✔️𝐦 𝐚 𝐠 𝐧 𝐨 𝐥 𝐢 𝐚 - ||𝐥𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧||

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 : 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭

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good morning/afternoon/evening/night angels ;)
i'm backkkk (p.s. stream olivia rodrigo's 'driver's licence' OMG- ) and please check the end of chapter for a special announcement!!

tw: this chapter includes; mentions of death, trauma/PTSD, manhandling/manipulation, mentions of abuse, use of self-defense

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK LOVELIES!!

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The deceased members of Sunset Curve crowded around the grand piano at the center of the studio, the golden rays of the Californian sun warming the tops of their skins through the greenhouse-like corner in the back of the room. Their combined adrenaline from today's news wore off slowly, leaving a lingering feeling within their chests as they planned out every little detail for tonight's gig at the Orpheum. It was a big deal, especially with the possibility of this being what they needed to finally move on.

They needed everything to be absolutely perfect, their second chance urging them to take it.

Luke nibbled at his bottom lip as the pen in his hand tapped against the polished wood, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared down at the songs written in his book, titles sprawled into the margins. He threw random song titles in the air, hoping one would stick out to one of the three, both Alex and Reggie mindlessly nodding along as their minds were clouded by their own thoughts and worries. Every now-and-then, the Patterson boy would look up from his notes as he planned the setlist towards the Japanese girl hidden away in the greenhouse-corner of the room, asking for her opinions.

Magnolia stayed under the sun, enjoying the temporary warmth that kissed her skin as she watered the Molina's greenery, finding her own tempo in their silence. She would send Luke a soft smile, a couple of nods and a few words of input before reverting back to silence, her fingers shaking and skin paler than her ivory complexion. She would feel Luke's gaze on her, watching her cautiously spill the contents of her pail into a few dracaena before feeding Reginald Jr. a few bugs she had found in Julie's garden.

She gulped as she tried to keep her trembling and weak fingers to herself, keeping her own strongfront as Luke planned out their dream performance. Admittedly, she didn't want them to worry about her, or how her spirit grew weaker and even considered taking naps despite having hours of quote-on-quote sleep beforehand. With a sharp inhale, she threw Luke a shy, lopsided grin, making him smile loosely back at her before biting at his bottom lip, tapping his pen at a nervously-high pace and looking back down at his paper.

The Japanese girl would flush pink and turn her attention back to Reginald Jr. as she refilled his makeshift pond, just in case none of them would make it back to change it. She would secretly peek at Luke and how he scratched the nape of his neck in frustration as his hazel-eyes darted across the page. He would sigh when something didn't seem to fit, rearranging song-after-song to create a perfect harmony. Reginald Jr. croaked at her, catching her attention and making her smile as he curiously blinked at her, having her drop another earthworm into the tank, watching the amphibian chase after it.

"I was thinking we should start with 'Stand Tall'." Luke decided with a beam of a smile, presenting the idea of a newer song he, Magnolia and Julie had written ages ago, knowing that it was one that they hadn't exactly perfected. He knew he wanted to be absolutely flawless, especially when it was their first time playing somewhere so important, but they needed to pull out all the stops, a sound no one had ever heard before.

Everything depended on tonight's show, it needed to be perfect.

Alex agreed to the Patterson boy with a numb smile, resurfacing his consciousness from the entanglement of thoughts that webbed itself to the back of the blond's psyche. He leaned his forearms against the glossy top of the grand piano as Magnolia hummed in agreement, putting down her watering can before dusting her hands on the top of her plaid pencil skirt, joining the three boy the grand piano and taking up the bench.

"Sounds good." Reggie breathed without missing a beat, nodding his head as if to show his own sort of confirmation in the song choice. He tried to keep up his optimistic attitude, to find all the positives in the dream that Sunset Curve had imagined to be in, but his own thoughts circled him and outlined the few of the negatives that made coming back with you best friends so worthwhile.

This seemed to alert Luke, his choice of words something he would not pick for this sort of situation, having his had dart upwards and look at the Peters boy with a raised brow.

"'Sounds good'?" Luke repeated with slight disbelief lacing his tone, as if surprised to hear the bassist's lack of enthusiasm when it came to their dream of playing the Orpheum, the place where their dreams were to come true and kick start their careers as rockstars. Reggie simply shrugged with a tight-lipped smile, unsure of what else to say when there were already so many unanswered questions were floating around. The brunet shook his head, closing his journal as he attempted to hype them up. "Dude, wake up! I wanna hear, 'it sounds awesome'! I know this isn't how we wanted things to turn out, but we gotta be all in tonight. This is our second chance playing the Orpheum!"

Both the bassist and the drummer of Julie and the Phantoms shared a look, their thoughts mirroring off of one another as they shared the same negativity. It was the inevitability, the mystery behind the afterlife was what they settled on, how much was changing within the night. There was no telling what was waiting for them, who was waiting for them on the other side of that wall, if they were still going to have each other at the end of the day.

They didn't like how unpredictable this future was, how hard it was to put their own concerns aside to enjoy living whatever life they had left.

"You too, Mags. I wanna see that smile." Luke boasted with a beam of a smle, cooly sliding into the bench seat next to her, making her jolt as soon as he put his hand atop of her own. She looked up into his hazel-eyes, the soft touch of a grin curling on his lips as he cupped Magnolia's cheeks in his warm hands, bringing a rose colour to her cheeks and nose before gasping as he began to pinch at them, attempting to earn back the gorgeous crooked smile that usually crossed over her features.

She laughed as she nuzzled into his hands in an act to get away from the pinch on her face, but Luke refused and cooed at the Japanese girl until she gently put her hands over his as she giggled. Everything felt good, to feel that bubbling feeling in her stomach as the Patterson boy held her close, but she afraid of losing him to whatever force of nature that threatened to take him away. The brunet numbly smiled at her, easily seeing through her as he could see a glossy layer over those tawny-eyes that held that familiar sparkle within them.

Magnolia gave him a watery smile as she leaned against his open palm, feeling the calluses on his fingertips brush against her cheekbone in an adoring fashion, taking his other hand in hers and bringing it to her lap as if she tried to memorize every little detail of him like this was the last she was going to ever feel of him. Luke's eyes followed her own as her thumb carefully caressed every callous that marked his skin with a tender touch, letting a shaky breathe leave her lips as the Patterson boy before her gently wiped the singular tear that fell from the corner of her eye.

There was his own watery smile on his lips, one he masked with his special smile as if he too were afraid of the future, like whatever laid ahead of him remained intimidating to him, to what and who he could possibly lose. He knew that he didn't have a choice, that he wouldn't want the boys' soul to drift away into a dark abyss and remain non existent, or to become Caleb's prisoner for the rest of eternity. She traced a heart into his skin, making a breathy laugh leave his lips before meeting Magnolia's eyes before putting on his strongfront, stroking her cheek once more before dropping his hand to her lap, turning their attention to both boys.

The Peters and Mercer boy had pushed themselves off of the grand piano in an act to give the pair some privacy, the slightest of smiles on their lips as they watched them from afar, unable to even crack the slightest joke about the pair as their moment neared them. It was obvious at this point, nobody was ready to let each other go, to leave behind what relationships and everything they had here behind. They got attached, something that was dangerous, especially in death.

"I get it, I get it, but it's hard. Do we even know what's on the other side when we cross over? Do we all still get to hang together? Is it enough for Maggie to get back into her body?" Reggie questioned rhetorically, knowing that the three he talked to wouldn't have the answer, but he couldn't help it. This was scary and new, there wasn't any rules to follow or concepts to what was waitting for them on the other side, the only thing they could refer to was biblical terms or whatever twenty-first century TV interpreted the topic of Heaven and Hell. "You guys are the only family I have."

The bassist of Julie and the Phantoms choked on his words as he sunk into the recliner found in the seating area of the Molina's garage, a deep frown falling onto his lips as he stared at his best friends with a teary gaze. They were his constants, the people that lifted him up when he was down and the only family he's ever grown to known. He wasn't ready to part with them, to run down different paths when his family was destined to fall apart, and he knew that he didn't want that to happen. The three ghosts hung their heads in silence, knowing there was nothing else they could do.

"Yeah. I mean, I don't know what's gonna happen, either, but it's not like we have a choice." Alex admitted with a strain to his voice as if he were reluctant to admit their own defeat, his electric-blue eyes dimmed as soon as he looked up from his stretched fingers, the inside of his cheek caught between his teeth. As plainly as the Mercer boy had put it, it was nothing less than the truth, especially when their options were put out side-by-side.

Before anyone could react, an electrifying bolt of lightning struck them harder than it ever had, forcibly taking their breaths away as pain filled every sense. It was horrifying how quickly the numbing sense had spread, feeling it through every vein in their bodies, as if their bodies had been smashed into concrete.

Luke attempted to pull away from their conjoined hands, his second-thought flying out the window as Magnolia's tightly clasped at his hands, feeling no sort of shocking ache towards her own celestial body, her eyes darting to the boys seated farther away. Her face fell as she watched them wither in pain, wanting nothing mare to take that sort of pain away, tears threatening to leave her eyes as she made quick work to keep one hand on Luke's extended hand, stretching her arms until her finger brushed against Alex's shoulder as the blond took Reggie's hand, hoisting him up after he had fallen to the floor.

She acted like an insulator, the rubber piece that dulled the flow of electricity Caleb's curse had marked on them. They gasped for air, their eyes darting to the Japanese spirit to see if what sort of danger she put herself in, finding a tear leaving her eye as she gave them individual looks. There she was, perfectly fine despite the red puffiness around her eyes, wanting reduce as much pain as possible.

"How did you..." Alex asked softly as he rubbed at his aching side, the usually sharp and sudden he felt jabbed into his side dulled at Magnolia's simple action of letting her fingers brushing against his shoulder. Reggie seemed just as shocked at how quickly she threw caution into the wind, as if she absorbed the painful jolt of Caleb's curse without even a flinch. She smiled loosely before parking herself back my the Mercer boy's side, the brunet smiling at her coyly before letting their interlaced fingers drop, the delicate touch lingering between the two.

Magnolia said nothing to Alex's question, unsure herself to how easily she managed to numb the effects of Caleb's curse, especially when the first time it had happened. Back then, Luke held onto her as their chests touched before his curse took effect, either unable to rip apart from the other to only realize the jolt wasn't as painful, as if she shared the pain to later be cancelled out.

Before the Mercer boy could question her further on her technique, rather scold her for throwing herself to the face of danger, Julie Molina entered her mother's studio where her four ghosts resided in, her dress for tonight's gig at the Orpheum tucked away in a dust cover that was thrown over her shoulder, her finger holding onto the hanger as she curiously watched the four sit up, acting as if they haven't struck another chord to Caleb's curse.

"What's wrong?" Julie quizzed with a small frown on her lips, catching the four ghosts pretending as though nothing had happened. They took glances at each other, a silent agreement as to not bring the Japanese girl into the conversation as they weren't sure if this was their right time to tell her.

Magnolia softly shook her head before the boys turned back to Julie, the ballet dancer's eyes darted back to Luke, who loosely smiled at her, mouthing 'are you okay?' in the girl's direction, having her nod softly in his direction with a hint of a smile on her own face, slyly wiping away the tear the fell from the corner of her eye.

