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"So," Covington asked, holding out a hand, "do we have a deal?"
Alex shook it, pushing aside the trepidation twisting his stomach in knots. "We do."
The message arrived three days after their performance at the Orpheum, addressed to Alex and embossed with the same stamp that had, until three days prior, been stamped on Alex's wrist. "How did that get here?" Luke asked when they first noticed it, staring at the envelope like it might explode.
"Does that mean Covington knows where we live?" Reggie demanded.
"How else would he send the message here?" Luke countered. "But why is it just addressed to Alex? What about the rest of us?"
"Maybe he decided Alex was his favorite?"
"What, he thinks he can break up the band?"
"Uh, Luke, he's evil, I don't think he cares about breaking up the band."
"Guys," Alex said, his voice trembling a little, "should I open it?"
"No," Luke said immediately. "There's nothing that bastard could say that we'd want to hear. Just ignore it."
"Or shred it," Reggie suggested. "Ray's got a shredder in his office. Actually, is it even solid? Or is it ghost paper?"
"Ghost paper?"
"Why not? We wear ghost clothes, why can't Covington have ghost paper?"
Alex just stared at the envelope, tapping his fingers against his legs in a frenetic beat. Reggie or Luke could ignore messages addressed to them, but this one was addressed to Alex specifically, and Alex thought he knew why.
"I'm going to open it," Alex said, interrupting Luke and Reggie's discussion of the potential properties of ghost paper.
"What?" Luke demanded. "Why?"
"Because Covington addressed it to me," Alex said, "and he owns Willie's soul."
The implications became clear to both boys immediately, and horror dawned on their faces. "You think he would…" Luke began.
"I don't know," Alex said, "but this message will probably tell me."
"Wait!" Reggie cried as Alex reached for the envelope. "Before you touch it, just…" He grabbed a pencil off the table and tentatively used it to poke the envelope.
Nothing happened.
"What was that supposed to do?" Alex asked.
"Just in case!" Reggie defended. "You can touch it now."
"Okay," Alex agreed, a bit dubiously, and he picked up the envelope. Luckily, it didn't explode in his hands, so he turned it over and broke the seal, then pulled out the paper inside.
"'Dear Alexander,'" he read, his voice steady even as his hands began to tremble. "'The last time I met with you boys, I made you an offer I didn't think you'd be able to refuse. This time, I'm making you an offer Willie can't afford for you to refuse. If you care for him, you'll come to the Hollywood Ghost Club tonight at midnight. Come alone. See you then, Caleb Covington.'"
"You can't go," Luke said immediately. "It's a trap."
"It's really obviously a trap," Reggie agreed.
"So?" Alex countered. "He's got Willie. He literally owns his soul. If I don't go, who knows what he'll do to him?"
"And if you do go, who knows what he'll do to you?" Luke replied. "Alex-"
"He went after Willie because of me! Willie helped us! I can't just leave him there!"
"Willie was also the whole reason Covington knew about us in the first place. He's the reason we got those stamps on our wrists."
"That's not fair," Alex immediately protested. "He didn't know what Covington was going to do. Anyway, we asked him to bring us to Covington. It wasn't all his fault."
"I don't like the bit where he says to come alone," Reggie remarked. "That's like bad guy 101, you tell the good guy to come alone and then you ambush them when they do."
"But again, who knows what he'll do it if I don't go alone?"
"Don't go alone where?" Julie asked, entering the garage. "Whoa, you guys all look super freaked out. Is something wrong?"
"Alex is planning to walk right into Covington's trap," Luke declared.
"He's got Willie!" Alex protested once again. "I'm not just leaving him there!"
"Okay, wait a sec," Julie said. "Covington is the bad guy who almost destroyed your souls, right? And Willie is…"
"Alex's crush," Reggie supplied.
"Another ghost," Alex explained, shooting Reggie a dirty look. "He helped me figure out a lot of ghost stuff, and he helped get rid of the band that was originally supposed to open at the Orpheum so we could play there. Now Covington's got him, and he's threatening to hurt him if I don't go to the Hollywood Ghost Club alone at midnight."
Julie worried at her bottom lip. "What are you going to do?"
"I don't have a choice," Alex replied. "I can't leave Willie in Covington's hands."
"Is it really going to help anyone if you go and put yourself in his hands instead?" Luke countered. "Alex, this is stupid and you know it."
"I'm not just leaving him, Luke!"
"What if we all went?" Reggie suggested. "I mean, Covington said to go alone, but if Luke and I hide, he won't know we're there."
Alex shook his head. "Covington is too powerful. I don't know if we can trick him. And if he finds out that you two came along, I don't think it'll go well."
