‘Fifteen-love,’ the umpire announced, staring at Reiko in amazement.
Ouch. Ivy felt a wave of sympathy as she watched the bunnies pick themselves up, groaning. ‘Let’s take a minute, OK?’ she called out. ‘I’m, um, out of breath.’
Hayley and Skylar only waved their assent, panting too hard to talk.
Ivy pulled Reiko aside and lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘Hey, cut it out with the super-vamp moves. We’re supposed to be making this game competitive, remember?’
‘No way.’ Reiko grinned. ‘I’m here to win.’
‘We already are winning,’ Ivy hissed. ‘Plus, if you make any more plays like that last one, we’re going to get some serious questions. A normal human being can’t do things like that!’
Reiko shrugged. ‘I’ll take my game down to ninety-five per cent, but that’s the best I can do.’
Ivy groaned as they took their places once more.
The bunny girls both looked grimly determined to re-balance the score. Skylar fired in a serve that, by human standards, would have been considered “fierce”.
Ivy faked a sneeze, dropping her racquet, and the ball whistled past her head.
‘Fifteen-all,’ the umpire declared.
‘No way!’ Reiko shouted. ‘Ivy, how could you miss that?’
Even the bunnies were frowning. ‘You definitely would have gotten that, if you hadn’t had to sneeze,’ Skylar said. ‘Do you want to replay the point?’
‘No.’ Ivy shook her head emphatically. ‘It’s yours, fair and square.’
‘If you say so . . .’ Skylar looked worried.
Reiko just looked outraged. She shot Ivy a narrow-eyed look, then took her place, ready to receive the next serve.
This time, Skylar hit the ball just as fiercely as before – but Reiko returned it with a double-backhand that burned through the air.
‘Aaahh!’ Hayley fell to the ground with a scream of pain. The ball had hit her on the knee.
‘Time out,’ the umpire said. ‘I guess.’
Ivy threw aside her racquet to leap over the net and crouch beside Hayley. ‘Are you OK?’
‘I . . . I . . . ow!’ Hayley let out a moan of agony as Skylar gently massaged her knee. She closed her eyes, taking deep, ragged breaths as a whispering crowd gathered on the court. ‘I don’t think I can get up by myself,’ she mumbled.
‘She needs a doctor!’ Skylar said.
‘I know first aid!’ called the umpire, running over.
Good. Ivy’s shoulders relaxed. That meant she was free to deal with the other problem.
Ivy turned and shot Reiko a surreptitious death-squint.
‘What were you thinking?’ she mouthed.
Reiko shrugged sheepishly, but Ivy didn’t spot any real regret on her face. Apparently, Reiko figured that losing the ability to walk was just an occupational hazard for anyone who was foolish enough to play tennis with her.
Gritting her teeth, Ivy started towards the other vampire . . .
But a cry of anguish shattered the air behind her, making her spin around.
The sound came not from Hayley, but from Amelia Thompson, who had shoved her way through the crowd to Olivia’s side. ‘She can’t walk?’ Amelia demanded. ‘Is that true?’
‘Sorry.’ Hayley just barely managed to raise herself up on her elbows, with Skylar’s help. ‘I know you were expecting me at the fashion show tonight, Amelia, but –’
‘I wasn’t just expecting you,’ Amelia said. ‘I need you there! You’re modelling our “Altegular” outfit tonight!’
Hayley looked like she might be blinking back tears. ‘I don’t think I’ll even be able to sit in the audience for the fashion show, much less strut down that catwalk.’
‘Ahh . . . ahhh . . .!’ Amelia looked as if she might faint. She grabbed out at Olivia for support.
If it weren’t for Hayley’s pain, and her own anger at Reiko’s carelessness, Ivy might have almost found it funny. She had never seen Amelia get so emotional about anything.
Reiko jogged over, swinging her tennis racquet by her side. ‘It’s my fault Hayley can’t do it,’ she said. ‘So, can I help? I could be her stand-in, if you need one.’
‘A stand-in?’ Amelia straightened, looking Reiko up and down. The despair in her eyes seemed to fade. ‘Yes . . . You might work. You’re about the right size, and I assume you can walk without falling over?’
