𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐝 ✰ 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

• • • • • • •

the familiar roar of a crowd could be heard past a silvery curtain that glittered in the stage lights as alex, reggie, and luke materialized backstage at the hollywood ghost club.

reggie looked down at his clothes, and his mouth dropped open in awe. he wore a red satin jacket with black butterflies printed all over it, with a black shirt and vest to match his bright red bass guitar. when he glanced over to his friends, he saw them dressed in similar fashions. luke was sporting an all-cobalt blue tux, complete with a black bow tie and a ruffled dress shirt. alex couldn't help but grin at his pastel pink suit jacket adorned with a rose on the lapel. his golden chain was draped around his neck, visible through the sheer dress shirt that hung loosely over his chest.

as they admired their clothes, reggie realized that one of their four was missing. char must have been pulled away from him sometime during the journey here to the hollywood ghost club, and now, she was nowhere to be found. he turned to luke as he scanned their surroundings for any sign of her.

"hey, have you seen-"

footsteps came down the stairs above the three boys, and a familiar presence came into view next to them, his voice cutting off reggie's question.

"well, don't you look nice?" caleb covington said through his teeth, adjusting his cuff links as he looked at the three musicians in front of them

"sweet threads." reggie had to admit, still in awe of his exquisitely fit satin suit.

"how-how'd you know our sizes?" alex asked, admiring the pastel pink of the clothes that fit him perfectly.

luke shot him a look. "that's your question?" he said grumpily as he adjusted his bow tie.

reggie looked around for any sign of the girl they were missing. "where's char? what did you do with her?"

caleb waved him off. "don't you worry about her. she knows what she signed up for."

"what is that supposed to mean?" he started to step forward but was pushed back- by luke's hand and his own fear of caleb's powerful magic.

the magician ignored reggie and clapped his hands together, looking at all three of them. "now, i know you boys aren't my biggest fans, and an eternity at my club might seem overwhelming but," he motioned to their luxurious outfits, "i just put you in sweet threads, so humor me this one last pitch."

luke bit back a sharp-tongued response. he decided that, after caleb's threat to charlotte just minutes earlier, a comeback wasn't his best idea.

"now, for starters, isn't it nice that you're all here together?" he asked, glancing at reggie first. "and everything you want," he pointed at alex, "including willie," then, looked to reggie again, "including your..." he paused, a slight tone of disdain in his voice, "confident young lady, charlie, is here."

reggie narrowed his eyes, and a look of confusion, mixed with his never-ending worry and disgust with caleb covington, crossed his face. he gripped the studded strap of his guitar, a strange feeling coming over him.

he snapped his fingers, and, out of thin air, charlotte appeared next to him. she'd been stuck in a space full of nothing but black for a few minutes, falling through nothingness. she landed on her feet and stumbled forward, throwing out her arms to steady herself. she instantly noticed silver heels, adorned with tiny butterflies, on her feet in place of the docs she'd put on in the morning. she looked down at her outfit, a sparkly, fringey green mini dress that hugged her hips just a little too tight for comfort. it obviously fit the 1920's speakeasy meets magic show vibe caleb had going on inside his sinister ghost club. as she tried to process what exactly was going on, her hand flew up to her neck, checking to see if reggie's necklace was still on. she let out a sigh of relief when her hand hit the cool metal, and she lightly rolled the tiny diamond between her pointer finger and thumb.

then, char looked up and saw them.

she had to admit, even in a time like this, those sunset curve boys cleaned up pretty nice. alex's pastel pink suit and sheer white shirt harmonized with his bright blonde hair, and luke's deep blue ensemble went perfectly with his eyes and dark hair. and then, there was reggie.

char whispered his name quietly as their eyes met.

in her eyes, he looked absolutely perfect in a red satin jacket that complemented his pale complexion and jet black locks. there were even black silk butterflies sewn into the bottom of his jacket, matching the ones char wore on her heels. looking at the deliberate choices for their clothes, charlotte knew that couldn't have been an accident. it was like caleb was putting the two closer and closer together, just to have the satisfaction of ripping them apart when the time came.

charlotte couldn't believe the boys were here. she noticed the worried look in reggie's eyes and started towards him, but caleb threw his arm out, barring her from getting to the bassist.

"nuh-uh, charlotte." he clicked his tongue and wagged his finger. "you and my new band have a show to do. no time for that."

"char, what is going on?" reggie looked at her, eyes full of concern, even fear, for her.

"oh, that's right, i almost forgot. they don't know." caleb smirked at her, reveling in the boys' confusion and her outrage.

"we had a deal." she balled her fists, holding back another wave of angry tears as she stared at him.

