“I guess it’s my turn.” Roland pulled a sucker from his pocket and ripped off the wrapper. “Not that there’s much to tell, since I spent most of this whole ordeal locked in the van.”
“I said I was sorry,” I said, exasperated. “And besides, Oscar let you out eventually.”
“Yeah, how about a thank-you?” Oscar added pointedly.
Roland crunched down on his sucker and, giving us an insolent look, headed off to join Jess without another word.
I glanced behind us, where Lidia was fast asleep on the gurney. I’d managed to get a few minutes with her before the paramedics arrived. She’d shown me the picture of Levi in her locket. He had the same sharp nose and amber eyes.
“Is he still here?” she’d asked sleepily.
“Yes,” I’d told her. I didn’t have any way to prove Levi was still here, but I believed it. As long as Lidia was near Sam—as long as she was a ghost hunter—she would be in danger of being possessed. And Levi would stay, to try to protect her.
So I would do what I could to help him help her.
“Thank you.”
Glancing up, I realized Oscar was watching Lidia, too. “What? Why?”
“You saved her life,” he said. “Thanks.”
“Oh. You’re welcome.” It certainly hadn’t felt like saving her. In fact, the way Lidia’s eyes had rolled around in her head as I’d flashed the camera in her face would probably haunt my nightmares for a while. But it had worked—when she’d regained consciousness, she was herself again. Red Leer was gone. (Where he’d gone was something I was currently too tired to contemplate.)
“So . . .” I paused, adjusting the bandage on my elbow. “How long do you think you’ll be in Oregon?”
Oscar made a face. “No idea.”
We fell silent for a few seconds, swinging our feet over the concrete. I gave Oscar a sidelong look. “Think you’ll visit your dad?”
His legs fell still, and he took a few seconds to respond. “I don’t know. I guess so.”
“Oscar, it’ll be . . .” I stopped. It’ll be fine. But how could I say that, when really I had no idea? Maybe Oscar’s dad would understand when Oscar told him he’d been bullied because he liked a boy. Maybe not. Maybe my mom would start treating me like a daughter she actually wanted in her life. Maybe not.
“Whatever,” I finished decisively.
Oscar’s lips twitched. “It’ll be whatever?”
“Exactly.”
We smiled briefly at each other, then went back to swinging our legs and watching the crew.
Our last few days in Brussels were relatively quiet. I wrote a lengthy e-mail to Jamie and Hailey, detailing the entire Daems ordeal, and a much shorter version to Trish and Mark (after all, I’d be able to tell them the whole story in person soon enough). My blog post had a few hundred comments—some flattering, some insulting, but hey. As Roland had pointed out when he and the rest of the crew read it, the important thing was that people were talking about P2P.
Obviously, most of the buzz was about Emily’s arrest. The forums had exploded with new members all looking for gossip about the former host and the way she’d sabotaged the show, all because of her obsession with Sam. Ratings for the Brussels episode were bound to be incredible, thanks to the media hype alone—even people who didn’t care about ghost hunting would tune in just to see all the stuff with Emily. Fright TV wasn’t canceling Passport to Paranormal any time soon.
And the host curse was officially broken. After a long discussion with Jess, followed by an even longer discussion with me, Dad had decided to stay with the show. But first, we were going back to Chelsea.
“The whole crew’s taking two weeks off after the Brussels episode airs,” I told Grandma, twirling the phone cord around my finger. “I think everyone needs a break after the whole Emily thing. But Fright TV is sending us to South America at the end of November!”
“Excellent!” Grandma exclaimed. “Does that mean we’ll be having our annual Thanksgiving Freddy Krueger marathon?”
“Of course!” I paused, wrinkling my nose. “Unless you were planning to spend Thanksgiving with . . . I mean, I’ll be with Dad, and I don’t know if . . .”
“I’m sure we can work something out with your mom,” Grandma said reassuringly, then yawned. “I hate to say it, but it might be time for me to hit the sack,” she added. “Have a safe flight, okay? Tell Sam I said hello.”
I laughed. “Not gonna happen.” Hesitating, I stared at the laptop screen, where the P2P forums were still open. “Hey, Grandma?”
“Yes?”
I took a deep breath. “There’s something that’s been bothering me. I know the whole Sumner Stalker thing is just supposed to be a joke, but I . . . well, I don’t think it’s very funny. Emily . . .”
I paused, unsure of what I wanted to say. The truth was, Emily had terrified me far more than any horror movie or haunted prison ever could. I’d woken up at least once every night since Daems from nightmares filled with her high-pitched giggle, her hollow face, the gleam of her knife. She’d gone from being Sam’s fan to something much, much worse, all because she couldn’t let go of the bitter feelings eating her up.
“Emily was a real stalker,” I finished. “I guess I just don’t want anyone calling you one. Even if it’s just a joke.”
