07.

When Michael woke up the next day he felt so fresh and full of energy like he hadn't felt for too long.

He stood up from the bed, opened the window and breathed the fresh morning air. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and everything was just so full of life. He took a quick shower and went to the kitchen to grab something for breakfast. He had just finished eating when Michelle jogged down the stairs. He couldn't help the smile on his face when he saw her. She greeted him cheerfully and took a banana getting herself comfortable on one of the chairs.

"Thank you for taking care of me and for that massage." He said smiling.

"You're welcome." She replied taking a bite from the banana. "If I've learned anything from my dad it's that if I have some physical problem the medicines should be my very last option and I should turn to the natural cures first. Mother Nature gave us everything we need. We should learn how to use and preserve it."

"So..you've never took any medicines?!" He asked a bit surprised.

"Oh, I have. When I was a little kid I'd get sick every so often. My grandfather and my mother used to give me antibiotics and many other different pills. Even when I had only a simple headache, because I used to often have a headache, they'd give me a really strong pill that would make me sleepy. At one point however I stopped taking pills for every little thing. Now I don't take pills even when I've got a headache and actually my headaches have become rarity lately."

For a moment Michael was at a loss for words. Michelle finished her banana and threw the remains into the bucket and looked at him.

"So, what you've got planned for today?!"

He gave her a bright smile.

"I want to show you something special."

"Special you say. Does it involve water by any chance?!" She asked raising her eyebrow with a smirk.

Michael laughed.

"No, it doesn't. Just come with me."

"Ok, ok." She nodded and followed him out of the house.

The started walking on a path that was vaguely familiar to her.

"The other day when your family was here I took a walk outside and I think that was the same path I took." She said a matter of factly.

"Well now you're walking here with me so I will be your personal guide." He said smiling.

She only smirked to that.

They carried on walking when they reached the same tree she had climbed that night.

"And I reached that tree the other day as well. I love climbing trees so I climbed up to the top were l made myself comfortable and I.." She trailed off remembering how much she had cried that night. "..I cried my eyes out."

A barely visible trace of pain ran through Michael's face for a second.

"What did you cry for?"

She shrugged.

"Everything."

"What do you mean?"

"Well I.." She sighed. "My whole life has always been hell. Always. Until I finally ran away and you helped me in the storm." Michelle took a deep breath to hold back the tears that threatened to fill her eyes and spill on her cheeks. "That night you practically saved my life, Michael. Everything could've happened to me. I could've been raped or even killed."

A single tear rolled down her cheek but she carried on talking. He shook his head with teary eyes and tried to say something but she motioned for him to let her speak.

"Then you showed up. You stopped your car and offered me a lift even though you didn't know me. Even after I insulted you very badly you didn't leave and when I fainted you brought me here. You helped me. You took me in, you gave me food, you even introduced me to a part of your family." She wiped her wet face taking a breath. "You did so much for me that I don't know how I'd ever be able to thank you for your kindness."

More tears rolled down her face and she didn't even try to stop them.

"And I'm sorry for letting my emotions to take the best of me-" She motioned to her wet face. "- but no one has ever done what you did for me these couple of days."

He pulled her in a tight hug and when he let go he gently wiped her eyes.

"No more tears."

She nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Now..up for a race?" He pointed up to the tree with a smirk.

"You are on." She grinned.

After a couple of minutes they were both at the top of the tree.

"I win." Michelle smirked sticking her tongue out to him.

"You wish." He replied doing the same.

"So..you said you wanted to show me something special. Did you mean this tree?"

"Mhmm. I call it my 'giving' tree." He nodded with a smile.

"Your 'giving' tree?"

"Yeah. It gives me inspiration for.." Suddenly he stopped talking. He couldn't tell her he was a singer and songwriter. "Well it inspires me to be more creative and productive."

"So..are you a writer or something?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"What do you write?"

"Do we really have to talk about that and spoil the beautiful moment?!"

"Well, you know everything about me. I think it's only fair for me to know something about you. But if you're not ready to tell me or you don't want to, then it's ok."

"It's not that." He shook his head.

She didn't respond waiting for him to keep talking.

