Julie's PoV

I woke up to an empty cold bed around six in the morning to find Luke was sleeping on the couch and Alex and Reggie were sharing an air mattress on the ground. I was surprised but also grateful to have some personal space. Things were going too fast and I had lost count of the amount of times Luke had seen me naked, that can't be normal, we weren't even dating. He was handsome and in the light from the street below I could just make out his face, he looked so peaceful and young. His hair was across his eyes and he had his acoustic leaning against the couch with a blanket across his body. He was easy to like and be around with his big puppy eyes. I never felt unsafe or expected to do anything for him, he just cared unconditionally about me.

After a few minutes more of staring at Luke I made myself close my eyes and try to go back to sleep. I shouldn't have a crush on him, he was a ghost, a very cute gorgeous ghost but still a ghost.

Half an hour had passed according to the clock and I still couldn't sleep so I decided to get up and pick up Luke's guitar. I vaguely remembered a friend of my mothers teaching me how to play a few chords. I quietly practiced in the bathroom thinking I wouldn't wake anyone up there.

Eventually Reggie came in after softly knocking on the bathroom door. I let him in and he closed it softly behind him then sat down against the door.
"What are you up to Julie?" he asked.
"I couldn't sleep so I decided to play with Luke's guitar, figured I probably couldn't wake him if I tried to ask him so I just took it" I said, getting a soft laugh from Reggie.
"Yeah that is true, Luke is a tough one to wake. Just don't break his guitar, that one was given to him by his mum. His parents always regretted giving him a guitar but it still means a lot to him because it's one of the last things he has of hers that she gave him. Do you know how to play?" Reggie asked.
"Not really, I remember one of my mothers friends teaching me, I think his name was Trevor Wilson? I go to school with his daughter. But once my mother passed I never saw Trevor again. He was really nice to me and helped my mum out a lot with her music stuff".
"Who's Trevor Wilson, do you have a photo of him?" asked Reggie.
I pulled up a photo of Trevor on my phone and showed it to Reggie. "He actually used to record some amazing music, here's a list of his early stuff that got me into rock. My mum and I used to listen to his stuff when I was younger".
"Huh, small world, I think then we may have met your mother before you were born. Trevor was the other member of our band and right before we passed he was flirting with a Spanish girl who was working at the Orpheum although back then he went by his first name Bobby. Do me a favor and don't tell Luke this, I'll tell him later when the time is right, those songs he recorded were songs Luke worked very hard on. Well you live with three boys who know how to play a number of instruments if you want us to teach you!"
"Thanks Reggie, maybe, not right now though while everyone is trying to sleep. I'm actually hungry so I might go downstairs to grab breakfast".
"That sounds like a good idea, hey, did you wanna maybe go for a walk after you have eaten? I have a thought and I think a walk would be a nice way to talk about it" Reggie asked.
"Alright sure! I'll come find you when I'm ready to go".

I made my way downstairs once Reggie had gone back to laying down flicking through stuff on his phone. I was the only one up so I said a quick hello to Nancy and grabbed a bagel with cream cheese and coffee. I finished eating then put my dishes in the dishwasher and made my way back up to the room. All the guys were wide awake and were just finishing off their coffees and muffins that they must have taken from somewhere.
"Reggie said we were going for a walk?" Luke asked.
"Yeah, I thought it would be a good idea to get out and talk, also Luke you fell asleep with your guitar again and your shoes on. You're lucky we came in or you could have broken her" said Reggie as he playfully shoved Luke.
"Oh dang where is she?" Luke said with a panicked voice.
"Oh um I left her? I left her in the bathroom, she's fine. I just felt like playing and I haven't really had that in a long time" I said as I pulled on my boots.

My feet were a little sore from the blisters I grew over night after my run so I immediately pulled them off and put on an extra pair of socks then old sneakers. Alex was busy shaking his head at Luke for referring to his guitar as 'a her' and was pulling on his boots. Reggie passed me my jacket then mittens, hat and neck warmer.
"When we get home let Nancy look at your feet or I can just find blister cream if you like" whispered Reggie, the only one who had noticed me change out of my boots. I nodded and he squeezed my arm before pulling on his own coat and boots.

Around ten minutes later we were outside in the freezing cold morning walking slowly to a nearby park. As we walked Reggie decided to start the conversation up.
"So we had a talk last night after you fell asleep and we were wondering what you would think about the idea of moving away from LA to Seattle, before you say anything though hear me out. I think it would be good to have space between bad memories as a starter, I also think in a new environment you would feel safer and it might help with your nightmares. You could finish high school without having to worry about your father finding you. The only catch is we have to leave Carlos at home. Now I know you don't want to do that but I've been keeping in touch with him, he's actually doing really well, he really likes his new family and they are genuinely really nice. I already asked Carlos what he would think of the idea and he wants you to be happy. You might not realize this but Carlos did see a lot more than you think, he just chose to keep his mouth shut because he wasn't sure what to do about what he saw. He was taught that if something happens to tell your parents but no one really told him what to do if it's your parents that's hurting your sister. He wants you to be happy and if that's moving away then that's fine. I said I would keep in touch with him and he knows we are just a phone call away".

