imagination || julie and the phantoms

two

❉ ╧╧╧╧ ✿ ╧╧╧╧ ❉

JULIE DIDN'T WANT TO BELIEVE THAT SHE ACTUALLY MET FOUR GHOSTS.

It didn't make sense - none of it did. Ghosts were supposed to float around like white sheets, have black circles for eyes, and jump out from headstones to yell, "Boo!"

Yet the band in her studio looked completely...well, normal. Their clothes resembled what she saw in shows from the 90s and old pictures of her parents, meaning ripped denim, leather, and flannels. If Julie was completely honest, the teenage ghosts wore the trends currently floating through her school.

Guilt nudged her when she kicked them out, especially when she thought of their age. When they died, they were only a year older than where she currently stood. No matter the kind of people they were, and Julie concluded they were a chaotic bunch, no one deserved to die that young.

However, she forced those thoughts out of her head. Too many other things in her life needed to be taken care of, without ghosts interfering. That day she thought she could do it; play the piano in music class to stay in the program. Though just as she had done for the past year, Julie couldn't bring herself to hit even one note.

Music had always been something she did with her mom, Rose Molina. In Julie's eyes, she was the best musician to ever live. Her music, though never selling out stadiums, touched every heart who heard it. Learning the piano and how to write songs sparked a desire in Julie, to connect with people. After all, it always brought her and Rose closer together.

But since her mom died, music changed. It now acted as a painful reminder of the past and carried memories, and a person, that could never be replaced. To Julie, playing alone felt wrong.

Therapy helped a little, but not even Dr. Turner got Julie to sing a hymn. Flynn, her best friend, often offered her shoulder for Julie to cry on, too. Depending on what Julie needed, she would sit in silence with her, let her rant, or take her out in the city as a distraction. Though their karaoke sessions turned one-sided and Flynn didn't like singing by herself.

Julie's dad, Ray, also tried but soon realized pushing his daughter only made her turn away more. That's why Julie didn't want to tell him about getting kicked out of the music program; it would only upset him further. She had been trying too hard to convince him she was alright without music, but even this was going to be difficult.

"Oh, there we go!" Ray announced as he reached the dining table, a steaming bowl of pasta in his hands. "Let's do this. It's your turn, Carlos."

Julie and Carlos sat on either side of him, leaving one open chair and an empty plate. They grabbed hands with their dad, reached out to where their mom would've been, and bowed their heads.

"Thank you for our leftovers and the power of the mighty microwave," Carlos prayed, his eyes squeezed shut. "Amen."

Julie stifled a laugh but agreed, "Amen."

Ray smiled at his children before grabbing the spoons for the spaghetti. "So," he sprung up a conversation with his daughter as he filled her plate. "Carlos tells me he found you in the studio."

"She was out there talking to herself," Carlos nodded and looked eager to start eating after getting his own helping.

Julie, wanting to pretend the whole ghost incident didn't happen, excused, "I was rehearsing for a play."

"Hello, hello!" A new voice drifted from the back door and entered the Molina family's ears.

"Oh, busted!" Carlos swore, causing the other two to also spring into action. Ray threw the silverware into the kitchen, Julie hiding the plate under the table. Carlos snatched the placemat and fell back into his seat, right as his aunt walked in.