⚡️Calum⚡️
"I just met the most beautiful girl in the world!"
I glanced up from my phone with a raised eyebrow as Luke burst into the house through the front door. He was obviously wasted from the party he had just returned from.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Phoebe asked from my side, squeezing my hand tightly as her brother neared us.
"I met this girl tonight. I got her number and everything and she's just...wow." My friend's eyes were glazed over by alcohol, a dreamy smile on his face.
"Dude, you're hammered," Zack said from the other couch. "You're going to have the worst headache. How much did you drink?"
The blonde counted on his fingers for a minute. "I can't remember. But this girl-"
"Did you actual get her name?" I asked, practically holding Phoebe down beside me.
"Tamara Tomlinson," he replied with a sigh. "She was-"
"Beautiful," Phoebe repeated, rolling her eyes and biting at her lip ring uncomfortably. "We get it."
"Luke, man, you need to back up a bit," Madison said nervously, eyeing my girlfriend's attitude at his proximity to her. "Phoebe's kind of looking on edge."
"What?"
Before I could stop her, Phoebe pounced on him, clawing at his throat viciously. Luke screamed, trying to push her off, but his movements were sluggish. I leaped up and managed to yank her away from him.
"Luke!" I yelled. "You need to be more careful, drunk or not! Get it through your head: stay away from Phoebe!"
He was breathing heavily on the ground, clutching his throat.
"I..." He gulped, taking a deep breath. "I don't know what came over me. That girl, she...it's like she had a spell on me or something."
Zack, Madison, and I all exchanged nervous looks.
"Luke, you don't think...you don't think she might have had powers, do you?" Madison asked carefully.
Luke sat up slowly, still rubbing his throat.
"I...I don't know. She was really tall, I know that, almost my height. She wasn't even wearing heels or anything, though. Her eyes...there was something about her eyes. When she looked at me, they almost seemed to glow. They were brown, then they were purple, like her hair. I think I saw a scar behind her left ear, but I might have just been really wasted at that point."
"And you say you got her number? I want to check this girl out," Phoebe gasped, my arms wrapped around her tightly to prevent another attack. "I want a picture or something."
"Phoebe!"
My girlfriend scoffed. "Get your drunk-ass mind out of the gutter, Luke. I just want to see what she looks like."
"I didn't manage to get a picture tonight," he said slowly, his voice slowly turning to a drunken slur. "But I kind of invited her to come over tomorrow."
I nearly let go of Phoebe, regaining my grip at the last second.
"Dude, are you crazy?" Zack asked, both him and Maddie sitting up in alarm as well. "People are still looking for 'CalPal'! What if she suspects him or some shit?"
"Then Calum doesn't have to meet her," Luke replied, waving his hand lazily in my direction. "Calum can stay at home and take care of the baby or something."
My eyes grew wide. "Lucas, what the actual fuck are you talking about?"
He pouted at me. "My name's not Lucas. And I'm talking about the baby. You and Phoebe are having one. But shhh, don't tell anyone!"
Phoebe managed to calm herself down enough to exchange a horrified look with me.
"Luke Robert Hemmings, you need an aspirin and your bed right now," she managed to say. "I'm pretty sure someone put something in one of your drinks."
"No!" he replied, standing up in protest and walking dangerously close to Phoebe and me once more. "Ask Wilma. She knows! You have a bun in the oven! She told me the day CalPal came out."
I gulped. This could not be happening to me. I was only eighteen. I couldn't help raise a kid!
I couldn't imagine how terrified Phoebe must have felt.
"But...one time," she squeaked from my side. "We only did it o-one time!"
"I fucking hate condoms," I muttered under my breath.
"Woah, woah, now, you two," Madison said quickly, standing up and pushing Luke back a few feet. "You're listening to a drunk, eighteen-year-old, almost completely powerless boy. Are you really going to trust him over a doctor?"
"But Wilma-"
"We can ask Wilma in the morning, Phoebe," Zack assured her. "But we'll schedule a visit to the doctor as soon as possible for you two."
"Not tomorrow!" Luke practically screamed. "Tamara is coming tomorrow!" He giggled a little.
