‘It’s hard to run in a skirt,’ Brendan commented as they dashed along the road, getting more than a few intrigued glances from the people they passed on the sidewalk.
‘We’re almost there,’ Ivy replied, as the east entrance to the mall came into sight.
They hurried past the stores to the food court. Despite the absurdity of having to do it, Ivy couldn’t help enjoying the chaos just a little.
Up ahead, she spotted the real Olivia and Camilla sprinting towards the bathroom with all five photographers still after them. She couldn’t see Jackson and Sophia yet, but she was sure they were on their way.
Ivy and Brendan crouched behind a palm tree at the front of the food court and waited.
The paps lurked near the bathroom, waiting for any sign of Olivia and her mysterious friend.
There was a commotion from near the stationery store. It was Jackson and Sophia, with five more paparazzi in tow!
Sophia shouted in a fake British accent, ‘These people are invading my privacy!’
‘They won’t leave us alone!’ called Jackson.
The photographers that had been chasing Olivia and Camilla whirled around to capture whatever was happening.
The shoppers all turned to stare.
‘Help us!’ Jackson cried to a burly man with a bag from the Sewing Store.
He took one look at the mega-famous movie star and turned on the paparazzi, crossing his arms like an angry genie and blocking their path. Two paps got in a tangle, trying to run around him and a third got attacked by an old lady in a purple dress wielding her handbag.
‘It’s working!’ Ivy whispered to Brendan.
‘Wish I was out there with that lady,’ Brendan replied, grinning.
A gaggle of young girls shrieked when they saw Jackson and rushed over, trampling past the fourth pap. He had no chance of a photo now. There was only one left.
He seemed intent on staying in pursuit of Sophia and Jackson, who were almost at the bathroom. Then, a group of parents with toddlers walked past on their way to a coffee shop, sweeping him away.
‘Get out of the way!’ Ivy heard him cry. ‘I almost had an exclusive there!’
The five photographers near the bathroom were laughing at their colleagues, and still snapping away.
‘What’s going on here?’ demanded an overweight man in a bright orange uniform. ‘We don’t want your sort in here!’ It was the manager of the Hummus Are Us deli in the food court.
‘We have the right to be here!’ shouted a pap wearing a green sweater.
As they argued, Sophia and Jackson just had time to duck into the bathroom.
‘Showtime,’ said Ivy.
I may not be an actress, Ivy thought, but if I have to, I can put on a performance.
She shouted across to where the confused photographers were untangling themselves from the crowd.
‘Hey, paps!’ she shouted. ‘That should teach you!’ Then she turned on her heel and ran.
Ivy was hoping that the photographers would be convinced that Olivia had escaped and chase her and Brendan across the food court to catch up.
‘Hey!’ shouted Green Sweater. ‘There they go!’
One glance over her shoulder, and Ivy could see the photographers following.
She and Brendan ran back the way they had come, dodging a family of five, a delivery of beads to the bead shop, and the chocolate kiosk. When Ivy looked back she saw that Olivia’s five paps had been joined by Jackson’s five and now, as they headed out the east entrance to the mall, all ten photographers were in pursuit.
Exhilarated, Ivy shared a grin with Brendan. They were just turning a corner, out of sight of the paps. ‘Race ya!’ she said to her boyfriend, then put on a burst of vampire speed. Her powerful muscles worked overtime, going at least twice as fast as a human’s.
Brendan was surprised, but then boosted his own speed and soon they were practically flying down the street towards the final battleground.
Two blocks later, Ivy checked behind her to see the paps only just turning the corner. She made sure they saw her, and ducked into Patsy’s Pastry Shop, a cosy little store filled with wonderful baking smells, cupcakes with four-inch-high icing and fresh croissants.
‘Yummy,’ said Ivy. But she wasn’t here for a leisurely hot chocolate. ‘Two ham-and-cheese croissants, please, Patsy,’ she said, not even out of breath from the run.
Any moment now the photographers were going to catch up.
Patsy Lovett, a large woman with big blonde hair, raised one eyebrow at the sight of Brendan’s now straggly blonde wig, but she served up the croissants and handed them over.
