Charlotte considered for a second and then said, ‘I wanted go to the mall, anyway.’
‘We can look at bags,’ Katie suggested, getting a sharp look from Charlotte.
As the three girls walked away, Olivia wagged her finger at Ivy. ‘Naughty, naughty.’
‘I know,’ Ivy said, feeling a pleasant tingle at her own wickedness.
Their dad was rolling a small suitcase across the porch when Ivy and Olivia arrived at the top of Undertaker Hill. He looked a little broody in his smart jacket and crisp white collared shirt, but as soon as he saw the girls, his face creased in a smile.
He wheeled the suitcase over to the car. ‘Perfect timing! I was going to wait until you came back, but since you’re here, I might be able to catch an earlier flight. Have you had a fun afternoon?’
‘Olivia met the love of her life,’ Ivy said.
‘No, I did not!’ Olivia’s voice had gone up an octave. She cleared her throat. ‘He’s just an actor I admire.’ She had been trying to push that humiliating performance out of her mind. ‘And I’m sure he thinks I’m a total idiot.’
Mr Vega raised an eyebrow. ‘Impossible.’
Like Ivy said, Olivia thought, the best real dad I could wish for.
‘But a movie star doesn’t sound like a normal boyfriend to me,’ Mr Vega said.
‘Very true,’ Olivia replied. It doesn’t matter anyway, she thought. Tomato-with-earmuffs or not, I’d never have a chance with him.
‘Now, girls,’ Mr Vega said. ‘Audrey will be over to pick you up in two hours and, when I come back, I hope we can spend much more time together as a family.’ He planted a kiss on Ivy’s forehead, then held his arm out for Olivia to join them in a group hug. Every hug from her bio-dad felt like ten hugs, like he was trying to make up for the time they’d spent apart.
‘Just not at Mister Smoothie.’ Mr Vega grinned as he got into the car.
Olivia giggled. As her bio-dad drove away, Olivia said to Ivy, ‘We really are a family now, aren’t we?’
Ivy nodded. ‘And I can’t imagine life any different. So will you come in and help me finish packing my stuff for the sleepover?’ she asked.
Olivia took one look at the innocent smile on her sister’s face. She mustered up her best imitation of one of Ivy’s trademark death stares. ‘You must think I was born yesterday,’ she said, folding her arms.
Ivy burst out laughing. ‘OK, OK. Will you help me start packing?’
Chapter Three
Olivia’s mom was very excited indeed when they got home. ‘I love sleepovers!’ she declared. ‘Olivia hasn’t had one since we moved here.’
Olivia helped Ivy haul her heavy black duffel bag down the hall and dumped it at the bottom of the stairs. There had been lots of debate over how many pairs of boots Ivy should bring (two), how many chunky sweaters (three) and, of course, which nail polish colours (Goddess of the Night, Diva at Dusk and Vampy Violet).
‘Thank you for having me, Audrey,’ Ivy said.
‘We’re thrilled you’re staying over,’ Olivia’s dad said, poking his head out of the living room. ‘I greet the sun with an hour of tai chi every morning. Beginners welcome, if you’re awake.’
Olivia rolled her eyes. Her dad was always a little too inclusive with his martial-arts hobby, but Ivy was nodding along like she planned to join him.
Mrs Abbott clapped her hands together. ‘Steve, will you take Ivy’s bag up to Olivia’s room?’
‘Ah,’ said Mr Abbott, after only one lift of the duffel. ‘A worthy opponent. A moment’s meditation is needed before attempting to move this mountain.’ He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.
Olivia giggled.
‘I hope you’re hungry,’ said Mrs Abbott.
Olivia felt her tummy rumble. With all the excitement of the movie people showing up and then working her way through Ivy’s enormous and scattered wardrobe, she’d barely eaten all afternoon.
‘I’m starving,’ Ivy said.
Mrs Abbott ushered the girls into the dining room. ‘I wasn’t sure what to make, so I just made all of Olivia’s favourites.’ With a flourish, she revealed ten dishes with different meals arranged around the table. All of them vegetarian.
This could be a problem, Olivia thought.
She should have realised that there wouldn’t be any meat on the menu at their house. ‘There’s plenty of iron in spinach,’ Olivia whispered, knowing that wasn’t going to help fill Ivy’s stomach.
‘Oh!’ her mom exclaimed. ‘I forgot the garlic bread!’