"Okay, Luke, not tomorrow," Zack said, rolling his eyes and lifting Luke off of the ground, throwing his arm over his shoulder. "You're going to bed, though."
"Be careful!" the blonde boy said loudly. "Mikey's watching! Don't talk too loud!"
He and Zack disappeared up the staircase, leaving Phoebe breathing heavily in my arms.
"What the hell did that mean, 'Mikey's watching'?" Phoebe repeated slowly. "You don't think...?"
"I'm clueless at this point, Phoebs," I replied, running a hand through my hair and pulling my beanie on. "But we aren't sleeping here tonight. I'm taking you home. You nearly lashed out a second time."
"But it's like 2am!" Madison protested. "Please don't go."
I helped Phoebe up. "We can't stay the night, Maddie, I'm sorry. It just wouldn't work. We'll probably be back tomorrow, though. Don't worry."
"Do you have the key?" Phoebe asked warily from my side.
I felt my pockets and groaned. "No. I'm assuming you don't?"
She shook her head. "Do you want me to...?"
I sighed, nodding.
Within seconds, the key to our apartment was in her hand.
"I hope you didn't break a window," I muttered, pulling her onto my back.
"I didn't," she replied, pouting. "Are you flying?"
"Not yet."
"Oh, shut up. Let's go out the back. And fly high. I don't want more 'CalPal' reports. We've managed the past few days without anything."
"I know, Phoebs, I'm not stupid. See you, Maddie."
We retreated out the back door. As soon as we were out, I launched myself into the air, doing a flip before remembering Phoebe was on my back.
"Never again," she moaned in my ear. "Never do that again."
I grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."
"Whatever," she muttered. "Let's just get home already."
I nodded, and we flew off into the night.
I landed in the alley by our building, letting Phoebe off my back carefully.
Then I heard the click of a camera from behind me.
"Shit," I whispered. "Get inside. Now."
Phoebe didn't hesitate in the slightest. She yanked the door open after unlocking it, and both of us slipped inside quickly without turning around.
"Cal, you don't think...?"
"Not now," I stopped her, practically dragging her up the stairwell. "I should have landed on the roof. We're so screwed."
Phoebe kept glancing behind her nervously, but I kept her going.
"Calum, if someone got a picture..."
"'CalPal saves the day again'," I said, rolling my eyes. "They'll pull a story out of it somehow."
"I don't want you getting publicity."
"Relax, I have a beanie on, I'm in dark clothes, they won't know who I am."
"But if they saw you fly-"
"Cool it, Phoebe!" I whisper-yelled as we reached our door. "We'll be fine. They need some kind of comfort for what they've seen, let it be my name. I promise I won't use this publicity. I'm yours, okay? Let's just get inside already."
"Phil is going to kill us," she murmured, unlocking the door.
"No," I sighed, pulling her inside quickly. "Phil is cool. I think Dan is the one we really need to worry about."
Dan and Phil were our landlords. They were pretty chill most of the time, but they could get a bit moody if they caught someone out after curfew.
She scoffed, walking towards our bedroom. "Let's just get to bed already, yeah? I'm exhausted."
Before I could respond, she shut the door.
"I guess I'm sleeping on the couch then," I said to myself, frowning.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket, placing it on the coffee table when I saw there were no new messages except for a drunken text from Luke from a few hours ago. Then I curled up on the couch, closing my eyes and slipping into my usual nightmares.
⭐️Phoebe⭐️
I felt bad about shutting Calum out of the bedroom, but once I heard the creaks of our couch, I knew he'd sleep alright.
I pulled my hair into a loose ponytail once I had changed out of my day clothes. I crawled into bed, feeling incredibly drained. I barely even remembered what had happened while we were at my aunt's house, but I vaguely recollected something about Luke talking about a girl, and, according to Calum, I had attacked him again.
I pulled the blanket over my head, closing my eyes.
Alice was standing directly in front of me.
I screamed, immediately backing into a wall.
"Calm down, Phoebe, damn, it's fine," she said, holding her palms up in defense.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I demanded, looking at my surroundings.
An empty coffee shop.
My heart plummeted to my stomach.
"You're..."
