Uh-oh. Olivia’s about to lose it!
Ivy grabbed her twin’s hand and pulled Olivia with her to the front door. ‘You’re absolutely right,’ she said. ‘There’s no reason to refuse the request. So let’s give Alex and Tessa that tour . . . and make sure it’s memorable!’
‘OK?’ Olivia whispered.
As Ivy pushed the front door open, she felt her sister’s gaze focus on her in a silent message: Are you sure you know what you’re doing?
Ivy stepped inside to hold the door open for the rest of the group, giving her twin the most confident smile she could manage.
Let’s just hope she doesn’t guess . . . that I don’t have a single clue what I’m going to do now!
‘Are you all right?’ Alex looked at Olivia with concern as they walked inside. ‘You seem a little breathless.’
‘Oh . . .’ Olivia gave him a weak smile, still panting from her earlier exertion. ‘I’m just really excited about getting back into the museum, that’s all.’
‘Wow!’ Alex’s eyes widened. ‘Now I’m really looking forward to this tour!’
Uh-oh. A nervous shiver ran all the way down Ivy’s spine. Whatever it is that I’m about to do . . . it has to work!
Reiko was the last inside, looking around with bright curiosity.
Darting around the others, Ivy caught Reiko’s eye and mouthed: ‘Stall them!’
Then she ran, leaving Reiko and Olivia to make her excuses.
Ivy’s feet pounded on the marble floors of the museum, sending crashing echoes through the long display rooms and making museum guests turn and stare as she passed. She couldn’t stop, or even slow down. She just had to get to the decoy pashmina before –
‘Ivy!’ Strong hands grabbed her shoulders. ‘Watch out! You were about to crash into me.’
‘Dad!’ Ivy fell back, panting, as Charles looked down at her with a concerned expression.
Oh, no. The last thing she needed right now was for her dad to see her . . . no, wait. Maybe this is the perfect solution after all!
‘I was just trying to find you,’ Ivy said. She forced a smile, pushing her hair out of her eyes. ‘Alex and Tessa are here, and they really want an impromptu tour of your exhibit . . . but Olivia and I think you should show them around somewhere else first.’
‘Sorry?’ Charles blinked. ‘What do you mean?’
‘To whet their interest,’ Ivy improvised. ‘You know, to build up the excitement and make them even more eager for the main attraction!’ I need some Olivia-style filmspeak now! Her twin would have come up with some grand Hollywood kind of explanation. All Ivy could think of right now, though, was . . . ‘Please?’
‘Well, of course I will!’ Beaming, Charles rubbed his hands together. ‘Oh my darkness. Personally invited to give a private tour to the prince and princess . . . how could I possibly resist?’
‘Perfect.’ Ivy slumped with relief. ‘And you’ll really take your time with it? No rushing?’
Charles shook his head at her reprovingly. ‘What do you take me for, Ivy? A museum is to be savoured, not skipped through! Now, just let me think. Where is the perfect place to start?’
Mumbling to himself, he brushed past her. A minute later, she heard the sound of his booming voice echoing through the halls: ‘Prince Alex, Princess Tessa! Let me introduce you to our museum.’
Whew. Ivy hurried forward into the costume room of the Transylvanian exhibit. Luckily, it was empty at the moment, as the other museum visitors still worked their way through the rooms closer to the front door.
Unzipping her leather jacket, she weaved her way around the glass cases, past richly-coloured medieval gowns and cloaks. The deep red glow of Penny and Amelia’s replica pashmina shone like a beacon in the soft lights of the museum, calling her towards it.
Pulling off the real pashmina, Ivy let out her breath in a whoosh of relief. The weight was finally off her shoulders!
But this has to go absolutely perfectly!
Her hands shook with tension as she opened the glass door of the pashmina’s display case. As carefully as she could, she lifted the replica pashmina off its velvet hanger with her left hand, while she held the real pashmina ready in her right.
