(18+) RED (Complete)

Ch. 67: Different life

I loved the bubble Michael and I were in at Neverland, as much as I hated when it burst afterwards. Because it was true what Michael told me. It was everywhere on the news, and I cringed when I saw an old school photo from a couple of years back, taken on a day I looked like something someone had dragged up from the bottom of the ocean. Then there was a photo of Gabby and I, and I wondered where and how on earth they got that. Did Gabby sell it to them? But luckily, most of the published pictures were the ones Michael arranged in front of the ferris wheel.

He was so proud of his theme park, that was close to being completed just the way he had in mind, and it showed through his eyes in the pictures that were taken. The photographer teased him and blamed me for his extremely good mood, and called me cute for being so shy in front of the camera, which only made me more embarrassed than I already was. But thanks to Michael, things didn't get too awkward.

What was awkward though, was when I met the three men who were going to be my bodyguards. Depending on the need, they would take turns on following me around like guard dogs, unless it was something special. Then all three of them would be there, and perhaps a few more as well. But that would probably only be when I was together with Michael anyway.

There were also other security factors that were being taken care of. Locks and alarms transformed both auntie Dorothy's and my parent's house into miniature fortresses, and auntie Dorothy called and was hysteric because she'd gone all ninja on the two young men who came to her with wires, monitors and whatnot. Michael promised to apologize to them and make them go back, while he tried to hide that he was laughing his ass off. I didn't. I knew exactly how terrifying she could be when she was like that. Nevertheless, Michael convinced me that it was necessary, so we quickly accepted it. I still had the encounter with Veronica fresh in mind, after all.

It was starting to annoy me that Michael seemed to be avoiding the questions I asked about that woman. He admitted that they hadn't found her yet, but claimed that they knew where she was and that they would bring her to the police station tomorrow. But his eyes dodged mine when he said that, and he suddenly got very busy trying to find a flower he could put in my hair. Of course that was nice and all, but it didn't erase the feeling I had that something was off about the situation. If they knew where she was, then why didn't they bring her in already?

"Are you nervous?" Michael asked. I was, but probably not for the reason I should. It  was Michael's new chef. She looked too much like Veronica for my liking, although her hair was more chestnut and she had freckles. She also had a very distinct British accent and blue eyes, and she didn't look at me the way Veronica did. This girl seemed nice. Eerily nice, according to my paranoia.

"A little bit," I answered and scowled at another girl, a maid of some sort, who was making sure the giant dining table was set to perfection. And when a third one came in with carafes in her hands, filled with ice cold water and a few pieces of sliced lemon, I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from scoffing. Why did Michael always surround himself with such beautiful, young women?

"Don't be. My family already loves you," he replied with a smile.

"How can you say that? They haven't even met me yet."

"Oh, trust me. They love you."

I rolled my eyes when he didn't see, but giggled a bit anyway. He seemed so sure of himself and so eager to have them over, that I half expected him to start jumping up and down and clap his hands. Then suddenly something snapped in my brain. His family...

"Holy shit..." I mumbled.

"Is there something wrong?"

How did I not realize who his family was until five minutes before they were supposed to arrive? This wasn't me meeting Benjamin's sister and dad, with my aunt as moral support. This was me meeting the legendary Jackson family! The entire pack!