You Are Not Alone

This had been the longest four days of Lily's life. The first two days were spent with her and Carrie shopping for their outfits. The other two were spent listening to nothing but Michael Jackson and watching his short films over and over. Needless to say, they were driving her parents up the metaphorical wall. Finally, the day came. Today, Lily would watch her idol perform live and even meet him face to face.

A few hours before they needed to leave, the girls began their task of getting ready. They took their turns in the shower, did their makeup and did each other's hair. By the time they were dressed, it was time to leave.

They took a taxi to Parken Stadium. The driver laughed at how excited they were. They talked excitedly, wondering what songs they would hear. They could barely keep still! Carrie grabbed Lily's arm, pointing out the window. They were parking in front of the large stadium. Paying the fare, Lily and Carrie climbed out of the taxi. Waving and telling the girls to have a good time, he pulled away.

"I'm so nervous!" Lily exclaimed. It felt like a swarm of butterflies had been let loose in the pit of her stomach.

"What for? It's not like you have to perform in front of thousands of people!" Carrie said with a laugh.

"True, but we are going to meet him backstage. I just hope I remember how to speak English!" Lily retorted. She was only half joking.

"Don't worry! I'll be there to stop you if you start to make a fool of yourself," Carrie supplied, helpfully.

"Gee, thanks! What would I do without you, Carrie?" Lily asked, sarcastically.

"Your life would be dull and empty," Carrie said, sticking her tongue out. Lily laughed as she linked their arms. Walking towards the line.

The girls had arrived just as the doors were being opened. Slowly, the girls made their way to the front row.

2 Hours Later

After waiting a couple of hours, the lights in the stadium went out. The sound of chatter was replaced with screaming. Everyone's attention was soon directed towards the large screens at the front of the arena. Michael, wearing a helmet, was riding in some kind of white capsule, like a roller coaster. After the video, a real life version of the capsule rose from the bottom of the stage. The volume in the stadium was deafening. Lily was sure she'd be deaf by the end of the night. After several seconds of nothing, the front of the capsule was kicked off, revealing Michael. He was dressed in gold from head to toe. He was wearing the gold helmet from the video as well as a gold breastplate and armour on his arms and legs. Michael stood motionless, for what seemed like forever, but was really about thirty seconds. Finally, looking off to the side, he climbed down and onto the stage. As impossible as it seemed, the noise of the crowd climbed even higher.

The beginning sounds of "Scream" boomed through the speakers as Michael removed his breastplate. Tossing it into the pit in front of the stage, he turned his back to the crowd. Slowly removing his helmet, he faced the crowd once again, tossing it into the pit as well. Lily couldn't take her eyes off of him. The way he moved and sang was almost unreal. He was larger than life!

Next came "They Don't Care About Us". Lily marvelled at the military style choreography. She could have fainted at the deep voice he spoke with during "In the Closet." That song was sex. Plain and simple! When the song ended, Michael struck a pose. Two men then ran out, removing the armour from his arms and legs. Lily now had an even better view of those gold pants. She really wanted to shake the hand of whoever made them. It shouldn't even be legal for someone to look that good!

Michael told the audience he loved them a few times. This only served to make everyone scream louder. He vocalized with the crowd, as they echoed it back every time. Suddenly, he signaled to the band and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" began to play. Michael worked the stage like the pro he was. He glided sideways, kicked his leg out, shuffled like James Brown, thrust his pelvis and there was plenty of crotch grabbing going on. No one could move like Michael could!

When the song ended, Michael opened his gold jacket, revealing a white, v-neck t-shirt. The opening beats of "Stanger In Moscow" began. It amazed Lily how Michael could use his body to interpret any song. He made small, robotic movements, mimed, moonwalked and glided across the stage. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. When the song was over, Michael was lowered beneath the stage.

A few minutes later, his dancers came on the stage. The men were wearing suits and fedoras. There were two women, wearing short, silk dresses. One wearing red, the other green. They danced to slow, instrumental music for a few minutes. Suddenly, the background singers started chanting: "Annie are you okay? Are you okay, Annie?" Their voices getting progressively faster and louder. All the sudden, the sound of a machine gun rang out, as Michael was lifted back up to the stage. He was holding a prop machine gun. He was still wearing those gold pants. However, he now wore a blue silk shirt with a white tie and jacket. The jacket had a blue band on the right arm. He was also wearing a white fedora with a black band around it.