It’s almost over . . .
‘Boo!’
Ivy leaped a full foot in the air, spinning around.
Brendan stood in the doorway, grinning goofily as he made a mock-bow. ‘Sorry I’m late – but did it actually work? Did I really startle the ever-cool Ivy Vega?’
‘Brendan!’ Ivy grabbed the ends of her hair. She had to tug at it hard to stop herself from breaking down and crying. ‘How could you do that to me?!’
‘Sorry?’ His grin faded. ‘I just wanted to make you laugh. Was it bad timing?’
‘Bad timing?’ Ivy repeated incredulously. She pointed one shaking finger at the display case in front of her. ‘Just look!’
The velvet hanger hung empty in the display case, while two deep red pashminas lay tangled on the floor – exactly where she’d dropped them at the sound of his voice.
‘How am I supposed to tell which is the real one now?’ she whispered.
‘Oh, no.’ Brendan’s jaw dropped open. Then he glanced back over his shoulder, and turned even paler than usual. ‘Your dad’s on his way – with Alex and Tessa!’
Ivy dropped to her knees, desperately trying to untangle the two pashminas. Both of them were the same rich red . . . Both of them had exactly the same patterns. ‘Can you tell which is which?’ she asked hopelessly.
Brendan knelt down beside her. He shook his head, dark hair flopping over his brow. ‘I didn’t even look all that closely at the real one.’
‘And now it’s too late.’ Ivy let out a growl of frustration. ‘Penny and Amelia did too good a job with their replica. It’s absolutely perfect . . . which is exactly what we don’t need right now!’
Brendan asked tentatively, ‘Could you make a guess?’
‘You mean, just give Alex and Tessa the one that I hope is real?’ Ivy swallowed hard, considering it. If the superstition really was all in the couple’s minds, then they’d certainly feel better and more optimistic the moment they had a pashmina in their hands, no matter which one it really was . . . but . . .
Nope. Ivy’s shoulders sagged as she accepted the truth. The series of bad luck that Alex and Tessa had had on their trip was definitely not just ‘in their minds’. Even Ivy was starting to believe there was something spooky going on, and – considering the nightmares they’d already gone through – she couldn’t bear to imagine what new horrors might befall the royal couple if they actually took home a fake Vein of Love!
‘Hey, wait a minute.’ Frowning, Brendan bent over one of the pashminas. ‘What’s that in the corner?’
‘Where?’ Ivy peered over his shoulder . . . and let out a disbelieving laugh. ‘Thank darkness!’
The letters AT and PT were embroidered in such tiny letters that only vampire vision could have spotted them easily . . . but they were exactly the clue that Ivy needed.
Amelia Thompson and Penny Taylor! The two designers hadn’t been able to resist leaving their mark on the fabric, and Ivy could have hugged them both for it.
‘There!’ She let out a whooshing sigh of relief and straightened, holding both of the pashminas in her hands . . .
. . . Just as a gasp sounded behind her. ‘Ivy?’ Tessa said. ‘What exactly are you doing?’
Oh, no! Ivy turned around slowly. The royal couple and her father were staring at her openmouthed . . . and at the two identical pashminas in her arms.
Behind them, Olivia and Reiko hovered, looking panicked.
Think fast, Vega!
‘Hey!’ Pasting a smile on to her face, she waved the replica pashmina at Tessa. ‘Isn’t this cool? It’s the replica we’re going to put on display here after the real one is taken back to Transylvania.’
Charles blinked. ‘It is?’
‘Penny and Amelia just finished it,’ Ivy said. ‘I didn’t want t
o tell you guys until I was absolutely sure it would work. I was just holding both pashminas now because . . . because . . .’
‘To show Tessa!’ Reiko finished for her. She bounded forwards as if she were about to play a round of tennis. ‘Ivy said she wanted to get them both ready for Tessa to see before she left. To make sure the replica passes the test!’