We had reached the park and I sat down on a swing and contemplated what Reggie said. Luke had sat on the other swing while Reggie and Alex were standing looking down at me. I knew they were waiting for me to reply.
"Could I have the morning to think about it? It does seem like a good idea, I'm surprised though, I thought you guys would want to stay here?"
"Nah Julie that was actually my original dream to peace out and live in Seattle" said Luke.
"Take however long you need Julie" said Alex as he started gently pushing me on the swing set. I noticed Luke looking rather jealous for a second but then Reggie had jumped over, pulled Luke back so far then let him go flying. I couldn't help but laugh as Luke held on while Reggie kept pushing him way too high. He eventually jumped off mid air and ran off to go down the slide with Reggie hot on his heels. "Ahh they grow up so fast don't they?" said Alex I burst out laughing and pulled Alex over so he could sit in the swing that Luke abandoned.

"What do you think I should do Alex? Carlos is everything to me but if what Reggie says is true that he's happy, maybe it would be good to move away. I wouldn't have to look over my shoulder, we could find a big enough apartment for all of us and our instruments" I asked. Alex stared at his feet for a moment just moving back and forth gently on the swing before answering.
"Julie, my cousin had very similar symptoms and I was never able to help because I was only six. I was told she wasn't well and to go outside and play. Eventually she was shipped off to a mental hospital where she found a way to end her life. I don't want that for you, I want you to be happy and free. You deserve to be in the sunlight and outside, not locked away in a mental institute after what you've been through. Reggie didn't tell you this but I saw him looking up how to go about buying a house. He's been looking at nice photos of a few places and I'm not sure how he's planning on paying for it but Reggie has always been the brains in our group. I worry too much and Luke is definitely a 'do now, and think about the consequences later' type of person. If this helps even a little bit I think it's worth going for. Reggie will make anything happen for us if it's what we need, it's just who he is. He jokes a lot but he takes friendship to a new level".

Alex opened up in such a deep way that really got me listening, I didn't want to be in a mental institute for the rest of my life, that sounded depressing and he had a good point. If it helped just a little bit, it would be worth it. I was sixteen with no money but with three ghosts that were willing to run around the world for me. I wouldn't be alone in this and finishing high school would be nice. I would have time to actually focus on my grades for once as I wouldn't be doing a million things for my father. I could maybe graduate if I worked really hard and then maybe go to college.

Alex left me in my quiet musings to go chase down the "children" who were currently about to break a seesaw with the amount of force they were using. Eventually they came back over and I gave them my answer.
"Alright Reggie, Seattle you say? Let's go, I don't wanna leave Carlos but you're right, if he is truly happy then maybe this would be a good idea. How do you wanna go about this?"
Reggie beamed and gave me a massive hug pulling me off of the swing and suddenly Luke and Alex had joined in also. I was eventually released and went to sit back on the swing.
"Well Julie, there is a train service we can take all the way there, I can set up where we can stay and pretty much just pack, say bye to Nancy and get on a train. We can poof all the big things over so just pack what you think you need and we'll do the rest. When do you wanna leave? I can do it as early as tomorrow night if you want. I just want to make sure we have somewhere to sleep" said Reggie.

I thought about this, it's around a thirty hour train ride so maybe going Friday morning wouldn't be bad, we would arrive on Saturday afternoon. Today was Thursday so I had plenty of time to pack. "Let's go tomorrow in the morning if that's okay?"
"Alright consider it done Julie, I need to go talk to a few people, I'll be back this afternoon, Julie can you make sure you stay at home with Luke and Alex, I wanna surprise you with something before we go" said Reggie as he poofed before giving me a chance to answer. "Well I guess let's go get you home, pack and say goodbye to Nancy?" said Luke.

We made our way home and I found blister cream in the bathroom when I went in to use the washroom. I couldn't help but smile at the small details. I then went down to talk to Nancy before she went to sleep. I found her bustling in the kitchen with a cake in the oven and a teenager helping tidy up the dishes.
"Hey Nancy, It looks like I might be leaving tomorrow morning, I just wanted to say thanks for everything".
"Oh hey love, that's fine, where are you going to? The police were here yesterday wanting to know if you were here and if you were okay. They wanted to ask a few questions but I said you were out but you were getting there. If they come back do you want me to tell them where you went?" she asked.
"No please don't, part of the reason for leaving is leaving this all behind and what was done to me. As long as he can't find me I'll be fine and the fewer people that know where I'm going is probably for the best, I just wanted to say thank you for all of your support and acceptance" I said. I left shortly after not wanting to linger and made my way upstairs where Luke handed me a beautiful deep purple velvet dress with dark black gloves and matching shoes.
"I dunno Julie before you ask, Reggie just told me to make sure you shower and get dressed and are ready to go by six. Just go with it, it's easier, he does this to us all the time and it's easier to just go with it rather than fight it. I can braid your hair if you want" asked Luke hopefully.
I smiled and said yes and made my way into the shower closing the door behind me.