"Dead," she finished for me, sighing. "According to Michael, I've let him down too many times. So he stole my powers, then killed me. All of it happened a few days ago."
I felt a pang of guilt, but I quickly got over it.
"So what do you want to talk to me for? You're the traitor. You went on his side. Do you expect me to forgive you just because he killed you?"
She hung her head, then sat in a booth, motioning for me to sit across from her. I hesitantly did.
"Listen, Phoebe," she said, running a hand through her auburn hair. "I don't expect you to forgive me. What I did was stupid. I never should have listened to Michael, especially after he killed my best friend. I should have let Wilma convince me not to go through with my flip. All that I achieved from joining him was losing my powers, losing my friends, and death. And let me tell you, Phoebe, death sucks ass. I've been stuck in here for the past three days and I haven't seen a single other person. Lattes get kind of old after a while."
I stared at the table, knowing full well that this had to be a dream, that I wasn't really dead. Again.
After a long time, I said, "So what made you do it? What did he say that made you join him?"
She smiled softly. "Funnily enough, I can't even remember. He was probably in my head. Maybe the memory just slipped away when he snapped my brain in half. Tons of my memories are gone. It seems like I can only really remember the bad ones."
"Like?"
She frowned. "The news about Mali. Wilma telling me about her little sister. Madison finding out about me working with Michael. Running away from you guys. Seeing you with Michael in Ed's apartment. That whole entire battle...and of course all of my bad childhood memories, but you don't want to know those." She sighed. "My point is, Phoebe, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I betrayed you, I'm sorry about everything I did. Everything. I wish I could go back and change it, but I can't. The world doesn't work like that. But what you need to remember is that Michael is looking for you still. Casey's spell did not work. Michael is too powerful, and he has powerful friends. He will come looking for you, and he's already sent a scout after 'CalPal'. You need to be careful, Phoebe. I don't want you ending up here forever, too."
"I..." I wasn't sure how to respond. I wanted to ask information from her, but, at the same time, I didn't. "Thank you, Alice. Thanks for...for everything. Thanks for the memories, even though they weren't so great. And the warnings, too. I promise I'll tell Calum and the others. And, Alice?"
She looked up at me.
"I do forgive you."
Suddenly, the front door to the coffee shop opened, revealing two figures. One had almost shoulder-length, curly hair and glasses covering his eyes, while the other had bright teal hair set in a short fringe.
My eyes grew wide as I recognized them.
"Ashton?" I whispered. "Alex?"
The two grinned at me.
"Hey, Phoebe," Alex greeted. "Hey, Alice. You ready?"
"Ready?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, but Alice puffed out a breath and stood.
"Ready as I'll ever be," she replied.
"What? What's happening?"
"You forgave her," Ashton explained as Alice trudged over to them slowly. "Your disliking for her was the only thing tying her down to this place. Now she can wait out Purgatory with me and Alex and her family."
"Her family?"
Alice sent me sorrowful look.
"I should have told you sooner," she sighed, turning back in my direction. "My family...my three brothers drowned when I was six. My mum, she got so upset that she...well, you know. And my dad...I never got to meet him. I don't know if he'll be there or not. I kind of hope he isn't, to be honest."
"He isn't," Alex assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder gently. "But we need to hurry. The doors don't stay open very long. Ash and I were lucky we were chosen to leave as is."
Alice nodded, letting out a puff of air.
"I'm going to miss you, Phoebe," she said, pulling me quickly into a hug. "I'm sorry about what I did, I truly am. I wish I had more time with you, but...I really have to leave, don't I?"
Ashton and Alex nodded solemnly.
Alice let go of me, turning back towards the doors. She took a deep breath before walking towards them, disappearing into a mist beyond them.
The other two began to follow, but I stopped them.
"Wait, please," I said, causing them to face me again. "I..."
My voice caught in my throat. I couldn't find the words to say what I wanted to say.
Alex and Ashton exchanged a knowing look before engulfing me in a three-way hug.
"We love you, Phoebe," Ashton murmured. "We trust you. We'll be watching over you, we promise."
"Everything is going to be okay," Alex continued.