Oh no! Olivia thought. She remembered all too well what happened when Ivy ate even the tiniest amount of garlic – it was a full-scale vampire emergency.
Ivy sat down at her place with a forced smile on her face, but when Mrs Abbott went into the kitchen for the bread she leaned over the table and whispered, ‘You’re going to have to eat twice as much!’
‘What?’ Olivia asked.
‘Your mom has gone to loads of effort. I can’t leave tons of leftovers.’
Mrs Abbott came back and Ivy had to keep quiet. Mrs Abbott said brightly, ‘Are you two girls going to spend all night talking about boys?’
‘Mom,’ Olivia complained.
‘What’s this about boys?’ Mr Abbott said, walking into the room and sitting down.
‘Nothing, Dad.’ Olivia rolled her eyes.
‘You know,’ Mr Abbott said, stuffing his napkin into his shirt collar. ‘I could help if you have boy troubles – I did use to be one, you know.’
Ivy chuckled. ‘My boyfriend’s trouble is that he’s hungry all the time.’
‘That’s easy to fix!’ Mr Abbott declared. ‘Feed the boy!’ And with that, he took a huge scoop of the mustard macaroni cheese in front of him.
Olivia watched as Ivy took a little bit of everything, a spoonful of the olive salad and the tiniest slice of the nut loaf. She could hear Ivy’s stomach rumble and felt totally guilty.
Poor Ivy, Olivia thought.
‘So what errand have you two sent Charles jetting off on?’ Mr Abbott asked, taking three of the lotus-leaf parcels.
Mrs Abbott passed around the veggie dumplings. ‘He said something about it being a trip for his daughters?’
The sisters exchanged a glance.
‘We thought it was a business trip,’ Olivia said.
‘A piece of garlic bread, Ivy?’ Mrs Abbott asked.
Olivia didn’t have time to think about what her parents meant; she had to stop the garlic disaster! If any garlic so much as touched Ivy’s plate, she wouldn’t be able to eat a thing.
‘Sure,’ Ivy said brightly, trying to avoid touching any of the garlic butter. ‘Thanks!’
Ivy was holding up the poisonous piece of bread, Mrs Abbott was waiting expectantly. Olivia had to do something.
‘Um . . . can I smell something burning?’ Olivia asked, sniffing the air.
‘Oh no, did I leave the stove on?’ Mrs Abbott rushed into the kitchen with Mr Abbott racing after her.
Ivy slipped her garlic bread on to Olivia’s plate and carefully wiped her fingers on her napkin. ‘Eat it quick!’ Ivy said. ‘They’re coming back!’
Olivia shoved the whole slice of bread into her mouth as Mr and Mrs Abbott came back.
‘Nothing burning,’ Mrs Abbott confirmed.
Ivy made a big show of saying, ‘Mmmm, garlic bread,’ while Olivia tried to swallow the hunk of bread without choking. The edges of the crusts were scratching the inside of her cheeks and the salvia rushing into her mouth was making it hard not to dribble.
‘Are you all right, Olivia?’ Mrs Abbott asked.
Olivia could only nod emphatically and give the thumbs-up sign.
‘Did you know there was a film crew in town?’ Ivy put in while Olivia swallowed hard.
Olivia was on full alert for the rest of the meal and when her mom and dad disappeared into the kitchen to get dessert, Olivia clutched her tummy and groaned. ‘I’m going to burst like a balloon.’
�
��I’m so sorry,’ Ivy whispered back. ‘But at least you won’t have to eat two desserts.’
‘After all that garlic bread, I’m not going to be able to eat one dessert,’ Olivia said.
Just then, there was a funny trumpeting noise from the kitchen and her mom and dad came back with party hats on and two candles in the middle of a pie.
They handed two matching party hats to the sisters that had ‘Birthday’ covered over with magazine letters cut out to read ‘Happy Not Moving Day'.
‘We know it should have been a couple of days ago,’ Mrs Abbott said, ‘but we wanted to recognise the wonderful news that you and your father aren’t leaving.’
‘Aw, thanks!’ said Ivy, blowing out the candles.
‘I’m full,’ Olivia confessed when her mom offered her some delicious-looking lemon meringue pie.
‘But it’s your favourite,’ Mr Abbott said.
‘I know, but –’ Olivia began.
‘Oh, sweetheart, it’s a celebration!’ said Mrs Abbott.