Just as Brendan and Ivy were settling down, the paparazzi caught sight of them in the shop window. Mr Red Jacket shouted, ‘There!’ and pointed, which made Patsy frown.
They gathered at the window, shoving each other aside to get the first shot of ‘Olivia’ and the mystery actress.
‘Hey!’ Patsy shouted.
She grabbed her rolling pin. Ivy already knew that Franklin Grove’s baker didn’t like anyone – anyone! – messing with her business.
Just as Ivy had hoped, Patsy stormed out of the shop and let loose on the stalkers. ‘What do you think you’re doing? You’ll drive away my customers!’
‘This is public property,’ one pap shouted back.
‘If you don’t get away from my shop, I’ll make room for those cameras in my oven.’ Patsy looked like she meant it.
All but Mr Red Jacket scattered.
‘I’m not doing anything illegal,’ he protested.
Patsy advanced on him like she was stalking a mouse in her kitchen. ‘But I might.’
Ivy saw the fear spread over his face and wanted to do one of Olivia’s cheers. P-A-T-S-Y ! Patsy scares the mean paps guy!
Patsy got right in his face, lifted one large finger and smudged flour on his nose. The pap yelped and scurried away.
Patsy came back in, dusting her hands off.
‘Took care of that.’
‘Thanks,’ Ivy told her.
Brendan pulled off the wig. ‘I don’t think I’ll be wearing this again any time soon.’
Moments later, Ivy saw Olivia, Camilla, Jackson and Sophia poking their heads around the real-estate office across the street. When they saw the coast was clear, they scurried inside the pastry shop. There wasn’t a photographer in sight.
‘It worked!’ said Olivia, still a little out of breath.
‘Thanks, everyone,’ Ivy said, triumphant. ‘Mission accomplished.’
Chapter Seven
After a round of Patsy’s croissants, Olivia, Ivy, Camilla, Jackson, Brendan and Sophia headed to the Meat and Greet for celebratory milkshakes.
‘That’s definitely my exercise for the day,’ Olivia said. ‘I’ve earned a milkshake.’
Jackson smiled at her, making Olivia’s heart pound as hard as when she’d been running from the paps. ‘That was so much fun,’ he said. ‘I’d do the whole thing again!’
Ivy groaned. ‘I hope that won’t be necessary.’
Olivia bit her lip. They still hadn’t figured out how to fix this whole Harker mess. The longer Harker built up speculation about the other actress and waited to announce that they were twins, the more chances they had of being exposed.
‘We may have escaped this time,’ Olivia said, ‘but they aren’t going to stay away for long.’
Out of the corner of her eye, Olivia saw Charlotte sitting two booths away with someone, but Olivia couldn’t see who. They were facing the other way.
Then Olivia heard a familiar voice coming from the booth. It was Jessica. ‘You totally failed,’ she was saying in a cold voice. ‘You didn’t get a single picture of the two of them and the paparazzi are furious for being given a false lead. They’ve given up and gone home! This is a disaster.’
Olivia nudged Ivy so that her sister would hear the conversation as well.
‘If you weren’t such an airhead, losing the camera, this would have all worked!
’
Olivia couldn’t believe that sharp-tongued Charlotte was taking all of this abuse without a single comeback.
‘Without a photograph, I can’t do anything. Not without risking my reputation – I need proof! You are a disgrace to all cheer captains everywhere,’ Jessica declared, standing up. ‘You are totally not cool enough to hang out with me.’ Then she tossed her hair and marched off, leaving Charlotte looking miserable, shooting a disgusted look at Olivia as she went.
‘Serves her right,’ Ivy grumbled, but Olivia felt bad. Charlotte was the captain of her squad, after all. Olivia was just about to go over to Charlotte’s booth to see if she was OK when someone burst through the doors of the Meat and Greet.
Olivia jumped, thinking that the paparazzi had tracked them down. But it was Amy Teller, for once without a phone or a cup of coffee in her hand, looking like she’d just won a million dollars.
She rushed over to their booth. ‘We’re going home!’ she declared.
Everyone around the table stared at her.
‘To Hollywood!’ she cried. ‘I’ve been looking everywhere for you.’
‘For me?’ asked Jackson.
