Dear Dahlia // B1

[5]

^^^artwork done by me :))

-present day-

"I'm going in there."

"No. Look, I can explain everything," I say quickly, putting my hands up as if they were a stop sign.

"Get out of my way, Dahlia," Julie says, holding the cross out in front of her again.

"Wait - can you just listen to me for a second?" I grab her shoulders in an attempt to hold her back.

"Get your hands off me," she spits, smacking my hands away.

"Julie - please," but she's already around me and pulling the door open.

"Alright ghosts," she says, stepping into the doorway. "I know that you're in here."

"She's just scared," I hear Alex say. I run into the garage and close the door. I quickly walk up to Julie and pull the cross out of the hands.

"Stop!" I yell. "If you could just calm down and let me explain things to you, then you wouldn't be so paranoid."

"Give it back, Dahlia!" She yells, reaching over me to get the cross.

"No! Would you just listen to me?" I stick my hip against her gut and extend my arm, trying to keep the cross away from her. "They're ghosts, yes. But they're just lost. Ow!"

Julie's teeth sink into my wrist.

"You just bit me!" I look down at my wrist, which is now falling out of Julie's mouth.

"Yep, sure did," she says, jumping on me and grabbing the cross.

"What is wrong with you? I can't believe you just freaking bit me!" I shout, laying where I fell on the floor.

"Hi there," A voice chimes from above Julie and I. Julie and I both look up to see Reggie smiling down at us.

"You!" Julie shouts, scrambling to her feet. She holds the cross firmly in her hand and punches Reggie in the chest. I watched as her hand passes through him and out again, as if he's just air.

"How did you do that?" Julie asks, looking from Reggie to the cross then back at Reggie.

"You idiot," I say, making my way to me feet. "They're ghosts. I knew that you were extremely dense, but ghosts aren't at all, genius."

Julie narrows her eyes at me.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop her from coming in here," I apologize to Luke, Alex, and Reggie.

"So she doesn't know anything?" Luke asks.

"No," I answer, looking down at my feet.

"Who are you?" Julie says, directing the cross at Luke. "What are you doing in my mom's studio?"

"Listen we're just a few guys who died in 1995. This was our studio. We were in a band called Sunset Curve," Luke starts.

"We already went over all of this with Dahlia," Alex cuts him off. "Look, we've been dead for 25 years and we'd really appreciate it if you would stop freaking out. Because we're already doing a lot of that."

Julie glares at him before pulling her phone out of her pocket.

"What are you doing?" I ask her.

"I'm googling up Sunset Swerve," she says, still holding the cross out in front of her.

"Sunset Curve," all three boys say at the same time.

"Whatever," Julie says, looking back down at her phone. "Woah, you did die, 25 years ago."