It was as if the whole universe was conspiring to make her more and more popular, whether she liked it or not!
Growling, she stalked over to the older boy, who was snickering with his friends.
‘Oops,’ he said. ‘Did I trip you? I must not have seen you coming. Heh.’
Even Garrick Stephens, the head of the middle school Beasts, would have found this boy’s grin repulsive. His stench battered her sensitive vampire senses, but Ivy walked straight up to glare at him.
‘You’d have a lot more luck seeing where not to stick your legs,’ she told him, ‘if your hair wasn’t greasy enough to cook French fries on!’
‘Ooooohhhh.’ The students behind her let out a collective gasp.
‘Did you hear what she said to Josh?’
‘She is so brave!’
The older boy – Josh – glared back at her. Stepping closer, he opened his mouth as if to say something.
Ivy narrowed her eyes into a death-squint . . . and Josh paled. Stepping back, he cowered against the lockers.
‘That’s better,’ she told him, and turned away.
As she walked into homeroom, she could hear him complaining to his friends. ‘If I’d known this school was a haven for crazies, I would never have transferred here!’
Whatever. Ivy rolled her eyes. She couldn’t escape the groupies all clustering around her now, though, as she headed for her desk at the back of the room. The goths pushed and shoved past each other to clap her on the back in congratulations, while the bunnies hung back, gazing at her with big, dazzled-looking eyes.
‘You were so awesome!’
‘The whole school is going to be glad you took Josh down a peg. He’s deserved it ever since he started here.’
‘He probably deserved it at his last school, too.’
‘You’re such a hero!’
Across the room, Ivy glimpsed her twin finally walking in. Thank darkness for a voice of common sense! She waved eagerly – but with the mass of followers surrounding her, they might as well have been miles apart. Olivia’s gaze passed over the crowd, and she sighed. Giving a sad half-smile, she went to join Sophia without even making a move in Ivy’s direction.
She’s probably right. They’d never have let her through to me.
Grimacing, Ivy sat down at her desk, desperate for the teacher to walk in and force everyone else to disperse. How many more pats on the back could she take before it bruised? So much for my plan to stall out my popularity.
As she looked around for the teacher, she caught Penny Taylor’s eye.
The pseudo-goth-girl sat alone near the front of the class, looking horribly alone. The desks on both sides of her were empty, and as she watched the other students crowd around Ivy, her eyes glimmered with wistfulness.
I have to do something, Ivy realised. But what?
She still hadn’t figured out what to do by the end of the morning. But as she walked towards the cafeteria for lunch, she glanced out a window and saw Penny sitting alone in a quiet corner outside, reading a familiar-looking magazine. Ivy couldn’t see what the magazine was called, but she knew exactly who it was aimed at: girly, teeny-bop bunnies. It pretty much had to be, because it had a picture of her sister’s boyfriend on the front cover!
Pushing open the closest door, Ivy stepped outside. Penny gasped and slammed the magazine shut. ‘I wasn’t really reading it! I was just . . .’
‘Does the article on Jackson mention Olivia?’ Ivy asked. She pointed to the picture of Jackson’s smiling face. ‘If it does, I might have to buy it.’
‘Oh, well . . . um . . . I mean, I wasn’t really reading it. I mean, not for pleasure. I just . . .’
Ivy raised one eyebrow as Penny stammered to a halt. ‘I saw you smiling as you turned the pages.’
‘Um, that was an ironic smile.’ Penny swallowed visibly. ‘A pitying smile! At how silly the articles in these magazines are. You know. Mainstream? They should – they should call it lamestream !’
Ivy rolled her eyes. ‘You shared your secret with me, remember? I know you like the lighter side of life. It’s OK, I won’t tell anyone.’
‘Well . . .’ Penny relaxed. She gave a guilty-looking grin. ‘The truth is,’ she admitted, ‘the “Have You Spotted?” section is quite entertaining, if . . . oh!’ She gave a sudden gasp and clamped her mouth shut.
Ivy looked around. Aha. A group of goth-girls was sidling towards them, obviously trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. Penny’s scared of blowing her cover. Which means . . .
