Chapter Text
"Guys, what is going on? How did she get her stuff in here so fast?"
"Maybe...maybe she's a witch.
There's chairs floating on the ceiling!"
"Okay, there is no such thing as witches,".
"You sure? 'Cuz I used to think there was no such thing as ghosts,".
"That's fair,".
"Okay, so we're going with witch?"
"No! We are not going with witch. She's not a witch!"
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"I just...I wish I had my guitar,".
"Whoa!"
"That was rad. How'd you do that?"
"I don't know. I-I-I mean, I wished for it, and then it came in my hands..."
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"Kinda look like orbs, right?"
"Orbs?"
"I've seen some freaky stuff about those on YouTube. People say they're ghosts. Do you think that's Mom and she made some friends?"
"That's a nice thought, but there are no such things as ghosts,".
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"You kids and technology. It's...definitely beyond me,".
"Definitely beyond something,".
"Well, whoever and, uh, wherever they are, they brought my little niña back, so as far as I'm concerned, they're like angels to me,".
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"Is this your son?"
"Yeah, that's Luke. When he was two,".
"Do you have any other children?"
"No,".
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"I write music in the same room that he did, and I can tell you it is a magical, happy place,".
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"So, you mean to tell me that my mom is somewhere out there planning all this? If she wanted me to play music again, why wouldn't she just tell me herself?"
"Maybe she can't. Maybe she has to do it another way. You know, through signs,".
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"You're in a ghost band. It's a crazy world,".
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"Luke, uh, can I talk to you for a second?"
"Yeah. What?"
"Um...Can you do me a favor?"
"Anything, Julie. You know that,".
"When you cross over, if...if you happen to see my mom, can you tell her I love her...and...thank her for bringing you to me?"
"Yeah, I will...was there anything else?"
"I actually...I made these for you guys. To wear during the show,".
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"How can I feel you?"
"I…I...I don't know...I...I feel stronger,".
"Alex, Reggie, come,".
"Whoa..."
"I...I...I don't feel as weak anymore,".
"Yeah, me neither. Not that, you know, I was ever that weak,".
"What...What do you think that means?"
"I think the band's back,".
"You guys think we could try that hug thing one more time?"
"Yeah,".
"Hugs are good,".
"I like this,".
"Me too. Aww! We played the Orpheum Whoo!"
"Yeah, we did!"
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One moment they're celebrating, the next, it's like a truck hit them from the inside out and suddenly they're airborne. Julie feels her breath leave her body as she hangs there without dropping, the wide eyes of her friends looking back at her. The air around them is static. But Julie knows that lightning isn't about to strike because it already has. Before anyone even has time to form a coherent thought, the room goes dark and everyone hits the floor with a thump. No one says anything for a moment as they try to right themselves. Alex is the first one to get to his feet.
"What the hell was that?" he asks as he tries to reorient himself, his hand clutching his head.
"I think the lights went out," Reggie answers, looking to the ceiling in confusion. The light from outside is still seeping into the room, illuminating it in the absence of artificial light.
"I'm pretty sure they shattered actually," Julie adds as she brushes broken glass from her shoulder. It clinks to the floor as she checks her hand for scratches. "But we have bigger problems." Her face becomes serious, hiding a hint of something unreadable. Luke's face takes on a similar look as Alex chimes in.
"If you mean the floating, then yeah," he agrees.
"New ghost power?" Reggie asks, his eyes lightening up. "Maybe the power of Julie's hug did more than make us tangible."
"Oh it did something alright," Luke says quietly, staring down at his hands like they weren't his own. "Julie, what the hell did you just do?" he asks, his line of sight jerking towards her in an instant. The fear and confusion in his voice is palpable as the words tumble out.
"Woah, calm down," Alex says, taking a step towards his friend. "That was freaky but it doesn't mean Julie had anything to do with it." Although, even Alex had to agree that going from the brink of non-existence to a super mega power boost didn't just happen without some kind of trigger.
"Yeah man, she just saved our afterlives!" Reggie adds, jumping to her defense.
Luke doesn't even acknowledge having heard them. His eye bore into Julie, hinting that he knows more than what he says. Alex had never seen Luke with such a hard look on his face. It wasn't cruel, but it was unwavering and certain.
"I really don't know Luke," she whispers, her voice shaking, shrinking away from his gaze. That something unreadable unfading.
"But you felt it too right?" he presses, gaze still sharp. "You and I both know that that wasn't any ghost power." He said it with such certainty that Reggie and Alex exchanged their own glance of concern.
"What?" Julie starts, her eyes snapping to his in surprise. She didn't even try to hide the shock on her face, her mouth dropping open.
"Felt what?" Reggie asks, frustration laced into his voice. "Care to share with the class?"
Neither challenger says a word. They simply keep staring, asking questions that no one but them understand with nothing but their eyes. The unspoken answers fill Julie with dread as she and Luke come to an understanding, an almost melancholic look on his face.
Everyone in the room could feel something changing in that moment. It's the silence that's the most damning. Julie and Luke are collapsing in on themselves and the only things that anyone can hear are shaky breaths and the blood pounding in their ears.
Alex is the first to realize what's going on. He sucks in a breath.
"Guys," he breathes out. Something about the way that he speaks breaks even Julie and Luke out of their staredown, their eyes slowly finding his.
"I have a heartbeat," he dares to whisper, his hand over his heart. It only takes seconds for his words to register. Reggie's hand flies to his own chest and Luke's follows a second later. Their faces drop into awe. Julie rushes towards Luke. They lock eyes as she finds the steady beat under her hand. They're spellbound.
Eventually, Julie prys herself away from Luke and rushes towards Alex and Reggie.
"You feel warm too," she says, dropping her hand from Alex's chest and stepping back to look at them all. "H- how-?"
"You know how," Luke responds, his fierce gaze back on his face.
"But that's impossible," she says, shaking, eyes wild. "I can't have- I mean, it couldn't have been me! I don't have that kind of power! No one does."
"Clearly someone does and it wasn't one of these two," Luke insists, gesturing to Reggie and Alex who can only watch the situation unfold.
"That still leaves you," Julie bites back before pausing. "Apparently," she adds a moment later with a weak laugh.
"Okay. What are we talking about?!" Alex asks when Julie doesn't elaborate. "What do you know that we don't? How do we have heartbeats? One of you tell me something. I don't care who."
Luke and Julie exchange a glance.
"It's complicated," she admits.
"WE are complicated!" Alex insists.
Another pause. Luke shrugs and begins to study the floor. Julie finds herself searching for the now broken lights.
"Guys!" Alex yells, his hands flying out to his sides.
"I don't think we have a choice here Jules, extenuating circumstances," Luke murmurs into her ear, his gaze softening.
"Extenuating circumstances only counts if you can't explain it away," she insists, glancing towards Alex and Reggie.
"Yeah, but if it weren't for our unique situation they would already be asking all sorts of questions, they think this is ghost stuff and that could cause problems," he replies. "Besides, I'm pretty sure ghosts are an exemption from the rule."
"Are you three even ghosts anymore?" she asks a little to loudly.
"Maybe not but we would be if whatever just happened hadn't happened and they deserve to know," Luke hisses.
Julie holds his stare for another second and then sighs with her whole body and looks towards her confused friends.
"Do you remember when you first appeared and thought that I was a witch?"