Julie sat opposite Nick and she knew that something was wrong. Nick just didn't seem like himself. At first she put it down to the awkwardness that was between them after she rebuffed him again but now she wasn't so sure. They had only been at the café for about ten minutes when Nick started saying that there was somewhere that he wanted to take her. When she asked what it was, he had told her that it was a surprise but that she would love it. Even when she said that she should really be heading home, he kept on insisting and it was making Julie feel really uncomfortable. Deciding that she had had enough, that she wanted to go and talk to the boys about everything that had happened last night, she thanked Nick for the drink but said that she had to leave. Nick looked angry for a moment and that made Julie pause but she stood up anyway and grabbed her purse before heading to the door. As she passed Nick she could have sworn that he said that he wouldn't let her leave that easily but decided that she must have imagined it. Before she could reach the door, Nick grabbed her elbow and told her that she had to come with him.
"Nick! You're hurting me. Let me go."
Nick kept a firm grip on her elbow, even tightening his hand and little and Julie tried to pull her arm away from him. They were in a crowded café, all she had to do was make a scene and she was just about to.
"Make a sound or cause a scene and you won't like the consequences."
Julie looked over at him and realized that he was serious. And that just wasn't like Nick. She decided to take the direct route. She asked him why he was doing this. Was it because she said that she wouldn't go on a date with him?
"Why would I care if you went on a date with this scrawny young man?"
Julie stopped dead in tracks and looked over at Nick with a sick feeling. She was right, there was something wrong with him and she had a feeling that it had to do with a ghost. She had seen too many shows that showed ghosts possessing humans so that they could use their bodies. Was that what was going on? She knew it wasn't one of the boys, they would never do that. So it only left one possibility.
"You're Caleb aren't you?"
Caleb looked over at her with Nick's dead eyes and a creepy smile on his lips. Slowly he nodded his head.
"You are a smart one aren't you? And now you are going to help me figure out where the boys got their powers from and how I'm going to take it from them."
He pulled her towards the door and her purse slipped from her hands and landed next to the door just as she was pushed through it.
"What do you mean? Why do you think it's Covington? She was with Nick."
Luke looked at Reggie and Alex and he didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to explain that he just knew what he knew. He could feel it.
"It doesn't matter right now. We have to tell Carlos that she was here and figure out how to tell her dad without making Carlos look crazy. Let's go."
He poofed away and headed straight back to Julie's house. He landed in the studio and Carlos was there but he wasn't alone. Flynn was with him and she screamed when he suddenly appeared in front of her. Seconds later she screamed again when Reggie and Alex turned up causing Alex to scream a little as well. None of the boys were used to anyone other than Julie being able to see them. Reggie had told them about Carlos but now Flynn too.
"How can you see us?" Reggie asked in bewilderment.
"I-I-I don't know," Flynn stumbled with her words as she watched the boys. Shaking her head, she continued, "We can figure it out later. For now we have to figure out what's happened to Julie. She isn't answering any of my calls or texts and that just isn't like her."
"That's because she doesn't have her phone with her. " Alex said. "We found it at the café you told us about but neither Julie nor Nick was there and her bag was behind the door."
"OK, that's not right. We need to tell her dad what you guys found."
"And how do we do that. Remember, he doesn't know about us. We need to find another way."
"Easy, I'll tell him that I went there looking for her before I came over here. But first, I need to get her bag. You have to show me where it is. Let's go."
The boys stayed with Flynn and when they arrived at the café they showed her where they saw Julie's bag. After picking it up, they all went back to the Molina house. Flynn didn't even bother to knock on the front door. She never did. The Molina's were like family to her and now she had to get Mr. Molina to call the police so that they could start looking for Julie. Luke watched at Flynn and Ray sat side by side as he called the police and filled them in on everything that they knew. When he ended the call, he told the kids that an officer was coming over to talk to them all.