"We just got rocked pretty hard by one of those jolt things." Alex admitted with a tight-lipped smile as he threw a soft smile in the Japanese girl's direction, watching her reciprocate the look before looking back at her hands, her body celestial body slowly growing weaker just as the boys' did. Reggie nodded in agreement as he sunk further into his seat, throwing her a charismatic smile as he endured the half-truth they told Julie, catching the distracted spirit in the corner of his eyes.

"Pretty sure I ghost-peed a little." Reggie exclaimed with an easy curl of his lips, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck as the three ghost grimanced at his statement. Julie worriedly glanced at each ghost, finding them giving her a tight-lipped smiles and a quick nod of their heads as if to confirm that they were all okay. It wasn't until the Molina girl's eyes landed on the Japanese girl's figure, noting how she avoided eye contact with her and curled into herself.

A frown fell onto her lips as she carefully approached Magnolia's ghost, the spirit's head immediately darting up at the sound of the Puerto Rican girl's footsteps nearing her. She found the strength to smile softly in her direction before Julie could come any closer, making her stop in her tracks as her dark-eyes trailed over her complexion.

"Did you get hit too, Mags? You look a little paler than usual." Julie stressed as she took note of Magnolia's clenching fingers and the ghostly pale touch to her face, as if the energy had been drained right out of her. The ballet dancer cleared her throat, sneakily looking at each boy as they encourage her to tell her now, as if she wouldn't get a better opportunity. Unlucky for them, she refused to, pushing through with a beam of a grin she forced.

"I'm okay, I think I need rest before our big moment." Magnolia lied loosely, something the Molina girl couldn't catch, despite knowing how terrible of a liar the spirit was. The one thing that was the closest to lying was faking a smile, pulling one almost every single day in front of her ballet classes, for Bethany and Donevan, one to show that nothing seemed to bother her.

That was her biggest lie she had ever told.

Julie nodded rather unconvincingly, eyeing the ballet dancer cautiously before turning back to the group as she wrang out her hands after putting down the dust cover on the coffee table, the zipper face down in case both Alex and Magnolia--both having the habit off rifling through her closet when they were bored--were to peek at her dress, spoiling the surprise she planned to show off to her dad, Tía and Carlos, something she planned to wear to commemorate her mother.

"Actually, guys. I'm a little nervous. Luke, can I talk to you for a moment?" Julie admitted with a bite of her lips, looking over to the brunet with hopeful eyes, who had raised a brow in question to ask why him, but softly nodding, nonetheless. The Puerto Rican exhaled and walked towards the entrance of the studio, leaving a good distance between herself and the three ghosts that laid in the seating area. Luke stood up from behind the piano bench, throwing Magnolia a soft smile before following the Molina girl.

Admittedly, the ballet dancer felt a dull, aching feeling her chest at the sight of the pair not too far off, making his softly exhale and shake her head at her own negative thoughts. What drew her away was the sound of the Peters boy's voice, the bassist gently tapping her knee to grab her attention from her internal battle with her brain, having her look back at him curiously.

"You should tell her." Reggie muttered as his eyes cautiously turned back to the two, keeping Magnolia's wish of keeping the condition of her spiritual body a secret. She blinked at him for him to continue, making him lean into both her own and Alex's space to spit out the next words in case Julie were to hear what the three could be discussing about. "About your... condition."

Magnolia sucked in her cheeks as she looked back at the two, their own voices in hushed whispers just as theirs were, swallowing as she tapped her fingers against her thigh in a makeshift beat. Her tawny-eyes casted downwards before meeting both Reggie's and Alex's urgent gazes, scratching her cheek with a small frown on her face.

"There really isn't a time to tell someone, 'Oh. Hey, Julie? Just wanted to let you know that I'm physically dying and if I don't get back into my body, I'll be living in the afterlife for good.'" The rhythm guitarist reasoned rather sarcastically, comedically smiling as the dark-haired ghost snorted whilst the blond by her side softly rolled her eyes.

"Maybe you're right, now's not exactly a good time." Alex admitted with a sigh of his lips, knowing how Magnolia didn't want the Molina girl to freak out at the mention of her possible death. They didn't exactly know how to tell her, either, especially when Julie had found out instead of the three becoming upfront with her. There wasn't enough time to explain, to help her understand and to ease her into the idea she was losing more than she realized. "She deserves to know."

Magnolia hung her head, her act of temporary silence acting as though it was her own agreement to the Mercer boy's statement.

"I know, it's just... I don't know how to tell her." Magnolia admitted sadly before her lip caught between her cheeks, taking a sneaky glance at both Julie and Luke as they slowly approached the three other ghosts. She took in Julie, how happy she looked with that familiar twinkle behind her eyes and the beam of a smile, performing a show with the four ghosts that gave her the chance to fall back in love with music.

She couldn't do that to Julie, not when she looked so happy.

"Guys, band circle." Luke announced as he helped Magnolia off of her seat with a single hand, fraping his arm over her shoulders and his other resting around Alex's, feeling their arms circle around him as the rest of the band did the same. Magnolia carefully hovered her arm around Julie's shoulder as Reggie did the same, the Molina girl's hands hovering just above the small of their backs. The tight-knit circle brought the band closer as if this were last time they were to ever speak to each other, again, feeling their heads bump against each other's lightly. "We don't know what brought us here, but what we do know is, you're a star, Julie. Just because this is our last night together, it doesn't mean we won't be watching you from above, or..."

With a click of his tongue, the Patterson boy's eyes darted down to the wooden floorboard underneath his feet, his bandmates following his line of sight as it elicited a soft laugh from the four of them. They held onto each other tighter, as if this whole hug ordeal were real, as if the paths ahead of them were clear and they were coming back home, to their home.

"Jules, you've changed our lives for the better. We'll always be here for you, wherever we may end up." Magnolia whispered with a slight crack to her voice as she looked over to the Molina girl, catching her softened gaze as her words unintentionally informed her of what was going on with her own situation. Julie's eyes furrowed slightly, but the Japanese girl to her left was quick to change the subject as she took over Luke's pep talk, throwing everyone a grin. "Let's knock them dead, and give it our all, yeah?"

It took everything in them not to cry, to remain strong for the inevitable.

"Legends on three?" Luke started with the tilt of his lips, putting his hand in as the four slowly trickled in, following his action as Magnolia's hand landed on the top of his, Alex's on hers and Reggie's resting just above the blond's. Julie put her own hand on the top of their tower, just hovering above their own. They wore matching grins on their faces as the Patterson by initiated the countdown, followed by Alex and Reggie before launching their hands into the air. "One. Two Three. Legends!"

The five giggled as they let their hands rest back onto their sides, pulling away from the band circle to give the Molina girl some space as soon as the sharp sound of a car horn sounded. Julie looked towards the barn-style doors, knowing it was her father most likely waiting for her outside, knowing that she would have to get to the Orpheum a tad earlier than her quote-on-quote hologram band for soundcheck.

"That's my dad. He's driving me there. So, I'll see you guys soon." Julie mumbled with a tilt of her lips towards the ghosts, her words true and sincere as she sent the last sentence towards them, as if that were a promise. The four shared a glance before nodding to the Molina girl's words, promising their own half before watching her retreat to her father's Honda Civic, waving them goodbye before skipping out the door.

Just before the four ghosts that haunted the Molina's garage could go back to their previous discussion, the youngest Molina stumbled to the crack of the entrance with a taunting smile on his face, applauding the ghosts as he looked around for their activity. Both Luke and Magnolia shared a look of amusement for Carlos Molina, watching him attempt to intimidate the four teenagers.

"Have a good show, boyband." Carlos mused before crossing his arms over his chest, imagining the three's look of surprise at his detective work. Luke's eyebrows raised at the youngest Molina's teasing as he slowly approached the living boy with a quirk of his lips. The Molina boy's eyes widened at his unintentional exclusion, remembering how he saw an Asian girl on stage with his older sister, quickly adding her in before he could offend her. Despite being an extraordinary ghost hunter, he remained respectful to every supernatural phenomenon to avoid being haunted. "And girl."

Magnolia cooed as she smiled at the youngest Molina, despite the boy being unable to see her. She looked up at the Mercer boy with a spontaneous look behind her eyes, making him snort at the realization why as the Julie's younger brother bothered to make the slightest note for the ballet dancer.

"Who you calling, 'boyband'?" Luke muttered with a teasing tone lacing his voice as he bent at his knees to meet the youngest Molina's level, comically raising a brow at the boy with a scrunch of his nose. Though Magnolia could fathom less about being a boyband, despite her own self being plugged into the group, she was thrilled about the idea of being included as she happily clapped.

"He remembered me." Magnolia beamed as the smile that was put onto her face reached the corners of her eyes.

"Carlos!" Ray Molina called out for his son, urging him away from the garage and into the car before Julie was late for soundcheck at the Orpheum. Magnolia giggled, watching the youngest Molina point at his own eyes with his index and middle finger before pointing the empty space between the ghosts, prompting all four of them to look behind them as if Carlos had seen something.

The Molina boy ran away from his mother's studio after shutting the doors behind him, leaving the the deceased members of Sunset Curve and the half-dead ballerina to their own devices. Reggie, however, was rather stunned to how Carlos were to figure out who they were, knowing how a couple of days ago the youngest of the Molina family had thought the ghosts that had haunted their home was some famous chef.

"How did he find out?" The Peters boy marvelled with parted lips, looking back at his bandmates as he jutted his thumb in Carlos' direction, a look of surprise on his face. Both Luke and Alex rolled their eyes at the bassist, as if the torment he had put Tía Victoria was something he didn't commit. Magnolia snorted in amusement, slapping her hand over her face as she shook her head at him.

"I don't know, Reg. Maybe it was the blinds, or the blanket." Alex listed with a hint of sarcasm in his tone, throwing the blue-eyed bassist a look of exasperation. Reggie hummed as if the things he did do wasn't at all his fault, innocently looking away as the Mercer boy rolled his eyes, bringing up the past as the Peters boy claimed to be a quote-on-quote hero. "Or any of the number of things you did in that house."

"It doesn't matter, you guys. We have another problem." Reggie easily dismissed with an easy shrug, his blue-eyes trained at the barn-style doors where Carlos once stood, attempting to intimidate the four ghosts hidden away in his family's garage. His lips stretched thinly as he turned back to his bandmates with a saddened look on his face, his eyes flickering over to Magnolia sadly, bringing a frown to the boys' faces to what else he could possibly mean.

The Japanese girl furrowed her eyebrows together at the expressions on their faces, one rather remorseful than their usual puppy-pouts they usually threw at her whenever they screwed something up, wanting her help in fixing it. This one was sincere as if the three were genuinely about to cry, only to make her realize what else could be left. Her own unfinished business, whatever in God's name would that be.

"Don't tell me you didn't pick up any fancy suits." Magnolia humoured dryly, hoping to lift their spirits even with the slightest curl of their lips. Her own sad smile made it onto her lips as she pushed herself off of the piano's seat, taking a cautious seat next to Alex, the blond laying his head on her shoulder as he pulled at the threads of his ripped jeans. The ballet dancer pulled his hand and held it in her own, looking at the two boys with her signature crooked smile. "I told you three hours ago-"

The Mercer boy shook his head at the Asian girl's defense of humour to avoid her own problems, how she hoped to distract them long enough to efficiently change the subject. He looked up at her from his position on her shoulder, a slight crack in his voice as their own reality neared, how close they were to achieving their dreams to finally pass on when she was nowhere close to where she needed to be. His heart cracked into two, afraid to become selfish when he knew he was leaving her behind without helping her as they promised.