Moving with vampire speed, Ivy snatched the magazine from Penny’s hands. ‘See?’ she said, pointing. ‘That’s the part I wanted you to look at.’
Penny stared at her. Then her face lit up with gratitude. ‘Oh,’ she said. ‘Oh! You mean, in your magazine.’
‘That’s right.’ Ivy smiled as the other goths reached them. Pointedly, she turned the bubblegum-coloured cover directly towards them. ‘I was just showing Penny something I really liked in my magazine.’
Come on, she silently urged the other goths. Start sneering! See, I’m not cool after all, am I?
One goth raised her eyebrows. But she didn’t sneer. Instead, she looked thoughtful. The others peered closer.
‘Is that magazine cool?’
‘I’ve been reading that magazine forever!’
‘Maybe I’ll get a copy after school.’
Argh! Ivy screamed silently.
Next to her, though, Penny was leaning into the circle of other girls with wistful delight, like a plant stretching towards the sunlight. That’s it, Ivy decided. I have to shift this school’s attention on to Penny. Let her be the cool one!
And the time to make that change was . . . now . Because the hovering goth-girls were already beginning to swarm! Where are they all coming from? Ivy wondered, as more and more flooded through the school doors towards her.
‘Ivy, why aren’t you going to lunch? Aren’t you hungry?’
‘Maybe she doesn’t want to.’
‘Is lunch “uncool” now?’ one goth-girl gasped.
Ivy stared at her in disbelief. How could not having lunch be cool? She shook her head. ‘I’m not skipping lunch. I was just stopping here to . . . to . . .’ Inspiration struck. ‘To ask Penny for some fashion advice!’
‘Really?’ The goth-girls flocked closer, looking from Ivy to Penny and back.
‘Oh, yes.’ Ivy nodded solemnly. ‘Penny is the one girl at this school with real style . Don’t you think?’
‘Oohhh . . .’ There was a collective sigh as all the girls clustered around Penny, looking her up and down, from her black lace T-shirt and silver dragon bracelet to her skinny black jeans and boots.
Penny’s cheeks were flushed, but she looked desperately hopeful. Ivy gave her a firm nod of support. ‘I always think that Penny looks just right.’
‘I do like your style,’ the closest goth-girl said to Penny.
‘Oh . . . me, too.’
‘And me.’
It’s working! Ivy thought . . .
. . . Until the goth-girls turned away from Penny to beam at Ivy.
‘You’re so perceptive, Ivy!’
‘You notice everything !’
‘Of course Ivy was the one who noticed that Penny wasn’t just a normal goth!’
At least that part’s true, Ivy thought glumly. But only in ways that these girls don’t realise!
The girls were all flocking back to her now. ‘How can we learn to see people the way you do, Ivy?’ another goth-girl sighed wistfully.
I can’t take this any more! Losing her cool completely, Ivy gave in to sarcasm. Waving her hands, she droned, ‘O . . . pen . . . your . . . eyes . . .’
But even blatant rudeness didn’t work.
‘You’re so right, Ivy.’
‘Of course she’s right!’
‘I will open my eyes and see people better. I swear it!’
‘If only there were glasses or contact lenses that helped us see true style,’ one of
the girls mused. ‘If some scientist could invent that, they’d be a gazillionaire . . . and they’d deserve it!’
Another girl snorted. ‘But would they be able to come up with a de-pinking ray? Something to rid the world of all perkiness?’
Penny flushed, suddenly looking down at her hands, but the other girls were too busy laughing and cheering the idea on to notice.
‘Who wouldn’t buy a de-pinking ray?’
‘My sister wouldn’t,’ Ivy snapped.
An awkward silence fell over the group. As the other girls slid her frightened glances, Ivy realised she had gone too far. Her tone hadn’t just been dismissive – it had been downright scary.
She forced a laugh. ‘So, anyway –’
‘Ohh!’ One of the girls gasped, pointing. ‘Are you wearing joke vampire teeth?’
Oh, no. Busted! Ivy slammed her mouth shut . . . but it was too late. Everybody had already seen her fangs.
‘That is so cool!’
‘But Ivy, the teachers will have a fit if they notice them!’
‘That’s why Ivy’s so cool. She doesn’t care about authority!’
