"Where is Luke? We were supposed to rehearse the new songs today," Julie had come into the studio right after class to practice the new songs with Luke, Reggie and Alex for another little gig at their school.
"We don't know.", Reggie said, very worried about his buddy who had just disappeared.
"He went for a little walk last night," Alex told him.
"And you just let him and let him go out by himself?" asked Julie, staring at Alex in disbelief. How could she have thought for a moment again that all was right with the world when she was just the opposite.
"Yeah but I can't forbid him, can I? Besides, we all know he wouldn't listen to me. "Alex defended himself.
"I specifically told him not to stay out so late, and I also warned him about Caleb.", all of a sudden Alex slapped the flat of his hand on his forehead.
"Oh no!" he cried, almost falling over again if Reggie hadn't held him again.
"I think Caleb has Luke in his grip," Alex almost didn't dare say the words, but as hard as it was for him, he couldn't stop thinking about it. Luke would have come back, of course, and he would never have stayed away alone for so long, something had to have happened. Alex knew his friend that well to know what made him tick.
"You've got to be kidding me," Julie settled down on the couch, discouraged.
"Finding him is just as hard as finding Willi," Julie hopelessly propped her face on her hands.
"And I thought today was going to be a normal day for once, but I was wrong again," she added and Reggie sat down with her and ran his hand down her back.
"Nothing's too hard for you, Julie. We'll find a way to find Luke, and to find Willi," Reggie tried to reassure Julie and cheer her up at the same time, but Julie wasn't so sure. A lot had changed in all the times she had known the boys now and she had realised some things. You couldn't rely on life, or your destiny, but you could change it however you wanted. Nothing is impossible anymore, and anyone who said that had no idea of what was really going on around them.
"I just really don't know what to do anymore. So many things have happened and we haven't even solved our own problems yet. And now Luke's gone too.", a tear rolled down Julie's cheek and she quickly wiped it away.
"Let's face it. You don't think we're just going to come up with an idea of how to find Willi overnight. Then surely it will be the same with Luke," Julie straightened up. She didn't want to cry now, and she wasn't allowed to now. She had to keep her wits about her and deal with things. She had to think like Luke now to be able to find him. That was the only way she would succeed and she could take matters into her own hands.
"We're not going to sit here looking at any old files. We're going to do something.", without saying anything to the two boys Julie had left the studio with these words and just left them standing there.
"Well, you have to hand it to her. Her spirit is stronger than we were.", Alex said as he looked thoughtfully at Julie.
"And she's right. We're unlikely to find those two if we keep doing what we're doing," Alex pulled Reggie to his feet.
"I'm sorry to say this now, but we have to get to Bobby," Alex looked at Reggie.
"Oh no, I'm not going to someone who won't let us into his life and has banished us from his life. Who likes our fame for himself and doesn't want to have anything to do with his past. And on top of that, he stole our songs that Luke spent nights working on," Reggie interjected, but Alex silenced him.
"This isn't about what was either. This is about now," Alex said and Reggie wanted to protest again. Never would he go to Bobby aka Trevor and ever have a word with that person.
"So what's it about then?" asked Reggie a little sour and disappointed.
"We need him to help us find Luke," Alex said, straightening his cap.
"How is he going to be able to help us?" asked Reggie again, scratching his head.
"He's never been much help before," he added as a comment Alex could only agree with.
"I had a hard time sleeping tonight, so I thought about it again. It occurred to me that our unpaid bill was not the performance at the Orpheum. But maybe it was also the wrong thing we did. Maybe this is not directly about us, our history or our past. Maybe Bobby has something to do with all this and we can only close the score if he's there?", Reggie thought about Alex's words.
"That doesn't sound so wrong," Reggie stated.
"Still, I don't understand it. Bobby isn't a ghost after all.", Reggie looked questioningly at Alex again.
"That's true, but he was in the band back then. And if it's true, and Caleb might have something to do with Luke disappearing, and the fact that Bobby can't remember anything to do with us, then it would all make sense," Alex pulled Reggie out of the studio with him.
"That's why we should find Julie and take her to Bobby's so we can clear this up as soon as possible and find Luke. Maybe we'll find Willi that way," Alex said and the two of them crept back through the small garden past the kitchen window.
