Chapter 11,

February 1, 2004,

I was sitting in our huge four-bedroom hotel room when dad woke up and came into the sitting area. He took a piece of gum out of his pocket and put it in his mouth. Prince and Paris walked over and sat down in between the two of us. Dad said "there's going to be someone coming here today to talk to you guys about some things." I said "I already know what they are going to talk to us about and I think it is so stupid!" He said "I know you do but; you have to talk to them… There's no way around it, trust me… I tried to negotiate a deal but it didn't work." Prince asked "what's AJ talking about daddy?" Dad said "nothing Prince; just make sure that you tell this man or woman the truth, no matter what questions he or she asks you!" I said "you don't have to worry about that; even if we wanted too, we have no reason to lie!"

About 20 minutes later, a woman walked into the room wearing a badge that said "Child protective services" on it. She looked around the hotel room and said "okay; I think I will question the two younger children first and then come back to question the oldest one." I arrogantly asked "you do know that I have a name; right?" Dad gave me a look of shock because he couldn't believe what had just come out of my mouth. The woman didn't say anything as she directed Prince and Paris into a separate room. Dad said as the woman shut the door "don't talk like that to anyone! Especially; someone with a job like hers!" I said with my arms crossed and feet propped up on the coffee table "I'm just trying to make it very clear that I don't want her here!" He said "I don't care! You are digging me into a deeper and deeper hole that's going to be really hard for me to get out of!"

The woman came back a half an hour later and said "all right it's your turn." I said as I got up and followed her into the other room "alright; I just want to get this over with!" She shut the door and sat down. She said "my name is Andrea; what's yours?" I said "AJ" and sat down in the chair across from her." She asked "do you know why I'm here today?" I said "because someone lied." She said "how do you know that they lied?" I said "because my father would never ever do anything like that!" She said "I'm not here to get your dad in trouble in any way; I just want to make sure that you kids are safe here!" I said "yeah; that's what you say now but; I know what all of you are really after… Don't act like you're not either! I know more than you think I do!"

She asked me a series of absolutely disgusting questions and I answered each one with a "no." As time went by; the questions got harder and harder to listen to. At one point, I said "every answer to these questions will be a no so; can I be done here!" She wouldn't let me leave and it was getting point where I couldn't handle listening to anything coming out of her mouth anymore. She kept me in the longest; I'm assuming because I am the oldest and she could asked me more detailed types of questions.

Almost an hour later she said "okay I think I've asked you everything that I need to know. I'll give you my number and you call it if you ever feel in danger!" I took it and the two of us walked out room. She said "alright Mr. Jackson; I have all the information that I need and I'd like to thank you for allowing me to interview her children!" He said as he shook her hand "you're welcome and I hope this clears everything up!" She shut the door and I felt so relieved that she was finally gone!

Dad looked at me and I was all shaken up. He asked "how did it go?" Before I could answer him; I ran to the bathroom and started violently throwing up. He ran after me and asked "are you okay?" I stood up and said "daddy; you can't ever make me be interviewed like that again!" He said as we walked into one of the bedrooms that were in our hotel room "let's talk about it then." We both sat down in the recliners and I said "it was so gross daddy! The questions she asked me are things I hope I never hear again for as long as I live!" He said "I knew that they would ask you the hardest questions because you understand more than Prince and Paris do! That's why I tried to get all three of you out of it! I only went along with it because I had no other choice! I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that and I don't think anyone will have to question you again." I said "I hope you're right because that made me physically sick… Hearing her ask me if I ever saw anything wrong going on between you and Gavin. I tried to get her to stop going into so much detail about specifics but; she wouldn't listen to me!" He hugged me and said while trying not to cry "I'm so sorry!!!"

February 13, 2004,

Today is Prince's 7th birthday and I'm curious to see what dad has planned since we are not at home. I woke up this morning and went out to Prince's bedroom in our hotel room and woke him up. When he opened his eyes I said "happy birthday Prince!" He said "thanks; is daddy awake yet?" I said "yeah; he just woke up about five minutes ago." Prince got out of bed and walked into the corner kitchen. He looked at the pancake batter and chocolate chips on the counter and said "yes!" I said while laughing "I know; I said the same thing when I saw that!"