No, she’s just really, really behind on her dental work, Ivy thought grimly.
She couldn’t delay any longer. She had to get to the vampire dentist tonight .
Olivia giggled into her cell phone as she walked up Undertaker Hill that evening. The air was cool and scented with flowers, there was a comfortable hum of activity in the houses nearby . . . and she was talking to her favourite boy in the world, who’d just called unexpectedly.
‘You’ve finally managed a perfect Cockney accent!’ she said, on hearing his voice.
‘I know,’ Jackson said mournfully. ‘Too bad I’ll never need it again, now that we’re all finished filming the scenes with the British twins!’
Spotting Ivy’s house ahead, Olivia slowed her steps to prolong the phone call. ‘Where are you calling from, anyway?’
‘Um . . . somewhere?’ Jackson yawned. ‘Sorry. I’m on the road in one of Mr Harker’s cars, and I only just woke up. I can’t see any signs on the highway right now . . . so I’m not really sure where I am!’
‘Well, I’m glad you called me, wherever you are,’ Olivia murmured.
‘I’ll always call you.’ Jackson’s voice was firm. ‘Wherever I am.’
‘I know.’ Olivia smiled as they said their goodbyes. Even after she’d hung up, she stood still for a moment, basking in contentment.
‘I know.’ Olivia smiled as they said their goodbyes. Even after she’d hung up, she stood still for a moment, basking in contentment.
She was home, where she belonged; but she still had Jackson, and their relationship was so much better now because of the time they’d had away from each other. She could now end a call without feeling fraught, because she knew that he loved her no matter what . . . and she knew, too, that she was happier for being here in Franklin Grove, rather than being caught up in the hectic movie star lifestyle.
Maybe someday, when she was older, she would change her mind . . . but for now, she was so much happier to have a normal life. Whatever ‘normal’ is in Franklin Grove, anyway!
Taking a deep breath, she slipped her cell phone back into her bag and hurried up the steps to Ivy’s house. Maybe things had felt weird with her twin for the past few days, but it was time to break down the barriers of silence that had built up between them. After all, when the worst came to the worst, she knew Ivy would always have her back . . . wouldn’t she?
She didn’t help me when those goths were sneering at me at her lunch table, a little voice whispered in the back of Olivia’s head.
Gritting her teeth, she forced the thought aside. I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for that, she told herself. I’ll find out when we finally get to talk about it . And they didn’t just need to clear up their own issues. Right now, Olivia needed the most popular girl in her grade to help with her ‘Famelia’ problem!
When the door opened, though, it wasn’t Ivy who stood there. It was Lillian.
‘Olivia!’ Lillian smiled warmly. ‘How are you?’
‘Oh . . . um . . . fine,’ Olivia mumbled. She’d been working so hard to prepare herself for a heart-to-heart with Ivy, it was a shock to see anyone different. She craned her neck to look past their stepmom. ‘Is Ivy here?’
‘No, she’s gone to the dentist for an emergency touch-up.’
‘What?’ Olivia’s gaze flashed back up in surprise. ‘At this time of day?’
Lillian gave a wink. ‘Not a regular dentist. You know how it is.’
‘Ohhhh. Of course.’ Olivia forced a laugh, as embarrassment crashed down on her. ‘I should have known.’
The truth was, she didn’t know how it was. She’d never minded being the only non-vampire when she was with Ivy and their dad. But somehow, it felt worse to be out of the loop when she was around her elegant new vampire stepmom.
‘Why don’t you come in and wait for her?’ Lillian stepped back to let her in.
‘OK. Thanks.’ Olivia drew a deep breath and followed Lillian into the kitchen, her thoughts whirling. If Ivy wasn’t here, who could she talk to about her plans for ‘Famelia’?
What about my bio-dad?
Of course! Charles Vega would definitely know how to resolve a star-crossed love affair – because he’d had the ultimate impossible romance with their mom!
‘Is Dad here?’ she asked.
‘Oh, I’m afraid he’s out running some errands.’ Lillian reached into the refrigerator and took out the juice that was always kept stocked there for Olivia’s visits.
‘Oh.’ Olivia slumped.
