IX. ECHOES OF THE PAST
Dahlia found herself standing in front of the Wilson Mansion thirty minutes later, her fingers covered in tiny scrapes from the barbed fence she had climbed moments prior. The brunette smoothed down her hair, glancing at her surroundings.
Julie had devised a plan on their way to Carrie's house—which Dahlia was sure would fail. The younger Molina and Flynn planned to distract Carrie downstairs while Dahlia climbed in through the upstairs balcony to find the ghosts.
According to Julie, the plan was virtually foolproof. Dahlia prayed she was right, and the brunette wouldn't find herself spending the time in jail after being caught for breaking and entering.
As Dahlia tiptoed inside, she could hear Carrie's footsteps downstairs as she opened the front door. The brunette could hear the voices of Julie and Flynn as she got closer to the stairs, their voices eventually fading out as she ventured deeper into the house.
Dahlia cautiously made her way up the grand staircase, her heart pounding in her chest. She had never been inside Carrie's mansion before, and the opulence of the surroundings both fascinated and intimidated her. The walls were adorned with expensive paintings, and crystal chandeliers hung gracefully from the ceiling, casting a soft glow throughout the house.
Finding her way to a hallway, Dahlia began searching for the ghosts. The house seemed larger than she had anticipated, with multiple rooms branching off in different directions. Every step she took echoed through the quiet mansion, making her feel as though she was intruding on a secret world. Her mind raced with the thought of what she might uncover once she found the ghosts.
While her focus was on locating her mischievous friends, the brunette couldn't help but notice the underlying sadness that seemed to permeate every corner of the house. It was as if the mansion itself held the weight of the past, whispering secrets and harboring fragments of old memories. Dahlia wondered, just for a moment, if Trevor felt any sense of remorse for what he had done to his friends.
Suddenly, Dahlia heard a noise coming from the adjacent hallway. She could hear loud snickering—which she quickly realized belonged to Reggie and Luke. The brunette's eyes widened as she tried her best to follow the sound.
Dahlia's feet carried her down the hallway, until she eventually caught sight of the ghosts. She saw Reggie and Luke laughing, while Alex was leaning against a door at the end of the hallway, using all of his strength to keep it shut.
As the brunette drew closer to the boys, she could hear shouts coming from behind the closed door. She quickly put two and two together, realizing the ghosts has decided to trap Trevor inside of a bathroom. Why the ghosts found that so funny, she didn't know.
Dahlia's footsteps continued to creep towards the boys, the hallway she walked through painfully bare. The brunette's stealth was suddenly interrupted when the door bursted open, Trevor practically falling out onto the floor.
Dahlia froze, she had nowhere to hide. She was no more than twenty feet away from the older musician, and Dahlia closed her eyes and accepted she was going to be caught.
However, as Trevor bolted for the stairs in a rushed panic, he walked right past her—as if he couldn't see her. Dahlia furrowed her eyebrows, not sure if she should be freaked out or relieved.
She decided that how she felt wasn't important for the time being, focusing on the issue at hand. The brunette continued down the hallway, walking up to the three ghosts who were high-fiving triumphantly with proud grins plastered on their faces.
Their proud grins fell once they saw Dahlia's less-than-amused expression as she sauntered up to the boys, her arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed.
"Dahlia," Luke stammered, his voice filled with panic as he processed the girl's expression. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Dahlia replied curtly. "What the hell do you guys think you're getting at?"
"He stole our music," Reggie tried, huffing, "he deserves to pay."
Dahlia took a deep breath, trying to steady her anger. She understood that the ghosts were hurt and betrayed by Trevor's actions, but she couldn't condone their excessive and potentially harmful actions. She had hoped that her friends would have chosen a more peaceful way to confront him.
"I know you're upset," Dahlia began, her voice firm but calm. "But this isn't the solution. It's not going to make things better, and it won't erase what he did."
Reggie and Luke exchanged glances, their expressions filled with defiance. Alex, on the other hand, seemed more conflicted. His face contorted with guilt, as if he was questioning whether their revenge was justified.
Dahlia continued, her voice softer this time. "Look, I know how much your music meant to you. It was a part of the bond you all shared, and it hurts to have it taken away. Retaliating like this won't change the past, it's just gonna hurt you guys more in the end."
The ghosts listened, their eyes focused on Dahlia's impassioned face. She could sense their reluctance to acknowledge her words, but she hoped that deep down, they understood the truth in them.