Grandma was silent for a moment. “You’re absolutely right, Kat,” she said at last. “I won’t call myself that anymore. Or anyone else, for that matter.”
I smiled, relieved. “Thanks.”
After we hung up, I closed the forums and started to log out of my e-mail. Then I noticed my chat contacts list and, after a second of hesitation, opened the window.
MonicaMills [Mom]
Unblock this contact?
“Kat?”
I glanced up to see Dad in the doorway. “Yeah?”
“Lidia’s cab is here.”
“Coming.” I clicked YES, then closed the laptop and followed Dad out into the hallway.
The whole crew had gathered in the lobby to say good-bye to Lidia. A few days of possession-free rest had done wonders—she still looked a bit drained, but much more like her old self. Still, Jess hovered around her with a nervous look, as if she expected Lidia to collapse again at any given moment.
I spotted Oscar standing off to the side as the others took turns hugging Lidia good-bye. He smiled when he saw me.
“Jekyll?”
I glanced down at my T-shirt. “Yeah. If I wear it inside out, it says Hyde,” I told him, and he laughed.
“Nice.”
“Thanks.” I glanced outside, where Dad and Roland were loading luggage into the cab. “So . . . I’m going to meet my mom’s fiancé this weekend. And his daughter.”
Oscar made a face. “Well, maybe it won’t be that bad.”
“Famous last words,” I said dryly. “If we were in a slasher movie right now, you’d be the first one the maniac attacked with a chainsaw.”
“Probably.” Oscar’s smile faded, and he stuck his hands in his pockets. “I’m, um . . . I’m going to see my dad. Lidia said she’d set up a visit when we get home.”
I nodded, unsure of what to say. We stood in silence, watching as Jess, Sam, and Lidia started heading out the entrance.
“I’m glad, though,” Oscar said suddenly. “I’m tired of worrying about it, you know?”
“Yeah.” I tried to sound optimistic. “And hey, the bright side is, no matter how good or bad things go, at least we’ll see each other again in a few weeks.”
“That’s a bright side?” Grinning, Oscar dodged a light punch I aimed at his arm. “Just kidding.”
“Oscar, let’s go!” Lidia called, and he picked up his backpack.
“Good luck,” I said, sticking my hand out. Oscar took it firmly in his, and we shook.
“You too, Docto
r Pain.”
Outside, Dad slipped his arm around my shoulders as Lidia and Oscar climbed into the cab. We waved until they pulled out of the parking lot and disappeared around the corner.
Roland stretched his arms over his head and yawned hugely. “I’m starving.”
“Well, we’ve got a few hours to kill,” said Jess. “Want to grab something to eat before the twenty-four hours of nasty airline food begins?”
“You should order the vegetarian meals,” Sam told her mildly as we started walking. “The tofu curry I had on the flight to Rotterdam was delicious.”
“It was pretty good,” Roland agreed, exchanging an amused look with Mi Jin. “Probably because that was pork, not tofu.”
I lagged behind, pulling my camera out of my pocket. Dad glanced over his shoulder.
“You all right?”
“Yeah.” I waved the Elapse at him. “Just wanted to get some pictures, if that’s okay.”
Dad smiled. “Of course.”
I slowed down, taking in the cobblestone street, the cluttered shop windows, the tiny tables set up under colorful awnings. Up ahead, Dad and Jess were chatting away about the architecture (judging from their animated gestures to the surrounding buildings), while Roland and Sam watched Mi Jin drop a few coins into the case of an accordionist squeezing out an upbeat polka. For a moment, all five of them stood still as crowds of people hurried by.
Kneeling, I held the camera up to my eye. “Okay,” I murmured, adjusting the lens until they were in focus. “Lots of motion around them, a slower shutter speed would give the crowd a really cool blur . . . wider aperture, shallower depth of field and . . . perfect.”
Click!
1
Oct 10 • Emily Rosinski
Cannon Beach, OR • Limerick Bed & Breakfast
Creator and producer Lidia Bettencourt grew up in this coastal Oregon town, and her childhood fascination with the haunted lighthouse led her to choose it as the location for P2P’s first episode. The pilot episode included the infamous “dead air”—90 seconds during which viewers lost sound/audio. Fright TV could not explain the disturbance, leading to the show’s slogan: “The most haunted show on television.”
2
Oct 17 • Emily Rosinski
Seattle, WA • Oxford Hotel
The crew investigated room 610 of this hotel, where the ghost of a local author terrorized visitors by attempting to re-create scenes from her horror novel, The Woman in the Mirror.
3
Oct 24 • Emily Rosinski
Las Vegas, NV • Burning Love Wedding Chapel
This episode featured one of P2P’s most popular scenes, in which Sam Sumners attempted to contact the ghost of the Elvis impersonator who haunted the chapel and ended up entertaining the crew with a rousing rendition of “All Shook Up.”