Tossing the gun off to the side, a white curtain lowered from the ceiling, spanning the length of the stage. A spotlight behind it caused Michael's silhouette to tower over the stage. He danced to a continuous note and the sound of finger snaps. As the opening guitar riff of "Smooth Criminal" began, the lights flashed as the curtain came down. Michael walked to the front of the stage. Lily and Carrie smiled at each other. They loved this song. They had even performed the song and choreography together in dance class for an assignment. The two friends sang along to every word, dancing to the choreography where they stood. She was so into her dancing that she didn't notice a pair of brown eyes watching her. Lily stopped when Carrie shook her arm, trying to get her attention. Carrie didn't say anything, she just pointed towards the stage. When Lily looked at Michael, he was singing and dancing, just as she expected.

"What?" Lily asked, confused.

"Michael was totally watching you a minute ago, I swear!" Carrie shouted over the music.

"He was probably looking behind us", Lily replied, doubtfully. Carrie just shook her head and turned her attention back to the stage.

At the end of the song, Michae buttoned his jacket and sauntered off of the stage, looking, in Lily's opinion, like a complete bad-ass.

After several minutes, "You Are Not Alone" began to play. Lily was so happy he was performing one of her favorite songs. His voice could be heard before he came back on stage. When Michael did appear, he was wearing something different. Now he wore a long sleeved, see-through, black shirt. It was open, revealing his white t-shirt. Lily was glad to still see those gold pants. She really couldn't help but love them. Not that anyone would blame her!

Lily had watched videos on Youtube of Michael performing this song at other concerts. She smirked, wondering which lucky girl would get to dance with him on stage. Hopefully, they wouldn't make a complete fool of themselves. She had seen some real psychos. It seemed as if their dignity had visibly fallen off of their bodies and onto the stage. Their limbs flailing in different directions as they were forcefully carried off the stage. Lily, along with the rest of the crowd, was waving her arms to the slow beat of the song. She was singing along happily, but she didn't get to enjoy the song for very long. A security guard came to stand in front of her, then proceeded to lift her over the barrier.

Holy shit! I'm the crazy fan who's gonna make a fool of herself! Lily thought nervously. The security guard was running towards the stage, pulling her along. When they arrived at the short set of stairs, Lily froze.

"Well, get on up there, darlin'. Michael's waitin' for ya!" said the man. An amused smirk on his face. Lily could only nod dumbly.

Grasping the railing, Lily slowly climbed the stairs. The entire time, she was willing her legs not to give out on her. Praying that she wouldn't make a fool of herself. If she did, there was no way she'd be able to face him backstage. After climbing for what seemed like an eternity, Lily's feet were finally planted on the stage.

Michael turned to her and smiled. Holding his hand out to her, Lily slowly reached hers out. Lily could have sworn a shock travelled up her arm when their hands touched. She didn't have much time to dwell on her thought. Michael pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. He smelled faintly of cologne and sweat. It was intoxicating to her. Michael began to dance them in a circle. Lily was pretty sure this was heaven. Suddenly, he pulled away from her, still holding her hand. She couldn't stop a giggle from escaping when he twirled under her arm and spun them around quickly. He must have heard her, because he pulled back and smiled at her. Blushing, Lily wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to hide her embarrassment. Michael continued to dance with her tightly wrapped in his arms. Knowing she would be pulled away any second, Lily reached her lips to his ear and whispered, "Happy birthday". Michael gave her a surprised smile. Lily wasn't prepared for the small kiss he placed on her cheek. She could die in the next minute and she'd be more than okay with it. At least she'd die happy! A matter of seconds later, a security guard came up and pulled her away. Lily was glad she kept her dignity and went willingly.

When Lily reached her seat, Carrie was going crazy. She kept asking what Lily had said to him, and if he said anything back. Lily was embarrassed to know that Carrie had caught the kiss as well. Lily couldn't really respond to her friend's questions. She was in a daze.

After the song ended, the crew gave Michael a birthday surprise. A marching band came out, they brought out a huge cake and the audience sang to him. Lily could tell how touched Michael was. His reaction was probably the cutest thing she had ever seen.

A little over an hour later, the concert was over. After a while, the arena began to clear out. Lily and Carrie found a security guard and showed him their backstage passes. He nodded and led them backstage with the rest of the lucky backstage guests. Surprisingly, there were only a few of them. It seemed that they were letting two or three people into a room at a time. Counting Lily and Carrie, there were only eight people. The first six went in two groups of three. After about an hour, it was the girls' turn.

There are those damn butterflies again, thought Lily, as she and Carrie were ushered into the room.