"What I still don't understand though is why all this? Why did Caleb erase Bobby's memory of his time with us, but he himself still knows us? That doesn't make any sense," Reggie muttered as they stood at the kitchen window looking for Julie.
"Maybe this has always been his plan. We don't even really know Caleb. Maybe he was around us back in 1995 and just couldn't quite complete his plan then because something came up, although I can't tell you what it is, it's just a feeling," Alex said
"It's just a feeling? God Alex, if anything happens to Luke it's all our fault," Reggie was right. Alex would rather not think about what could happen to Luke. He just hoped that he, along with Julie, would find him as soon as possible so he wouldn't have to worry anymore.
"You want to what?", Julie was as Alex had already pointed out, not at all pleased with her idea.
"You're going to Bobby's?" she asked the two as they snuck into her room and waited there for Julie.
"Yeah, I think our unfinished business is with him, if it wasn't the gig," Alex was sure this time that Bobby was the missing item.
"So how do you guys figure this whole thing? You can't just ring his doorbell and hope he wants to talk to you. He'll freak out if he sees you like this," Julie was right, but Alex just had to do it.
"It's the only way we can find out why we're human again. I'd like to know if it's going to stay that way or if we're just going to disappear again at some point.", As much as the words hurt, he just had to say it and there was nothing more that would stop him from following his latest lead. When Reggie and he just looked at Julie wordlessly she finally nodded and gave in.
"Fine! We'll do it then, but don't be sad later just because Trevor goes completely nuts and yells at you or runs away from you," Julie took a deep breath and settled down on her bed after shooing Reggie out of it.
"How did you get into my room anyway?" she asked them both and Alex and Reggie looked at each other for a moment, hesitantly Alex took a step forward towards Julie.
"We came in through the window," he blurted out and Julie shook her head.
"Hey, it wasn't that easy to climb the tree and reach your window," Reggie interjected and Alex looked helplessly at his mate. Once again it was the wrong time for such remarks from Reggie but as usual he didn't realise that.
"Okay you know what? Just forget it. I'm just not going to ask anymore!", Julie looked at the two of them. She couldn't stay mad at them for long.
"Do you know what's going on with Luke?" she finally asked, but they couldn't give her an answer except the one she already knew.
"Well, let's go and see Trevor and hope he can help us. Even though I strongly fear it won't go well," Julie got up and ran down the stairs from her room while Reggie and Alex climbed out of the window again and came down over the big tree to the front door. Then they made their way to Trevor's. Julie hesitated as they stood outside the door with Reggie and Alex and she didn't press the doorbell.
"You know, it feels totally weird if we just ring the doorbell and he sees you," Julie turned to them.
"It has to be done. I'd like to avoid it too, but we really don't have a choice. He's the only one who can help us," Alex said, holding Julie's hand for a moment. Then Reggie pressed the doorbell and it took a moment for Trevor to appear at the door. When he opened it, he looked questioningly at the faces of Reggie, Alex and Julie for a moment before pressing his hand over his mouth to keep from screaming in panic.
"Trevor? We're here because...," Trevor interrupted Julie grabbing the three by their hands and pulling them into the house, then closing the door.
"What are you doing here? And why are you still alive?" asked Trevor after he had calmed down a little, much to Julie's surprise. Hadn't Carrie told her he'd been all weird since the concert?
"One thing at a time. Maybe we'd better sit down. I'd like to discuss this with you!" said Julie and Trevor, who still knew Julie from Carrie, finally nodded and the four of them made their way into the living room and sat down on the big couch.
"So, you've come back as ghosts, exactly 25 years later and you don't know why?" asked Trevor after Julie, Reggie and Alex had taken turns telling what had happened recently. Trevor took the whole thing calmly, even though he kept giving Reggie and Alex a panicked look.
"Right. I guess we're here because we have a score to settle and we'd like to know what that score is that we have to settle," Alex said.
"Well, we thought it was a gig at the Orpheum at first, but it wasn't," he added and Reggie nodded.
"And then we met this ghost that's really nasty," Reggie shook himself and got goosebumps all over his body.
