1998

"Have fun at college, I'll miss you," Michael hugged a seventeen year old Sophie.

Sophie had finished her high school a year early and was now being accepted into Julliard in New York City.

She planned to major in Dance and preforming arts.

"I will, and I'll miss you too", Sophie said pulling away from Michael's embrace.

Sophie had been on tour with Michael and her first album, "Identified," had done very well, and since then she had moved on from Macaulay and remained single.

She grabbed two suitcases by the handles and took them to Michael's limo, he helped get the others, and they hugged one more time before she climbed in.

"Promise you'll call and update me," Michael said flashing his white teeth.

"I will, I promise," she said as she shut the door, and a few moments later rolled down the window.

The limo started to drive forward as she flashed a smile and waved.

Her brown curly hair whipped around her face and the sun made her squint her eyes.

She gave one final wave as the limo pulled out of the gates of Neverland and headed to the airport.

November 2000

Sophie proceeded to call her best friend for the first time in three weeks.

For the last two years at Julliard she had called Michael at least once every week, but now she was slacking.

Ever since her boyfriend, Jake, she met last year told her that he loved her.

She loved him too, deeply loved him.

She loved the way his short dirty blonde hair never budged and how his dimples showed on his cheeks every time he flashed his big, white smile.

She loved how he bet her in volleyball everytime they would play it at the local country club and how he would write poetry, and sing, and play piano.

She loved everything about him and he loved everything about her.

Jake was two years older than her, he was 21 and about to graduate from Julliard.

Last night he took her out to dinner and got down on one knee and proposed to her with the prettiest ring she'd ever laid eyes on.

There was no doubt that it costed him a fortune and she had said yes right away.

Now she sat her in her penthouse flat wondering how to explain why she hadn't called Michael in three weeks.

She stared at her ring and thought about the reasons why she hadn't told Michael about Jake.

She picked up her phone and dialed that familiar number.

It rang a few times before a sweet voice sounded, "Hello."

"Hi is this Michael?" Sophie asked the person on the other line.

"No this is Prince," he said.

"Oh, this is Sophie. Do you remember me?" Sophie asked Prince who was breathing heavily on the other line.

"No," he said softly.

"Well, you were one the last time I saw you," Sophie said smiling.

"I'm three now," he said with a little giggle on the other line.

"Wow, your getting big. Can I speak with your daddy now?" Sophie asked him.

Prince breath heavy into the receiver," Sure, let me go get him."

As she heard prince put the phone down she wished she could have children of her own.

Since she had been born so prematurely, the doctors were weary about her bearing children and told her not to even try.

She waited a few minutes and then that voice sounded excitedly on the other line,"Sophie!"

Michael's yell left her startled, "Alright, I'm deaf now."

Michael giggled, "How are you? What have you been up to?"

"Listen, Mike, I've been hiding something from you and I feel bad about it. I've been dating this guy named Jake for about a year and half and we really love each other. Well, these past three weeks we've been hanging out alot and last night he proposed to me," Sophie said nervously into the receiver.

"That's great Sophie! So, are you coming down for thanksgiving?" Michael asked her innocently.

"Yeah were having it at my dad's house and I'll definitely come to visit you if everything works out. I might not even get to come, it depends on if my teachers and Jake's teachers let us get off since were both graduating Julliard in May," Sophie explained.

"That's really great that your-, Paris get out of that, ugh! Listen, I gotta go, I'll talk to you later, alright," he finished frustrated.

"Okay , Michael, bye," Sophie said quietly.

She heard Michael yell Paris's name one more time before he hung up.

She pushed the"End Call" button and dropped her phone on her bed.

She did the right thing telling Michael about Jake and he was happy for her.

She also knew that she just lied to Michael, she knew she wasn't going to get off her classes for Thanksgiving, her teachers were to tough.

She lifted her left hand and stared at her new engagement ring, she loved Jake and knew they were meant for each other but at the same time a strange eerie felling popped in the back of her head.

A few weeks later, 2000

She was right, her teachers didn't let her off for Thanksgiving but she sent her love back home.

Now she walked slowly on the the beach, her arms wrapped around her, and her light sweater keeping warm from the night time breeze.

The stars shone bright in tonight's clear skies and the dark tide almost reached her converse shoes.

Jake walked slowly beside her humming softly.

He stopped and instinctively she stopped to, he motioned for her to sit down with him on the sand.

He put his arm around her and drew her close to him as he spoke, "I wrote you poem."

"Oh yeah, let's hear it," she said smiling up at him.

He recited it by heart as looked out to the endless sea, "I promise you ,I'm always there. When your heart is filled with sorrow and despair . And I'll carry you, When you need a friend. You'll find my footprints in the sand."

A single tear rolled down Sophie's cheek, "Its beautiful."

"Its not finished. I just wanted you to know we'd be together forever," he said leaning down and kissing her softly.

"Forever," she agreed and yet that strange eerie crept back in her body.