Book 4- 1968 (Michael Jackson)

Chapter 21-Phase Three

                Chapter 21- Phase Three

                Date: ?

                Time: ?

                KAYLA'S POV

I felt a strange tickling sensation on the balls of my feet. I squirmed, attempting not to burst out in an uproar of laughter. Anyone who knows me knows just how ticklish I am. Unfortunately, I’m not very graceful, so I often end up inadvertently injuring someone or something in the process.

It only took a moment for me to give up. “Oh… stop!! Stop! Just-agh!” I snapped to full consciousness and reached down to pry whatever was “stimulating” my foot away from it. When it finally did, it-or should I say, he- spoke to me.

“You’re up.” It was Michael, goofing around as always. He stifled back a giggle as he added, “C’mon, we’re being checked… I think. Who is it that we’ve got this time? Isn’t her name Sasha? Or are we done with her?”

I grudgingly opened my left eyelid. “Someone’s a Chatty Cathy tonight… Yeah, I think we don’t have Sasha anymore. Otherwise, we’d have been given our least favorite challenges by now. You should know that best, with the countless Rubik’s cubes that you encountered.”

His breathing pattern became shorter, more acute. “Yeah. I know now…” He paused, as if to recall all of the Rubik’s cubes that he wept over, trying to get in the right configuration. “And you, with all of the woodwork. Remember how many splinters you got?”

“Too many.” I shook my head in disgust. One thing I hated above all was woodworking and woodshop. Before my journey with Michael, I took a Woodshop Class in high school. Part of the reason why I loathe woodworking in all ways is because of that class, and especially the teacher.

But, of course, that’s another story.

“Yeah… Glad that’s over now.”

“Well, what do you think we should do? Have you seen any doors yet?” I sat up and scanned the room to see if I could find any openings.

“No, but I’ve not seen much. When I saw you, I freaked out and woke you up.”

“Okay… Well, then, I guess we better start searching for some opening. I think our “checker” or whatever you wanna call them by would have been here by now.”

“Hmm…”

I narrowed my eyes, stopping my search in its tracks. “What’s that s’posed to mean? And why are you still wearing those aviators? I swear, they’re going to be the death of me, Michael.”

He laughed evilly. “What? You don’t like them?”

A gave him the death glare. “I can’t see your eyes! It’s like I’m talking to an inanimate object, not a human!”

He added another chortle. “Still keeping ‘em.”

“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m still searching for an exit… Are you going to join me?”

“Yeah, I’ll get this end. You going over there?” He pointed to the other end of the room with his index finger.

“Mmhmm…” I half-skipped across the room, checking out every little crevasse of the room. With every little skip, I let my arms sway from side to side, just because I felt like it. I’ll bet that it must’ve looked funny to Michael, me skipping like a third-grade schoolgirl. I’d have probably laughed at myself, too.

“Hey, Kayla?” Michael was eyeing something in the corner opposite to me. “I think I found our way out.”

“Ah, did you find a door?”