"A ghost? So there are more of them out there?", Trevor asked, turning pale.
"Well, we don't know that many of them, but one of them who acts like a boss called Caleb is the worst of them," Alex said and Trevor shook himself.
"Is that one of those guys with such a dark aura? Is he wearing a hat and a long coat?" asked Trevor and Alex looked at him, puzzled.
"Where from?" he asked and was interrupted.
"You wouldn't know, but back that same night while you were out eating the hot dogs, he was with me. He just appeared out of nowhere and started talking to me," Trevor told him and Alex knew they were in the right place. If anyone knew anything it was Trevor.
"What did he want from you? Did he say anything to you?", Alex asked and was about to ask more questions when Reggie punched him in the side with his elbow.
"Well, he didn't really want anything from me, he just said that it all made sense and that I would understand eventually," Trevor looked down.
"After that I got the news that all three of you had died and I was there all alone in a hall full of people waiting for our concert," Trevor added, looking at Reggie and Alex again.
"Okay, just so I understand now. He seriously said to you that there was a point to all this and that you would eventually understand?", Alex asked again and Trevor nodded.
"I've been thinking for years what he could have meant by that but I just couldn't think of anything. And then I saw you on the internet on Carrie's laptop and I went to the Orpheum," Trevor said, his voice trembling.
"I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw you again, because everyone was trying to make me understand that you'll never exist again and that I should forget you because otherwise I'll only grieve," these words almost made Alex cry, but he held back the tears.
"My parents took away all my instruments and sheet music and we moved away from here. Then they sent me to a school where I learned to sing and became what I am today," these words hit Alex even harder.
"That's just...,I just don't understand," Alex hesitantly brought the words over his lips.
"I know you didn't have it easy either and I could watch your parents disappear from here as well. They didn't want to be here anymore because everything reminded them of you and they didn't want to be reminded of what bad things happened here," Trevor straightened up.
"But with time everything just changes and I notice that every day.", he said and ran into the kitchen, then came back with three cans of Coke and a still water.
"Anyway, after being at this school for several years, I then came back here and built my mansion here. Being a star does make some things easier," Trevor told me after sitting back on the couch and handing out the cans of Coke to the others.
"That's just like my parents. They've always wanted nothing to do with me since I came out. You should have seen them. It was pure chaos," Alex muttered, but actually he wanted to be able to see his parents again, but whether they wanted that was another question.
"But now back to Caleb. Did he say anything to you or contact you again because he wanted to know something from you? Or did you see him every now and then in your life?" asked Julie, who didn't like Caleb and was thinking about Luke. She just didn't want to believe that Luke was in Caleb's power and that she couldn't do anything about it. It wasn't like her at all. Normally she would immediately make sure that all the problems were taken care of and that there were as good as no more problems.
When Luke slowly opened his eyes, it took him a short moment to get used to the small, not exactly strong light. All around him, darkness lurked and seemed to engulf him. Luke hated the darkness and the silence. He never liked it when it was quiet around him all of a sudden. He always needed some music on his ears, or a familiar voice, so he wouldn't lose his mind completely. But being here in a place where there was only darkness, silence and him alone was slowly driving him crazy.
"Now just don't go crazy!" his inner voice reminded him to just stay calm and not to breathe in panic, but to just think normally about how he would best proceed now.
"That's easy for you to say!", Luke muttered as he got up from the floor and slowly felt his way around in the darkness. He hoped to find a wall to sneak along, just so he had a bit more footing and didn't completely lose his bearings.
"Luke, you're always the kind of person who has a clear head and can assess everything accurately. So why would someone like you lose his mind in a situation like this?" the inner voice asked and Luke took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. He had to keep his wits about him. He couldn't just start screaming now, even if he wanted to. No. He had to keep a cool head now and think about how he was going to get out of here, let alone what he was even doing here and why he was here.
"Okay okay, yeah I know," Luke said and stopped after still not finding a wall. It was hard for him to concentrate because he didn't know if something could happen in the next moment that might change everything again or make the situation worse. Luke took a deep breath. In his mind he saw the various images of the moments he had had in the last few days. Moments with Julie. Moments with Reggie and Alex, and moments with Caleb. Oh, how he hated that ghost. It was only because of him that they were in this unexplainable situation, and no one could really help them or had an answer to their questions. They were on their own as always, just like back in 1995, only different.
