Ghosted

Chapter 8: Possesion?

Reggie's been looking around Julie's whole neighborhood and the neighborhood Luke use to live in. He couldn't find his brother anywhere. He knew when he saw Steve he would recognize him right away even after it's been twenty five years. He knows his brother, he'll recognize him. But he fears he would never even have the chance because it seems Steve is nowhere to be found.

Suddenly Reggie feels like he's being watched. Like in a creepy way, like the way he felt when Nick's eyes met his at Julie's house. He looked behind him and saw Nick peering at him from behind a tree. Again, they made direct eye contact and it felt like something sinister was reaching down and scrapping the bottom of Reggie's soul. Shivers crawled down his back and he quickly turned back around.

I'm just seeing things. He thinks to himself.

He looks back to the tree and sure enough Nick is gone. He sighs in relief. It was just his imagination. He turns back around and suddenly Nick is standing right in front of him.

He jumps in surprise, but Nick just walks straight through him like he was never even there and continues down the sidewalk. Reggie's heart was still beating really fast from the jump scare, but he took a couple of deep breaths. I'm just being paranoid. Nick is a regular, can't see me, doesn't know I'm a ghost, lifer. That's all.

Reggie just couldn't shake the creepy feeling he had that something wasn't right.

He looks back at where Nick was walking away from him, but now Nick is just standing there, his back turned to him. As if he could feel Reggie's eyes on him, he slowly turns his head and looks at him. Reggie freezes. There's no way this isn't just his imagination. Nick's eyes flash and glow purple, Reggie stumbles back in shock.

"That's...that's not normal regular lifer things." He whispers to himself. Suddenly it was all clicking together, that's not Nick.

Reggie quickly poofs back to the studio, Alex was back from his date with Willie and he and Luke were chilling on the couch. Reggie poofed in so quickly, he almost tripped when appearing in the studio.

"Oh, hello. You good?" Alex laughs at his clumsiness.

"Guys, I saw Nick again I was-" he stops for a second, not really wanting to tell them the truth about what he was doing. He knew if he told them he was looking for his brother it would just be an unnecessary distraction from the band becuase they'd try to help him. This is something he felt he needed to do by himself, something he had to do by himself.

"I was just walking around minding my own business and I saw Nick and he was looking right at me again and he was behind a tree one moment and then the next he was right in front of me, like he poofed there."

"Nick's a lifer, he can't do that." Luke says. 

"Exactly! So I thought I was in my imagination and it wasn't real, but then I looked back and he was just standing there with his back to me and he turned his head, and get this. His eyes GLOWED. His eyes glowed purple."

"Reg, are you -"

"And I'm pretty sure that isn't a normal thing, right? Like I know I'm not exactly the smartest but that's not normal even for ghosts! What if...what if Caleb is possessing Nick."

Neither Alex or Luke say anything for a moment, as if they're actually considering the possibility. Reggie feels hopeful that finally someone will believe him.

"That's just nonsense." Luke says waving his arm at the idea. "Why would Caleb possess Nick of all people. I mean pick someone a little more useful."

"I'm being serious!" Reggie says, thinking they weren't even considering his theory because he wasn't a serious person.

"Okay, we get it. But I mean possession?" Alex says. "Is that even a thing?"

"You don't get it, if you were there you'd see what I'm taking about, something isn't right." Reggie says. "And if ghosts are real, why not possession?"

"Look, maybe you're just paranoid about Caleb coming after us. I get it, I'm worried too." Alex says.

"But he can't hurt us, okay Caleb's too dumb for any of that." Luke says. "We are gonna be fine, Caleb can try all he wants but he's not gonna get us."

"I'm not making it up, I saw him."

"We don't think you're making it up." Alex says. "I mean, I believe that you think you saw it, but you do have a pretty wild imagination. And it makes sense you'd imagine something about Caleb if you're worried about it."

Reggie sighs, realizing they were never gonna believe him. Why would they? He's just the silly, goofy, stupid, crazy imagination, friend who no one really takes seriously. Why would they listen to him?

"Okay, yeah whatever you're probably right." He sighs. "Just forget it I guess."

He joins them on the couch and silence fills the room. Reggie tries to think of something to say, feeling awkward and embarrassed about what just happened and he wanted the attention to be on anything else.

"Do you think me and Julie could actually work?" Luke randomly asks.

"Maybe." Alex shrugs.

"Probably." Reggie says.

"I tried to ask her about us today and she completely avoided it and just left." Luke says. "Did I mess up by asking her?"

"Depends." Alex says.

"Well you're a real help." Luke sighs. "I'm gonna go and try and talk to her again." He says and poofs away.

"You okay?" Alex asks.

"Huh? Yeah I'm fine." Reggie says, confused to why Alex was asking. He tried to never make it a doubt that he was okay. He wanted them to rely on him always being okay, in case they weren't okay they could always look to him for some light.

"It's not that we don't believe you or we think you're making it up." Alex says. "It just, it doesn't really make any sense. Why would Caleb use Nick to get to us?"

"I don't know." Reggie shrugs, wishing he didn't bring any of it up. "Just....can you guys be careful around him just in case? I'm just asking you be aware, you know. I don't want you guys to get hurt."

Alex nods in agreement finding it sweet Reggie cared so much. He was just trying to warn them. Even if Alex didn't believe it, Reggie makes a good point. It's always good to be careful. "We'll be careful. Don't worry."

Suddenly Julie comes into the studio followed by Luke, and it seemed like Julie was yet again avoiding something. She was. Luke had asked again about them, and Julie couldn't give an answer because she doesn't know how she feels. So she avoided the question yet again and said she needed to make a band announcement.

"Guys I have band news." She says. 

"Julie, don't you think we should talk about-"

"I got a gig offer." Julie cuts Luke off and hands Alex the card Nick gave her. "Nick's uncle owns a club. He heard about our performance at the Orpheum and wants us to play there. I called Nick's uncle and he said it was a part time job, we can play there weekly. Lots of mangers and producers go there too. It's a great way to help get discovered. What do we think?"

"Nick?" Reggie asks. "I, I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Don't tell me Luke's rubbing off on you. Nick is a sweet guy, there's nothing wrong with him." Julie says.

"Reggie thinks Caleb's possessing Nick." Luke says, like it was a silly idea.

"Speaking of which," Alex says, "we should be careful anyways. Just in case. Better to be safe than sorry, even if the possibility is unlikely."

"So, we're not taking the gig?" Luke asks.

"Well, I mean I guess we can still do it if you guys want." Reggie says. He would feel extremely guilty if he were the reason they throw an opportunity away. "You guys are probably right anyways and it was just my stupid imagination." He laughs it off.

"Alright well I guess I'll call him up again and tell him we're in." Julie says.