Chapter Notes

Okay, I wasn't planning on also posting this today, as I only just posted chapter 6 earlier today (I follow Australian Central Daylight Time, which is GMT+10:30), buuuut I already had all of this written, and also finished all of chapter 8 and just really didn't want to wait.

"What the?" Ray asked, staring at the two floating whiteboards approaching him. He began backing up, absolutely panicked. Maybe Victoria and Carlos had a point about this house being haunted. This was getting freaky. He slammed into the cupboard behind him, unable to escape any further. He closed his eyes, flinching and waiting. Only to be lightly tapped with one of the whiteboards. He opened his eyes and looked.

'Don't be scared, let us explain.' Was written on one of the boards. He was so confused. How was any of this possible? He nodded, letting whoever, whatever it was, that he was willing to listen.

'We're Julie's bandmates. We're not holograms, we're actually ghosts.' Was written on one of the boards.

'We died twenty-five years ago.' Said the other board.

"Wait, what? Twenty-five years?" He asked, confused even more now. "Have you been hanging around here for twenty-five years and I've only just noticed?" He was mad at himself. How could he have lived in this house for twenty years and not notice it was haunted? He watched as words began to appear on the boards again.

'No, no, no.' 'We only just got here when Julie played our CD.'

"Julie? Julie knows about you?" What did his daughter have to do with any of this? Although, now that he thought about it, they were in her band. It made sense that she knew they were ghosts. He watched as one of the whiteboards was put down while the other was written on.

'Julie can see us all the time. And she can touch us now too.'

"Wait, what? What do you mean she can touch you?" None of this was making sense. What was so special about his daughter, that she was able to release and see these ghosts. Suddenly a CD cover was shoved into his hands. He looked down at it. "Sunset... Curve?" He read aloud, looking up at the floating boards again. "I remember Rose talking about you guys a long time ago." He opened the CD cover and saw a photograph. Sure enough, it was the three boys from Julie's band, and his old friend Trevor.

He remembered now. Trevor's bandmates had passed away on the same night Trevor had met his girlfriend, Rose. The two of them had been at the funeral with Trevor, supporting him through the tough time. The three quickly became good friends. It had even been Rose and him who had encouraged Trevor to go ahead and produce his music. The music he had originally written for the band.

"Hey, I can see you again!" He declared when the two boys popped back into his sightline.

"Really? Cool," the one from the kitchen said, grinning at him. "Hi, I'm Reggie!" He held his hand out to Ray, who numbly went to take it, only for his hand to pass right through. "Oh right," Reggie chuckled sheepishly. The other one slapped him in the chest.

"I'm Alex," he said, nodding at Ray. "Okay, there might not be much time before we disappear again, who knows what Julie and Luke are up to." Alex ignored Ray's expression tighten at that.

"Okay so let's be quick. We met your wife, Rose, the night we died," Reggie explained quickly. Alex looked at him with wide eyes. They had met Julie's mom? Julie's mom was that girl Bobby was trying to hit on? How did Reggie find all this out? "Long story," Reggie waved Alex's confused look off. "And then what felt like a few hours later, Julie played our CD and we reappeared here, only it hadn't been an hour, it had been twenty-five years."

"I'm sorry. That must have been hard," Ray said warmly. He couldn't imagine first dying, then waking up in a time completely different than his own.

"It was," Alex muttered, looking down. Reggie patted his friend on the back, reassuring him, reminding him that he wasn't alone.

"So you're still dead then?" Ray asked, still trying to wrap his head around this all. As Reggie opened his mouth to speak, Ray saw a guitar sitting near then suddenly poof away. This made him jump and shout. "What just happened?" He looked to the boys, assuming they had something to do with it. The two shared a knowing look before simply declaring,

"Luke." As if that explained anything.

"But yeah, we're totally still dead, see," Reggie attempted to wave his hand through Ray. Only to end up whacking him hard on the arm, making Ray wince with pain and glared at the boy.

"Idiot!" Alex smacked Reggie again. "Luke obviously grabbed his guitar to play it. People can touch us all whenever one of us is playing," he explained to Ray. "Which means we can do this now," he offered his hand out for Ray to shake, which he did. Reggie then did the same.

"This is all so weird. Does Trevor know you guys are back?" He asked, looking between the two, shocked when he saw their kind expressions to turn furious.

"We want nothing to do with that traitor," Alex hissed out, glaring at the ground. What the heck were they talking about? Traitor? If this was about Trevor releasing the music that he wrote for them, then that was unfair. Sure, it sucked that they died, but that didn't mean Trevor had to halt his career. He glared at the two, about to tell them exactly this when they flickered out again. They reappeared a moment later.

"What do you mean traitor," he leered at them, willing them to explain. He hoped they weren't about to say what he thought they were going to say. He was sure this was all some big misunderstanding, and could all be cleared up in minutes. He could even ring Trevor to help clear it up, let bygones be bygones. Sure, the two hadn't talked basically since Rose's funeral, but that didn't mean they couldn't get along. Their paths just went in different directions was all, he kept telling himself.

