‘OK,’ said Ivy, poking her sister. ‘Now who looks like they’ve just got back from the morgue?’
Olivia’s shoulders sagged. ‘I’m going to tell you something.’ Olivia squeezed Ivy’s leg. ‘But you can’t laugh.’
‘Cross my heart,’ Ivy promised, trying to guess at what Olivia could have to say. She checked to make sure the adults at the table were happily occupied in conversation.
Olivia took a deep breath. ‘Jackson fell asleep on the phone with me.’
Ivy almost spewed a mouthful of smoothie on to Olivia’s lap. ‘He what?’
‘He actually fell asleep!’ She dropped her head into her hand. ‘He was in Hawaii and it was like five o’clock in the morning.’
Ivy glanced to make sure the adults were still talking amongst themselves. ‘Wait, why did he call if it was five o’clock in the morning?’
Olivia didn’t meet her sister’s eye. ‘I may have texted and said I had something important to tell him.’
‘And . . .’ Ivy prodded, trying to piece together her sister’s story.
‘And that he simply had to call me.’ Olivia scrunched her shoulders up to her ears.
‘Well, what was it?’
Olivia was almost as pink as her sweater. ‘Um, that I miss him.’
Ivy cracked up and pulled her sister into a hug. Ivy wished she could text Olivia that there was something big to tell her. Something like: There’s a vampire academy in Transylvania and I might have to go to it. Ivy glanced at her father, who was busy explaining the menu to the Lazars. She hated keeping secrets from Olivia. The thought of it made her stomach twist like a handful of curly fries, but she couldn’t say anything. Not yet anyway.
Two waitresses walked by with rags and bottles of Spray and Shine. ‘I think I’m going crazy,’ said the waitress in the bubblegum-pink apron. ‘Two of the tables in my section have been cleared and I can’t for the life of me remember doing them.’
Ivy fought back the urge to laugh. Horatio had been hard at work again.
Chapter Four
Olivia’s heartbeat had been steadily increasing the nearer the car got to school. As her adoptive dad, Mr Abbott, edged the wheels to the curb, Olivia teetered dangerously close to full freak-out mode.
‘But, Dad,’ she said, unbuckling her seatbelt, ‘how can I possibly organise a school dance that will please everyone?’ Olivia had been racking her brain ever since she took on the job as chairperson, and yet she hadn’t come up with one theme idea that would please both the goths and the bunnies.
Mr Abbott put his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. ‘Olivia, a wise man makes his own decisions; an ignorant man follows public opinion. Make your own decisions and I know you will do wonderfully.’
Olivia gave her dad a weak smile. She always appreciated his Zen advice, but sometimes she thought it might be better suited to yoga class than to real life. She climbed out and waved goodbye, smoothing her lilac minidress as Mr Abbott’s car disappeared around a corner.
Olivia hesitated in front of Franklin Grove School, suddenly struck with the memory of her old school, where she’d been studying before moving here – before she even knew she had a twin. The modern school building had looked like a box, painted a combination of ugly beige and dirt-brown. Franklin Grove was ancient in comparison. Leafy vines draped from the huge columns that framed the entrance and a heavy oak front door led into a yawning hallway. Olivia smiled, recalling her first day here. She had been terrified that she would stay the friendless new girl forever. But look at me now – I’m head of the biggest event at this school! She could do this.
With one more shaky breath, she stepped inside for her first school-dance committee meeting.
‘Right on time, Miss Chairperson,’ Jenny greeted Olivia cheerfully at the door to the school common room. The janitor had been kind enough to open it for use over the weekend and Olivia felt like a businesswoman conducting a meeting in some fancy corporate conference room. If fancy corporate conference rooms came decorated with spirit week posters.
Jenny opened the door for Olivia. ‘So, um . . . how is the planning coming?’ She raised her eyebrows, looking hopeful.
‘I guess we’ll find out,’ Olivia said, smiling.
‘So, what are you wearing to the dance?’ Jenny asked, keeping pace alongside Olivia as she made her way around the room, trying to figure out the best place to set up for the meeting.
‘I haven’t even had time to think about it! But I can’t be the worst dressed when I’m chairing the whole dance!’
‘Don’t worry,’ Jenny replied quickly. ‘You’ve still got plenty of time. I’m sure you’ll find something that Jackson Caulfield will totally love.’
‘If he can come,’ Olivia murmured.
Inside the common room, three girls from the grade above Olivia had taken a huddle of comfy seats. Olivia thought she recognised them from the cafeteria. That’s odd. I didn’t think people from the grades above us got involved with the committee. She pulled her shoulders back and strode up to the front of the room. The girl in the middle of the three stood up, extending a hand to Olivia.
‘Well, hello . . . Olivia, is it?’ The girl wore a pair of cropped white jeans, to-die-for wedges, and a bright yellow halter top that matched her long ponytail. ‘I wanted to introduce myself. I’m Lucrezia. And this is Melinda and Veronica.’
‘Nice to meet –’ Olivia started.
‘But don’t worry about learning our names. You can just call each of us “Boss”.’
Boss? A worm of anxiety burrowed into Olivia’s stomach. She glanced over at Jenny for support, but her eyes were glued to the floor. Was this why she had been so eager to give up her position? Other committee members were walking into the room now, settling into seats.
‘It’s so nice of you to join us.’ Olivia put on a big smile.
‘You two can go ahead and show yourselves to your seats.’ Lucrezia’s tone was sickly-sweet. Olivia looked around, but now that the other committee members had arrived, there was only a pair of hard wooden stools standing isolated in the corner. ‘Those will do.’ Lucrezia had noticed Olivia looking at the stools.
Jenny went obediently over to one of the empty stools. But Olivia didn’t budge.