Trip, Pearl had still sullenly agreed to come along and promised to be on her best behaviour. Nevertheless, the trio had been on the plane for a little more than a couple of hours before the normally sweet spirit medium had morphed back into Salty Pearls.

AKA, a typical moody, angsty teenager!

The psychic thought she’d reached her limit with her cousin’s misbehaviour when Pearl had insidiously booked her and Phoenix in the outlandishly priced Honeymoon Suite at the Gatewater Hotel all those years ago! Then her patience had been tested yet again, when the mischievous but well-meaning little matchmaker had proceeded to (sneakily!) sign the duo up for the Ultra Course at the frigid Hazakura Temple, only a year later! (Although to be fair, admittedly, the nearly frostbitten Phoenix may have been the more homicidal one at the time!)

In both instances, the Master had barely suppressed her exasperation and somehow, still managed to maintain her cool, (both literally and figuratively in the latter sense) and even decided against disciplining or scolding the child whom she normally loved more than her own life. Therefore, instead of mild castigating or punishment for her misdeed, she’d opted to make Pearl promise to be nothing but a good girl in the future! It seemed to have been a well-made decision up until then, as for the past six years, her cousin had been true to her word. Maya couldn’t have ever asked for a more well-mannered and angelically behaved child if her life had depended on it.

However, that day, the Burger Queen’s saintly maternal self had reached the end of her tether!

The pretty teenager sat there gloomily in her seat, arms folded across her chest and as silent as the grave, despite Longines’ friendly attempts to lure her into the conversation. She merely scowled when Maya tried to chide her about her surly comportment, and simply turned her head away, simulating interest in looking out the window while completely ignoring them both.

The Kurain leader was positively fuming. Pearl’s uncharacteristically bad attitude made a complete mockery of her parenting skills, not to mention it made the young girl come across as nothing more than a moody, ill-mannered, brat! It was beyond embarrassing and frustrating!

At that moment, as much as the necromancer adored her little girl, there were also times when she just as easily could have cheerfully strangled her! (Then channelled her back somehow … only to strangle her some more!)

This was one of those times!

“Um, I’m going to go chat with the pilot about our estimated landing time,” the blond man mumbled awkwardly when the adolescent refused to even look at him or reply to his kind offer for snacks or refreshments for the second time. Rising from his seat, he set down his plate of sumptuous hors d’oeuvres that he had Maya had been enjoying, which his onboard personal chef had prepared, and gave his friend’s shoulder a small, reassuring pat before heading off towards the cockpit.

How the grumpy Pearl could have turned down sublime fares such as spicy ahi tuna cucumber avocado appetizers with pickled ginger, butternut squash, and sage wontons, mini cornbread crab cakes with lemon-caper sauce, and peach and gorgonzola grilled polenta rounds with chipotle honey was beyond the happily
gorging Master’s comprehension!

The moment Longines left, the diviner delicately brushed away a few stray crumbs from the lap of her stylish new travelling outfit, (a snowy linen sleeveless, A-line frock, worn under a fitted navy blazer with white piping) and affixed her cousin with her best don’t-mess-with-me stare.

Pearl pretended not to notice, absently adjusting the collar of her lavender trench coat and crossing her black legging-clad ankles while continuing to stare morosely out the window.

This wasn’t going to be easy.

The Master honestly wondered why in the name of all seven bloody hells she had ever deemed that she would be exempt from having to deal with this sort of matter with the little urchin she was rearing! She supposed she would chalk it up to partial naivety and partial misplaced hope – if not full belief – that in adolescence, her little girl would be different from the rest.

Well, it turned out she’d been wrong. It would hardly be the first time!

“Pearly, you know you’re being very rude to Mr. Beaugosse, don’t you?” Maya began, without preamble. “Moreover, I absolutely cannot take it anymore!  You were raised better than that and you know it! Are you still angry with me for not telling you that I changed my mind about matchmaking? Is this your way of punishing me?”

Silence from the teen, who still refused to even turn her head towards her cousin while she continued to sulk.

“You swore to me that you understood the circumstances after you spoke with Mystic Matilda; that Longines is only my friend and nobody here is getting married already!”