"I wish I could have made you stay," I whispered, suddenly realizing that I was crying. "I feel like I'm the only one to blame. I was the one who got us into this mess in the first place. If I had never found the bomb that day..."
"You would have died," Ashton finished for me. "And Alex and I still would have died at some point as well. There was nothing to be done, Phoebe. You can't change fate. You can try, but it's bound to backfire in the end. I care about you, Phoebe. I sincerely do. And I believe in you. I believe that you can beat Michael. I believe that you can save Calum and everyone. I believe that you will fight to the very end. Never give up, no matter how dire the circumstances are. You can make it through anything. You are Phoebe Hemmings. You are amazing. This...this is everything I didn't say to you when I should have. But its true. It's all so true. I love you, Phoebe. Never forget that."
I sniffled, tears running down my cheeks.
A creak of metal sounded from far away.
"That's the door," Alex sighed as they backed out of the hug. "Ash, hold it as long as you can. I have something to say to Phoebe, too."
The curly-haired boy quickly ran to catch the door, leaving Alex and me alone.
"Phoebe," he sighed, taking both my hands on his. "Phoebe, Phoebe, Phoebe."
"Alex, Alex, Alex," I replied mockingly.
"I'm so sorry for everything," he said, ignoring me. "I'm sorry I couldn't convince Jack not to go with Michael. I'm sorry I didn't prevent so many things. I had the power to, even up here, but I didn't. I'm a dumb motherfucker, aren't I?"
I shook my head. "It's not your fault, Alex. I know you didn't mean for this to happen. Any of it. But we're coping. We all are. Bonnie misses you most," I added softly.
He seemed to wince slightly at her name.
I furrowed my eyebrows. "What? Is something wrong with Bonnie?"
"Well-"
"Hurry up, Alex, this is starting to get really heavy!" Ashton interrupted from the doorway, obviously struggled to hold it open.
Alex sighed, looking down at our hands again.
"Weird how everyone who dies has a name that starts with 'A', huh?" he chuckled.
"There's Miranda. And those British guys from the warehouse. I don't think their names started with 'A'," I pointed out.
"Yeah, well. Oh, that reminds me, Miranda had a message for you and the others: the answer lies in LA. That's all it was."
"What? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Alex!"
The teal-haired man glanced back at Ashton. The door was almost closed now, with only his foot keeping it open.
"I have to go," he said, his voice anxious. "I'm sorry, Phoebe. For all of this. I love you, okay?"
He kissed me on the forehead before sprinting out.
As soon as the door fully shut, the scene melted into a new one.
I was in what looked like a professor's office, with several certificates hanging on the wall along with pictures of a familiar-looking man with lots of famous people.
I squinted at them, trying to tell who it was, but at that very moment, the door opened.
I gasped before ducking into a corner behind a tall plant.
Two people entered, both of them familiar, one easy to recognize.
I could spot that black hair anywhere.
"Well, Flannigan, we've received another report on him," Michael said, sinking into a chair in front of the large wooden desk in the center of the room. "Found outside an apartment building. Apparently landed there at 2am with a girl on his back. Also, Tee has done a fantastic job infiltrating so far. She said she found the boy I directed her to easily."
"Perfect," the other man said, sitting behind the desk. "Now we just wait for it all to crumble."
That was when it hit me as to who the second man was.
The buzzed salt and pepper hair, the bright green eyes, the soft wrinkles.
The man talking to Michael was my dead teacher, Mr. Brugers.
-3162 words-
*****
Hola, meatballs!
I bet you forgot about Mr. Brugers.
Or you though I did.
NOPE!
Well, truth be told, I actually did for a while, then I remembered and planned something out that I can't reveal yet.
Oh god, I've come up with so many horrible ideas that you will all forever hate me for if I end up going through with them.
Which I probably will.
*whistles innocently*
Questions:
Do you think Luke was just really drunk, or did he actually hear from Wilma that Phoebe is pregnant?
What do you think will happen involving 'CalPal' next?
Answer in the comments!
Oh, and I almost forgot! The first Find Him character contest winner (out of four even though only four people entered) is Dvark_soul! Congratulations, Tamara is going to be a very key part in the plot of this book :)
-Catherine