"Not that, Mags. You." Alex mumbled before sniffling and lifting his head off of her shoulder, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug that made her heart warm, adoring the feeling of finally being wanted. She let a few tears leave her eyes as she held onto the Mercer boy as if her life depended on it, her next set of words slightly muffled as her lips were pressed against his shoulder.

"You have a problem with me?" Magnolia mused jokingly before the two pulled away, the blond wiping at the corner of his eyes before a waterfall were to leak from them. She wiped her eyes with the end of her sleeve, a loose smile on her lips as she caught Luke's gaze, who simply shook his head and letting his chestnut curls fly around him like a halo.

"'Course not, we're talking about you. You're dying." Luke whispered as he, too, couldn't believe the words leaving his mouth, wanting to refute it as long as he could, to know that the girl before him was healthy and well. His own voice cracked as he ran a hand through his hair, a breathy laugh leaving his lips as he gazed into the Asian girl's tawny-eyes. "We... we haven't done anything to help you."

With an encouraging nod from Alex's end, she gently brought Alex with her before taking Reggie in her other hand, grouping the four together into a group hug as the four sulked in silence at their predicament, wishing for more time and for different outcomes. They were all afraid to leave one another, to be separated by whatever afterlife awaited them after their time on Earth as ghosts were up.

"You're already helping me. You helped me realize I'm not alone, anymore. You gave me something to live for." Magnolia croaked with the softest twinkle behind her eyes, her forehead leaning against theirs as their grips on one another tightened. She peered through her lashes to find Luke's gaze on her, giving him a delicate smile as her words came out barely above a whisper. "I just didn't realize it until it was too late."

Before the deceased members of Sunset Curve could protest to her words, a boisterous clap sounded throughout the room, attracting the four teens' attention onto a man that sat atop the grand piano with one leg crossed over the other quite elegantly. He wore a purple stain tailcoat that reeked of absolute etiquette and class with a matching top hat, a peacock feather tucked beneath the silk ribbon.

Their blood ran cold at the sight of Caleb Covington, his features quite evident despite the dark sunglasses that perched at the bridge of his nose, acting as though he were a celebrity attempting to protect his identity from the peering eyes of the paparazzi in broad daylight. His gloved hands smacked against each other in a mocking fashion at the touching scene before him, a dry laugh leaving his lips at the catch of their surprised expressions.

"Well, isn't this a touching story." Caleb mused with a witty grin, pulling the white gloves off of his hands and into his pocket, eyeing the group of four as they stood their ground against him, his gaze unclear as his cynical blue-eyes hid behind the dark pair of shades. He mockingly pouted at them, his set of words following a funny accent before gagging at their sentimentals. "The half-dead ballerina throwing her own life away to help her helpless little ghost band."

With a quick roll of his eyes, the man stretched out his fingers before him, picking at his fingernails plainly as the four teenagers before him began to get defensive. Luke instinctively brought Magnolia to his side with the gentle tug of her wrist, knowing how she got at the mention of the Covington man, afraid she'll begin to panic at the sight of him.

"What're you doing here?" Luke quizzed with a hardened glare, his nostrils flaring at the sight of the man, who simply put a hand over his own heart dramatically, taking note of how they seemed to protecting the Asian girl from him. A grin grew on his face at the realization before taunting the group of four further.

"Such hostility. I'm just here to congratulate you on your big night." Caleb tutted with a mocking pout playing on his lips, pulling the black sunglasses off of his eyes before tucking them into his coat breast pocket, tilting his head rather curiously as the four ghosts irked away from the magician. They remained cautious of him, no matter how persistent he was to make small talk with the wary four. "Not everyone gets to play the Orpheum."

He said it rather mockingly, as if he knew something they didn't and dangled it in front of their faces. There was a slightly amused smile playing on the magician's lips, the hairs on Magnolia's arms standing up as chills ran through her entire body, the same cruel and haunting smile that made her want to shrink on herself. She knew she shouldn't show fear, to remain strong in front of the man that was both a pain in the ass and a manipulative genius.

She tried to pull them away from him, but the anger that bubbled in their stomachs kept them rooted to their spots, their hardened glares set on the Covington man. The truth of their predicament was out, making quite the playing field for both sides as if seemed as though there were no more secrets, no plans swept under the rug. This was where the deceased members of Sunset Curve confronted Caleb Covington properly, and they weren't letting anything get in the way.

"No, okay? We know that it's your stamp that's hurting us." Luke growled as he glared at the magician harshly, lifting up the sleeve of his white, fleece sweater to show the shiny mark the Covington man had left behind on them. Caleb dryly laughed as he carefully stalked towards the angry teenagers, a brow raised as the leader of Sunset Curve refused to back down. "We already told you, we have a band. We don't want to join your little club."

"Yeah, and you can't make us!" Alex grumbled with an angry look behind his eye as he, too, attempted to step up to the plate in defending their honours, but he seemed to retreat at Caleb Covington's simple look of a glare. The Mercer boy cleared his throat, swallowing nervously as Caleb's eyes followed him, the polite side of the blond peeking out. "Uh, sir."

Alex stammered as if he were meeting Willie's father for the first time, carefully stalking backwards and attempting to bring the rhythm guitarist with him and away from the man's piercing gaze, only for the dead magician's eyes dart towards the Asian girl, who hadn't backed down from her darting stare. A cruel grin spread to his lips as he took in her change of appearance, feeling as though it had been eons since the two had last encountered each other.

"'Maggie'?" Caleb cooed with a teasing tone laced through his voice at Sunset Curve's nickname for the ballet dancer, the way it fell from his lips felt eery and sick, making a chill run through her body as he hopped off the top of the grand piano, slowly approaching her. The hairs on their arms stood as the Covington man stared down the girl, her pretty features oh-so-similar to her dear father's, how enchanting. "Such a cute little nickname for a tiny thing, don't you think?"

Magnolia shrunk at his taunting words, only to yelp as soon as Caleb reached and plucked her away from the safety she felt with the three boys, each one protesting as the Covington man tightened his grip around her forearm, making her yelp at the prick of pain. Tears glossed over her eyes as she desperately attempted to yank her arm out of the man's clutches, her jaw clenching as the pain brought her back in time to the Nakamura manor.

Her scowl deepened as she kept in her tears, Caleb's ghost briefly flickering in light of Andrew Nakamura, his own angry glare set in place as his grip tightened. No, he never thought of setting a hand on his daughter, thinking of the action sick and vile, but he rather dragged her along when he didn't get his way. Pulling her and Ethan along if the pair had refused following him, dragging them up the stairs and locking them away in their bedrooms.

"Don't touch me!" Magnolia cried out as she tugged on her arm, reaching for any one of them to tug her away from the Covington man

"Get away from her." Luke growled with an angered glare, the expression flickering on his face to one somber and desperate as Magnolia whined and thrashed against the man's hold. The Patterson boy tried to reassure her as she thrashed against Caleb's hold, wanting to come back to them. He and the boys held onto her extended arm, pulling to get her back to their side before she cried out in pain from the tug on both her arms, everyone in the room aware the Caleb wasn't going to give in so easily.

"Don't you want to live, Magnolia?" Caleb tested with a deceitful grin on his face, watching her slightly hesitate as he took notice of her own personal weakness, playing her morals against her. He tempted her to make another deal with him, to give away the boys she loved so dearly in exchange for his assistance back into her life. "To see your family? To grow old? Have children? Juilliard?"

Alex attempted to reach out to her, only to be harshly cut off by the serious look that had fallen on the Japanese girl's face, the hesitancy on her face at Caleb's words disappearing and replaced with acute anger hidden behind her tawny-eyes. With an angry huff, Magnolia slammed her foot onto the magician's shoe, prompting a yelp out of him before ramming her elbow into the side of Caleb's face; something Willie had taught her in case of unwanted attention. The three boys before her watched in slight shock and amazement as the Japanese girl made a break for it, immediately crashing into Alex and Reggie, who immediately pulled her in before Caleb could grab her in such a way, again.

It was obvious that Caleb attempted to underestimate her, again.

An angry bruise formed on the man's cheekbone as he slowly looked up to meet the gazes of the deceased members of Sunset Curve and later the ballet dancer, who hid behind Reggie's shoulder. Her jaw was clenched as if expecting the magician to pick another round with her, but he stayed at his end on the invisible line that separated both groups.

"Your friends don't know what's on the other side, but... lucky for them." Caleb Covington beamed evilly at the three boys before them, Luke stepping up to put the Japanese girl behind the three, acting as he were her shield as his eyebrows furrowed and nostrils flared. Magnolia glared at him as the magician straightened up with narrowed eyes, his words seeping from his lips like a venomous poison. "I do."

Before anyone could react, Caleb blew a sour kiss and apparated the four ghosts away from the Molina studio with a cackle. The four ghosts felt their bodies sting and tingle as if one was being separated from the other three as Magnolia desperately clung onto Luke's hand, the Patterson boy tightening his grip before feeling her slip away, panic filling him whole.

They left the Molina garage with cries of protest, only to be drowned out by the silence as they were dragged away, straight into the Caleb Covington's own personal space in Hell.

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

𝗹𝘂𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘃

Everything happened so fast, their spiritual bodies bending to his will as they travelled through space and time, the deceased magician keeping his hold on them as if it were his rule of thumb. The three deceased members of Sunset Curve gasped as soon as their feet hit the ground, the soles of their sneakers replaced with polished dress shoes, their bodies confined in the expensive fabrics of the suits Caleb Covington had dressed them in. They were left breathless, finding themselves behind the walls of the Hollywood Ghost Club, the curtain drawn to hide away the three.

Both Reggie and Luke could feel the weight of their guitars on their shoulders, the instruments pushed behind them as Alex fiddled with the pair of drumsticks in hand, the nail of his thumb subconsciously making grooves into the wood. They were confused to why they were brought here, why they were dressed up as if they were ready to perform. Their suits were quite extraordinary, defining their best features and enhancing certain beauties to them, but nonetheless, weren't like their styles. It felt tight and uncomfortable, as if they were struggling to breathe in their own clothes.

"Well, don't you look nice?" Caleb patronized with a lazy smirk playing on his lips, surveying the clueless trio as he descended down the staircase, adjusting his cufflinks. The angry bruise Magnolia left on his cheekbone was dusted over, almost as if it wasn't there by the coats of foundation and other makeup products to hide the mark. His extravagant attire of his signature peacock feather top hat to the silk train of his coat, the bedazzled jewels stamped at his back were no longer adorning his slim figure, leaving a daunting man with an intimidating smirk behind.

The three didn't waver at the sight of him as the Covington man neared them, rather acted as their chilled and relaxed selves, observing their own figures and the incredible silks that adorned them. Luke, however, looked down from his suited self before curiously looking around, the memory of Magnolia hesitating against Caleb's grasp coming to mind. He had immediately thought that the Japanese girl would be with them, dressed to impress per to Caleb's request.

