Chapter Text
The unlimited movement of being a ghost had become second nature to all of the boys at this point, especially to Alex seeing as he was constantly jumping about to find Willie. This was one of the few times Alex had disappeared alone without the intention of going to find his not so secret crush. He knew that Luke’s home was intact and he knew that Reggie’s was not; he had no idea about the state of his own.
The world reappeared in front of him after a quick flash of white that came with the so called “teleportation” capabilities. In the 25 years that Alex had been gone nothing had changed. He lived in a small area in south LA, far out from much of the bustle of the City Of Angels. Well… he used to live. The neighbourhood was small but lively and was covered in greenery that just seemed to burst from everywhere including the cracks in the cobbled walls that haphazardly lined the streets. His house was very similar. It was a cosy two storey house that comfortably fit Alex, his mom and dad, and his little sister Isobel. It was probably too big for them now… Izzy probably wasn’t even in the house anymore… She would be what.. 35.. 36.. At this point? Alex was already fighting to hold back tears. Just looking at the home brought back a wave of memories - some good. Many bad. But he couldn’t hold it off any longer. He needed to know that they were ok. He let his eyes close and imagined himself in the front hall of his old home.
He opened his eyes and the imagined place in his mind became a reality - and it hadn’t changed a bit. A dark gray lined the walls in the small, rectangular hallway and the stairwell up to the rest of the house looked rickety as ever as he glanced around. The dark brown wooden panels on the floor hadn’t changed either. They looked old and worn and many marks were still left from a young Alex running around the house gleefully before things took the turn that they did. He had three options: upstairs to two of the bedrooms, his own bedroom to the left or the kitchen and living room that claimed the space at the back of the house. The sound of gentle music drifting from the kitchen led him that way.
Much like the hallway, the kitchen and living space hadn’t changed either. They were bland and boring but functional and had no real need to look any fancier. What did shock Alex was the myriad of photos and awards that covered the room. Slowly, he approached one wall which was particularly busy and glanced over the photos. He saw the wedding of his parents, he saw his grandparents, he saw his little sister as a baby, a toddler, a child, a young woman, a graduate, a business owner… everything that Alex had missed was up on these walls. There used to be photos of him up here and now it was like he had been wiped off of the face of the earth. He wanted to be surprised but deep down he knew that this was how his mom and dad felt about him. He wasn’t worth celebrating. His sister was. By the looks of things, she was a doctor now. And Alex was dead. Because of a stupid hot dog. As the tears that he had once fought back began to stream down his face, he heard the quick but gentle movement of somebody coming down the stairs. He quickly wiped away the tears and went to find somewhere to hide before remembering that whoever this was wouldn’t be able to see him; based on his family, even if they could see him they probably wouldn’t care.
It was his mother. Now she most certainly had changed. Her hair that once sported a similar colour to Alex’s was now fading into a light gray at the roots and her gray eyes were sunken but still held the glint that was one of the few things about her that made Alex smile. She looked happier. She was no longer confined to a smart appearance that she used to be insistent on but was instead wearing a dark green sweater with a pair of baggy navy jeans and to Alex’s complete surprise, sneakers. He didn’t know what to make of this sight. Seeing his mom happy made him happy but why was she so happy? She never used to smile and it was normally her voice that Alex would hear angrily shouting at him for something else he did wrong. Was she happier with him gone? Was that the turning point? There were no photos of him anymore… maybe they wanted to forget him.. Forget what a disappointment he was.
The thought of this made Alex sick to his stomach. He wanted to leave. He wanted to run away somewhere… anywhere away from here. And away from the band. He hated when he felt like this and didn’t want anyone else to see him like this and since the band were the only people that could see him anymore, that would mean leaving them too. Alex felt his breathing quicken and his heart rate increase so shuffled over toward the couch and leant on it for support. He had to go. But when the door opened and he watched his younger - well, now older - sister walk in, he couldn’t find it in him to leave. This was the only person other than Sunset Curve that ever truly cared about him and now here she was again in the flesh.