"So you're saying we can't haunt him?" Luke asked, a slight frown on his face.
"You can't haunt him—or anybody, for that matter."
The guitarist huffed with defeat, his shoulders slumping. However, a slight smirk graced his features as he chuckled, "you've gotta admit, though. It was pretty funny."
Dahlia couldn't find the way her lips twitched upwards as patted Luke's shoulder. "Sure, hilarious."
The brunette pressed a hand to the back of her neck, stretching. "I'm gonna get Julie so we can leave. Stay here, okay?"
"Okay," Alex agreed, clearing his throat, "but, um, remind me that there's something I need to tell you later."
There was nervousness behind Alex's eyes, as Dahlia nodding slowly as she turned to leave.
She eyed the ghostly trio as they agreed to stay put, though she had her suspicions that they'd be gone by the time she retrieved her younger sister. Still, Dahlia tiptoed towards the main staircase, harshly motioning for Julie to join her.
She noticed the younger girl talking to Nick while Flynn distracted Carrie, a light blush on Julie's cheeks. Dahlia was amused, allowing herself to watch the interaction for a moment.
Julie was stumbling over her words as her and Nick engaged in a conversation about the dance, the boy complimenting Julie's band and telling her he'd be there.
However, when Dahlia heard the familiar poofing noise of the ghosts, she was snapped back into reality. Dahlia then began to attempt to get Julie's attention, wildly waving her hands.
Just when the older girl thought her efforts were ineffective, Julie finally took notice of her sister's actions. She quickly motioned for Flynn to distract the both of them, while she followed Dahlia upstairs.
Julie gave a half-hearted excuse that she was going to the bathroom, while Flynn quickly situated herself between Carrie and Nick. She then proceeded to go on a tangent story about how she once found a raccoon in her pool. Dahlia didn't have time to question it.
As the two sisters made their way upstairs, Dahlia realized the ghosts were nowhere to be found. The spot where she had previously left them was empty.
Julie asked, crossed her arms with clear irritation. "Where did they go?"
***
Julie and Dahlia hadn't been searching for long when they finally caught sight of the ghosts on Bobby's roof. They were mooning Bobby as his helicopter descended into the air.
Dahlia groaned, grabbing Julie's hand as she led them outside. The girl cleared her throat, rolling her eyes as she came to a stop a few feet from where the ghosts stood.
"Oh, yeah—real mature, guys." Dahlia called out, catching the boys' attention as they rushed to zip their pants back up.
"Did you guys have fun in there?" Julie added, crossing her arms.
The ghosts shared glances to one another, not sure what to say to the two, clearly pissed off, girls.
"Okay," Luke scoffed, turning to face the Molina sisters, "you'd do the exact same thing if he stole all your songs."
"But you have new songs," Julie tried, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "With me."
The ghostly trio didn't seem to be all that impressed with her reasoning, giving her blank stares in response. She huffed.
"The best way to get back at Trevor is for this band to do great." Julie began to explain, "to do great we have to play at dances, then clubs—"
"...And tours," Luke interjected, taking a step towards Julie, who stood besides Dahlia, "I know."
Julie didn't have much left to say. Her nerves for the dance were beginning to grow in her stomach at the lack of distraction that the ghosts had provided with their previous disappearance.
"I'll see you at the school, we go on at nine. Please don't be late, there's gonna be a lot of people there." Julie's eyebrows creased with anxiety as a frown etched itself against her features.
"We got it, all right?" Alex began gently, shaking his hair out of his face, "don't worry."
Julie nodded hesitantly, turning to leave. She glanced to Dahlia for confirmation that her sister would make sure the guys made it on time for the dance, to which Dahlia nodded firmly and gave her sister a playful thumbs up.
The tension in Julie's shoulders lessened slightly as she went back inside. Dahlia, now on her own, joined the three ghosts as she stood besides them.
"I don't care what Julie says. I'm glad we scared Bobby," Reggie began, still energized with the adrenaline from scaring Bobby earlier, "we should've done more! Like—like, written 'thief' on his forehead."
"And Alex," Luke began, his tone holding confusion as he turned to the blond drummer, "how did you shut the door? You could barely open a garage door."
"Learned that from your new friend, Willie, didn't you?" Reggie added teasingly.