"I need to think and I need to get out of here before Caleb gets here," Luke said to himself and took another step forward when he suddenly heard footsteps that didn't come from him. The footsteps were still far away, but he could hear them coming closer and closer.
Luke panicked, no, actually he wouldn't panic at a time like this, unless he was all alone without his friends, then of course it was something else again. His heart was beating faster and faster against his ribs and he felt like he was about to have a heart attack because his whole chest was hurting. He heard the footsteps coming closer and they were no longer far away from him. But what was that? It sounded like someone running straight at him. It certainly wasn't Caleb. He would hardly start running because of Luke. He doesn't care about him at all, does he?
Luke didn't know exactly which direction the footsteps were coming from, because in the dark room, or wherever he was, it sounded like the footsteps were coming from all directions. He couldn't really place it. Then the unbearable silence reigned again for a moment before Luke heard a door open quietly and just a crack of light come in. He saw the outline of a person, but he couldn't tell if it was a human or a ghost. HE was not alone here after all.
"Okay, no need to panic. I'm not alone here," Luke said quietly to himself when he saw that the other person had noticed him and was coming straight towards him after she had closed the door again. She had a small torch with her and a thin beam of light illuminated the room. Luke looked around. He was standing right in the middle of the room. The walls were far away from him.
"Well that worked out great." his inner voice laughed at him and Luke could have punched himself for that. He hated it when his inner voice became active again. He didn't want to talk to it, especially not now.
"But?", Luke rubbed his eyes as the person was now standing right in front of him and he could recognise her. It was Willi.
"Willi?", Luke asked, sounding hoarse.
"Luke? So he locked you in here after all.", Willi sounded helpless and frustrated with Caleb's behaviour.
"What's that supposed to mean?", Luke asked, looking at Willi while his chest still hurt and his heart still hadn't calmed down.
So had Caleb kidnapped him and brought him here after all?
"Caleb went completely nuts. He just jumped up and set off to find you because he's up to something with you but I don't know what exactly he's up to," Willi said and Luke didn't know what to think. Willi was nice enough, but he was in a team with Caleb. And Luke didn't like Caleb.
"Wili? What's he going to do with us?" he asked him and Willi just shrugged his shoulders.
"I have no idea. He doesn't talk to me about that," Willi said with tears in his eyes.
"But I think he's specifically targeting Alex. God Luke, this can't happen, you hear me? I can never forgive myself if he does something to him," Willi wrapped his arms around Luke who just stood there not knowing how to react or what to say now.
"Okay okay, it's okay," Luke said, his nerves going crazy. He tried to act as normal as he could and not lose his mind completely, but that was easier said than done. Everything inside him bristled against itself and that around him. Thoughts raced in his head and much of it was about Julie and about his two friends, more than about himself.
"Wili? You have to tell me what Caleb is up to, it's the only way we can do anything about it!" urged Luke and Willi had let go of him again.
"I can't do anything about it, he has me under control. If he found out I was helping you, he'd kill me," Willi said, pointing to his arm. There was a circle there, but it didn't look like the one Luke and his friends had. No. It looked like it had been burnt into his skin.
"Oh my God, Willi! What has he done to you!",Luke couldn't believe it. How could Caleb do such a horrible thing to such a nice ghost? Surely that was neither humanly nor spiritually correct.
"He's just very angry, and I can understand him too-",
"Oh no, you can't have that here. You don't have to understand that. The guy is just crazy and you should get out of here as urgently as I did, so that's clear. He can't deal with anyone like that!", Luke hadn't let Willi finish.
"But how do you figure that? Caleb is powerful. More powerful than anyone else.", Willi looked to the floor.
"He's going to take what he wants. He will take what he wants. And he will get what he wants. That's the way it's always been and no one can stop a spirit that powerful," Willi explained and Luke had to think. There had to be a weak spot somehow. Everyone has a weak spot, and Caleb has one too.
