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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘

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It was the day after performing at the Orpheum and Lexi found herself sitting on the floor with her back against her bed. A smile was plastered onto her face as she jotted down ideas for her future songs. Her pen glided along the pages of her songbook with ease as she thought back to the night before. Everything seemed to be going right for her and this was the happiest she felt in a very long time. For the first time in a long time, the redhead felt like she was on cloud nine and she never wanted that to end.

Just as she was about to take a break from writing, her ears picked up on the sound of one of her ghost friends popping into her room. The smile on Lexi's face did nothing but grow. However, her dreams of having a nice afternoon before meeting with her friends seemed to shatter. Because it wasn't one of the trio of ghosts standing in front of her. It was Willie.

"What are you doing here? How did you even know this was where I lived?" Lexi questioned after closing her songbook and jumping to her feet. Her brown eyes studied him until she realized just how panicked the Thompson boy looked. It wasn't long after that when she opened her mouth to continue speaking. "What's going on, Willie?"

"Caleb. He's planning something...but I don't know exactly what it is yet. I just know that he's not gonna stop until he has Alex, Luke, and Reggie," the brunette ghost told her before walking toward her and stopping a foot in front of her, "he also has this lifer working with him...or for him. Again, I don't know. But he just got here from New York."

"New York?"

Before the skater boy could continue, there was a knock at her bedroom door. Not even a second after that passed when Isaac asked if he could come in. Lexi tried to ignore the pit forming in her stomach as the ghost moved to stand behind her. Another moment of silence passed before she called out to her uncle. The door slowly opened to reveal the smiling blonde boy as he entered the room. However, before Isaac could say a word to his niece, Willie whispered three words into her ear that made her blood run cold.

"That's the lifer."

Lexi's entire body stiffened as soon as she heard the ghost's words. Despite all the emotions running rampant in her head, the Daniels girl forced a smile onto her face. Willie watched with an uncertain look in his eyes as Lexi walked across the room and pulled her uncle in for a tight hug. The redheaded girl instantly wrapped her hand around Isaac's wrist like she had done so many times before and dragged him toward the bay window couch. The two of them just sat there in awkward silence while Lexi continued to try to ignore the ghost watching them from across the room.

"You were amazing up on that stage, Lexi," Isaac told her with a giant grin on his face, breaking the stillness that settled around them, "I'm so happy I was able to witness that."

"Thank you for coming last night. It really means a lot to me," the redheaded girl responded while trying her best to keep all her emotions at bay and keeping a forced smile on her face, "do you have any plans before you head back to New York?"

"That's the best part! I'm staying in LA for a while! I need to spend time with my favorite niece and nephew!" the blonde boy exclaimed as he wrapped an arm around Lexi's shoulders and pulled her closer to his side, making a small laugh pass over the latter's lips, "plus there's a few things I need to get done out here."

Isaac's last sentence made all the joy Lexi was feeling fade before she went back to forcing the smile on her face. She found herself quickly glancing over at Willie, who had been watching their whole interaction with an uncertain look on his face. The ghost instantly sent her a small shrug in response to her nonverbal question before her attention landed back on her uncle.

"What kinda things?" the Daniels girl asked, silently hoping she imagined the flash of darkness that crossed her uncle's features before the grin on his face did nothing but grow.

"Nothing that you need to worry about," was all Isaac told her before getting to his feet, "I actually have to get to an appointment right now but you, Ryder, and I should get dinner soon to celebrate your accomplishment."

Lexi hesitated for a moment before following her uncle's actions. Once they were both standing, the Daniels girl pulled Isaac in for a tight hug. As his arms wrapped around her small frame, the redheaded girl silently prayed that Isaac wasn't about to go meet up with Caleb. But deep down, she knew that's exactly where he was going. There wasn't anyone else in Los Angeles he knew other than her family and his parents, which was one of the reasons it was so easy for him to move to New York. Their hug lasted for another moment before Isaac ended their embrace and left her room. Lexi's eyes stayed glued to him until he was out of sight before she closed the door.

The Daniels girl stayed facing the door as her thoughts bounced around in her head. But no matter how hard she tried, Lexi couldn't figure out why her uncle would align himself with a ghost like Caleb. It wasn't to impress her grandparents, who couldn't care less about music or clubs. And Andy and Rachel didn't care what he did, as long as Isaac was successful. So why was her uncle foolish enough to make a deal with a man who captured souls for fun?

Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the clearing of a throat, causing Lexi to turn around to face Willie. If she were being honest, she forgot the long-haired ghost was in the room with her. But after staring at him for a long moment, the Daniels girl let out a long sigh and sat down on her bed. She let another eternity pass before she eventually asked the question that had been the main thought floating around in her head.

"Why would Isaac work with Caleb?"

"Like I said earlier, I have no idea what they're planning. All I know is that it involves Alex, Luke, and Reggie," Willie responded, causing Lexi to finally look away from the floor to meet his gaze, "he wants to get back at them for not joining his band."

The Daniels girl couldn't hold back the annoyed groan that passed over her lips as she lay down on her bed. Her eyes stayed glued to her plain white ceiling until she was able to come up with her next words. "Not to sound rude or anything but is there anything useful you can tell me? Because all I know is that Caleb wants revenge and he's using my uncle to get it."

"I'm sorry, that's all I know. But if I find anything else out, I'll let you know," the ghost told her with a sad smile on his face, only for Lexi's body to tense before she sat up to meet Willie's gaze once again.

"No. You can't get involved. From what Alex told me, you still have Caleb's stamp. He'll use that against you if he finds out you're helping me. Or even if he discovers you came here," the Daniels girl responded as she got to her feet and walked toward the raven-haired boy. She then placed her hand on his shoulder without thinking, shocking them both when it didn't fall through. The two of them just stared at her hand on his arm for a moment until Lexi cleared her throat and looked back up at the boy. "I'll figure something out on my own. I'll also find a way to free you."

Willie forced a smile on his face before pulling the girl in front of him in for a tight hug. Lexi was surprised by his actions at first but soon wrapped her arms around him and returned the gesture. The two of them stayed like that for a while, allowing the ghost to savor his first hug with a lifer for what felt like an eternity. When they finally ended their embrace, Lexi looked up at Willie, only to find him staring down at her with a small smile on his face. "Thank you. But I don't care what happens to me. I just want you and Alex to be safe."

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Later that night, Lexi found herself sitting on the couch with her parents, Ryder, and Cami. The five of them were watching a movie and eating pizza like they did every Friday night. It was a tradition they started after Ryder graduated from high school so that they could have a set time to all be together despite their busy schedules. What they didn't know was that night was going to be anything but normal. It was going to be a night that would change their lives forever. And it all started with three boys deciding to do something normal for a change.

Instead of poofing into Lexi's room like they usually did, Reggie, Luke, and Alex decided to walk through the front door and up the stairs to the redheaded girl's room. However, rather than phasing through the door, they slammed right into it. The force caused the three boys to stumble backward at the same time a loud bang cut through the Daniels' residence. Lexi instantly shared a confused look with her family before she got to her feet and made her way over to where the sound originated from. The second she opened the door, her eyes widened in shock at the sight of Luke, Reggie, and Alex rubbing their hands over their faces while grumbling inaudible words under their breath.

"What're you guys doing?" Lexi questioned, causing the three boys to look up at her before sending her sheepish grins.

"We were coming to see you," Reggie responded while rubbing his forehead one last time and letting out a small chuckle, "but it didn't really work out like we planned."

The Daniels girl just stared at them for a long moment before a wave of realization washed over her. Her eyes scanned over the three boys in front of her then they moved to the door before landing back on Reggie, Alex, and Luke. The trio was muttering to each other about how hard they hit the door and complaining about the pain it caused. But what stood out the most were the bright red marks forming on each of their foreheads. It wasn't long after that when Lexi finally found the courage to ask the question that was bouncing around in her head. "Why didn't you phase through?"

The ghosts of Sunset Curve instantly froze and looked up to meet Lexi's gaze. However, their attention soon landed on something behind the girl in front of them, causing her to turn around to find Ryder and Cami standing a few feet away with wide eyes and dropped jaws. At first, the Daniels girl thought they were staring at her but she soon realized that they were looking past her. They were staring straight at Reggie, Luke, and Alex. Lexi opened her mouth to speak but no words were able to come out. Even if her voice hadn't failed her at that moment, she had no idea what to say. It wasn't long after that when the Daniels girl picked up on the sound of approaching footsteps before her parents appeared from around the corner. Andy's smile instantly fell when his attention landed on the three boys standing right outside the door.

"Alex?" was all the blonde man was able to say while his eyes stayed glued to the boy in pink. What felt like an eternity passed before Andy rushed forward and pulled his brother in for a hug. Lexi let out a gasp after watching her father's arms around Alex and not going through him.

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