Jackson took her hand as the balcony scene continued. His voice echoed Romeo’s words, whispering them under his breath:
‘O, that I were a glove upon that hand
‘That I might touch that cheek!’
Olivia swallowed hard, fighting down emotion as his hand pressed against hers. Yes, she and Jackson had performed together in this play, but could he really have known that this was her favourite piece of Shakespeare’s writing? Or was that an excuse to get them in? If he does, she thought, he knows me better than I realised.
Heads were turning, as other audience members shot Jackson annoyed looks because he was ‘talking’. Jackson didn’t even seem to see the other audience members, though. His face was rapt with emotion as he gazed at the stage . . . and held Olivia’s hand.
When it was time for Juliet’s monologue, Olivia found herself torn.
Should I give him back the lines?
She still knew the play by heart. How could she forget? On the other hand, she didn’t want to annoy any more theatre-goers. She nibbled on her lip, hesitating.
Then Jackson turned to look directly at her as he whispered along with another line:
‘I know not how to tell thee who I am . . .’
Olivia froze, caught by the emotion in his eyes.
Was he only caught up by the play? Or did those words have any extra meaning for him?
If she hadn’t been in the middle of a theatre audience that was gripped in absolute, respectful silence, Olivia could have screamed!
I don’t know what to do!
If this strange day had taught her anything, it was that she had been lying to herself about her feelings. She had never really fallen out of love with Jackson. The realisation hit her like a thunderbolt. Maybe I never will.
But she still lived in Franklin Grove. He still travelled from movie set to movie set. None of the issues that had split them apart had changed.
They might still seem perfect for each other . . . but could it ever really work?
Chapter Five
As soon as Ivy arrived at the park in Lincoln Vale, she saw Brendan waiting for her, his hands clasped tightly.
‘What’s wrong?’ She hurried across the grass, fighting panic. Ever since she’d got his text message after school, she’d been worried – and judging by the nervous look on her boyfriend’s face, she had been right to feel that way.
As he stood at the edge of the park, Brendan’s face looked even more pale than normal, and his expression was tense as he pointed over his shoulder. ‘See for yourself,’ he said.
Frowning, Ivy followed the direction of his finger – and blinked.
‘Wait a minute,’ she said. ‘Is that Sophia?’
Of all the people she’d never expected to see hanging out in a Lincoln Vale park, Sophia was probably top of the list! Ivy’s best friend was lounging just beside the purpose-built skatepark with her head tipped back, wearing sunglasses and . . .
Ivy’s jaw dropped open. ‘Is she tanning?’ Everyone knew how bad the sun was for vampires!
Brendan turned up his hands in a Who knows? gesture. ‘Or she’s pretending to.’
‘Well . . .’ Ivy gulped. ‘That’s one way to make sure no one realises you’re a vampire. But we need to figure out what’s going on!’
She started towards the crowded skatepark. Time for an extraction operation, stat! But as she set off towards her friend, students began crowding around her.
‘Ivy?’
‘Oh, wow, it’s Ivy!’
Oh no, she thought. The popularity’s kicking in again. How did celebrities deal with this All. The. Time? It was exhausting – and inconvenient.
Near-goths and bunnies came streaming across the park to join her.
‘I’ve been wanting so badly to meet you!’
‘You’re Amelia’s friend, aren’t you?’
‘No!’ Ivy said. She had to step back as two intense-looking goths descended on her, looking as hungry as if she were an afternoon snack. ‘Not really,’ she said, trying to walk past them. ‘I just met Amelia today.’
‘But I saw you talking to her.’ One of the goths, whose hair was a bright magenta, sighed wistfully as she blocked Ivy’s escape route. ‘Amelia actually spoke to you! And you got to speak back!’
‘Uh . . .’ Ivy blinked. ‘Yeah, so?’
The goth-girls let out a moan of envy. ‘You are so cool!’ Over her shoulder, Ivy could just glimpse Sophia – but her friend may as well have been on the opposite side of a huge ravine. How was she ever going to get to her?
Argh! Ivy looked for an escape route, but there was no way out – and more ninth-graders were flocking towards her from all around the park. I never realised being popular was so hard! These wannabe groupies were sticking to her like the wedding confetti she was still finding in her hair!
