In case you are unaware, the Queen Mary was a luxury cruiser that was turned into a military transport ship during World War II. Supposedly, there have been hundreds of deaths on the boat, although only 47 of them have been recorded, making it the world’s most haunted ship.


    I’d seen many videos from the Queen Mary before, obviously - it has always been a fan favorite of many ghost hunting shows, but I’d never been there before myself. As I sat my bags down in the room Liam and I were sharing (everyone else had their own room, but Caitlin had gotten one room with two beds so that someone could be with me in case I had any issues, and Liam of course jumped in to volunteer to room with me), I knew one thing for sure - I wasn’t going to get any sleep that night.


    In the corner of the room, watching the two of us, stood a young-looking man in a light blue shirt and navy pants, with a small white cap on his head. He looked unphased by people being in the room with us as he silently took in the situation.


    “So, I’m pretty sure this is part of the old barracks,” Liam said, filling the dead space around us with noise. “I haven’t stayed in this part before. Last time we were here, we stayed in B340, which is apparently the most haunted room, but I’m assuming that wasn’t available with this short of notice. Plus, you probably don’t want to be sharing a room with all of us, anyway. That’d be too many people in too small of a space to get any good rest.”


    “Are we planning on resting?” I asked, sitting down on my chosen bed. I felt like I was healing at an incredible rate - yesterday, I had to get Liam’s help to get to breakfast, and today I sat in the car for the whole of the ride and then walked to the room by myself, but even I had to admit that my energy was starting to fade quickly. Maybe I would be able to sleep in this room tonight after all. “Every ghost hunt I’ve been on with you has been an all-nighter.”


    “Yeah, and it will be for us,” he said, emphasizing the last word as he gestured between him and the wall that separated us from Luke and Caitlin’s rooms. “Not for you, though. I imagine we’re just going to have you pop in, tell everyone you’re still alive and still with us, and then you’re going to come back and nap in the room.”


    “That doesn’t sound like a particularly fun time,” I said, even though I felt my eyelids already start to sag. Granted, I would have the opportunity to rest before we got started - while we wouldn’t be setting up any still cams or ghost equipment since we were in an active, working hotel, we had still gotten here several hours before they were planning on starting their investigation, as per tradition. Luke and Liam had talked about taking a walk through the infirmary before they got started, but I didn’t think either of them would mind if I slept through that part.


    “I know it doesn’t,” Liam said, crossing the room and sitting next to me, grabbing one of my hands in his. “But we don’t want you to overexert yourself on your first ghost hunt back. You’re supposed to be resting, remember?” He leaned over and gave me a light kiss on the temple. “Besides, we’ve explored the Queen Mary a couple of times before, and we’ve always found evidence of something. I think we’re okay with having our resident psychic sit out, just this once.”This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    The man in the corner looked like he perked up a little bit at hearing that, and he eyed me a bit closer. I locked eyes with him, expecting him to move forward and start talking to me, but he just gave me a light nod. “Does it count if I’ve already seen a ghost?” I said, lightly nodding my head in the man’s direction.


    “There’s one in here?” Liam asked, sounding surprised. “I guess that makes sense - every inch of this place is supposed to be haunted. Who is it?”


    “A young man in a naval uniform,” I said. “What’s your name?” I asked the man, but he ignored me. “Not a talkative guy, I guess,” I said, turning back to Liam.


    He looked over toward the corner I’d been talking to, looking slightly in the wrong direction. “Do you often get ghosts that don’t want to talk to you?” he asked.


    “Sometimes. It depends. Most of the time, they want me to help with whatever is keeping them tied to this plane. But sometimes, they’re just content staying where they are.” I turned back to the man in the corner. “Are you busy keeping guard over your old barracks?” He ignored me, and I rolled my eyes. I guess I wasn’t going to have a hard time sleeping in here after all. “He’s probably just making sure that nobody causes any trouble around here.”


    Liam grinned, then brought my hand to his lips. “Well, it’s a good thing that nobody around here has caused any trouble for quite a bit, then, huh? It’s been almost two full weeks since you wound up in a hospital.”


    The spirit’s eyes flashed my way, clearly curious, but I ignored him. “That’s not my fault and you know it! I can’t control demons.”


    He stood up and went back to unpacking his bag on the other bed before answering. “Not like you can see them, either,” he joked. I reached into my bag and grabbed the first thing I could feel and threw it in his direction. He expertly dodged it, then reached down to grab the fabric. “I didn’t figure you to be a creepy doll type of person,” he said, picking it up.


    “I’m not?” I asked, and he held up the object I had thrown - I’d thought it was one of my shirts, but instead, it was a small, yellowing fabric doll. The face had been embroidered on at some point, but had started to wear off over the years, and all the color had seeped out of the clothes. “I’m not sure what kind of a game you’re playing, but that’s not mine,” I said, trying to hand it back to him.


    “It’s not mine, either, but it was in your bag,” he pointed out, leaving me holding it.


    I turned the doll over in my hands. Even though I was certain I’d never seen it before, there was also something that was vaguely familiar about it, like if I’d seen it in passing at my grandparents’ house when I was a child. “Maybe Poe found it in the house and hid it in my bag?” I asked. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve found an object that I didn’t pack.”


    “Maybe,” Liam said with a shrug. He picked up one of the cameras and started recording. “This doll was mysteriously in Andi’s bag when she started unpacking here at the Queen Mary. She says she didn’t put it in there, and suggested her cat might have, but where would he have found such a doll?”


    “Maybe Luke had it?” I suggested.


    “I doubt it, unless he’s hidden his secret doll obsession from me for all these years.” He zoomed in on the doll, making sure to get a good shot of his face. “Maybe it’s one of the ghosts of the Queen Mary, trying to bribe you into staying?”


    The ghost in the corner rolled his eyes at Liam’s suggestion, as though wanting us to stay at the hotel was the most ridiculous suggestion anyone could make. I didn’t tell him that, though - I made fun of him enough without a ghost joining in on it.


    “Maybe,” I said again. I spun the doll around in my hand again, hoping to find a tag, but when I flipped it to my other hand, I felt a sharp stab of pain on one of my fingers. I dropped the doll on my lap, but the pain remained as a small drop of blood welled up on my finger.