" Get me out of here and come with me. He can't hurt you as long as you're with us!", Luke decided, not sure how he was going to manage it all, but he knew he had to get Alex and Willi back together, it was the only way part of this story would change.
"We have to be really quiet though, or someone will hear us!", Willi grabbed Luke's hand, tucked the torch under his other arm and pulled Luke with him. They walked down a long dark corridor and finally reached an iron door. Willi opened it and they were suddenly standing in front of the Orpheum.
"How did we get here now?" asked Luke, looking around in wonder.
"Well, Caleb's club has moved and his latest hideout is at the Orpheum," Willi said, pulling Luke with him.
"But how can that be? Someone would have to notice if a ghost club suddenly moved in there, wouldn't they?" asked Luke but Willi shook his head.
"Not necessarily. Caleb already has his tricks how to do it best," Willi said.
"Well, that's true again. You just can't beat Caleb because he has too many tricks he uses against others, you don't stand a chance.", Luke hung his head.
"Now don't say that. Just because we haven't found a way to get rid of Caleb for good doesn't mean there isn't a way," Willi was like Alex. He always tried everything to make the others feel better, even if he had to suffer for it himself. But that was just typical for the two of them, that's why they fitted together so well.
"Luke, there's always a way to get justice and I'm still sorry for what he did to you, but it's out of my hands. I can't change him. I can't stop him either. He's too powerful for me," Willi said when they reached the road leading back to Julie's house.
"I can understand you and I don't blame you. On the contrary, I understand very well how it feels to want to change something but not have the opportunity to do so," Luke said and for the first time he felt safe around Willi. Safe from all the evil, and safe from anything that would enter his thoughts. His head was clear again, he didn't have a headache anymore and he felt good, even if the world was just starting to crumble around him and there was nothing he could do about it, at least not yet. He needed a plan. A very good and, above all, very safe plan. It was the only way they would stand a chance against Caleb. And only then would they get the answers to their many questions.
"Do you know Caleb better?" Luke wanted to know from Willi, but Willi shook his head.
"You know, there are people who become ghosts because they have led a life they were not satisfied with. And then again there are such beings where you are not sure if they are already born as a ghost or if they have lived before. And I think the second one applies more to Caleb," Willi answered and they reached the studio, which was empty.
"So you mean Caleb has always been a ghost and didn't have a human life before like we did?" asked Luke and Willi nodded.
"I can't explain his anger at other ghosts any other way, and I can't imagine him as a human either!" admitted Willi.
"He's just far too evil for that and this energy he radiates is also different from that of a ghost who was a human before!", Willi added and dropped onto the couch next to Luke after they had entered the studio.
"Where are the other two?" asked Willi and Luke shrugged his shoulders.
"They must have a reason for not being here. Reggie almost ate a plant the other day, maybe something like that happened and they went to the doctor!" said Luke, remembering his parents watching him and just not having the courage and nerve to talk to them. He wanted to talk to them so badly. He wanted to tell them he was sorry. He wanted to let them know that he was still here, but they wouldn't understand and the last thing he wanted was to scare them. He couldn't watch that. It would break his heart. And he was already at the end, this was as far as he wanted to go, this was as far as he wanted to sink. No. He just couldn't talk to them. He couldn't let them know that he was still there after all. That he watched them every day and had been sitting quietly right in their house for the last few weeks, sitting at the table with them and everything was simple, only they didn't know and couldn't notice because he wasn't visible to them except now. But did they even want to see him? Or would they have an easier time if he didn't show up at all and they knew he was dead? Was that easier than knowing the truth? Luke didn't know.
"What are you thinking about?", Willi interrupted his thoughts.
"I have my parents to think about. They still live here and I haven't been to see them in 25 years!", Luke replied a little aggrieved.
"You haven't visited them since you became human again?" asked Willi, looking Luke in the eye.
"No. I just can't bring myself to look them in the eye. I'll probably scare the hell out of them when they see me again, even though they always think I've been dead for 25 years," Luke said, running a hand through his hair.
"I totally understand your concerns, but don't you think they'd be happy to finally see you again?" Willi asked and Luke nodded. Of course his parents would be happy but he just couldn't go to them. He just couldn't. Something deep inside him was holding him back. Something inside him didn't want him to do it, even though he couldn't think of anything else with each passing day.
