Our Ghost Adventures

I didn’t know why I was doing this. I shouldn’t have. I regretted it now. This was completely and totally stupid. It wasn’t like they’d pick me anyway. I was sure that there were thousands of people out there that were a better choice than me. I was simply a girl from a small town in Ohio that my friends had forced me into going to an interview to join the Ghost Adventures crew. Sure, I loved the show and we’d all done a little ghost hunting ourselves, but there was still a possibility the show wasn’t even real. Although, what I had experienced in my thirty-one years was. I knew that ghosts existed. They had been following me around since I was just a child. That’s why my friends always dragged me along to the haunted places because they told me that I was the ‘key’ to actually seeing something. I thought that they were simply full of crap and just wanted me to protect them. I loved them all dearly, but let’s face it. They were chickens at heart.

“Please state your name and say why you think you’re qualified to work with us,” none other than Zak Bagans had just said that. Oh my God, my inner high school girl screamed. He’s even hotter than person! I took a deep breath and sat down on the stool before them. I cleared my throat slowly.

“I’m Adrina McMurphy. Um, quiet honestly I was pushed into this. My friends and I ghost hunt as a
hobby-none of us are able to make a career out of it…So anyway, they always say that they can only pick up any activity when I’m with them. I’ve had experiences with spirits since I was younger. And oh wow, I’m sorry guys. I’m really nervous right now. I’m a huge fan of your show…This is going bad…I’m sorry for wasting your time. I’m sure you have plenty of other people to-”

“Adrina, right?” I nearly swooned. Zak Bagans had just said my name. I could only nod. “Look, you’re not wasting your time. There’s plenty of other people who have, but I’d like to hear more.” He rested his chin in his hand.

“How about we ask you a couple of questions to get a better insight into you,” Nick said.

“Sure,” I agreed.

“Now we know that we’ll be having to spend a lot of time with you. How easily angered are you?”

“My friends can be the most annoying bunch of people you’ve ever met in your life at times, once a month; we would spend an entire weekend locked down in a ‘haunted’ place.”

“Good with being in a confined space,” Aaron took a note on a note pad in front of him.

“How good are you in front of a camera?” Nick asked.

“So long as I can kind of ignore it, I’m fine.” I had to be honest if they wanted me on their show; they had to want me for me. “I’m sure that I’d be so much better if I have practice.”
“Do you believe in ghosts?” Zak asked.

“Yes. I believe in what I see,” I said.

“Excuse us for one moment please,” Zak stood and the three guys walked away for a moment.

***Zak’s POV***

“What do you guys think?” I asked. She sure seemed like something. If she wasn’t just doing this for her fifteen seconds of fame, she could be worth joining the crew.

“Initially, she seems pretty cool,” Nick said.

“Yeah, I think she could be the one we’re looking for,” Aaron agreed.

“Maybe we should ask her the basic questions too, to make this all more ‘official’ or whatever,” Nick suggested. I nodded. We needed a fourth investigator. Because we didn’t have a big camera crew, we couldn’t get all of the footage we needed. Adding a fourth person could be very helpful.

We walked back in and took our seats again. She was pretty too. She wore a long sleeved black shirt and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail with her bangs covering her forehead. “Okay, Adrina, what’s your birthday?”

“May 14th. I’m thirty-one.”

“What’s your middle name?”

“Caroline.”

“Where are you from?” Nick asked her.

“A small town, about forty-five minutes from Cincinnati, Ohio.”

“Are you married?” Aaron asked.

“Single, actually.”

“Okay,” I said, rubbing my hands together. “We weren’t expecting to find someone our first day, but you might be exactly who we’re looking for.”

“Oh my God, really?” She stood excitedly.

“We’ll have to actually spend some more time around you to know for sure,” Aaron said.

“But we all like you already,” Nick said. We all walked around the table and shook her hand.

“So, am I allowed to tell anybody? I mean I came here on vacation with my friends, we were just here to gamble,” she laughed bashfully.

“Well how about this. Come here and I’ll put it on twitter,” I wrapped an arm around her and pulled my phone out and took a picture.

“This is so exciting!” she exclaimed.

“I’m glad,” I smiled at her. “Can I get your number so that we can call you?”

“Yeah, of course,” she pulled her own phone out of her pocket and gave me her phone number. “I know that this might sound silly,” she said nervously. “Would you please send me that picture? I would love to show my friends…”

“No problem,” I smiled at her. She was clearly excited. But she wasn’t the annoying kind of excited but she was genuinely happy and she was clearly a fan. I quite honestly didn’t think she was in this for the fame. Especially since we were only about to go into our third season. I quickly sent the picture to the number she’d given me and she smiled happily. “You said you were here to gamble, right?” She nodded. “How long are you in town for?”

“Well, if I’ve got the job, as long as you need me to,” she smiled. “Originally I was only supposed to be here until Wednesday.” It was Saturday now, so no matter what that was still a few days to work out all of the details.