“Yet,” the girl muttered under her breath. “And when you do, I won’t be getting a Daddy – I’ll be getting a second Mommy!”

“Pearly!” The older Fey gasped in horror, furtively looking around them to see if Longines was anywhere within earshot – mercifully, he wasn’t. “You mustn’t say such things! That’s not very nice! Did you know that he was the one who not only insisted I bring you along on this trip but paid for both of our new travelling wardrobes, including the very outfit you’ve got right on, down to those knee-high leather boots you’re wearing right now, that you said you loved so much?”

Pearl finally turned to look at her then, lower lip protruding petulantly.

“Why did you let him do that, Mystic Maya? Now we’re both going to feel indebted to him, and it isn’t right! It’s not as if you don’t have more than enough money of your own. You do realize he’s trying to buy your love, right?”

Moreover, I’m selling it! The raven-haired beauty flushed guiltily and fidgeted with her cherry-red leather belt around her waist.

“Well, it’s not like I asked – Longines offered!” She replied defensively. “Repeatedly, might I add! It’s rude to keep refusing someone’s generosity if they keep insisting, you know!”

Pearl regarded her skeptically.

“Can I help it if I like it when people buy me things?” Maya admitted sheepishly, her cheeks reddening. “There are far worse things to be guilty of, you know!”

Does it make me a bad person that I’ve always been like that? Even when I had my own money, I never spent it; it was so much more fun blowing someone else’s. It
certainly explained my penchant to keep making Nick go nearly broke buying me my weight in daily burgers way back when, even though he paid me to work for him, to boot!

“I wish you’d warm up to him, Pearly,” she sighed. “You missed out on a really fun excursion when you refused to come to the mall with us the other day. Longines was such a great shopping buddy for me as I selected the pieces I needed to augment my wardrobe, and even helped me pick out things for us both. He’s really a lot of fun once you get to know him, and has a great eye for fashion…”

“Seriously?” Pearl interrupted, grimacing slightly. “You took clothing advice from that … fancy man, Mystic Maya? He dresses so weirdly – almost like some sort of overly trendy, fussy lady!” 

The village leader couldn’t say a whole lot to refute that statement! For the trip to the UK, Longines’ outfit that day had consisted of a tight, rose pink, dress shirt and skinny technicolored tie, along with flat-front, slim-fitted, white leather pants, and a cow skin plum belt with a large silver cross skeleton buckle, which was an identical color to his leather wing-tipped loafers.

OK, so maybe the petulant one had a point, she conceded. It was irrefutable that the man liked to dress to stand out in a crowd and didn’t appear to own one quiet item of clothing in his whole closet! Still, it wasn’t the clothes that made the man, and her suddenly overly judgmental cousin had no right to criticize anyone based on their apparel!

“Longines is in the hairdressing industry; he’s allowed to be flamboyant and haute couture!” Maya defended at last. “He’s actually a very nice man who only wants to be your friend if you’d just give him a chance!”

Pearl ignored that, choosing to remain fixated on her nitpicking of the salon tycoon’s ensemble instead.

“Humph! I still say he wears too many bright colors at once; it’s like a rainbow threw up on him!” She declared crossly. “Why can’t he dress like a normal man? Mr. Nick never wore bizarre colors and stuff like that –”

“Alright, Pearl Fey, that’s enough!” Maya exploded, startling them both with the force of her detonation – the teen jumped in her seat slightly. Never before had the girl seen her cousin so incensed.  “You’ve got to let this whole Nick thing go already! That part of our lives is over now, and you have to accept that, no matter how much it still hurts!”

Sudden tears sprang to in her dark eyes then and she brushed them away impatiently.

Pearl saw the pain in her guardian’s glistening orbs and felt her own lips beginning to quiver.

“Mystic Maya, listen –”

“No, you listen! We both need to move on! Nick’s made his choice; he’s gone for good, Pearly. And h – he’s never coming back.” Maya sniffled slightly as she dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. “I wasn’t the one who made that decision, he did, remember? He’s with Iris and that’s that. She’s the one he loves now, n – not me.”

