Other Side of Hollywood

Chapter 1

I was lucky enough to go back to the city. This time, with my true self. I'm hoping that Caleb didn't lie when he said he would stay at the club and let me be. Oh well, at least I get to see my true home again. 

I walk into the neighborhood where Julie lives. What if they forgot about me? Is it even worth trying to visit? I go to the sidewalk and notice a poster on the pole by her house. Huh, I have never seen that poster before. I wonder what it's for. I walk closer to the pole and gasp. I take the paper off and make sure I'm reading this right.

Missing: Amelia Wilson

Last Seen:  November 2020

Please call Julie or Ray Molina if you have any information on her!

Oh my god... I'm considered missing. They really do care...

"Julie!" I snap my head to the right and run behind a bush. It's Luke. Oh no, how is he reacting from this. "Any updates?"

"No. I tried calling her and we drove around to every possible spot. But she's nowhere to be found." Julie sighs.

"I don't get it! How or why would she disappear like this?" He asks.

"I don't know. But something feels off. She left the night of our Orpheum performance. In fact, I couldn't find her after you all got the stamp off." After saying that, Luke's head snaps up.

"Wait... the stamp. You don't think..." He whispers.

"Luke, that's not possible. She got the stamp off too, which means she was free from Caleb too."

"No, I w-" Before I could finish my sentence, I feel my body shock and I fall back. Okay, so I am clearly not by myself right now. Great!

"Did you hear that?" Luke asks.

"Yeah... that was weird." Julie whispers.

"I can't believe this happened. I-I wish I would have been by her side the whole time. What if I was the reason she left? What if-"

"Luke! Calm down! This isn't your fault! If Amelia was upset at one of us, she would have just avoided that person and talked to the rest of us. Look, I know she was going through a lot, but she would never leave like this. Believe me, I know her. This isn't something she would do." Julie says.

"You're right. But why would someone make her leave? Or even take her?" He wonders.

"I don't know. There isn't anyone that I know who has a grudge with her. Or at least a bad enough one to where they'd do this." She shrugs.

"Well, we need to figure it out soon. I don't want anything terrible to happen to her." He tears up.

"I know you don't, Luke. And neither do I. We're going to get this solved, I promise." Julie says as Luke sighs and nods. They turn around and walk back to her house. 

"I can't believe it... they think I'm missing?" I question. "I knew it. I was right this whole time." I sigh. Oh my gosh, does he really think I'm that stupid? "I know you're here, Caleb."

"Oh really?" He asks as he appears behind me. "What gave it away?" He smirks.

"Hmm maybe the fact that I fell back when trying to speak to my friends." I say.

"Did you ever think there was a reason for that?" He asks.

"I get it. You don't want them to see me. Why does it matter? It's not like I'm able to go back."

"Because I know how they're going to respond. They'll just keep trying to fight to get you back. However, we all know who has the power and will win in the end." He explains.

"I thought you wanted them to never find out that I'm gone." 

"I didn't at first. But then I realized, what's the point of having you be present if you're not really with them anyways? Plus, once they see that you're not gone, you'd already be back to where you belong!" He smiles.

"Where I belong? I don't belong in that club of yours. I belong in the band that Julie and I created!" I scoff.

"That band is gone now, haven't you noticed? When's the last time that band performed?" He asks.

"I don't know, whenever we were at the Orpheum."

"Which was over a month ago?" He smirks. A month? Has it been that long? "Think about it, that long of a wait for the crowd? At that point, there's going to be a band more famous than yours."

"Okay, so we lost the audience. That doesn't mean we can't get them back."

"Not if you're gone forever. At that point, they'll just be Julie and the Phantoms. And there's no point in returning if they became more famous than before." He points out.

"So if I were to avoid them, my fame would stay the same or get better?"  I ask. 

"Correct." He nods.

"And if I don't avoid them, I'll lost all opportunities and have to start all over again? Just because they'd have a shot of bringing back the fame before I came back?" 

"Yes."

"Fine, I'll consider staying. But don't be surprised if they figure everything out." I warn.

"Oh I won't be. I already have a plan in mind in case that happens." He grins.

"Okay, so you got what you wanted. I'm not leaving the club. Can I be on my own for a while now?" I ask.

"Fine." He sighs. "But don't try to convince them to save you or anything like that. And believe me, I'll know if you did." He then teleports away.

Finally. I'm on my own. I wasn't planning on telling them anyways. Not that I don't want to see them again. But I know there will be a price to it. I wish I could have told them earlier that it was me. I can't risk anything, though. 

It hurts to see my friend upset like that. 

And it hurts to see the man I love heartbroken and hopeless. 

But it would hurt even more to see their lives being destroyed because of me.