Ace Attorney: Secrets Beneath Secrets

Turnabout Betrayal, Part 15 (Anton)

//August 31, 2028. Hospital Room No. 808, 3:38 PM//

I stared up at the ceiling in silence. Polly had gone to get a drink or something and Chrysalis still hadn't come back. I was starting to get a little worried about her, but I figured there was no reason for it. I turned to my side to see a picture of me and Chrysalis smiling brightly at whoever was taking the picture. The background was kind of grassy and the sky was blue with a few clouds spotting the bright hue. I picked up the picture and looked at it. I wonder what happened that day. What the story behind that picture was.

I looked to the bottom of the picture. I was holding a small white teddy bear and Chrysalis was holding something similar. The bear gave me a strong sense of deja vu, but I couldn't really pinpoint any memories. I sighed. Why couldn't I remember...?

I looked up from the picture and returned to a sitting position when I heard a noise from the doorway. A bleach blonde man was standing in the doorway, out of breath. "W-who are you?" I asked in confusion.

The man smirked. "That's for me to know and not you. But you're Anton Burke, if I recall correctly."

I nodded slowly. "Why...?"

"Because I have some important information for you," the man said, approaching me. "It's about your past life. I'm sure you'll find this information helpful."

"Huh?" I questioned. "What do you mean?"

"Before you lost your memory, there are tons of things that you don't know about I'm sure you'll find interesting," the man told me. "First of all, remember Polly? She finds hanging out with you embarrassing. And Chrysalis doesn't like you."

I was taken aback by his words. "W-what? Is this true?" Would Polly and Chrysalis really lie to me like that? Or would they and I just didn't remember? Why couldn't I think of something this important?!

The man nodded. "And you killed once before you lost your memory. You got attacked because of karma."

I bit my lip in an attempt to hold back my upset tears. "Huh?" I whimpered, noticing my vision becoming more and more blurry. Now isn't the time to cry, Anton!

The man nodded again. "It was a girl named Venus Rinko. She was only 19 when you killed her by crashing a car into her vehicle. One year ago. But you got off the hook because somebody lied to help you. I don't know why somebody would help a criminal, though."

I couldn't keep the sadness at bay any longer. I burst into tears and the salty liquid flowed freely from my eyes. "Why would I do that?!" I sobbed. "I didn't know I was a bad boy! I deserved what I got!"

I looked at the picture of Chrysalis and I. Was that smile on her face even real? Did she even care at all? What about Polly? Did she really find me an embarrassment to be around?

"Hey! Who are you?!"

I looked up from my sob story to see Polly standing in the doorway, newspaper in one hand and coffee in the other. "Hey! Aren't you that new kid at Morix Law Offices?" That name seemed to ring a bell... I wonder why... A flash of a room with beige furniture and blue walls raced through my mind for a second. That place... I've definitely been there before.

"Welcome to my house! I hope you like it here!"

Chrysalis' voice echoed in my mind for a few seconds. I would have to tell Polly I was starting to remember. I turned back to the conversation Polly was having with the bleach blonde man.

The man smirked and shook his head. "Yes and no. I worked there for a few months, but as of now, I am unemployed."

Polly calmly walked into the room and set her coffee down on the table next to me. I could only see her outline despite how close she was to me through my tears. I rubbed my eyes as Polly rolled up the newspaper. "Get out," she snarled at the man. Polly chased the man out of the room, hitting him with the newspaper as she followed him.

Cries of pain came from the man as he bolted. "Morix break up with you or something?!"

The face of a man with blue, gray, white, and black hair danced in my head for a moment. I gasped as the man smiled my way. Sadly, the memory faded as quickly as it had come. I'd have to tell Polly about this, too.

After a few minutes of me just thinking over the mysterious memories I had gotten, Polly returned, newspaper still in hand. She set it down on the table next to me and took a seat on the bed. She was inches away from me. Polly brushed my tears away with one hand. "It's okay... Just tell me what happened," she said.

I nodded slowly, rubbing my eyes. "T-that man... He said that you and Chrysalis didn't like me and that I killed a girl named Venus a year ago..." The tears returned just as I had brushed them away from my pale face. "I-I'm sorry!" I cried, falling into her arms.

"It's okay... I can promise you now that we do like you..." Polly assured me, her arms wrapped around my body loosely but still in a way that was comforting and cozy.

"I remembered a few things, too," I told her.

"What did you remember?" she gasped.

"Well... I saw this room with blue walls and beige furniture. I also heard Chrysalis saying something about her home," I replied.

"The agency..." she whispered. "Morix Law Offices."

"And then, I saw the face of a man with blue, black, white, and gray hair. He smiled at me before the memory went away," I continued.

"A little is better than none," Polly shrugged.

I nodded in agreement, but a little something still lingered in my mind.

What if that man's words were true?

If only I could remember...

----------------------------------------------------

HA IM BACK SUCKAS

IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN MY IG OR MY MESSAGE:

MY HOUSE CAUGHT FIRE SO UPDATES MIGHT NOT BE AS FREQUENT AS I ALSO STARTED SCHOOL YESTERDAY. KAY? KAY.

I'm finally getting back into the routine after my three day streak of no updates, so here you are.

Take amnesiac kawaii Anton Burke.

-Digital