She and Olivia sat down next to each other at a computer in the corner of the library. Olivia started by doing a search for “Lazar,” and a bunch of results came up: A noble history of
Covasna, Transylvanian aristocracy, the Lazar mines. Olivia clicked through a bunch of them, but mostly all she found was brief, cryptic mentions. In fact, apart from the fact that the Lazar family had made their fortune in mining, the girls didn’t find out anything they didn’t already know. And they didn’t find any pictures.
“There’s an old saying in our community,” Ivy said. “‘There’s only one thing more secretive than a vampire: a vampire aristocrat.’ ”
“Apparently,” said Olivia. Next, they tried searching “Susannah Kendall Owl Creek,” but nothing came up.
“Didn’t the ASHH file say she was from Massachusetts?” Ivy recalled.
Olivia typed “Susannah Kendall Andover,” and one link appeared. Ivy held her breath as the screen filled with a black-and-white newspaper photo of a woman in a patterned, V-necked blouse framed by lustrous, shoulder-length hair, laughing warmly at something off to the side. Her eyes sparkled. At the top of the page was a newspaper headline: LOCAL, SUSANNAH KENDALL, 34, DIES IN TRAGIC ACCIDENT. It was the same as the one they’d found in the ASHH files—except at ASHH, the article had been clipped without the photograph.
“There she is,” Olivia whispered.
“She has our nose,” noted Ivy.
“And our eyebrows,” Olivia agreed. “I’m going to pay to print out two copies, one for each of us. Okay?”
“Thanks,” Ivy said simply, and then she was alone in front of the screen. Susannah Kendall of Andover died suddenly in a tragic accident yesterday, the article began. She was 34.
Ivy was still thinking about that when her sister returned. Olivia sat down and quietly read aloud from one of the printouts in her hand.
“‘Susannah was a warm, fun, and generous soul, always opening her heart to others. Blessed with a sharp wit and a keen mind, she made an impression on all who met her.’ ”
Olivia struggled to read the last line of the article. “‘Susannah will be sorely missed.’ ” She dragged her eyes away from the paper at last. “That’s it.” She shrugged. “No mention of a husband. No mention of us.”
“They were in hiding,” Ivy said simply. For a moment, neither she nor her sister said anything. I never knew I lost my real mom, Ivy was thinking. I only knew my dad found me, and that made everything okay.
“I feel so lucky my parents adopted me,” Olivia echoed aloud.
“I guess,” Ivy said slowly, “we both ended up right where we belonged.”
“It’s nice to know where we came from, though,” admitted Olivia, a small smile breaking across her face.
Ivy nodded. “And, now that we know Susannah was our mom and Karl Lazar was our dad, we know you definitely had a vampire parent,” she pointed out. “All the Veras of the world won’t be able to complain about you knowing the secret.”
Olivia glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was eavesdropping. “Does that mean I have to start shopping at BloodMart?” she joked.
A few minutes later, they were just leaving school when Ivy saw her father pacing ominously at the bottom of the deserted steps. He was clearly waiting for them.
When he saw them coming, he charged up, meeting them halfway. “Is it true that the two of you broke into the offices of ASHH?” he demanded angrily.
Ivy and Olivia exchanged panicked looks, which immediately gave them away.
“How could you, Ivy?” her father said, his voice filled with disappointment.
“How could I what?” Ivy snapped. “How could I want to know about my real parents? Olivia and I have a right to know!”
“You took a human into a restricted area!” her father said. “Did it fail to occur to you that there would be security cameras capturing your every move?” His voice dropped to an urgent whisper. “The Vampire Round Table came to our house today. Olivia is being called for an initiation!”
Ivy froze. “A what?”
“A ritual,” he explained, “to test whether she is worthy of the Blood Secret.”
“Uh-oh,” Olivia said under her breath.
“But why?” Ivy gasped.
“Why?” her father repeated in exasperation. “Because, between the article in Vamp and the footage of Olivia at ASHH, they have deduced that there has been a violation of the First Law of the Night!”
“Is she going to be hurt?” Ivy asked.
“Hurt?” cried Olivia.
“I don’t know exactly,” Ivy’s father answered with a shake of his head, his anger suddenly faltering.
“But what does she have to do?” Ivy pressed.
“I know that there are three trials she must pass,” her dad answered. “Olivia,” he asked, “do you think your parents will allow you to sleep at our house on Friday night?”
“I think so,” Olivia said. “Why?”
“That is the appointed date and time for your initiation.”
“But that only gives her one night to prepare!” Ivy objected.
Her father studied Olivia’s face. “The best and only way to prepare,” he said solemnly, “is for you to be ready to bare your true soul.”
“What if she doesn’t pass?” Ivy asked in a small voice.
He peered down at her, and Ivy couldn’t tell whether his eyes were filled with hope or hopelessness. “If it is meant to be,” he said in a resigned voice as he turned away to descend the steps, “then it shall be.”
Chapter 10
On Friday evening, Olivia’s mom dropped her off in front of the Vegas’ house. Luckily, her mom had a bridge game, so she couldn’t even attempt to come inside.
When Olivia rang the bell, Ivy opened the door at once. Inside the foyer, Mr. Vega greeted Olivia with a solemn nod. No one spoke, and then Olivia heard footsteps approaching briskly from down the hall. Into the light of the foyer stepped a tall vampire woman wearing a black and red kimono. It took Olivia a second to realize what was so striking about her. Then she saw what it was. The woman wasn’t wearing the contact lenses most vampires used all the time to protect their eyes from the sun and disguise their eye color, and she had red eyes.