"You shouldn't worry so much about it, just do what your head tells you," Willi said and Luke just nodded silently again without saying anything about it. He just didn't know what to do and not even Julie could help him.
"I can totally understand you there. I think my parents would react the same way you think your parents will, but if you really want to see them and don't want them to think you're dead anymore, then you should talk to them while you still can," Willi was right. He was simply right. Luke was aware of all this, but he kept asking himself what if it was all over again tomorrow. If he disappears from here again and never sees his friends again. What if he disappears from everyone's lives for good. What if nobody remembers him and he is just one of many who died because of something really stupid? What then? Is there any value then in him going to his parents, or would he just make things worse than they already are?
"You know, it was a big drama back then. My parents are not like everyone always says. They didn't want me to do music. They didn't think it was a good idea and the music would never be enough to live on. I don't really want to know what they think when they find out how things are today. That music helped me become famous, and that it helped me make myself alive again," Luke said and took a deep breath, then blew it out of him and took another deep breath.
"I guess you all didn't have it easy before you died, did you?" asked Willi, sounding a little sad.
"You can say that again. We didn't have it easy at all. After Alex came out, his parents went crazy and didn't pay any attention to him. And Reggie? He even came to the studio injured once because his father attacked him with a beer bottle when his parents were fighting again," Luke said and remembered very well the day when everything started to go wrong.
"You know, we've always had little problems, but it didn't really start until Reggie got hurt," Luke said, trying to chase the bad images out of his head, but they kept popping up over and over again.
"His dad is not a nice person and we don't know where his parents moved to after they left town. But I can tell you I'm glad he finally got away from them!", Luke ran his hands through his hair. He had a headache and just wanted to be left alone. He had always wanted nothing more than to just be able to live a normal life with his friends as a rock band, but somehow life didn't want them to be okay.
"Oh man, that sounds really shitty. I feel really sorry for you guys," Willi muttered, his face contorted.
"I didn't realise you guys were doing so bad back then," Willi cleared his throat and an awkward silence fell between them.
"Oh you know, it wasn't that bad. It was nothing new for us. We don't know any different," Luke said, not wanting to admit how much the whole thing was bothering him.
"But you didn't deserve that. I mean, you died so young and had no more joy in your lives because so many bad things happened," Willi said and Luke nodded.
"It was just the way it was then and we couldn't change it," Luke admitted.
"We tried everything but it just didn't work out. Nobody listened to us and we were on our own. Just like we are now, except we have Julie," Luke had to grin again at the thought of Julie. But then he remembered a situation that made sense in retrospect. Alex's words made sense now. Luke remembered.
Flaschback:
"Reggie?", Luke jumped up as his friend stumbled into the studio with a badly bleeding wound on his chest and some scratches on his face. His white Tshirt, over which he had pulled a shirt, was soaked in blood. He had never seen Reggie like this before.
"Hey dude, you alright?", Reggie didn't answer Alex either. He lost consciousness and slammed hard onto the studio floor. He had no strength left to stay on his feet. It was a miracle he had made it to the studio and hadn't fallen over before.
"God, Luke, we've got to do something!" cried Alex in panic and the two of them jumped up almost simultaneously and ran to the lifeless Reggie who was lying on the floor and no longer moving.
"That must have been his father. That rotten bastard. How did I know things would go wrong once Reggie lived there any longer.", Luke grabbed Reggie by his arms while Alex grabbed him by his legs and they carried him to the couch.
"We need to tend to the wounds. He's losing so much blood!", Alex shouted and Luke immediately ran to ask Bobby's parents for wipes and bandages while Alex held his hand over his mouth so he wouldn't throw up at the sight. He had never seen blood before. It always made him sick.
After Luke finally got the bandages, the two of them immediately went to work on Reggie as best they could.
"Honestly, we should stop him from ever going back!" said Alex and Luke just nodded while he stripped Reggie of the shirt and pressed a towel on the open wound.
