Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

"You must be Natalie, Harper and Alice from Mudville. I'm Samantha Carr—you can call me Sam. I'm the producer on this project. Welcome to Halloween Ghost Challenge !"

"I would have taken help with the luggage over this bubbly broad's welcome ," Alice mumbled behind Natalie.

Harper subtly shushed Alice before taking a step forward, arm extended. "Harper Lowry. A pleasure to meet you, Sam. We're all thrilled to be here representing Mudville."

As Sam accepted the handshake it was obvious Harper had engaged professional mode . It was a good thing she'd stepped up to the plate as ad hoc Mudville ambassador. Natalie wasn't sure she had the mental bandwidth to deal with everything happening around her.

"But I thought the show was called Ghost House ," Harper pointed out.

Sam pressed her lips together and nodded. "It was, until the hit movie of the year released last week and it, we discovered, contains a show called Ghost House ."

"So the fictional show within a movie was named the same thing as your actual show." Harper nodded. "Understood. Don't want a lawsuit."

"No, we do not," Sam agreed.

Meanwhile, Natalie found herself holding her breath as the gathering press of ghosts closed in on them. The closeness proving those spirits trapped here on earth in the afterlife had lost the ability to respect the personal space of the living. The show's crew seemed to suffer from the same affliction as one cameraman pushed in close enough Natalie could read the name printed on the ID badge that hung by a lanyard around his neck— Jake Romano .

She resisted the urge even though she really wanted to channel Harper and say, Nice to meet you, Jake… Now get out of my face.

But cameras were all part of what she'd signed up for, so Natalie forced a tight-lipped smile for the camera and tried not to react when a child ran directly at her, curls bouncing. The stage make-up and the perfect child-sized version of an adult turn of the century dress made the girl look like a miniature grown-up.

The illusion only added to make Natalie's first child ghostly encounter even more disturbing.

What had this girl died from and why hadn't she moved on? Natalie wondered that as she stoically held still, even as the girl reached out one tiny ghostly hand and petted Natalie's boots.

"Ooo. I like these," the girl cooed. "They're soft."

"Ugh, Clara. No. Just no. Girl, let Bobby tell you something. As one of the most acclaimed costume designers of my time, no woman who Bobby LaRue dressed would leave looking like an outdoorsman like this one here." Bobby, who apparently liked to refer to himself in the third person, waved a hand in Natalie's direction as he lectured the girl ghost about fashion.

"The sweater is much too baggy but maybe not irredeemable," he continued. "Picture this same outfit but with a nice white patent-leather boot with a high chunky heel. I do like her friend's outfit though. Very chic but also casual. Those high black boots. Perfection."

Bobby LaRue, flamboyant to the bone, appeared every bit the quintessential nineteen-seventies costume designer as he delivered a chef's kiss into the air while the girl continued to stroke Natalie's boots.

With a creepy tingling running up her spine and her foot getting cold from the icy touch of the child ghost's attention, Natalie stood frozen in place pointedly not looking at either ghost.

Meanwhile, oblivious to Natalie's situation, Sam the producer waved a twenty-something dark-haired man over to where they stood. "We have refreshments and a get to know each other gathering for the cast and crew starting in a bit. But first, we have to take care of business. Aiden here is the show's tech guy. He'll be collecting your cell phones for the duration of filming. But don't worry. We'll keep them locked up safe."

That was just one more thing that had Natalie ready to bolt. Besides the cameras and the ghosts in her face—a week without any way to contact home was terrifying.

She couldn't check on the shop. Wouldn't be able to hear Liam's voice when she needed to—like right now. And if someone needed to reach her, they wouldn't be able to.

"What if there's an emergency at home?" Natalie asked, still clutching her cell so tightly she was starting to lose feeling in her fingers.

"That's why we provided an email address and phone number in your paperwork. If there is an emergency, your loved ones can contact us and we'll get you." Sam smiled as if Aiden the tech guy wasn't about to take away the only security blanket Natalie had left.

"Sounds good. No problem at all!" Alice said and dramatically dropped her cell phone into Aiden's bag with a flourish, before she turned to Natalie and Harper and delivered an open-mouthed, exaggerated wink.

What in the hell was that all about?

Natalie would have asked except Aiden wasn't done with them yet.

"We're going to set you up with your microphones now. We want to capture every moment, every word, every sound while you're here. Day and night." Sam smiled again, as if she hadn't just announced an absolutely horrific scenario. "Okay?"

Every moment. Every word. Every sound.

"Sounds good," Harper said as Aiden outfitted her with her microphone.

"Yeah. Sounds great," Natalie said, hoping Aiden's sound system didn't pick up her sarcasm.

"Even in the toilet?" Alice asked leaning in before she elbowed Natalie in the side. "Guess I'm glad I packed that Gas-X and Pepto, eh? Along with a few other things." Alice winked again.

Natalie managed a nod as Aiden walked right through Bobby. The ghost gave an exaggerated shudder, before fluttering his hand to fan his face as he said, "Woo. I just love when the hot ones walk through me."

Aiden wasn't unaffected himself. She saw the tremor of a chill run through him as well. He frowned, but the unseen ghostly encounter didn't stop him from coming at her with her microphone.

He did mumble, "Hope they turn the heat up in here."

Natalie smothered a snort. She knew from personal experience turning up the heat didn't help when a ghost decided to walk through a living.

She nodded in agreement with him anyway. "Let's hope."

While she was at it, she could hope the half dozen—and growing—ghosts surrounding them never figured out that she could see and hear them.