***Adrina’s POV***

I walked back into the lobby where my friends were waiting. All three of them. There was Ariel, a shorter woman with short brown hair. I’d met her in the third grade. Then there was Molly, a woman the same height as me with sandy blonde hair, who I’d met in the sixth grade. And finally there was Ellie. She had jet black hair and was a few inches taller than Ariel. I’d met Ellie in first grade.

“So?” Ariel asked. She was just as much into Ghost Adventures as I was. Except, she’d jump every time something semi-scary happened. That was why she wasn’t auditioning.

“Well, if nothing else I got an awesome picture,” I pulled my cell phone out and showed her the picture of myself and Zak. She squealed in delight.

“Oh my God! Did he smell good? How close to him were you? Was he nice?”

“Yes, yes, and yes.” I replied. “Although, it gets better,” I said with a ghost of a smile.

“How?” Ellie asked.

“Well, I think I’ve got a spot on Ghost Adventures!” Everyone squealed in delight. “Oh! I have to get on twitter!” I pulled it up on my phone quickly and saw the latest post from Zak Bagans. “Check out our newest GAC member!” I read out loud.

“Do you think that we can meet them?” Ariel asked. “I would love to meet them…”

“In good time. I’m sure that they wouldn’t mind. I didn’t get to talk to Nick or Aaron very much, but Zak was so awesome.”

***
It had been a few days. I felt like I was in heaven. I spent my days with my closest friends and then I’d meet with the guys at night. As Ariel wanted, she and my other friends were able to meet Zak, Nick, and Aaron. I really hit it off with the three guys, they were so fantastic to be around and it was a dream come true.

“Okay,” Zak said as the four of us sat at dinner. “Next week, we’ll be starting filming for next season in our first location.”

“Where will that be?” I asked, nearly dropping my fork into my bowl. It kind of shocked me that we’d be starting so soon.

“Italy…Poveglia Island…” The three of us gasped. “I know, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys sooner. It’s just one that we haven’t revisited that had some great evidence. I mean I was possessed!”

“What if it happens again?” I asked. He turned and looked at me with his stormy blue eyes. They were such and interesting color that I loved to look at. They weren’t quite blue because of how dark they were, but they weren’t brown or green…They were such a dark blue that it was just fantastic.

“It won’t last long and we’ll get it all on camera,” he said. I knew that he knew the risks. We all did for our ghost hunting. I knew them when I went with my friends. They only difference was now I’d be on television with it. “Adrina,” he said. It was clear that he was changing topics. “Tomorrow some people from the Travel Channel want to meet you so that we can sign your contract.”

“Contract?” I asked.

“Yeah. They’ll sign you for a whole season. Beyond that…well it depends on how well you do and how much the views like me.”

Wow, I thought to myself. No matter what this was a win/win situation. I was guaranteed a whole season with the Ghost Adventures crew. “What time?”

“Noon.”

“Noon?” I bit my lip and looked around for a minute. “Me and my friends had heard about this place and we were going to go there then…Do you think they’d be open to it at any other time?”
He shook his head. “No. We don’t see them much-they have a lot of other shows to work on and they’re only coming out here because of you.”

“Oh,” I wasn’t sure what I’d do. I’m sure that my friends were pretty pissed at me by now. We had come here to have an all girl trip. No guys. Nothing. Molly was married and her husband had left for a fishing trip the same day we left and Ellie was married as well with two kids, her husband had agreed to watch them so that we could take a vacation. “I’ll be there…”

“Adrina,” Nick said. I turned to him. My blue eyes catching his hazel ones. “You’ve got to know that for this job, we all have to sacrifice a lot. And if you’re not prepared to make those sacrifices you need to tell us all now before we sign you tomorrow. There will be times when you’re not home for months at a time. We’re on the road or over seas most of the year. We have about two months where we’re home a lot."

I swallowed hard. I would miss my friends so much, but this was so amazing…But how could I just go and do this for at least a year. I couldn’t pass this up. “I understand and I will do what it takes to have this job.”

“That’s good to hear,” Zak said. “Now, on a lighter note,” a broad grin spread across his handsome features. “Who wants to go back to my place and have a drink?”
Both Nick and Aaron began cheering but I frowned. “I should go back to my hotel. I haven’t spent much time with the girls.”

“Invite them along.”

“Really?” I looked at Zak in shock. He was truly awesome. He nodded. “Okay, I’ll go outside and call them.” I stood from our table and quickly made my way outside. It was raining-or it had been, at least. The cars whizzed by and the puddles of water shot up. I leaned against the building and called Ariel first.

“Hello?” She answered after the fourth ring.

“Hey!” I exclaimed happily. “So, how would you and the-”

She laughed loudly at something someone had said and then returned to our conversation. “Hey, listen, I can’t really talk right now. We went to the club. Bye!” She hung up. That wasn’t what I had expected…

“OH MY GOD!” some blonde girl exclaimed walking up to me. “Please tell me that you are Adrina McMurphy.”

“Um…”

“She is! She’s the new Ghost Adventures girl!” Her brunette friend exclaimed. I was confused at first, but then I remembered Zak posting that picture on twitter.

“Can I have your autograph, PLEASE?”

