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Alex sighed, closing his eyes and leaning back on his elbows against the roof of the studio. This had always been his calming place even when he was alive. Something about being above everyone else, looking up at the stars, relaxed him. And he definitely needed that now.
The last few days had been crazy. Alex’s breath caught in his throat just thinking about it. Julie and the band had battled Caleb and had managed to get him to abandon Nick’s body. When Caleb tried to use his magic in retaliation, something allowed Julie to send his spells rebounding at him, apparently destroying Caleb for good.
Luke now seemed to be alive again. Reggie and Alex were still ghosts, but everyone could see them unless they concentrated on being invisible. Reggie was hoping that whatever happened to Luke would eventually happen to him as well. Alex wasn’t so sure that’s what he wanted. He didn’t understand how any of it was possible, and he was freaked out by the whole situation. How would it even work? Legally they didn’t even exist. The idea of being alive again was completely overwhelming.
And then there was Willie. Alex hadn’t seen Willie at all in the months after the Orpheum, but shortly after Caleb’s destruction, Willie turned up at the Molina house. The relief that Alex felt when Willie showed up was indescribable. He didn’t think he had ever been happier. But Willie was still a ghost. No one who was alive could see or hear him, not even Julie.
Alex had never felt anything like the connection that he had with Willie. It made him happy just to be near the long-haired boy. The months when he didn’t know what had happened to the skateboarder were torture. Alex had been convinced that Caleb had destroyed Willie for helping the band. He had spent countless hours searching the city, going back to all of the places he had encountered Willie, hoping to find him. Every time he failed, it was like a stake to the heart.
If Alex became alive, he would have to give up Willie. Even if he could still see him, how could they be together? Alex had watched Luke and Julie try to navigate their “interesting little relationship” while Luke was still a ghost. Now Luke was alive again, so it wasn’t really an issue, but Alex didn’t want to end up in the same situation with Willie.
A poofing noise pulled Alex from his thoughts. Looking over and sitting up, he saw that Willie had teleported in and was now next to him on the slanted roof.
“Not interrupting anything, am I Hot Dog?” he asked. “I can leave if you want to be alone.”
“No!” Alex exclaimed. “I’m glad you’re here. I was just sitting here thinking about everything that has happened over the last few days. And how happy I am that you’re back.”
“I’m happy to be back,” Willie said. “It was awful being stuck in the club for so long. And I was really worried about what Caleb was up to. I knew he was going after you, and I couldn’t do anything to warn you. I was terrified for you.”
Alex smiled and slid his hand over to tangle his fingers with Willie’s. “It’s okay. I’m just relieved that you weren’t in danger because of me. I was so afraid Caleb would’ve hurt you or worse.”
Alex shuddered at the thought, squeezing Willie’s hand to assure himself that the ghost was still there with him.
“I think that Caleb was too caught up in his plans for you guys to waste too much energy on me. All he did was keep me from leaving the club.”
Willie slid closer to Alex, still holding his hand. The two boys sat quietly for a few minutes. Alex glanced over at Willie, then looked away blushing when he caught Willie staring back at him. He searched his mind for a topic to break the suddenly unnerving silence.
“Willie, how long were you part of the Hollywood Ghost Club?”
Willie blinked at the unexpected question. “I met Caleb in 1982. About six months after... I died.”
“That long ago?” Alex gasped. He’d only been four when Willie died.
“Yeah,” Willie grimaced. It was clear he didn’t like thinking about it. “Those first six months were rough. I hung around my family for a while, but it was hard. It was really lonely. Then one day I ran into Caleb. I hadn’t met another ghost before. It was great to be able to talk to someone and have him actually hear me. Caleb invited me to come to his club and meet all of his friends. The club was amazing! I could eat, there were these awesome shows. And even lifers could see me! When Caleb offered me a job and a chance to stay there, I jumped at it. I didn’t even balk at the idea of giving him my soul. It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time.”
Alex’s heart hurt listening to Willie’s story. “That sounds really hard. It sucked coming back as a ghost for me, but I always had Reggie and Luke. I can’t imagine what it would’ve been like all alone.”
Sitting on the roof, holding Willie’s hand, Alex struggled to contain his emotions. Tears fought to break free, but he held them back. Willie had been through so much all by himself, and when he finally found another ghost, it was Caleb, who turned out to be a nightmare. Then a thought occurred to him and he frowned.
“Willie, what was your job with Caleb? I know he wanted us to be a part of his house band, and there were other ghosts who were performers and waiters and stuff, but what did you do there?” He wondered at himself for never asking this before. He bit his lip, a slow sense of dread creeping up his spine. “What did you do?”
Willie didn’t answer.
The sudden tension had Alex pulling his hand away.
“Willie,” he said carefully. “What’s wrong?”
“Umm, I, uh, did a lot of things for Caleb. A bit of a jack-of-all-trades.” He wouldn’t meet Alex’s eyes.
Alex’s heart clenched. “Willie?”
Willie looked sick. He hugged his arms to his chest, eyes firmly on the sky. “Recruitment. That was my job. I found new ghosts and convinced them to join.”
Alex’s eyes widened with a dawning sense of horror. “But… Caleb was a monster!”