Maybe it’s time for a death-squint, she thought. That would chase them all away! But as she looked into the hopelessly adoring faces, she felt guilt twisting inside her. They didn’t mean any harm. They were just in her way.
Luckily, Brendan stepped in front of her, and put his hand flat out, like a celebrity’s no-nonsense bodyguard. ‘OK, guys.’ His voice was firm. ‘We want some time alone, now. Got it?’ He took hold of Ivy’s hand and she heard some of the girls give audible sighs of adoration. One of them whispered in her friend’s ear and Ivy caught the words ‘so sweet’ and ‘adorable’.
‘If you say so, Brendan,’ said one of the bunnies. ‘We’ll leave you to it.’
‘See you soon, Ivy,’ said Magenta Hair. ‘Maybe with Amelia, too, next time? Right?’
Ivy let out a yelp as the last of her followers drifted obediently away. ‘The sooner we can get out of this park, the better!’ She stomped across the grass to Sophia’s lounging figure. She still had her face turned to the sun, ignoring the crowded skatepark beside them. ‘What are you doing?’ she hissed.
Sophia jerked upright. Her sunglasses slid down her nose and her backpack tipped over, spilling its contents on to the skatepark pavement. ‘Ivy? What are you . . .?’
‘I could ask you the same thing,’ Ivy said. ‘I mean – wait!’ She gasped. ‘I don’t believe it.’ She pointed at where Sophia’s backpack was spilling on to the pavement. ‘Is that gingham?’
‘No!’ Sophia scrambled to stuff the very-much-gingham fabric back into the backpack. ‘That’s just . . . for a project.’
‘What project?’ Ivy demanded. ‘We’re in all the same classes. I would know if you had a gingham-y assignment. What is up with you?’
‘Nothing!’ Sophia shoved her sunglasses back into place, hiding her eyes. ‘I was just . . . looking to meet some of the people from Lincoln Vale. If we’re going to be at school with them, it’s probably a good idea to make friends, right? So they don’t suspect anything?’
‘Hmm.’ Ivy crossed her arms. ‘I’m already starting to suspect something!’
Before she could continue, though, shouts of excitement sounded behind her. A skateboard whizzed by so close, she could feel the breeze against her back. She spun around.
Finn the skater-boy was bowing to the crowd, his blond hair windblown and his grin wide and happy. His buddies gathered around to pound his back and bump his fist.
‘Bodacious “full cab”, brah!’
‘You are the “See-sen”!’
‘You mean “Sensei”, doofus!’
As she watched the skaters joke with each other, Ivy looked beyond them and saw girls in matching pale blonde, pixie-style haircuts. Skater-girls. They were cheering and applauding. ‘Go Finn!’
Ivy rolled her eyes. I can’t believe anyone could get that excited about a few flips on a skateboard! Turning her back on the skaters, she focused on what was important.
‘You know how I make friends?’ she said to Sophia. ‘I ask them questions, and they give me answers. Some people call that “conversation”.’
‘Yeah,’ Brendan put in. ‘You not making conversation is like a world-class baseball . .
. thrower man not using his “wicked arm” . . .’
Ivy sniggered, giving Sophia a playful nudge. ‘See how odd you’re being – Brendan’s trying to make sports references.’
Sophia looked down, her fingers twisting through the strap of her backpack. ‘I . . . well, I didn’t . . .’ she stammered, then sighed. ‘I just became shy once I got here.’
‘You? Shy?’ Ivy shook her head in disbelief as Brendan gave a soft laugh. ‘OK, I was just joking before, but now I’m a bit worried – something weird is definitely going on here.’
When Sophia didn’t answer, Ivy gave a frown. ‘Look, let’s just go, OK?’ She scooped up Sophia’s backpack. ‘We can . . . Oh. My. Darkness.’ Her jaw dropped open as she saw what was revealed underneath. ‘Did you . . .’ her voice spiralled upwards in shock ‘. . . actually buy a skateboard?’
Sophia hid her face in her hands.
Ivy looked at Brendan, who just looked back at her with wide, stunned eyes. Then she looked back down at the skateboard. It was bright orange, and even more fluorescent than their school bus! ‘Why?’ she asked faintly.
