‘Ah, come on.’ Ivy’s dad gently rumpled the top of her hair. ‘I know you don’t want to leave home or go to Wallachia Academy, but the skills you learn there can actually be quite useful. I learned a lot when I went there, you know. You might even enjoy it.’
Ivy took a step back. ‘You think Wallachia is a good idea?’ She hadn’t thought her father had been as sold on her attending as the Count and Countess were. ‘I thought you didn’t care about tradition.’ After all, Charles had married Ivy’s human mother and that was the biggest break with tradition ever.
Mr Vega grabbed an armful of hay and started helping scatter it in the freshly cleaned stall. ‘Not all traditions are bad, Ivy.’ I’m not saying they are, she thought. For instance, she happened to like getting presents on her birthday very much – that was a great tradition. ‘What you need to understand is that your powers are stronger than the average Franklin Grove vampire’s and you may need some help finessing them.’ Charles brushed the leftover hay off his trousers. He gave Ivy a careful look. ‘It’s only because we care – because we want what’s best for you. Otherwise, we’d never suggest leaving Franklin Grove.’
Ivy’s mind flitted to the scene caught on Charlotte’s video where she’d smashed a glass with her bare hands. Maybe she did need some help. ‘Perhaps . . .’ she said, her voice trailing off. But before she could complete her thought, Ivy doubled over, pushing her fingers into her ears. ‘Ahhh!’ she screamed as a head-splitting noise assaulted her ears. The horses neighed and stamped in response. The sound was so loud she started feeling light-headed and wondered if she was about to faint. Her knees hit the mulch.
Somewhere in the distance, she could hear footsteps. ‘Is everything OK?’ It was Brendan. He cupped her elbow, holding Ivy upright.
She looked around. ‘What’s going on?’ Charles and Brendan weren’t bent over like this, clutching their ears. Ivy’s dizziness faded as the noise subsided and she was able to stand without feeling like she would black out. ‘What was that sound?’ she asked. So much for the peacefulness of Aunt Rebecca’s farm!
Charles and Brendan glanced at each other and Brendan answered, ‘Um, I think Mrs Abbott was just squealing at the cuteness of the ducks.’
Ivy’s eyes got wide. The ducks? Ivy’s super-vamp hearing really was working on overdrive. She gulped. Looks like I really do need to learn to control my powers.
Olivia walked the fence-line with Aunt Rebecca. The wet grass soaked through her sneakers, but the fresh air already seemed to be serving its purpose. Olivia’s nerves were slowly unwinding and she was able to take deep breaths and enjoy the sweet smell of the honeysuckle. Aunt Rebecca strolled beside her, asking a question every minute or two.
Olivia pressed her palm to her heart. ‘I swear. This dance is going to make me lose my hair. It’s turned into a total stress factory.’
Aunt Rebecca leaned in close, pinching a few strands of Olivia’s dark hair. ‘No,’ she said, examining them. ‘But you are turning a bit grey.’
‘No!’ Olivia snatched her hair and held it out in front of her face. ‘Where?’
Rebecca squeezed Olivia’s shoulder. ‘Relax! I’m kidding.’
Olivia tried to give her aunt a reproachful look. ‘Hair is not something to joke about.’
‘Sorry.’ Rebecca pretended to zip her lips. ‘Now, explain to me what’s going wrong.’
Olivia sighed. So much had happened since she’d first accepted the position as chairperson. ‘There are these three girls – Lucrezia, Melinda and Veronica,’ Olivia began. ‘They are just plain mean, like evil-stepsister mean. They have forced their way on to the committee and now they’re trying to make the whole dance pink. Worse, they want to exclude most of the school, and anyone that dresses like Ivy will be strictly blacklisted. How O-negative is that?’
She stopped. Olivia had been ranting so fast, she hadn’t realised she’d borrowed a vampy phrase from Ivy.
‘It’s bad,’ Olivia picked up, hoping Aunt Rebecca put her strange choice of words down to teen speak. ‘I want everyone to be at the dance, wearing whatever colour they like. But how do I get around the Terrible Trio?’
Aunt Rebecca hummed thoughtfully. ‘That’s a tough one.’ She walked with her hands in her pockets. ‘Do you want to know what I think?’
‘Absolutely.’ Olivia wished that planning a school dance came with an instruction manual, but getting some grown-up advice seemed like the next best thing.
‘Olivia, you are stronger than you give yourself credit for. I think you need to stand up to these girls and fight for what you think is right. It wasn’t easy for me, buying back this farm, for instance. But I did it.’
Olivia imagined her aunt without a family, without any support, but still trying to play hardball against the bank that had taken back the property. ‘Why did you do it?’ she asked.
Aunt Rebecca’s hair blew softly in the breeze. ‘Because I knew I had to have this piece of family history back in our lives. Your mother and I grew up together here on this land. I knew it was the best thing to do and it turns out I was right. It’s given us a place where our whole family can gather. And look at how Ivy has tried to be better around the animals. She’s riding horses! She’s learning! Everyone can do the best that they can, if they put their minds to it. If you think the pink plan is a bad idea, you should come up with a better one. You’re the chairperson. Be pleasant, but stand your ground.’
Olivia ogled her aunt like she was a five-star general who’d just urged her into battle. Olivia had always thought Ivy got her tough streak from being a vampire, but now she was thinking that perhaps the toughness came from the human side of the family. And if that was the case, surely Olivia could be tough, too.
‘I know you’re right.’ Olivia reached down and plucked a dandelion from the ground. Pondering, she twirled it between her fingers. ‘But the atmosphere has become so bad. I don’t know how I can fix it.’ Olivia blew on the dandelion and the fluffy white of the flower scattered in the wind. She made a wish. I wish for the perfect night. And then she quickly added, Complete with the perfect boyfriend.
‘You’ll think of something,’ Rebecca assured her. ‘I remember when I was your age, your mother and I used to love holding big barn dances at the farm. Dancing with Brendan brought back a lot of memories. Dressing up in boots and hats and country cowgirl gear! Oh, those days were so fun.’