I burst out laughing. “Who?” I say into my walkie-talkie.

“It’s our code names! I’m Big Chicken, since I love chickens. Cody is Rooster because he rules the roost.”

“And me?”

“You’re Mama Hen! Because, you know, you’re the leader.”

Cody’s voice comes on now. “Can we just start following Amelia instead of talking about our chicken names?”

“Right,” Aubrey says. “Okay. You see her, Hayley?”

I look around. I’m positioned at one corner of Stage Five, where Amelia last saw the ghost reflected on the ceiling. Aubrey is on the other side of the stage, near Video Village and some of the dressing rooms—where we felt the whoosh. Cody is in hair and makeup right now, so he’s tied up, but he’ll help out with moral support.

“Okay, I’ve got eyes on Amelia,” I whisper. “She just finished her scene.”

Amelia has just walked off a bedroom set. Monique yells that the scene has wrapped—which is “finished” in TV speak. Usually, after Amelia is done with a scene, she checks in with her mother. But today, she heads instead for the craft services table.

Huh. That’s not normal.

“I think she’s going for a snack!” I whisper into the walkie talkie. “Or…wait a minute…maybe not?”

I watch as Amelia walks right past craft services, not even noticing the delicious spread of banana muffins that Tina made. She heads down a hall like she’s on a mission. Just before she disappears into the darkness, she peers over her shoulder, like she’s trying to see if someone’s following her.

My heart starts to thump. This feels like something.

“Aubrey! I need backup!” I whisper.

“Where are you?” Aubrey whispers. “What’s going on?”

“Amelia’s heading into a hall behind craft services. It seems…suspicious.”

“What?” Cody sounds disappointed. “I want to help!”

Then I hear Vee say through the walkie-talkie, “Cody, I need to even out your skin tone! Sit still!”

When I look up again, Amelia is gone. Oh no! I take a few steps down the hall, barely able to see where I’m going. I haven’t been to this corner of the new soundstage yet. I notice a few closed doors. With shaking fingers, I push one open. It creaks noisily. Inside, it’s nearly pitch black. Shadows shift. Is Amelia in there? Pretending to be a ghost?

“Hayley.”

“Eep!” I jump and whirl around. Aubrey stands behind me, hands on her hips. “Don’t do that!”

“Sorry.” She points down the hall. “There’s a staircase. She’s heading up.”

I can just make out the shape of someone climbing the stairs. I nod, and we climb up too, trying to be as quiet as possible. The stairs lead us to an upstairs landing and hallway. There are several rooms with closed doors. Amelia is gone again.