"This just can't go on like this. He'll probably just kill him next time he throws a tantrum!", Alex didn't know what to do to make Reggie feel better. He knew that Reggie's father was not an easy person to deal with and that it was better to avoid him if one didn't want to fear anything. It was better that way, otherwise something would happen to you and you would have no control over it.
"He must have hit him really hard," Luke looked at the long cut that was on Reggie's chest. Blood was pouring out and didn't seem to stop. Luke was already bracing himself for the worst, that Reggie wouldn't open his eyes at all. The wounds were simply much worse than the last time. Reggie had never lost consciousness because of such wounds, because he already knew that he often got a beating. Luke always had to remember that Reggie was not a person who deserved such a beating.
"What do we do if he doesn't wake up?" Alex looked at Luke with concern, but Luke had no idea. He couldn't give Alex an answer. He didn't want to think about it, Reggie would wake up again. He was sure of that. Reggie was a fighter, he wouldn't be killed so easily, he had too strong a mind for that.
"He'll wake up again, Alex. You know him. He'll get through this!", Luke patted Alex's shoulder who was holding Reggie's hand and squeezing it gently.
"I just don't understand this. How could his father do something like this to him. Reggie is the nicest of people!", Alex looked at Reggie and then looked over his body. He could see some bruises on his stomach, chest and arms, and then the wounds that had been inflicted on him.
"You don't have to understand because there is nothing to understand. The man is just crazy and dangerous!" Luke said and wiped the blood off Reggie's forehead, then put a bandage around a cut on his wrist and put a big plaster on his chest.
"He looks like his dad went at him with a beer bottle and he was trying to protect himself from the sharp shards!" remarked Alex when he saw all the little cuts.
"I agree with you there. We should notify the police so this can finally end!", Luke stood up and threw the bloody towels on the floor, then looked at Reggie. He felt sorry for him and Luke felt even sorrier knowing there was nothing he could do about it. No one would believe a teenager, especially not him, a runaway-.
"You do realise we can't talk to his parents. They don't notice how badly their son is doing. And then all these violent fights, it always takes it out of him," Alex looked back at Reggie after Luke had cleaned up most of the blood.
"I know, but it can't go on like this. He's miserable when he's there and we're not doing much better either. After all, your parents haven't calmed down and mine certainly won't," Luke sat back down on the couch and squeezed Reggie's hand but he still didn't move. Reggie was breathing very shallowly and his stomach and chest were barely rising, as if he wasn't breathing at all.
"I just can't take this anymore. I mean why does it always have to be so bad. Why can't something change for once?", Alex looked at Luke. He was right. Something urgently needed to change at some point, because it couldn't go on like this. Not only the thing with Reggie was depressing the band, there were many other situations that made their lives difficult. And most of them were private problems with parents who couldn't understand or didn't want to understand why their children were so fascinated by music.
"What happened here?!" , Bobby came storming into the garage, looking alternately at Reggie, Luke and Alex, and at the pile of towels on the floor.
"Did you guys butcher something here?", Bobby asked, picking up the towels and throwing them into a basket that contained, among other things, Luke's laundry, who had been living here in the studio for a few days after running away from home.
"Reggie's dad went completely nuts again and attacked him," Luke explained, glancing at Reggie.
"The guy's homicidal. It can't go on like this. Reggie will stay here from now on. I insist.", Bobby fetched a bottle of water and placed it on the small table next to the couch.
"If he wakes up then we should take him to the hospital and get him checked out. We have the gig at the Orpheum in less than a week. He has to be well by then," Bobby reminded his two friends of the big upcoming day they had been waiting for so long.
"We just can't afford any mistakes there. Everything has to go well. It's our only and last chance, you know?", Bobby looked at Luke and Alex.
"Why should this be our last chance?", Alex asked, because there had never been any talk of that before. It had always been their dream to play at the Orpheum one day, because that was just the beginning of an extensive career, but after that they would still sit here in this studio and make music together. It wouldn't really change anything, people would just know them, more than before.
"My parents said to me they're sending me away from here so I can concentrate on singing, not playing an instrument," Bobby slumped his shoulders and looked down at the floor. He would have loved to spare his friends, but he had to tell them about it sometime.
"You want what?", Luke stood up and looked at Bobby, stunned.
