Daughter of the Devil - r. peters // 2

𝟹. 𝚐𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕

"Okay, so, I'm thinking we do Edge of Great again, then do Stand Tall to end it." Julie's saying, looking at each of the boys, motioning to them with her pen.

Luke and Alex nod at her, smiling. "Sounds awesome." Alex says, glancing over at Luke.

Julie smiles at them, before she glances back at the bassist behind her, who hasn't spoken a word since she's been in here.

Reggie isn't there right now. He's in his head. Simply thinking. About what would've happened if they hadn't been saved, hadn't played the Orpheum, had just ceased to exist-

"Reggie?"

"Huh?" The boy's eyes snap up the the three of them, Luke and Alex looking knowingly while Julie smiles at him.

"I was just saying how we could do Edge of Great, then Stand Tall again for our performance tomorrow?" She says softly.

He blinks, before nodding. "Oh! Yeah, that sounds perfect." He says with a nod in each of their directions.

As soon as it was settled, they went back to their own thing, Reggie poofing out of the garage to go wherever the hell he's going, and Julie and the guys staying there.

Julie watches the spot the bassist was just in, sighing. "What's been up with him?"

Alex bites his lip, shaking his head as he wrings his hands. "We wish we knew."

"All we know is that ever since that night... When we almost... Died, I guess..." Luke says, rubbing the back of his neck as he looks down. "He hasn't been the same. Especially after Callie left that night."

Julie hums softly, nodding. "Callie... She was the girl that came to say goodbye, and came to the Great gig?"

"Yeah, that's her." Alex nods.

Julie shakes her head. "She was beautiful."

"She is beautiful." Luke nods.

"But she was hurt last time she was here?"

Luke takes a breath, glancing over at Alex, who's still worrying his lip. "Yeah... She was."

Julie looks up at the two ghosts. "Why... Why was she hurt?"

Luke looks back at her. "You... Well..." He rubs his neck again. "She helped us. And she was punished for it." He takes a breath. "You... Remember how Caleb..." He feels sick even remembering it, like he had eaten another one of those street dogs from all those years ago. "How Caleb tried to... Take us? For his own band?"

"Yeah...?"

"Well..." Luke shakes his head. "Callie was the one who... Technically set us up for it. She... Told him to put his stamps on us to protect herself."

"She knew?" Julie says, mouth agape.

"The whole time." The blonde speaks up, stepping forward. "But... He hurt her all the time, and she was trying to avoid it... It was complicated for her." He shakes his head. "And she regretted it. That's why she... Helped us find our unfinished business... Or... Tried to..." He mumbles. They didn't cross over when they had played the Orpheum like they had hoped they would, and it nearly cost them everything. "And she got punished for it. That night we almost died, she came out here, knowing that she'd get in more trouble, just to make sure we made it, but... We didn't, and.." Alex sucks in a breath. "She thought it was her fault."

"It was her fault."

The three are surprised when they hear the weak voice, snapping their gazes over to Reggie, who's been standing at the door of the garage for the last few seconds, his fist clenched around his bass.

"She was the one that practically sold us to him." He says softly. "Even if she saved us, that doesn't change the fact that she lied to us." His voice wasn't harsh, simply held that painful truth: that she was the reason they got the stamp.

Alex shakes his head. "Caleb would've stamped us anyway. Plus, you know how he treats her."

Reggie did know. And that made it worse for some reason.

"She still lied. And... And I hate being lied to. So excuse me for still being a little upset about it." He forces himself to snap at them, before poofing away again.

"So... She lied about... Knowing?" Julie asks softly.

"That's... True, yeah. But... She..." Alex says, taking a breath. He shakes his head.

Luke finishes for him. "She's Caleb's daughter. She... Died... On the same night, I'm guessing, and... They've been working together ever since."

Alex nods. He can't say he doesn't agree with Reg. She did lie. And Alex didn't trust the girl at all before that, but he couldn't understand why. Something was off about her. Her stance, the way she carried herself, her eyes... Their eyes matched. But he didn't notice until they were standing next to each other when they had been trapped at the club. He should've seen the signs sooner, to be honest.

But she still helped them. Even if it got her punished.

"She's Caleb's daughter? And... She knew about everything?"

They nod. "According to Willie, Hollywood Ghost Club has been open since 1928. Eight years after Caleb and Callie died. And... Apparently Caleb just got worse and worse, corrupted with power, or somethin'." Alex says. The boy and him were able to get closer thanks to Callie. Thanks to her, the man hardly paid attention to Willie anymore.

Another thing he owed her.

Julie shakes her head, glancing at them. "Reggie..." She gulps. "Reggie really cares about her, doesn't he?"

Alex and Luke look at each other, before Alex sighs. That was true. Reggie did care about her. From the moment she had 'tripped' into him at the beach that day, they saw the way he cared about her. Could see the exact moment that he realized she was beautiful, and sweet, a girl and a ghost...

And a liar.

"Yeah..." Alex nods. "And... Seeing her the way she was last time..." He sighs again. "It's tearing him apart."

"He thinks we can't see him... How he's hurting..." Luke mumbles, shaking his head. "But we do. And... It hurts to see him like that.

Julie nodded softly. She saw it. The closed off, snappy, cold Reggie was nothing like the sweet boy she met only a few months ago. And Luke and Alex were his best friends, and they were hurt too.

Luke cleared his throat quickly, standing up straighter. "Well, this got depressing fast." He croaks out, rubbing his neck again. "C'mon, let's practice for a little bit."

They agree, unaware that the bassist had been in the loft, listening to everything they had been saying, his jacket thrown off of his shoulders, leaving him in just his plain white tee, his fingers buried in his hair. He waited a few moments, before grabbing his bass and poofing downstairs, everyone else unaware of what he'd heard and what he'd been listening to.

But he knew one thing for sure.

He needed Callie to get out of his head.

For good.