Reiko raised her eyebrows, obviously taking it as a challenge. Tossing her racquet up into the air, she strutted forwards across the tennis court, catching it seven steps later – while twirling gracefully. ‘How’s that?’
‘Well . . .’ Amelia’s eyes narrowed. ‘It’s a bit more . . . forceful than I’d like, but I guess I can’t be choosy this close to showtime.’
‘Excellent.’ Reiko grinned.
‘Wait!’ Amelia snapped. ‘Your hair might not work.’
‘Oh, don’t worry about that.’ Reiko shrugged. ‘I can change it to any colour you want.’
‘Hmm.’ Amelia considered her. ‘Something dark would be best. Maybe black or . . . no, wait – blood red!’
‘You want red,’ Reiko said cheerfully, ‘you’ll have red!’
‘Ohhh . . .’ Looking uncharacteristically misty-eyed, Amelia wrapped the exchange student in a hug. ‘Such school spirit from someone who’s only going to be here for two weeks. We’re so lucky to have you!’
I’m not sure Hayley would agree, Ivy thought.
Amelia’s phone rang, and she scooped it out of her black leather satchel. As she strode away in her heavy boots, Ivy’s vampire-strong hearing picked up Penny’s voice on the other side of the call, sounding tinny through the cell phone’s speakers.
‘I heard about Hayley. Is she –?’
‘It’s all sorted out,’ Amelia said. ‘Don’t worry.’
Reiko turned to Ivy with a big grin. ‘I get to model . . . I am having so much fun at this school!’
‘Seriously?’ Ivy stared at her.
Reiko was super-sporty, scarily competitive, and excited by the idea of a fashion show? Ivy sighed. We’re not just from different countries . . . I think we may actually come from different planets!
Chapter Three
That evening, as Jackson’s black limousine drove down the street towards Franklin Grove Museum, Olivia looked out through one dark, smoky window and shook her head in disbelief.
Until now, she had always thought of museums as quiet places – but tonight, Franklin Grove Museum was a hub of sheer noise. Cameras flashed to capture images of the people filing into the building. On either side of the small aisle on the pavement, matching crowds of teenaged girls were pressed against the safety barriers that lined the kerb for about fifty yards in both directions. They seemed to be buzzing with anticipation. Inside the limo, Olivia had to take a deep breath to calm down and prepare herself for the event ahead.
As they pulled up outside the museum, the crowd’s chant drifted into the vehicle. ‘Jack-son! Jack-son! Jack-son!’
Crowds of teens lunged towards the car, arms outstretched, and a line of hard-faced security men stepped forwards to make sure no one could climb over the barriers.
Cameras flashed as journalists and photographers spotted the limo and raced in to focus on it.
Jackson squeezed Olivia’s fingers, grinning. ‘Excited?’
‘I am,’ Olivia said. But I don’t know about the others!
Sitting on the long seat across from them, Ivy and her boyfriend, Brendan, looked frozen with horror as they took in the pandemonium outside their little local museum. Olivia could barely believe she had lived in Franklin Grove for over a year before finding out it existed!
After tonight, everyone will know it’s here, Olivia thought proudly. Thanks to Lillian and Jackson!
Ivy sounded like she was choking as she spoke. ‘Now I know why you made us dress up, even though we’ll just have to change into different fancy clothes once we’re inside.’
‘Yeah, well, it’s all
right for you,’ Brendan said nervously. ‘You look great, but I’m just wearing my regular clothes.’
On Ivy’s other side, Reiko didn’t say a word. Her eyes had been wide and glazed-looking ever since the beginning of the ride, when she’d first seen exactly who was sitting across from her. Even now, she seemed to be far too busy staring at Jackson to come up with a coherent thought. As far as Olivia could tell, Reiko hadn’t even noticed the chaos outside.
She’s even more freaked out by Jackson than she was by vampire royalty!
Olivia smiled as she took in Reiko’s petrified expression. Meeting Alex and Tessa and then a movie star was probably a lot more than Reiko had been expecting on a simple exchange programme to a quiet little American town!
‘So, are you guys ready?’ Jackson asked.
‘No!’ Ivy said. ‘But . . . that doesn’t really matter, does it?’ She took a breath, obviously bracing herself. ‘Let’s do this.’ She leaned forwards to reach for the door handle.