The spirit medium’s mind flashed back to her visit with her half-sister the week prior at Eagle Mountain and opened her mouth to respond to this particular
regard, but then changed her mind and swallowed hard as she took in the Kurain head’s grief-stricken expression. Shaking her head slightly, she bit down so hard on her lower lip that it nearly bled.

“You’re right, Mystic Maya.” Pearl nibbled at her thumb and dropped her gaze, knowing she’d be unable to hold her tongue if she looked at her cousin’s sorrowful face for another moment. “I – I’m sorry. Please, don’t be sad.”

The teen reached over and gently squeezed her kinswoman’s hand, forcing a smile for the Master’s benefit.

“I’ll be a good girl! I promise I will be nice to your friend from now on. You have my word.”

The look of tearful thanks on Maya’s face was almost more than Pearl could bear. She closed her eyes and flopped back against her seat, heaving a soundless sigh.

Mystic Ami, forgive me. I hope I just did the right thing…

Maya Fey and Pearl Fey
London, England
May 3, 2025, 3:30 PM

London greeted Maya like an old reliable friend. Red double-deckers, black cabs, blue-uniformed police officers, and gray clouds … could she be anywhere else?

A gentle drizzle greeted the three of them upon arrival. As they wove among the crowds and tried to hail a cab, the Feys followed the billionaire about as they clutched their wheeled suitcases in one hand and their brollies in the other. The blond man knew the bustling city like the back of his hand and excitedly pointed out places of interest amidst the umbrella-bearing pedestrians who were also battling against rain while the vehicles rumbled by around Oxford Street.

At last, Longines got them settled into a taxi. After instructing the driver to bill his credit card once the girls arrived at their intended destination, he then waved a cheerful goodbye to Maya and Pearl as he headed off to attend that afternoon’s business function, promising he’d be joining them in a few hours to enjoy some scones and Devonshire cream with their host.

As the cab rolled along the roads, which were now familiarizing themselves again to Maya’s memory nearly a decade later, the clouds rolled back then,  and the late afternoon sun brought the whole city, shining, into view. Both girls stared with awe from the rain-splattered windows at the swarms of people that moved in each direction, and the sights whizzing by as they absorbed their surroundings.

Battersea Power Station stood proudly, its four towering chimneys defiantly intact amid the remnants of a roof long consumed by time. Beyond, Battersea Park emerged as a verdant square, a resilient haven resisting the encroaching urban sprawl. In the distant backdrop, the Millennium Wheel gleamed like a magnificent silver coin, delicately balanced on its rim.

Meanwhile, London unfolded around it – a sprawling landscape of gas towers, apartment blocks, endless rows of shops and houses, and a network of roads, railways, and bridges. The bright sliver of the River Thames cleaved through the scene. Amid this metropolitan expanse, the city crouched like a conglomerate giant.

They rolled along past the busy city, just to the outskirts of the city towards their destination.

“Wow, this is all so incredible, Mystic Maya!” Pearl clapped her hands excitedly as she beamed with genuine pleasure at her cousin. “Thank you so much for bringing me along – and I can’t wait to meet your friend!”

“You’ll love him; he’s great! I wonder if it’s still tea time at his place?” Maya quipped, delighted at the sudden switch in Pearl’s disposition. “Oh, who am I kidding – this is England – tea time is anytime!”

She hugged herself with glee.

“Oh, Pearly, I have missed this place! It’s so good to be back!”

Approaching their host’s residence, it seemed more akin to a dollhouse than a human abode, appearing diminutive from a distance. The walls, resembling chilled oatmeal, bore a coat of pristine white paint. Two petite windows adorned the front, each scarcely larger than a tabloid newspaper, framed in mahogany. The absence of an upper floor was apparent, the structure capped by a grey slate roof with a substantial chimney protruding from one side and a smaller one from the other. The dwelling exuded a warm and inviting aura, a thin tendril of smoke gracefully rising from the aged chimney. Along the side, a tidy stack of chopped wood awaited its purpose.

Maya discovered a slender dirt path guiding her to the front door, flanked by a wilderness of nettles, blackberry thorns, and tall brown grass. A towering oak tree loomed over the cottage, its expansive branches appearing to cradle and envelop the diminutive structure, perhaps concealing it from the outside world.

