The Neverland Inn : One-Shot Collection

Partner Polygraph

Dee comes in the door with her school bag in hand and a thought on her mind. She winces even letting it brush across her thoughts and she sits down in the parlor. Bed and Breakfast season was fast approaching and she needed to pass the winter final in classes, if not, studying for remedials and trying to uphold the girls' business was not something she was in line for. She goes over the interary for the last project for her psychology course. A partner project. She had one partner in mind but inorder for the assignment to get finished in a weeks time, partner work had to be done in the evenings. Dee sighs and she looks around the room for the head of manor himself.
"Michael...can we talk?" She calls out beginning to enter the foyer and trek up the stairs with her head on a swivel. There, before her, appeared Mike at the top of the stairs. He sat with his back to the bannister and legs crossed over the top step.
"What's on your mind Dee?"
Dee notices him and blinks asking,
"Where's the girls?"
Michael answers after remembering, "Oh they went out for some pizza to bring home. Anything you need?"
In his hands he held a silver, jingling slinky and he places it on the very top of the staircase.
"Pardon me.." he says before continuing and watches the metal toy flip flop down each step.
"That's still so neat, I love science..anyhow..carry on Dee.."
She snickers seeing him so cute and asks with her eyes closed, "You watched the Ace Ventura movie again didn't you??"
He blushes getting caught and twines his arms, "No. Everyone knows that slinky's go down steps. I just wish I had all those steps that Jim Carrey had in the movie.."
He pouts almost and Dee shakes her head amused. She sits beside him and shows him her paper interary.
He skims over it with his silver eyes and he comments, "Oooooo partner polygraph, this sounds interesting. But I'm not quite sure how a polygraph would work on me at this point darling.."
She chuckles and says, "I was wanting to ask you if I could bring my partner to the house for the project. It would really save us some time.."
Michael shrugs,
"Sure, I don't mind. I love to observe new people. What's her name?"
Dee shrinks and cringes. This is the part she dreaded telling Michael. Even though the girls were never lucky enough to have met Michael in his life, in his death they were precious to him for revitalizing Neverland. He protected them in the closest fatherly way. He would tear the heads off of anyone who could be a possible threat.
"Umm. Its a guy Michael.."
He immediately looks to her with irritation already and she tries, "Please don't...no..michael don't make that fa-"
Michael holds up a hand to stop her from arguing,
"First of all...No. Second of all..hell no. That is the perfect set up for some leech to come in here and take advantage of you. Dee you are too pretty and too smart! He thinks he's gonna swoop right in!"
Dee sighs now in her best effort of convincing him,
"But Michael. He's the only one I talk to in psychology! Pleeease.."
Dee makes a puppy dog pair of eyes and makes sure to wiggle her lip.
He groans being persuaded and he thinks more with his eyes still heavily on her begging face and he mutters,
"Dee. If this guy tries anything slick, I'll gonna pull some authentic boogeyman stuff. Is that clear?"
She nods, beaming happy but containing a yelp. She smiles and hugs his cold neck strongly, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mike!!"
She kisses his cheek and he adds, "Oh don't sugar me up. I already said yes."
She giggles and goes immediately to the phone to call up her partner Levi.
~~2 days later, Nine minutes before the first study session~~
"So.. Dee.." Faith begins examining as Dee did her best at a lipgloss job to the compact mirror in her hand.
Michael watched her with a shaking head and he snaps being protective,
"Dee you ain't kissing nobody today! Give it a rest!!"
She slams the compact shut, looking to him while complying to the rules.
"Dee.." Faith tries again and says, "You're telling me you don't like this guy? And he don't like you? But y'all are gonna hang out alone and do this project?"
Shan winces and says,
"I smell a rat.."
Dee pleads with her head down, "You say 'alone' like it's a date. Its nothing. Its two classmates trying to pass a class. Now look, if I don't get an A, it's gonna nose dive my gpa. Its nothing. I promise."
Dee took in a deep breath as Michael sat in the corner in his white suit and says, "I'll believe it when I see it..."
He scoffs and looks out the blinds, "Levi...what kind of name is that anyway?"
The girls giggle and Faith remarks,
"Someone sounds salty over there? Mad and salty. Someone doesn't like his girls having male company?"
He gawks his eyes to her and says,
"Damn skippy. You girls are my like my god daughters from beyond the grave. I can't let some guy waltz in here with his chest puffed out trying to take that from me! I forbid it.."
They all giggle and Michael looks to the ground listening in their chatter. He listened supernaturally to the tires in the gravel making a racket.