"did we?" he frowned, moving his toes out of the way of her stiletto when she tried to stomp on his foot.

caleb turned back to the boys. he walked up to luke and adjusted the boy's bow tie as he spoke. "on my stage, you don't vanish when the music stops, you soak in the applause for as long as you want. the connection that you will feel with that audience will be like no other. i promise you that."

luke eyes went almost glassy as the enticing words washed over him, but he fought the urge to fall under caleb's spell.

his entrancing gaze faltered, but he didn't miss a beat before he moved to alex, and lightly dusted off the drummer's shoulders, smoothing down the pink fabric of his jacket. "i know that you want willie, alex. i see it in those eyes. i mean, i don't blame you." he chuckled softly. "how could you resist-"

"alex, don't listen to him." char blurted out, watching caleb's liquid gold assurances take their effect on the drummer. "don't-you can't let him in your head."

"oh, charlotte." caleb turned with that familiar glint in his eyes and pouted at her. "they've already let me in."

char shut her mouth. alex closed his eyes, resisting the piercing glare of caleb's gaze. the magician let out a defeated chuckle, then stalked over to reggie, the last in the line. the bassist gulped, trying his best to swallow down the fear that brewed in the pit of his stomach.

"reginald." caleb smiled, adjusting the boy's studded guitar strap. "i know exactly what you want."

"you don't know anything about me." he said timidly, attempting to match the determined, hardened glare in luke's eyes.

"oh, i think i do." caleb chuckled, staring into the bassist's sky blue eyes as if he could see straight into his mind. "rough home life, huh? divorced parents, maybe? this band is the only family you've ever had. you don't know what's going to happen when- if- you cross over. why not stay here and be together forever?"

reggie's nostrils flared out as he tried to keep his cool, tried not to show any emotion. caleb let out a frustrated sigh and kept going.

"take a look at charlotte, reggie. look at her." he moved out of the boy's line of sight and clasped his shoulders, speaking right into his ear. "imagine your afterlife. imagine it with her. think of everything you could do together."

charlotte shook her head, willing him not to succumb to caleb's tantalizing words, but it was no use. his eyes were closed. caleb was already inside his head.

in the tiniest of split seconds that reggie closed his eyes, he was transported to another world.

reggie opened his eyes to an different time, a different place. he felt a familiar leather jacket covering his arms and heard a familiar laugh from his side. he glanced next to him and saw charlotte, tightly holding his hand in her own. there was a skateboard under her foot and a wide expanse in front of them. char let go of his hand and reached down to pick up the board, showing off the colorful designs that decorated the deck.

"willie got it for me. painted it, too." she said, a huge smile on her face. "cool, huh?"

"sweet."

char's hair blew away from her face in the easy california breeze as she laughed, setting the board back to the ground. reggie couldn't stop staring at her. he couldn't seem to peel his eyes away from how different she looked. it was the same char as always, but there was something, something in her eyes that was different. she seemed so much more carefree. the char that he knew, she had this constant weight over her, like she was carrying the entire world on her shoulders. but this version, the one so excited about the skateboard, seemed lighter. that weight had been lifted off her shoulders and she was completely free. free from everything. her past, the present, and the threat of an uncertain future. here, she was free to just live in the moment with him.

"come on, hold my hands. i don't want to fall." she said, holding out her hands for reggie to take. he smiled, intertwining his fingers with hers as she stepped onto the board, a little wobbly at first.

"don't let go yet." she said, giggling as she rolled along the bumpy macadam slowly, reggie walking by her side.

"i'll never let go." he murmured to himself, watching the her gorgeous brown locks blow around her face as she picked up speed. then, out of nowhere, she slipped and fell through the air. reggie reached out to catch her, but she slipped right through his fingers as the scene faded away.

his vision went black for a second, and he blinked, met with another scene.

reggie stared down at his waiting hands that char had never fallen into, then finally looked up to see a brilliant sky. the colors were bright and lush, painted with hues of pink, purple, and orange, with the golden light of the sun just beginning to dip under the horizon. it was sunset in paris, he realized. the silhouette of the eiffel tower stood out against the swirling colors.

he was walking along the bridge, the one with all the locks that reggie never could remember the name of. he'd always dreamed of coming here someday, putting a lock on the bridge with the person he loved. it was beautiful, he thought, all of these everlasting symbols of people's love. a voice caught his ear, and he smiled again as he looked over to see the same carefree girl as before. she wore the red flannel that she'd never given him back over a short dress. her hair blew in the gentle breeze just like before and her eyes nearly sparkled in the golden light of the sunset.

"reggie, i need the marker, come here." char called as she waved him over to the side of the bridge. "did you know it's illegal, now? to put a lock on here?"

