Watching | Michael Jackson *HEAVILY EDITING* ✓

Chapter 16. The Return

Michael's POV:

   The sheer shock and horror that spreads across my body is numbing.

This can't be real.

Lisa Marie Presley is standing in front of me, alive and well. 

Janet, Austin, and I all share a look of unbelievable confusion at the sight of her standing in front of us, a devilish grin spread across her face. Flashbacks of the day I pushed her off the cliff fill my mind, and it's only then that I recall something from the research I had done with Tatiana—vampires can only be killed by putting a wooden stake dipped in the blood of a newborn the creator turned through their heart.

But I saw her—she was dead!

"What's wrong, Mike? You look like you've seen a ghost," Lisa purrs as she walks up to our circle, causing all of us to hiss.

"I killed you," I spit, sending daggers her way. But in my heart, I realize now that I was naïve back then and wasn't as careful as I should have been.

Lisa chuckles and paces back and forth, saying, "No, you didn't. You only rendered me unconscious. But of course, how could you possibly know any better? Hell, even I thought I was dead at the bottom of that cliff. But the powers that we hold with this immortal form are far more than we could have possibly imagined." As she says that, the house shakes, and before we know it, newborn vampires collapse in from the roof, circling in on us.

"You're the one who's been killing all of those people!" Tatiana yells in horror as she looks around the room at all of beings who are now no longer human. There must be fifty of them.

"Why yes, yes I am," Lisa smiles sadistically. "And it was so much fun too! I would never have gotten the idea to kill Jara and Don if it wasn't for your perfectly crafted research, Tatiana. So consider their blood on your hands." 

I quickly gaze over at Tatiana whose eyes are now glued to the floor, her face strewn with guilt.

"Don't you dare try and blame Tatiana for the horrors you've committed!" Austin yells angrily, taking the words right out of my mouth.

"Austin. What a sight—you've finally made up with Michael, have you? Too bad you mean nothing to any of them," Lisa starts, materializing behind Austin who's at the back of the circle formation around me so that her hands are sliding down his chest. "They don't care about you. They never did and they never will." 

Austin attempts to attack Lisa, but she materializes in front of me again.

Lisa then focuses on me, trying to run her hand against my cheek as she says, "Oh, Michael. How I've missed you dearly."

I hiss at her again. "Back off!"

"I don't think so, sweetheart. We're supposed to be together," she smiles demonically. "We're meant to live for eternity together."

"You're a lunatic!" Janet shouts, showing her fangs aggressively.

Lisa turns her attention to Janet, looking her up and down before saying, "Death looks better on your brothers." 

The anger and annoyance that spills from Janet's face could kill a man.

Lisa returns her focus to me. "But before you're mine again, I have to get rid of one little problem first." 

She looks at Tatiana and I know that she's going to hurt her. 

Both Janet and Austin shoot a look my way. 

I quickly do my best to get into Tatiana's head where I say "Tatiana, you have to run." 

Tatiana looks over at me confused as she realizes I didn't actually speak but sent a telepathic message to her—a new feature I learned from the research. Her face tells me she doesn't want to leave.