Olivia couldn’t stand the upset look on her mother’s face. She sighed. Her belly felt tight as a drum and a loud gurgle erupted. She hugged her stomach and tried to laugh.
‘OK, maybe just a little,’ she said, gazing at her plate as her mum slid a thick slice of trembling lemon meringue on to it.
‘And as you girls have liked the garlic bread so much,’ said Olivia’s mom, picking up the empty plate, ‘I’ll make some more tomorrow!’
Ivy and Olivia looked at each other.
This might be a tricky few days! Olivia thought with dread.
Ivy was spread out like a bug splattered on a windshield, trying to get comfortable on the air mattress that Olivia had blown up for her. But every movement felt squishy and wobbly – nothing at all like the cold, firm feel of a wooden coffin beneath her back, the pleasant feeling of being cosily encased.
‘I can’t get comfortable,’ Ivy complained, pushing the fluffy pillow on to the shaggy white carpet and tugging at her flannel bat-covered pyjamas.
‘At least you haven’t been stuffed like a cabbage leaf,’ Olivia groaned from her four-poster bed.
‘Thanks for eating my share. I’ll make it up to you, somehow.’ Ivy wondered if she could block out the moonlight by taking the thick comforter and taping it up over the lace curtains on the window. How do bunnies get any sleep?
‘It wasn’t as bad as that time I had to face black pudding at your house – ugh!’ Olivia said.
‘You mean, yum,’ Ivy said, her tummy grumbling. She wished she could sneak out of Olivia’s bedroom window and go get a burger. ‘Anyway, I’ve figured out the best way to show my appreciation for your deadly garlic breath: we go back to the movie set tomorrow and I get Jackson’s autograph for you.’
Olivia sat up in her bed in her pink nightie and looked down at Ivy. ‘He’d probably write: To Olivia, seek counselling, from Jackson. P.S. please keep at least 500 feet away from me.’
Ivy laughed. ‘No, he wouldn’t. I think he liked you. He went out of his way to ask your name. Besides, it would be totally killer for you to have a boyfriend, even if he wouldn’t exactly be “perfectly normal” like you said you wanted.’
Olivia turned over on to her tummy, propping her chin on her hands. ‘He asked Camilla her name, too. Besides, he’s a movie star. Super-famous and super-talented and super-nice.’
‘It was definitely love at first sight . . .’ Ivy teased, ‘of earmuffs.’
‘I just wish I hadn’t been such a dork when he came over,’ Olivia said, flopping down dramatically.
Ivy realised her mission shouldn’t be to get Olivia an autograph but to find her a second chance to make a first impression. ‘Let’s just see what happens tomorrow,’ she said, lying back down on the mattress. But with every shift, the mattress squeaked and Ivy knew it would take eternity to fall asleep like this. Maybe she could sleep on the floor?
‘You are squeaking like a bat on that thing.’ Olivia climbed out of her bed. ‘I think I know what might work.’
Olivia cleared off the hair brushes, perfumes and accessories from her extra-long white wooden dressing table. ‘If you used this as a mattress, it might feel like a coffin.’
‘Genius!’ Ivy declared. ‘You are the best sister.’
As quietly as they could, they shifted the mirror safely off and carefully flipped the dressing table over so its legs were up in the air. Ivy lay on the upside down table and folded her arms. ‘Aaah.’ The moon was still shining in through the window, but with the hard wood against her shoulder blades, the faint smell of the forest, and coldness under her head, it was almost like being at home.
Olivia dragged over the air mattress and propped it up against the wall at an angle over Ivy’s head. ‘My own makeshift bat cave,’ Ivy said appreciatively. It wasn’t her coffin, but it would definitely work. ‘Good night, Olivia.’
‘Good night, my unusual roommate.’
Ivy could hear her climbing back into bed.
As Ivy drifted off, she ran through scenarios of how she could get Olivia and Jackson to talk to each other again. Maybe she and Olivia could sneak on to the set disguised as bushes? Or pretend to be singing telegrams? Maybe she could put her sister in a suitcase marked for special delivery to Jackson? On second thoughts, that really might land them with a restraining order.
Ivy was determined it was her turn to play matchmaker. I’ll make this happen, she swore. One way or another . . .
Olivia was woken by Ivy bouncing on her bed. ‘What bunny magic has made you so chirpy?’ she groaned as she peered through her half-awake eyes.