Alex's cheeks tinted pink slightly, his lips curving upwards into a large smile, "Yeah, well, he taught me some things. And we screamed in a museum."
Dahlia's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
"It's a long story."
Luke seemed intrigued by Alex's words. "You think he has a few more tricks up his sleeve?"
Alex shrugged, brows furrowing. "Let's find out."
***
Dahlia, Reggie, Luke, and Alex decided to venture to the boardwalk to find Willie. The four arrived at the beach, the overwhelming salty breeze of ocean air filling Dahlia's senses.
As they made their way down the streets, they scanned the area for any sign of Willie. It didn't take long before they spotted him down the street. He was dressed in vintage clothing with long wavy hair, standing out amongst the crowd.
"Hey!" Willie greeted upon noticing the four, a wide smile on his face as his skateboard came to a stop. "What's up, man?" He took a quick glance at Dahlia and the ghosts and commented, "you brought friends."
Alex sent a smile towards Willie, their hands colliding in a fist bump. "These are my bandmates—Reggie and Luke."
"Cool! I'm Willie." The boy greeted, giving the two a fist bump in greeting.
Alex motioned to Dahlia, "This is Dahlia. The one I told you about earlier."
Dahlia sent a small wave Willie's way, not missing how the boy's eyebrows furrowed slightly. He was quick to regain his composure, waving back to the girl.
"So, you guys here to learn some tricks?" Willie began, raising his left arm towards the police vehicles that stood a few feet away. The vehicles' sirens immediately began wailing.
"Hey, what's going on?" One of the officers asked, clearly confused as they turned to power the car down. The two teenagers that had been held up by the cops decided to take this as their opportunity to skate away.
The sirens stopped as Willie lowered his hand, Dahlia's eyebrows raised, the girl impressed with Willie's skills.
"Do it again! Do it again!" Reggie spoke enthusiastically.
Luke, who seemed to share his excitement, patted Reggie's shoulder yet shook his head. "Actually, we were thinking a little bigger. An old bandmate stole from us, and we wanna confront him face-to-face."
Willie removed his helmet, nodding with interest. "Alright. Is this, uh, old friend of yours a lifer?"
"A what?" Dahlia asked, tilting her head.
Alex perked up, turning towards his bandmates and Dahlia, "Oh, that's fancy ghost lingo for the living." His voice lowered to a whisper, "a little something I picked up."
"Ah! Then, yeah! He's a lifer." Reggie confirmed, hands going from his pockets to cross against his chest, "too much of a fancy-pants for street dogs."
Willie took in Reggie's words as his face fell, a frown overtaking his features as he sharply exhaled. "Yeah—I'm sorry, speaking to lifers is even out of my league."
The hope the ghosts had disappeared within seconds, disappointment scattering across their faces as they exchanged glances. Willie inaudibly winced, feeling pity for the group.
The skater seemed to hesitate as he opened his mouth to speak, practically forcing out his words, "You know, but there is one ghost who might be able to help you guys. He's kind of a big deal."
Luke both literally and figuratively jumped at the opportunity as he took a step towards Willie. "Literally, anything would help."
"Alright, well—um, I gotta go take care of some things, but I'll meet you where Alex and I met, eight o'clock."
The three ghosts nodded, as Willie gently smiled before getting back on his skateboard. He gave Dahlia one last look filled with uncertainty, before turning away once more and disappearing into thin air.
Dahlia turned back to the three. "Are we sure this is a good idea? You guys promised Julie you'd be at the school by nine."
Luke scoffed, waving a hand in the air nonchalantly. "Have a little trust, rockstar, it'll be fine."
Dahlia's rock scrunched up at the nickname. "Really? Rockstar?" She repeated, unimpressed. "You just really hate my name, don't you?"
Luke grinned back teasingly. "Something like that."
***
"Right this way," Willie led the four down the hallway, a proud grin itching at the corners or his lips.
"Whoa," Luke mumbled to himself, "so this is where your hotshot ghost lives, huh?"
Willie raised his eyebrows with a cheeky nod.
"We've walked past this hotel, like, a million times. How come we've never heard of it?"
Willie clapped his hands together. "That's because this area has been sealed off for decades. I mean, you wouldn't even know this place exists unless you're invited." He explained. "Alright, I gotta go make sure everything's cool, but I'll be right back."