"Ok, ok, here we go. I uh..I write songs." He said eventually.

"Really?! That's awesome." She gave him a bright smile. "And do you sing the songs you write? Or you're just writing them for other singers?"

"I do sing the songs I write." And everyone else but you know me as the King of Pop, he doesn't say.

"Would you sing something for me? If that's not too much to ask of course."

"No, it's not." He slowly answered.

He wondered what could he possibly sing that she wouldn't recognize. Finally he decided to sing a bit of a new song he was working on.

But the power's in believing

So give yourself a chance

'Cause you can

Climb the highest mountain

Swim the deepest sea,

All you need is the will to want it

And uhh, little self-esteem

So keep the faith

Don't let nobody turn you 'round

You gotta know when it's good to go

To get your dreams up off the ground

Keep the faith, baby, yeah

Because it's just

A matter Of time

Before your confidence will win out

Believe in yourself

No matter what it's gon' take

You can be a winner

But you got to keep the faith

When he finished singing he noticed she was staring at him with eyes wide open.

"Wow." She said. "That was amazing! You have a hell of a voice!"

Redness rushed to his cheeks.

"Thanks." He said only.

"You're probably quite famous." She smiled.

He nodded sighing.

"You could say that, yeah." I'm probably the most famous person on the planet, he doesn't finish.

Michelle sighed quietly to herself.

"I wish I could sing you know."

He turned his head to look at her direction.

"Really?!"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I mean..music is one of the greatest arts and it's universal and it's just..magical. And I wish I had it in me, but oh well..I guess when I was being created God had other plans for me."

She sighed.

"I used to play the piano though. When I was little. But I hated it because if I didn't want to play the piano or I played the wrong notes.." She closed her eyes taking a breath. "..well let's just say my grandfather wouldn't spare me."

Michael felt a familiar pain burst into his heart and went back to his own memories.

"I'm not daddy, I'm Joseph to you!"

Even to this very day he was still shaking from the echo of his father's voice.

His father pulled his belt from his pants and the frightened kid shivered knowing exactly what was about to follow.

He still felt his body burn from all the beatings he'd once suffered as a kid. The scars on his flesh had long healed but the wounds in his soul would remain forever. Michelle reached and touched his hand gently. He jumped a bit feeling her touch then slowly relaxed.

"Are you ok?!" She asked him, eyes filled with concern.

He nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry if I've upset you with something I've said."

"You didn't." He said, trying to give her a smile. "Everything's fine, really."

But she couldn't be fooled so easily by his fake smile, especially after noticing his eyes had filled with mist.

"Look, I don't know what upset you but I can see the pain in your eyes. I won't try to make you tell me about it, but I want you to know that if you ever want to talk about it, I'm always here to listen."

She stood up from the branch she was sitting at and kissed his forehead before climbing down the tree.

"I'll go and make us something for dinner." She spoke loudly up at his direction and hurried on the direction of the house.

Feeling the tears filling his eyes he let them roll down his cheeks. All the painful memories of his childhood and of his father rolled in front of his eyes like a slow motion movie and he cried his heart out, letting the tears wash away every negative feeling inside him. The coldness he'd felt for so long was now slowly replaced by unfamiliar but tempting and humble and comforting warmth. Warmth that someone was giving him freely not wanting anything in return. When he stopped crying he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand feeling strangely light as if he'd been carrying a heavy burden that was now finally lifted off.

He climbed down the tree heading towards the house and walking past the lake he splashed some water on his face before carrying on his way. He pushed the door open and a scent of something cooking hit his nostrils.

Scent of well done vegetables, of freshly squeezed fruits and of home.

He looked at Michelle pouring orange juice in two glasses and laying the table for dinner. Her hair was no longer down but was up in a ponytail and her green eyes were glimmering from the smile on her face while she was humming quietly some unfamiliar song and cheerfully moving around the kitchen. Michael couldn't help the smile on his face and two barely visible red spots appeared on his cheeks because he felt ashamed of what he was beginning to feel for her. It was more than friendship or brother-sister thing. It was stronger than that, something he'd never experienced before.

And he wasn't sure if he liked it.