Sophia shrugged. ‘I just . . . wanted to give it a try, that’s all. It looked like fun.’
‘But why did you come here?’ Brendan’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. ‘Why not skate in Franklin Grove?’
Sophia crossed her arms. ‘This is where the skaters hang out. Where better to learn?’
Ivy frowned. There was something in her friend’s voice. Something defensive . . . ‘Are you sure that’s the only reason?’
‘Of course it is! It was safer for me to practise here.’ Sophia lifted her chin. ‘If I’d tried in Franklin Grove, and failed, everyone I know would have seen me. It would have been too embarrassing.’ She stared Ivy full in the face, though it was difficult to see exactly what her expression was, behind those sunglasses.
Ivy was about to respond, when a chorus of ‘Cool!’ behind her cut her off. She turned and saw the skater-girls applauding Finn, who had probably just done another fancy move with a silly name. Ivy shook her head. Only ‘cool’ this time? What happened to ‘bodacious’?
She snorted. Maybe Finn’s getting over-the-hill already. But when she turned back round, Sophia was watching Finn intently from behind her sunglasses . . . and her mouth had formed into the same admiring O-shape that Ivy could see on the gingham-ified girls who were applauding the older blond boy.
That’s it . . .
Ivy nodded to herself. It wasn’t going to do her best friend any good to sit off to the side, making ‘goo-goo’ eyes at an older boy who didn’t notice her. If they weren’t careful, this shyness – so un-Sophia – might become permanent. And Ivy had seen enough of High School this week to know that it would be even tougher to handle if Sophia kept herself to herself too much. A healthy serving of ‘tough love’ coming right up, she thought.
‘You know, Sophia,’ said Ivy. ‘If you want to learn to skate, you should go for it.’ She stepped aside, clearing Sophia a path to the skatepark. ‘Right now!’
Sophia scooted backwards, clutching her board to her chest. ‘What?’
‘Come on. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?’ Ivy raised her eyebrows. ‘Hey, maybe one of the skater-boys will give you pointers if you need them.’
Brendan cleared his throat. ‘Um, Ivy, are you sure –’
But it was too late. Sophia was standing up. ‘Fine,’ she said, brushing off her jeans. ‘I will.’
Ivy gasped. Abort ‘Tough Love’, abort! ‘But . . . you could hurt yourself !’ And you weren’t supposed to call my bluff !
‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ Sophia stepped neatly out of reach and walked calmly over to the crowded skatepark. As skaters turned to stare, she set her board down and placed one foot on it. Then she pushed forward . . . and her vampire super-strength made the skateboard fly into the air in front of her, leaving her staggering so hard, she almost fell over.
I can’t watch this! Ivy thought, hiding her face in her hands. But she couldn’t help peeping through her fingers as the skateboard went soaring. The other skaters scrambled to get out of its way.
‘Hey!’ One of Finn’s friends glared at her. ‘We don’t need a clown. This isn’t a circus!’
The other guys all burst into laughter – all except Finn. He just looked away politely as Sophia hurried through the crowd, her shoulders hunched, to reclaim her skateboard from where it lay tipped on one side at the other end of the park.
Ivy cringed as Sophia stood back on the board. This time it didn’t go flying – but it wobbled so badly, she teetered from side to side, forced to wave her arms wildly to keep her balance. Within five seconds, she had fallen right off.
‘This is awful,’ Brendan whispered to Ivy.
Ivy groaned in agreement as she glanced around at the crowd that was gathering – bunnies and goths all coming to watch and enjoy the ‘comedy’. Her teeth ground together with frustration.
I can’t just physically drag her away. That would humiliate her even more!
It took everything she had, though, to hold herself back as she watched Sophia fall again and again. The crowd snorted with laughter every time. Sophia hadn’t wanted their old friends to see her embarrassing herself – but she was doing a good job of letting these new kids laugh at her expense.
Just give up, Ivy begged her friend silently.
At last, Sophia picked up her skateboard. Her face was flushed, but she held her chin high as she carried it by her side, walking away from the skatepark with as much dignity as she could muster.
Ivy let out a sigh of relief as she hurried to join her friend. ‘You did the smart thing,’ she whispered. She started to hold out her arms to give a comforting hug, but Sophia shook her head.
