Melody - JATP x Soulmate AU

Chapter 29

Walking back to the green room, I feel another shock burst through my body, draining it of energy. Tonight is the last night of my life, but at least I spent it doing something I love. I would give anything to tell the guys that the band was the best thing that could have happened to me.

"Hey, mija. Ready to head home?" Dad pops his head in the green room an hour after I finish—right around the time I expected Panic! At The Disco to finish. "Mija?"

"Oh, um, yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking." I keep hoping and praying the guys find their soulmates, despite whether or not I find my own. "Let's go home." Another shock makes its way through me just as I'm about to stand up, but I manage to find the energy anyways to make it to the car. Carlos and dad manage to keep the energy and the high from tonight going—infectious enough to make me tag along with the craziness.

"Hey, dad. I'm going to go to the studio." It's as if he completely forgot what's going on tonight, but that's actually what I want. I'll write him and Carlos a note, detailing how much I love them and how much they mean to me and to live their best lives when I'm gone. They deserve that much.

"Of course, mija." He kisses my forehead, letting me head to the studio without questioning why. Maybe, he does remember and doesn't want to say anything. Halfway to the studio, another flash of blue light emanates from my chest and I nearly crumple to the ground in pain. This is the worst it's ever been, because this time I can barely pull myself off the ground. I'm lucky I manage to get to the couch in the studio without collapsing again.

"Julie!" Hearing one of the guys' voices startles me enough to pay a little more attention to my surroundings. Reggie is here with someone, but the shape of the ghost doesn't match anyone I know. The ghost next to him has a kind of natural beauty that I know Reggie is attracted to. Her long chestnut hair is pulled into a ponytail, but a few strands frame her face, highlighting her blue-green eyes. "This is Winnie." Sitting up, I try to regain as much strength as I can to focus on the fact that I think Reggie found his soulmate. "She's from Pasadena. Winnie, this is Julie." I'd offer to shake her hand, but that would just be in vain. I can't touch her—at least not right now.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you." I smile in their direction, but I can tell they want privacy—something I can't give them. Right now, I can barely get up, let alone wait for them to do what they want. That's when the fourth jolt of the night cripples me more, and I can see the same thing happening to Reggie.

"Reggie!" Winnie catches him in the nick of time, just before he crashes to the floor. "Reggie, your wrist..." As much as I'm jealous they found each other, I'm glad Reggie found his soulmate.

"What's on my wrist?" Reggie holds out his wrists, trying to figure out what Winnie means. Instead of saying anything I watch her put her right wrist next to his, and it seems to click in his head. "Oh. Wait. They're the same." She just presses her wrist to his, and whispers in his ear.

You are so lucky you can play bass, Reggie.

What happens next surprises me, but that's also because no one really knows what happens when ghosts bind with their soulmates. Reggie's and Winnie's bodies are enveloped in a yellow glow just as another jolt drains more of my energy. Laying back down, I see the word in dark brown lettering against his skin, unsurprised by what it is.

Binge [ binj ] [ Eng. ]
noun
a period or bout, usually brief, of excessive indulgence, as in eating, drinking alcoholic beverages, etc.

"I need to go find the guys and tell them." He tries to poof away, but it looks more like he's constipated.

"Reg, you're a lifer." A lifer? What does that mean? "We both are." Based on the fact that they're both now living human beings, it probably means someone who's alive.