Olivia grabbed her arm to stop her. ‘That’s not a good idea.’
‘Oh, I know!’ Ivy said, letting out a panicky half-laugh. ‘It’s a crazy idea for me to be modelling – but what choice do I have?’
Olivia gently nudged Ivy back into her seat. ‘That’s not what I meant. If anyone but Jackson is first out of this limo, they will risk serious hearing loss. It’s much better for us to walk in Jackson’s slipstream and save our ears.’
Brendan frowned. ‘But what about Jackson?’
‘Don’t worry about me.’ Grinning, Jackson reached into the pockets of his black trousers and took out a pair of earplugs. He stuck them in, then clapped his hands together. ‘All right, let’s go!’
Brendan reached out to open the limo door for Jackson – and the noise from the crowd rushed in like a surge of floodwater.
Beaming his famous, megawatt grin, Jackson slid out of the limo, raising his hands high to greet the crowd outside.
One . . . two . . . three . . . Olivia counted down, then stepped out after him, surreptitiously smoothing down her floaty pink chiffon gown and slipping into his wake with the three vamps close behind her.
Cameras flashed in her eyes. Screams sounded just ahead. It was overwhelming, it was scary . . . and Olivia could not stop smiling. Lillian’s pet project had become a huge deal!
As Ivy, Brendan and Reiko ducked their heads to race as fast as possible into the museum, journalists swarmed Olivia and Jackson.
‘Just a quick interview!’
‘Please, one moment of your time!’
‘Of course,’ Jackson said easily. He nodded to Albert, who stood holding the museum’s front door open, and the vampire caretaker stepped back, making space. Jackson came to a smooth stop at the top of the museum’s front steps, slipping his arm around Olivia’s waist. ‘We’re happy to stop and talk, aren’t we?’
‘Of course,’ Olivia said. But she had to swallow a gulp as countless mics suddenly swarmed around their heads like giant, multi-coloured flies.
Questions flew at them from all sides, forcing her to constantly swing her head back and forth, trying to guess the right person to answer.
‘Tell us all about your relationship!’
‘Your fans want to know – are you two lovebirds back together for good this time?’
‘What did you eat for dinner tonight?’
‘Do you have any relationship advice?’
‘Tell us: are you excited about Eternal Sunset?’
Olivia wished she could be as good at this sort of thing as Jackson. He always had great answers – even to the silly questions! Still, she knew the basic rule of interviews: keep to the main topic!
‘Of course we’re excited about Eternal Sunset,’ she said, ‘but that won’t come out for another year, and tonight is all about the opening of Café Creative! It’s a fantastic new achievement for Lillian Vega.’ Putting on her best ‘Hollywood’ smile, Olivia turned to beam directly into every hovering camera in turn. ‘She’s had a successful career in Hollywood, and is now devoting herself to nurturing young, local talent. Jackson and I both think that she’s super inspiring. Everyone from Franklin Grove – and anyone else in driving distance – should totally come by and check out Café Creative!’
‘But, Jackson! Jackson!’ One reporter in a bright yellow jacket pushed his way forwards, elbowing everyone else aside roughly. He shoved his mic in Jackson’s face. ‘Are you going to take the role in the first Wanderer movie?’
‘Well, maybe,’ Jackson began, stepping back, ‘but tonight –’
‘And is it true that Jessica Phelps is begging for your help in repairing her tattered career?’ the reporter demanded, stepping even closer.
Jackson winced and raised one hand to hold the man off. ‘No, that isn’t true. Now, if you guys will all excuse us . . .’ Jackson nodded to Albert, who hovered by the door, and the vampire caretaker swung it open just wide enough for the two of them.
A chorus of disappointment sounded from the crowd, but Jackson only smiled. ‘Tonight’s a big night for one of my favourite towns, and it’s a great honour to be asked to attend the opening. I hope you guys all have fun!’ Taking Olivia’s hand, he led her into the museum, leaving the reporters shouting final, unanswered questions behind them.
‘Whew!’ Olivia let out a sigh of relief as Albert closed the door behind them. ‘I thought I might pass out!’
