Mr Vega shook his head, as if trying to bring himself back to reality. ‘Right, of course. Girls, your grandparents are in the dining room. We’re about ready to eat.’
‘Aren’t you coming?’ Olivia asked, but her bio-dad had stopped paying attention because, at that instant, the doorbell rang. ‘I’ll get it.’ Olivia scurried over to the door. She didn’t know they were expecting guests.
On the other side of the threshold stood Lillian, looking a little more prim than usual. She wore a black pencil skirt and matching cardigan, with a deep purple silk scarf tied around her neck. ‘Wow,’ said Olivia, breathless. ‘You look fabulous!’ She welcomed Lillian inside. ‘What’s the occasion?’ Then she understood. The Lazars were here – her bio-dad’s parents – and Lillian had never met them. Olivia let out an excited squeal. Lillian was meeting the parents!
The Lazars appeared from the dining room to stand beside Charles. Olivia took Lillian’s purse, thinking that perhaps Lillian looked a bit shakier than usual as she entered the Vega household.
‘Hello, Countess Lazar.’ Lillian curtseyed. ‘Nice to meet you, Count Lazar.’ She gave a second curtsy. She was doing all the right things. Even Ivy looked pleased. But Lillian wasn’t done.
‘I have something for you.’ For the finishing touch, Lillian pulled out a beautiful gold frame from her purse. The Countess gasped and Olivia and Ivy hurried to see what Lillian had given their grandparents. Inside the frame was a picture of Ivy, Olivia, and their father, Charles, dressed up in their red-carpet best for the Bright Stars awards show.
‘It’s perfect!’ their grandmother exclaimed, reaching to give Lillian a hug.
Mr Vega kissed Lillian on the cheek and took her hand.
The Countess cupped her hand around her mouth as if telling Lillian a secret, but she didn’t lower her volume. ‘My son has always had excellent taste in companions.’
Olivia and Ivy shared a glance. That was great news for Lillian. But did it also mean their grandmother was beginning to accept that their dad had been right to marry their mother?
Olivia stretched out on top of the purple comforter in Ivy’s bedroom, resting her hand on her full belly. ‘Don’t get me wrong,’ she said. ‘I love having our grandparents here, but if Horatio keeps making his three-course feasts for every meal, I’m going to float away like a blimp!’
‘No kidding.’
The twins had left the grown-ups downstairs, flipping through an old photo album. They loved their father, but they didn’t need to see any more of his baby pictures. That was something only a girlfriend could enjoy.
Ivy took a seat on her closed coffin and fired up her laptop.
Olivia turned on her side, bending a pillow in half to prop up her head. ‘Ivy? I’m worried about Jackson.’
Ivy hardly glanced up.
‘It’s just that I keep trying to catch up with him, but he’s always busy or sleepy – stupid time differences. The last time I had a real conversation with him . . . well . . .’ Olivia felt the familiar knot form in her stomach. ‘I heard a knock at the door and someone came in saying, “A dozen red roses for Mr Jackson Caulfield.”’
‘What?’ Ivy was typing furiously on her keyboard.
‘Come on!’ Olivia tossed her pillow at Ivy. ‘You’re not even listening.’
‘Huh?’ Ivy looked up briefly from the screen.
Olivia eyed her sister. Ivy had tilted the screen so that Olivia couldn’t see what was on it. Come to think of it, that was exactly what Olivia did when she was online-shopping.
‘Hey! Are you on the VVV?’ The Vorld Vide Veb was the vampire version of the Internet. Olivia jumped up to sit next to her sister. ‘I want to look!’ If there was shopping to be done, Olivia wanted to join in.
But as soon as she sat down, Ivy hit the sleep button on the computer and the screen went blank. She flipped the laptop closed and pushed it underneath her pillow. ‘I’m all ears!’ Ivy told Olivia. She pulled the sides of her ears out from her head. ‘Plus, they’re super vampy ears, so I can listen extra well!’
Olivia gave a one note laugh. What can Ivy have been looking at online? She never puts her laptop underneath her pillow.
‘Fine.’ Olivia didn’t feel like obsessing about Jackson any more, anyway. ‘There’s been something I’ve been meaning to tell you and I don’t think you’re going to like it.’
Ivy stopped chipping at her black nail polish. ‘What’s that?’
‘So, I was checking out Charlotte’s yearbook footage and, well, you sort of make a cameo.’ Olivia crossed her legs on top of Ivy’s coffin.