Dad walked over to us and put his hands on each of our shoulders. We turned around and dad said "happy birthday Apple head!" Prince said "thank you daddy!" Dad said "that pancake batter on the counter is extra just in case we need it. I had Grace start making pancakes and their almost done! I'm going to wake up Paris and Blanket, I'll be right back!"


Dad came back into the room carrying Blanket in one arm and holding hands with Paris with the other arm. Blanket stared at me and started laughing. Dad asked while smiling at him "what's so funny?" I said "I just think it's one of those days where everything is funny; right Blanket?" Blanket said "I get down?" Dad said "no buddy; we're going to eat breakfast!" Dad put Blanket in his high chair and set the table. All of us sat down and started eating. Dad asked "Prince what you want to do today for your birthday?" Prince said "I want to ride go carts!" Dad said "alright; I'll try to find a place. If I can't; what else would you want to do?" I asked "why would we not be able to go to the go cart track?" Dad said "it's not that we can't go but; it would be hard to find a place that is willing to shut their doors so I could go with you guys without anyone else finding out."

Unfortunately, dad was unable to find a go kart track that would shut their doors so he could go with us. Prince had said that he would want to go to the movies to see "are we there yet?" Dad was able to go in disguise and he surprisingly pulled it off!"

February, 19, 2004,

I was watching my new favorite show on TV called "this suite life of Zack and Cody" on Disney channel. Dad came into my hotel bedroom and looked at the TV. He said "oh my gosh… I can't believe you're watching this again!" I said "this is a new episode; I haven't seen it yet!" He sat down next to me and said "after this, you have to take a shower and go to bed." I asked "can I watch TV until I fall asleep?" He said "as long as you're not up until three in the morning and you take your ADHD medication!" I said "I promise that I'll do what you say."

During the episode a boy came on screen and started singing. I tried my hardest not to blush but; dad caught me." He started laughing and asked "what's wrong?" I said "nothing; nothing at all!" He asked "who is that guy?" I said "Jesse McCartney!" I started blushing even worse than before and dad asked "you'll like him; don't you?" I didn't answer him at first because I was trying to come up with an excuse. I said "no… I don't know where you got that idea from!" He said "I don't know, maybe it's because your bright red and you can't even say his name without smiling! I think my tomboys got a little celebrity crush on this Jesse kid!" I covered my face with a throw pillow and said "I do not have a crush on him!" He said "yes you do! I can tell because you can't even look at him without blushing!" I said "okay; maybe I have a crush on him but; that doesn't mean I'm going to be a girlie girl; I'm tomboy all the way!" He said "I know that and I don't think that will ever change! I think I worked with that boy on "what more can I give?” When he was still in Dream Street!"

April 9, 2004,

I'm starting to get sick of living in one hotel room to the next and that's how it's been for a while now. The boredom is driving me insane and I think dad is starting to notice it as well. He has no clue where to live because he has not bought a permanent residence since Neverland Ranch back in the 1980s. I can definitely tell that dad is really stressed out because all he has done since the day after Paris's six birthday; all he has done is sleep and every once in a while come into the kitchen area to eat something.

It was the middle of the day and I was sitting at the table in our hotel room doing my schoolwork. Grace was playing with Blanket, Prince, and Paris when dad finally came out of his bedroom. He was dressed in his pajamas and his hair wasn't brushed yet. One of the things that I've always loved about him is that he never let us see how much he was struggling but; I'm old enough now to where it harder for him to hide it from me. He came over and sat down next to me. He asked "how's it going?" I said "it's going alright; why do you ask?" He said as he rubbed his eyes "I know you're not happy with the fact that we are staying in a hotel for so long! I just want you to know that I really am trying to get us out of here." I said "I know you are daddy and I'm not mad at you! I just can't take being stuck in here were too much longer!" He said "well; I'm going to check out some rental houses for us to use until after the trial ends. Do you want to go with me? It will get you out of this hotel for a while!" I said "okay… Is it just going to be the two of us?" He said "yes; we will be able to see more houses that way.”

After I finished my last page of school work, dad and I headed out into central Los Angeles to look at rental houses. A realtor brought us to house after house but; nothing seemed like a perfect fit. He always made sure wherever we were that each of us has our own bedrooms no matter what. Either the houses we visited were too small or dad thought that the rent was way too high.


