"Michael?" I asked as we walked back to the hotel. The streets had emptied out for the most part and the only ones left behind were random wanderers that lurked in the night, enjoying the fresh summer air. Michael turned to me.
"Yes?" he prompted.
I had been pondering over this the entire way back. Why me? Numerous people had gone to his aid, but none could reach him. None but me. "Do you trust me?" I questioned. He had put me through multiple tests, trying to find the point at which I turned on him. The fake paparazzi had supposedly been the final one, but I could tell that every moment I spent with him, he was still testing me.
There was a moment's hesitation before he looked me in the eyes. "There's one thing I've learned in my life: Trust no one" he said. "Which is why it scares me so much to say... yes. But I also know that trust begins by recognizing it's okay to be afraid." He smiled a little, worry still lingering in his eyes.
"I'll never betray you." I promised as we entered through the back end of the hotel, parting ways for the night.
Michael apologized repeatedly for the missed rehearsal the next morning, begging for forgiveness from people who he never needed it from. He apologized then, and at the show the following night, never letting himself slide for how much of the team's time he had disrespected. So set on making it up to us, he presented the entire cast and crew of the show with a gift after the final show. Free passes to the local amusement park on our night off before travels commenced. He had arranged for the park to close early so we could all have the place to ourselves.
Teagan was practically bouncing off the walls in the hours leading up to it. She was ecstatic to finally be doing something unrelated to the show. Shuttles carried us all to the gates and we were given wristbands that designated us VIP visitors.
"We should have gotten here earlier." Teagan complained as we took a single step forward in the line to get in. They only had one lane open, not expecting the amount of people we had in our show. As we passed through the gates, waving our wrists to show our bands, Teagan took off towards the cotton candy truck and I followed as quickly as I could. "Pink please." she ordered, fishing a few coins from her pocket and sticking them in the palm of the worker.
The man at the register traded the coins for the sugary candy and Teagan and I walked down the path that looped around the park. Grabbing a map on the way, we decided what rides and attractions we wanted to go to. First on the list was a wooden coaster deemed the Beast. Only a few of the cast members were in line with us so we rode the next train out.
The cart chugged up the hill, inching its way to the top. For a brief moment, we paused there, waiting for the tail end to catch up before we whipped over the curve. In that moment I could see the entire park laid out beneath us and it took my breath away. "Check this out." Teagan said, pulling a penny from her pocket and holding it in an open palm. Then suddenly we were falling, She nudged the penny into the air and for a few seconds it floated beside us, free falling and spinning beside our train. Just as quickly, we shot away from it, reaching the bottom of the hill and flying at a speed much faster than it.
We whipped around turns, diving into dark structures and grazed the top of a small pond then finally, it was over. I unbuckled and climbed out, making room for the next group of people. Our next destination, a smaller coaster around the corner.
"Teagan!" one of the ASM's called as we emerged back onto the path. He approached us with a group of our fellow techs. I hadn't ever really talked to any of them so I found myself in the back of the group, trailing behind.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a tall figure equipped with an unmistakable fedora slip into a fun house labeled Mirror Maze. "Hey Teagan." I called and she turned. "I'll catch up with you later. I want to go talk to someone real quick."
"Alright, catch you later!" she replied, walking onward with the group. Veering my course, I slipped into the maze. The room was dark with accents of light that bounced off the mirrors, making it all the more difficult to see. It didn't take long for me to get turned around. As I looked into the mirror and the hundreds of reflections it created, a shadow passed behind me.
"All alone in a room full of mirrors?" I asked the air.
"I'm not alone." Michael defended. "Look around." He walked up beside me, touching his hand to the hand of a reflection. "There's an entire army of us in here." he beamed, twirling in a circle and watching the rest spin too, humming to the tune of Man in the Mirror. I joined him in the fun, playing with our reflections as we made our way through the maze.
The sunlight was blinding upon our exit and my eyes squinted against it's harsh beams. In the sudden glare of the sunlight, a creature with a hundred green eyes and a blue iridescent body stared us down. "Quinn, look." he pointed at the bird that paced in front of a small sign inviting us into the park's petting zoo. "We have to go." he decided, not giving me a choice in the matter.
The faint barnyard stench washed over us as we stepped up to the fence and we were met face to face with a llama. Michael reached out a hand and stroked the beast's snout. "I should have brought Bubbles." he stated to himself. Michael stuck a few quarters into a machine and returned with two handfuls of feed, dumping a bit of it into my hands. The llama happily munched on the feed in his palm and I acquainted myself with a baby goat that stood at the fence.
When the feed was gone, we moved onto the next pen. Contained inside of this one was a collection of rabbits and chickens. "Do you want to hold one?" asked the keeper.
"Do I?" Michael exclaimed. He would have leapt the fence if the woman hadn't opened the gate any faster. I followed him inside and the woman placed a rabbit into both of our hands. I had never seen Michael smile so brightly. We didn't stay in there long before he found some other creature to marvel over. Perched on a stand were two Macaw parrots; one blue and gold, the other, scarlet and green. "Aren't they beautiful?" he asked me and I nodded.
The final attraction in the zoo was a small pod of tortoises. We entered their small habitat and watched them meander around, occasionally stretching their necks towards us in search of food.
With much reluctance, Michael left the small zoo and the two of us made our way to the Ferris Wheel that stood tall in the center of the park. We hopped into one of the carriages and rode it up the wheel.
"Where do you think you'll go after the tour?" Michael asked, breaking the silence between us. The question caught me off guard. I hadn't really given it much thought. Where did one go after working for the most famous artist out there? I was already living the dream.
"Some other tour or show, I suppose." I responded, saddened by the thought of leaving all the people I had met on this unforgettable adventure.
"Whatever it is you end up doing, I wish you the best in it." he said. "Never give up on the dream and always remember that there are only two types of limitations in this world. The first type are those that we put on ourselves. The second are the limitations imposed on us by others. When we see that there are no true limitations, anything becomes possible." he spoke. Michael paused then, a mixture of worry and sorrow in his eyes. "We'll keep in touch, right?"
"Of course." I assured. "And until then, we enjoy now and stop thinking of the unknown futures. Agreed?"
"Agreed." He nodded and together we stared out over the land, watching the people like ants down below.
YOU ARE READING
One (A Michael Jackson Fan Fiction)
Fanfiction"It's an adventure, it's a great adventure. There's nothing to be nervous about. They just want wonderful experiences. We want to take them places that they've never been before. We want to show them talent like they've never seen before. We're putt...