‘A goth in the yearbook film? Wow.’ Ivy frowned, seemingly impressed.
‘It’s not really like that. See, she sort of caught you in the background in Mister Smoothie when you broke that glass. It’s a little vampalicious, if you know what I mean.’
‘What?’ Ivy jumped up. ‘She saw me?’
‘No, no. She didn’t see you. I’m positive. But it is on camera.’
Ivy tugged at her hair, starting to pace. ‘We have to get rid of it. We absolutely have to.’
‘I know.’ Olivia rested her chin on her fist. ‘But how?’
Ivy walked the length of the room, hands in pockets. ‘Good question. I mean, we can’t just take it. Charlotte’s actually been nice lately.’
‘Right.’ It was a mystery why, but the Queen of Mean had been unexpectedly pleasant over the past few days. ‘We can’t give her any reason to turn nasty again. I need all the allies I can get at school.’
‘Exactly, which means this will have to be a covert op!’ Ivy got on her knees and started digging through the DVDs inside the television stand.
‘Does that mean I have to wear black?’ Olivia examined her matching pink flannel pyjamas. Black was so not her colour.
‘No,’ said Ivy, still digging. ‘We need to act natural.’ She waved a couple of movies above her head. ‘Found them!’
‘Found what?’
‘Our bedtime inspiration.’ Ivy handed her sister the DVDs.
Spy movies! Three separate instalments of James Bond. ‘I’ll just call you Double-O-Ivy!’ Olivia smiled.
‘But first we need a strategy.’
Olivia grabbed a notepad and her fuzzy-topped pen, ready to jot down the plan.
‘OK,’ Ivy started. ‘At the next committee meeting, you need to distract Charlotte.’
Distract Charlotte, wrote Olivia. ‘Got it!’
‘Right, then I’ll get the camera,’ continued Ivy, ‘so that I can delete the footage.’
Olivia jotted it down. ‘Um, Ivy?’ She gave her sister a mischievous grin. ‘You know that means you’ll have to attend a committee meeting, then?’
Ivy scrunched up her face. ‘A necessary evil.’
Olivia giggled, reviewing the plan she had written in her notebook. ‘It’s sort of exciting, don’t you think? I feel like we’re in a heist movie!’
Ivy didn’t laugh. She climbed into her coffin and crossed her arms across her chest. ‘Let’s just make sure we get the footage back.’ Her sister’s expression was dark. Olivia couldn’t be sure whether it was Ivy’s mood or a shadow cast by her coffin, but she was certain something was going on with her vampire twin.
What can it be?
Chapter Six
Ivy’s mouth watered at the tantalizing smell of juicy T-bone steak cooking on Aunt Rebecca’s outdoor grill. Thank goodness her dad had brought plenty of meat this trip. Aunt Rebecca was a vegetarian like Olivia and the Abbotts, and Ivy had just about died when she had last stayed at the ranch, with nothing but bunny food around. If she’d had to eat one more Vita Vamp bar in Aunt Rebecca’s bathroom, she was sure she’d have been sick.
Outside, the sun was trickling through green leaves, spattering bright polka dots of light across her family’s faces. Acorns littered the ground and the distant mooing of cows could be heard in the background. Even Ivy could appreciate the peacefulness of Aunt Rebecca’s farm. She enjoyed the sweet scent of the hay scatt
ered under their feet. She was just thinking how lucky she was to have everyone gathered in one place when she felt her stomach turn. She sniffed the air. Is that garlic?
Aunt Rebecca appeared out of the kitchen, carrying a tray. ‘Four loaves of my famous garlic bread coming right up!’
Ivy could feel her face going pink. She wanted to faint at the idea of garlic-smeared bread. That was ten times worse than any bunny food. But what could she do? She couldn’t tell Aunt Rebecca that almost every single person at the ranch was allergic to garlic. What were the odds of that?
Mrs Abbott licked her lips, taking a big whiff of the freshly baked bread. ‘My favourite!’
Olivia’s eyes bugged and she squeezed Ivy’s hand underneath the table. ‘Our grandparents!’ said Olivia through gritted teeth. ‘If they get anywhere near the garlic they’ll pass out. There’s not a speck of garlic to be found in all of Transylvania – they’re not used to this. We have to keep the evil globes away from them!’
