Infinite

Pretty Little Lies

• ♫ •
Tired of playin' make believe
Tired of playin', tired of playin'
Baby, I can't fool you and you can't fool me
You can only smile so wide
Keep smilin', keep smilin'
Say you're perfect little life is just a perfect little lie
Pretty little liar, I'm done
With your pretty little lies
With your pretty little lies
Pretty little liar, I'm done
With your pretty little lies
With your pretty little lies
• ♫ •

A week and a half earlier...

"What do you mean, 'Luke traded his soul for mine'?" Mari asked. She had no idea what really had gone on when she was taken. Between the trauma and the ghost magic, she barely remembered a thing. "What exactly happened?"

"Caleb Covington kidnapped you. He wanted to trade you for the whole band, but Luke managed to convince him to only take him. None of us know all the details, though." Julie explained. Because she didn't know what really happened, it was all of the information she could give to Marietta.

Mari's face went pale, whiter than the average ghost. She couldn't believe anything Julie said. "I was kidnapped? Why— why can't I remember it?" Her breaths started quickening, shallowing enough to only let small gasps of air in and out.

"It's okay, Mari." They knew she couldn't go to the police (how do you explain that you were kidnapped by a ghost and now your ghost boyfriend is with him because he sold his soul to save you?), so there wasn't anything else she could do. Hospitals would only conclude that it was an abnormal case of amnesia and send her on her way. "Why don't you stay the night and we can talk more in the morning?" Mari yawned and nodded, curling up on the couch a couple minutes later in a spare set of Julie's pyjamas.

"Reggie, keep the ghosts out of here until morning; Mari needs to rest." Julie whispered to the guys, and they nodded.

Reggie decided to explore around the city—there wasn't much he could do for the time being while he didn't have access to the attic. He wanted to find the rest of his songs from back then, but Mari needed time to rest more than he needed to find those songs. Plus, it wasn't like they were going to leave the attic anytime soon. They'd been there for twenty-five or thirty years. Another couple days wouldn't hurt. It didn't help, but it didn't hurt him either.

An idea, absolutely crazy, popped in his head. What if he actually found his parents? It wasn't impossible given the amount of technology that existed, but he also wasn't fluent with the modern day technology that existed. He would have to do a lot of work just to figure out the nuances of how to use Google (it still felt odd on his tongue).

The only question that still lingered in his mind was the idea that he might not like what he found. That wasn't an impossibility, though he hoped deep in his bones that wouldn't be the case. He would've felt it if his parents weren't still around.

Right?

I just want to make sure they're happy, Reggie rationalized with himself. It was a battle he kept fighting between his head and his heart.

But, what if they're both dead? Or, worse, one killed the other? Reggie's hands started to shake at that thought, but he knew it could've happened. He left at fifteen. He didn't know the full extent of what they fought about after he disappeared and joined a band with his three best friends. He had no idea if they even got a divorce before he died or if it happened after.

That was when another idea struck him, one that didn't instill fear in him at the mere thought of it. Instead of trying to find his parents, Reggie could go back to Bobby's mansion. Terrorizing his ex-bandmate sounded way better than knowing what happened to the people who had given him life.

"Oh, this is going to be a lot of fun." He disappeared from the street Julie lived on to the front of Trevor Wilson's mansion. He hadn't actually been back since they terrorized him all together, but the excitement coursed through his veins and fuelled his mischievous side. It took only ten steps to get through the door (which he just walked straight through) to see Bobby completely ignoring his daughter.

It hit him that not everything was perfect in Bobby's life. He and his daughter were ten feet apart, yet they could've been in two different worlds with how they acted. Carrie, who was in the process of making dinner, didn't even seem to have a single care that her father was in the next room, watching MTV and scrolling through Twitter.

"Dad, are you planning to eat now or should I save you a plate?" Carrie yelled, but she knew the answer.

"I'm eating out tonight. Got a movie release." Carrie only sighed and scooped enough pasta on her plate for herself and left the rest to cool.

"Got it." Reggie couldn't imagine what he'd be like when he became famous, but it didn't seem all fun and games like he dreamed up twenty-five years ago. "I'll just eat alone. Again."

"What is wrong with you, Bobby? Can't you just spend one night with your own kid?" Reggie walked over to his ex-bandmate. He thought he knew Bobby, but it was clear he'd changed in twenty-five years. And it was clear that the last twenty-five years were not all kind. "Come on, Bobby, are you seriously going to do nothing?"

He shook with rage, angry that Trevor Wilson—a man worth millions upon millions—would rather spend a night at a red carpet than a night with his own daughter. Reggie could think of plenty of things to do. Watch a movie, make a fort, a nerf battle, but they all involved the both of them. For the first time in forever, he was happy he didn't grow up. He might've turned out the same as Bobby, detached from the people he was supposed to love. That was one thing Reggie never wanted, especially with all the fights he endured. Reggie still loved his parents, no matter how unhappy they were together.

For once, Reggie didn't mind dying before he turned eighteen.

He disappeared from Bobby's house back to the Santa Monica Pier, where a concert was playing. The girl on stage was only a few years older than him—no older than twenty-five—and had a wonderful voice. The lights shined all the way out to the boardwalk, where Reggie sat and dangled his feet.

"I had a feeling you'd be here," Alex said, startling Reggie.

"When did you get back?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know how the whole plan had gone, but, at the same time, Reggie wanted to know if Alex and Willie saved Luke. If he did, that would mean they wouldn't lose their lead guitarist. If he didn't, that meant Caleb won. Caleb couldn't win. Reggie would make sure that never happened.

"Less than an hour ago." Reggie didn't even notice how happy Alex was. Between the jumpiness and the huge smile on his face, it was clear that Alex and Willie had succeeded. "Luke is waiting at the studio if you want to see him."

"So the plan worked?" Reggie turned to his friend, stunned. "It really worked?"

"Yeah. I wasn't sure it was going to either, but it did." Alex had to admit that Willie had really thought it out. And it didn't exist solely because Caleb took Luke, but rather because Willie wanted to save them all. A year ago, when they were all stamped by the evil magician ghost, he cared enough to come up with a way to save them all at his own expense.

"Well, let's go. I want to see Luke." Reggie, during the last couple of days, realized he truly missed his best friend. At certain points during the last year, Reggie wished he could have alone time. But alone time would be a choice. Having your friend kidnapped was not. He poofed back to the studio, Alex in tow, and saw the third ghost of their trio.

"Man, I missed you." Reggie gave him a hug and didn't want to let go. So, for a couple minutes, he didn't let go, and Alex joined in. None of them noticed Mari, sleeping on the couch right next to them. She deserved the sleep, especially after all she'd been through.

Author's Note: What would you do if your ghost boyfriend had traded his soul for yours? I have no idea what I would've done, tbh. But, I'm happy Luke is finally free! As always, remember to vote and let me know what you think in the comments. All the best, MistyRider921.