The boys' answers were interrupted by the sound of loud talking coming from the kitchen. Julie must have been home, he supposed. He and the boys all headed up there. May as well continue this conversation with his daughter and the third member of the band. When they almost reached the door, Reggie raced ahead of him and Alex.

"Julie! Your dad saw us and he knows almost everything now!" He burst into the kitchen, only to stop, floored when he saw who was there. Alex and Ray caught up, also staring in shock at the scene before them.

~ Julie and the Phantoms ~

Julie and Luke, still holding hands, popped back into the kitchen of her house. Only to freeze when they saw who was waiting inside for them. Bobby.

"What the hell are you doing here!" Luke ground out, glaring at the man across from them.

"Hello again, Luke. Been a long time." Was all Bobby said in greeting. He was far too calm at seeing his long-since dead friend. Almost like he knew. "So, this is your new band, huh Julie?" He leered at the girl, making her gulp a little.

The Trevor Wilson from her childhood was a calm, collected, kind man. He had played his songs happily for Carrie and Julie. Always welcomed her into his home with open arms. Treating her as if she was his own daughter. The man in front of her now was completely different. He was intimidating. Scary. And gave off an air of danger. Luke pushed Julie behind him slightly, as if he was going to protect her. The though alone calmed Julie down. She wasn't alone. She had Luke. And Alex, Reggie, and Flynn. And her dad, her tia and her brother. She wasn't alone. She didn't need to be scared. She took a deep breath, calming herself.

"Hi Bobby," she smiled at the man.

"It's Trevor!" He growled, stepping forward, making both Luke and Julie take a step back.

"No, it's not. Bobby," Luke continued to glare at him, daring him to try and challenge him. Bobby faulted at the look before standing tall again.

"You don't scare me, ghost," he smirked, waving his hand through Luke. Luke faltered at this. "I'm not here for you, I'm here for her." He leered at Julie again.

Julie had to admit she was a little scared again now. Bobby knew plain and clear that Luke couldn't actually touch him, and he had that scary look in her eyes. Looks like she was more alone here than she thought. She shut her eyes tight. Luke squeezed her hand in reassurance, making her release the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. She met Bobby's eyes again.

"You're not going to tell anyone what you know about my music, got it," he leered at her, stepping closer to her once again. He smirked when Julie flinched, but she didn't step back.

"What are you going to do if I do tell people?" She asked in a brave tone, standing tall, staring him dead in the eyes. Luke watched her with bated breath, impressed, yet scared for her. She seemed so confident; like she knew something he and Bobby didn't.

"Listen here you little shit-" Bobby advanced on her going to put his hand on her shoulder. Only for it to go through her, causing him to stumble and fall through her. Luke's eyes widened in realisation. That was right. He forgot.

"You see, Bobby," Julie said smugly, turning to face the man again, pulling Luke along with her. "As long as I'm holding his hand-" she raised their clasped hands up into view-"you can see him, and you can't touch me. I'm literally untouchable," she laughed at her own joke, making Luke smile. Damnn Julie was pretty good at being intimidating when she wanted to. He saw Bobby gulp. As she opened her mouth to continue, the door swung open behind them.

"Julie! Your dad saw us and he knows almost everything now!" Reggie burst into the kitchen, before freezing.

"Trevor?" Ray asked, coming up behind Reggie and walking through him into the kitchen.

"Bobby?" Alex and Reggie yelled at the same time.

"Ray? Alex? Reggie?" Bobby listed, staring at them all in shock. He was nervous before, but now they had him outnumbered, five to one. And one of those five could touch him, and wouldn't hesitate to smack some sense into him. Especially if he found out he had tried to threaten his daughter. He knew that personally. It wasn't the first time he and Ray had it out.

"Oh, so you remember our names now, but not when you stole all Luke's music?" Alex asked, crossing his arms leering at him.

"Wait, what? Stole Luke's music?" Ray asked confused, eyes darting between everyone in the room in absolute confusion. His mind was reeling. He couldn't keep up with all these ghosts.

"Yeah, dad. All those early songs were written by Luke, not Bobby," Julie explained to her dad.

"Okay... Who's Bobby?" He asked. Everyone in the kitchen face-palmed, making him pout. It wasn't his fault he was only finding out about all this now.

"Bobby used to be in our band, but he changed his name to Trevor," Reggie supplied helpfully. Ray smiled at the boy. At least one person in the room wasn't patronising him.

"Wait, you stole their music, Trevor?" Ray asked, glaring up at his old friend.

"Don't listen to them, Ray. These children are lying to you!" Bobby burst, trying to convince him.

