Bluebirds Without Wings | Julie and the Phantoms

Dialogue Between Friends and a Ghost

No word of Luke. It had been two months and her kingdom was officially rebuilding any land that had been destroyed during battle and helping displaced citizens and soldiers. Julie was up and down the kingdom, meeting people and helping in construction areas. She had to keep busy or she would succumb to sadness in the castle. She was still waiting for Luke to come around the corners, stuffed from dinner with a stain on his uniform. To appear sitting on the pond. To play in the music room with her.

Reggie and Alex hadn't heard from Luke either. Julie saw Reggie often as he was assigned to be her dad's personal guard (after a super invasive background check), and he hung out with her and Flynn. When Alex wasn't working for the Kingdom Post-War Recovery Committee, he'd join them and they'd go to the club together.

The stage was empty like always on a Sunday that the four of them went in. It was weird for Julie to look over at it and not see Luke's guitar ready to go. It was still in the castle music room, waiting for him just as she was.

They sat down at their usual table in the club, Julie sitting where she had a view of the door so they wouldn't ask her who she was waiting for every few minutes. She would turn to see all the time, hoping that Luke would walk through and surprise them. It was disappointing, and it stung like a scorpion tail to the heart.

"So, no word from Mr. Loyal Knight again?" Flynn asked Alex. Julie thought the nickname was funny at times but there had been too many recent days in which his absence was hitting her. She didn't say anything.

"None at all," Alex sighed. "He had an Instagram account before, and it's completely gone now."

"So," Flynn said, connecting dots, "he had internet access. Deleted his Insta. And didn't bother telling you guys anything?" Alex was sad, but he nodded. Alex seemed to be the one who was more empathetic towards Luke. Reggie on the other hand? It was best to not bring up Luke all together around him.

Reggie pitched in, "If he wanted to reach out, he would've already."

"Give him more time," Alex said softly, nervously twisting his hands together. Usually Julie would agree with him, but it was past that point. Past the point of numbing out her feelings.

"I just don't get him," Julie said. She knew she sounded angry, so she spoke low so nobody would overhear. "He betrays me, apologizes, confesses that he has feelings for me, and then, just ghosts us."

Flynn said under her breath, "And he forgot your birthday." Julie slammed her hand on the table.

"And he forgot my birthday!" she said loudly. Some people turned to look at them, and they shyly ducked their heads lower. "Like if you knew they were coming to kidnap me, you could've at least waited until the day after to be nice." Julie was joking. For the most part.

It was hard to detached Luke from what happened to her. But also, he was just a big as a victim of King Caleb's rule as she was. And forgiveness came easy to her, but when he was not there to work to its full completion, to truly earn her trust back, it was hard for her to not have it become a puddle in her hands.

"Look," Flynn said. "I know you guys are busy people but what's really stopping you guys from taking a helicopter over there? It's not that far?" Julie had already thought of that. Of impulsively jumping in the helicopter and telling them to take her to Sacrament so she could pound on his door and drag him back with her.

"I think he needs space," Julie said. That was her best guess. "And I'll give it to him."

There was a small pause of silence between the four as glasses clinked around them in the bar. Reggie told Julie softly, afraid to hurt her feelings almost, "If you still haven't completely forgiven him, that's also a valid reason." Julie looked at him sitting across from her and quirked a brow. She didn't know how he read that from her so easily even when she had said many times out loud that she wasn't mad at Luke. "I still haven't either."

And then it made sense. Because Reggie felt the same in terms of: We forgive you. Just please come home so we know you still want us, too. Because life without Luke was unbalanced and strange. And to feel like he didn't want them back, was enraging and frustrating. Especially with all the emotional turmoil they had to work through to get to the terms of his forgiveness. To fully arrive to the conclusion that Luke loved them and didn't want to ever hurt them. Because he was still hurting them the longer he stayed away.

"Luke hurt all of you," Flynn said. "And it's really not anybody's fault. But this," she said, spinning her hand in a circle between the four, "kind of is. And it's just going to be another thing to forgive him for. If he wants to apologize."

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A/N: Short chapter because I'm uploading another one right after this!!