“I’m not famous…” I said in response.

“You will be!” the brunette said. “Please!”

“Oh-kay…” They shoved a piece of paper in front of me and I signed it. They jumped up and down excitedly and left.

“Wow, I didn’t think that’d happen so soon,” a relaxing, deep, manly voice said from behind me. I would’ve jumped if that same voice hadn’t been filling my living room for years and that I hadn’t grown to know it so well over the past few days.

“Yeah…They shouldn’t be recognizing me so soon. We haven’t even filmed one episode. I don’t know if I like it.”

He laughed and put an arm around me. “That’s what hats and sunglasses are for.”

“Glad to know,” I smiled.

“So what did they say?” I shook my head.

“They’re at some club…You’re stuck with me.”

“Oh damn,” he said sarcastically. I heard Nick and Aaron walk up behind us as Zak led us to the car. As much as I didn’t want to, slipped away from his arm draped lazily around my shoulder and went to the back seat of the car-where myself and Aaron sat.

***Zak’s POV***

When we walked into my place, Gracie-my dog came running in wagging her tail. I knelt down, expecting her to greet me, but she passed me up! She actually passed me up! She went over and said hello to Adrina.

“Well hi there!” she exclaimed, kneeling down to pet the dog. “What’s her name?” she looked up and asked me.

“Gracie,” I answered.

“She’s beautiful,” Gracie licked Adrina’s face and the latter laughed. Nick elbowed me and motioned to the beautiful woman petting my dog.

“She’s a dog person,” he whispered. I just rolled my eyes. “What can I get you to drink?”

“Um do you have whiskey?” she asked, surprising us all. I nodded. “Mountain Dew?” I nodded again. “Okay, show me where it’s at and I’ll make it,” she said, petting Gracie one last time.

“This way,” I told her, walking towards the kitchen area. “Nick, Aaron, you guys just want a beer?” They nodded and walked to the living room area.

When we got into the kitchen I instructed her to pull the whiskey out of the liquor cabinet while I got the Mountain Dew and the beers. “Glasses are in the cabinet above the sink.”

“Do you need one?” she asked. She was on her tip-toes reaching for them, the back of her shirt up just enough so that I could see her skin right above the back of her jeans. I nodded and cleared my throat before going back to my original task. I hoped she hadn’t noticed my staring. “So what’re you drinkin’?” she asked.

“Same as you,” she looked up at me and smiled.

“Lucky for you I used to be a bartender,” She walked over to the fridge and put a few ice cubes in each glass before making the drinks. “I know it’s not a hard drink to make, but I make it the best,” she grinned as she put my glass in front of me.

“We’ll see about that,” I paused. “But first, can you do a shot of this straight?” I held up the bottle of whiskey teasingly.

“Duh,” she laughed. “Where’re your shot glasses?”

“Small cabinet by the stove.”

She grabbed to out quickly and put them on the counter. I poured both shots. “On the count of three…”

“One…”

“Two…”

“Three!” We both said and chugged our shot.

“Are you two makin’ out in here or somethin’?” Aaron asked walking into the kitchen. I shot him a look.

“No,” Adrina said, holding her shot glass up. “Gosh Aaron, get you mind out of the gutter!”

“Yeah, Aaron,” I said sarcastically.

“Zak, you know that you were thinking about it.” Nick laughed.

***Adrina’s POV***

As the night went on, we all only got tipsy. I didn’t get drunk often, but I’d done quite a few shots myself it was just fun. All I could think about was how much I was going to love my new job. How many people can say that their co-workers were this awesome? Then again, how many people could have Zak Bagans, Nick Groff, and Aaron Goodwin as co-workers? They were fun! I was enjoying my good time so much that I almost missed my phone ringing. Almost. I walked into the kitchen area to get away from their laughing and joking so that I’d be in private a little bit. If they tried, they could hear what I was saying, but I didn’t care.

I happened to see the time when I picked the phone up. 1:07 am. I looked at the caller ID and accepted the call. “Hello?” I asked into the other end.

“Adrina! Where are you?” It was Molly.

“I’m at Zak’s,” I replied. “Why?”

“You’re usually back by now is all,” she replied.

“I called Ariel earlier…” I tried to keep my words from slurring, but it was hard. Too much whiskey.

“She told me…”

“I was goin’ to invite y’all, but she said you were at some club and didn’t give me the chance.”

“You’re drunk,” she said into the phone, in sudden realization.

“Maybe a little,” I shrugged.

“Are you crazy? You don’t even know those guys very well!”

“They’re good people, Molly. Relax.”

“Other than checking on you, I wanted to tell you that I’m leaving. I’m at the airport now.”

“What? Why?”

“Kyle’s sick, he had to end his fishing trip early.”

“Oh. I’m sorry…I wish I could be there to tell you bye…” I said sadly. I hated that she was leaving early.

“It’s okay. When are you coming back?”
“I’m not sure yet…I haven’t told everybody else yet but I have to meet with people from the travel channel to sign the papers.”

“Well, good luck,” she said.

“Thanks. I hope Kyle gets better.”

“Me too.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”