‘No, for my-new-favourite-client Olivia!’ Amy beamed, gently pushing him out of the way.
Olivia gulped. Amy could be a little intense with her enthusiasm sometimes. ‘Why me?’ she asked.
‘Because, you . . . and your sister . . .’ Amy cast a quick glance over at Ivy and then did a double-take when she realised that it looked like there were two Olivias sitting at the table. ‘Because the two of you will be flying out to Hollywood on Harker’s private jet for the Bright Stars awards ceremony on Saturday! He wants you both to be there; he’s finally going to break the news of your roles in his new film!’
‘Wow,’ said Camilla.
‘So cool,’ breathed Sophia.
Olivia couldn’t stop the grin. ‘A private jet?’
‘Break the news?’ Ivy echoed. Olivia could tell she had mixed feelings about the announcement. At least they wouldn’t have to worry about being exposed as twins, but it meant that she would be committed to the movie.
‘Your dad will be there, and Lillian is hitching a ride as well,’ Amy explained. ‘And what about me, you ask? Well,’ she paused for dramatic effect. ‘I will be stepping off the plane and going straight to a coffee shop. I can hardly wait!’
‘This barely feels like an airplane,’ Olivia whispered to Ivy as she sat in a white leather designer armchair, looking around at the wood panelling and huge flat-screen TV. ‘It’s more like a swanky living room at twenty thousand feet.’
‘I can’t believe there’s something that beats first-class travel to Europe!’ Ivy replied, stuffing a Californian sushi roll into her mouth. When they had gone to meet their Transylvanian relatives, their grandparents had paid for them to travel first class.
Today, the private lounge at the airport had been huge and stocked with a fresh sandwich bar. Brendan had come to see them off and had a Philly cheese steak sub. Jackson had already flown out. He’d taken a day off school and left the day before for the award show’s dress rehearsal.
Olivia glanced out of the window at puffy white clouds in a blue sky. I am on my way to Hollywood! she thought. Later that night, she would be attending a star-studded award ceremony with her movie-star boyfriend and she wouldn’t have to keep the secret any more. It still felt a little unreal.
‘More sushi?’ asked the stewardess, poking her head through the curtain.
‘Yes, please!’ Ivy piped up.
Olivia stared at her. ‘Well, it seems there are some things you could learn to live with.’
Ivy stuffed the last piece of sushi into her mouth and rolled her eyes at Olivia, making her laugh.
Olivia shook her head and gazed out of the tiny window at the ground far below.
‘Hollywood, look out!’ said Mr Vega. Olivia couldn’t agree more. They were on their way!
In what seemed like no time at all, the private jet had landed and Olivia was following Mr Vega and Lillian out on to the tarmac, where a stretched black limo was waiting for them.
The bright sunshine felt warm on her skin after the cold air-conditioned plane, and the sky was bright blue.
‘Miss Abbott,’ said the chauffeur as he held the door for her. He was huge, and was probably more like a bodyguard than a chauffeur. ‘I’m Frank.’
Once they were all settled in the luxurious back seat, Frank turned around and said, ‘I hope you don’t mind, folks, but Mr Harker has asked me to show you some of the sights.’
Olivia clapped her hands. ‘A private tour!’ she squealed.
‘It seems we would like that very much,’ said Mr Vega.
Frank set off, winding the mammoth car around the city streets. As they drove away from the airport, the scene changed from rundown houses to wide streets with plush green lawns and leafy trees.
‘Most people think Hollywood is where all the glamour is,’ Frank said. ‘But actual Hollywood ain’t pretty. The stars all live in Beverley Hills and that’s where we are right now.’
The houses were huge and there were palm trees everywhere.
‘Is this like your house?’ Ivy asked Lillian.
‘Ha!’ Lillian replied. ‘I have a teeny apartment on the other side of LA. These properties are for the mega-rich.’
Soon, they were driving past rows of stores.
‘Oh, my pom poms!’ Olivia squealed. ‘That’s Serendipity Fashion! And that’s Kevin Greene! We’re on Rodeo Drive!’ She knew Ivy wouldn’t be as excited, but she was glad to see her sister still smiling.
