Ben Rivers adjusted the settings on his camera for the third time before glancing up at the team's tech expert, Felix, for a reaction. Ben was Whispers in the Dark's newest member. They were a paranormal investigation TV show that aired on a small network. When you coupled this with their ever-moving time slot, you didn't have to wonder why they struggled with their ratings. These facts didn't deter Ben from joining the team as the cameraman. Their old one had left after a falling out with the team, but Ben didn't know what caused the disagreement and was too afraid to ask.

Felix Harper stared at his screen with the same blank expression he had held for thirty minutes. Ben swore it hadn't changed once.

"It's still fuzzy," Felix said. He shook his head and ran his hand through his brown hair, making it even more of a mess than it usually was. He had almost the same hair color as Ben, but Ben kept his hair short and clean-cut. Stubble was the only similarity between their looks, but Ben's was purposeful, whereas Felix's resulted from laziness. Felix adjusted his glasses and stared at the screen. "I think it's your camera. Are you using the Axiom 380?"

"Nah, money has been tight. I'm still dealing with a 250," Ben replied.

"Well, there's your problem. I thought you would come to us with the latest and greatest equipment, Rivers."

"Sorry, but you'll have to settle for the recent and decent."

"Heh! I like that," Ami smiled without looking up from her phone. Ami Kimura was the team's social media expert, marketer, and investigator. She was a young Japanese girl with purple streaks in her black hair. They were as vibrant and colorful as her wardrobe. Ben wondered if that would scare off ghosts, but he realized how silly that notion was on multiple levels. He also noticed Ami stayed glued to her phone most of the time. "I'm going to have to use that one," she added while typing. Ben wondered if she was writing a reminder.

"Okay, how about now?" Ben asked after making a few more adjustments.

"I'm still not getting a clear picture," Felix sighed.

"Maybe the ghosts are interfering with it," Ami said.

"Do they tend to do that?" Ben asked, trying not to smirk.

"Only when they're mad," Ami replied. "Hey, Malcolm, are you feeling any bad vibes?" she asked, turning to the tall black man at the back of the room.

Malcolm Davis would have been intimidating if he wasn't so charismatic and friendly. He stood six-foot-five and had a thick but neatly trimmed beard. When he spoke, he held a deep gravitas that Ben thought would be perfect for voice acting. He had suggested it to Malcolm when they met, but Malcolm laughed.

"Nah, I'm feeling only positive vibes," Malcolm replied, waving his hand around the ballroom.

"That makes sense. They said old man Blanchard held some pretty bangin' parties here," Ami said.

"I bet. Can you picture this room filled with people dancing the night away?" Malcolm asked. He stuck out his arms like he was dancing with an invisible partner and performed what looked like a slow salsa dance.

"Ooh, are we having a dance party?" Ami asked. She joined him and shimmied before coming dangerously close to twerking.

"You two are killing me," Felix said. He momentarily frowned and shook his head before returning to his usual unperturbed expression. "Hey! That looks good!" he added to Ben.

"Finally!" Ben replied, triumphantly throwing his arms in the air. Once he situated the camera, Ben put the other tools back into his case, ensuring everything was where it should go. It looked pristine, which heavily contrasted with Felix's desk. The workspace somehow became littered with potato chip bags and scattered gadgets in the short time since they set up the tech area. Ben witnessed Felix opening his equipment and wondered if he was a wizard. That would have been the only way to explain how he crammed twenty pounds of supplies into a ten-pound bag.

"Hey, Ben, I need to get your social media accounts so I can add them to the list," Ami said.

"Oh, I'm only on Zed and Friendzone," Ben replied.

"Ew, don't call it Zed. I hate that new name," Ami said, wincing in disgust. "What's your account?"

"It's @BenRivers92."

"How original," Ami smirked.

"What? It's my name, and I happen to like my name."

"You should have called it something cool, like @RiversRunDeep."

"A river runs through it," Felix added.

"Ben there, done that," Malcolm said.

"Guys, I'm not changing my screen name," Ben replied.

"You're no fun," Ami said, sticking out her tongue.