“We’re here!” She announced, slipping a few pound notes into the driver’s hand as appreciation for carrying their bags to the front door, on which she gave a short succession of raps to announce their arrival. “I do hope he’s not upset we arrived a little later than expected!”

The door opened then, and the psychic came face-to-face with one of the few men from her past with whom she had nothing but the fondest of memories.

“Welcome back to England, and my humble abode, Maya.” The lilting accent and proper speech manner of the soft-spoken English gentleman hadn’t changed one bit. “It has been far too long.”

“Professor!” She squealed and lurched forward to give her old friend an enormous hug, nearly knocking off his top hat in the process. “I’ve missed you so much!”

Pearl barely stifled a giggle at the blush that stained the fair cheeks of the man who was currently struggling to remain standing upright due to the vigour of Maya’s greeting. Deducing from the stories she’d heard, she assumed he was in his early 40s now, although based on the photos she’d seen from her cousin’s last visit with him, Hershel Layton looked exactly as he had back then, down to the same brown coat over a dark orange shirt, brown pants, and a pair of dark green shoes.

At last, the Englishman detangled himself from the American’s effusive embrace and noticed the petite teen standing behind her, smiling shyly. The wise,
intelligent dark eyes that turned in Pearl’s direction glowed with genial kindness and genuine friendliness unlike any she’d ever seen before, and she found herself liking him instantly.

“You must be Pearl.” He tipped his hat at her, then clasped her hands warmly within his own. “It is such a pleasure to at last meet the young woman about whom Maya has been regaling me with tales over the years in her emails. Welcome to England and my humble abode. Please do come in.”

Layton presented the girls with his favourite blend – Belle Classic, along with some warm, buttery biscuits and preserves, before taking a seat in the tweed armchair across from the girls.

“I hope the tea is to your liking, although if it’s too bitter, I am brewing another pot, Oasis Berry if you prefer something sweeter. It’s Luke’s favourite.” The Professor cast an idle glance at his watch and his brow furrowed a tad. “Hmmm, he really should have been here by now. I wonder what’s delaying him.”

Luke? Pearl’s ears perked up. For some reason, Maya’s other English gentleman-in-training friend had escaped her mind. She was dying to meet him; she hoped he’d arrive soon.

“I’m sure he’ll be here shortly. And don’t worry about the tea, it’s great, Professor, but thank you.” Maya sipped her tea pleasurably and smiled. “I’m sorry it’s been a while since we last corresponded, so I know we have a lot of catching up to do! What are you doing with yourself these days? And how about little Luke?!”

“My former apprentice just turned 18 and is now taller than you and I both, so he’s not so little anymore,” Layton chuckled in response. “He had some matters to take care of but was most eager to assure me he would be here in time for supper, especially when I told him I would be making roast lamb for dinner, which happens to be his favorite.”

The Professor then proceeded to fill them in on things since Maya had seen him last. Although on summer holidays from school presently, Luke was majoring in Linguistics and minoring in Archaeology, as well as being the Professor’s teaching assistant at Gressenheller University. Layton had once taught there, but now could only squeeze in time to do the odd lecture hall, in between his duties of now being the Chief Archaeologist for the Crown! For all his work in the field and contributions of mystery-solving and aiding Scotland Yard in maintaining the safety of his country, he’d been knighted by the Queen, five years ago!

“Wow, you’re an actual knight now?” Maya gasped. “Not like, a fake Labyrinthia, brain-washed knight who’s in armor but is just playing the part, like Barnham and those other metal lunkheads, but a real, genuine, knight? Should we be addressing you as Sir instead of Professor? Or Sir Professor?!”

Pearl was amazed as well. Over the years, during their business meetings and travels, the Feys had met various aristocrats, blue bloods, and even royalty from numerous parts of the world, but she had never met a real knight before! She belatedly wondered if they should have curtsied the Professor in greeting like they had when they’d met the Earl of Verdunia or the Prince of Santa Clara, but found herself too shy to ask.

Layton shared some of the fascinating tales and adventures he and Luke had had, from the time they had uncovered a mysterious village consisting of robots posing as humans, to scientific time-warped experiments that went ‘bonk’ to the series of events that had led him to the finding and adopting of his daughter, Flora Reinhold.