‘You’ll get used to it,’ Jackson said. He squeezed her hand as they walked together through the echoing museum hallways, leaving Albert behind and heading towards the sound of laughter and conversation far ahead.
Olivia tipped her head against his shoulder, savouring this moment. It was so rare for them to be alone together, she felt like she could walk by his side forever, just enjoying the feel of his strong fingers laced through hers and his shoulder warm against her cheek.
All too soon, though, they were walking through the doorway of Café Creative, which was bustling with preparations for the opening – it was just an hour away now. Lillian had lined all four walls with fabulous paintings by young, local artists. A few special guests were milling around the room, drinking sparkling grape juice and admiring the artwork.
Olivia stood up on tiptoes to give Jackson a quick, sweet kiss. ‘I’ve got to head “backstage” to get ready for the fashion show. Wish me luck?’
‘Of course. But . . .’ For once, Jackson looked uncertain. ‘Do I say “break a leg” in this situation? I’m not sure that would be such a good idea for someone who’s about to do a lot of very important walking!’
Olivia laughed as she stepped away from him. ‘Just a simple “good luck” should be fine.’
‘Well, you don’t need luck,’ Jackson told her, catching her hand for one last moment. ‘Because you are an excellent walker.’
‘Hmm.’ Olivia rolled her eyes at him as she pulled free . . . but she couldn’t help beaming as she walked away from him.
I have the best boyfriend!
She headed towards the smaller café area, already feeling curiosity start to bubble up inside her. It was almost time for her to finally see Amelia and Penny’s “Altegular” design – whatever that meant – and she couldn’t wait!
Then she saw the group just behind the café counter, and she came to a dead halt. Uh-oh. It was her bio-dad, Charles, standing with Amelia and Penny – and from the desperate expressions on the girls’ faces, it looked as if they were actually pleading with him about something!
Olivia’s kitten heels clicked purposefully against the tiled floor as she started forwards . . . and as she arrived, she realised she’d been just in time. Uh-oh. Her bio-dad might be as neat as ever in a tailored black suit, but he was tapping his hand so nervously against the café counter, he might leave a dent in it at any moment with his vampire-strength!
‘Dad!’ She grabbed his hand, subtly pulling it away from danger.
‘Olivia.’ He gave her a brief, grateful look before he turned back to the others. ‘I’m really n
ot sure about this . . .’ he began.
‘I promise,’ Amelia said. ‘No damage will come to the pashmina!’
‘The what?’ Olivia’s eyes widened. ‘Wait a minute. Are you guys thinking of incorporating Alex and Tessa’s wedding pashmina into the show?’
‘It will be fine,’ Penny said quickly. ‘Honestly. I know it sounds a little crazy, but –’
‘It sounds fabulous!’ Olivia gave a bounce of excitement, her chiffon dress fluttering around her. ‘Dad, you have to let them! They’ve worked so hard on their outfits, and I just know they’ll be amazing – the kind of “amazing” that will have everyone talking about Café Creative. Lillian’s project will have the best possible start . . .’
‘Well . . .’ Charles pursed his lips, seemingly torn between his eagerness to help his new wife, and his duty to a precious vampire artefact. ‘We must take the greatest care of the pashmina.’
‘And that’s exactly what we’d be doing by using it tonight!’ Olivia gave his hand an excited squeeze. ‘Don’t you remember what you said when you decided to make use of the museum for Café Creative? That we would be showcasing the art of tomorrow as well as yesterday. Well, how amazing would it be to help the fashion of tomorrow pay tribute to the fashion of yesterday tonight?’
. . . And I really hope that last line made some sense, she added ruefully to herself. Nerves fluttered in her chest as she searched her bio-dad’s face. In the corner of her eye, she could see Amelia and Penny looking frozen with anticipation.
Finally, Charles’s lips curved into a real smile. ‘Very well.’ He nodded graciously to Amelia and Penny. ‘The pashmina is yours for tonight . . . But you must be careful. Should any damage come to it, you will be the ones answering to Albert!’
Penny cringed, and even Amelia winced at the threat of the stern caretaker. But that didn’t stop her from giving a firm nod. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘This is going to be great!’
Fashion Frightmare! (My Sister the Vampire) Page 3