Caleb watched Julie as she sat and glared at him. He found it amusing that this little girl thought she could beat him. He was surprised that she had held up this long. It had been nearly 12 hours since he had taken her and brought her to his club. But now he had to go and perform. He couldn't allow anyone to come looking for him and find this girl. He also had to find somewhere to store this boy's body once he left him. He could hardly sing while wearing this skin suit. Realizing that the safest place to leave him in was this very room, along with Julie as no one would ever dare enter his office without his permission. He left the body and watched as he fell to the floor without even opening his eyes. Julie started to scream but he just turned to her and told her to be quiet. She looked over at him with disgust written all over his face and Caleb just laughed at her. He tied up the young man and gagged him before turning to Julie and after making sure that she was tied up securely, he reached over and gagged her before he left the room.
Julie frantically looked around the room as soon as the door shut. She had to get out of here. She now knew what that pyscho wanted. He was going to use her to get the boys or at least their power. He had not physically hurt her, yet. But she could tell that he would if she didn't tell him soon what she knew which was not much, if anything. None of them knew how any of this had happened. At least he didn't know about what had happened last night, not all of it anyway. Somehow he knew that the boys were still here and that his stamp had disappeared without "killing" them and he also knew that they hadn't crossed over and it had made him extremely mad when she wouldn't tell him anything but she was so scared and she knew that she had to get out of here. She tried to move her arms but they were so securely tied that she could hardly move them let alone get free. Looking over at Nick, she felt tears fall on her cheek. He had done nothing to deserve this and she didn't know if he was even all right. All she could do was prayer that he would be and that he wouldn't remember any of this.
Julie didn't know how much time had passed but when she heard the music stop she really started to panic. She knew that Caleb would be coming back and she didn't know what he was going to do to her. She hadn't managed to loosen the binding on her wrists but they were still too tight. Nick still hadn't moved and she was actually starting to cry but she didn't want Caleb to see her like this so she wiped her face on her shoulders to try to dry them and then looked up with determination. She had to be strong for the boys. As soon as she thought about the boys the more she tried to get free. She needed to get back to them; she had to keep them safe. Caleb was not getting his dirty, ghosty hands on them. Thinking about the boys also made her think about last night. Being able to touch them had been so weird but touching Luke had felt so right. Closing her eyes, she thought about what she would say to Luke if she could see him right now. It was almost like another prayer.
Luke was lying on Julie's bed when he thought he heard her voice. Sitting up abruptly, he scanned the room but didn't see her. Poofing downstairs, he looked over to the rest of the family who were all asleep on the couch. Clearly Julie wasn't here and when he asked Alex and Reggie they told him that she hadn't come home. Rubbing his eyes, he went back to lying on Julie's bed. Closing his eyes, he remembered last night and then he heard it again.
"Luke, I don't know if you can hear me but I think you can. Caleb has me and I'm scared. He wants to know how you and I are connected, how you have so much power. I don't know and even if I did, I can't tell him. I don't know exactly what he plans but I do know that it isn't anything good and I can't have you hurt or worse, taken from me. I need you and the guys in my life. You make my life have meaning. You brought music back to me and I'm sure that mum sent you to me and I know that she would want me to help you now. I just don't know what to do. Caleb has gone for now but I'm sure he is on his way back. The music has stopped and that scares me even more. I'm sorry Luke, I should have told you last night how much you mean to me and now I might not get the chance to do that. I'm so sorry"
Luke opened his eyes and could swear that he could hear Julie crying and it broke his heart. He called out to Reggie and Alex and they appeared in front of him.
"Julie just spoke to me."
"What are you talking about? We didn't hear her." Reggie said as he looked around the room.
"No Reggie, she wasn't here. She spoke to me…I don't know …in my mind. I could hear her loud and clear. I was right, Caleb has her and that means that the police are not going to find her."
He looked over at them and told them exactly what had just happened. Both of his friends looked at him as if he had lost his mind. Alex asked him if perhaps, maybe he just wanted to hear Julie and then he made her "speak to him". When Luke denied it and said that he had just been laying on the bed when her voice had come to him. Reggie sympathized with him but he still looked dubious and wondered if perhaps he just wanted to justify his theory that Caleb had Julie. Frustrated, Luke yelled at the boys, saying that they were wrong.
"Please guys, trust me. It was Julie. She talked to me and she was scared and who the hell knows what Caleb is going to do to her.