4
Oct 31 • Emily Rosinski
San Diego, CA • Sandoval Studios
This art studio claimed the spirit of a troubled artist haunted its gallery, occasionally making small changes to paintings, such as adding small clouds or extra stars.
5
Nov 7 • Emily Rosinski
Tucson, AZ • Silver Rush Mansion
The crew spent the night in this mansion, said to be haunted by the disgruntled original staff from the early nineteen hundreds.
6
Nov 14 • Emily Rosinski
Santa Fe, NM • Dragonfly Dance Hall
The spirit of a ballroom dancer betrayed by her partner lingers in the dance hall, occasionally trying to tempt visitors into a waltz.
7
Nov 21 • Emily Rosinski
Austin, TX • The Asylum
The crew investigated claims that this popular Halloween haunted house was actually haunted by a restless spirit year-round.
8
Dec 5 • Emily Rosinski
Dallas, TX • OCH Recording Studio
A fire claimed the lives of seven musicians at this studio over a decade ago. The studio was rebuilt and outfitted with new equipment, but occasionally, engineers report the song the band had been recording when the fire started begins playing through the speakers.
9
Dec 12 • Emily Rosinski
Lake Quivira, KS • Crowing Farm
The crew explored the cornfields surrounding this abandoned farm, once the ritual site for an eerie cult.
10
Dec 19 • Emily Rosinski
Madison, WI • Stet News
The owners of this local paper claim headquarters are haunted by the spirit of a disgruntled copy editor responsible for sneaking typos into articles just before the paper goes to print.
11
May 8 • Emily Rosinski
Evanston, IL • Saint John’s Cathedral
The crew investigates local claims that this church is haunted by the spirit of a young nun who tried to run away to enter a beauty pageant but was hit by a motorcycle and died on the front lawn.
12
May 15 • Emily Rosinski
Fayetteville, AR • TW Hart Bridge
Local legend says this bridge is haunted by the spirit of a bank robber in the mid eighteen hundreds, who sought refuge in the Ozark mountains and, when trapped by authorities, leaped off the bridge to his death.
13
May 22 • Emily Rosinski
New Orleans, LA • Blacksmith Bar
A fan favorite, this episode includes the infamous scene where Roland tries to conjure Bloody Mary in the mirror of the women’s bathroom.
14
May 29 • Emily Rosinski
Charlotte, NC • Dusty Wind Backcountry
Those who venture out onto this difficult trail sometimes claim to see the ghost of a hiker who perished in the backcountry decades ago.
15
June 5 • Emily Rosinski
Charleston, WV • Pelotaid Factory
The fire which raged at this factory half a century ago didn’t destroy the building—but it did claim the lives of eleven workers, who still roam the facilities today.
16
June 12 • Emily Rosinski
Oakton, VA • Frostproof Gardens
The crew spent the night in a greenhouse haunted by what locals referred to as an “agent of darkness” responsible for squeezing the juice from its still-ripening fruits.
17
June 26 • Carlos Ortiz
District of Columbia • The White Whale
In the first episode with new host Carlos Ortiz, the crew investigates a popular club haunted by the spirit of a guitarist. Some visitors claim to see colorful auras when there’s a guitar solo during a show.
18
July 3 • Carlos Ortiz
Baltimore, MD • Clementine Cottage
The crew explores the former home of a local poet who believed the spirit of his deceased wife remained with him as his guardian angel. Even after his death, locals claim her ghost still haunts the cottage.
19
July 10 • Carlos Ortiz
New Hope, PA • Brew Ha Ha
This café is famous for two things: its delicious fried rabbit sandwich and the spirit of the woman tried and hung for witchcraft in the sixteen hundreds, who now haunts its kitchen.
20
July 17 • Carlos Ortiz
Park Ridge, NJ • Bottle of Jinn
More commonly known as “the one where Carlos got a tattoo,” this episode features a bartender with a supposed third eye wh
ose bar is haunted by a genie-like spirit capable of granting wishes.
21
July 24 • Carlos Ortiz
New York, NY • The Alcazar
This elegant theater claims to be haunted by the spirit of its first producer, who expresses his dissatisfaction during performances by flickering the lights and causing prop malfunctions.
22
July 31 • Carlos Ortiz
Monroe, NH • Sacred Heart Church
Locals claim a particularly wicked poltergeist haunts this church’s cemetery, raising blood and bone from the dirt.
23
Aug 7 • Carlos Ortiz
Dublin, Ireland • Blackburn Castle
In P2P’s first international episode, the crew investigates the unexplained screams and maniacal laughter sometimes heard echoing through the stone halls of this ancient castle.
24
Aug 14 • Carlos Ortiz
Glasgow, Scotland • O’Friel’s Inn and Pub
Dead Air Page 19
