Author's Note: Hello out there! For those of you that are wondering, no, I'm not giving up on Ed Edd n Eddy: Halloween of Hair. You see, the other night, I saw a show on VH1 called Celebrity Paranormal Project, and I've become hooked. I just had to write a story about it, and that's how this gem was born. This one is based on the first episode, and I'll probably make one based on each episode. If anyone has suggestions for other characters for me to use in the other stories, please let me know! Until then, peace out, and happy reading! ;)-AMX

The young boy glanced nervously around him. Then he glanced at his watch. Five after eight. Everyone else was late. He was beginning to get restless. It was creepy out here at night!

The boy was named Eddy. He was twelve years old, and a little short for his age. When he had first signed up for this project, he was very cocky about it. Now he wasn't so sure. Why the heck had he signed up for this thing again?

Oh . . . yeah. He had come to prove to his friends Ed and Double D that he wasn't a chicken. But on the other hand, when he had signed up for this, he hadn't counted on having to fly out to Louisville, Kentucky, to one of the most haunted places in the eastern U.S.A., if not the world!

"Is this where the project is meeting?"

Eddy jumped at the new voice. He quickly turned, only to see a young girl perhaps a year older than him walking over. She was wearing a jean jacket over a white T-shirt, and a navy blue skirt with matching knee-high socks and tennis shoes. Her dark red hair was tied into two pigtails.

"Uh . . . yeah," said Eddy. "Any idea what all of this is actually about?"

"No," said the girl. "I just entered my application, and the next thing I know, I'm on the next flight to Kentucky."

"Then that makes two of us," said Eddy. He felt friendly tonight, so he extended his hand to the girl. "The name's Eddy."

The girl slightly smiled and shook Eddy's hand. "Ichigo Momomiya," she said. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm just glad to have someone to talk to," said Eddy. "I must have been waiting here five whole minutes before you showed up!"

Ichigo giggled. Then she nervously looked up the path behind her and Eddy. "I heard that one of the most haunted buildings in the U.S. is up that path," she said.

"The U.S.?" asked Eddy. "I thought they said one of the most haunted buildings in the world. Huh."

"Have you ever seen a ghost?" asked Ichigo.

"Nope," said Eddy. "I might have heard one or two, but I've never seen one. What about you?"

"Well . . . " Ichigo hesitated. "Not ghosts exactly. But you could say that I've dealt with a lot of paranormal experiences . . . "

"Really?" asked Eddy, interested. "Like what?"

"I can't tell you," said Ichigo.

"What?" asked Eddy, feeling ripped off. "Why not?"

"Because," Ichigo simply answered.

"That's stupid," responded Eddy.

"Oh, great. Looks like I'm paired up with a bunch of rookies."

Eddy and Ichigo whirled around at another new voice. A taller boy was walking toward them. He had short spiky green hair and dark-blue eagle eyes. A white T-shirt hid his very well-toned muscles, and a green waistband was around his waist, over black pants with matching shoes. But the details Ichigo and Eddy were staring at was the black bandana tied to the boy's left arm and the three swords tied to his waistband.

The new boy frowned at the other two. "What are you staring at, rookies?" he asked.

Eddy shifted nervously, while Ichigo looked at her feet to hide her blushing.

"Who you calling rookies, muscle head?" asked Eddy.

"You just said you've never seen a ghost," said the boy.

"Oh," said Eddy, seeing his point. "Well . . . "

"Roronoa Zoro."

"Huh?" Eddy and Ichigo asked at the same time.

"My name."

"Oh . . . " said Ichigo. "I'm Ichigo, and this is Eddy."

"What's with the three swords, dude?" asked Eddy. "What do you do, carry the third one in your mouth?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," said Zoro. "I'm a swordsman."

"So, why did you sign up for this?" asked Ichigo.

"I was bored," said Zoro. "Wanted something to do." He yawned.

"Wait," said Eddy. "You mean you're not scared?"

"Kid, when you deal with the stuff I have to deal with, this kind of thing doesn't even faze you after a while," said Zoro.

Ichigo and Eddy glanced nervously at each other. They didn't want to hear any more details. They were beginning to wonder which was scarier: the building up the path, or Zoro?

"But I'm sure you two aren't scared, right?" Zoro asked, smirking at the two younger kids.

Eddy suppressed a shudder. "Uh . . . of course not!" said Eddy, trying to look brave. "We wouldn't have come here if we were scared, right?"

"Yep, this looks like the place."

Eddy, Zoro, and Ichigo turned to see the remaining two team members walking into the area.

One of them was a young black girl who looked a little younger than Eddy. She was wearing a blue shirt with a white stripe running down each side, and a matching skirt. She was wearing white shoes, and her long hair was tied in a braid. A red hat covered her eyes.

"Oh, how glorious!" said the other girl. She was about as tall as Zoro. She was wearing a purple sleeveless top with a matching skirt and knee-high boots. Silver, fingerless elbow-length gloves were on her hands. She had bright green eyes, and her long red hair was worn down.

"And then there were five," said Eddy.

"That's Numbuh Five to you," said the black girl.

"And I am Starfire," said the other girl, giving a big smile.

"Uh . . . so, everyone's here," said Eddy. "What do we do now?"

"Maybe this letter taped to this tree can tell us something," said Zoro, walking over to one of the trees.

Eddy looked at Zoro. Why hadn't he seen that letter?

Zoro opened the envelope and read the letter inside out loud.

"Dear team, you five have been chosen to investigate the paranormal activities reported in Waverly Hills Sanatorium, which is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in the eastern U.S.
In the early twentieth century, this building was used to house victims of an outbreak of tuberculosis, known back then as the "White Plague." It is said that the outbreak was so bad, the average death was one person per hour, and in the thirty-seven years that it was open, an estimated 36,000 succumbed to the disease.
Your job, as a team, is to investigate sightings of spirits in four areas that have been reported as the "most haunted." A base camp has been set up next to the Sanatorium that will give you further instructions. Your investigation ends at sunrise. We wish you luck, and may God be with you all."

Zoro stared at the letter. "Bull," he grumbled.

"Hold up," said Numbuh Five. "They didn't tell Numbuh Five that they were just gonna leave us here!"

"We're on our own for this?" asked Ichigo. "That's not fair!"

"Please, what is this 'tuberculosis'?" asked Starfire.

"It's an infection in your lungs," explained Eddy. "It basically spreads through your entire body and smothers you." The other team members stared at Eddy. "What? You'd know this stuff too if you were friends with a brainiac!"

"Well, can't be helped," said Zoro, putting the letter in his pocket. "I say the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can leave this place."

And with that, Zoro started up the path toward the Sanatorium, followed by Ichigo, Numbuh Five, Starfire, and Eddy.

"Be careful, guys," said Eddy. "Something tells me that things are about to get ten times creepier."