The Patterson boy frowned at her absence, bringing the magician's lips to curl into a grin at the realization to who he may be looking for. Before it all, it seemed that both ghosts were attracted to each other, one soul longing to be with its other half, which meant all the reason in separating them for tonight's special performance.

"Sweet threads." Reggie mumbled with a hint of surprise lacing the tone of his voice, noting at how the magician had an impeccable eye for style, especially when giving the deceased members of Sunset Curve a complete makeover. The bassist was dressed in a silk, three-piece suit, the dark red of the silk fabric prominent against his flawless and pristine skin.

"How did you know our sizes?" Alex marvelled with his lips parted as he stared down at himself before meeting eyes with the Covington man, his top-half dressed accordingly in a baby pink suit with ruffles decorating his white dress shirt. He picked at the matching rose that sat on the left lapel of his suit coat, curiously gazing at the maan before him as he simply chose to ignore his question with a stupid shrug of his shoulders.

"That's your question?" Luke shot back at both of his bandmates, rolling his hazel-eyes softly at the nonchalant shrug of their shoulders before looking back at the dead magician, who had simply put his hands behind his back and giving the three a rather innocent look. The Patterson boy furrowed his brows, noting how the Covington man hadn't dragged the Japanese girl with him backstage, bringing a frown to his face as he tugged at his collar. "Where's Maggie?"

Caleb hummed at the mention of the ballet dancer, a reminiscent smile brought to his face as he gaped at the special surprise he had in mind. He brought their attention back onto himself with a wave of his hand, almost as if to dismiss the idea of the spirit momentarily to introduce a whole other concept onto the table, one that was tempting and practically irresistible to the three young musicians.

One that solved their desperate wish.

"Oh, she's perfectly fine. I had Willie prepare her for tonight." Caleb claimed with a deceiving grin hanging off of his lips before moving the boys along, his words articulated almost perfectly whilst playing off their individual weaknesses and desires, bringing to light how much he could possibly know from the simplest glance. He observed their every move, inching close to them in an attempt of persuasion into the easier way of things, for their pain and troubles" to end with a simple shake of his hand. "I know you three aren't my biggest fans, and an eternity at my club might seem overwhelming, but... I just put you in, 'sweet threads', so humour me this one pitch. Now, for starters, isn't it nice that you're all here? Together?

"And believe me, everything you want, including Willie, is here. And on my stage, you don't vanish when the music stops. You soak in the applause for as long as you want. The connection you feel with this audience will be like no other. I promise."

His words leaked of liquid gold, articulated for those greedy enough to take the easy way out of things, to finish their life's purpose with a simple shake of a hand, yet none of them hadn't made a move. No matter how tempting the offer was, how Caleb Covington served their quote-on-quote solution on a silver platter, they couldn't give in. Not when this was not what they had wanted at all, to have invisible shackles chained to their wrists and ankles, their souls and freedom to be owned by someone that wasn't them.

Alex's strong hold on his will fell slightly at the mention of the skater he longed for, how scared he sounded at the mention of Caleb Covington, the same man who intimidated them with his empty promises and manipulative malice. The Merce boy cared less for himself at that very moment, worried to what the magician before him could be doing to Willie, to where he could be hiding him.

On Reggie's end, he seemed to shift his weight between his right-and-left leg at the mention of together, the words strung together by Caleb to further his own desire of keeping their group as tight as possible. He liked that he was with his friends, not thinking much to what else he could really need when they had become a constant in his life. The bassist let the magician's words sink in, unable to form a sentence as the impact of his words hit harder than he had expected.

"You can't give Magnolia what she wants, she-" Luke protested with a slight growl, her words of keeping his desperation for anything and everything he had ever wanted at bay echoing off in his head, her words of promise lurring him away from his supposed one true dream. The Patterson boy didn't want to play if they weren't with him, the band they had created from the ground up simply vanished into thin air, he didn't want to play if she wasn't there.

He knew the feeling of life that coaxed him to give in his absolute all would disappear if he let her go.

"She, what? She wants to be out there, alive? You boys are a lot more naive than I thought." Caleb cackled with a sneer in his tone, a mocking pout put onto his face as he effectively cut the brunet off before he could ramble. The magician knew what Magnolia wanted, making it obvious the moment he tore her away from them, how she screamed for them and pushed away all else. He took a few steps closer to the three, an amused smirk pulling on the corner of his lips. "She wants to stay and be with you three. Isn't that sweet?"

He let his voice ring out, a sickening sweet tone to his voice as if to mock them, to patronize them and guilt them into a landslide of emotions that only Caleb knew how to play. The deceased members of Sunset Curve froze at the reveal of the Japanese girl's hidden desire, how she protected them and put their needs above her own. How she simply brushed away their concerned gazes as she slowly grew weaker, her face paler, her eyes containing the singular spark Luke had always admired.

She wanted to stay with them, right until the very end.

The way he had said it, the venom that undertoned the devilish grin on his face made Luke's blood boil, as if magma coursed through his entire being. His mind was racing for answers only the Covington man could give him, silently pleading for the Japanese girl he cared for to return back to safety, to put her out of harm's way just as he promised her. He was scared to what Caleb could do, how much he was capable of was beyond him.

"Where is she?" Luke demanded with a hardened gaze, his teeth gritting as Caleb's grin widened at his harsh commands for the ballet dancer to return to his side. His hands tightened into fists, his nostrils flaring as he took a step forward, both boys willing him back as Luke's voice cracked under the pressure of his anger, seriousity and desperation. "What did you do to her?"

Caleb Covington tutted with a soft shake of his head, approaching the rather stubborn ghost as he glared into his soul, not backing down until he received the answers to his undying questions. He put his hands at Luke's collar, adjusting the bow tie around his neck as he let his manipulative words seep through the Patterson boy's skin, understanding what more underlied his wants.

Something in his voice made Caleb realize what Luke had wanted was something he couldn't give him, especially when he knew what sort of barrier separated the two, what morals both had for each other.

He could give him what he wanted, but not who he had wanted.

"Let me ask you something, Luke." Caleb started with an emphasis to the ghost's name, redoing the bow tie into clean and crisp folds, his eyes focussed on the material rather than the hazel-eyed ghost's curious gaze softening, looking down at his adjustments before back at him. The magician mused his next set of words, using his own sort of weaknesses against the Patterson boy. "Do you think you'll be able to give Magnolia what she needs? She doesn't belong here, she belongs out there with the living."

Luke's face fell at the blatant reality, how bluntly the Covington man had put it as if there weren't any hope for them, how big of a barrier separated the two no matter how hard they tried. He acted as though he knew Magnolia, knowing what she deeply desired and what Luke wanted for her, how much love and respect he put in on this quote-on-quote relationship the two had built, casting his hidden feelings aside so she could move on.

It was as if Caleb knew that Magnolia casted away her own feelings, afraid Luke would dare to live in the afterlife suffering through the magician's Hellfire. He knew what he was doing, who he was messing with and how to bring them to an agonizing kneel to their knees. It was a dangerous game, especially when playing against the man who did this for a living, collecting the souls of the lost and lonely.

"Don't listen to him-" Alex protested with a clenched jaw, his blue-eyes darting from bothe Luke's and Caleb's faces, one looking utterly defeated as the other reigned victorious in an ongoing battle. His voice was tuned out or ignored, later desperate for the Patterson boy to draw himself from the man's tantalizing words, berating him until he knew Luke wouldn't dare stand tall against him.

Reggie silently pleaded for the brunet to listen, both boys attempting to shake Luke away as soon as the Covington let go of their lead guitarist, but he couldn't even bring his eyes up to meet his best friends' gazes. He focussed on Caleb as he folded his hands at his front, portraying himself rather innocently as he singled out all the difficulties that surrounded their rather-romantic and intimate relationship, pulling out different insecurities Luke knew he couldn't simply give her while he was dead.

She deserved the world, something Luke wanted to promise her, but he couldn't even promise he could stay. Not when their outcome was difficult and unpredictable.

"Let's say, for the sake of this argument, your precious 'Maggie' goes home. She's happy, back with her family, back to her mundane, little life. Then, what?" The Covington man mused with a simple wave of his hand, brushing off the simple desire Luke had wanted for the Japanese girl, nose-diving to every possible dilemma to watch as the Patterson boy's face fall deeper into a pit of despair, anger pulling his frown and cinching his eyebrows together. "She grows older and leaves you in the dust, settles down for a man that could give her everything. What can a 'Ghost Boy' like you give her?"

Luke's nostrils flared, a scowl set on his lips as his hazel-eyes glared into Caleb's blue-ones, anger fuelling every molecule in his body. He was angry and miserable to how easily the Covington man read out every insecurity he had, how much he wanted to follow Magnolia out into the real world when she got there. He wanted more time with her, to show her how much he was willing to give.

Before anyone could say anything, before Reggie and Alex could pull him from the miserable future Caleb had set in Luke's mind, the magician laid a single hand on the brunet's shoulder. The anger that fuelled him simply disappeared from his body, his mind easing into a toxic daydream he had lulled him into.

His breath hitched, his lips parting as he walked through his own head. He knew every nook-and-cranny of his own mind, confused to why Caleb had even wasted his energy into seeing something he'd already experienced. This version of Luke squinted, every memory of himself and Maggie together flashing before his eyes. From the first time they had met to their midnight bet to the pair declaring war on his old bandmate, every waking moment he had with her from holding her to her holding onto him, letting their true colours run through in the other's presence.

He saw every smile, giggle and joke the Japanese girl had let slip from her lips, noticing the same look in his eye every time she had walked into the room. How he had given his heart and soul to her, watching her flutter around the room with such grace and elegance as she gave her own heart and soul to him, the two unable to label whatever chemistry they shared with every longing glance that hid behind their eyes.

He finally saw it.

His eyes softened at the sight, the two dancing around the room in an act to cheer the girl up. He remembered her clinging onto him, every time he threatened to drop her and how Maggie would get that special look in her eye. It changed from simplistic ballroom dancing to that one night they shared singing their hearts out in Chinatown, how she would cup his face and gaze lovingly into his eyes with the softness in her voice that had gotten him hooked from the very start.

The sound of angels and violins blessing his ears, despite how afraid she was to sing with him that first night. He memorized every melody her voice rang out, every note she hit was perfect in his eyes and her soul, a glittering purity he longed to unite with.

It was as if this version of Luke Patterson was put back into the memory, following her lips as she sang the words at him, forming words of poetry that she kept within her heart. A smile grew on his lips, listening to the twinkling sound of her laugh. He reached out to cup her cheek, to lay a finger on her just as he's done ever since they had met and a hundred times over, only to be met with dust and smoke.

The girl that stood in her place still had the five moles on her face that made constellations, dressed in an extravagant white dress as if she were straight out of a fairy tale, the same smile that brightened up the room. She's beautiful. The Japanese girl he had fallen for was dressed for a wedding, rather the bride, doing a little dance that brought a chuckle from his lips as she began to walk down the aisle with a bouquet of carnations between her hands. Luke's face relaxed as a beam settled onto his lips, watching her as she walked towards him with the orchestra of elegant music playing in the background.