The Lazars’ smiles were starting to look a little stretched and Brendan’s sister Bethany was turning the colour of cooked shrimp. They needed a plan – and fast!
Ivy headed straight for the kitchen, signalling for Olivia and Brendan to follow. The fierce scent of garlic nearly bowled her over. She blinked hard, trying to focus.
Brendan looked close to losing his appetizers. ‘Vampire kryptonite!’ he said, wiping a layer of sweat off his forehead. ‘Are they trying to kill us?’ Ivy knew her boyfriend was exaggerating. A small taste of garlic would hardly be enough to poison them, but it was enough to make them feel deathly ill.
‘I know,’ said Ivy, pulling her sister and Brendan into a huddle. ‘Consider this Garlic-CON 5! This is not a drill, people! Brendan, you find a baguette.’ She pointed to the pantry. ‘And I’ll grab the butter. We’ll make some fake garlic bread and pass that round the vampires.’
‘Olivia can pass out the real garlic bread to anyone who can eat it,’ suggested Brendan, sucking in his breath.
Olivia hesitated. ‘Do you really think that will work?’
Ivy looked deadly serious. ‘Brendan can use diversion tactics to provide cover if either of us needs it.’
‘Diversion tactics?’ Now Brendan was the one who was less than gung-ho.
Ivy sighed. ‘OK, so I know the plan may be a bit sketchy, but it’s the best I could come up with on such short notice. I’m not a mastermind.’
Olivia grinned. ‘Are you sure about that?’
At that moment they heard the girls’ grandmother calling for them. It sounded urgent.
‘Right,’ said Ivy, placing her hand in the centre of their human triangle. ‘Are we in or are we out?’
‘I’m in.’ Olivia put her hand over her sister’s. ‘I’m in.’ Brendan placed his large hand on top. ‘Great, Operation Garlic Bread is a go! Now, break!’ They tossed their hands in the air. Ivy and Brendan hurried to retrieve the supplies. Brendan sliced the flaky baguette while Ivy buttered. Olivia arranged the fake garlic bread neatly on a tray and, in hardly any time at all, they had created a non-toxic dish that looked exactly the same as Aunt Rebecca’s famous-but-lethal garlic bread. The trio hustled outside, ready to serve.
‘Aunt Rebecca, you’ve worked so hard,’ Olivia exclaimed, a little too loudly, to give Ivy and Brendan their cue. ‘Please, let us!’ Olivia scooped up the tray of real garlic bread and began circling the table. As usual, Horatio couldn’t resist getting in on the table-waiting, too. He passed out napkins and wiped up stray crumbs.
Her aunt enthusiastically took two pieces for her plate. ‘Charles, please help yourself!’
Charles pulled at his collar. Brendan went into a fit of coughing. Oh no, quick! Ivy darted forwards with her platter of harmless bread, while Olivia moved down the table to her parents, the Abbotts.
‘Olivia, will you go ahead and serve the Count and Countess first?’ Aunt Rebecca called. Ivy froze. Her sister didn’t seem to know what to do.
Brendan jumped to the rescue. ‘Pardon me, Rebecca, I was wondering . . .’ He scratched his head. ‘Do you know how to do any country dances? See, I’ve always wanted to try. Could you show me?’
Aunt Rebecca looked Brendan up and down, as he stood in his black, rail-straight jeans and burgundy button-down shirt. ‘Really?’ she asked.
Ivy fought back the laughter bubbling up in her throat. That was the first idea that came to Brendan? Country dancing?
Brendan’s eyes flitted to Ivy as she served the plain bread to her grandparents. Mission accomplished. ‘Oh, never mind.’ He tried to back away, but Aunt Rebecca caught his wrist.
‘Don’t be silly!’ she said, slapping her knee. ‘I think it’s a great idea.’ Once upon a time, Aunt Rebecca had thought Brendan was a no-good teenage yob. Now, she’d clearly changed her mind.
Brendan fidgeted. ‘We don’t even have music, so it’s OK. I’ll just sit down.’
Ivy gave Brendan a wicked grin. ‘I think I saw a guitar in the house.’
‘I’ll get it,’ offered Ivy’s father.
Brendan shot Ivy a ‘Help me’ look, but all she could do was snigger. She loved Brendan, but this was going to be fun!
Mr Vega returned with the guitar. ‘It’s been a while, but I think I remember how to play.’ He strummed a chord and, to Ivy’s surprise, it actually sounded good. Olivia clapped as Mr Vega began to pick out a lively country tune, filling the air with music and laughter.
