‘Right,’ Ivy said, doing her best to return Olivia’s encouraging smile.
At least there’s one consolation, she told herself. She might be dressed in a sack and advertising some sports company she couldn’t care less about, but at least she and her twin were bonding again.
That was worth almost any disguise.
Olivia was just about to step through the doors of Franklin Grove mall that afternoon when a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
‘Ivy!’ she gasped, as she ended up hidden behind the outer wall of the mall beside her twin. ‘What’s the matter with you? You and your vampire strength almost gave me whiplash!’
‘The mall is full of VITs!’ Ivy hissed.
‘Oh no.’ Olivia swallowed hard. ‘They’re here already?’
‘Didn’t you see the latest blog post?’ Ivy’s eyes looked wild. ‘The title was: “Which mall is crawling with creatures of the night?”’
Olivia pulled free of her sister to peer through the glass doors. ‘I don’t see anything weird,’ she said.
‘Look closer.’
Olivia glanced inside. Teenagers gathered in groups at all the usual kiosks selling jewellery and toasted almonds, while more shoppers streamed out of the clothing stores carrying massive plastic bags. A trio of girls tried on pairs of sunglasses at the closest kiosk, while an older mother pushed a stroller past them. ‘I still don’t – Oh.’
Now that she looked closer, she could see that there was definitely something strange about the teenage couple sitting on a bench. For one thing, the newspaper they shared was upside-down . . . Then there was the girl by the food court wearing a long brown trench coat and a large crucifix necklace. Also . . .
Olivia’s eyes narrowed. That girl outside the stationery store wasn’t being nearly as subtle as she thought she was. She was taking cell-phone photos of everyone who passed her.
Ivy was right. This was not good. Franklin Grove’s secret was under grave threat.
Olivia took a deep breath to settle her nerves. Really, she told herself. Walking into a VIT-infested mall can’t be harder than running out on to a football field to cheer in front of hundreds of spectators.
‘Ivy,’ she said, ‘if you can make it past these VITs, you will have passed the biggest test of your disguise.’
‘Well . . . I guess that’s true,’ Ivy agreed, peering around Olivia’s shoulder.
Olivia nodded firmly. ‘Better yet, if we hang around the mall for a while, we might be able to find some clues to the blogger’s identity. There must be some reason why the blogger told all those VITs to come here today.’
‘You’re right.’ Ivy’s eyes gleamed. ‘I bet the blogger’s somewhere in here too, hiding in the crowd. And he – or she – so needs to be taken down!’
Olivia pushed the mall doors open.
Showtime !
Together, they wandered through the mall, passing kiosks and shops on every side. Just as Olivia had hoped, none of the VITs paid them any attention. After all, why would they? She smiled smugly as she glanced at her sister’s sweatpants and sporty T-shirt. There was nothing about Ivy to draw anyone’s attention . . .
. . . until they passed a cookie stand in the food court that wafted the scent of fresh, delicious cookies through the air.
‘Bleagh !’ Ivy dry-heaved and retched so loudly that heads turned all around them.
‘Hey!’ The owner of the cookie stand looked hurt – and worried too, as he glanced at all the people watching. ‘What’s wrong with the smell of my cookies?’
‘Nothing,’ Ivy croaked. ‘I just – bleagh !’ She covered her mouth and nose.
Oh no, Olivia thought. This is exactly the kind of attention Ivy doesn’t need to attract ! Sure, some of their watchers were ordinary Franklin Grove locals, but others were definitely VITs . . . and they were watching the twins with narrowed eyes. Why would a normal teenage girl retch at the aroma of sugar? Olivia wasn’t sure herself – Ivy didn’t usually have a problem with sweet snacks. She knew what everyone must be thinking as they stared at Ivy. Maybe this normal teenage girl isn’t so normal . . . We have to get out of here – fast.
Olivia wrapped her arm around Ivy, even though she had no idea what was causing her twin’s reaction. ‘I’m sure it’s not your cookies,’ she reassured the stand owner, as she started to steer Ivy away. ‘They smell delicious. Now we’ll just get out of your way and –’
‘They don’t smell delicious, they are delicious.’ The cookie maker glared at Ivy. ‘Here, try one! Take it!’ He scooped out a cookie and waved it at her. ‘Just eat one of my cookies and then tell me how the smell could make you sick!’
‘I can’t – sorry, I – bleagh !’ As Ivy broke off to dry-heave, Olivia led her away from the stand owner, who still held his cookie aloft, yelling after them that they should really try one. She could feel the suspicious stares of the VITs following them all the way through the food court.
One VIT even stood up as they passed his table, waving a strange, ropy necklace at them in a motion that almost looked threatening. ‘Hey! Is something making you ill?’
Olivia glared at him. Did he have to sound so hopeful? And why was he waving his jewellery at them? She didn’t have time to stop and look closely at his strange necklace, not with Ivy bent over, green-faced and looking ready to throw up at any moment. ‘We’re fine!’ she snapped. ‘We just need a bit of privacy.’
She had never been so relieved to leave the food court in her life. As soon as they were well out of range, she pulled her twin into a hidden alcove between two stores.
‘What’s wrong? Those cookies smelled amazing.’
‘It wasn’t the cookies.’ Gasping for breath, Ivy shook her head. ‘It’s garlic. I can smell garlic everywhere !’
‘Really?’ Frowning, Olivia peeped out from their alcove . . . and sucked in a breath as she suddenly understood.
All the VITs walking past were wearing long coats and jackets – long enough for hiding things inside . . . and, as the two closest VITs walked past, Olivia could see crudely made chains of garlic wrapped around their necks.
That was what had been on the other VIT’s necklace: garlic! That must be why the VITs were here today: to root out vampires, using garlic like a dowsing rod. Oh no ! Olivia paled as she finally made the connection. That was why the VIT in the food court had waved his necklace right at Ivy – and why he’d sounded so hopeful when he’d asked if she was ill.