He subconsciously reached his hand out for her to hold, the rings on his fingers glimmering as if the tempt the girl to run into his arms just as she's done over-and-over again. He was still dressed in his cobalt blue suit, the deep blue colour complimenting the pure white of her wedding dress, something he had never thought would be happening. Luke had always thought he would be a bachelor, touring the country as a rockstar without a second thought of settling down, but...

Something changed.

Magnolia neared him with her signature crooked grin, only for her to phase right through him, making his gasp. He hastily turned on his heel to notice the groom at the end of the altar, his breath hitching at the sight of who the girl had planned to marry.

Donevan fucking Ballentine.

He called out for the ballet dancer to turn around, to look at him, but she didn't. Maggie couldn't hear him, so he watched as the Asian girl look at the godforsaken Scottish male the same way she looked at him. Luke's hand clenched into fists, tears threatening to slip out and hating every goddamn second of this horrible vision as if it were real. He didn't want Maggie to be with anyone else, he didn't want to picture her with anybody else.

Realization crossed over his handsome features, finally seeing the Japanese girl tear her eyes off of the Scottish male. Her bangs were pulled back, making him want to rip out the clip that held them away from her face, to truly see the girl he had fallen for. He swallowed, watching as Maggie looked over her shoulder and brighten up at the sight of him, leaving Donevan at the altar, everything fading behind her as she approached him with that charming smile that got him hooked from the beginning. From there, he realized one exact thing that made everything make sense...

Her attention, the touches and embraces he longed for, the cathedrals he had built through the song in his heart and the words of poetry inked on paper. Luke always found her in crowded spaces, loved every inch of her until all that was left to do was love her all over again, to find himself joining her on midnight adventures and to dance with her till the break of dawn, despite not much of a dancer himself. He realized how much he had smiled while he was with her, the familiar glint in his eyes as the ballet dancer brought the room to life.

Luke Patterson was in love with Magnolia Grace.

Reggie shook at his shoulder, drawing him further away from the Japanese girl, watching the mere image of her slowly fade away into the deepest crevasses of his mind, her darling smile bright and engraved into his soul. Her melodical laughter filling his ears till it became a mere memory, one he attempted to grasp at as it was fresh in his mind. Luke blinked, his lips parting as he gasped for air, both Alex and Reggie catching him before he could collapse from the vivid daydream.

"Luke, he's just trying to mess with you." Reggie whispered as he shook at his shoulder, glaring at the magician as he manipulated his best friend's emotions into whatever nightmare he had forced him into. Though, the Covington man seemed unphased by the boys' harsh glares set on his face, almost expecting him to burst into flames and retreat back into the fiery pits of Hell, but rather stared at the Patterson boy with a smirk on his features.

Luke heaved his breathing, his jaw clenched as his sight becoming clear with Caleb's haze leaving his mind, bringing him back to his own reality and away from Caleb's sick fantasy. It twisted him into knots that couldn't be undone with his own simple words of encouragement, knowing well that his own selfish desire was keeping him from letting Magnolia move on. She desired to be out there, to live her life young and be with her loved ones. He wanted to see her grow, yet wanted to be by her side when it did happen.

Now, he wasn't sure if he truly wanted to let her go.

"What if...what if I could make her stay with you?" The Covington man whispered with a devious smirk playing on his features as he slowly approached the Patterson boy, his new offer just as tempting as the last, one more personalized for the stubborn brunet. Reggie and Alex scowled at the man, refusing the offer for him, but the magician remained persistent in getting them onboard. "She'll be yours, Luke, and you can be hers. Isn't that what you want?"

The Patterson boy's eyes casted downwards, unable to deny what felt true to his heart and to feel his soar at the sound of her being his, and vice versa, was extraordinary, something unexplainable and strangely warm. It sounded almost too good to be true, as if it were some dream or a mere fantasy. A chestnut strand of his hair fell on his forehead--it being styled differently due to to Caleb's makeover-- his fist clenching as he didn't dare to look the Covington man in the eye, afraid of the outcome.

Caleb Covington was a smart man, one manipulative and conniving just as both Willie and Magnolia had warned them, but he was unbelievably good at whatever game he played, to downplay their insecurities and their deepest desires and serve it to them on a silver platter. Luke knew in some twisted way, if he were to agree, that he would finally get the Princess, the Princess getting her Prince Charming, but he knew what he would be holding her back from.

Her dads that needed their daughter, to make things right with her mom, to be able to reunite herself with her brother that did need her. She had friends that kept her memory alive, a legacy to pass as a ballet dancer. Luke wanted to be selfish just this once, but he wasn't sure if he couldn't fully make Magnolia happy without that side of her, too.

"Luke, don't." Alex warned the brunet with a shaky voice, unsure if everything Caleb had told them was something he wanted for either of his friends. The Mercer boy knew that when that time would come, when Magnolia were to leave them to finally get back to ordinary life, they would have to watch her go on without them. Even he wasn't sure if he was ready to let her go, to let his best friend go who had supported him no matter the cost, to who he could go to to ramble on-and-on about every little thing about Willie without feeling judged.

He wasn't sure if he was ready to lose her when she became a constant.

The Peters boy realized he had to become the strong one to pull his friends away from Caleb's luring trap, to put his own rumage of feelings on hold to save them from signing their souls and sound over to the man that put them into the position of choosing. Reggie's face hardened as the Covington man put them through trial-after-trial, tormenting with his words with the ugly truth nobody seemed to acknowledge until this very moment.

He wanted to find the strength to fight him off, to tell Caleb that they were much stronger than they perceived, but was cut off by the roar of the audience. They chanted the name Caleb Covington, eager to feast their hungry eyes on the supernatural phenomenons, to feel their souls and spirits to become uplifted by his God-like ability, something he was obviously not as he preyed on this century's naivety.

"They're waiting for you." Caleb mused with a sickening grin, pulling himself from the group of three as his assistant waltzed into the room, carefully draping the Covington man's long coat over his shoulders, his posture straightening as he prepared for another show. He grinned as the three were struck with another jolt of fiery lighting, one that ignited against their skin and forced them to double over in pain, gasping for air. The magician winced rather mockingly, pointing out the rather obvious. "That one looked like it hurt."

As the boys attempted to collect themselves, to bring themselves to stand tall against the dead magician, they could only meet his eyes as Caleb stalked towards them. He leaned in close, a patronizing smirk on his face as the three attempted to overcome the pain that shocked through their bodies, forcibly taking the oxygen from their lungs. Luke's nostrils flared, his chest heaving as the Covington man did nothing but plainly stare at them, as if their pain was his own personal victory.

"Now, let me remind you. You don't know if playing the Orpheum is your unfinished business. Do you really have the time to make another mistake?" Caleb offered with an innocent-looking pout as he egged the boys on, belittling their straightforward idea to pass on into Heaven or Hell. It was as if that amused him, how simple they thought it would be to find their purpose and fulfill it, for their unfinished business to finally resolve by singing one little song. "I suggest you accept my offer, the clock is ticking."

Caleb grinned manically before turning on his heel, his assistant following him on his way out on stage, addressing the mass of lifers on his sleek and glossy stage with an deceitful smile, his voice grand and boisterous. The deceased members of Sunset Curve's eyes followed the dead magician's ghost that simply floated around the room, enchanting all those who had dared to lay their eyes upon him, but the three stared at him with disgust hidden behind their eyes, frowns embedded on their handsome faces.

"Luke, you need to snap out of it." Reggie advised with all seriousness laced into his tone, grabbing his best friend by the shoulder to pull him away from the lingering words that plagued the brunet's mind, his throat running dry to realize how much Caleb was promising them. He was promising them a place to play, their group of three to never be broken by whatever afterlife they were sorted into, a friend that stayed loyal and by their sides. Even the Peters boy knew how big of a gamble that was. "You're letting him win."

It seemed that both boys underestimated how much of a hold Caleb had on him, his words echoing off in his brain on loop, his reality finally coming slapping him right in the face. He hated to admit it, he hated how the singular image of her and her pretty smile left butterflies in his stomach knowing that she would be wedded to someone real, someone that wasn't him. Luke wanted that so desperately, to be the one for her and her to be his someone.

He hated how that he would have to watch her fall in love with someone entirely new, someone that wasn't him and watch her be happy. He wanted to be selfish, he wanted Magnolia Grace and to love her and write cheesy love songs about her.

He wanted to be her forever, to be her Prince Charming and her light at the end of the tunnel.

"What if he's right?" Luke mumbled with uncertainty laced in his tone as his thoughts clouded with Magnolia dressed in a wedding dress, already perfect in his eyes as she giggled at something dumb he let slip from his lips. He didn't want to let that go, but he knew who and what was waiting for her beyond the lines. Admittedly, the Patterson boy didn't want to make that decision, to let her go when he knew there was so much he needed to tell her, how much he wanted to tell her.

What drew the three away from their thoughts was the jazzy music that sounded through Hollywood Ghost Club, the trumpets belting out a tune to Caleb Covington's opening number, presenting himself to the eager eyes of the lifers that surrounded him. They looked just as they always did, dressed to their best in appropriate attire and enjoying themselves to classy beat, downing scotch and whiskey from shiney glasses.

The Covington brought himself to stage, his voice deep as he serenaded the club back in time and into the thirties, flappers and men in suits dancing around him as his voice rang out. There was an eerie feeling left behind his words, one chilling that lured everyone watching into his poetic storytelling, the lifers surrounding him eager to hear Caleb bring his blind truth, his words unknowingly leaking his own past as he introduced his slaved band.

"You know you wanna take a chance and be a little bit bad, ain't nothing quite like living on the edge. So, get ready to go. I'm chasing down a thrill, and lookin' fit to kill, so listen to the words a wise man said. He said, 'Covington, I got an offer that you can't refuse.'"

The beat had dropped into one more upbeat, one the elicited cheers from the crowd with impressive flips from his souled prisoners, a beautiful array of colour presented for the lifers to feast upon. They let their worries drift away as grins were brought to their faces, selling their souls to the music that only Caleb Covington could produce.

There was a devilish smile on the man's face, throwing a wicked grin at the three boys who watched behind the curtain, their eyebrows furrowing as Caleb broke out into song, his words conveying a message he knew only they would understand. The urgency to take up his offer as they simply had nothing to lose, knowing that nothing good would be waiting for them if they insisted to push him away.

"You got nothing to lose, boys. Lose, lose, lose. You got nothing to lose, boys. Lose, lose, lose. You got nothing to lose."

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Hollywood Ghost Club, I, Caleb Covington, have a special treat for you." The magician spoke aloud with his arms spread as if he were some God blessing down a gift to his disciples, a devilish grin on his face as the spotlight hit his face, the deceased members of Sunset Curve furrowing their brows at his sudden announcement as Caleb peeked at the three in the corner of his eyes. He hoped to catch their reactions at his final party trick, suddenly eager to catch their guffawed expressions at his reveal. "Presenting, the belle of the ball, Miss Magnolia Grace and her partner, William!"

Gasps and cheers filled the room, some leaning at the edge of their seats to simply catch a glance at the mention of both ghosts as the flashed into the room, the white light that surrounded them subsiding and leaving their celestial bodies in place. The three boys' jaws dropped at the sight of them, both in prim and proper sparkly attires to contribute to Caleb's flashy thirties jive.