"Going alone isn't safe, though," Julie put in. "Alex, I don't know how I got those stamps off you the first time. I don't know if I can do it again."
"Willie said that Covington owns his soul," Reggie said tentatively. "Even if you go there, can you really help Willie at all?"
"Willie helped us get free from Covington the first time," Luke added. "He wouldn't want you to get caught by him again, Alex."
The others made sense and Alex knew it, but he also knew himself. Their points were solid, and they were probably right, but he still knew where he'd end up when midnight came around. Maybe going to the Hollywood Ghost Club was more likely to hurt than to help, but at least it gave him a chance at helping Willie. He couldn't let that chance go.
"Alex," Luke said insistently, dragging him from his thoughts. "You won't go, will you?"
The band didn't lie to each other. They never had. Alex couldn't remember the last time he'd purposefully said something to Luke and Reggie that wasn't true.
"I won't go," he lied, and it was only his determination to save Willie that stemmed the guilt he felt at the immediate relief on the others' faces.
"Good," Luke said, relieved. "We'll figure out another way to help Willie, okay?"
Alex nodded, wishing he had another option but fairly certain he didn't. He'd just have to do the best with the choices he had. "Okay."
Alex found himself feeling equally grateful and guilty about how trusting Luke was as the day went on. When he said he wouldn't go to the club, Luke believed him wholeheartedly, and while he still didn't seem entirely relaxed, nor did he seem particularly worried. Julie seemed to be taking her cues from Luke, so she believed Alex as wholeheartedly as he did. Reggie had shot Alex a few strange looks, but Alex didn't think he had anything to worry about there either.
The day passed, and the clock ticked onwards, and midnight grew ever closer.
The fourth time Julie yawned during their after-dinner discussion of how to stop Covington, Luke chivvied her off to bed. "You've got school tomorrow, and it's already ten thirty," he told her when she protested. "We can deal with this ourselves."
"Are you guys sure?" Julie asked, looking at Alex.
"I'm sure," Alex agreed. "You should sleep."
Julie pulled Alex in for a hug, which was a sensation still new enough to be thrilling, then nodded at Luke and Reggie before leaving the garage. Alex didn't think it would be very long before Luke followed her into sleep. It was getting late, after all, and Luke had never been much of a night owl, living or dead.
Sure enough, by eleven o'clock, Luke was bleary-eyed and clearly only staying awake by sheer force of will. "I can stay up, if you want me to," he offered to Alex earnestly. "I'm awake enough."
"It's fine," Alex replied. "I think I'm going to go to sleep soon too. We should all get some rest."
"Okay," Luke relented. He grabbed Alex's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "We'll figure this out, man, I promise."
Alex just nodded, his throat suddenly thick with guilt. Luke believed him because Alex had never given him reason to do otherwise, but after tonight, things would never quite be the same. It was almost enough to make Alex rethink his choice, but he knew he couldn't, not when Willie's soul was on the line.
It didn't take long for Luke to fall asleep, and then there was just Reggie to think about. "You can go to sleep too," Alex suggested. "If you're tired."
Reggie gave him an unreadable look, and Alex suddenly wondered if he'd underestimated him. Reggie could be goofy and scatterbrained sometimes, but he could also be incredibly insightful, and Alex had a sinking feeling this might be one of the insightful times. Of course, it would be at the moment that was the least convenient for him.
"You're going to the club, aren't you?" Reggie finally asked.
"What?" Alex asked immediately, his voice higher than usual. "No! I said I wouldn't, didn't I? Why would I go there?"
"You really care about Willie, huh?" Reggie stared at him for a moment, then shrugged. "I'd probably do the same thing if it were someone I loved."
"You'll look after Luke and Julie, right?" Alex asked, losing any pretense. "If anything happens to me?"
"Maybe don't let anything happen," Reggie countered. "But I'll look after them."
Alex reached out and clapped a hand on Reggie's shoulder, holding it tightly. This could be the last time he saw him, as little as he liked to think about it. He couldn't even begin to thank his band for everything they'd done for him, but…
Alex pulled Reggie into a hug and held him for a long moment. Reggie held him just as tightly, burying his face in the crook of Alex's neck. Alex didn't want to let him go, but he knew he had to.
"I've got to go," he whispered. "I'm sorry I lied, but-"
"I get it," Reggie said, pulling away and giving Alex a wobbly smile. "Don't die, okay? Or, uh, don't get more dead than we already are."
"I'll do my best," Alex promised. "If I don't come back, tell Luke and Julie I'm sorry."
"You'll come back," Reggie replied, sounding like he was desperately trying to believe his own words. "It'll all be okay. You'll rescue Willie, and everything will be okay."