"So, where's Ava?" Ben asked, ignoring Ami's comment. He looked around for Whispers in the Dark's host, Ava Sinclair. He had already met her, but she disappeared shortly after that.

"She's talking to Jim. I stopped listening because it sounded like they were arguing," Ami replied, gesturing toward a room behind them. Jim Murphy was their producer. He seemed agitated lately because of their dipping ratings.

***

Ava retreated to a nearby room to speak with Jim. She didn't want to bother the rest of the team with her argument. Ava was a young woman in her mid-30s with long chestnut hair that fell in waves. She wore a leather jacket over her vibrant, Boho-style dress. Her dark brown eyes held worry instead of their usual soulful gaze. Jim was stressing her out with all his talk about ratings and reviews.

Stolen story; please report.

"Ava, we need a good episode to pick the ratings up. You need to spice things up a little," Jim said. Ava frowned because she knew what he meant by this.

"Jim, I don't fake evidence. We've talked about this already!"

"I'm not asking you to add anything major. Just slip a whisper into the episode or something."

"That's not happening! Besides, we both know our content isn't the problem. It's freakin' Damien! Did you see his recent episode? Why is he so obsessed with us?" Ava asked. She was referring to their competition, Damien Blackwood. Damien ran a show called Blackwood Mysteries. He focused on debunking the paranormal but had an unhealthy fixation on Whispers in the Dark. Damien always investigated places they had recently hit to disprove anything Ava said in her episode. They nicknamed him "Shade" because he always threw shade at their program.

"Competition is a good thing, Ava. He's only drawing attention to your show," Jim replied.

"That's not how it's working! He's trying to put us out of business."

"Don't worry about Damien. Just focus on giving me a good episode!"

"You know I always do. Trust me, okay?"

"I do. Now, get to work."

Ava sighed as she hung up the phone. She momentarily stared at the screen before returning to the conversation she was holding before the call. An old man stood behind her in the room. He wore a three-piece suit and had a glorious gray mustache. Herman Blanchard had been dead for almost one hundred years. He had a misty, translucent appearance, but Ava could clearly discern his details despite being able to see the wall behind him.

"I'm sorry about that," Ava said. "That was my producer."

"It's quite alright, young lady," Herman smiled.

"This is probably confusing to you, huh?" she asked, holding her phone.

"Not at all. I'm dead, but I pay attention to the world around me. I know all about your celly phones and tell-visions. You all have certainly come up with some amazing inventions since my time," he laughed. "I like that show Angry Housewives. It's so entertaining."

"You watch TV?"

"Sometimes, I sneak into nearby houses and watch with them. They don't know I'm there."

"Have you watched my show?"

"I can't say that I have," Herman sheepishly replied.

"Oh, okay. Well, I host a show where I capture ghost evidence. Would you like to help me?"

"I get to be on the tell-vision?" Herman asked, looking hopeful. "I always wanted to be an actor!"

"Unfortunately, it's not that simple. I can see you because I have the gift, but my cameras aren't so lucky. It takes a lot of energy for you to manifest or communicate. Sometimes, it doesn't work."

"Can your friends see me too?"

"No, it's just me. They don't know I can talk to ghosts, and I'd like to keep it that way. The last guy who found out noped out on our show."

"Noped out?"

"It's a saying. Frank quit the show. He was our last cameraman. That's why I hired Ben."

"Ah, I understand! Since your friends can't see me, tell that young woman I did not hold bangin' parties! We did not conduct orgies in this house!" Herman said, angrily pointing a finger toward the ballroom.

"That's not what she means by bangin'. It's just a phrase," Ava explained, but Herman stared at her. "Never mind," she added, trying to hide her laughter. "Look, I can offer you something if you help me."

"Like what?"

"I could help you cross over—if that's a thing."

"Why? I like hanging out here. I can go anywhere I want," Herman replied, but Ava didn't think he was being honest.

"Are you afraid of the other side?"

"I'm terrified, but it doesn't matter. Do you actually know how to help me cross over? I feel like you don't."

"No, I've never done that, but I want to see if I can," Ava replied, smiling hopefully.