"really?"

she nodded as she fiddled with the lock, popping it open with the key that matched.

"that's like making love illegal." reggie laughed sadly as he scanned the thousands of locks on the chain barrier, seeing some that looked decades old.

"luckily, no one can see us." she smirked, always the rebel. "marker?" she held out her hand, and he fished in his pocket, then pulled out a sharpie to hand to her. she took the cap off with her teeth, then wrote down "char + reggie" on the red padlock in her hands. she capped the marker again, and held the lock up, smiling.

"look at that. it'll last forever, just like us."

"forever." he repeated.

charlotte dropped the tiny key into his hand. "you wanna do the honors?"

he furrowed his eyebrows, confused as to what she wanted him to do.

"throw it into the river." she said, nodding. "that way no one can ever unlock it."

he grinned, turning it over in his hands a few times. then, he wound up and chucked the tiny silver key over the edge of the railing. they watched as it went sailing through the air and made a tiny splash in the water, sinking down to the bottom of the river.

"perfect." she squeezed his hand, that carefree smile coming back to her face and pulling him in once more.

just as reggie leaned forward to kiss her, she slipped away from him, and the scene changed yet again.

when reggie's vision returned to him, they were back in the studio, curled up on the couch in front of the massive flat screen. luke and julie had squeezed in on their left, and willie and alex on their right. julie flipped through channels, huffing every time something she didn't like came on screen.

eventually, luke snatched the remote out of her hand, laughing. "come on, jules." he flipped the channel to dateline, making everyone but char groan.

"i hate dateline." alex complained.

"aw. what's it like being boring?" char frowned sarcastically, and alex picked up a pillow, smacking char in the face with it.

"hey!" she yelped, and sprang up from her seat, then, with a flick of her finger, sent another pillow flying into the back of his head.

"no fair!" he yelled, and got up, tackling char into the nearest recliner. she screamed, laughing as they went sailing into the chair.

reggie couldn't help but smile as his best friend and his...his girl playfully attacked each other, smacking each other so hard that the seams on their pillows ripped. he liked this version of char. he liked this version of all his friends. they were all so, so happy. they didn't have a care in their minds. they were so on top of the world, not even caleb coviington could bring them down.

caleb covington.

shit, reggie thought. caleb covington.

he kept watching his friends fight, luke having teamed up with char and julie with alex. he watched alex tackle char into the chair again, sending her into another uncontrollable fit of laughter. suddenly, her giggles stopped abruptly, and she turned to look right at reggie, staring deep into his blue eyes.

"this isn't real." she said. "reggie, come back. you have to come back. he's messing with you, this is all..."

reggie blinked, then opened his eyes and gasped for a breath.

"...a dream." the real charlotte finished, sighing in relief when she saw that he'd awoken from caleb's trance.

reggie blinked, looking from charlotte's worried eyes to caleb and his sinister smile. he realized it then and there, looking at her.

reggie peters was in love with charlotte adams.

he was in love with this char, the one with all the pain and the scars, inside and out. he was in love with the girl who loved to listen to him sing. he was in love with the girl who forced them to get out and do things. he was in love with the girl who teased him incessantly, the girl who fought with luke like she was his sister, and the one who loved his best friend like she'd known him all her life. he was in love with the girl who had saved his band, and in turn, saved him. charlotte adams wasn't flawless, but to him, she was absolutely, completely perfect.

and he loved her. he really did.

"reggie, are you-" she started towards him again, but caleb cut her off, holding out an arm that she didn't dare get too close to.

"what did i telling about watching what you say?" he glared at her, then turned back to reggie, still trying to manipulate the bassist. "that could all be yours. all the happiness, all the-"

"reg, don't listen to him." luke said, noticing that it was his turn to fight back after char was shot down. "we have to play with julie. no matter what"

"right, right." caleb nodded, accepting the fact that his little mind games hadn't worked. he stepped back from reggie and dusted his hands off. the roar of the crowd met their ears, and caleb started to smile. "you hear that? charlotte, they're waiting for us." he scanned the boys in front of them. "they're waiting for you."

a jolt hit all three of the sunset curve ghosts at the same time, and char gasped. that one looked especially more painful than any of the ones before. gauging their reactions and loud groans, it was.

caleb sucked in a breath. "that one looked like it hurt."

his assistant came over with that beautiful purple crystal jacket as caleb spoke to them. "now, let me remind you. you don't know if playing the orpheum is your unfinished business. do you really have time to make that mistake?" he played to their insecurities, proposing stability in his version of the afterlife. "i suggest you accept my offer, because the clock is ticking."

another flash of purple light blinded their eyes, but, this time, it only came from charlotte's chest. she stumbled backwards, unable to contain her scream of pain as the familiar electricity coursed through her. it felt ten times stronger than it had ever felt, like her soul was ebbing further away by the second.