Lillian raised her eyebrows comically. ‘Don’t look so disappointed,’ she said, faking outrage.
‘Sorry,’ said Olivia, laughing with her. ‘I’ve just got some stuff on my mind.’
‘Anything I can help with?’ Lillian asked.
Olivia thought for a split-second of a split-second. How could she not have realised before? Lillian had worked in movies for decades. She was the perfect person to help navigate the story of ‘Famelia’!
As the two of them snacked on tortilla chips and salsa, Olivia gave her stepmom all the details. Luckily, Lillian was already fluent in Camillaese, so it was easy to sum up what had already happened. ‘I think they’re just about halfway through their Act Two,’ Olivia finished, ‘but they’re still not together. What can I do?’
‘Well . . .’ Tapping her chip on her plate, Lillian looked pensive. ‘There are always obstacles in every rom-com, you know. If the “meet-cute” didn’t work, maybe what they need now is to be shown the “awful alternatives”. You know, that moment in movies and TV when the hero and heroine go on dates with really horrible people. It helps them realise who they really love.’
‘Hmm.’ Olivia crunched her chip thoughtfully. ‘I think that actually might work . . . and that way, no one needs to get a lecture from the principal! Thank you!’
I have such a cool stepmom, she realised.
Chapter Eight
Ivy grimaced as she stepped back into the Slice of Life pizza parlour and saw a life-size plastic cockroach in the corner, near a mouldy-looking smear of old tomato sauce.
I know they have to make this place look gross, she thought. But did they have to do such a good job of it? Her mouth tasted funny enough from the procedure she’d just undergone downstairs, without adding so many other horrible flavours to the air!
To all the bunnies of Franklin Grove, the Slice of Life was known as the nastiest pizza parlour in the universe. None of them could understand how it had stayed in business for so long
Only the vampires knew the truth: that the Slice of Life’s disgusting appearance was exactly what made it the perfect base for Dr Pane Lee, the town’s resident vampire dentist. Dr Lee kept his practice in the basement, and the vampires of Franklin Grove went in and out freely throughout the night, pretending to be visiting the twenty-four-hour pizza parlour.
I almost wish
I had been, Ivy thought glumly. Sure, the Slice of Life looked awful. But could eating mouldy pizza really be that much worse than having her super-long fangs filed with Dr Lee’s ‘special machine’, the one he only reserved for really drastic cases? She shuddered at the memory of the grinding noise it had made, rattling through her bones.
Worse yet, the polish he’d added at the end tasted of pink bubblegum . Talk about a bunny flavour!
Hunching her shoulders, Ivy ran her tongue over her newly-short fangs and fought the urge to gag at the taste as it mingled with the disgusting smells of the pizza parlour. It’s definitely time to get back outside!
Ignoring the cobwebs and fake roaches that cluttered the corners, Ivy walked past the dustcovered service counter where Rachel, the ‘manageress’ of the Slice of Life – who was actually Dr Lee’s receptionist – was pretending to read a sauce-spattered magazine.
Cobwebs trailed off Rachel’s dirty cap, which was topped by a plastic spider, and a smear of red – which Ivy’s sensitive nose identified as paint rather than real pizza sauce – spread all the way across her cheek. As Ivy passed, Rachel looked up just long enough to give a secret nod . . . before ticking off a note in the patient book that was hidden inside the magazine.
Nodding back, Ivy held her breath and picked her way across the spills of dried cheese that covered the floor. It was a huge relief to reach the doorway. On the threshold, she started to turn back to wave goodbye to Rachel . . .
And then the unthinkable happened. From the corner of her eye she saw a hand . . . a hand reaching for the door.
Reaching for the door to the Slice of Life? I must be seeing things!
Ivy squeezed her eyes shut. Then she opened them, blinking hard . . . and saw the door being pulled all the way open.
She spun around. Oh, no!
It was an older boy – a high school senior, judging by his appearance, but she’d never seen him before. He must go to Willowton, she realised. But what is he thinking, for darkness’ sake? Are they even crazier at Willowton than at Franklin Grove? No one in their right mind would ever try to eat here! It has been designed specially, to repel all non-vamps!
14 Flipping Out - My Sister the Vampire Page 7