‘Beverley Hills is six square miles of shopping, eating and luxurious living,’ Frank went on. ‘There are no hospitals and no cemeteries in the city limits, which means that, technically, no one is born or dies in Beverly Hills.’
‘And that’s not even counting the vampires,’ Ivy whispered.
Olivia giggled. She wondered how many of the undead were wandering about in this town.
‘Look at that dress!’ Ivy declared, pointing out of the window at the Asante couture store. The dress on display was layers of rainbow colours with a huge u-shaped cut-out in the skirt – just like Spencer’s creation.
‘That’s a rip-off of your skirt from the premiere,’ said Lillian. ‘And that girl there is wearing one, too.’
‘Except no one had to spill latte on them, to make them look like that!’ Olivia joked.
‘Where Olivia goes,’ Ivy teased, ‘the rest of the world follows.’
Olivia took a deep breath. It was almost like an unintended welcome. She could feel it; something big was going to happen this weekend.
‘Why would anyone need three sinks in one bathroom?’ Ivy asked.
‘Why don’t you just enjoy the luxury?’ Olivia suggested.
Ivy sighed. The suite was so over-the-top that it made her feel uncomfortable: marble floors, floor-to-ceiling windows and an enormous bunch of fresh flowers in every room. All Ivy needed was a warm coffin somewhere to snuggle into.
Mr Vega and Lillian were in a meeting with Mr Harker about how his girls would be treated during filming. Ivy and Olivia were waiting for Frank to come and pick them up and take them on some mystery Hollywood adventure.
‘I just want to say,’ Olivia said, perching on the floral print chaise longue in the suite’s sitting room. ‘All this craziness isn’t what it’s about for me.’
‘I know,’ Ivy replied, taking a sip from her fluted glass of milkshake.
‘Don’t get me wrong, all this nice stuff is great.’ Olivia grinned. ‘But I want to do this because I think acting is the thing I’m really good at.’
‘It is,’ Ivy agreed. ‘And that’s why all these amazing things are happening for you. I’m just the black fly in your soup.’
Olivia sighed and Ivy felt that familiar pit of doom in her stomach.
‘Harker’s going to hate me the minute he gets me on set,’ Ivy said. ‘He doesn’t realise that I’m no good. We
’ve got to make him understand!’
‘You know what?’ Olivia said at last. ‘It doesn’t matter.’
‘What do you mean?’ Ivy asked.
‘There will be other roles,’ Olivia said. ‘This crazy media baiting has nothing to do with making a good movie. Harker is just being dramatic.’
Ivy felt the pit filling in with a little bit of hope.
‘I can’t cope with all the secrets I’ve got to keep in this town. You. Jackson. So I’m just not going to worry about it any more,’ Olivia declared. ‘I’m going to enjoy this experience.’
There was a knock at the door. ‘Ladies?’ It was Frank. ‘Ready to go?’
‘Coming!’ Olivia called. She grinned at Ivy. ‘Let’s be tourists and do some star-spotting!’
They grabbed their bags and hurried out into the hallway where Frank was waiting under a huge chandelier. He tipped his hat and they stepped into the mirrored elevator.
‘Where are we going, Frank?’ Ivy asked, checking her teeth in the mirror.
‘I suppose I don’t have to keep it secret any longer,’ he replied. ‘To one of the biggest film studios in LA.’
‘Which one?’ Olivia wanted to know.
Frank grinned as the elevator door dinged open on to the underground parking lot. ‘Rumour has it you might get to see the Killer Bees making their latest music video . . .’
Ivy gasped. The Killer Bees were one of her and Brendan’s favourite bands!
‘Or even the mega-famous Jackson Caulfield strolling around in-between takes,’ Frank finished as he opened the door to their limo.
Ivy smiled. Of course, Frank wouldn’t know that Olivia and Jackson were dating because it was still a big secret.
‘The Killer Bees!’ she whispered. Maybe this trip to Hollywood wouldn’t be such a drag after all.
After a short drive, they pulled in through some huge gates with a security guard peering in through their windscreen. There were warehouse buildings neatly lining a grid of streets, and people in golf carts zipping around. They drove past two men carrying an enormous Christmas tree and a woman dressed in an Elizabethan dress. It looked like chaos, but a lot of fun.
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