"ouch!" caleb pouted mockingly as he backed up towards the stage. "you're on in," he checked his watch, "thirty seconds, charlotte."

the boys' jaws dropped, eyes wide as they realized what was happening. this whole time, charlotte had been fighting the same fight as them, but she'd done it in silence. she'd helped them through their constant problems as if nothing was wrong with her.

"char, what is he talking about?" luke tugged at the tight collar of his shirt, still not totally grasping the situation.

"i did something stupid, and i am so, so, sorry." she looked out to the stage, where caleb was glancing to her menacingly every few seconds, coaxing her onstage with him. looking back to her boys, she held up her wrist, the one she'd kept so well hidden since that night at the ghost club. alex's face fell at the sight of the purple stamp, disappointment and pure sorrow taking over his handsome features. at the same time, reggie closed his eyes, shaking his head, trying his best to wake up from whatever nightmare this was.

"no, char." he said in utter disbelief. "when did...you can't..." he trailed off. there we no words in his brain to describe the complete dread he felt in that very moment.

"that's almost my cue." she lent an ear to the jazzy, suspenseful music that filled the club alongside the cheers of the crowd.

before she had to go, she crashed into reggie, wrapping her arms around his shoulders like it was the last time she'd ever get to do so. because, for all she knew, it could be.

"this was never supposed to happen. i tried to stop him, i really did." she said to them, tears welling in her eyes as she pulled away. "i am so, so sorry."

so listen to the words a wise man said...
he said covington, i got an offer that you can't refuse

charlotte let go of reggie's hand, and disappeared from him, only to materialize in front of caleb, taking his hand to swing dance with the magician as he sang the chorus of his tantalizing song.

you got nothing to lose, boys, lose, lose, loseyou got nothing to lose, boys, lose, lose, lose you got nothing to lose...

"ladies and gentlemen, the so-cal sweetheart, charlie adams!" he threw the ghost girl forward with a wide smile. she soared through the air, and, after he teleported to the front of the stage, caleb caught her again, giving her a dizzying spin as she landed back on the ground.

he turned to the boys backstage, grinning to himself as much as at them. he knew that, thanks to his new dance partner, he had them captured them under his spell.

you know you want a little taste, life's short, not a minute to waste, i'll take you higher than you've ever been so come over and...

charlotte looked over to them, shaking her head in the seconds that she could, willing them to just leave and go to julie like they were supposed to. but, she saw it in their eyes. they were being sucked in and there was nothing she could do to stop it. damage control was the next best option.

tell me how you'd like to begin...

caleb held out his hand, and, pulled by a force coming from the stamp on her wrist, charlotte came spinning towards him like a tornado. all three of the boys were close to the edge of the stage now, their toes tapping, heads bobbing to the rhythm of the jazzy tune as they watched the two performers, mesmerized.

you got nothing to lose, boys, lose, lose, lose
you got nothing to lose, boys, lose, lose, lose

alex spun his drumstick in his fingers, pulled forward by caleb's strange magic.

you got nothing to lose

he appeared behind the drumset, a dazed and confused look on his face, wondering how her got there, yet banging out a killer drum solo nonetheless.

"alex!" caleb grinned. "show 'em what you got!"

charlotte glanced offstage to reggie, who, with a glassy look in his eyes, slowly pulled his bass to the front of him before popping onto the stage right next to char.

"reggie," the magician put himself between the two, snapping his fingers to the beat, "swing it, baby!"

char kept dancing- not like she could stop- and tried to make eye contact with alex.

"now luke!" caleb said, pulling the guitarist on stage.

charlotte finally caught alex's eye, and popped up to the drumset while caleb belted out high notes in response to what luke shredded on his electric guitar.

"at the end of the song," she said, just loud enough for him to hear, "follow me offstage. i'll grab reggie and luke."

"what's the plan?" alex said back, still absolutely wailing on those drums.