‘Yes!’ Ivy said, relaxing. ‘That’s it!’
‘My darkness.’ Shaking her head in wonder, Tessa stepped forwards. ‘Well, then. Shall I take a look?’
‘Yes, please.’ Ivy passed the decoy pashmina to the princess, aiming a grateful look at Reiko along the way.
The exchange student had provided the perfect explanation – and better yet, it wouldn’t even be a real lie if only Charles agreed to put the replica on permanent display. After all, who could possibly be better at checking its accuracy than Tessa?
Prince Alex moved behind Tessa to take a look, as the princess stroked one finger gently across the replica.
‘I can’t believe it,’ Tessa murmured. ‘If I didn’t know my pashmina so well, even I would never have guessed this was a copy!’ She didn’t seem to be able to look away as she turned the decoy pashmina over in her hands. ‘Whoever made this did an incredible job!’
Yes! Ivy shared a secret smile with her twin as the royal couple bent over the pashmina, exclaiming together over all the perfect details. She made a mental note to tell Amelia and Penny just how great their replacement really was!
‘And this belongs to you,’ Ivy said. The final knots of tension rolled out of her shoulders as she handed the real pashmina back to Tessa. ‘Thank you so much for lending it to the museum.’
And thank darkness we were able to give it back undamaged! She could see Olivia and Reiko sharing relieved glances. Brendan shifted closer to her, giving her hand a discreet squeeze.
‘Ivy saves the day again!’ he whispered in her ear.
‘Not on my own,’ Ivy whispered back. She beamed at Olivia and Reiko – the perfect partners in detection.
‘So, Reiko?’ Prince Alex turned to the exchange student. ‘How have you liked America so far?’
‘Well . . .’ Scooping a tennis ball out of her backpack, Reiko grinned and started juggling it in her hands. ‘This first week hasn’t been quite what I expected, but it’s still been pretty fun.’ She winked at Ivy. ‘And now I’m looking forward to Week Two!’
Ivy grinned back at her new friend. ‘So am I,’ she said. ‘Even if I do have to go to an actual sports game by the end of it!’
‘Are you still dreading that?’ Reiko tossed her the tennis ball and pumped her fist triumphantly as Ivy caught it. ‘Come on. It can’t be any harder to sit through a game than it was to walk through a whole fashion show, right?’
‘Well . . .’ Ivy sighed.
‘I almost forgot!’ Alex scooped his smartphone out from his pocket. ‘Have you all seen the latest one?’
Ivy frowned. ‘The latest what?’
Brendan let out a snicker. ‘Oh, I can’t wait for this . . .’
Charles gave her a fond smile. ‘Ivy, Ivy, Ivy. Do you even have to ask?’
‘She hasn’t had much time to go on the Vorld Vide Veb,’ Reiko explained to the others.
‘Oh, no.’ Ivy groaned. ‘You don’t mean –’
‘Of course we do.’ Alex held out the phone, grinning. ‘Take a look.’
It was the viral photo, yet again – Olivia-as-Ivy grinning out at the camera in her slinky goth dress.
But every vampire in the room laughed as they read the caption:
Woohoo – I am the happiest vampire in the world!!!
‘Arrrgh.’ Ivy clapped her free hand to her eyes. But as the laughter of her friends and family surrounded her, even she couldn’t help a reluctant chuckle. ‘OK, maybe it’s a little bit funny,’ she admitted. ‘But –’
‘Never mind.’ Her father’s hand landed comfortingly on her shoulder. ‘Fashion disasters are just a natural part of growing up, aren’t they?’
‘I guess so,’ Ivy mumbled. ‘The only thing is . . . I never expected my fashion frightmare to actually be my twin’s.’
‘And you know what that means?’ Brendan poked her in the arm. ‘Yours is still to come.’
The other vampires all burst into laughter again. Still cringing, Ivy dropped her hand away from her eyes . . . and found Olivia giving her a rueful smile.