"Someone's here.." he says with his eyes moving side to side.
Dee checks the time and she says, "It might be him."
She goes to the foyers window and sees a blue Ford escort in the driveway and Michael laughs, "Nice Dee...."
Dee rolls her eyes as Shan and Faith disappear, laughing too hard. She opens the door and meets Levi in the circled off drive way.
He opens the car door and stands from the seat with a gym bag.
He smiles seeing Dee and Michael watched him hidden through the curtain. He mutters bitterly as he lets his body become invisible. He used his projection ability to only let the girls see his apparition.
"Don't you do it.." he growled, "Dee don't hug him.."
He sees them share an awkward half embrace and Levi swings the bag over his shoulder, one ear bud still in his ear.
"I know you don't work out, limp noodle looking thing." Michael curls his lip with more aggravation and Dee begins leading him up to the house. Dee liked this boy, he could already tell and he meets her at the door.
She walks in first and Michael says to her,
"Good thing your using a lie detector today, Dee. This thing is already lying about something..."
Dee keeps her eyes to Levi as she hears Michael but has to act normal, "You can change in that bathroom upstairs. Third door on your left."
Levi swishes his warm brown hair to the side and says, "Phew. I might get lost. This place is pretty big. I might be right back.."
Michael scoffs to him and Dee keeps her eyes averted until Levi has gone up the stairs and past the corner.
She lets go of a breath and Michael says, "I don't trust him, Dee.."
She looks to him and talks soft, "You're making this hard, Michael. Please, just trust that I've done the right thing here."
Michael looks to her now on the defense and says, "Dee, that scrawny thing don't go to the gym.."
Dee sighs again now arguing, "Will you just give it a rest and please give him a chance!" Levi comes back from around the corner and she acts normal. Michael closes his eyes and lets his apparition stand still. He goes into a mist and Dee's eyes widen. Michael was reading his mind and Dee could say nothing.
She coughs in her hand in hopes to get Michael to stop and Levi asks now in jeans and a band tee, "So how many living rooms do you have in this place?"
Michael comes back to full form and he says to Dee, spitting, "Nuh-uh, Dee you take him to the kitchen. Living room means sofa and sofa means sitting too close."
Dee smiles to Levi and says, "Only three. Here, we'll use the parlor in the west wing."
He follows her and Michael follows them like a bulldog. They sat on the sofa but Michael sat on the coffee table staring daggers into Levi. Dee pulls out her psychology book and opens to a page of reference. Little did she know, Levi's eyes began to wander to down her open blouse and Michael growls to Dee.
"Damn it, if I were alive he'd be dead. Hey buddy what are you looking at huh?"
Levi takes his hand and pulls at the charm around Dee's neck.
"This is cool. Is this a symbol or something?"
Her goodluck necklace was always Michaels initials molded into one and it hung surprisingly below her collar. "Oh yeah. Its the Jackson emblem. Neat isn't it ?" Dee cuts her eyes to Michael but
Michael scoffs and says spitting, "Yeah dude. Use that excuse."
They studied some more and Dee began setting up the polygraph on the coffee table. She asked Michael to move with her eyes and he complies.
"So Dee.." Levi asks and she turns as she callobrates the needle,
"Is it weird living in a dead pop stars house?"
Michael's head goes back in disbelief to his rudeness and he groans, "Oh...this guy."
Dee shrugs answering and she says while focused, "Oh no. Not at all. Michael is-"
She stops herself and shakes her head correcting, "Was an amazing human being and I think his home is beautiful. Its not weird."
Levi snickers and says,
"Well I mean, the guy was a little flamboyant don't ya think?"
Dee begins to cut her eyes and Michael stands now offended.
"Dee, that boogeyman shit is about to happen."
Dee winces and she asks Levi as she finally finishes her preparing, "Oh..I mean, I suppose but Michael was so loving. I'm really his biggest fan."
Levi chuckles and then Dee goes to plug in the polygraphs cord into an outlet, she bends over and immediately Levi's eyes zoom to her skirt trailing up. Michael becomes fed up and he knocks a picture off the wall with a loud crash.
Levi turns scared and asks, "Oh god. What happened?"
Dee glares her eyes to Mike as he stood there smirking. She sighs acting, "They do that all the time. One draft will do it I tell ya.."
She picks the picture back up and Michael whispers, "He's gonna drive me up the wall, Dee. I'm not kidding, he's here to get with you.."
Dee pays him no mind, tilting the frame on the wall just right and she says to begin,
"Alright. Lets get started."