Alex tried his best to smile. "Everything will be okay," he agreed, and then he poofed away, hopefully not for the last time.
The Hollywood Ghost Club was quiet, even though the party had still been in full swing when Alex, Luke, and Reggie left at midnight during their first visit. The silence was eerie, but Alex pushed aside his trepidation and stepped into the club.
"Covington? Where are you?"
"Well, well, well."
Alex whirled around to see that Covington had appeared behind him, a horrible smile on his face. "You came," he remarked. "I wasn't sure if you would."
"Where's Willie?" Alex demanded.
"Right to business, then," Covington sighed. "You know, all of this will be much easier if you just give in now. It'll save a lot of hassle."
"No way," Alex snapped. "Where's Willie?"
"Asking for proof of life?" Covington asked. "You're a bit late for that. But I suppose…"
He snapped, and suddenly Willie poofed into view, on his knees with ropes around his wrists and ankles. His eyes went wide when he saw Alex, and he opened his mouth to say something only for Covington to wave a hand and make a gag appear as well.
"Well, Alex? Is that good enough?"
Alex felt his stomach clench. "Take the gag off. Let me talk to him."
"You're not in any position to make demands here, boy," Covington countered, draping himself across a chair at the closest table. "You've seen him, that's enough. Now, down to business."
Alex stared at Willie for a long moment, trying to ignore the look of absolute despair in his eyes, then he looked back at Covington. "Fine. Why did you ask me to come? Do you want to make some sort of deal?"
"Something like that, yes," Covington agreed. He gestured and Alex sat across from him, clenching his fists tightly under the table. "You want Willie. I want you and your band. The easiest solution would be for you and the other two to just join me, in which we all get what we want, but I doubt things will be that simple."
"I'm not joining you, ever," Alex declared. "And neither will Luke or Reggie."
"Shame," Covington sighed. "That would be the easy way to deal with this. I suppose we'll have to try the hard way instead."
"And what's the hard way?"
Covington steepled his fingers. "What do you think about playing a little game?"
"What sort of game?" Alex asked.
"A gamble," Covington said. "Perhaps we could wager your soul against Willie's. If you win, you get his soul. If you lose, I get yours."
"If I win, Willie gets his own soul," Alex corrected. "I don't want to own his soul. I want him to be free."
"Does that mean you'll play?"
"What's the game?"
Covington hummed. "Something musical seems appropriate. Let's see…" A smile slowly spread across his face. Alex was pretty sure this was all for show and Covington had had a plan since the beginning, but he had to admit, the effect worked.
"Alexander," Covington drawled, "have you ever heard the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice?"
"They were in love, but Eurydice died," Alex said, trying to remember what he'd learned about this myth years ago. "Orpheus went to the Underworld to get her back, and Hades told him that if he could lead Eurydice out of the Underworld without looking back at her, she could rejoin him in life."
"Orpheus couldn't do it, of course," Covington continued. "He turned back too soon, and Eurydice was trapped in the Underworld forever. Orpheus joined her in death before too long, and Hades didn't have to give up a single thing. In fact, he ended up gaining something new." Covington stared at Alex for so long it took a concerted effort for Alex not to look away. "Do you think you can succeed where Orpheus failed?"
Alex stared, the pieces slotting together in his mind. "You want me to be Orpheus and Willie to be Eurydice?"
"Bingo," Covington said, showing far too many teeth in his smile. "I'll be Hades, and the building can be the Underworld. And no teleporting, of course. You lead Willie down all those stairs and out the door without turning around, and you can have him. Or Willie can have himself, I suppose. What do you think?"
I think you're sick and twisted and I hate you, Alex thought but didn't dare say. Aloud, he said, "I want your word on it."
Covington's eyebrows jerked up. "You're going to agree to this little wager, then?"
Willie tried to say something through his gag, but Alex ignored him. He was pretty sure he knew what he was trying to say, but Alex had made his decision back when he first read Covington's note, and he wasn't going to change his mind now.
"Like I said, I want your word. If Willie and I make it out of this building without me turning back, he gets his soul back."
"And if you fail, I get to keep his soul, and I get yours," Covington added.
"Well," Alex said, trying not to sound too flustered as he negotiated, "then you have to leave us alone if I succeed."
Covington laughed. "Oh, we're not playing with those odds, Alex. You get Willie's soul, and that's it."
Alex took a deep breath. He wasn't sure it was the fairest bargain in the world, but it was the best he was going to get. "Swear it. Give me your word."
There was faint amusement in Covington's eyes. "I, Caleb Covington, do swear that if you manage to lead Willie out of this building without turning back to him once, I will relinquish any hold I have over his soul and return it to him." He smiled. "And if you fail, I will keep Willie's soul, and yours as well."
