You Can Find Me In The Space Between

Chapter Twelve

Julie was trying to stay positive for Pete and Benji, but she was pretty sure this was helpless. They had been searching for Alex for the past month. They had momentarily gotten excited when they thought they found him in Australia, but that quickly proved to be a dead end. Julie was finishing up school and well, you know the fact they obviously couldn't fly around the world, so they were forced to rely on social media. They had tried using Sunset Curve, Julie and the Phantoms, Hollywood Ghost Club, anything they could think of really that might relate to Alex.

Finally though, Julie had to say something. "Guys... what... what if Alex doesn't want to be found? Or that it is too late? Or that he never came back in the first place?" Benji looked at Julie with hurt eyes. "I know, I know. But I know you weren't sure if you could come back Benj, but I feel like Alex would have at least said something to me by now."

"But why wouldn't he want to come back?" Benji said sadly.

Pete walked over and sat beside Benji, placing an arm around his shoulder. "She didn't mean that he didn't want to see us bud. Right Jules?"

Julie took in the broken boys in front of her and quickly nodded. The reality though was that Alex wasn't there, and it didn't seem like he was going to show up anytime soon.

"There must be something that we're missing." Benji said, trying to hold back his emotions.

"I don't think so buddy. It's not like it was a riddle or a puzzle, besides, we had two very different experiences since we've come back." Pete countered. "I don't think that's going to help us get Alex back."

"Yeah... I guess you're right." Benji said. He looked down and started picking at a hole in his jeans.

"Wait... maybe you're right. Why were your experiences different?" Julie asked.

"What do you mean?" Pete questioned.

"Well, Michael set everything up for when you came back, right? Does it seem like he would do things by accident? Surely everything must have a point? So, there must be a reason why you had different letters."

Pete stared at the floor, going over Julie's words in his mind... why had Michael given him practically nothing, and yet, Michael had given Benji money. Benji's story about becoming an internet sensation also sounded too good to be true – he was starting to think Michael had a hand in that too.

Julie could tell that Pete was thinking there might be something, and as this was their first idea in a while, she was going to see it through. She ran and grabbed a sheet of paper. "Okay, Pete tell me everything you remember from your letter from Michael." She grabbed her pen and began jotting down everything Pete said.

"Okay, so he gave stuff for your new identity, but nothing else." Julie repeated.

Pete shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Right, and Benji, what about you?" Julie asked.

Benji thought back to when he first received his letter from Michael.

Hello Mr. Peters,

I regret to inform you that I was unable to bring you back to your previous body. While I know that would have been an easier situation, the unfortunate reality is that, sadly, very few people come into life in a situation of ease.

With a heart as wholesome as yours, Reginald, you should have been in a home full of love and attentive parents. It is our sincere hope that this new life will allow you to no longer be weighed down by the shackles of your childhood.

While we will be unable to provide further assistance to you, we have done our best to set you up for success. Enclosed in the envelope in front of you, you will find the necessary documentation for new identity, Benjamin Hesse, as well as some funds to get you started. As I have previously mentioned, we will not be able to assist you any further, but we have prepared some safeguards should you require them.