"It's not my fault. They don't think it's right what I'm doing here in the band, so they want to find something better for me.", Bobby looked at Luke in whose eyes anger burned.
"I just don't believe it! See, this is exactly what I've been talking about all along. Our parents don't want us to do what we enjoy. They don't want us to do something on our own and succeed at it. They don't even think about whether we enjoy this!", Luke had stood up angrily and was now pacing the studio with a grim look on his face.
"I know, but maybe they're right and we're just getting ourselves into something here that we can't hold on to in the end," Bobby said and Luke gave him a punch on his shoulder.
"So you agree with them?!" he almost yelled at Bobby.
"No. I don't agree with them, but there's no hope for us. Alex can't go home because his parents don't want him there anymore, Reggie's being beaten and someone has to look out for him, and you, you've been living here in this studio for days and you just ran away from home because it got to be too much for you," Bobby said.
"It's not like you have anything left to lose, but I still have a family that takes me almost as I am. And they only mean well with me!", Bobby fell silent after he finished the sentence.
"I just don't believe it. We didn't build this place up for nothing. We started this band because we wanted to. We didn't want to be like all the others our age. We wanted something special and we got it!" said Luke.
"And this isn't just a band between four friends. It's also, for a lot of us, the only family we have left," Luke added, his voice was just too much for him and he couldn't handle so much negative energy. He didn't want it to be over just because his parents didn't like it. It had taken him years to get to where he was now. It had taken him weeks to find a place where everyone felt comfortable and the problems at home no longer mattered, and it had taken days to finally get everything set up the way it was now. He wasn't going to give that up so easily.
"I know it's a family, and I don't want to give all this up either, but what if the gig doesn't change anything for us? Then we don't have a future either," Bobby said, looking at Reggie who still wasn't moving.
"You know, back when we started this, it was a very different thing for us. Today, though, it's a lot more than it should be," Bobby looked at Reggie, whose chest was rising and falling slightly, but his shallow breathing made it almost impossible to tell.
"Give me a break. This is still a band formed by friendship. And it will stay that way. That concert there is going to change everything and we're finally going to have opportunities we can't even dream of, you know?", Luke asked the two of them, looking at them with wide eyes.
"We can't just give up, not now. He of all people needs us the most," Luke also looked at Reggie and Alex nodded.
"We still want to have a family, but his family hasn't been around for a long time. It's a big mess for him at home and I can understand why he goes back every time, because it's his family and he has no one else. So Luke is right, we mustn't give up now," Alex had said the words more seriously than he had ever done before. His voice was no longer soft and overheard, but strong and firm.
"Then I guess I'm the only one who sees things differently here," Bobby turned and took a step towards the door.
"You're not just going to leave now, are you?", Luke called after him but Bobby didn't listen to him and had already disappeared from the studio.
"Great," Alex leaned back against the back of the couch and looked up at the ceiling.
"That went well again," he looked at Luke but he didn't say anything more. His eyes were on Reggie, then he put his face in his hands and just stared straight ahead, not moving.
"Of course Bobby's not right, Luke. We all know that." , Alex tried his best to cheer Luke up, but Luke didn't respond.
"We always knew there would be one who would eventually quit and not be in the band anymore," Alex didn't know how to cheer Luke up, he just knew he had to make him understand that Bobby wasn't right.
"And if we're being completely honest, it's always been noticeable with Bobby that he's not as interested in our music anymore and doesn't notice the whole band thing as much as other things in his life," Alex remembered how many times Bobby had been absent from rehearsals, just because he always had other things to do, or didn't want to because he preferred to go out with a girl. How many times he had ditched the band and hardly cared anymore. It had happened too many times that Alex didn't even remember the day everything had changed so much and Bobby had decided to do his own thing.
"I just don't know what I'm going to do without this band. After this, there's no life for me without this band.", Luke said quietly and Alex would have barely understood him as quietly as he had said those words.
"Don't say that. There's always life after this," Alex snapped Luke out of his thoughts.
"And our lives haven't even really started yet. Tomorrow the world could be a different place, you know?", Alex said and Luke nodded.
"Hopefully better than today," Luke said quietly.