"there isn't one. we're making it up as we go."

it wasn't much of a plan. in fact, it wasn't a plan at all, but they didn't have a choice. it was either improvise or be trapped in this hellish club for an eternity

without warning, charlotte was pulled back to caleb, his grip on her hand just a little tighter than before as they danced.

so come over here, baby, i got what you need, let yourself go crazy, all bets on me,it's electrifying, from your hat to your shoes, i feel it in the air

char looked to alex again with a small nod when she turned for a split second, and caleb yanked her into yet another spin, this one lightning fast and dizzying as he held out his last note, belting impossibly high. those high notes were a kind of magic in themself.

we got nothing to lose, lose, lose, lose...

she fell into a dip in caleb covington's arm, the ghost beaming with a performer's practiced smile. the crowd went insane and gave the ghosts an immediate standing ovation. charlotte couldn't help it as her fake smile morphed into a real one for a split second. performing, dancing for a crowd again, that felt good. really good. she pulled herself up to stand, and caleb pushed her out of the way to bow, taking in his praise with waves and mouthed thank yous.

she took her chance there and then. charlotte grabbed reggie and luke's hands and popped offstage. to her relief, she crashed right into alex when she stumbled onto the floor of the backstage area.

luke looked a little dazed as he regained his balance, hand to his forehead, eyes squeezed shut. "char, what-"

"we don't have much time." she said, pulling them closer together. "i've gotta get you guys to the orpheum."

she held out her hands for the musicians to take. once she felt their hands in hers, she closed her eyes to teleport away, but nothing happened.

"shit." she muttered, then closed her eyes and tried again.

still, there was nothing. no pop, or the tingly feeling that came with traveling through space in a split second.

"what's going on? why can't we leave?" she panicked, letting go of luke and reggie's hands.

"you guys can't leave from here." a familiar voice said.

their little circle opened up to reveal willie, slightly more disheveled than he'd been this morning. he stole a glance at their surroundings, doing a quick scan for any danger before he joined them.

"this place, it's like hogwarts." willie explained.

the four of them looked at each other in total confusion, having no idea what he was talking about.

"what the hell is a hogwarts?" char questioned, a panicky edge to her voice.

"hogwarts. the school where harry potter went. you guys don't know harry potter?" he raised his eyebrow, only to be met with more confused looks. he sighed. "wow. okay."

"dude, come on!" luke urged him along.

"caleb controls who comes in and out. the only place you can always teleport out of is his office."

willie pointed down the hallway that charlotte remembered walking down just a day earlier after she made her fateful deal.

"okay, we just have to get there." she said, nodding to reassure herself and the others. "we can do-"

"no, you can't." caleb's voice came from behind her, and she whirled around, a steely glare in her eyes.

"i'm so very sorry, charlie, but your little ghost band isn't going to make it to their gig tonight." he pouted mockingly. "see, they work for me now. they do what i say."

"no, they don't." always the brave one, charlotte backed up, forcing the four boys behind her as she held her hands up, ready for a fight. "we had a deal, caleb."

"we did, didn't we?" his lips quirked downwards. "see, the thing is, charlie, i didn't need to make a deal. i can have all four of you, because, if you don't join my club, you'll be destroyed."

"no. they won't be, because they're going to cross over tonight." she said, backing them up further to the hallway. "i made sure of that." she turned around for a quick glance at alex.

their eyes locked, and just like alex knew reggie, he knew charlotte. he immediately got the message she was trying to send him. noticing that his friends were a little too close to char, he grabbed the backs of luke and reggie's jackets and pulled them out of her way back to him. the five teenage ghosts crept backwards down the hallway, towards caleb's office.

caleb wound his arm back, ready to cast some sort of magic or something upon them, but charlotte learned from luke constantly throwing things at her: she thought fast. before he could say anything or move his arm further, char twisted her hand, staring straight at his elbow. caleb let out a grunt of pain when his arm twisted backwards, and his smirk wavered.

"oh, charlie." caleb chuckled as he advanced on her without missing a single beat, rubbing his sore arm. "you think you're so righteous, so loyal. so willing to fight for your friends."

"i am." she grit her teeth, glancing behind her as she backed up, following the path the boys traced.

"true. but you're also like me."

"i'm..." she faltered, trying to find reason to deny it, "i'm nothing like you."

"come on, charlie. the way you bargained to try and get me to spare them? the way you twist my own words against me?" he held his arms out, walking faster and faster down the hallway. "you're exactly like me."

"shut up." she held her hand up. "i'm warning you."

"charlie, you're not going with them to the other side. why not make them stay here? you have the power to do that. why not come to this side?" he motioned to the world around him, to the energy that seemed to buzz in the air at his creepy club. "your powers, your quick wit, they would serve you so well. you could convince them to stay. you could be with the one you love."

charlotte could feel her mind weakening as he spoke, but she was determined not to give in to his charms. there was too much depending on her. she couldn't let his offers get to her, no matter how enticing, how convincing they were.

"i can't. they can't stay here." she took in a breath, keeping her arms strong, then looked around. they were almost to his office, just a few more steps. "they have to go play with julie, it's their unfinished business. they have to cross over."