“I know,” Willie said quietly. “But I thought the club was a great place. Caleb was always nice and caring. Everyone I brought in was so happy to be with other ghosts, to have a place where they belonged. It was years before I… I knew.”
“So, you did know what Caleb was like?” Alex cried angrily.
“Yes, but not at first!” Willie said desperately. “I didn’t know anything was wrong until… until someone said no. His name was James. He was a musician like you guys. Caleb wanted him, but he didn’t want to join the club. Caleb stamped him and …” Willie stopped talking.
“And?” Alex prompted. He could see the shame in Willie’s eyes, but he didn’t know how to react. This was so far beyond what he had expected.
“He destroyed him,” Willie said, voice tight with misery. “I knew that Caleb was powerful, but I’d never seen him do something like that. I tried to talk him out of it! I even tried to leave. But he jolted me. The way he was doing to James. That’s when I learned just how much I had given up with my soul.”
Alex stared at Willie, shocked and stunned by what he had just heard. “What happened then?”
Willie’s voice cracked and he fought back tears. “I tried to get James to join the HGC, but he wouldn’t. He said he’d rather stop existing than give up his soul. But Caleb wouldn’t stop jolting him. Eventually, James just faded out.”
Alex’s eyes widened in horror. Willie had pledged himself to a murderer! He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “And you just kept working for Caleb after that?! Recruiting new members for the club? How many more did he stamp?”
“I didn’t know what else to do. He owned my soul!” Willie cried. “I didn’t want to do it anymore, but Caleb threatened to end me if I didn’t start bringing him new members. So I did.” He curled in on himself, burying his face in his knees.
Alex stared at Willie, a nauseating combination of confusion and betrayal churning in his stomach. “You knew what would happen if we turned down Caleb’s offer to join his house band.”
“I thought I could get you out of there before he had a chance to stamp you,” Willie said desperately. “I should have realized that he wouldn’t let you out of his sight, but I didn’t! I was stupid. So stupid! I should have realized once he knew your abilities he’d never let you go.”
Alex’s stomach was actually hurting with Willie’s words. “How much did you tell him about us?”
Willie looked agonized, and Alex’s heart thudded painfully as a terrible thought flashed through his mind.
“You didn’t have to tell him about us, did you?” he asked, studying Willie’s face. He hoped for something – anything – from Willie that would let him know that he was wrong. But Willie’s distraught expression didn’t change. Alex’s heart sank painfully into his stomach. “He already knew,” Alex whispered. “You running into me wasn’t an accident. Caleb sent you.”
Willie moaned as if he were in pain. He closed his eyes, tears staining his cheeks. “I’m sorry.”
Alex’s head spun. Willie had betrayed them, betrayed him. It had all been planned. None of it was real. “Oh my god.” He covered his mouth with his hand.
“I’m so sorry, Alex,” Willie said, voice shaking with anguish. “Caleb wanted us to meet. He said that you and your friends would be perfect, new additions to the club. So, I made sure to run into you with my skateboard. But I never expected…” He trailed off and took in a shaky breath. “I shouldn’t have done it. I’m so sorry.” He reached out his hand.
Alex flinched back violently. “Don’t say that! You don’t get to be sorry about this. You put my friends, my family, in danger! Sorry is not even close to enough!”
Willie looked devastated. He brushed tears off his cheeks and said, “I don’t know what else I can say. Do you want me to go?”
“I think you should. I can’t deal with this right now. I look at you and I just want to throw up.” Alex was shaking as he spoke.
“I get it,” Willie said. His hand kept inching forward like he needed to touch Alex, but then he would pull it back. “But… I’ve been staying at the club, and there are still a lot of ghosts there who know me if you can’t find me there. In case you want to find me.” He swallowed, more tears sliding down his face. “But Alex, I need you to know how sorry I am and how important you are to me.” Choking back a sob, Willie teleported away.
Alex collapsed back onto the roof, crying. He felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest. He lay there for what felt like hours mourning the loss of his first love. The intense pain finally faded to a dull ache he thought would always be there. A need to see his family, the band, welled up inside of Alex and after wiping his face, he teleported himself to Julie’s room.
The sight that greeted him was heartwarming. Julie lay on her bed, curled up against Luke’s chest. Reggie was sprawled across their legs, and they were all watching a movie on Julie’s laptop.
“Is there room for one more?” Alex asked, trying to sound normal despite his heartache.
“Of course, Alex,” Julie started to say, patting the space beside her. She paused when she saw the tearstains on Alex’s face. “What’s wrong?”
“Weren’t you with Willie?” Luke asked. “Is he okay?”
Alex took a deep breath and moved to perch on the edge of the bed. “I found out some things about Willie. And Caleb. I don’t know if I can look at him the same way anymore.”
“Do you want to talk about it, buddy?” Reggie asked, reaching out to squeeze Alex’s knee.
“Not really,” Alex replied. His emotions were too raw right now. “I think I’ve had enough talking for one night. I wouldn’t mind another one of those group hugs, though.”
His friends surged to their knees on the bed and enfolded him in their arms. Alex squeezed them tightly. He wasn’t okay, and he didn’t know when he would be again, but here, with these people, his family, he felt like maybe he would get there eventually.