April 10, 2004,

After not being able to find a temporary place for us to rent, dad is obviously frustrated and hates the fact we have to move in the first place. I was sitting in my hotel room and could hear dad cheering down the hall. I opened the door and asked "what the heck are you so happy for?" He said "we have a place to live!" I said while smiling "where?" He said "the Prince of Bahrain who is a good friend of mine just offered to let us use one of his mansions for as long as we need to." I looked at him confused and asked "so we're moving to Bahrain?" He said "yes; right on the beach too!" I said "that's going to be so awesome daddy! How are you going to be back here in Los Angeles for the trial when it starts next year?" He said "I will just travel back and forth until it's over and you guys will come with me! Oh my gosh; I'm so excited! I'll help you pack your bags because were leaving in a few hours on a private jet."

Prince and Paris came running into my room and said "we are moving to the beach!" Grace came into and asked "what is this rolled up piece of paper that was in your room Michael?" Dad said "oh yeah; I forgot to give that to you AJ! I meant to give you on your birthday but; I lost it when we were switching hotels!" I took it from Grace and unraveled it. It was a poster of Jesse McCartney and I said "thank you daddy; even though I told you that I only have a little crush on him!" Dad said "you've been listening to his CD that I got you for your birthday over and over again. For someone that only has only has a little crush on him; you sure do talk about him a lot!" Grace started laughing and said "I never thought I would see Alanna blushing over a boy!"

April 11, 2004,

We are finally here in Bahrain and it is more amazing than I could have ever imagined! Our bedrooms are three times as big as the ones we had back in Neverland. I woke up this morning and just lay in bed looking around my new bedroom. My favorite part by far is that I have my own bathroom for the first time! Then when you look out the bay window you can see the perfect view of the shore. My room is pretty much a disaster because I haven't had time to decorate or put things away due to the fact that we got here so late last night.

I got out of bed and decided to put my new Jesse McCartney poster up on the wall because I knew it would make dad happy. I grabbed a roll of tape out of one of the cardboard boxes in my room hung the poster on the wall. Dad walked in and said "I knew you would put it up!" Blanket came into my room with my dog Drake (yes, I am aware that I haven't talked about the dog in a long time!) And Drake climbed on my bed. Dad said "after we eat, Prince Al-KhalifaI coming over to welcome us to Bahrain. Don't worry, you don't have to call him that; just call him Al. That's what I call him because I always forget his name."

Just as dad said; Prince Al showed up minutes after we had finished eating breakfast and he seemed like such a nice person. He took the time to get to know each of us and he actually told me a few jokes that were really funny. He passed a set of keys to me and I asked "what are these for?" He said "they are for the gate to the outdoor basketball court! Your father told me that that's your favorite American sport." I said "that's so cool; I didn't even notice that there was a basketball court outside! Daddy; can I go play basketball?" Dad said "sure you can; just make sure that you lock the door when you leave so Blanket can't get out! “Al laughed at how excited I was and dad said "I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am to you for letting us stay here!" Al said "of course Michael; I enjoy having you here and I hope this will be the first place you perform when you stage you come back!" Dad said "without a doubt; I will! I am loving it here already and as you can tell, so are the children! Maybe if all goes well; I will stay here and live here permanently after the trial is over!"

May 7, 2004

I'm definitely getting more comfortable here in Bahrain and my typical attitude is getting back to normal. I'm not the only one who seems back to themselves because dad hasn't been depressed since we moved here and he's back to laughing and having fun. Whenever we need something, Prince Al is always willing to get it for us and for the first time in a long time I finally feel like we have our home again!

I was chasing Prince around and pinned him down on the ground. Dad said "Alanna; be careful because you are stronger than he is!" I looked down at Prince and said "say uncle, say it, say it!" He said "okay; uncle! Please let me go now!" Dad said "AJ; that's enough now!" I got up and Paris came into the kitchen. She asked "daddy; I want to find my Princess dress!" He asked "where was the last place you saw it?" Paris said as she shrugged her shoulders "I don't know." He said "that doesn't help me out at all; are you sure you don't know where it is? Did you even look for it?" Paris said "yes; all over my room!" Dad said "as soon as I'm done making lunch for everyone I will help you look for it." She said "I need it now though!" Dad looked at me and smiled. I said "oh no; if you think I'm helping her look for that you are out of your mind!" He laughed and asked "please Alanna, for me?" I would my eyes and went upstairs with Paris to her bedroom.