"do they?" he frowned, gears turning in his head as he tried to figure out the best way to manipulate her. "charlie, here's the rub: you're letting go of what you love. you're letting go of your," he paused dramatically, "your family, so that a lifer you barely know can play with her little ghost band one last time."

"i know julie." char licked her lips. "and stop calling me charlie." she said defiantly.

caleb covington stepped back, shocked. this was it, char knew. he was about to deliver a glancing blow. that's what snakes did. they reeled back, then struck, venom piercing into their prey's skin and seeping up to their brain. all she could was try to prepare herself.

"letting go of your first love?" he nodded, a smirk forming on his face as he crafted the perfect attack in his mind. "you're stronger than i thought."

"first love?" luke repeated.

"hasn't she told you boys?" caleb's eyes landed on reggie, fake sympathy written all over his face. "your precious little ballerina is in love with her best friend."

the bassist was completely unfazed. caleb wasn't telling him anything he hadn't already known. if that was meant to tear him down, it had failed completely.

"blake? julie's friend's mom?" luke raised his eyebrow. "she was kinda hot in '95, i mean-"

"i'm not in love with her." charlotte blurted, shutting her eyes. "anymore."

caleb chuckled. "of course you're not. you've got your rebound." he waved to reggie dismissively.

she grit her teeth and let his words bounce off of her, still holding her hands out defensively.reggie had to admit, that one kind of hurt. he knew he wasn't a rebound in any way, shape or form, but even the though of it stung.

the magician kept going. there always seemed to be something else up his sleeve. another bit of knowledge, another thing to manipulate them with, another trick. "but, charlie, don't you want to know why i was at her grief center?"

charlotte bit the inside of her lip. she did. she so desperately wanted to know, but she couldn't let herself give in.

"don't you ever wonder why blake isn't married? why she doesn't have a boyfriend?" he pushed, egging on her mounting curiosity.

yes, she thought. all the time.

"it's because she loves you, too."

charlotte got the feeling that she'd just been shot through the heart. as she took the emotional punch to the gut, her hands wavered, and so did the protective barrier between the teenagers and the man who wanted them working for him so badly.

caleb took his chance and waved his hand quickly, succinctly. luke eyelids grew heavy, and he swayed around in his spot, then collapsed into alex. he looked to willie, always the faithful servant, absolute malice in his eyes.

"you leave now, or you'll never see alex again."

willie took one look at the handsome blond drummer, and decided that that wasn't a chance he was willing to take. he popped away, leaving the four alone with caleb.

charlotte couldn't see straight, she couldn't defend herself or anyone else. her mind was completely blank, flooded with nothing but images of blake channing.

her smile, her laugh, her gorgeous hair, her eyes as deep as the ocean. the huge grin on her face when she came out of the water after a particularly heavy set of waves. the panicked look when her parents almost caught her sneaking back in. the bright white smile that sparkled against her beautiful dark skin. the tiny pictures she would draw on the corners of her homework and notes, so intricate and delicate and beautiful. blake was, had been everything to charlie. charlie was everything to her.

she truly was in love with her best friend. and, now that she thought about it, blake truly loved her, too. memory after memory after memory came into her mind, but charlotte was pulled out of her trance by another voice, one just as compelling as blake was beautiful.

"char, hey, you can't listen to him. he's lying to you." reggie grabbed her hand pulled her towards him, watching caleb walk around them to stand in front of his office door, blocking their only way out of the club. on an instinct he put himself between char and caleb, seeing that she was in no shape to defend herself.

"am i?" he questioned, folding his hands in front of him. "or is it charlie who's lying to you?"

reggie's trust wavered involuntarily. she'd told him everything, he was sure of that. he trusted char with his afterlife. he trusted her enough to love her.

"char, come on, you've gotta come back here." he pleaded. "don't ditch me. we pinky promised." his hands went up to cradle her face, thumb softly stroking her jawline.

his voice. she could hear it calling back to her, bringing her back home. bringing her back to where he was. char opened her eyes, and instead of blake's deep coffee-colored eyes, she was met with reggie's sky blue ones. he held her face in his hands, so relieved to look into her eyes again that he could've cried.

though, admittedly, his blind trust in charlotte was beginning to waver again as caleb's endless waves of manipulation hit his ears. he focused on charlotte's eyes to keep the noise from getting inside his head. she still looked trapped in some other world. it's like she was looking at him, but wasn't really seeing him.

"maybe she is still in love with blake." caleb went on, twiddling his thumbs. a devious smile came across his face, thinking he had knocked the most powerful player out of the game.

"char, come on." reggie repeated as he brushed his thumb across her cheek once more, willing her to actually wake up from whatever visions she was having.

finally, the glazed-over look in her eyes faded, replaced by confusion and a fresh bout of tears. char immediately grabbed reggie's arms and fell into his chest, just as relieved as he was. she blinked a few times, trying to get her vision back into focus.

