imagination || julie and the phantoms

nine

❉ ╧╧╧╧ ✿ ╧╧╧╧ ❉

"CHARLOTTE!"

Julie shouted when the girl ghost appeared in the studio, startling Flynn who sat beside her. All afternoon she and Flynn waited for Charlotte and Reggie to return. Neither of the girls knew where they had been, Luke refusing to go into any details. He only said they had to work something out as siblings. The heartbroken expression on his face, though, told Julie there was more to the story, but she didn't push him.

While Julie shared song ideas with Flynn, he sat on a bean bag chair in the corner. Curled inward, barely looking away from his songbook as he scribbled. Even when Alex got back from hanging out with Willie, unaware of what unfolded, Luke stayed in his own little world - except when he heard Charlotte's name.

His head snapped up, breath getting caught in his throat as Alex and Julie got up from their seats to meet Charlotte near the doors. Flynn followed Julie with her eyes, unable to see Charlotte nervously twisting her ring around her finger.

"Where have you been?" Alex questioned first, not waiting to pull Charlotte into a tight hug. His chin rested on her dark hair and he squeezed her tightly. "We've been worried sick about you and Reggie!"

"We're okay," Charlotte assured the drummer, relaxing into his embrace. "I promise. I, uh, just had to show Reggie something...something about our family."

Alex scrunched his nose, leaning back so he could look her in the eyes. "Your family?" he echoed. "Is everything alright?"

"Kind of," Charlotte answered the best she could, still feeling overwhelmed from everything she experienced that day. "I guess, I'm not really sure. We, uh, we saw our dad...and some of his new family. Turns out Reg and me.... we have three half-siblings. Two brothers, twins actually, and a sister. Dad, um, he gave them our middle names."

Alex failed to hide his surprise, his eyes widening. Julie, having known Mike was alive, offered a comforting smile, wishing she could give Charlotte her own hug. "How did Reggie take it?" Julie asked.

Charlotte placed her fingers through the belt loops of her skinny jeans and admitted, "Better than I thought. He'll probably be back soon; I just freaked out when we went to the cemetery and couldn't handle it as he could."

"I'm sorry," Alex thought he misheard her. "Did you say you two went to a cemetery?"

Charlotte pursed her lips but nodded her head. "Er, yeah...we discovered my dad's calendar and saw that he went today because, well, because today is July 22nd."

Recognition flickered across Alex's face, a frown tugging Luke's lips down. Charlotte noticed him in the corner but he immediately looked down at his songbook. He still hadn't said a word, too afraid Charlotte remained upset with him from earlier that morning.

"Wait," Julie caused Charlotte to tear her gaze away from her best friend. "July 22nd as in the day you all..." She couldn't finish the sentence, but Alex nodded and released a sigh.

"Yeah."

"What happened on July 22nd?" Flynn asked Julie, wishing she could see the ghosts for herself so she didn't have to interrupt rudely.

Julie looked to the band members for permission, and once Charlotte gave her a signal, she replied, "It's the night they were supposed to play at the Orpheum. The night they died."