“Flora will be sorry to have missed you, but she’s away at boarding school until it lets out in June.” Layton sipped his tea pleasurably. “She’s about your age, Pearl.  How old are you?”

“I’ll be 16 this fall.”

“Ah, so she is the same age as you are. Such a delightful girl. She’s off to Oxford soon enough and wants to major in Art History. Tell me, Pearl, have you considered any sort of post-secondary studies?”

“Not really,” she replied hesitantly. “Mostly everything I’d ever studied in Kurain was occult related and any time I’m not furthering my spiritual knowledge is spent being Mystic Maya’s second in command whenever she’s gone on local travels. But having had access to the big world out there since we’ve had the internet does make me curious sometimes about what the universe holds.  It’s something I think maybe I’d like to do if given the opportunity, but I don’t know if I’d have the time.”

“Pearly, I had no idea you were interested in pursuits outside the village!” Maya sounded surprised. “You never mentioned anything before!”

The teen shrugged. She’d been staying mum about a lot of things recently, and her cousin’s hair would surely curl if she knew about them!

“Perhaps some individual courses of interest then, even summer or day camps?” Layton ventured. “They have such things in your area I’m sure, just so you can have some adventures with people of your own age.”

“That sounds like something worth exploring,” Pearl murmured, blushing. No doubt the way her eyes had lit up at the mention of Luke’s name must have tipped the observant man off to how starved she was for companionship from fellow peers. As much as she thought Layton was delightful, it had been eons since she’d had a fellow teen to talk to; it seemed like it had been a dog’s age since she’d seen Trucy, and who knew when or if she would again, all things considered?

The three of them resumed conversation and for the next little while, the Kurain leader regaled the Professor with particulars on everything from her Master’s duties and travels to the revamping modernizing she’d done with Kurain since she’d become village leader. She conspicuously, Pearl noted, seemed to be steering any possible conversation at all from veering toward the pink elephant in the room, even laughingly telling the Brit some of the more amusing anecdotes of Mildred. Layton had to lift his teacup to hide his amused smile when Maya cited the Dragon Lady as her bête noire and detailed how she’d stuck the old hag with outhouse digging duty to correspond to the implemented rental cabins, which had created extra revenue for their hometown.

A good few hours of laughter and conversation had gone by, and there was still no mention of the Master’s ex whatsoever. Setting down his teacup, at last, the Professor studied his old mate with a puzzled frown.

“The regrettable circumstances regarding Mr. Wright’s disbarring made worldwide news, Maya, and was therefore brought to my attention through the media. I hadn’t heard from him in years, despite my efforts at correspondence, and was wondering how he was faring. Has that matter been resolved? Have the two of you kept in touch?”

The spirit medium’s hot beverage sloshed over the sides of her teacup as it slipped from her fingers and onto her saucer with a loud clink. It was the only sound in the suddenly silent room.

Pearl sensed the impending surge of anxiety in her chest, an emotion seemingly poised to safeguard her, despite the absence of any imminent danger. Yet, it lingered, a volatile force propelling her toward an unnecessary panic attack. Her mouth, as parched as cotton balls, pivoted as she observed the unmistakable anguish etched across her cousin’s face—an emotion Maya failed to conceal. Notably, she noticed her kinswoman’s fingernails gouging into her palms, as she was clenching her fists so tightly that deep markings would surely be left behind.

Carefully placing the china down on the table and safely out of harm’s way, Pearl bit her thumb nervously. She had no clue what to do to make matters easier for the Master in answering the innocuous and unintended intrusive question, yet found herself at a loss.

“As far as I know, he has not yet recovered his badge.” Maya kept the faux placid grin on her face, although her posture was tensely rigid. “I’m sorry to report that, what with my Master’s duties and a village to run, I have been very busy the past six years, and thus, my … communications with Mr. Wright have unfortunately dwindled.”

The shift in her entire demeanor, from pleasant to downright pained, was not lost on the Professor, and his gentle eyes darkened with concern.

