Sit Still, Look Pretty · Julie And The Phantoms ·

The Boys Return

His return to the Hollywood Ghost Club had the other ghosts whispering, Luke's ears burning from how many people were speaking his name. He even caught the eye of a few Lifers, members who had paid to gain entry and see what life was like on the other side. But this wasn't a true representation of what the afterlife was truly like. No, it was just a show.

And that was why he was here. To put on a show.

"Caleb!" he shouted from the top of the stairs, gaining the showman's attention almost immediately. The man turned on his platform heels, his cape billowing out and making himself look grandiose. But Luke could see through him. He was just a scared little man, grasping at fame and using poor souls in need of rescue to do it. "I heard you had an opening for a guitarist!" he called, but before his words had all come out, Caleb snapped his fingers and Luke was no longer standing on the stairs.

The man stared at the boy. Luke didn't know how he managed it, but here he was, right in front of him. Caleb was amused by him, a smirk playing over his lips as he thought about how to respond.

"Where are your friends?" he queried. Luke wasn't alone. His friends were right behind him. Well, they had been before Caleb's magic trick. "All three of you...walking straight into the lion's den. Brave, I'll admit."

They had come to an agreement. They had managed to rid themselves of his Mark, but there was no telling how deep the control over them had already gone. And so, in order to protect Julie and her family, and her friends, they were going to join him, give him what he'd wanted from them all along. But they would do everything they could to figure out a way to bring him down and free the others trapped under him.

Luke had been the one to tell Julie that they were leaving. She was lying to her dad and brother, to everyone but Flynn. He'd used that as his excuse. The longer they performed together, the bigger the lie would get and she'd only end up hurting herself. No one would believe that they were ghosts if she was ever to tell the truth, she'd wind up in a nuthouse.

Here they were, hoping their gambit would pay off.

"You need us," said Reggie, as he and Alex walked down the stairs toward the stage where the three would confront Caleb together. He was right and the twitch of Caleb's eyebrow was all the proof the boys needed.

"Come to my office, we'll discuss contracts," stated Caleb, turning to the guests who'd all shown up for a song and dance. "Ladies and gentlemen, it would seem...tonight, the show has been canceled."

Caleb guided the boys through the hallways of his Ghost Club, passing other ghosts who clearly worked for him and were trapped. Some made eye contact with the boys, furrowing their eyebrows, trying to figure out why they'd return if they'd managed to break the Mark. Others avoided eye contact all together, keeping their eyes down, more afraid of making eye contact with Caleb than them.

"We won't be trapped here," Luke told Caleb as the doors behind them slammed shut, rustling the papers that had materialized out of thin air on Caleb's lavish wooden desk. The thing was huge. Far too big, however, Luke guessed he was overcompensating for something or other. "We'll play with your house band but we're not going to be stuck. We want freedom, like Willie."

"Ah, like William," Caleb mused, leaning against his desk as his eyes focused on the floor beside Luke's feet. "That can be arranged."

"And we want you to stay away from our friends on the outside," Reggie added. Luke shot him a glare. They weren't supposed to mention anyone. They didn't want to give him anything he could use against them.

"Julie, I assume?" The way that Caleb said her name made Luke's jaw clench and he wanted to fly at the man, smack him right in the teeth. "Fine, but...you play what I want you to play. Your set list will be decided by me and you will perform for whoever I want you to perform for."