Chapter Text
"Are you ready," Julie questioned the guys excitedly as she opened the garage doors.
She was holding a bag that the boys knew to be her dress for the Orpheum. They were playing the Orpheum that night! It was so hard to believe! Hopefully, the boys would cross over, and Caleb would never get Luke's, Alex's, and Reggie's souls. At least, that's what they were hoping for.
Her smile faded though when she saw the boys look at her warily, rubbing their sides. "What's wrong?"
Alex walked towards her, smiling reassuringly, the boys following her. "Yeah, we just got rocked by one of those jolt things."
"Pretty sure I just ghost-peed a little," Reggie said, an uncomfortable expression on his face.
Luke came out from behind the two boys, grinning. "But we're fine."
"Actually, guys, I'm a little nervous," Julie said, none of them noticing the green phone appearing in the garage door windows. They continued talking, the guys reassuring Julie that everything would be okay.
Julie looked at Luke, an odd expression plastering her face. "Uh, Luke, can I talk to you for a second?"
Luke flashed a crooked grin at her and walked over. "Yeah."
Julie hung her clothes on the door handle, not noticing her little brother, Carlos, flinching when he thought he would get caught filming them.
Julie and Luke got close, only about a foot apart, and Julie looked up at Luke. "Um, can you do me a favor?"
"Anything, Julie, you know that," Luke said softly.
Julie looked down, seeming to struggle with her words. "When you cross over," she said looking back up at Luke, "If... If you happen to see my mom... can you tell her I love her?" Julie looked up at Luke hopefully. He stared at her, surprise covering his face.
She continued. "And thank her for sending you to me?"
Luke nodded. "Yeah, I will."
They smiled softly at each other, gazing into each other's eyes.
A loud sob interrupted them, seeming to come from the loft. They blinked and looked at Alex and Reggie. They both shrugged. "Don't look at us! We didn't do that."
The band looked up at the loft, where the sound came from. They reeled back in surprise when they saw a teenage girl leaning down on the railing bawling her eyes out.
She peered out from behind her hands. She waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, don't mind me! Go back to what y'all were doing! Just give me a moment."
She waved her hand again and a box of tissues appeared in thin air and dropped into her outstretched palm. She pulled one out, ignoring the gaping looks that were being directed to her from down below. She blew her nose with a loud HONK and tossed the tissue over her shoulder.
"Who-who are you?" Julie stuttered.
The girl waved her hand again and the red splotches in her cheeks, the redness in her eyes, along with the tears disappeared. The girl grinned at them like she just hadn't been crying loudly and backed away into the shadows. The shadows engulfed her and suddenly she was gone.
Alex whirled around to face the others. "Who was that?! Did anyone recognize her?!"
They all shook their heads no. "Maybe she works for Caleb," Luke suggested. "She looks like the type."
"True," Reggie muttered.
"Dam, guys, I'm taking that as a personal offense."
Julie, Luke, Alex, and Reggie twisted around. Carlos peered around the door, his eyes wide as he watched what happened. There the girl was in all glory. She waved at them cheerfully. "Hi!"
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Everyone screamed loudly, clinging on to each other. Reggie tried to grab Julie but his arm fell through her.
The girl winced. "Jesus, y'all sure do have some pipes on y'all. Tone it down a bit, will ya?"
They just kept on screaming.
The girl frowned at them. "Will it work if I say please?"
They kept screaming.
"Good God, I don't have time for this," the girl grumbled. She waved her hand and everyone stopped screaming.
"Who are you and what are you doing in my studio," Julie asked, grabbing a cross off the wall. This gave everyone a weird case of déjà vu.
"I go by many things. Evil Angel, Steampunk Slytherin, Samantha, Sam, etc. I prefer to be called Sam, however," the girl- Sam- explained to them.
Alex opened his mouth to ask her something but Sam interrupted him. "As to why I'm here, that is for me to know and for you to find out."
They all started backing slowly away from her.
Sam ignored this and brightened. "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot! I need to bring Flynn and Ray here!" She snapped her fingers and grinned lazily at them.
"What do you need with them," Julie snapped.
"They're going to be a part of my little 'project'; something that y'all will be participating in too."
The boys and Julie looked at each other worriedly. "What kind of project," Luke asked.
"Oh, it's just a little thing I decided to do because I was bored. Don't worry, it won't hurt you- at least, not physically or mentally."
"Excuse me?"
Sam held up a finger. "Hold on," she turned around. "Carlos, dude, can you come out from behind that door? I'm gonna need you too!"
Carlos slinked out from behind the door, gaping as he looked at Sam. He seemed to be at a loss for words. He quickly ran to where Julie was standing and she wrapped her arms around him protectively.
"Oh, yeah, I'm making you guys visible to everyone y'all are about to meet, so Carlos here can see you," Sam explained to the three ghosts happily.
Reggie looked at her, his eyes big. "How did you-"
Sam started jumping up and down. "Ooh, here they come!"
All of a sudden, Flynn, Julie's bestie, and Ray, Julie's and Carlos' dad, fell out of thin air and landed on the hardwood floor. They seemed to be knocked out.
Julie let out a small scream. "What did you do to them?!"
Sam rolled her eyes. "Calm down; I just cast a sleeping spell on them, that's all."
Julie and Carlos sagged in relief.
"Oh, my gosh," Reggie whispered to the guys, "This girl is a freaking witch!"
Sam clapped her hands. "Whelp, we better hurry it along. I still have to pick up the next group!"
Julie looked startled. "Next group? Wha-"
Sam's eyes twinkled at her. "You'll find out soon! Promise!"
"How can you see us? Are you a ghost?" Alex finally asked Sam.
The girl giggled at him. "No."
Luke spoke up impatiently. "Then what exactly are you?"
The girl grinned a smile as big and as mad as the Cheshire Cat's. "I'm a Fangirl."
And without farther ado, she clapped her hands twice and every single one of them was wrapped into the welcoming arms of the shadows.