Aunt Rebecca and Brendan stood facing each other. ‘Take my waist,’ she said. ‘And now my hand.’ The two stood as if ready to waltz. Brendan looked like he would rather have eaten an entire clove of garlic. ‘Two steps back. One step to the side. Two steps back and do-si-do.’ Aunt Rebecca locked elbows with Brendan and together they skipped in a circle.
Ivy gave Olivia a thumbs-up. One mission down: one mission to go. Ivy just wasn’t sure her boyfriend would ever forgive her.
Olivia skipped one of her checkers over Brendan’s, taking it off the board. Olivia had already captured half of Brendan’s pieces. She and Brendan were playing a game at the living-room table in Aunt Rebecca’s house while Ivy had a quick riding lesson outside. Olivia spotted Ivy riding by, holding on to the saddle with a death grip. At least she was trying!
‘Hey . . .’ Olivia watched Brendan make his move on the board. ‘Do you know what’s been up with Ivy lately?’ Olivia felt weird going to Ivy’s boyfriend for information, but she had to get to the bottom of this! ‘She’s seemed distracted and yesterday she was on the VVV and wouldn’t let me see what she was doing. That’s a serious violation of Twin Code 101!’
Brendan squirmed in his seat. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ His voice cracked and he cleared his throat. ‘I mean, she seems fine to me at least.’ Olivia wasn’t so sure, but before she could say as much, Brendan switched subjects. ‘While we’re talking about Ivy, though, I was wondering if you could maybe tell me what her favourite flower is. If you know it.’
Olivia twisted her mouth to the side, thinking. What would Ivy’s favourite flower be? ‘Honestly, I haven’t got a clue. I don’t really know if flowers are Ivy’s thing. Why?’
‘It’s nothing. I, well, I just had a bit of a surprise planned for the school dance.’ He looked sheepishly at her. ‘Don’t tell Ivy, will you?’
‘The school dance!’ She’d been so busy enjoying herself at the ranch, she’d forgotten to worry about how Jenny and the committee were getting on without her. Olivia pulled her phone out and switched it back on. ‘Twenty missed calls!’ She scrolled through the call log. ‘And every one of them is from Jenny. Hold on, Brendan.’ She held one finger up. ‘I have to see what’s going on.’ Olivia was imagining booked-up caterers, horrible weather forecasts, and a sudden shortage of DJs in town when Jenny answered the phone on the third ring.
‘Oh my goodness, Olivia, where have you been?’ Jenny’s words came out in one gush. ‘They are on the board.’
‘Who is on the board?’ Olivia was struggling to ca
tch up.
‘Lucrezia, Melinda and Veronica, of course! They didn’t even have to gatecrash the meeting – they’re officially part of the committee now!’
Olivia almost dropped her phone. ‘What!’ Brendan watched her face, frowning.
‘Apparently, Lucrezia spoke to her dad, who is on the board of governors, and Principal Whitehead has been forced to find a spot for the girls on the committee. It’s a total nightmare. They’re making all the decisions. All-pink food to go with an all-pink party – prawn toast, pink mousse, pink lemonade.’
Olivia bit the inside of her cheek. That’s not such a bad idea.
‘And worst of all: No Goths Allowed!’
Olivia gasped. Now that was a bad idea. How had this happened? The dance was turning into a total mess. Olivia put her head in her hands. She had no idea what to do and, worst of all, she couldn’t even ask for twin help, since something seemed to be up with Ivy. But how could she possibly fix this on her own? One thing was for sure: she should not have come away. Olivia slid to the living-room floor, leaning her back up against the hard drywall.
‘Knock, knock.’ Aunt Rebecca poked her head in through the screen door. Rebecca had her hair in two braids and her riding boots pulled over a pair of tight black leggings. ‘Olivia! What’s wrong?’
Olivia wasn’t sure she could utter a word without crying.
Brendan put an arm around her shoulders. ‘Whatever it is, you can tell your aunt,’ he said softly. For a moment, she wished Jackson could be with her.
Aunt Rebecca came to stand in front of them and held out a hand. ‘Come on, Olivia. Let’s go for a walk.’ Gratefully, Olivia allowed her aunt to lead her out on to the porch and into the fields that surrounded the farmhouse. Birds sang in the trees and the sound of soft neighing floated on the air from the stables.
Twin Spins! Page 6