Spirit Seekers: A Paranormal Romance

By Alice Austen

Audrey Hollis is a working medium who despises all ghost hunting shows and paranormal investigators. But what happens when she's offered an insane amount of money to appear on a popular show called "Spirit Seekers," led by the heartthrob investigator Troy Davis?

She needs the money.

All she has to do is get in, film an episode, and get out with the paycheck.

That should be easy, right? 

 

This book is for 18+ due to sexually explicit content.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wonderland, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393545842

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

The woman stood in front of me wearing a blue button-down shirt and jeans. Her blonde curls fell in gentle waves across her shoulders. She was pale and the sunlight made her shine even brighter. We stared at each other in the master bedroom of a cute family home in Long Beach. Her expression showed she was shocked to see me, her blue eyes widened and distant. She looked as normal as ever except for one tiny factor.

She was dead.

With a gentle voice I said, Hello Denise. She stared back at me with that lost look in her eyes. My name is Audrey Hollis and I am a medium. I’m going to be very frank with you, because honestly, I think you can handle it. You have passed on and your soul is stuck in this world. I need you to know you are deceased.

Silence.

I need you to say it to me so I know you understand. What lies beyond this world is better than being stuck here. I promise, I wouldn’t lie to you. Well, you barely know me, but I swear you can trust me.

I let out an awkward chuckle. My client, Jessica, stood next to me. She couldn’t see Denise, but she hired me to speak with her. Jessica just moved into this home, and her kids were getting scared by poltergeist activity within the first few weeks. Jessica described the activity as doors opening and closing on their own, footsteps down the hall at night, and lights turning on and off by themselves. Her two kids claimed to have seen someone in the kitchen the other night that they thought was her, but Jessica was actually fast asleep in the bedroom. It was my job to help this activity stop, and Jessica found me through my social media page. Most of the time in these cases, it was a harmless spirit who couldn’t move on. I had yet to experience anything evil and this was not one of those times. It wasn’t Jessica’s fault, and it wasn’t Denise’s fault. Spirit is beyond our control, and Denise didn’t know she had passed.

I’m dead? she asked with a concerned look. I took a step forward and she took a step back. I carefully explained, You fell down the stairs and broke your neck 6 months ago. It was an accident. Slipped right on the third step down. I felt a pain shoot down my neck and my arm. I knew she had fallen on the right side first. You’re stuck right now and I’m here to help you move on. Please accept what I say is true. Let me help.

Denise took few minutes, frozen in time. I wasn’t sure how she would respond to this. How would anyone respond to this news? I look around the room while waiting. It wasn’t so bad a place to haunt. The master canopy bed hung beautifully in a room full of natural lighting. Family photos lined the wall. A small chandelier hung from the ceiling. This is a room that could be in a magazine. The curtains made the room look angelic, including the ghost inside of it. I made a mental note to add sheer curtains to my room when I got home. I glanced back at Denise. It was clear the news had started sinking in and tears filled her eyes.

Well what do I do? You can help me, right?

I nodded slowly to avoid frightening her.

Now that you understand you are deceased, please close your eyes. You should see a bright light soon. Please allow yourself to be taken by this light. It will be the most wonderful feeling you have ever felt or seen. I’ll stay with you until it happens.

Denise and I stared at one another for a few more moments until she closed her eyes. Her head was turning, looking around for the light I was talking about. After a short time, she started to relax. I could feel relaxation entering my own body as well. With a sigh, she started to brighten in a glowing aura. I was the only living human who could see the light with the spirit. Watching someone disappear into the light is always a moment I can never forget. It’s such a beautiful transition, and I couldn’t take my eyes off Denise being encompassed around her own light. I felt my cheeks warm and liquid falling down them. I always cry when this happens, too. She would finally be at peace. Denise disappeared all the way, and the house became quiet and still. She had moved on.

I turned to Jessica, She’s gone. She is at rest and you won’t be experiencing anything any further, I promise. I wiped the remaining tears off my cheeks. Jessica embraced me in a hug. Thank you. Thank you so much for everything. My kids won’t be scared anymore, and I can stop having the close the kitchen cabinets every morning. I laughed and felt at ease once again. I said my goodbyes to Jessica and began my drive home.