“I’m very sorry to hear that time has made you and Mr. Wright strangers, my dear,” Layton responded with his trademarked tact. “The two of you seemed to have such a close connection when I saw you last. I hope he gets matters settled soon enough, and has the support he needs to get him through this surely difficult time.”

“I’m sure he does,” Maya replied stiffly. “The last I heard, he was dating my cousin, Iris, who is a shrine maiden at Hazakura Temple, which is in close quarters to my village. She is a woman of most … amiable and hospital disposition, having been raised by a nun, and am sure she’s been everything Mr. Wright could possibly need.”

Stress permeated her mind, unfolding like ink saturating paper. Pearl inhaled deeply, her breath ragged, and then pressed her hands together, resting them on her lap to alleviate the abrupt tightness in her chest.

“I need to get some air,” she blurted out, jumping to her feet. “I’m going to take a little stroll out back.” She was already halfway down the front hall before either Maya or the Professor could react, that was how quickly she’d moved.

“What’s the matter? What do mean you’re taking a walk, Pearly?” Maya cried plaintively. “It’s nearly six already and surely Longines and Luke will be here soon for supper! You don’t know your way around this place and you could get lost…”

“I – I won’t be long, Mystic Maya.” Undaunted, Pearl reached for the handle of the front door, and avoiding her distressed cousin’s gaze, shifted her gaze to the Professor, allowing him to see the pleading expression in her eyes. “I promise to be back in time for dinner. Please don’t worry about me. I – I just want to explore these beautiful woods out back…”

A look of understanding crossed Layton’s face, and he placed a cajoling hand on the village leader’s shoulder.

“It will be daylight for another couple of hours, Maya. Pearl is not a child and seems to be the most levelheaded young lady. I’m sure she’ll be fine. You and I still have so much catching up to do – I wish to hear more about this bête noire of yours.” He gently steered the Master back toward the living room and flashed the girl a reassuring smile. “If you stick to the main stone trial, my dear, it will take you down to a little river but then it loops back to the cottage. It is very easy to follow back and should take you no more than an hour at most.”

“Thank you so much, Professor,” Pearl smiled gratefully. “I’ll be back soon!”

The teen dashed out the door then, barely pausing to shut it behind her, before her cousin could make any more protests. Her heart pounding, she broke into a sprint down the directed path that had been indicated. She approached the forest, carefully refastened the row of buttons on her lavender coat, took a huge breath, and set off, her mind racing. She was certain if she’d remained there another minute, she would have uttered the litany of tightly suppressed confessions itching on the tip of her tongue to Maya, which would have undoubtedly resulted in nothing but disaster!

Once deep in the woods, Pearl felt a calming wave wash over her, allowing herself to immerse in the natural splendor surrounding her. The smooth leaves caressed her hands, accompanied by the melodic chirping of birds overhead. Tilting her head, she savored the warm, amber sunlight filtering through the towering trees. Pockets of clear blue sky peeked through the foliage. Picking a blackberry, she relished its sweet tang, the tranquil atmosphere soothing her nerves. The only audible sound was the crunch of her footsteps on the leaves.

Alone at last with her thoughts, the spirit medium now had the privacy to reflect upon the sudden turnabout that had become her life since the fateful day Mr. Nick had broken up with her cousin. What a series of unfortunate events that had led to be!

For one thing, she missed the Gumshoes, and especially Trucy, so much it hurt.

The magician had tried to reach her on numerous occasions, both by phone and email, as she was blissfully unaware of the heartbreaking circumstances regarding her father, and the spirit medium was embarrassed to admit that she’d been playing a shameless, unforgivable game of duck and dodge each time her former ‘sister’ had tried to make contact. She didn’t know how to act or know what to say anymore to the girl she’d once loved as a sibling, especially knowing how in the dark Trucy had been about her cousin’s relationship with her father, any more than she’d know how to respond to the inevitable inquiries of when she would next be coming down to the city to visit.  Her caregiver hadn’t been to Los Angeles since the breakup and Pearl couldn’t think of any feasible reason to venture down there if they weren’t attending a conference. Besides, the idea of associating with anyone who had broken her cousin’s heart seemed disloyal, despite Maya’s
benign reassurance that Pearl needn’t sever ties with Phoenix’s daughter.

