Paranelope, a ghost hunter who's been cancelled for faking evidence, must discover the truth behind a local cryptid in order to clear her name.
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Penelope, better known as the ghost hunter PARANELOPE to her millions of followers, has only ever want...
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The cheers of the crowd chased them back down the metal stairs as they descended from the stage and back into the purple-curtained abyss. As Penelope's feet found solid ground again, she released a big sigh of relief. Her muscles unwound and her smile turned serene as that signature high washed over her, the one that always followed finishing something she had been dreading. She was thankful to be off that stage. Whatever Gunnar threw at her next couldn't be worse than that. And she'd be ready for it... Anything to keep him busy.
"What's next?" she asked Gunnar as she stretched out her newly loose muscles.
"Meet-and-greet," he said, not even bothering to pause for a minute. He was already striding off, deeper into the purple hive of activity, dodging the worker-bees with their headsets and clipboards. Another band started up behind them, playing more dad-rock.
Penelope's newly calm stomach did a little flip. Okay, maybe it could be worse. After her less-than-friendly welcome, the idea of facing the public in a more intimate setting was hair-raising. She jogged to catch up. "Is that a good idea?" she asked, falling into step beside him. "You saw how the crowd reacted to me..."
"It's too late to argue," Gunnar said, his tone blunt. He wasn't his usual chatty self... "We already had to offer refunds and discounts to make up for it being you and not Xander..." His words trailed away.
Penelope raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. She wasn't going to complain about Gunnar shutting his mouth for once.
He led her deeper into the purple-tinted labyrinth. He didn't look at her, his gaze was focused and far away like he was doing math in his head or something. But soon enough they made it right to the very back of backstage, to the final purple curtain that separated them from the street. Rita was there again, as well as another member of the clipboard mafia, a bald man who was much bigger and bulkier than little ol' Rita. With his all-black outfit and much smaller earpiece, Penelope guessed that he had to be security or something; he looked more like the bouncer for a very exclusive club than some lowly PA. As he saw them, he pulled back the edge of the curtain, to reveal a smaller black-curtained area beyond.
Gunnar side-stepped the bouncer and leaned down to whisper something in Rita's ear. She gave him a quick nod before shooting Penelope a look that she didn't quite understand.