I THOUGHT ABOUT DENISE during the drive from Long Beach to Los Angeles. The sun was setting, and rush hour was beginning to start. My engine light was on, but I’d need a few more clients before being able to afford the fix it needed. I was hoping to make it home earlier, but connecting with Denise took a little longer than I thought. Sometimes spirits just aren’t willing to talk, and in this case, it was out of confusion and fear. My heart hurt for Denise. Did she have a family? Or did she die alone? As a medium, I’m expected to have all the answers. What people don’t understand is that I did not choose this gift and I don’t know why it works the way it does. The spirits get to choose what information I receive from them, regardless of whether I ask for it. This line of work is never easy, but I was chosen to do it. It’s my purpose in this life.

The earliest memory I had was with a spirit named Anna. She was one of my best friends as a small child. We would play all the time, share secrets, and dance in the rain outside of my childhood home in Pasadena. I would ask my parents if she could sleepover or stay for dinner. I even introduced them once.

Well, I tried to. They couldn’t see her.

My world shattered when I found out she didn’t actually exist in this world. My parents didn’t believe me until they investigated through old documents and found that a little girl had passed away on the property over 50 years earlier. When we found a picture of her, I confirmed it was my friend. Ever since that day, my parents have been extremely supportive. They made sure I took classes focusing on my gift outside of regular school hours. They sent me to a school in Pasadena for intuition, where I learned how to manage speaking to spirits. My favorite mentor from the school was Esmerelda, an older woman who passed just a few years ago. She helped me not only with my gift but controlling my gift during my teenage years. That was not an easy job. Being a teenager and a vessel for the spirit world was a nightmare, but I was fortunate to have such supportive people around me. I missed Esmerelda every single day.

The good side to this gift was being able to help people, and the bad side to this was that I was on the clock 24/7. With my training, I was better at keeping energetic boundaries with spirit, meaning I could decide when spirit would be able to contact me. Rarely forces are strong enough to break though, but it’s happened two or three times. They’ll wake me up in the middle of the night or follow me around for a few days. In college, a male spirit of a deceased quarterback followed me around for a few days. He needed to get a message to his brother who was also a student, and I passed it along, giving him peace. As I reminisced about the quarterback, I felt defeated. Why can I attract ghosts but not a human male who didn’t think I was crazy?

My relationships never lasted long once the guys found out I was a medium. They either freaked out or thought I was a load of crap. All I wanted was someone who would believe me, accept me, and understand the gift. Hopefully they’d have a sensitivity to spiritual gifts as well. I know that person is out there. Maybe the universe could help me out with that one day.

CHAPTER TWO

Iopened the door of my small two-bedroom apartment in West Hollywood. My roommate, Ellie, and I had been trying to move here for years because we loved the area. Only recently, with my clientele growing a little and Ellie getting a promotion at a nearby restaurant, could we finally barely afford a place right near the main strip. It was small, but it was home, and we made it work with rent each month.

I looked around the room to find Ellie sitting on the couch with a box of pizza on the table in front of her. Her long black hair was wrapped up in a bun and she was wearing her favorite plaid pajamas. She was intently watching a show and gave me a small wave, not taking her eyes off the television. I stepped closer so I could get a better look.

Hello to you too. What are you watching?

Spirit Seekers, she mumbled as she shushed me. I rolled my eyes as I left to go put on sweatpants. Spirit Seekers was one of those ghost investigation shows where they had no idea what they were getting into. Half the time it was fake and even if it was real, they were probably just pissing off the spirit. Then it makes it harder for people like me to come in and give them peace. The Spirit Seekers consisted of three men, but the lead guy was the most famous. Troy Davis was insane and entertaining to the public, investigating the most well-known haunted houses and hospitals around the world. I found him dangerous to my line of work. It was because of him that people sometimes didn’t believe in my gift.

I threw on my sweatpants and headed back to the living room. I can’t believe you watch this trash, Ellie. I can tell you actual real stories instead of this bullshit.

Yeah, but I wanna watch three hot guys investigate spirits in the dark. It’s so attractive! Plus, this is scary. What you do is meaningful and nice, not scary.

I grabbed a slice of pizza from the box and sat on the couch. I was just in time to watch Troy bring in a psychic medium to read the room they were in. It looked like some sort of basement. I’m always fascinated by other psychic mediums. I usually have a pretty good feeling whether they are strong in their abilities or not. This woman on the television was not. She called herself Madam Medium, but looked more like Professor Trelawney from Harry Potter. Madam Medium walked slowly around the room with the camera following her closely. She lifted her palms up to the sky, closed her eyes, and began to speak in a low grumble.

