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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In the days before the festival, the town had felt deceptively simple; now, in the crush of people—as Penelope raced through, her head swivelling as she searched the crowd—it felt like running the gauntlet. She fought the mass of strangers, pushing and shoving through the flow of people that seemed to choke her off at every turn. People shouted things at her as she squeezed past but she didn't linger long enough for them to register and she didn't bother apologizing. She didn't care if everyone thought she was a jerk—she didn't have time to care.
She scanned the area for what felt like forever until, finally, she saw a flash of teal that looked familiar. She swerved, changing directions, and dove towards it. She emerged from the crowd onto a sidewalk and gasped with relief as she saw her dad sitting on the edge of a planter alongside Beth and Lyla. As the night had begun to fall in earnest, they had donned jackets to keep out the creeping cold.
Her dad's eyes went wide at the sight of her. "Penelope!" he shouted, leaping to his feet. "What the hell? Where'd you come from?"
Penelope could only pant, gulping down air, her hands on her knees.
Her dad continued, stepping closer. "I thought you'd be busy all night with all the stuff Gunnar had planned for you—"
"I need your keys!" she wheezed reaching up to grab hold of his jacket. "I need the keys to the truck!"
"My... keys?" her dad sputtered, clearly startled. "What? Why?"
"I just..." She had to stop to gasp for a little more air. Her mind was racing too much for her to formulate a better explanation, a lie to soothe the worry that was now creeping over her father's face. "I... I need to go get... something."
Her dad frowned, but the urgency in her tone had him reaching into his jacket pocket before he even realized what he was doing. "What do you need to get?"
"I-I just need the keys, okay? Please. I need the keys."
"Wait," Beth said, her brows folding together as she took a better look at Penelope. Penelope was sure she looked like hell, sweaty and haggard, from all her running. She could almost hear the wheels turning inside Beth's head. "Are... Are you okay?"
