13 Double Disaster - My Sister the Vampire

by Sienna Mercer

  My Sister the Vampire: Double Disaster! first published in Great Britain 2013

  by Egmont UK Limited

  The Yellow Building, 1 Nicholas Road, London W11 4AN

  Copyright © Working Partners Ltd 2013

  Created by Working Partners Limited, London WC1X 9HH

  ISBN 978 1 4052 6570 6

  eISBN 978 1 7803 1276 7

  A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library

  www.egmont.co.uk

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Please note: Any website addresses listed in this book are correct at the time of going to print. However, Egmont cannot take responsibility for any third party content or advertising. Please be aware that online content can be subject to change and websites can contain content that is unsuitable for children. We advise that all children are supervised when using the internet.

  EGMONT LUCKY COIN

  Our story began over a century ago, when seventeen-year-old Egmont Harald Petersen found a coin in the street.

  He was on his way to buy a flyswatter, a small hand-operated printing machine that he then set up in his tiny apartment.

  The coin brought him such good luck that today Egmont has offices in over 30 countries around the world. And that lucky coin is still kept at the company’s head offices in Denmark.

  With special thanks to Stephanie Burgis

  For Rhiannon, with love. May you have lots of adventures!

  If this strange day had taught Olivia 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?

  Sink your fangs into these:

  MY SISTER THE VAMPIRE

  Switched

  Fangtastic!

  Revamped!

  Vampalicious

  Take Two

  Love Bites

  Lucky Break

  Star Style

  Twin Spins!

  Date with Destiny

  Flying Solo

  Stake Out!

  MY BROTHER THE WEREWOLF

  Cry Wolf !

  Puppy Love!

  Contents

  Cover

  Title page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Epigraph

  Also by Sienna Mercer

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Discover the fangtastic new series from Sienna Mercer

  About the Publisher

  Chapter One

  Oh my darkness!’ Ivy Vega collapsed on to her front doorstep with a moan. Resting her elbows on the knees of her black combat trousers, she sighed. ‘I have never been so happy to be finished with a party.’

  ‘Wasn’t it wonderful, though?’ said her twin sister, Olivia Abbott, who sat down beside her. They were identical, apart from the fact that Olivia was grinning happily, and favoured clothes like the bright pink skirt she was now rearranging.

  Oh, and also the fact that Olivia was human, while Ivy was a vampire.

  ‘I couldn’t believe how perfectly it all went!’ Olivia said.

  ‘Are you kidding?’ Ivy snorted. ‘Groomzilla was in charge, remember? Nothing was going to go wrong.’

  Yesterday, their dad had married Lillian Margolis, the glamorous vampire movie director. The twins had met her just a year earlier, when a huge Hollywood movie had come to film in tiny Franklin Grove. Ivy couldn’t have been happier for her dad – Lillian was the perfect addition to their family – but the memory of his frantic wedding preparation was enough to make her shudder.

  How many weeks had it taken her dad to settle on exactly the right trim for the place cards at the reception tables? Ivy winced at the memory. I think I’d rather eat garlic than ever have to see another wedding invitation ever again!

  It was no wonder she was exhausted now! Ivy shook her head at her sister. ‘How can you still be so perky? You may live in a different house, but I know you didn’t escape that much prep work.’

  ‘And it all paid off, every bit of it.’ Olivia swayed side to side, smiling dreamily. ‘Wasn’t it just the most romantic day ever? All those gorgeous colours – do you remember that peach and silver swag?’

  ‘Remember it?’ Ivy let out a groan. ‘I have nightmares about it! They accidentally delivered the wrong colour the first time round. Dad almost fainted from shock when he saw them. He ended up leaning against the wall, saying that he actually hoped he had gone colour-blind. If I hadn’t threatened to tip Strawberry HemoGlobules on to my bridesmaid’s dress, I’m not sure he would have snapped out of it!’

  ‘He really came good in the end, though, didn’t he?’ Olivia stretched out her legs, her pink toenail polish sparkling in the sunlight. ‘I can’t think of a better wedding planner. Even the peonies on the tables matched the colour scheme!’