‘Not in front of them,’ she whispered back.
Ivy nodded and shoved her hands into her pockets. As Brendan scooped up Sophia’s backpack, she sought for a way to cheer up her friend. ‘You know,’ she said, ‘you could probably skateboard successfully if you just lost those shades.’
‘No way!’ Sophia’s free hand went protectively to her face. ‘They’re staying.’
Ivy shrugged, sighing. ‘If you say so.’
Vampires had natural super-strength and super-speed . . . but, apparently, they did not always have super-common sense!
Brendan handed Sophia her backpack, and they started walking away from the skatepark, ignoring the laughter of the skaters behind them. As they passed a group of goths lounging nearby, Ivy saw that Amelia Thompson was looking from Finn to Sophia and back . . . and then gave Sophia a hard glare.
‘Goths probably aren’t allowed to skateboard either,’ Ivy muttered, rolling her eyes. ‘Or have any other kind of fun.’ Which did make her wonder – what was Amelia doing in the park at all? Shouldn’t she be moping in a darkened room or something?
Sophia only shrugged . . . but unfortunately, the movement made her backpack gape open and the gingham fabric spilled out.
Amelia’s lips curled. She turned as if to speak to her friends, but her voice was pitched perfectly to reach Sophia and the others. ‘Oh, yeah. Gingham is so cute . . . for a farmer. Don’t you think?’
Her followers all laughed, like good little lackeys. Ivy’s jaw clenched. ‘That’s it,’ she said. ‘I’m going to –’
Sophia grabbed her arm and pulled her forwards. ‘Just forget it, Ivy.’
‘Don’t engage,’ Brendan agreed in a whisper. ‘It’ll only cause more trouble.’
Reluctantly, Ivy gave in. She breathed a sigh of relief the moment they stepped out of the park. At least now, they wouldn’t have anyone watching their every movement any more. Or would they? A curtain twitched across the street. Another twitched nearby. A moment later, a whole group of bunnies came flooding out of the first house, while goth underlings came hurrying from the park.
‘Ivy! I’m having a party on Saturday. Do you want to come?’
‘Hey, Ivy, we’re having a barbecue next week. Will you be there?’
‘Ivy, do you want to come to my house sometime? Just to hang out?’
Hang out? Ivy stared at the girl who’d made the suggestion. I’ve never even seen her before. What would we even talk about?
Sophia’s voice quivered with laughter as she whispered into Ivy’s ear, ‘How does it feel to be Ms Popular?’
Ivy had to bite back a groan of horror. Sophia was right! Somehow, in this crazy town and school, she had actually become popular. This was not supposed to happen!
She looked at the crowd of waiting, expectant faces all around her and resolved to do something about this. She needed help to deal with her new circumstances.
Next time I talk to Olivia, she vowed, I will ask her: how does anyone survive being popular?
Chapter Six
‘Aaaaand cut!’
Olivia’s shoulders slumped with relief as the cameras stopped recording. She could barely breathe. How did real Victorian women wear corsets every day without suffocating?
But wearing corsets all the time still couldn’t have been more annoying for Victorian girls than Olivia’s afternoon had been for her – thirty-seven takes of walking into a room and gasping, followed by twenty-two takes of her looking out of a window ‘wistfully’.
At this rate, I may graduate from college before we finish this film!
‘And with that, we are wrapped tight and cosy for today!’ Jacob Harker bellowed – even though calling an end to the day’s filming should have been Tom the director’s job. ‘Out-race dawn to the set tomorrow, folks.’
I assume he just means ‘bright and early’, Olivia thought as she made her way off the set towards her trailer as quickly as she could. Unfortunately, that wasn’t very quick. Her burgundy silk dress might have been drop-dead gorgeous, but between her fluffy bell-shaped skirt and tight ankle-length petticoat, walking was suddenly a serious challenge.
And tomorrow I have to somehow dance in this outfit! She let out a groan. How is that supposed to happen?
As she walked through the maze of production trucks and trailers parked outside the posh mansion where they had been filming, Olivia spotted Jackson standing with his back to her outside one of the trailers. He was dressed in his ‘poor’ Victorian costume, flipping through a script, and his shoulders were hunched.
13 Double Disaster - My Sister the Vampire Page 6