‘Tai chi with your dad,’ said Ivy, who had developed a refreshing glow. ‘I feel amazing! Energised and enlightened!’
‘Can you be enlightened somewhere else please? I’m trying to sleep.’ Olivia pulled the duvet over her head, but she was only teasing; she loved seeing her twin getting on with her family.
‘Hey, I thought I was supposed to be the grumpy one, remember?’
Olivia pushed back the covers and sat up straight. With a huge grin she said, ‘That’s right! Let’s call Sophia and we’ll have a full-on girlie morning!’
‘Awesome!’ said Ivy, jumping up in an uncharacteristic cheerleading pose.
Sophia was over within half an hour. Sophia and Ivy, declaring themselves Olivia’s stylist team, debated over what Olivia should wear for her second meeting with Jackson, and settled on a light blue sweater with denim shorts and lacy leggings.
Then they had a quick hair and make-up session. Olivia did Ivy’s nails with Diva at Dusk blue-black and Sophia chose Vampy Violet. Olivia covered her own in Just Peachy. It meant they had to eat their scrambled eggs carefully, holding their forks so that they wouldn’t smear the varnish.
As they left Olivia put on her glittery earmuffs.
‘Jackson’s favourite accessory!’ Ivy teased.
But Olivia ignored her. ‘Bright red, frozen ears only look good on elves,’ she announced.
They headed out of the door for the Meat & Greet.
Ivy continued to talk about Jackson. ‘What if we rented a helicopter and dropped you inside? Jackson would be impressed by that.’
Or I would break my neck and be rushed to hospital, Olivia thought.
‘As long as I don’t have to chip in to pay for it,’ Sophia said.
‘That won’t be necessary,’ Olivia replied. ‘Besides, I’m going back to the set to learn about movies, not stalk the male lead.’
‘Is that . . . is your nose . . .’ Ivy was peering at Olivia’s face. ‘Is your nose growing, Pinocchio?’
Olivia poked her tongue out and gently pushed her sister away.
Jackson coming to Franklin Grove was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to Olivia, but making a fool of herself in front of him was one of the worst. She just wanted to put the whole thing behind her.
The three girls turned the corner to the Meat & Greet and staggered to a halt. In front of them was a crowd bigger than the
biggest pep rally Olivia had ever seen. And the noise! It looked like every girl within twenty miles had gathered around the barriers. Some were even holding signs. One had the very unoriginal, ‘Marry me, Jackson,’ but another had an illustration of a jack from a deck of cards, then a picture of the sun, then an equals sign and a big red heart after that. Cute. Jackson equals love. The girl with the pink and blue polka-dot jacket from yesterday was still right at the front. Her hair was a lot messier and Olivia wondered if she’d even been home.
‘So, it looks like the word’s out,’ Sophia said drily.
‘Hmm,’ Ivy said, surveying the huge crowd. ‘How are we going to get in now?’
‘Got to be the helicopter or nothing,’ Sophia replied.
‘Have you heard about the side entrance?’ a familiar voice said behind them.
Olivia and Ivy whipped around to see Brendan wearing his black trench coat and a sneaky grin.
‘No,’ Ivy said, giving him a quick hug hello. ‘Tell us!’
‘What’s in it for me?’ he said.
‘How about a rare burger on me when the Meat & Greet opens again?’ Ivy offered.
‘Sold!’ Brendan said, shaking Ivy’s hand in an official way. ‘Come on. Follow me.’ He led them around the crowd to the side of the parking lot. There were only a handful of spectators gathered by these barriers: an older lady in a scruffy coat, two men with big Jackson posters, and a mom with two excited little girls. Three security guards stood with their arms crossed, keeping an eye out for anyone trying to sneak in.
‘Since it doesn’t look like much is happening,’ Brendan said, ‘I’m going to head to the Juice Bar. Anybody want anything?’
‘I’m starving.’ Ivy clung to Brendan’s arm. ‘Food at the Abbotts’ is . . . um . . . a little light for me.’
Olivia and Ivy had already planned to sneak a roast-beef sandwich for Ivy to eat after dinner tonight, and to say Ivy had a tummy ache so that Olivia wouldn’t have to eat twice as much.
‘How about a Breakfast Bun with Bite?’ Brendan asked.
‘Ooh, with extra red sauce.’ The excitement on Ivy’s face made Olivia smile. They are so cute together, Olivia thought.
05 Take Two - My Sister the Vampire Page 3