  Ivy felt her left eyelid begin to twitch dangerously. She wasn’t sure she could take any more wedding talk – especially now that the actual wedding was over. Calm down, she told herself. This nightmare can’t go on forever!

  ‘Yes indeed,’ she said dryly. ‘I may never stop swooning over the memories of the . . . “awesome” colour scheme.’

  ‘Oh, come on.’ Laughing, Olivia dug her in the ribs. ‘It was a day to remember! Even you have to admit that’s true.’

  ‘Well . . .’ Ivy sighed. ‘OK . . . It did kind of suck. In the good way. Kinda.’

  ‘See?’ Olivia beamed. ‘You had fu-u-u-u-un . . .’ Her last word broke off into a wide yawn.

  ‘Aha!’ Ivy shot upright and pointed triumphantly. ‘I knew it. You’re exhausted too!’

  Olivia yawned again, not even trying to stifle it this time. ‘OK, you’re right. I never imagined that being a bridesmaid would be such hard work.’

  ‘You’re telling me.’ Ivy shook her head as she picked up all the confetti that had fallen from her hair on to her combat trousers. ‘Is this stuff made out of glue, or something? I’ve showered twice this morning, and I still haven’t got it all out!’

  ‘Aww.’ Olivia grabbed her arm, forcing her to look up. ‘Did you ever think you’d see that?’

  Ivy blinked, then blinked again as she looked where her twin was pointing. On the pavement in front of them, their dad, their new stepmom and their grandparents were all negotiating the ‘awkward goodbye’. Their grandparents would soon be heading back to Transylvania, home of the elite, upper-class vampire society.

  ‘Wow,’ Ivy breathed. ‘Is that really Dad?’

  Charles Vega normally looked really uncomfortable around any type of ‘goodbye’ – but not today! He was beaming as Lillian smiled serenely at his side.

  Olivia shook her head. ‘Lillian has really had an effect on him. I guess love can work miracles.’

  Under Ivy’s disbelieving gaze, Charles stepped forward and, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, pulled his parents into a hug.

  Ivy’s mouth dropped open. She was still staring, dumbstruck, when her dad tur
ned around.

  ‘Come on, girls,’ he said. ‘Say goodbye to your grandparents!’

  Ivy jumped up. That, I can do! She and Olivia rushed together down the stairs to give their grandparents big hugs of their own.

  As Olivia hugged their grandfather, Ivy buried her face into her grandmother’s shoulder. The Countess stroked her hair, and Ivy could have somersaulted for joy.

  I’m so glad she’s finally forgiven me.

  Her grandparents had pleaded with Ivy to attend Wallachia Academy, an elite vampire finishing school in Transylvania. Ivy had gone along and tried her very best to fit in with the other students, but in the end she’d had to abandon the snooty academy – she’d missed her home too much. Her grandparents had both been appalled – and for a while, Ivy had really feared she’d lost her grandmother’s love for good.

  ‘I am really, truly proud of you,’ the Countess whispered into Ivy’s ear.

  Ivy was glad she had her face hidden, because she was feeling very un-vampire-y tears welling up in her eyes. OK, no sappiness. She took a deep breath and stepped back, making a show of looking around. ‘Hey, where’s Horatio?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ The Countess frowned. ‘Where is Horatio?’

  Olivia giggled. ‘Um . . .’

  Smiling, Charles shook his head and pointed. ‘We should have known.’

  The Count and Countess’s vampire butler was two doors down on Undertaker Hill, stalking Ivy’s neighbour Mr Galloway around his car, which was covered with soap suds.

  ‘What in the name of darkness is he doing?’ demanded the Count, his grey moustache bristling.

  Ivy’s lips twitched into a grin. ‘Do you really have to ask?’

  Mr Galloway’s voice drifted down the street. ‘But I told you, I really don’t need any help washing my car!’

  ‘Let me, sir.’ Horatio pinched the sponge from their neighbour’s hands with his vampire strength. ‘I must insist.’