Alex swallowed. "Okay."
"So," Covington asked, holding out a hand, "do we have a deal?"
Some people said the first step was the hardest, but Alex didn't think that was true in his case, because the first step was pretty easy. Actually, the first few steps were, because all he want to do was get away from Covington, and so he was halfway down the first flight of stairs before he realized that he couldn't hear anyone behind him.
"Willie?" he asked tentatively. "Are you there?"
The stairwell was silent in response. Alex took a deep breath and tried to calm his fluttering heart. So he couldn't hear Willie behind him. That didn't mean anything. They were ghosts. It wasn't like their footsteps made any real noise, and they didn't have to breathe. The fact that Willie wasn't answering was worrying, but maybe he couldn't. Maybe Covington hadn't taken that gag off. He could still make noise through the gag, and Alex would think that he would, but-
He did his best to stop that train of thought as he clenched his fists. Panicking wouldn't help anything. Covington gave his word, so Alex would just have to trust that Willie really was behind him. That was where Orpheus had failed, wasn't it? He was worried that it was a trick and Eurydice wasn't actually behind him, so he'd turned around to check. The thing was, though, it didn't really matter if it was a trick or not. If Willie wasn't behind him, turning around wouldn't make him appear. If he was, turning around would mean Covington won. Alex's best option was to just keep walking.
That was easier said than done.
"Okay," Alex said aloud. "Okay, we've just got to keep going. I'm just gonna keep walking. And if I talk to myself enough, maybe I'll stop thinking about everything else. Sometimes talking through my anxiety works like that."
There was no response. Alex swallowed. "Let me tell you about the early years of our band," he decided, and he launched into a comprehensive history of Sunset Curve, from their earliest jam sessions up to the ill-fated night at the Orpheum in 1995. Willie was silent behind him. Alex reflected that he'd probably have to apologize for talking his ear off once they were out of this.
The staircases seemed endless, and Alex wondered if Covington was doing something to make them longer than usual, just to have more chances at tripping Alex up. Once they were out of the building, they'd be free, so if Covington had some sort of magical ability that could make it take forever for them to get out of the building, he'd definitely want to use it.
"Alright," Alex said once he finished talking about Sunset Curve. "We've got to be getting close to the bottom by now, right? It's a good thing I'm a ghost, because otherwise I would be having a lot of trouble with all these steps. It's ridiculous, honestly. This is an absurd amount of steps to have in a building. Why would you even bother? Just build a shorter building."
Silence echoed behind him, although Alex would like to think Willie thought he was funny. "But really, we've got to be almost out by now. I wish there were signs telling us what floor we're on, but I guess this whole endless, timeless thing probably works for Covington, doesn't he? Maybe he's doing it just for us, to make this staircase feel like it goes on forever. Can he do that? I know he's got more magic than most ghosts, but how much magic does he really have? I'll have to ask you that when you can answer me. Anyway, if he can mess with the stairs, he's probably messing with the stairs, because this seems like too many stairs. Isn't it a fire hazard to have this many stairs? Although I guess it would be more of a fire hazard not to have stairs. Not that fire hazards really matter for us, since we're already dead. Does that mean we could go into a burning building without getting hurt? That might be interesting, actually. I wonder if it would be cool to watch. Although that seems kinda messed up, to go into a burning house for fun when it's someone's home that's on fire. Maybe that's not a good idea after all."
Willie didn't say a word. At that point, Alex would have even been satisfied with him just telling Alex that he was being stupid. Anything, any sign of (figurative) life would have been enough, but there was nothing but Alex's own voice echoing in the stairwell.
"Have you ever gotten the chance to listen to our music?" he asked Willie, doing his best not to dwell on anything else. "I've never played our old stuff for you, and I don't know if you've ever listened to our stuff with Julie. I'll sing you something. I'm not a singer, but I can carry a tune. Julie and Luke are better, though. I'll play their stuff for you next time, or you could come to a concert of ours. But right now, I'll just sing. This is the song we performed at the Orpheum. It's a really good one."
Alex dove into Stand Tall, then followed that up with Now or Never, then Edge of Great. There was still no indication of how much further they had to go, not until Alex got halfway through the first verse of Bright and then stopped abruptly when he reached the lobby.
The lobby.
"We're almost out," Alex breathed. "We're almost there. We just need to get across the lobby and out of the building and then we'll be-"
And then behind him, Willie started to scream.
"Willie!" Alex froze, which was actually what saved him; he went entirely still instead of turning around, and by the time he had enough presence of mind to move, he also had enough presence of mind to know he couldn't.