Both Asian descents wore matching ensembles as soon as they poofed onto the stage, their attires glittering underneath the harsh spotlight as they stood before their audience with such poise and grace, one squinting under the light as the other flinches beneath it. Willie's hand laid on the small of her back, the other holding her dainty hand in his, clad in a white suit jacket that glittered like the star-like curtain hanging above their heads.

Magnolia wore a sparkling, beaded fringe dress with the same colour as the skater's suit jacket, the gorgeous attire reaching the top of her thighs, the fringe of beads moving around her in waves that enhanced her supple and pristine skin underneath the ripples of her dress. Her raven hair was crimped-and-curled, her curtain bangs parted to revealing the three inch scar that marked her temple, her lips painted a rose colour.

Alex's face contorted into one of surprise, his lips parting at the sight of the mixed-ethnicity boy to see he was as safe as he could be at this very moment, his dark-eyes unable to reach his sky-blue ones. He glittered underneath the spotlight, his hair pulled back to let his sun-kissed skin beam beneath the harsh lighting the Hollywood Ghost Club had to offer. He looked absolutely ethereal, as if he were the Prince of the Ball.

Luke's lips parted at the sight of her, his breath catching in his throat as he remained utterly speechless at the sight of her, the lights raining down on her as if her skin were dewy drops sent from Heaven-above, the Angel that sat underneath the spotlight as if she truly belonged there. He could feel his knees buckle, her gaze ripping away from the thunderous crowd of the living that cheered the pair on into an extravagant dance filled with skill and pure perfection.

She was beautiful.

"Welcome to my stage, boys."

There was a smirk playing on Caleb's lips, the deceased members of Sunet Curve's eyes immediately darting to the dead magician as he forced Willie into a dance, the skater gripping onto Magnolia to ensure she stayed in place as they moved in elegant motions, following the jive to Caleb's melody. As soon as the words had left his lips, he knew exactly what strings to pull to show how powerful he was, how he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

That even meant manipulating their friends and pulling at their strings, making them believe as if there was no other hope in the world as Caleb puppeteered Willie through the angry purple mark engraved into his wrist, drawing the ballet dancer into a dance not even she wanted to partake in.

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

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

The Asian descents had started in first position, Caleb leading the skater on into a careful jive to ensure the ballet dancer in his clutches had nowhere to run. He controlled her best friend through the purple mark tainting his skin, using the long-haired boy's muscle to keep the girl in place, forcing her to partake the dance for his stupid club.

Willie stared at the Japanese girl with remorse in his eyes, regretting every little moment that had led her to come back to this dreadful place, one that gave both nightmares about the Covington man's haunting smile and never ending loopholes. He could hear her breath quicken at the sight of the hundreds of people present, all familiarly dressed as if they were from the thirties and the harsh white light that followed their every move, their bodies moving to Caleb's cruel serenade.

"Willie, you're hurting me." Magnolia whined as she tugged pathetically at their intertwined fingers, her strength no match for his own, feeling his grip tighten under Caleb's command. The skater didn't want to be caught in this position either, for their deal with Caleb to seem almost nonexistent as they were forced into a puppeteering act as if their dolls in his dollhouse. She winced as their movements quickened in pace, Magnolia forced to cooperate to avoid falling on her face. Willie eyes bore into hers, baring emotions of sympathy and regret. "Let go."

As much as he wanted to, to will his own soul back to his own freedom, the bright purple mark on his skin burned as if corrosive when disobedient. Willie could feel his own grip on Magnolia's hand tightening, a sight of panic written over his handsome face as the Japanese girl that delicately followed his steps without the ounce of attitude she knew she had winced from the prick of pain.

"I'm sorry, Magnolia. I'm so sorry." Willie apologized with his own voice breaking as he forced the girl flip, having her yelp in surprise before her body began to jive to the beat of the music, her inner dancer peeking through her own professionalism and etiquette to enjoy the exciting number, one that was quite out of her range. The skater stared at her, watching her stare at the rhinestone heels that sat upon her feet with every jive kick her legs took part in, forcing himself to swallow as he observed her quietly. "There's something I have to tell you."

"Willie, you just threw me into the air, I am not-" Magnolia huffed, not exactly in the mood for whatever the long-haired ghost had to say to her, their bodies forced to endure Caleb's puppeteering act as they saw no way out, dancers around the area in feather boas and bright suits that admittedly hurt her eyes if she stared long enough. Despite the small attitude she had thrown his way, Willie remained persistent in his words, not letting this chance get away from him.

The real and raw truth.

"Remember when we first met? In the hospital? I was visiting my dad and I found you there." The skater interrupted her before she could go on a ramble, getting straight to the point to effectively shut the Japanese girl up as he mumbled into her ear, just in case any one of Caleb's followers were to hear the secret he passed on. Magnolia listened eagerly, to wonder what could be so important he could tell her while the man they both despised controlled his every move. "It wasn't the first time we met."

Before Magnolia could blink, or to properly process her best friend's words, he whipped her away form his chest to follow the rhythm of the Covington man's song and choreography before pulling the delicate dancer back into his, a gasp leaving her lips. The familiar tug on her body, how her body hurled towards Willie with such velocity made her mind flashback into that night, the dreadful night to her untimely demise.

How elegantly she fluttered across the stage, how the heat of the spotlight hit her skin as she peaked her turns with absolute precision. She was young and naive then, to feel the fringed beads of her dress fly against his thighs as she came crashing down into Willie's chest, rather the glossy floor beneath her feet that the rhinestone heels marched upon. Magnolia remembered the blood, the gasps coming from the crowd as the sandbag that had nearly split her skull sat a few inches away from her.

A sigh of surprise left her lips as soon as Willie had pulled her into an impromptu dip, her eyes wide as her raven hair splayed over his arm. Her heart was beating out of her chest as the skater beamed at her, grinning at her as the spotlight muddled out his handsome features, watching the gears turn in her head as she pieced together the unsolved puzzle.

"It was you." Magnolia muttered with a look of realization behind her tawny-eyes, her red lips parting as the white light that rained down on the pair casted an ethereal presence to them. Shae stared at the skater with slight amzement as he pulled her into an elegant twirl, their pace of movement never fading as the crowd applauding and cheering for the show. "You pushed me out of the way."

Willie shrugged his shoulders as if it weren't a big deal as if pushing her out of harm's way before that damned sandbag hit her, the brief moment where he felt as though their souls connected to touch her and bring her to safety. He made it seemed as if it were a favour, helping her out only for her to return the favour months later, saving his own life before Caleb obliterated him into a void where souls weren't meant to exist.

In reality, he wasn't quite done saving her life just, yet. Especially when there was a certain someone on his hit list, that being the culprit, herself.

"Our parents have been friends for a long time, Nolia. I would've found you, eventually." Willie beamed as a soft laugh left his lips, the hint in his tone made the rhythm guitarist of Julie and the pHantoms slightly gasping, her eyes training back on his face. He had been watching over her, no, over them and taking care of what he considered last bit of family he had left, watching over herself, Ethan and his family and keeping them at of harm's way.

"You saved my life." Magnolia muttered with amazement behind her eyes, the pieces of the puzzle finally becoming a full-blown picture as all the events up to now finally made sense. It was how fate tied her soul to Willie's, later leading her to the deceased members of Sunset Curve and human girl that helped her put her life back on track, repairing the connections that she wouldn't able to fix on her own.

Her heart warmed at the sentimental thought that had occurred to her, the memory not too long ago as Luke's words echoed off in her head. Fate had a funny way of bringing people together, even in the afterlife as a series of events brought them to the lives they knew now. How they were all connected brought all the right people into their lives, even if it was at a dreadfully wrong time.

"Not yet, but I know they will." Willie expressed with a tilt of his lips, both unaware of the three sets of eyes that had casted onto the pair as they jived to the beat. Her eyebrows cinched together as she heeded his words, his unspoken promise as he gazed down at her with the same tone of voice of a warning, like telling her off about boys and public transit. Instead of Caleb's bone-crushing grip he had manipulated into the skater, Willie took his time to win back his freedom of movement as he held onto the Japanese girl's hands delicately, feeling a certain type of electricity go up his arms and course through his entire body, one much different than the magician's painful jolts. "You need to run, Magnolia. Fast, and far."

His words seemed to insist something beyond what he was telling her, something he new she wouldn't be able to do no matter the relationship she had with anyone. Willie asked her to leave, to try at the last stroke of chance she had to get back into her body and get away from Caleb Covington. He asked her to leave him behind and to deal with this mess alone, to give her the chance of freedom while his own soul was chained down to the Hollywood Ghost Club.

Magnolia's eyes seemed to widen at his words, her lips parting as hesitance took over her pretty features. She knew she couldn't do what he's asked, she was afraid of becoming weaker, to leaving Willie alone when she had just got him back. It wasn't fair under their circumstances, what trials-and-errors the two had to face before being ripped apart from the other, only to be reunited before one had to make the selfless act of pushing the other away, again.

"I can't-" Magnolia claimed as a crack in her voice followed her, betraying the strongfront she had portrayed for her own sake, afraid to crumble into the dust that she had built herself up from. She didn't want Willie to rot through his own personal Hell, even when everyone he trusted seemed to be guiding their own paths down destiny. Willie shook his head at the Japanese girl's persistence, hearing her stutter out her answer to refuse his ordeal.

She didn't want to go.

"You can, because this time, you have them." Willie reassured her as they slowed their jiving pace, long enough to keep the curious eyes of the lifers that made up the audience off of them as he carefully took the hands that clamped over her ears, trying to keep her tame as possible as her breathing quicken, shaking her head as to hope that were enough to not him push her away. There was a twinge of sadness in his tone of voice as their separation from one another slowly became a reality. "I managed to book an extra slot at the Orpheum right before Julie, tonight. It has your name all over it."

Magnolia looked up at him through the thickness of her lashes, tears glossing over her tawny-eyes as she tried to will herself not to cry in front of her best friend. Willie laughed through his nose, nodding at her softly as he brought her hands away from her ears, holding them in his own as the look on his face alone told her to be brave, that she could do anything.

Before she could even respond, Willie's hands pulled her back into the spotlight as Caleb echoed the chorus, not exactly liking that the two rowdy teens were off gossiping to each other. He couldn't hear them, none of them could with their hushed voices that blended into the jazzy, thirties music he had produced for all wealthy lifers under his thumb to enjoy, so he had forced the two back into dance before the skater could realize he had lost his hold over him.

"You got nothing to lose, boys. Lose, lose, lose. You got nothing to lose, boys. Lose, lose, lose.
You got nothing to lose."

Both Asian descents yelped in surprise as they jumped back into the jive kicks, pulling extraordinary tricks that both dancers could pull off as hairs began to peek from Willie's loose bun, Magnolia's crimped-and-curled hair flying around her, following the mixed-ethnicity boy's movements. She looked back at the boy next to her, who didn't seem thrilled to be put back into the spotlight under Caleb's command.

"What about you? I can't do this without you." Magnolia declared with a heartbroken tone lacing her voice, knowing she hadn't pulled this sort of stunt since the day they had met, feeling her body spit her out before going into shock. As much as she hated to admit it, the Japanese girl hated putting that sort of stress on her physical body, even with that slim chance of coming back home, always having Willie around to help her push through every one of those attacks.

Without him, she wasn't sure what she could do.

