Chapter 5

Hey guys! So sorry this took so long! Not my favorite chapter, it's more of filler but the guys are so important I really needed their perspectives. 

This is going to be a very emotional chapter so grab a box of tissues and your favorite mug of hot cocoa. 

The lyrics (in bold) are written and owned by me. Stand Tall is a song I do not own but it is put in italics. It is amazing!

Thank you!

On with the show!

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Luke was in awe the moment Julie he left the studio. He wondered what she was doing right now. If she was thinking about him every single second.

He definitely was.

As ideas popped into his head, he raced to grab his songbook and jotted down random lines.

You're surrounded by sunshine

And I can't help but love you

Forget the pain of yesterday

Let's focus on our glorious discovery

He was so caught up in the lyrics he didn't notice that Reggie and Alex had poofed in until he heard Alex scream,

"Hey!"

Luke jumped, snapping his book shut as he turned to face Alex and Reggie who were standing in the doorway.

Well, Alex was in the doorway.

Reggie was too busy jumping down from the loft and into the piles of clothes on the floor.

"Woohoo!"

"Reggie!" Alex screamed, his face red. His eyes turned back to Luke, rage burning beneath his blue-grey eyes.

Reggie froze in the middle of the clothes.

"Alex, don't yell at him-"

"What the hell is going on, Luke?! First Julie goes outside without saying a word, then she comes back on with the weirdest smile on her face, and now I come in and you're writing a love song!?"

"I did not-"

"Really?" Alex mutters, poofing over and holding the book up to Luke's face.

"What exactly happened here, Luke?"

Reggie looked at him with a confused expression on his face.

"You guys didn't-"

"No! Of course not!"

He wonders how they even got that idea in their heads.

Okay, maybe it was kind of obvious but they would never do that.

Julie wouldn't want to do that.

Would she?

"Okay, well then, what did happen?"

Luke turned back to Alex, but before he could say anything a brief hit of nausea caused him to flicker in and out. When he finally regained composure, all of them turned towards each other.

"Julie," they said in unison.

As if on cue, they all poofed out and somehow made it into Julie's room and what Luke saw shook him to the core.

Julie was floating in mid-air, thrashing and kicking as circles of black dust twisted around her.

They were all standing still until three simple words made their way out of Reggie's mouth.

"What the hell!"

As if a light bulb had gone off in their heads, the boys jumped into action, each jumping on the bed, making sure they could see Julie, with Luke at her head, Alex at her feet, and Reggie on the side.

Giving each other similar looks of exasperation and anger, they all knew without words what was going on.

Caleb.

Before anyone could say anything, a small whimper made its way past Julie's lips followed by a heartbreaking "No".

No.

Luke felt his heart shatter.

Alex was the first one to say something.

"Julie!"

The boys froze, waiting for someone to come and find their daughter floating in mid-air with three teenage boys holding hands around her.

It would look like some sort of exorcism out of a horror movie.

Except this was much worse.

"Julie! Wake up!"

It was Reggie who spoke next, unshed tears causing his eyes to sparkle. He was so scared.

They were all so scared.

"Julie! Julie, can you hear me?"

Alex's voice was barely above a whisper, the emotion clear and thick in his voice.

They had just figured out the whole ghosting thing, just released from Caleb's death grip.

They had never figured he wanted Julie.

And they were so stupid to have left him with an advantage. 

Luke was the first one to start singing, his voice deep and gravelly. 

"Don't blink

No, I don't want to miss it 

One thing, and it's back to the beginning

'Cause everything is rushing in fastKeep going on never look back"

Alex and Reggie joined in, their voices a quiet hum as Luke poured the emotion into his voice. It had worked at the Orpheum. It had to work now.

And it's one, two, three, four timesThat I'll try for one more nightLight a fire in my eyesI'm going out of my mind

Luke remembered how Julie had poured so much emotion into the song. She had been willing to go on the stage without them. She had been willing to move on and perform without them. 

Whatever happensEven if I'm the last standingI'ma stand tallI'ma stand tallWhatever happensEven when everything's downI'ma stand tallI'ma stand tall

Reggie abruptly stopped humming, catching Luke off guard. Opening his eyes, he saw that some of the dust around Julie was floating away or disintegrating. It was working!

Alex and Reggie's voices came in strong as they created a three-way harmony. 

I  got to keep on dreaming

Cause i got to catch that feeling

Whatever happens even if i'm the last standing

I'ma stand tall, I'ma stand tall

With that, the dust had completely disappeared and Julie was just floating mid-air. The boys were prepared for this, though. 

Alex took her feet, Luke her head, and Reggie held under her back as they lowered her down onto the mattress. 

Immediately, after she hit the surface, Julie's eyes fluttered open and she jolted upright, her sides heaving with every frantic breath.

Alex was the first one to hold her hands in his, Luke and Reggie silently moving off to the side, trying not to disturb the bubble that Alex and Julie had created. 

"Hey Julie. Julie, it's Alex. You're okay. You're safe."

Julie's eyes finally focused on Alex's, the two of them locked in a staring contest. Julie's nails dug into Alex's hands as she tried to focus on her breathing. 

"You're okay. You're at your house. You're alright." 

Slowly, Alex wrapped her arms around him, and Luke and Reggie watched Julie quickly pulled Alex into a bone-crushing hug. 

Luke and Reggie found a way to join in, each of them wrapped around the other in one way or another. Everyone finally let out a breath they didn't know they were holding, tears sliding down their cheeks as they waited for the dust to settle. 

Julie let go first, her hand reluctantly releasing from the death grip she had on Alex's hands.

"Jules, what happened?"

Luke's voice was steady and serious. He was scared to make Julie go off the edge, but she wiped her eyes and slowly she spoke.

"He's coming."

"Who?" Alex questioned, trying to get as much information as possible. "Who's coming?"

They knew the answer as soon as the name slipped off her tongue.

"Caleb. He's coming. He's going to destroy your souls. Forever."

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Okay, well that was on heck of a chapter. Hope it isn't too dark for some of you guys. I will try to get the newest chapter up as soon as possible.

And if you haven't,  please check out my other work on Juke titled "Julie and the Phantoms(Juke).

I know, so original. 

Thanks for reading!