As much as she was looking forward to seeing the Gumshoes – they still didn’t know about the breakup and Maya had insisted their split was her own business when or if to disclose – at Maggey’s baby shower, the pretzel-haired girl dreaded the inexorable confrontation she would have with the justifiably hurt magician for ghosting her. No doubt, when it was done in real life and not as a magic trick, Pearl’s disappearing act had probably caused the other girl much pain, and the guilt gnawed away at Pearl daily.

Also, to go down to see Trucy meant she’d risk seeing Phoenix himself, and feeling towards him as she did – especially armed with her recent newfound knowledge – she was afraid that setting eyes on the man she still dreadfully missed, whom she’d once loved as a father, would result in her bursting into tears, slapping him six ways from Sunday, or both!

It was a risk she just didn’t want to take!

That extra information she’d recently acquired, however unwittingly, from Iris was the biggest cross to bear…

Pearl Fey and Iris Hawthorne
Hazakura Temple
April 26, 2025, 7:15 PM

It was like a Mexican standoff for two as the sisters stared unwaveringly at one another.

“I want some honest answers. And I want them now.”

The weight of the words hung over the half-siblings like a storm cloud.

Iris fidgeted uneasily, finding her sibling’s unwavering stare like an unwieldy showgirl’s corset — uncomfortable and constricting her breath. The simmering intensity in Pearl’s smoky eyes offered no mercy, drilling into her with a penetrating gaze. Every nuance of the younger girl’s body language, from the stiffness of her shoulders to the rhythmic play pushing up of her sleeve, betrayed motives far from virtuous.

The shrine maiden wilted under the glare and dropped her gaze. It wasn’t just the cool determination in those orbs so much as the intelligence behind them that made her quiver. In the gap between her eyes and Pearl’s, a battle was fought and the spirit medium trounced without flinching.

“Whether you can face looking me in the eye or not makes no difference to me!  I’m not leaving here until I have the answers I seek.” When push came to shove, Pearl Fey had a way of not mincing her words. She folded her arms tightly over her freshly ironed acolyte uniform. For such a small, frail girl, she was kind of a badass.

“It’s, ah… funny that you asked me about Feenie, Pearl.” Iris took a hesitant step backward. “I er…was on my way to give him a call right now… just before you came along…”

She forced herself to smile convincingly.

“I’ll just bet you were!”  Pearl growled, already rolling up her sleeve again. “You know you’ve ruined my life right? Mine and Mystic Maya’s! It’s all your fault I might have some weird, flouncy dandy man who’s even prettier than my cousin for a new daddy now!”

Iris studied the ground beneath her sandal.

“You blame me for their breakup, don’t you?”

The enmity welled up in Pearl’s heart, so deep that it was ingrained in the tissue itself as she felt the fury burning her up.

“I hate you!” The teenager shouted, her voice nearly breaking. “The three of us – me, Mystic Maya, and Mr. Nick …we were like a little family! I even found a new sister with his daughter! Everything was going great – it was only a matter of time before he cleared his name and we could all be together … until you came along and ruined everything!”

The nun gulped.

“Pearl…”

“How could you break up the home of your own flesh and blood?! Did you know he gave her a promise ring?! He was going to marry her! You’re hardly any better than that wretched, psychotic doppelganger of yours, if not worse!” Animus made the girl’s cheeks bright pink with rage. “In fact, you’re every bit the evil sorceress Dahlia was!”

Iris cringed but couldn’t find a suitable response.

“What are you, some sort of devilish witch, just like your demonic, insane twin sister?” Pearl put her hands on her hips and glowered at the shrine maiden scathingly. “Tell me, just how did you bewitch Mr. Nick’s mind and heart to make him turn away from Mystic Maya, and just suddenly decide to leave us both … for you, huh? What spell did you cast on him?”

“I didn’t do anything!” Iris whispered tearfully. “Feenie … he came to me, Pearl. I swear to you, I’m telling you the truth.”

“That’s not the point!” The infuriated spirit medium was unmoved at the sight of the flooded, pleading eyes staring back at her. “In the end, it’s all the same! Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t slap you from here to the moon!”

“You can hit me if you want, if that’s going to make you feel better, Pearl.” Iris bowed her head in submission. “But you should know that doing so still is not going to change anything.”