Ray wasn't going to buy that. His daughter didn't lie to him. Kept things from him? Sure. After all, he was only now discovering that her entire band was actually a ghost band. But she didn't lie to him. He came to those conclusions on his own, and she merely went along with it. Now she was standing here, eyes pleading with him, telling him that Trevor had stolen all Luke's songs. So he believed her.

"How could you steal their music?" He asked, shaking his head. He was so disappointed. "You told Rose and I that you wrote all those songs. That you wanted to share them with the world as a tribute to your deceased bandmates." He saw the shock spread across the three's faces, before they turned their glares on Trev- Bobby, again. Bobby was stuttering now, trying and failing to come up with something.

"See that Bobby," Julie took a step forward, pulling Luke with her as she closed in on the now nervous man. The boys and her dad all watched her with wide eyes, completely unsure what she was going to say. "Your secret is spreading already," she smiled sweetly at him, making him gulp.

"First I found out," she stepped forward again, making Bobby take a step back. "Then I told Flynn. That's my best friend by the way. She has a huge following on social media and can't keep a secret to save her life unless I ask her to," another step forward.

Bobby continued to back up as the small girl approached him. He couldn't explain it, but she terrified him.

"Today, we told the Pattersons," she glanced at Luke as she took another step forward. He stared at her, hearts in his eyes, never more in love with this girl than he was at that moment. Bobby stepped back, passing straight through Alex and Reggie. He jumped when he noticed them. "And now my dad knows," another step. Bobby was shaking now. "If you include these three. Who can now be seen and heard when they want to," she glanced between the boys before meeting Bobby's eyes again. "That makes eight people who know what a fraud you are. Who's next?" She took the final step forward. When Bobby stepped back, he found himself now standing outside the kitchen doorway. Alex slammed the door shut in front of him. They all broke out in laughter.

"Did you see the look on his face!" Reggie wheezed, clutching his stomach.

"That was priceless. Amazing job Julie!" Alex high-fived the girl. He was so proud, that was amazing.

"No kidding! You totally put that dick in his place!" Luke grinned at her, hugging her.

"Language," Ray scolded, but one look at his face made it clear he was trying not to laugh as well. His baby girl sure had handled that amazingly. He couldn't be more proud of the strong, smart, independent woman he was raising. She was her mother's daughter, after all. "Now, I want you to tell me everything, start to finish," Ray said, once everyone had calmed down. They all nodded and moved to the dining room, sitting around the table together.

Two hours later, Ray was completely caught up with how the boys arrived. And all their adventures since getting here. Julie even wound up telling him Alex's theory. All about how the boys might be coming back to life again. This surprised Luke and Reggie, as neither had known she knew the details of their new powers. Luke glared at Alex. He'd told him not to tell Julie that. He didn't want to get her (or his for that matter) hopes up. Alex shrugged sheepishly with a chuckle.

"How about you Ray? What were those photos with Bobby? How did you know him?" Reggie asked, making all eyes turn to Ray in confusion. Ray sighed, knowing he owed Julie and the boys an explanation almost as much as they owed him one. Especially now that he knew the truth about Trevor.

"I met Trevor the day of your funeral," he said, looking between the boys. "I'm sure you know that he and Rose met the night of your death?" He asked them. Alex and Reggie nodded at him, while his daughter and Luke looked dumbfounded.

"You guys did meet my mom?" She asked, raising her voice as she glared at the boys. They told her they never met her mom. Did they lie to her? How could they? As she began to spiral, her anger growing more and more, Reggie spoke up.

"We didn't know Rose was your mum," he rushed to say, seeing the girl getting more mad by the second. "You never said her name was Rose. I only saw the pictures and recognised her, tonight."

Julie calmed down a little at this, knowing the boys didn't intentionally keep it from her.

"Yes, well, anyway," Ray cleared his throat, making them turn back to look at him. "We began to hang out with Trevor more and more from thereon. He expressed his reluctance to release the songs that he told us he had written for the band." Ray looked up, seeing the anger return to the boys' faces. "Rose and I had no idea you had actually written them, Luke," he made eye contact with the boy. Luke gave him a tight nod, showing him he understood. "We encouraged him to release them to honour the memory of you boys. I see now what a mistake that was," Ray shook his head.

"It's okay, Mr Molina. You didn't know," Alex assured him. Ray sent him a smile, thanking him for being so understanding.

"Well, we kind of fell through for some reason. Rose and Trevor had a huge fight about a year before she passed," he winced at the words.

Julie's eyes widened as something connected in her head. One year before her mom passed. It was around that time that Carrie started being super mean to her out of nowhere. Refusing to be her friend anymore. The two things must have been related. It couldn't be a coincidence. She had never actually spoken to Carrie about what happened between them. She accepted that her friend had changed and moved on. Maybe it was finally time to have that talk.

Chapter End Notes

2999 words, holy- I'll post chapter 8 around this time tomorrow night :) Coming up: Carrie and Julie have a long, much-needed talk.