  Ivy cringed as she saw the outraged expression on Mr Galloway’s face. He stepped forward threateningly. ‘Look, you . . . Hey!’ His mouth dropped open as he leaned in to watch Horatio sweep the sponge around with professional precision. ‘How are you doing that?’

  ‘It is a special, spiralling, counter-clockwise technique – I invented it myself !’ Horatio coughed modestly and stepped back to demonstrate. ‘You see? Much more effective!’

  ‘Well, I’ll be . . .’ Mr Galloway’s scowl transformed into a smile as he saw the gleaming paintwork. ‘That actually is impressive!’

  ‘Thank you, sir. And now, if you’ll allow me . . .’ Smiling with quiet pride, Horatio straightened and removed his jacket. ‘There is some serious work to be done here. Although . . .’ He paused. ‘Yes, this would be much easier if we use some of my special, homemade turtle wax.’

  Mr Galloway choked. ‘Your what?’

  ‘I have some just here, in the car.’ Frowning with concentration, Horatio hurried over to the hire car that he would be driving back to the airport. He opened the boot . . . then paused, suddenly looking anguished.

  Uh-oh, Ivy thought. She didn’t often see the dignified butler lose his cool! She sidled up to him as discreetly as she could, glancing down into the boot. Unsurprisingly, the luggage was arranged like a 3D puzzle, every suitcase perfectly placed. He certainly can’t be upset about his packing!

  ‘Is everything OK?’ she whispered.

  Horatio shook his head, still gazing with obvious desperation at the jigsaw-like stack of luggage. ‘If I’m going to use my special turtle wax, I’ll have to take it out of my suitcase,’ he whispered, his voice cracking. ‘But my suitcase is beneath the Count and Countess’s luggage – at the bottom of the boot.’

  ‘Uh . . . so?’ Ivy shrugged. ‘Can’t you just dig it out and then re-pack?’

  Horatio turned on her with a look so appalled, it actually rivalled Olivia’s expression the time Ivy had suggested Olivia wear a paisley skirt with her plaid blouse.

  Ivy blinked and stepped back. ‘Or . . . not?’

  Horatio pointed at the boot with a finger that trembled. ‘Look at that, Miss Ivy.’

  ‘Er . . .’ Ivy shrugged again. ‘All I see is packed suitcases.’

  ‘No . . .’ Horatio shook his head with obvious disappointment. ‘What you see are perfectly packed suitcases!’ A look of rapt passion spread across his face as he continued. ‘This is the Platonic ideal of suitcase-packing! They can be easily removed from the boot once we reach the airport, yet they are secure enough that no damage will be incurred to any items while driving. I have dreamed my whole life of managing to pack with such precision, such perfection.’

  ‘Oh.’ Ivy gulped, looking again at the suitcases. ‘Um. Oh, the, er . . . tectonic ideal. Right. Sorry I didn’t realise. Should I take a picture?’

  ‘There is no need.’ Horatio shook his head. ‘I will never forget the day I displayed such excellence in my craft. I couldn’t. And I planned to tell my fiancée, Helga, all about it once I had returned to Transylvania.’ His expression crumpled. ‘But I cannot if I must destroy it before we even leave for the airport!’

  ‘And speaking of which . . .’ The Countess was suddenly standing beside them, giving him a stern look that made Ivy take another step back. When her grandmother looked like this – confident, powerful and seriously scary – it was suddenly easy to remember that she was one of the oldest and most powerful vampires in the world.

  ‘We are taking a commercial flight, Horatio,’ the Countess said, sounding as if the word ‘commercial’ was actually painful on her tongue. ‘That means that we are on someone else’s timetable.’

  Oops. From the tone of her grandmother’s voice, Ivy could tell that wasn’t something the Countess was used to . . . and she obviously did not like it.

