Mina was supposed to wait in the lobby, but she couldn't stand being in the court building any longer. She didn't want to be reminded of the place that had taken everything from her. She lost her boyfriend, her mentor, her life and now even her future in a court of law. It was just too much.

She sat on the stone steps of the Hall of Lawson in the brisk, chilly air and held her face in her hands sobbing. She couldn't even defend herself in a court of law it seemed.

Everything was dark in her vision behind her hands. And the only thing in her ears was her own voice whimpering.

"That's it," she cried. "I'm done. I'm cooked. I'm sauteed. Stick a fork in me because I'm..."

"Really? Food metaphors?" a deep, boisterous but female voice said. "Stop that! I'm hungry and my shift isn't even close to ending."

Mina pulled her head from her hands. "What the huh? Chief? Why are you here?"

Chief Rita O'Law's chin-length, mom-bob blew in the wind as she crossed her arms. "We got call of a rogue bed mattress rolling down the avenues, causing complete chaos. So we're setting up some sandbags to make sure nobody has to take a dirt nap on it!"

Mina shook her head. "Sounds...pretty normal for this town actually. But I don't care. I'm about to be sent to the state prison after losing everything!"

The chief chuckled. "Orange is the new Pink it seems. Isn't that a cool show the kids watch these days? "

Mina rolled her eyes and sobbed in her hands. "No it isn't. It hasn't been relevant in years!!!

The lawyer continued to cry as Chief O'Law stood over her. "I'm really not good at that comforting schlock. Sadly, I never was. Even when I was married to that birdbrain!"

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Mina removed her head from her hands again. She sniffed. "That birdbrain would have been the key to the whole case. Raven's been brainwashed by a crazy Walkford Wife from the Aura. And the only way to break him of the trance was to do some really cringy K-Pop dance and say the most important thing to him. But I don't even know tha..."

"Ana..." Chief O'Law said softly. There was a look of regret in her normally wrinkleless face.

"Ana?" Mina squeaked. "Who the chocolate fudge is Ana?"

"Our daughter..." Rita said with resentment. "His Ana Banana. The Aura had stolen her as an act of revenge for him getting Rake Knavelton arrested."

"Rake Knavelton..." Mina gasped. "That was the Britainia Duke case where I ot hoodwinked in high school."

Rita nodded. "Yes, he told me all about it. You were sappier than maple tree over a criminal from the UK who killed an international agent."

Mina placed her hands to her cheeks in disbelief. Her pupils shrank. "What the zowie? I can't believe this all began there. I was the crux of everything. It was my fault!"

Rita shook her head and placed her large hand on Mina's shoulder. "Admittedly, I did blame you and Raven for what happen. That's why I've always given you a hard time but over the years, I realized you can't keep blaming a teenager and a birdbrain. They know not what they do!"

Mina was wordless. She didn't know how to feel at all about this. She was thankful the chief didn't blame her anymore for this, but at the same time, all of her biggest woes for Raven and Rita came from her.

"I'm sorry," she said at last. "I know I was a kid, but still, the whole reason Raven defected to the Aura and then they brainwashed him was because of me. I guess it's fitting I'm going to jail now."

The chief whacked her hard on the back. "I wouldn't get too bent out of shape. Sometimes miracles have a way of crashing into you when you least expect it."

There was a loud scream on the road below the stone steps of Lawson. With a loud wham, a mattress carrying three people slammed into the sandbags, leaving then sprawled out and dizzy but safe and sound. Two of them were groggy girls. A large stocky woman and a bone thin one with spikey black hair, and the third, blew Mina's mind sky high.

"Trudy! Winona! RAVEN!" she screamed as she dashed down the stone steps to her bestest friends!