"Look at what you did without me. I was just holding you back." Willie claimed with a breathy laugh leaving his lips, taking her hand to pull her into another prompted spin to the jazzy atmosphere that surrounded them. The saddened look hadn't faded behind his eyes as his silently wished for another alternative, to save not only her, but Alex and his band, too. He didn't want to give up on them, yet all he did was bring them down to pit.

"Never." Magnolia affirmed with a sharp edge to her voice, cutting the skater out of his self-deprecating thoughts and back into reality, not wanting to hear an ounce of negativity coming from his mouth. That wasn't the Willie she knew, the boy that lent a helping hand without hesitation, someone who loved riding down rails and doing tricks down in Venice Beach. With all seriousness in her voice, her gaze never faltering as she promised something that had surprised him. "I'm coming back for you, Willie. I promise."

The skater's eyes softened at her words, how determined she looked as if the concepts of life and death didn't faze her, promising at all costs that they would be reunited. His lips trembled slightly before nodding carefully, casting his eyes downwards as a ghost of a smile touched his lips. Willie looked back at the ballet dancer in the corner of his eyes, seeing her throw him a tight-lipped smile.

"Let's give them one hell of a dance, okay?" The mixed-ethnicity boy mumbled with a slight tilt of his lips, recognizing the energizing power coursing through his veins as Magnolia's own ghostly ability, sharing own power with him to lock him out of Caleb's manipulative means. Together, they felt like two halves of a circle aligning in creating a perfect balance, feeling his soul freeing itself from the magician's thumb. "For old times' sake."

The pair showed a devious grin as Willie took Magnolia by the hand, finally able to enjoy themselves to the sound that surrounded them. They put Caleb's promises and threats on the backburner, sitting it out as they lived on their own terms, infuriating the man as he shot a bigger bullet than the two could swallow.

"Alex, show me what you got!" Caleb introduced the Mercer boy with a maniacal grin growing on his features, both teenage ghosts looking over from their spontaneous routine to catch the blond's hands move unwillingly, slamming his drumsticks against the tops of a drumkit. There was a confused look on his face as he beated out a jazzy melody, a look of horror on his face at the realization to what the Covington man could be doing. Willie's heart clenched at the sight of the drummer, watching him slowly become afraid as his own free will slipped away. "Reggie! Swing it baby."

Reggie apparated behind the oddly large peacock feather fans, his fingers gracefully gliding across the strings of his bass as he, too, seemed confused to how he had gotten on stage. The twin dancers surrounded him, rocking their hips to the soothing strums to the Peters boy's bass, his eyes briefly locking on both Magnolia and Willie, who stood front and center. They looked as though they were horrified to what lengths Caleb was pulling at, watching the bassist of Julie and the Phantoms internally panic as he did little to fight off the magician's persuasion.

Caleb Covington stood not too far off stage, introducing each Sunset Curve member in one-by-one with their own solos, his piercing gaze on the pair of dancers as he watched their internal conflict. A devilish smirk grew on his face as soon as Magnolia's eyes landed on him, panic struck behind them before she was pulled through Willie's legs in an elegant fashion, the man, himself, watching the Japanese girl's reaction as she announced the last member of his husband.

"Now, Luke. Yeah!" Caleb cheered as the Patterson boy fought back against his compulsion, trying to remain behind the curtain, despite the magician tugging him along through the purple mark stamped on his skin. Magnolia's ears perked up at the sound of Luke's guitar, both dancers looking back to find Luke's face twisted into an angry frown, her face falling as soon as the brunet forcibly joined Caleb's side through his own solo. "How do you like my new band?"

Both Magnolia and Willie tried to get as close to the puppeteered trio as possible, continuing to sashay across the dance floor and completely obliterating their competition to the jazzy beat, the pair mimicking each other's movements at the fast pace song, their technique and attitude uncomparable. The Japanese girl kicked her leg into the air--glad for the dance shorts underneath her dress--grinning deviously at one of Caleb's dancers before being pulled into another one of Willie's twirls, the two easily gliding along the glossy floor.

The Covington man forced down the glare that he had set on the tumbling pair, Magnolia breaking the control he had over the skater easily as the two pulled a double cartwheel, driving his audience absolutely insane from their improvised number. With his fists clenched and singing along to Luke's guitar solo, he subtly sent a barricade of his dancers towards the pair amongst the chaos, to ensure they were kept in check as he basked in his audience's glory.

As Caleb built of the high note, Magnolia grabbed onto Willie's hands, the pair emitting a shocking electricity as her own ghostly ability rubbed off on the skater, the air around them absolutely animate as Willie pulled through with a cartwheel, smirking to himself to see the dancers in bubblegum pink suits mimic his motion with a look of confusion written on their faces. The ballet dancer dressed in a white fringe dress, on the other hand, casually stole Caleb's lead dancer's spotlight with a sassy wink as she did a few spontaneous jive kicks insync with Willie's in her rhinestone heels.

Caleb's barricade of ghost dancers crowded them, all confused as both Asian descents' movements took lead of their own movements, their ghosts being willed by two teenagers with insane choreography. As the magician belted out his note, the two ghosts  going on pirouette-after-pirouette before the Covington man peaked his note, the pair dropping into the slips that stunned and elicited cheers from their audience.

The ghost dancers groaned at the sudden motion, gasping at the shooting pain through their bodies as both teenagers sat up, high-fiving one another before realizing they still had an audience to entertain. The pair froze quite comically, the spotlight shining on them as they could feel Caleb Covington's harsh glare seeping a the back of their heads before they looked at one another, an unreadable glint behind their eyes.

"You're my best friend, Magnolia." Willie admitted with a saddened smile, pulling her in quickly into an American spin, his words sincere as he slowed his actions to the tempo of the song, bringing a soft smile to the ballet dancer's face. It was as if this were their goodbye, the very last time the two were ever talk like this again. "I just wish I had more time to spend making fun of you and-"

The skater swallowed harshly, fighting back his own tears as they slowly neared the end of the song, knowing by then, he would have to let her go. To let go of the mere image of the little sister he was supposed to have, seeing her in Magnolia through every dumb joke and troublemaking prank. It was as if he was losing his sister to life all over again, knowing that there would become a day where she'll grow up and forgetting about him.

Hell, would she even remember him if she went back?

"Making bets to see if our parents would finally get together." Magnolia finished for him with a breathless laughter, swallowing back the burning feeling behind her eyes as she looked back up at the skater. Her words were sincere and true, her voice cracking as the image of Willie flickered before her very eyes, seeing Ethan's crooked grin and roll of his eyes. She knew her brother would've loved Willie like she did, the Nakamura siblings easily welcoming the skater into their family. He was her brother just as much Ethan was, and it felt like Hell to lose him to the invisible barrier that separated life and death. "I love you, Will."

Willie's own vision flickered at Magnolia's image, seeing his own little sister with her dazzling smile and melodical laughter, watching her over the years into the woman he knew she could be as she danced her heart out in a purple wig. She would've loved Magnolia just as he did, that is if Gracie Kimura and his father would've gotten married by now. They would've been a family, a real one where they truly would be together no matter the circumstances.

He knew this wasn't there goodbye, no way in hell he would ever let that happen.

"I love you, too, Nolia." Willie confessed with a watery smile as their visions of their siblings shifted back onto each other, both catching the other in a pearly white and flashy attire. He used Ethan's nickname for her, something that made her choke back a laugh before he looked her dead in the eyes. "Knock 'em dead for me."

With his parting words echoing in her brain, his saddened smile falling into a crooked grin before he pulled Magnolia in one last time, pressing his lips to the top of her forehead that willed tears to her eyes before whipping her away, sending the Japanese girl pirouetting away from himself. They both knew this wouldn't be the end of Magnolia and Willie, the troublemaking duo of the ghost world, the measly barrier of life and death not strong enough to keep the two a part.

For now, this was a sayonara, a brief goodbye until their paths crossed, again. And they will, no matter the cost.

"You got nothing to lose. 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! We got nothing to lose, nothing to lose, yeah."

The dance number ended with a round of applause, a standing ovation for Caleb Covington and his house band, for extraordinary dancer, Magnolia Grace and her partner, William, completely unaware to the teenagers' exhaustion and breach of privacy. All five of them feeling utterly betrayed and horrified to fall victim to the his manipulation schemes, remaining clueless to what remained to be completely obvious.

Luke blinked at the sight of Magnolia pirouetting towards him softly, the curl of her lips as she neared him as she looked at him at the corner of her eyes, slowing to finally meet the Patterson boy face-to-face. The lead guitarist quickly swung his black electric guitar over his shoulder to catch the Japanese girl, hearing her angelic giggles leaving her lips and meeting his ears, bringing the softest of smiles to his face.

He instinctively put his hands at the small of her back, drawing her in as her hands met the base of his neck, slowly bringing them down to rest at the top of his chest. She was absolutely breathless as she drank in the sight of him, her heart fluttering behind her ribcage as an abundance of warmth casted over the pair. His lips parted as soon as his hands had met her back, holding her closer than he had ever before, her breath fanning his face as they stood chest-to-chest. The floral and sweet scent of her perfume short-circuited his brain, feeling her fingers lightly twirl a chestnut curl of his hair between her fingers.

His own hand messed with the long, raven hair strands, reminding himself that the girl in front of him was real, that her ghost of a memory wasn't. It felt soft against the calluses of his fingertips, how her heaving chest pressed against his own as they found sanctuary deep within the other's eyes, to feel how ethereal she was in his arms. He watched her perform her heart out, show the true beauty of her craft under the piercing gaze of the jury of lifers that surrounded them, how she fit perfectly in his arms and came straight for him right after.

"Luke, hey." Magnolia greeted as her fingers delicately moved from his pec and towards the his cheek, the soft and supple skin brushing against the heated skin of Luke's neck before finally reaching his cheek. He leaned into her embrace, reciprocating the smile she wore as they felt the world around them had melted away, all that mattered being the two souls that fit into each other like yin and yang, a perfect harmony of beautiful people.

"Hi." Luke breathed with a stupid smile growing on his lips, blinking slightly as Magnolia's threw her head back and laughed, letting her hand slide from his cheek to rest on his shoulder, as if they were to start spontaneously ballroom dancing. The Patterson boy slightly pulled away from her body, his eyebrow raised quizzically as he carefully examined her. "You are you, right? Not some weird ghost wearing Maggie's face?"

"The only weird ghost here is you, Ghost Boy." The Doran girl retorted with a playful smile on her face as Luke breathed a sigh of relief, happy to hear that her quick and witty responses were back. His mind was stuck in the daydream, seeing her in an enchanting, white dress with that same whimsical smile painted on her lips, this time afraid that the ballet dancer before him was just another projection. Magnolia's voice rang out in his head as she put a hand to his forehead, a look of concern falling onto her pretty features. "Are you okay?"

Luke took her hand back to the side of his face, a beam of a smile settling on his face that Magnolia easily reciprocated. She bit her bottom lip as her thumb precariously brushed against his cheekbone, as if testing the waters herself if the Patterson boy before her was entirely real.

