Continued - Julie and the Phantoms

Chapter Five

Julie sat up quickly as the group returned, their mood so somber it had dampened the playful atmosphere from just moments before.

Alex looked like if someone looked at him wrong he'd burst into tears, and everyone else was standing tensely, trying not to set him off.

"What happened?" Luke asked, jumping up from his seat on the couch.

Flynn pulled Luke and Julie to the side. "We found Willie's skateboard. Alex insists he wouldn't go anywhere without it, so we think something bad must have happened." She explained quietly.

Julie's heart dropped. "Caleb must have found out he helped us." She whispered.

She couldn't believe something like this had happened. She knew Caleb was dangerous because of what he'd done to the guys, but this was becoming seriously dangerous.

Luke slipped his hand into hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "We'll figure this out. We beat Caleb before, we'll do it again."

"Let's hope we can," Flynn prayed, walking back over to Reggie and Alex, who had found a seat on the couch. Reggie was rubbing Alex's back while he sat with his head in his hands.

Julie hated seeing them like this. She was determined to find a way to stop Caleb so nobody could get more hurt than they already had, but she had no idea where to even start.

She was still standing with Luke, subconsciously gripping onto his hand a little tighter than she meant to. "Shoot. Guys, my dad walked in and saw Luke while you were gone. He invited you all to dinner" Julie said suddenly.

She had almost forgotten. Alex seemed to have calmed down a little bit, and looked up. "Sounds like fun." He said half-heartedly.

Reggie stifled a burst of excitement, trying not to be insensitive to Alex. He had been dreaming of this day since he started his (onesided) friendship with Mr Molina.

Flynn had stepped to the side, quickly tapping away at her phone. She groaned and joined Julie and Luke again.

"I gotta dip. My parents won't let me stay over here for dinner. Something about a missing assignment or whatever. Good luck," She waved goodbye, casting a concerned look over to Alex before walking out the door.

Julie stepped into action, determined to make the best of the night.

"Okay guys, as long as you don't mention anything about being dead or your childhood in the 90s or whatever I'm pretty sure we'll be fine." She said confidently.

Everyone looked up halfheartedly smiling. At least they were trying. The news of Caleb and Willie had really put a damper on the mood.

Julie checked her phone. It was 5:45, around the time she usually ate dinner. "We'd better head inside. You guys ready?"

The guys got up, brushing off their clothes. They couldn't help but feel a little excited to be able to meet and converse with Julie's family.

They walked into the house led by Julie, determined to make the best of the night.

Julie's dad greeted them warmly, shaking each of their hands until he got to Reggie, who threw his arms around the unsuspecting Molina.

"Sorry, I'm a hugger." He apologized. Julie rolled her eyes. "Come on guys, lets sit down."

They all sat, Reggie and Alex taking one side, Luke and Julie taking the other, with Julie's dad sitting on the end across from an empty seat.

"Where's Carlos?" Julie asked, noticing his empty seat.

"He went to have a sleepover at his friend's house," Her dad replied, getting up to bring the food over.

Dinner looked delicious: Thanks to Julie's tía, there was a big spread of all kinds of different foods. It smelled amazing.

The guys' moods seemed to lift enormously when they saw it, which Julie was happy for. She hated seeing them look so down.

Dinner went great, the guys taking turns telling stories of how they began playing their instruments, what it was like being a band before meeting Julie, and some more recent ones with their new band member.

"We love Julie. The band has never been better, and honestly it feels like she's been one of us since the very beginning now," Reggie told Julie's dad, grinning.

Luke and Alex agreed. "She's amazingly talented, sir. You really should come to more of our gigs." Luke chimed in.

Julie blushed. "I'm not that good. I'd be nothing without you guys," She replied modestly, pushing her plate back.

"Hey dad, we gotta get back to the garage now to work on some songs. Can we go?" She asked, getting up and giving him a quick hug.

"Of course, mija. Have fun!" Her dad got up to clear the table, waving the kids away. Alex tried to help him, but he waved him off. "No worries."

With the stress about dinner gone, everyone's mood was sky high. With their minds cleared, they were ready to figure out a game plan for dealing with Caleb and finding Willie.

Julie was sure they'd be able to come up with something pretty quickly, especially since they were all more relaxed now.

The group walked down the path to the garage. It was around 7:00 pm now, so the sun was still out. They had plenty of time to hang out before Julie had to go, but she wanted to use her time wisely.

"Okay guys, we need to come up with a plan on what to do about Caleb. Did you guys find anything other than that skateboard that could lead us to Wil-"

Her voice broke when she opened the studio door and was greeted with a horrific scene.

Alex let out an agonized cry, rushing past Julie frantically.

Willie lay motionless on the floor in the middle of the studio, scrapes and bruises covering his body. He was bleeding from his arm and neck, his long hair matted with dry blood.

Julie felt her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. She felt sick.

Alex turned to his friends, rage burning in his gaze. "Caleb."