"You're a sweet girl. I don't want to cross over, and you don't have to give me anything. I'll help with your tell-vision show. Just tell me what to do."

"Maybe you could say a few things, and I'll see if my equipment picks it up. Or you could move something!"

"I've tried, but I've never been able to move anything. I couldn't even scoot a penny up a door frame."

"It's okay. Try your best, and let's see what happens."

***

"You nervous, Rivers?" Ava asked Ben when she returned to the ballroom.

"A little, but that's to be expected," Ben shrugged as he gathered his camera and got ready to begin the shoot. He hoisted the equipment onto his shoulder and followed Ava into the room.

"Don't be. We're going to do great. Isn't that right, Malcolm?"

"We're going to kill it as usual," Malcolm replied.

"Poor choice of words, Mal," Ami laughed.

"Good point. My bad."

"How does it feel, Malcolm?" Ava asked.

"Things feel good here. I'm sensing a lot of positive energy."

"Mal believes he has an emotional radar," Ami explained to Ben. "He says he can read any place we go. I don't know if it's true, but he's usually pretty accurate."

"Is that so?" Ben asked, unable to hide his doubt.

"You're not a believer, are you?" Ava asked.

"I'm a skeptic."

"So, why did you join a paranormal investigation?"

"I'm not opposed to believing. I just need more evidence."

"I was the same way, but you'll become a believer if you stick around here long enough," Felix replied. "Ava is pretty good at getting evidence."

"We all are. This is a team effort, and that includes you, Rivers. You're one of us now," Ava said, playfully punching Ben's arm. When she said this, everybody started chanting, "One of us!" Ben looked a little uncomfortable.

Then, Ava joined the curator of the Blanchard Mansion, a young woman named Bella Novak. When she greeted everyone, she had a pleasant smile. Ava explained how they would film the episode. She would do a series of interviews with Bella, explaining each room and the house's history. Next, they would begin their investigation, which would last all night.

"Don't worry about messing up. We don't do this live. You can do as many takes as you need," Ava said.

"Thank you," Bella replied.

"Ooh, I like your accent. Where are you from?"

"Croatia."

"Neat. I would have guessed Russia," Felix said, but this annoyed Bella.

Once they were situated, Ava began filming. "Welcome, everybody! I'm Ava Sinclair, and this is Whispers in the Dark! We're here at the Blanchard Mansion for tonight's investigation. Allow me to introduce Bella Novak, the curator of the mansion. Bella, tell us a little about the history of this home."

"Thank you. Tully Blanchard built this mansion in 1864. It has stayed in the Blanchard family ever since. The mansion became known for hosting many famous people, including former governor Tyson Marchbanks."

"I keep telling this woman it was his cousin, not Tyson himself," Herman said, but Ava ignored him. She had to pretend she didn't see or hear Herman. Her lack of reaction seemed to annoy Herman. He leaned down and yelled into the microphone, "I SAID IT WAS HIS COUSIN!"

"Ooh, Ava. I'm getting some weird feedback on the mic," Felix said.

"Did you hear any EVPs?" Ava asked.

"No, was I supposed to?"

"Probably not. I was curious."

"I'll try to clean it up. Keep going," Felix said, returning to his computer.

"Is it working?" Herman asked. Ava shook her head a fraction of an inch, which emboldened Herman. He continued yelling into the microphone. The less it worked, the more agitated he became. Soon, he was loudly cursing.

"Oh, wow! I just got a clear EVP, Ava, but I don't think we can use it," Felix said.

"Why not?"

"It was rather foul."

The exchange confused Ben. He kept filming, but he glanced around, wondering what was happening. While Ben fidgeted, Herman went to a nearby vase and waved his arms around it. "Come on! Move, you stupid vase!" Herman grumbled.

"Um, should I continue?" Bella asked.

"Yes, keep going," Ava replied.

"As I was saying, the mansion hosted many parties involving famous—OH, MY GOD!" Bella screamed because the vase flew across the room and shattered against Ben's head, knocking him out cold.

"I DID IT!" Herman cried, throwing his arms in the air.

"Oh, god. They're going to cancel us," Ava said, face-palming as she spoke.