Rose's Journal

Chapter 32: The Realization

Julie ran towards her mom with her arms outstretched, not even processing the ominous words her mom just said. She just wanted to be close to her. Just as she feared, Julie passed right through her in an attempt to hug her, but she couldn't help but try. She collected herself as her eyes began to well up even more. She looked at her mom. She looked just like she did before she died. Her hair was styled the same, and she was wearing the same outfit: jeans and a sweatshirt from her old band "Rose and the Petal Pushers." It had the same paint stains on it since they were just painting Carlos's bedroom that day. The last picture Julie had of her was in a snapchat she sent to Flynn where she was smiling and wearing this outfit, and Julie studied it. She knew the shape of all the paint stains and the exact way every curl in her hair was placed. It was like seeing this picture live: a moment frozen in time. Her confusion was pushed aside by the pure joy she felt. She looked at her mom's eyes to see that hers were welling up too.

"Julie. I missed you so much. I'm sorry it took me so long to get here," Rose cried, putting her arms down that were outstretched to receive Julie's hug before she passed through.

"I missed you. More than you know," Julie said wiping her eyes.

"I wish we could just catch up and talk, but I need to talk to you about your friends. They're messing with things that...," she paused trying to find the best way to phrase it, "...go beyond what they think."

"Is this about their investigation to figure out if Bobby killed them?"

"He did," Rose said solemnly. "I found out about four years before I died when I was looking in the loft. That's why we started getting a little more distant from their family, but I never wanted to stop you and Carrie from being friends, but after you two broke up, I thought about it more, and I decided that I needed to expose him, at least for stealing the songs. That's where I was going the night I died."

Julie looked at her in shock. She knew that Flynn said the boys might be connected to her mom, but she didn't know that it would be this extreme. There was no preparation for this information, but she almost felt guilty for dismissing the boys so fast. They were right, and Flynn too. It was just a lot to take in. There was a time in her life where Bobby was like a second father to her. She spent almost as much time at Carrie's house as she did at her own. She didn't want it to be Bobby. It was out of her own selfishness, but it was also for Carrie's sake. As much as she hated Carrie for the way she treated her, she would never wish this on her. The only parent that's ever been in her life being a murderer is something she wouldn't want someone she actually hated to go through. "How is that even possible? They were bandmates. He never said a bad word about them."

"I don't know for sure, but my best guess, based on what I've learned, is that he sold their souls for fame, to Caleb."

"How did you figure this out?"

"How do you think they came to you?"

Julie's jaw dropped. "T-that was you?"

"I've been sending you things these past two years. I'm not sure how many of them you received. About a year ago, I found out that the boys were trapped by Caleb like me. I promised to free them if they could help you. Wait, they never told you this?"

"No. They said they didn't even know you."

"That's strange. Maybe me putting them in the CD sent their minds back to that time? I'm not 100% sure, but the same would have happened for me with the journal, so I really don't know what happened there. I would've come myself the first time, but I didn't know what would happen, and I didn't want it to hurt you. But I had to come this time, I had no choice."

"What made it so worth the risk?"

"About two days ago, Caleb came to me, enraged. He started talking about how he connected the dots and realized I sent the boys to Julie. He said he connected the dots when Bobby came to him and told him that he thinks the boys broke into his house to snoop because there was a song missing." Rose sighed then continued. "I thought about denying it, but there's really no use in arguing with him. He said something about me wanting to protect you, and that it was no use. He said that you and your band were already surrounded, and nothing I could do would stop the inevitable."