"i-reggie, we have to go. we have to get to julie." char said, her voice slightly muffled by the satin of his suit. she pushed him away from and behind her, then held up her hands again, restoring whatever it was that was somehow protecting them from caleb.

"not so fast." caleb chuckled and wagged his finger at the two. "you've got to get through me, and," he looked past reggie and char straight to luke, who was out cold in alex's arms, "my, what ever could be wrong with him?"

alex stood there behind charlotte, holding the guitarist up by the waist, trying desperately to wake him from the trance he was in.

luke was stirring slightly, his eyelashes fluttering every so often. charlotte recognized it as the same trance caleb had put reggie under.

"talk to him." she said immediately. "tell him it's not real, tell him he needs to come back."

alex did as she said while char turned back to caleb, facing the ghost with a courageous glare.

"you either let us go, or we'll force our way in." she said, trying her best to sound threatening. truth be told, char felt a little out of it after her visions of blake. she wasn't sure if she could defend- or attack- against caleb covington if she needed to. and, to pile on, luke, acting as her second-in-command, was out now too. the air of confidence around her was completely fake. charlotte adams was completely terrified, but she couldn't back down now. it was time to make a move. her afterlife depended on it.

caleb opened his mouth to say something, but before he could manipulate or sweet talk his way out of this, char flicked her wrist, and the door to his office flew open. it swiftly connected with caleb's head, knocking him to the ground for a moment, just long enough for the four of them to get inside the room.

"come on, go." she took one of luke's arms and helped alex carry him inside, and shut the door as fast as she could once they were in.

"you guys have to go." she said, her back pressed against the door, holding the line, just waiting for caleb to come knocking.

"char, we're not leaving you here." reggie said defiantly. "no way. we got into this mess together, we're getting out of it together."

"yeah." alex agreed, still holding luke. "you have to come with us."

charlotte bit her lip, the ever-present tears so close to falling from her eyes. they cared about her, she realized. a lot. she didn't want to let them down, but she did what she did because she cared about them. to think that it went so, so wrong... if she were alex, luke, and reggie, char wouldn't have forgiven herself.

"i don't know if i can."

"what do you mean?"

"i-um... i maybe might have signed a contract." she said carefully, avoiding saying the thing at all costs.

"what kind of contract?" alex asked, fearing he already knew what came next out of her mouth.

"one to join..." she trailed off. "one that signed my soul away to caleb covington."

there was an eternal pause as it sank in. her eyes flitted from alex to reggie, reggie to alex, back and forth as she tried to gauge their reactions. there was nothing to gauge. they both wore equally blank expressions. it seemed like they hadn't even heard what she said to them.

"char, why would you do that?" reggie finally burst out.

"seriously, are you stupid?" alex blurted.

the bassist turned around with narrowed eyes. "hey, dude, don't talk-"

"i-i care about you guys, and i-i gave him conditions," she said, ignoring alex's comment, "i said i would only do it if he let you guys go, but-"

there was a bang on the door behind that jolted her forward, and charlottte looked straight to alex. "go. please, alex, go."

he looked at the guitarist that he still supported next to him, a worried look crossing his face. "but, luke, i-"

"i'll wake him up. i promise." she nodded. "go."

alex hesitated, then gently lowered luke to the ground. "you better be right behind us."

"i will be." she said, not thoroughly convinced herself.

"find a way, char." he said. "you always do."

with that, the drummer popped away.

reggie looked to her, and took her hands. "char, i can't leave you here."

"you don't have a choice." she said as the pounds on the door got louder and harder.

reggie licked his lips and brushed his hands through his hair. he did have a choice, he thought. and, maybe it wouldn't be what he envisioned as his afterlife with char, but it could be something. maybe he'd still see his friends, maybe he wouldn't. the reality of it was this: reggie would risk it all for char, because she'd risked it all for him

"i could stay here with you." he finally said. "what caleb showed me, i-we were happy, char. we could be-"

"reggie, no." she stopped him, shaking her head. "that's not what you want and you know it." she said. "i've seen the way you look when you play with julie. that's what you're meant to do." she told him, tears welled in her eyes. "you don't want to waste away in a this hellish club with me. now, go."

even if he couldn't see that he was supposed to play with julie, char could. she saw past reggie's lovesick eyes and into the heart of the musician behind them. he wasn't meant to spend his days playing for a secret society. he was supposed to play with julie. the boys, they came back to help julie.

she started to push him away to get him to leave, but he caught her hands in his and stepped closer. he brushed her hair behind her ear and leaned down to kiss her. she closed her eyes, so eager to slip away from her reality for a moment, but another bang on the door stopped that.

char pushed reggie away by the chest, tears clouding her vision. "please, go. i'll be right behind you."