  ‘Of course, Madam.’ Horatio’s shoulders slumped as he turned back to Mr Galloway. ‘I do beg your pardon, sir,’ he called, ‘but I shan’t be able to use my special turtle wax after all.’ His voice trembled with emotion. ‘You cannot possibly know how much I regret this. I will post some to you the very moment I return home, however. Such a fine vehicle deserves only the best. If only –’

  ‘Oh, Horatio!’ Ivy couldn’t wait any longer. She threw her arms around the tall butler, overcome by affection. ‘I’m going to miss you so much.’

  His arms closed around her, warm and reassuring. ‘And I you, Miss Ivy,’ he said. ‘Do take good care of yourself.’

  ‘I will,’ she promised. Over his shoulder, she could see Olivia giving a fierce hug to their grandmother, who looked surprised and pleased. Mr Vega looked on, nodding approvingly. It was hard to imagine that, just a year ago, their family had been so awkward around each other.

  But now, they were beginning to feel like a real family.

  A moment later, the Transylvanians were all sitting, dignified and straight-backed, in Horatio’s car, heading off towards the airport. As Ivy finished waving them away, she absently ran her hand through her hair . . . then groaned, as yet more confetti showered down around her shoulders.

  Seriously? Where is this stuff even coming from?

  That night at the Meat and Greet, the atmosphere was subdued. It had been well over ten minutes since the group arrived, without any waitress appearing to take their orders, but no one at the table had uttered a word of complaint. In fact, they’d barely spoken. As Olivia looked around at the three long faces, she shook her head. ‘I can’t believe my three vampire friends are all watching the sunset with dread in their eyes.’

  Ivy’s boyfriend, Brendan, just sighed, his dark hair flopping over his forehead. Her best friend, Sophia, looked miserable even in her usual fashionista glamour, with black rhinestone earrings falling nearly to her shoulders, as she intoned gloomily:

  ‘It’s the last sunset.’

  Olivia frowned at Ivy, who gave back half a death-squint. ‘Don’t you get it?’ Ivy asked. ‘Tomorrow, everything changes.’ She gestured sweepingly, making the bat ring on her left hand glint. ‘Tom
orrow, the grass becomes blue and the sky becomes green. Tomorrow, things that always made sense just . . . stop!’

  ‘She’s right,’ Brendan mumbled. ‘Because tomorrow . . .’

  ‘We start ninth grade,’ Sophia finished. She looked as if she might be sick. ‘High school.’

  ‘Oh, come on!’ Olivia tried to smile at everyone. ‘Isn’t it . . . “un-vampire-y” for you guys to be feeling this kind of . . . nervousness?’

  Ivy shrugged. ‘Probably. But that doesn’t really matter, does it?’

  ‘Not any more,’ Sophia said, her head drooping.

  Ivy gave a heavy sigh. ‘I’d only just got used to being in the oldest grade at Franklin Grove Middle School. Now I’ll have to get used to being in the youngest at Franklin Grove High!’

  ‘. . . Which is way out on the border of town,’ Brendan added, his shoulders hunching. ‘AKA – “Next-Door to Nowhere”.’

  Sophia wrinkled her nose with disapproval. ‘It’s right next to Lincoln Vale. That means a whole bunch of kids from out of town – who we’ve never even seen before – will be our new classmates.’

  Ivy tipped her head on to the table, her long dark hair spilling out around her. ‘I am so not looking forward to it!’

  Olivia couldn’t believe it. Ivy might wear black all the time, but her mood is never normally this dark! ‘It won’t be that bad,’ she said. Sitting forward, she tried to make sure her tone was confident. ‘You never know. Maybe you’ll love it!’

  ‘Oh, yeah?’ Ivy rolled her eyes. ‘Easy for you to say, Miss I-Don’t-Go-To-School-Any-More!’

  Olivia blushed, shaking her head as the others joined in the gentle teasing.

  ‘Hey, life looks pretty good for some of us,’ Brendan grinned. ‘If you don’t even have to go to high school . . .’

  ‘Private tuition overseas,’ Sophia breathed longingly. ‘In other countries. Starting with England!’

  ‘It’s just for while I’m away on set, you guys know that.’ Olivia tried to sound casual, but she couldn’t help feeling the excitement – and the panic – bubbling up inside her.