Chapter Text
With a groan, Julie blinked her eyes open briefly before squeezing them shut again. She turned herself over slowly, from her side to her back. She let out a quiet huff, dragging a hand up from her side to massage the side of her head, where a pounding headache resided.
A headache wasn’t out of the ordinary for her—especially when she was sleeping. Occasionally she would be woken up by one, but she’d always just turn over in her bed and try to go back to sleep.
“Do you think she’s okay?” A masculine voice whispered, low and closer than what was normal when she was tucked away in her bed. It sounded like... well, it sounded like Reggie, which had Julie scowling without opening her eyes.
“Should we call someone?” Luke’s voice called next, a bit further away from Reggie’s voice, but still completely audible, and close enough to be clear. He was also in her bedroom. And if Reggie and Luke were, that mean Alex wasn’t far behind.
That only meant the boys were in her bedroom again. Boundaries meant little to her ghostly bandmates. More often than not they forgot the rule about staying out of her bedroom. Sometimes she could just look past it though, but it was weirdest when they interrupted her while she was sleeping. She could almost look past their lack of boundaries during the day.
“What’re you guys doing here?” Julie groaned out, turning about in her unbelievable uncomfortable bed. She couldn’t manage to find a comfortable spot. Maybe it was time to ask her dad for a new mattress or something, because this, this was like sleeping on rocks.
“Honestly,” that was Luke’s voice, teasing, but filled with a familiar concern, “we should really be asking you the same thing.”
And that... was not what she was expecting from the boy breaking her rules about staying out of her bedroom. Julie gave a hum of acknowledgment, finally blinking her eyes open and taking in the scene.
She was... not in her bedroom.
She was... why was she laying in an alley way? Her bed didn’t just feel like rocks, it was rocks. There was no bed, she’s been passed out on the ground. Julie startled up, head thrumming painfully as she slid away from the group of teenaged boys. Alex, Reggie, Luke and—and who was that?
“Whoa,” Alex crouched down in front of her, holding his hands out to show he was unarmed, like she was some scared animal he was trying to settle down—which honestly didn’t feel that far from the truth. He casted a look back at the other three boys, all watching her like she was about to jump out at them or kneel over and die on the spot. “Are you alright?”
Julie blinked at Alex—at her friend, then looked slowly to Reggie, Luke and the other guy, all watching from a step or two behind Alex. “Where are we?”
Alex looked behind himself again, frowning at the others. It was Reggie who stepped closer, not crouching like Alex, but standing beside him, “we’re outside the Orpheum. Maybe we should get you up, the ground is wet, and it’s dirty.”
“Yeah,” Alex nodded, “you shouldn’t be sitting down there, this alley is always questionable.” The blonde held his hand out for Julie to take. She studied his hand for a second, before finally settling her hand into his.
His hand was warm as it closed around hers. Warm and solid. Comforting. Alive.
Julie whipped her hand back from his grip, pulling her hands into her chest and staring at Alex timidly. Her hand had touched his. Her hand had fallen into his. It hadn’t gone through. She’d only been able to touch the boys that one night when the seal Caleb put on them broke.
For whatever reason, she’d only been able to touch them to break that seal. She hadn’t the slightest idea how she’d done it, but it had happened. And then it had gone away.
“What’s wrong?” Alex leaned back hesitantly, like he was just as nervous around Julie as she was of him. She had just pulled her hand back from him like he’d electrocuted her. “Are you hurt?”
Julie reached a hand out, pushing her finger against Alex’s chest. The other wobbled where he was still crouching, looking affronted that she’d touched him. He was real. He wasn’t a ghost. Her hand didn’t go through him. Alex was... real.
“Oh my God, you’re real,” Julie whispered, horrified.
Alex gaped, looking back at the others once more for clarification that he’d heard the girl right before returning his confused, surprised gaze back onto Julie. Julie heard Reggie whisper a quiet “soo, she’s a fan?” under his breath, which normally would’ve made her giggle, but she was still stuck on the fact that Alex was alive. That they were alive. If Alex was, then Luke and Reggie were too.
“No,” Julie furrowed her eyebrows, hand withdrawing from him once more, “no, that doesn’t... h-how?” her eyes settled on the only boy in the group she didn’t know, “who are you?”
The boys all shared a glance between the four of them before Luke cleared his throat, “I’m Luke. And... uh, these are my bandmates, Bobby, Reggie and--”
“I’m Alex,” Alex gave her small smile. Alex, for some reason, she felt the most relaxed around. He’d had the same gentle touch when they’d poofed into her mother’s studio.
“We’re Sunset Curve, in case you didn’t know,” Reggie grinned brightly down at her, puffing his chest out, “tell your friends.”
“Bobby?” she questioned scrunching her face up thoughtfully. She’d zeroed in on the familiar-unfamiliar name, only hearing what she was interested in. Besides, she already knew the guys, and Sunset Curve.
But the remaining guy. Bobby. Trevor Wilson. Her mom’s friend. Carrie’s dad. The well-known musician. The guy’s old bandmate who stole all their songs and used them to jump-start his solo career without crediting Luke, Alex and Reggie.
She didn’t know him. At least... not this Bobby.
She faintly remembered the face from when she’d searched Sunset Curve... in twenty-twenty. On the internet that barely existed publicly in this year.
Bobby frowned at her, giving her a small wave to which she scowled uncertainly at him. Instantly his hand dropped to his side and he shot frightened looks to his bandmates.
“So, uh,” Luke cleared his throat once more, “are you... alright?”
“Yeah, you were kinda passed out on the ground.” Reggie added helpfully, eyes watching Julie in a concern that was similar to Luke’s from just behind Alex.
“I don’t know how I got here,” Julie whispered, glaring hard at the asphalt below her, before raising her terrified eyes to the group before her. “I was... I don't know. I shouldn’t be here.”