"do you promise?"

she held up her little finger, and, hesitating for a split second, reggie linked his pinky with hers.

"i pinky promise." she said. "wherever you go, remember?"

"i'll be." he finished.

reggie pressed a soft kiss to her temple before stepping back. he popped away, leaving charlotte with luke's unmoving ghostly body. careful to keep her protective barrier over the door, char walked over to him and knelt down.

"luke." she shook his shoulder. "hey, dude." she smacked his face, a little harder than she intended to, and he stirred.

the bangs on the door became louder and louder, and even harder for her to contain.

"open up, charlie!" the voice came from outside. "you can't hide forever!"

"hey, come on." she said to luke once again, frustrated. "come on, patterson!" she flicked him in the forehead. "wake your ass up!"

luke groaned, his eyelashes fluttering open slowly. he was slowly coming back to reality, just in time.

"shit, that hurt." he looked around, blinking as he sat up. "where are we? where's reg? alex? willie?"

"get up, come on!" char pulled him to his feet with her free hand- the other was busy trying to keep the owner of the office out.

"you have to get to the orpheum, now. alex and reggie have already gone." she dusted his lapel off and fixed his unruly hair, trying to make him look slightly presentable for his appearance with julie.

he blinked as she smoothed his top down, and tried to make sense of what had just happened to him. "what happened? it was like-"

"like you were in a trance, i know." she finished for him, having experienced it herself.

"why are you still here?" he frowned. "what the hells is going on with caleb? he's, like, obsessed with you, and-"

"there's no time to explain. it's just...you've gotta go, luke, i don't know how much longer i can hold him."

"char, you're coming, right?" he asked. "i'm not leaving you here, reg would never forgive me. i'd never forgive me. you're part of us too, char. you know that."

"oh, stop being so emotional" she said with a slight smile. "i'm right behind you, but i have to hold him." she reassured the guitarist. there was a particularly raucous bang on the door, and it opened a crack before char slammed it shut again. "

he nodded, then closed his eyes, his body flickering from view. he glanced down at the guitar in his hands, confused.

"why can't i leave?" he looked up to char with a panicked expression. "it's like something is holding me here, i-"

"you're fine, you're fine-" she struggled against a especially forceful bang, "just try again."

luke did as she said, and this time flickered out for a few more seconds before he reappeared.

"it's working, try it again." she reassured him, now pressed up against the door again, using all her strength to keep caleb out.

before gripped his guitar again, he met charlotte's eyes, a sincere yet saddened look on his face. "thank you, char. for everything."

"i'd do it again in a..." she started to say, but he was already gone. "heartbeat."

she let out a breath. they were safe. they were with julie, and they were going to cross over. charlotte let herself smile for real for the first time since they'd gotten to the hollywood ghost club. everything was finally okay.

in the split second that charlotte let her guard down, the door burst open, revealing a very, very angry caleb covington. immediately, she held up her hands to defend herself against him. the look on his face was enough to make a grown man cry, enough to send anyone running for the hills- anyone but charlotte adams.

"don't come any closer to me." she said, seething as she backed up towards the desk.

he didn't listen, the menacing look on his face getting even scarier as he got closer and closer.

"you think you're so clever, don't you?" he said quietly, his voice full of venom. "you think you've outsmarted me?"

"sure looks like it." she retorted, a little too confident for her own good.

"mark my words, charlotte adams." he held up his finger and pointed it straight at her face. "you signed your soul away to me, and i will have it."

"no, i didn't." she snapped back. "a deal only works if you keep your end. that contract means nothing to me."

she flicked her wrist, and a drawer flew open, letting the singular paper of their phony contract fly out to hang in the space between them. after letting it float there for a few seconds, she sliced her finger through the air, tearing up the paper into a million tiny pieces that fluttered to the floor in front of caleb covington.

"oops." she said, imitating the pout he used on her.

he lunged forward, reaching out to grab her, but she was too quick for that. in a flash of light, char popped away from the hollywood ghost club, convinced that her troubles were over.

• • • • • • •

word count: 7914

heyyyy gals guys and gays

i originally meant for this to be the last chapter but it looks like there's gonna be one more after this

also early upload cuz i got all the editing done yayyyyyy

also lmao?? this is such a weird chapter like...it's not bad but it's also not good so sorry??

also the next chapter will probably be much shorter than this cuz there's less to fit in there

vote and comment cuz i enjoy validation

LOVE YA, B ✨