"Alex," Willie begged, "Alex, please-"
"I can't," Alex whispered, clenching his fists so tightly his nails bit into his palms. He wondered if he could still bleed. "Willie, I'm so sorry, I can't."
"Alex," Willie moaned, but Alex steeled himself and took a step towards the door.
Willie's screams grew louder. Alex only realized he was crying when a tear splashed on his trembling hands. "I'm sorry," he whispered, repeating the words like a mantra as he kept walking. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"
Willie's screams ended with a horrible, blood-curdling rattle the second Alex reached the door, leaving behind a silence that was even worse than the screaming had been. Alex gasped through a sob and stepped out the doors.
He was done. He was out. He could turn around, he-
Wait, a voice whispered in his head. Remember Orpheus.
Alex froze in the process of turning around. He suddenly remembered the version of the myth he had learned, the version where Orpheus made it out of the Underworld but turned around before Eurydice did. If Willie hadn't made it through the doors yet…
"Willie?" Alex asked. "Are you out yet?"
There was no response. Willie would respond if he'd gone out, wouldn't he? Alex took a shaky step away from the building, then another. His heart pounded as he took his third step, then-
"Alex."
Alex let out a trembling breath. "Willie," he whispered. That was Willie's voice, he knew it, and he was pretty sure it was really him, but what if…
"Are you out?"
"I'm out," Willie agreed. "You did it, Alex."
Alex clenched his fists again. "How do I know you're not just another one of Covington's tricks?"
"Keep going," Willie said. "I'd follow you anywhere."
Alex swallowed, then started walking again. He got halfway down the block before he cracked and turned.
Willie was there. Willie was smiling, and he was outside the club, and he was free.
"You did it," Willie whispered, then he almost fell over when Alex flung himself into his arms. "Whoa!"
"You're okay," Alex whispered, clinging to Willie as tightly as he possibly could. "You're okay, you're okay-"
"I'm okay," Willie agreed. "I've got you, Alex. I'm okay. You did it."
"And you're free?" Alex asked, pulling back just enough to see Willie's face. "Covington freed you?"
Willie held out his wrist. "The stamp is gone. I'm free. My soul is my own again."
Alex dragged Willie closer and buried his face in his hair. He was still crying, he realized, and he was probably getting Willie all wet but he couldn't let go, not yet. Maybe not ever, honestly. He had Willie back, and he was never going to let him out of his sight again.
"I'm okay," Willie whispered. "We're both okay, Alex. You did it. You saved me. You're amazing, did you know that?"
"I just walked down some stairs," Alex dismissed shakily. "It wasn't that big a deal."
"It was," Willie said, and Alex started to protest as he pulled away, but then he was immediately silenced when Willie kissed him.
Alex had kissed a few boys before, but not too many, and never quite like this. He threaded his fingers through Willie's hair, and Willie held tightly, and dimly Alex realized that they didn't need to come up for air because they were ghosts, and that might mean that they could kiss forever, which would be nice. It might make band practice difficult, but Alex would find a way to work around it.
They did pull apart eventually, of course, and both just stared into each other's eyes for a moment that would be too long in any other situation but was just right there. "Did he actually hurt you?" Alex asked, brushing Willie's hair away from his face. "When you were screaming?"
"No," Willie replied, shaking his head. "It wasn't even really me doing the screaming. I couldn't make any noise. I wanted to so badly, but I couldn't."
"It's okay," Alex said, leaning forward and gently resting his forehead against Willie's. "We're together now. We're free. You can talk all you want. You probably deserve that, after listening to me for so long."
Willie laughed. "I'd listen to you talk about anything."
"You might not think that after you've known me a little longer."
"Nah, I think I still will. Especially if you sing for me again."
Alex groaned. "I'm really not a singer."
"You're a great singer!" Willie cried. "You should have more solos."
"Uh, no. I'm fine with leaving that to Luke and Julie."
Willie smiled, a little mischievously. "Does that mean I'm the only one you sing for? It's a special thing for me?"
"If you insist on making me sing more, then yeah," Alex agreed.
"Oh, I absolutely do."
Alex sighed. "Then I guess it's a special thing for you."
"You're my Orpheus," Willie added, grinning. "Singing is part of the package."
Alex snorted. "Okay, Eurydice."
And maybe things weren't fixed - Covington still wanted their souls, they still hadn't quite gotten the hang of the whole ghost thing, and Alex would have to face Luke's wrath come morning - but with Willie at his side, Alex thought he could handle it all. Everything would be okay in the end.
And with Willie as a new addition to his little family, Alex thought he'd probably enjoy the journey to get there.