Code ᯓ ❥ Michael Jackson

9

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For the following few days, Michael didn't contact Isis to reschedule their session. They gave him various calls, but all of them went to voicemail. Such unprofessionalism typically vexed them to no end. Any other client that wasted Isis' time like that would've lost their services and had their autobiography thrown in the trash. Only Michael could have Isis anxiously waiting around for his call.

Once a week passed by with no contact, Isis figured the best way to get Michael's attention was to see him in person. Isis decided to go to his ranch, hoping he wouldn't flee at the sight of them. To their dismay, Michael was nowhere to be found. His employees were no help, leaving Isis no choice but to explore the ranch themselves to find him. After 10 minutes, they considered giving up and going back home.

Isis saw the horse stable that Michael took them to during their date. They remembered him telling them how much comfort he found in animals. If Michael was still hurt about Isis' remark, they figured he would be with animals.

Isis walked into the stable and heard Michael softly singing in a horse' stall. They followed the sound of his voice and saw him sitting down on the ground with his horse, Cynthia. She had her head resting on his lap, enjoying the strokes Michael gave her mane.

"Hi."

Michael looked up at them, surprised. "Hi, Isis. I wasn't expecting you today."

"Yeah, I know. You've been ignoring my calls, so I figured I'd get better luck coming by instead."

"It's been a busy week."

Isis scoffed at his excuse. "It takes two minutes to call to reschedule a session you canceled, Michael. You can't spare 2 minutes?"

"Not right now."

"Then when, Michael?" They asked, exasperated.

Michael looked back down at Cynthia. "I'll call you."

Although Isis wasn't all that familiar with romance, they did know if someone said that, they meant the opposite.

Isis sat down next to him on the barn's floor. "Please don't shut me out, Michael. I know you heard my snide remark and I'm sorry. I know now how hurtful it was. I said it out of fear, which is so idiotic in hindsight."

"It's not idiotic, Isis. It's trauma. You have a history of being betrayed when vulnerable. You're scared that I'll do the same, but I would never do that to you. I don't have plans to shut you out, either. I truly have been busy. Cynthia hasn't slept well for the past week, so I've been spending every day with her to try to get her to sleep. I haven't been successful yet today."

Isis began to stroke Cynthia's head. "Maybe I can get her to sleep."

"That's not necessary, Isis. I don't want to burden you."

"It's not a burden. I want to. We could also do our session if that's okay. We covered the Off the Wall era, so this session would be focused on the Thriller era."

"Oh, that was such a wonderful period in my life. I enjoy reminiscing about it. I don't mind discussing it now." Michael said. "In the early 80s, I was searching for new artists to listen to and all of the albums were, excuse me for being crass, half-assed. They only had one good song. The music I grew up listening to wasn't like that. I wanted my next album to prove that artists were still capable of that."

"And you certainly did. Thriller went number one and stayed there for 37 weeks."

"Not just myself. I view my albums as a collaborative effort. I had an incredible team for the album, including Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton. Temperton's songwriting is remarkable. Have you listened to the album?"

"Last week, yes. You have very pretty vocals on The Lady In My Life."

Michael laughed. "Pretty is an interesting word choice. Thank you, Isis. That's sweet of you. Are ballads your favorite type of music?"

"Yeah, soft instrumentals and calming vocals soothe me when I'm triggered. What was the highlight of the era for you?"

Michael hummed. "Seeing children dancing to the album."

"Really? Not the accolades that came with the album? It won eight Grammys in one night. That's an incredible feat that only you have achieved. You also have broken so many records. That album is the best selling album of all time to this day. That's almost 10 years."

"Healing people, especially children, is a God-given mission that I have in this lifetime. Seeing that I've achieved that with my music is such a surreal feeling. It wasn't just the music that did it, but also the performances. I cried after my Motown 25 performance of Billie Jean because it didn't pan out like I planned, but then this kid pulled me to the side and told me how amazed he was. He had so much joy when he said it. Nothing can compare to the feeling that gave me. Although, I will say something I almost love as much as that was making the Thriller short film. Have you seen it?"

"No, but I know how impactful it is in pop culture. I read somewhere it's inspired by The American Werewolf."

"For a small portion of it, yes. Horror movies aren't typically enjoyable, but I loved The American Werewolf. After I watched it, I wanted to create something of the same nature. To me, Thriller seemed to be a great medium for that. So, I called the director, John Landis, to direct it."

"How was the process?"

"Quite extensive. We filmed all of it for a behind-the-scenes special. There were hours of prosthetics makeup, choreographing, and rehearsals. The most uncomfortable parts of the filming were face molds and horrid yellow contacts. All of it was worth it though because of how incredible it turned out. Sometimes, I think of how different that era would've been had I not released it because I almost didn't."

Isis looked at him, confused. "Why would you not release it after going through all of that?"

"Because of my faith. I come from a family of Jehovah Witnesses. Some witnesses said I may've been excommunicated if I released it because it went against our beliefs. Hearing that was such a heartbreaking moment for me because I really loved how that short film turned out. I thought the best option was to destroy it, but I didn't. I added a disclaimer and released it. Some members were enraged, which I expected. I wasn't too bothered, though."

"Well, now I definitely have to see it. Maybe we can together."

Michael's face brightened up. "Dare I ask if you just asked me out on a date?"

Isis thought it over for a moment. "I...think so. I've never done that before. Did I do that correctly?"

Michael found sweet innocence in Isis' question. The shyness in their demeanor with a flicker of hope in their eyes made him smile. "Perfectly so. Let's have dinner and watch the short film here next Friday at 7 p.m. Is that alright with you?"

A familiar sensation could be felt in Isis' lower abdomen. A flutter that was once nothing short of a sign of impending doom. Rather than fear, they found comfort in the warmth that came with it. It appeared that Isis shared the feeling with Michael when they nodded and looked at a sleeping Cynthia to hide the small smile on their face. They continued their session, basking in the sweetness of each other's essence.