The youngest Fey faltered slightly at the painful veracity of the words. Then she slowly rolled down her sleeve again and let out a browbeaten sigh.

“Why’s that?” She asked defeatedly. “Because you love him that much?”

Limpid sienna eyes met resigned pewter ones.

“I never stopped.”

The spirit medium bit her lip to keep it from trembling.

“And … he feels the same way about you?”

Iris cast a downcast glance before replying.

“I-I’d like to think so.”

Pearl felt numb then, the fight draining out of her completely.

“So what you’re trying to tell me is that … you and Mr. Nick … you’re Special Someones now?”

Iris hesitated but didn’t raise her eyes from the ground.

“Y- Yes.”

Gray eyes widened then and stared speechlessly at the shrine maiden. However, Iris refused to look at her anymore and had already turned away.

“Look, Pearl, someday … when the dust all clears … I hope you can get past this and accept me as your sister. I’m more than happy to accept you as mine. However, I have to go now. I –I promised Feenie I’d call him before he heads out to work. Take care.”

The girl was still silently rooted in the same spot as the nun left and walked back into the temple. Once inside, she remained true to her word, the nun made a beeline to the telephone.

“Feenie love … it’s me, Rissy. I’ve got some really important news that I need to tell you, and I don’t want to do it on the phone. Let me know when you can come up and see me next. Call me when you’re done with your shift. I miss you. Bye now.”

Pearl Fey
Layton’s Woods, England
May 3, 2025

Mystic Ami, help me. I don’t know what to do.  I’ve always tried to do the right thing … but I don’t know what that even is anymore!

The gloomy adolescent jammed her hands in her pockets and kicked a large stone in her path, then watched as it scuttled off to the side of the dirt footpath she’d been following.

Wait?! What? Dirt path? What had happened to the stone path I was following?!

Pearl looked around her with a startled gasp. With panicked eyes, she cast a glance skyward and saw that without her notice, the beautiful evening sun above had rescinded to near vanishing at this point, and as she looked down at the ground, she was frightened and dismayed that the familiar rock trail she’d sworn she was trekking on was no longer beneath her feet.

Somehow, it appeared she had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t even noticed she’d veered off the main path and was now going in a completely different and unknown direction, deeper and deeper into the dense woods.

OK …don’t panic, she thought wildly, even though her every instinct was internally screaming at her to do just that. Sure, she didn’t have a watch with her, so she had no idea how long she’d been out there, and was certain Maya was panicking enough about her daughter’s absence for the both of them. Nor did she have a compass, or even a cell phone to call for help…

Stifling a terrified sob, she looked about her unfamiliar surroundings and wondered if she should stay put in case Maya and the Professor eventually came to find her, or keep plodding ahead, and search for that elusive river he’d mentioned to her, as from there would be the trail that looped back towards his home.

A branch snapped behind her from somewhere and she jumped in fright.

Flopping down onto a fallen tree log then, the tiny spirit medium buried her head in her hands. She’d never felt more powerless or vulnerable in her entire life.

For the ensuing five minutes, she exerted her vocal cords until her cries dwindled to near silence. Yet, she persisted, screaming in the desperate anticipation that someone might respond. Abruptly, her body succumbed to uncontrollable sobs, and she trembled like a fragile leaf. Fear infiltrated every cell, saturating them with a paralyzing terror. With each passing second, she keenly sensed the surge in her blood pressure, yet she acknowledged that this was the least of her concerns.

I’m lost in the forest in a foreign country, Pearl realized frantically, fear coursing through her veins and making her heart thud rapidly in her chest. I’m literally….a lost…babe in the woods!

In the distance, all of a sudden, she thought she heard a growling noise, soon followed by an unmistakably distinct snarling sound … then a series of furious canine barks. And it sounded as though they were coming closer!

Was that a dog…or a wolf? The girl wondered with alarm. Do they even have wolves in England? OK, I really shouldn’t have decided to think of that movie An American Werewolf In London just now, of all times…

“Helllllp!” She cried hysterically as panicked tears sprang to her eyes. “Someone! Anyone! Please! Help me!”