Dahlia watched as Willie walked away, her bottom lip held between her teeth
"Hollywood Ghost Club?" Reggie echoed as he stared at the logo on the wall, walking towards the stair's banister to overlook the venue.
Dahlia, Luke, and Alex followed closely beside him. Dahlia folded her arms across her chest as she leaned over the banister, taking in the vibrancy of what laid below.
"This place is creepy," Reggie commented, his eyebrows pinched together.
"Yeah, well, so are we." Alex commented.
Dahlia shot him a glare. "Speak for yourself."
"I don't know about this." Reggie continued to stress, shaking his head slightly.
"Well, if you get scared, you can hide behind me." Alex soothed, though his true outlook on the situation quickly shone through as he spoke again. "I'll be hiding behind Luke."
Luke rolled his eyes, moving away from Alex with a huff. "You guys need to grow up, okay? We're gonna get back at Bobby."
"Yeah," Alex agreed, his voice dropping to a whisper as he turned to Reggie, "I'm still gonna hide behind him."
Dahlia scoffed. "Julie's right, you know. This whole thing with Bobby is starting to get out of hand. You guys already have something new and exciting with Julie, it's not worth screwing over just to get back at him."
Luke's face held a mixture of emotions as he seemed to consider Dahlia's words. His hand reached for hers idly, his fingers brushing over her wrist.
"He needs to pay for what he did to us." Luke explained, failing to remain firm as his tone softened considerably.
Dahlia bit the inside of her cheek to refrain from arguing. His blue eyes gazed at her brown as he attempted to convince her.
"Just trust me on this, okay? We'll still be back on time for the dance, just let us weigh out our options on the Bobby thing." Luke sighed. "Please?"
Dahlia didn't reply as she noticed Willie poof in beside her, starling her considerably.
"We're all good," Willie beamed
"Oh, uh, cool." Alex replied, turning to Willie, "hey, just so you know, we have, like, an hour, because we got a gig with Julie."
Willie nodded. "Yeah, no worries. Let's go."
Dahlia eyes shifted between Alex and Willie as she noticed the look in their eyes as they interacted with one another. It was clear to her they had feelings for one another, she had always been good at noticing things like that.
She followed behind Luke as the group made their way down the stairs as Willie led them excitedly.
"Normally, I'd have my deck, and I'd backboard this heavy-20 set, but tonight...we have company. Hope you guys are ready for this."
Willie slid down the stair's railing with a chuckle as he extended an arm towards the party, a loud whoop slipping past his lips.
"Are you guys seeing what I'm seeing?" Alex mused, eyes wide as he took in the scenery in front of him.
The party was so elegant it resembled a banquet dinner—or even an awards show. The guests were dressed in party attire, consisting of elegant gowns and tuxedos. Dahlia suddenly felt self-conscious in her jeans and sweater.
"I think we're a little overdressed," Luke joked, popping the collar of his vintage denim jacket as he proceeded down the stairs.
Willie was waiting for the four at the end of the staircase, giddy smile still plastered on his face. Dahlia noticed a couple a few feet away from her, passing through the group of ghosts like it was nothing.
Her eyebrows furrowed, though she wasn't the only one confused about what had just happened.
"Whoa, I thought these people were all going to be ghosts." Reggie commented.
Willie shook his head. "These are all lifers."
"Oh!" Alex began, opening his mouth to explain the term, to his friends, "uh, lifers are actually—"
"Alive people," Reggie interrupted, a grin on his face, "I was listening."
Alex nodded as Willie spoke from beside him. "But, this is a very exclusive crowd. Everybody here has...uh, paid a lot to get a sneak peek at the afterlife."
"I always knew rich people did weird stuff like this."
"Wait, hold on," Dahlia started, "I'm a lifer and I didn't pay anything to get in here."
The brunette softly sank her teeth into her bottom lip as she looked to Willie, awaiting an answer. She noticed him swallow nervously.
Luckily for him—and much to Dahlia's disgrace, a man in a white suit approached the group, saving him from whatever explanation he was going to give the girl.
"Lady and gentlemen," he greeted, "I have a table for you. Right this way."
Dahlia followed behind the group, pulling Like back slightly as the other ghosts were out of ear shot.
"That was weird, right?" She whispered to him, face etched with worry as Luke hummed in agreement.
"Yeah, it was." he agreed, "just find a time to get him alone and ask him later."