I looked around Paris's bedroom and toys were scattered everywhere. I could barely see the carpet and said "no wonder why you can't find it in here! It's a disaster!" She said "it's not my fault; I was looking all over for my Cinderella dress!" I said as I picked up a few T-shirts "yeah but; did you really need to take all the clothes out of your dresser and closet? Why would it be in there? I've never seen any of your dress-up stuff in there!" She said "I've put it in there before because Prince said he was going to rip it when he was mad at me one time!" I asked "how do you expect me to find it in all this mess?" She said "daddy always finds stuff when it's missing!" I said "yeah well; I'm not daddy. I'm a 10-year-old with a very short attention span! I don't know what he was thinking when he sent me up here to look for a dress!"

Dad yelled from downstairs "lunch is ready." Paris and I went downstairs and sat down at the table with everyone else. Dad asked as he took a bite of his sandwich "how did the search for the Cinderella dress go?" Paris said "AJ wouldn't help me find it!" I said "I tried to help you! Daddy; you have to see her room! There has to be every one of her toys on the floor in there! There's no way I would be able to find that dress. I don't even think you could find it in there! He said "Paris; if I go up there to help you find your dress and your room is a mess you will have to clean it!" She said "I don't think it's a mess in there at all." I said "you're kidding me Paris! I stepped on at least 50 of those little Polly pocket doll pieces!" Dad said "you're going to end up losing all of those if you don't keep them all in the same place and picked up off the floor because they are so small." I said "I bet you if you clean your room you would find that Cinderella dress!" Dad looked at Paris and said "AJ's right!"

After we all at lunch, I helped dad and Prince clear the table. Paris said "I don't need to find my Cinderella dress anymore daddy!" He said "okay; but that's not going to get you out of cleaning your bedroom." Paris said "why do I have to clean it?" He said "because I saw it a few minutes ago when I went upstairs to get something out of my bedroom and there is everything from puzzle pieces to videotapes all over the floor! You need to go clean it; right now please!" Paris reluctantly went upstairs to clean her room and I went into the living room to watch TV.

Drake jumped on the couch and lay his head on my lap. I looked for the remote and found it underneath one of the couch cushions. I noticed something blue underneath the other one so; I lifted it up! It was the Cinderella dress that Paris wanted and just as I grabbed it dad said "you found it! I wonder what it was doing under there?" I said "Paris is lucky that I had to look for the remote-control." He said "please watch something other than that Zack and Cody show on the Disney channel. I said "that's my favorite show though!" He said "I know it is; practically everyone that knows you knows that that's your favorite show! I know for a fact that you have seen the episode that's on right now because I've seen it!" I asked "what if the episode with Jesse McCartney comes on after this one?" He said "you have seen that one about seven times! Why don't you just buy the DVD with that episode on it?" I said while laughing "fine; if you don't want to watch this then I will go to my room and watch it by myself on my TV!"

May 12, 2004,

I was listening to my Jesse McCartney CD in my room and singing along to the words when dad came. He asked "is that you singing? Wow; you've gotten really good at singing!" I asked "do you really think that I'm a good singer or are you just saying that because you are my dad?" He said "no I mean it; you're really good AJ!" I said "thanks!" He said "you sound a lot like me when I sing! It's actually uncanny how much we sound alike!" I said "I still want to be a famous singer like you when I grow up! Dad said "wow; you said that when you were only three years old and that's still what you want to be when you grow up!"

Blanket came into my room and dad picked him up. I walked up to him and said "look at his hair daddy; it's sticking up all over the place!" He said "I think we should go comb your hair Blanket!" Dad took him out of my room and I turned on the desktop Apple Computer that was in my room. I stared at my Jesse McCartney wallpaper for a few minutes and then clicked on the "Firefox" icon. I went on YouTube.com and searched "Jesse McCartney concert 2004." Jesse has been performing a few concerts at city fairs and charity benefits. I obviously really want to go to one of his concerts but; I haven't said anything to dad about it and I don't plan to! I don't feel that now is the right time for me to ask for concert tickets because dad has his trial starting soon and I don't want him to be worried that he would not be able to take me to the concert due to a day in court!