When I got to the hotel in about an hour, I checked in with the receptionist and started going to my room. No one else that was a part of my crew had woken up yet and that included Frank. Thank God, that would have met he would be down my neck about where I was all night. I could tell him, but then he’d ask why and I can’t tell him that. I can’t risk his safety. When I see families and ask to stay with them, they don’t ask any questions, they’re happy that Michael Jackson even asked to stay with them. I would probably stay at their home for a day or three before going back to the hotel for one night and having to find another place to stay.

I opened the door and sighed through my mouth looking around. They had been here. They always do this. They look for me wherever they hear that I’m staying while I’m doing concerts. I wasn’t even doing a concert this time, I was just staying here for a meeting I had with some other people. My room was wrecked. The bed was flipped over, the lamp was smashed, all the clothes in my closet had been thrown out onto the floor—it was just a mess. I made my way over to the wall next to the flipped headboard and stared at the marking that had been left there.

There was a dark mark on it-- it looked like a burn shadow, with a triangle and eye in it. Behind it all, you could see one of my signature symbols, the white sparkling glove. They had left the mark behind. I never know why they do it, but that’s how I always know they were where I was.

I said a silent prayer before starting to clean up the room. I always clean up well enough so that it’s not known by the media or seen by other who happen to stay in the room after me. But of course, the things that get broken must get paid for and replaced. If or when Frank sees it, he starts to yell how I was wasting money on stupid things I do and I just take it. I never yell back or get mad at him, just at them.

They’ve been doing it for so long, I should be used to it by now, but I can’t get used to it and I don’t think I ever will.

“Michael!” I heard knocking on the door. I grunted as I put the bed back as it was and fixed the sheets to look like I had just woken up. I already changed into pajamas and made my hair look messy. “Michael, are you up?”

The door opened and I quickly jumped into bed in an awkward position with my mouth open, letting out snores. “You’re not even up yet.” I heard the voice say. Someone shook me and I groaned and turned over. “Michael, come on. You’re going back to California today. Get up.” The person talking one final shake and I decided it was time for me to “wake up”.

“Hm?” I said softly as I stretched. “We’re going back to California?”

“Oh, you did hear me.” My body guard chuckled. “Yeah, you have to get ready now if you want to make you usual stops.”

“Alright, alright. I’m up.” He nodded before leaving me in the room. I went to my bathroom and did the same routine I did at the Lincoln’s house. I didn’t take a second shower, it was too soon for me and I was still clean. I changed into a dress shirt and pants with loafers. I grabbed my duffel bag, anticipating that we would be leaving soon, and moved everything inside of it into a suitcase. I always keep my stuff in a duffel bag in case I have to leave unexpectedly. It’s easier to carry around than a suitcase.

I left my hotel room and saw Frank coming my way from his room. “Oh, good. You’re ready. Come on, the limo is waiting for us downstairs.”

----

As we got to the landing place of where my jet was, I could see all my fans. They had posters and were shouting my name, all of them hoping to catch my attention. I chuckled and rolled down the window and waved to them. Their screams got louder and they tried to push past security to get to me.

“Enjoying yourself, hotshot?” I pulled my head back in the car and looked at Frank who was smirking at me with a cigar in his mouth. “Yep.” I chuckled.

He adjusted himself in his seat. We still had some time before we actually reached the jet. “So what did you do last night after the meet?”

“I was beat, I just went straight to bed. I didn’t wake up until this morning. How about you?”

“I stayed up for a little bit and got bored that everyone else fell asleep. So I went to check if you were still up since you are sometimes.”

“Oh?” I asked turning my head back to the window. I was starting to feel antsy and nervous.

“Yeah… the thing is, Mike… you weren’t there.” I looked back at him and the smirk had left his face and he had taken his cigarette out of his mouth.

“I-I wasn’t?”

“Nope. I searched the top of the bed, under it, in the closet, in the bathroom—I even took a whole walk around the hotel and went back to your room and you still weren’t there.” He shrugged a little bit. “Mind explaining that to me?”

“Oh yeah!” I exclaimed. “I went out for a little walk because I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t go back to sleep.”

“But you just told me that you were asleep all night.” He challenged. I gulped a little. It was always hard to keep something from Frank.

“I-it must’ve slipped my mind. Sorry.”

“Michael…?”

“That’s all!” I ended the conversation and just in time as we were getting out of the limo to go to the jet. I didn’t even wait for security to open the door for me, I was so eager to get back to California.

“You’re not going to sign any autographs, Michael?” a guard asked me. I shook my head. “Maybe next time, I just want to go home.”