Dahlia nodded at Luke's suggestion, giving him a soft smile as the two went to catch up with the group. The brunette noticed the three other ghosts sitting at a table near the stage, a large 'reserved' sign placed on top of the tablecloth.
She took a seat between Luke and Alex as she dusted off her jeans.
"Okay," Luke began as he got comfortable in his seat, "so, who's gonna make us visible so we can confront our old bandmates?"
"Oh, no, no. None of these lifers have the power to do that," Willie began, as the lights of the venue dimmed and intro music began to play from behind the curtain, "but, here comes the ghost who does."
"Ladies and gentlemen, back from the dead by popular demand, please welcome Caleb Covington!"
Dahlia scanned the room as the crowd erupted into cheers, her eyes narrowing in skepticism as a man suddenly appeared at the front of the stage, suspended in mid-air. He wore a black cape adorned with purple and gold accents, his bright blue eyes only adding to the coldness of his character.
"Did you miss me?" He spoke slowly, grinning at the crowd. "I did too!"
"Welcome to the party of your dreams!" He added, the crowd clapping once more.
"Or your nightmares," Dahlia mumbled to no one in particular, receiving a laugh from Alex.
"From the Egyptians, to the druids, to the person sitting right next to you. We've all wondered, where do we go when that final light is snuffed out? Allow me to show you."
Dahlia shifted in her seat as Caleb began to sing an introductory song. The brunette found herself utterly entranced as he sang, his music filling her soul up with pep. However, while his music didn't do much to ease her skepticism, her apprehension was momentarily forgotten.
The song came to a close as Dahlia found herself standing up with the others for a standing ovation. Caleb held a proud smirk on his face as he and Dahlia locked eyes, to which his smile only grew wider.
At this, Dahlia shifted her gaze back to her friends as she sat down, an uncomfortable pit in her stomach.
"This is so cool," Reggie mused as the music died down.
"Man, dude, I knew I recognized him. He's the guy that bumped into me outside the Orpheum." Alex explained, and Dahlia recalled him mentioning a creepy guy he saw a few days ago when the two of them were hanging out in her room.
"Wait," Reggie began, his eyebrows furrowed together, "isn't he that magician dude that died a horrible death during one of his tricks?"
"Yeah, I wouldn't really bring that up whenever we meet him." Alex replied.
"You guys should come back when he shows one of his movies," Willie recommended excitedly after a beat, "I mean, for Titanic, he literally floods the entire place! The guy has got skill."
"Alright, but he can just wave his arms and make ghosts visible to lifers?" Luke asked, practically vibrating with the aftershock of the music as he sat in his chair.
"Told you," Willie confirmed with a nod, "the guy's got skills."
"So, where'd he go?" Reggie asked, looking around the venue before Caleb appeared behind him. "Oh wow! Found him, ha!"
"Hello, all. Caleb Covington," he introduced, "welcome to the Hollywood Ghost Club. Enjoying the show?"
"Yeah! That was...I mean—did you, like," Luke was at a loss for words as he spoke to the man eagerly.
However, Caleb's gaze was not trained on Luke, but instead, focused on Dahlia. The brunette hadn't realized he was staring until she felt a pair of eyes on her, to which she turned her head to find Caleb looking towards her in a way that sent chills down her spine.
His eyes shone with devilish intrigue, as he shifted his attention to the guitarist. "I know," Caleb replied not-so-humbly, his tone eerily calm.
"Right?" Luke beamed.
"This is Alex, Luke, Reggie, and Dahlia." Willie said after a moment.
"It's, uh, really nice to meet you." Alex introduced.
"Sup?" Reggie greeted.
"The pleasure is mine." Caleb waved off with an inviting smile, "nothing warms my heart more than sharing this magic with new friends. Please, sit! Sit."
Caleb gestured the five to their seats as the man from earlier pulled a seat between Alex and Dahlia. The man sat between the two, dusting off his dazzling purple Trenchcoat.
"Thank you for the invite." Alex began.
"Oh, of course. Of course." Caleb replied. "Now, my friend, Willie—tells me that you boys have some magic of your own."
Alex's face paled slightly at Caleb's words, his lips parting in surprise. He cleared his throat, pointing to Willie with his thumb.
"...Willie and I? I mean, I wouldn't really call it magic, but, I mean..."