"More than okay." Luke confessed with a soft nod to his head, a few curls of his chestnut hair--making Magnolia's eyes widen slightly at his change in appearance--falling to his forehead as he did so. The Japanese girl blinked as she finally took into account to what Caleb had forced him into. It was a perfectly tailored cobalt suit, one the defined his muscles, but restricted his rather extravagant movements whilst he played. The Patterson boy did the same, his lips parting to finally see the fringed beaded dress that accentuated her figure underneath the spotlight. "You uh- you look... wow."

He was genuinely at a lost for words, his throat drying at the fitting fringed dress that sparkled underneath the heat of the lights, the bodice quite revealing from the exposure of her back, collarbone and legs, all physically fit for someone who had been dancing for her entire life. With every breath she took, her chest slightly heaving from the excitement that rolled off of her in waves, the white, beaded fringe of her top would move with her. It matched with the rhinestone heels on her feet, that clicked with every step she took as she radiated pure professionalism and attitude through her own craft.

She was truly breathless, an Angel sent from above.

"Thanks. You're not looking too bad yourself." Magnolia complimented bashfully with a shy smile, not exactly used to receiving that sort of reaction as Luke Patterson, himself, dressed to impress, like he was a Prince awaiting his Princess. A thin sheet of sweat masked his forehead, his eyes dazzling and his perfect, charming smile brought a slight blush to her cheeks, her eyes eyeing the bowtie that wrapped at the boy's collar. "I mean, you always look good, but like right now you look exceptional-"

Magnolia stuttered over her words, her face growing hot as words spewed from her lips like a volcano, admittedly a little nervous under Luke's gaze as he found amusement at her rather nervous stature. She had never felt as nervous as she did now, always able to send back a witty comeback or a flirty wink, but with how vulnerable she felt at that very moment, the nervous spew of word vomit left her mouth. Luke slightly laughed as he pressed his finger against her lips, effectively shutting her up before she could go on ramble-after-ramble.

Despite how adorable he had found it, no how much he loved hearing her voice, or adored the fluster on her cheeks, the look behind her eyes expressed that she wanted to be put out her embarrassing misery, for him to shut her up before she would go on a tangent over something as simple as his suit.

She knew Luke Patterson looked good in a suit.

"I think... I think something's missing." Luke expressed with a slight curl of his lips, making the ballet dancer's eyebrows furrow to what could be the matter as everything they ever needed was right here, but was pleasantly surprised when the Patterson boy reached a hand that rested on her waist to her bangs. He used his fingers to card through them, ruffling them it in a messy fashion he knew Magnolia liked, eliciting a giggle from the Doran girl as he did so. He felt his lips tilt upwards at the sight of her staring at him through her lashes, the same look in her eyes he adored, the one he liked being reserved for him. "There she is."

This was the Magnolia Grace he had fallen for, the girl who loved to laugh and mess with her hair when she got frustrated, how she danced like there was no tomorrow and sang as if she held symphonies within a single note. It was how she loved so fiercely, an attitude that complimented his own and was never afraid to of a challenge, how she put others she loved over her own self. She was beautiful in his eyes, and he knew that the world wasn't done throwing obstacles at her, yet. Ones he knew she would overcome.

He adored Magnolia Grace, as she did him, finding the beauty and loving the flaws. They loved one another's true self until all was left to do was love them all over again, from the touch of their skin to the sunshine of a smile.

Before Luke could completely comprehend his own thoughts, his hazel-eyes locked onto Magnolia's tawny-eyes in complete lovestruck, as if one party patiently waited for the other to make the move that should've been made the moment these emotions blossomed, only feeling the urgency to at their strongest. Reggie's and Alex's widened as they eagerly leaned in, hoping what was going to happen would happen, ending the rebuttal and oh-so-constant war of being two idiots at a game made for two.

Luke's eyes flickered down to Magnolia's red lips, her breath hitching as he slowly inched towards her, giving her enough time to stop him before he pushed that boundary the two had created for themselves. There was the softest of smiles threatening to touch her lips at the flex of the Patterson boy's muscle at her waist, gently bringing her closer as her arms snaked around his neck with the rhinestone heels on her feet giving her the height to meet his lips.

Before they could ever touch, just barely ghosting over the other's and to feel their breaths fixing with each other's, they heard a slow, tantalizing clap from behind them. It was almost bitter and antagonistic, sarcastically applauding the two ghosts for finally recognizing the feelings they harboured for one another. A mutual feeling that everyone that had laid eyes on them could see, rather obvious by their flirting and constant need for touch.

They all looked behind them to find Caleb Covington in all his glory, staying away from the wealthy crowd and towards the deceased members of Sunset Curve and the ballet dancer, her own unimpressed gae lingeringing on him as she looked him up and down. Willie had almost stepped up to the plate, ready to pull the man that owned his soul away from the group in time for them to escape, but by the look Magnolia gave him, it looked as though she was finally ready to face her demons, to finally give Caleb Covington a taste of his own medicine.

Admittedly, the skater was so proud of her, to see the attitude and confidence he knew she had finally breaking through. He watched from the sidelines, just behind the magician in case they had needed backup, his gaze finding Alex's easily and slowly developing a dopey smile of the mixed-ethnicity boy's face. He lifted his hand to wave at the blond, the Mercer boy biting his lip before shyly waving at him back, both boys wanting nothing more than to embrace each other one last time.

"Isn't this just... romantic? Really, I can see the passion in your eyes." Caleb claimed with rather a bored look behind his piercing blue-eyes, his tone lacing with sarcasm as his gaze darted between the pair. The hand that rested on Luke's chest dropped to her side as she gazed at the Covington man as he feebly attempted to plant a seed into their heads, the reminder of their own end as she,too, looked quite bored from his speech. She raised a brow as the magician's voice raised. "You really think it'll last? Magnolia? Your music?"

Luke nibbled on the inside of his cheek, his eyebrows furrowing softly before he looked back at the Japanese girl in his grasp, her own delicate gaze falling onto his hardened ones, his gaze softening as soon as that sparkle behind her tawny-eyes. It twinkled like a shooting star, how there was a galaxy hidden behind them that he yet learned to explore, where her purest emotions displayed within them like a window into her soul.

He knew one thing was sure, that the music he created could never live up to the symphonies she deserved, how he wanted forever to be with her no matter how long that was. Luke Patterson would never let go of Magnolia Grace, just as she wouldn't ask for anything more than him, taking all the beauty with the pain and the ugly to their flaws. It didn't matter when they were side-by-side, to be apart when destiny demanded it, they would always find a way.

They would shine forever, sing the lullabies of the love they had.

"You'll just disappear, you'll never get to bask in the applause. You want to go back and really leave all of this behind?" Caleb sneered and grandly gestured to the club to their disposal, where the lifers around them enjoyed the sound the magician manipulated them into producing, his words low, yet menacing. He even made the point of jutting his chin in the Japanese girl's direction, as to remind him that she were here, too, that they could all stay. That Magnolia would be Luke's and he could be hers, but he already made up his mind.

Luke's eyes had never left the ballet dancer's gaze, a lovestruck smile touched his handsome features as the his final decision settled into is brain. As much as Caleb could be right, he knew he wanted to stay by Magnolia's side, through thick and the thin, to remind her that he would always be waiting for her. The moment she gets sent back on Earth, and Angel walking through the cruel bounds of their reality, he would be there to remind her he was right there.

Luke Patterson wasn't going to give up so easily, not on her.

"Some things are just worth more than music." Luke declared with a breathless grin following his handsome features, his tongue caught between his teeth as he watched the Japanese girl in his arm's smile widen. The pair felt their hearts lighten, as if the world had stopped to let them heal. He looked back at the boys, both nodding as if to approve of his own words that had made the Covington man become livid. The Patterson boy gently nudged his head against her own, his face partially buried into the raven mass of Magnolia's long hair. "I go where you go, remember?"

The ballet dancer felt her heart soar, biting her lip before nodding softly, moving her head to gently to her forehead against his own.

"I mean, we do make great team." Magnolia echoed his own words right back at him, the quote he had used on her seemed so far away, but was kept close to her heart as she looked back at both Reggie and Alex, both boys throwing her massive grins before she turned back to the Covington man. It was obvious he was trying to maintain his cool with all his guests surrounding him, forcing a smile on his lips as he was forced to watch four teenage ghosts beat him at his own game.

She caught Willie's gaze from behind the magician, watching him as he threw the four a thumbs up as a parting gift, his dark-eyed lingering on the blond behind the drumkit, entranced in one another before their inevitable separation. Luke had a beam of a smile playing on his lips, securing his arm around the Japanese girl's waist as she tauntingly pressed a kiss into her fingers before waving a goodbye with her fingers, a mocking pout on her lips.

"Ciao, Caleb. We have a gig to catch. Don't forget our deal, 'kay?" Magnolia declared as if parting was such sweet sorrow before a devious grin grew on her red painted lips, the Covington man fuming as he watched the deceased members of Sunset Curve and the half-dead ballerina poof away with their white lights taking them to the Orpheum. She looked at each boy before landing on Luke's lovestruck gaze, booping his nose as their souls pushed through space and time.

Her parting words rang in his head, the look on her face much similar to Andrew Nakamura's, having both Caleb Covington and Willie look up into the stands.

Willie's eyes narrowed at the man that sat within the shadows as Caleb scowled at the man, as if he could control the Japanese girl. It was no doubt about how genius both were, how both lept at the pristine opportunities, how stupid the Covington man was to underestimate both Nakamura's in cooperating in a deal they could easily win.

The Japanese man stood at the balcony of the club with a bird's eye view, bourbon in hand as his own devious smik painted on his face as he watched his daughter dissipate into thin air, a genuine sense of pride blooming in his chest. As he lifted the glass to his lips, his cuffed sleeve running down his arm to reveal the glowing mark on the inside of his wrist, the letters a bright purple colour.

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

word count: 19559

WHAT'S UP ANGELS I LITERALLY MISSED YOU-

i can't believe i made caleb block that maluke (tysm @Lulu-Lupin-Black for the name ily) kiss we've been waiting for, bUt i promise i'll make up for it. thank you to everyone who came back to the chapter and have been going on this journey with me of "magnolia" and have fallen in love with the characters i have brought in :)

AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 56K READS AND 2.2K VOTES, OMG- (I FORGOT TO SAY THANK YOU LAST CHAPTER SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE TO THANK Y'ALL THIS TIME)

okay, so there ARE going to be some changes to the story (that are more for s2 of this book if and when jatp gets renewed, fingers crossed) and ik some of y'all might've picked up WHo willie's sister is, but i'm kinda sorting through that and it'll be explained more in the second part of this storyline (ofc, if y'all still want to come along w/ me on magnolia's journey :))

FOR MY ETHAN NAKAMURA SIMPS AND JULIExETHAN FANS, he's coming next chapter because ik we all missed him and we love our sarcastic mama's boy.

AND FOR EVERYBODY WHO READS MY AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END, YOU'RE A REAL ONE AND I LOVE YOU and i have a special announcement! upon popular request, i uploaded a charlie gillespie book! i promise it won't be as emotionally damaging as this one, but i thought of posting it since y'all are literal sweethearts and have asked so nicely-

it's called "serendipity"!! please check it out if you have the time to (and it will have memes).

please leave a vote and a comment (i'll really appreciate it if you do) if you guys enjoyed the chapter and please don't forget that i love you and im so proud of what you guys have accomplished :))

with lots of love, your friend, leplum <3 see you in the next one!