Alex and Reggie still looked unsure but they nodded their heads and asked Luke to go over everything that Julie had said to him. Luke decided to keep some of the personal stuff to himself but told them about what she said about Caleb wanting to know about their power and about how she thought he was coming back to her now that the music had stopped.
"Wait, what did you say? What music?" Reggie asked.
"I don't know. That was all she said, that the music had stopped."
"You don't think…"
"What Alex? What are you thinking?"
"Do you think he took her to the Ghost Club? Could that be the music that she was talking about?"
"Alex, you are a genius. That has to be it. Caleb would feel safe on his own home ground. Let's go. We know where it is. Let's get Julie back."
The three of them stood side by side and poofed together but seconds later they were back in Julie's bedroom with surprised looks on their faces. None of them could figure out what happened. They never had problems poofing somewhere before so why now? Luke however wasn't ready to give up. He continued trying to get to the Hollywood Ghost Club and he was continually blocked and it was then that Luke figured out what was going on.
"He blocked us somehow. He's made it impossible for us to poof into his club. We are going to have to find the lifers entrance and go in the old fashioned way. Do either of you remember exactly where the door is?"
Both Alex and Reggie shook their heads. They had never really seen the regular entrance but Alex had an idea where the hotel actually was but he knew that they would need help. He told the boys that but then wondered if they should reach out to Willie and ask him for his help again.
"Only if Caleb never finds out that he is helping us. Julie wouldn't want him to lose his soul."
Alex looked at Luke and thanked him for his concern. He then poofed out to find his friend and ask for his help again. It took longer than Luke wanted for Alex to return but when he did, he had the answer that they needed. Willie had told him exactly where the entrance was but he also warned Alex that Caleb would have it locked with magic and they may not be able to get in that way either. He had told him that he would poof over and do some reconnaissance before they left. He made Alex promise to wait to hear from him before he and the boys went to the club. Making Luke honor that promise was hard but he did manage to keep his friend at the house until Willie appeared about half an hour later. The boys immediately started to ask questions. Lots of questions and all at once. Willie held up his hands and waited for them to stop. When they did, he told them what he'd found.
Whilst he hadn't seen Julie he also hadn't been able to search every room but the fact the Caleb had ended the show early was a sure sign that he was up to something. He NEVER closed the show early. He was able to confirm that the front entrance had been sealed magically and he wasn't sure if they would be able to get in that way. But Luke told him that they didn't have any other option. They had to get Julie, who knew what Caleb was going to do to her. They had to go now. Everyone agreed and they poofed out. When they arrived at the hotel, Willie was with them.
"You shouldn't be with us Willie. Caleb owns your soul. You have to go." Alex begged
"Alex is right Willie. Julie wouldn't want you to risk your life for her. Thank you for all of your help but please go. We will be fine."
Willie looked at the boys and told them that he wasn't running away this time. He had been tied to Caleb for too long and he had seen him trick too many people into joining his club and he had stood by and done nothing but not anymore. Alex had shown him that Caleb might have control of his soul for now; he didn't have his heart or his conscious. He had to make a stand. Be the man that Alex deserved. He looked over at Alex and took his hand, pulling him closer before planting a quick, soft kiss on his lips. Alex opened his tear filled eyes wide and brought his free hand up to his mouth and ran his fingers over his lips, trying to feel the kiss. That was the first time he'd been kissed by a guy. Sure, he had fancied and fantasized about kissing a guy at school back in the day but that guy had been straight and Alex hadn't really come out to everyone. The boys had known but not many other people. But this, this felt right. Even with everything that was going on around them, the connection he had with Willie was strong and he didn't want to lose him.
"Willie, please, for me, stay out here. Or better yet, go home. I love that you want to stand up to Caleb but what you have already done tonight is enough. Let us do this. We will figure out how to get your soul back and then we can all go after Covington, together."
Reggie and Luke nodded in agreement, telling Willie that they agreed with Alex and if this didn't work they may call on him again. Reluctantly Willie agreed to go, for now but that they were to come and get him immediately if they needed him. He leant in and gave Alex another kiss, this time a little longer before telling him to be careful. He then poofed away and the three boys turned as one to face the hotel. They would be getting Julie back no matter what.