Another girl snorted. ‘But would they be able to come up with a de-pinking ray? Something to rid the world of all perkiness?’
Penny flushed, suddenly looking down at her hands, but the other girls were too busy laughing and cheering the idea on to notice.
‘Who wouldn’t buy a de-pinking ray?’
‘My sister wouldn’t,’ Ivy snapped.
An awkward silence fell over the group. As the other girls slid her frightened glances, Ivy realised she had gone too far. Her tone hadn’t just been dismissive – it had been downright scary.
She forced a laugh. ‘So, anyway –’
‘Ohh!’ One of the girls gasped, pointing. ‘Are you wearing joke vampire teeth?’
Oh, no. Busted! Ivy slammed her mouth shut . . . but it was too late. Everybody had already seen her fangs.
‘That is so cool!’
‘But Ivy, the teachers will have a fit if they notice them!’
‘That’s why Ivy’s so cool. She doesn’t care about authority!’
No, she’s just really, really behind on her dental work, Ivy thought grimly.
She couldn’t delay any longer. She had to get to the vampire dentist tonight .
Olivia giggled into her cell phone as she walked up Undertaker Hill that evening. The air was cool and scented with flowers, there was a comfortable hum of activity in the houses nearby . . . and she was talking to her favourite boy in the world, who’d just called unexpectedly.
‘You’ve finally managed a perfect Cockney accent!’ she said, on hearing his voice.
‘I know,’ Jackson said mournfully. ‘Too bad I’ll never need it again, now that we’re all finished filming the scenes with the British twins!’
Spotting Ivy’s house ahead, Olivia slowed her steps to prolong the phone call. ‘Where are you calling from, anyway?’
‘Um . . . somewhere?’ Jackson yawned. ‘Sorry. I’m on the road in one of Mr Harker’s cars, and I only just woke up. I can’t see any signs on the highway right now . . . so I’m not really sure where I am!’
‘Well, I’m glad you called me, wherever you are,’ Olivia murmured.
‘I’ll always call you.’ Jackson’s voice was firm. ‘Wherever I am.’
‘I know.’ Olivia smiled as they said their goodbyes. Even after she’d hung up, she stood still for a moment, basking in contentment.
‘I know.’ Olivia smiled as they said their goodbyes. Even after she’d hung up, she stood still for a moment, basking in contentment.
She was home, where she belonged; but she still had Jackson, and their relationship was so much better now because of the time they’d had away from each other. She could now end a call without feeling fraught, because she knew that he loved her no matter what . . . and she knew, too, that she was happier for being here in Franklin Grove, rather than being caught up in the hectic movie star lifestyle.
Maybe someday, when she was older, she would change her mind . . . but for now, she was so much happier to have a normal life. Whatever ‘normal’ is in Franklin Grove, anyway!
Taking a deep breath, she slipped her cell phone back into her bag and hurried up the steps to Ivy’s house. Maybe things had felt weird with her twin for the past few days, but it was time to break down the barriers of silence that had built up between them. After all, when the worst came to the worst, she knew Ivy would always have her back . . . wouldn’t she?
She didn’t help me when those goths were sneering at me at her lunch table, a little voice whispered in the back of Olivia’s head.
Gritting her teeth, she forced the thought aside. I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for that, she told herself. I’ll find out when we finally get to talk about it . And they didn’t just need to clear up their own issues. Right now, Olivia needed the most popular girl in her grade to help with her ‘Famelia’ problem!
When the door opened, though, it wasn’t Ivy who stood there. It was Lillian.
‘Olivia!’ Lillian smiled warmly. ‘How are you?’
‘Oh . . . um . . . fine,’ Olivia mumbled. She’d been working so hard to prepare herself for a heart-to-heart with Ivy, it was a shock to see anyone different. She craned her neck to look past their stepmom. ‘Is Ivy here?’
‘No, she’s gone to the dentist for an emergency touch-up.’
‘What?’ Olivia’s gaze flashed back up in surprise. ‘At this time of day?’
Lillian gave a wink. ‘Not a regular dentist. You know how it is.’
‘Ohhhh. Of course.’ Olivia forced a laugh, as embarrassment crashed down on her. ‘I should have known.’
The truth was, she didn’t know how it was. She’d never minded being the only non-vampire when she was with Ivy and their dad. But somehow, it felt worse to be out of the loop when she was around her elegant new vampire stepmom.
‘Why don’t you come in and wait for her?’ Lillian stepped back to let her in.
‘OK. Thanks.’ Olivia drew a deep breath and followed Lillian into the kitchen, her thoughts whirling. If Ivy wasn’t here, who could she talk to about her plans for ‘Famelia’?
What about my bio-dad?
Of course! Charles Vega would definitely know how to resolve a star-crossed love affair – because he’d had the ultimate impossible romance with their mom!
‘Is Dad here?’ she asked.
‘Oh, I’m afraid he’s out running some errands.’ Lillian reached into the refrigerator and took out the juice that was always kept stocked there for Olivia’s visits.
‘Oh.’ Olivia slumped.
Lillian raised her eyebrows comically. ‘Don’t look so disappointed,’ she said, faking outrage.
‘Sorry,’ said Olivia, laughing with her. ‘I’ve just got some stuff on my mind.’
‘Anything I can help with?’ Lillian asked.
Olivia thought for a split-second of a split-second. How could she not have realised before? Lillian had worked in movies for decades. She was the perfect person to help navigate the story of ‘Famelia’!
As the two of them snacked on tortilla chips and salsa, Olivia gave her stepmom all the details. Luckily, Lillian was already fluent in Camillaese, so it was easy to sum up what had already happened. ‘I think they’re just about halfway through their Act Two,’ Olivia finished, ‘but they’re still not together. What can I do?’