Willie's eyes widened as he took in Alex's words, turning to the blond as he placed a hand on his shoulder to stop his incessant rambling. "Oh, no, he means your ghost abilities." Willie chuckled slightly, "you know, like, to be seen by everybody when you play with Julie."
Alex quieted immediately, glancing to his friends with urgent panic. Dahlia looked back at him, wildly amused as she hid her smile with her hand subtly over her lips.
"No, totally. Right—cause when you said it, I was like, 'is that what he said?' Cause..." Alex continued to ramble as Caleb waved him off gently.
"Yeah, but, we can't really, uh, wave our arms and do all this magic stuff." Luke swooped in, saving Alex from his embarrassment as the attention shifted to him.
However, Reggie continued to stare between Alex and Willie with a knowing grin on his face.
"Well, I've had some practice. Our gifts are so rare, so special. It's not often I come across other spirits who possess similar talents. It's no surprise we found each other."
"Yeah," Luke agreed. "Definitely."
"If you'll forgive me, fellas, I gotta go pay the bills—if you know what I'm saying," Caleb gestured to a young woman dressed in flapper attire waving at his flirtatiously. "I'll be back later to chat."
As Caleb moved to leave, Dahlia felt the tension in her shoulders lessen. She made a face as she shook out her hands.
"Ugh." She whispered to Luke, "he does not give me a good vibe."
"I don't know," Luke replied as he shrugged, "I think he's pretty alright."
"Yeah, I love that guy!" Reggie agreed enthusiastically, nodding his head happily as he watched Caleb walk away.
Dahlia rolled her eyes. "You barely even know him," she commented with a huff.
Luke looked at her with a fleeting glance. "Why are you being so weird about this?
At Luke's words, Dahlia narrowed her eyes. With a judgmental scoff, she crossed her arms over her chest as she looked to the ghost beside her incredulously.
"You're not serious, are you?" Dahlia pressed further, "maybe he seems nice now, but—I don't know, I just feel like something is off about this entire thing."
The tension between Dahlia and Luke grew steadily higher as the two locked eyes in a silent battle of wills. Luke, seemingly perplexed by Dahlia's sudden skepticism, held his ground, refusing to back down from the argument brewing between them.
Luke sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Dahlia, come on. Can't you just give the guy a chance? He seems friendly enough."
Dahlia huffed and looked away, her arms still crossed tightly over her chest. "Luke, you always trust people too easily. You can't just go around believing everything they say. We barely know this Caleb guy, and yet you're fawning over him like he's some sort of savior."
Luke's face reddened, his voice tinged with defensiveness. "Your 'gut feelings' aren't foolproof, Dahlia. Caleb seems genuine to me. He opened up his club to us, showed us a good time. What's wrong with that?"
Dahlia sighed deeply, her eyes locking with Luke's. "It's not about showing us a good time, Luke. It's about motives. What does Caleb really want from us? Why is he so interested in your so-called 'abilities'?"
Luke shook his head, as he laughed slightly, finding Dahlia's worries ridiculous. "Oh, please. Now you're just being paranoid. Caleb is just being friendly, that's all."
Reggie chimed in, not sensing the tension in the air. "Yeah, come on, Dahlia. Don't be so paranoid! Just enjoy the show and have some fun."
Dahlia glared at him, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, I'm sorry, Reggie. I didn't know I needed your permission to have a bad feeling about someone."
Reggie raised his hands defensively. "Hey, I'm just saying, you're overreacting."
Alex and Willie exchanged uncomfortable glances, shifting in their seats. They were used to the banter between Dahlia and Luke, but this argument seemed to have more weight behind it.
Luke sighed again, his frustration mounting. "Dahlia, you can't just judge someone based on a feeling you have. You need to give people a chance before jumping to conclusions."
Dahlia's eyes blazed with anger. "Oh, so now you're an expert on intuition? Tell me, Luke, how can you be so sure you're right about him?"
Luke looked taken aback by her sudden accusation. "I'm not saying I'm right, Dahlia. I'm just asking you to be fair."
Dahlia pushed herself away from the table, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. She stood up, her voice seething with frustration. "Fine, Luke. You want me to be fair? I'm going to meet Julie at the dance and let you make up your own mind about him. I'll see you there in an hour."
Dahlia didn't look back as she angrily walked away, pronounced power in every step she took. She only hoped she could trust the ghosts to not disappoint her sister, though in the back of her mind she already knew the truth.
— argentsires
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