Ivy let out her breath. What am I worried about? She smiled back.
No matter how bad my own fashion frightmare may be, I know Olivia will help me face it.
And with her twin at her side, Ivy wasn’t scared of anything. Not even the colour pink!
VAMP MAGAZINE
Sunset Scribbles – Olivia’s Diary
VAMP MAGAZINE has the most fangtastic treat for our younger readers – an exclusive sneak peek at the on-set diary kept by our favourite bunny twin, Olivia Abbott, during the making of her upcoming movie, Eternal Sunset.
There is huge buzz about this big-budget adaptation of one of the most popular Count Vira novels. Olivia plays immortal vampire twin sisters in love with human twin brothers!
Of course, falling in love with the twin boys is easy when they’re played by Jackson Caulfield! Read on to discover if Olivia sheds any light on the rumours that their romance was rekindled between takes!
September
OK, Lesson #1: making movies is tiring! But it’s also fun. We’re kicking things off in London, England. We’re filming the Victorian-era scenes, which means I get to wear lots of gorgeous dresses . . . although I also have to wear corsets . . . *sadface* Seriously, how did Victorian ladies breathe?!
I’ve had a small film role before – in The Groves – but that has NOT prepared me for the pressures of a lead role. I have so much dialogue to learn – for two different characters – and there are occasionally lots of takes needed. (I think my record was 40!) Jackson NEVER stumbles over his lines – he must have a photographic memory. I hate him for being so lucky! Well, I don’t hate him . . . Obviously!
London is a beautiful city and I’d love to take Ivy back there one day to show her all the cool old buildings. When we weren’t filming, most of the cast would go sightseeing. Of course, I have an easier time with this than poor Jackson, who needs to adopt a disguise before he steps outside of his hotel. His favorite trick is to pose as a regular English soccer fan, with a baggy jersey and a loud cap pulled low over his face – but although Jackson does most things BRILLIANTLY, a Cockney accent is NOT one of them. (He’s going to be so mad at me when he reads this – teehee!!!)
We’ve finished up the Victorian London scenes, and are now in New York City for the 1950s sequences. Score one for the 1950s – these gorgeous dresses don’t need corsets! Strike one against the 1950s – my hair is almost as tall as I am. It deserves its own trailer! It looks fabulous, though. (If I do say so myself !)
October
We’re not scheduled for much filming this month, because the production crew is still building sets for scenes we will be shooting in a town called Pine Wood, in November. Jackson insists these kinds of delays are normal, and I’m actually quite relieved to spend more than a single week at my new High School. I miss my sister!
November
After taking almost all of October off, we’re back into the swing of things and are almost done with shooting. We’ve just wrapped a sequence that takes place in sixteenth century Venice – except we didn’t have to travel there. The production built three massive rooms on a soundstage for us to film in. Jackson was playing “old man” versions of his characters, and had to wear make-up and white wigs for days. He said it was OK, but I could tell he was uncomfortable. He didn’t complain once, though – he’s such a trooper!
It’s late November, and we’re off to Pine Wood, for our last block of shooting. I’m excited because Debi Morgan, a girl from my middle school in Franklin Grove, recently moved there. It will be cool to see her again. I also hear that Winifred Peters, the writer
of the books, will be stopping by to visit the production, which would be awesome – I’d love to meet her!
*Sadface* at the idea this will be the last time I see everybody, though. It’s a really great group of people that I’ve come to know and love over the past few months. On the set of a movie, you are constantly with the same bunch of people. You are up at dawn with them; staying late on the set with them; sitting with them for hours as you wait for the weather to change, and then suddenly it’s over and everybody goes home . . .
Movie-making is odd like that!
“Sunset Scribbles – Olivia’s Diary” will be in stores next year. Eternal Sunset will also be released next year, and we can’t wait to buy our tickets!!!
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Fashion Frightmare! (My Sister the Vampire) Page 11