“It’s okay, you’re okay,” Alex promised Julie quickly, hand hovering in front of Julie like he was afraid to touch her but wanted too. He floundered for a second before looking back at his bandmates, “I don’t know what we’re supposed to do in a situation like this.”
“Do we call the police?” Bobby questioned with a frown.
“No, we should call an ambulance!” Reggie jumped in, leaning forwards, towards Julie so he was almost bent in half, “she didn’t do anything wrong, right?” He raised an eyebrow in Julie’s direction. She didn’t answer that, so Reggie moved on, “do you need an ambulance? Do you know why you were passed out?”
No, she honestly had no clue. Last thing she remembered, was the band goofing around in the studio... or, maybe it was a gig? She didn’t even know. Her head pounded behind her eyes again, reminding her of its presence.
Julie groaned out, pulling one of her knees to her chest as she lifted her hand back to her head to rub at the ache.
“Did you hit your head?” Luke questioned, while Alex tilted his head at her, both waiting for an answer.
“What year is it?” Julie countered instead. She looked between the four of them, waiting for an answer as they exchanged yet another hesitant glance.
“You... don’t know the year?” Alex asked carefully, studying Julie closely, “that’s like... a sign of a concussion, isn’t it-”
“Don't make a big deal out of it, just tell me the year,” Julie huffed expectantly. The boys all jumped in surprise.
“Nineteen-ninety-five,” Reggie answered quickly. Julie turned to look at Reggie, eyes wide as her brain thrummed ten times worse than before. Reggie raised his hands in surrender, frowning at the girl. They all looked like they wanted to help her but weren't sure how to go about that.
No one said anything for a moment. It was just silence as Julie let the words Reggie had muttered sink in. The boys were all just as quiet, shuffling from foot to foot and clearly unsure about what to do with this girl who they suspected had some sort of head injury. The girl they'd stumbled upon passed out outside of the Orpheum.
“So... about that ambulance?” Bobby prompted.
Julie shot him a look, and his shuffled backwards away from her.
“I’m fine,” she tried, even though she felt ways away from fine, and by the look she got from the guys, she didn’t look the part either. “No concussion, or anything. Just a headache.”
“But you don’t know that-” Alex attempted, but a look from Julie promptly shut him up. She knew something was wrong—this was insane—but she was almost certain it wasn’t some sort of concussion. It was a headache pain, not an ‘I-got-whacked-in-the-head' pain.
“Alright, well,” Alex looked her over before continuing, “is there... anywhere we can take you then?” His voice was so soft, so familiar—his gentle nature hadn’t changed at all from alive to ghost, and Julie was incredibly thankful of that.
Alex inched towards Julie to set his hand on her knee. Julie didn't bother moving away from this Alex, the alive one, as she shook her head slowly.
There was nowhere she could go. She wasn't even born yet. She wouldn't be born for years to come. It was a question of if her parents had even met yet. She wasn’t born. Flynn wasn’t born. Carlos certainly wasn’t born yet. She was alone here.
"Nowhere," she mumbled, looking down.
She glanced between all the boys; their attentions locked on each other as they had an almost silent conversation with their eyes. They were hashing something out, Reggie, Luke and Alex seemingly against the other guy, Bobby, over whatever matter the guys were hashing out.
It was Bobby who ended up sighing in defeat, glance dropping to Julie, "so uh, we've got a studio back at my house... No one goes out there except, well, me and these guys. So, uh, if you want, you're welcome to crash there for a while."
"The three of us also sleep there," Reggie informed, gesturing between Luke, Alex and himself. "We share the pull-out bed."
"Yeah, but I can bring some blankets out for you to use," Bobby explained. "We understand if, y'know, it's weird or whatever. Just an option. We don't mind, as long as you don't mind band rehearsal?"
"I don't!" Julie was quick to agree, "are you sure you guys don't mind?"
If it was any other group of boys inviting her to stay with them, she’d probably be more hesitant—or even stick it out on the streets, but theses (most of them) were her boys. The boys she’d grown to know, and to love, and who she knew had her best intention at hearts, because that’s who they were. In ghost form, or alive.
These were her Phantoms, and she trusted them with her life.
"We aren't going to just leave you here," Luke shrugged, playing absently with a ring on his finger, "you were passed out on the street. That... can’t be good for you and who knows what could, or could’ve already happened?"
"But..." Alex offered his hand once more, this time though, when Julie settled her own hand into his, she was ready for the feeling of an actual hand, instead of just fazing through it, "maybe when we're out of the cold we can... talk some more?"
Alex stood himself up, pulling Julie up with him. She went along willingly, stumbling to her feet. Alex waited for her to pull away, but she didn’t, so after a quick glance at their hands, he decided to just go with it. Such an Alex thing to do.
Julie gave a tiny nod in answer to his words, already dreading that conversation because she had honestly no idea how to go about that. These guys were dead—or, most of them were. The other, she was ex-friends with his currently non-existent daughter. The only reason she knew them, was because she was friends with their ghosts. Twenty-five years after they’d died.
Not to mention she had no clue how she’d gotten here, or why she was here. Because this wasn’t normal. This was weird. This was so, incredibly weird.
Julie had thought telling people her bandmates were ghosts would make them think she was insane—but how about telling anyone about getting dropped in the past, where her dead bandmates were still alive?
She’d be booking herself an appointment with her therapist if... well, if she even knew if he’d graduated high school yet?
"We don't even know your name," Reggie commented absently as he and Bobby started leading them along. Julie shook herself from her thoughts, glancing at Reggie, who was looking back at her with a friendly smile.
"Julie," Julie mumbled, now looking between Luke and Alex, who she was wedged between, "my name's Julie."