There is a woman here who passed away by her husband’s hand. She wants revenge on you all because she thinks you are her husband.

I cackled and Ellie shot a glare in my direction. The camera cut to Troy who seemed like he was trying so hard to believe this woman. His body language read that he did not want to be close to this woman at all. He was running his hands through his brown hair to focus. His blue eyes shot up to the camera through his black rimmed glasses, and for a moment I noticed how bright they were. His jaw was chiseled and smooth. I guess he was pretty attractive. Too bad he was spending his time doing such a ridiculous job with ridiculous people.

If there was a female human spirit there, was she wouldn’t be seeking revenge. Spirits rarely seek revenge. They’re usually stuck and don’t know how to move on. If anything from beyond the veil is harmful, it’s usually demonic activity. That’s a whole different level of expertise. Usually the church gets involved, and only the strongest of mediums can help in those cases. I was not trained enough to be one of those.

Troy finally spoke, So you are telling me that a woman died here in this room due to murder? Let’s see if we can make contact with one of our new devices. He pulled out a large contraption similar to a giant hockey puck from his backpack. The equipment started playing static. You couldn’t even hear the spirits if you wanted to. And I couldn’t stop laughing.

Once the show finally ended with the team clearing the negative spirits out, I decided to call it a night. I took off towards my room grabbing one last slice of pizza. Ellie called after me, I’m never watching this show with you again!

Good, I yelled back as I shut the door. I could live the rest of my human life without listening to Troy Davis ever again.

THE NEXT MORNING WAS a Friday. Seriously, TGIF. I was exhausted from all the clients this week. I had helped four spirits cross over which takes a surprising amount of energy. Just for a little boost, I headed to the kitchen to make a few pancakes and a cup of coffee. I opened my secret drawer with the stash of M&Ms. I knew if Ellie found it, they’d be gone within a day. My favorite thing to do was add M&Ms to the pancakes. It might be a weird thing to add, but my mom did it when I was little, so it was comforting. As I sat down to eat, my phone rang. It was a random number, and I was not up for talking to a bill collector or a telemarketer. I let out a groan. I hadn’t even had a chance to sip my coffee yet. A few minutes later, the phone rang again. It was the same number. I began to wonder if it was an emergency or a hospital. Last time I checked, my parents were doing well. With anxiety taking over me, I answered the call.

Hello?

A deep voice was on the other end. Is this Ms. Audrey Hollis?

Yes, this is she. Is everything okay?

Hi Audrey, my name is Matthew Anderson. I represent Troy Davis with AMA Agency. Have you heard of the show ‘Spirit Seekers’? My client is interested in having you on the show.

CHAPTER THREE

Isat at the counter , mouth hanging wide open. I was speechless. I jumped when I heard the deep voice again.

Are you there?

I quickly gathered myself. Yes, I’m here sorry!

Okay well let me explain the situation a little further. Troy heard that you have a special ability to contact spirits. He heard about an experience with you from his cousin, Jessica Kane. She spoke highly of you, and we’d like to offer you the opportunity to be on television.

Damnit Jessica. It really is a small world. I took a second to think the pros and cons through before I spoke. I appreciate your offer, Mr. Anderson. However, I cannot accept it. ‘Spirit Seekers’ is everything I’m against. I don’t believe in exploiting spirits for fame or creating fake scenarios. I know this isn’t your doing, but that is just how I feel. I hopped up from my chair and started pacing in the kitchen. I knew I couldn’t take this job, but a part of me wondered what it would be like.

Audrey, we are prepared to offer you fifteen thousand dollars for your appearance.

My mouth dropped once more. Fifteen thousand dollars? I could fix my car. Pay for a couple months of rent. I could grow a full business, and maybe rent out my own office. But reality came smashing down when I realized how disappointed Esmerelda would’ve been. This is a sellout. I could hear her voice in my head scolding me for exploiting my gifts. I morally couldn’t accept this. How mad would Spirit be at me? My gift isn’t guaranteed. I could wake up one day and it could be gone. I’ve always learned to treat it wisely to help people. Going on the show could