Fangtastic! (15 page)

“What
do you mean?”

“She’s
convinced there are
real
vampires in Franklin Grove,” Toby explained, “and
that Ivy is one of them.”

Olivia
felt a wave of panic wash over her. “Why would she think a ridiculous thing
like that?” she asked nervously.

Toby
looked at the ground guiltily. “Olivia, I have a confession to make. I followed
you, Sophia, Ivy, and Brendan to the graveyard last night.”

Olivia
was speechless.

“I’m
sorry; I hope you’re not mad,” Toby pleaded. “I called Serena Star from outside
the cemetery. I figured she’d be interested, since she’s so convinced that Goth
culture is corrupting the youth of Franklin Grove. Not that I think
you’re
corrupted,” he added quickly. “Well, anyway, Serena went there and . . .”Toby’s
voice trailed off.

“
And?
”
Olivia urged.

“And I
had to go home for dinner. But earlier today Serena told me that she followed
Ivy back to her house, and that then she saw—” Toby hesitated.

“What?”
Olivia gulped. “
What
did Serena see?”

“It’s
silly.”

“Toby,
what did she see?” Olivia begged, fighting the urge to give him a shake.

Toby
sighed. “She said that she saw Ivy jump into a second floor window in a single
leap.” Olivia put her hand to her mouth. “Serena called it a ‘display of
superhuman strength.’ Then she went off on this wild rant about how she thinks
people in Franklin Grove aren’t just vampire obsessed. She thinks they’re
actual
vampires
!” Toby went on as Olivia’s heart pounded in her chest. “Right now,
Serena Star is on national TV trying to prove that Ivy is a vampire. I tried to
tell her not to, but she’s planned a whole bunch of ridiculous tests, like
making Ivy drink holy water and eat garlic.”

Olivia’s
eyes darted over Toby’s shoulder to where Sophia and Brendan were sitting. She
wanted to scream. She wanted to wave her arms. She was overcome with panic. She
didn’t think she could talk to Toby for another second.
Ivy’s in real
danger!
she thought.

“I
didn’t think it was right,” Toby said, “so I quit. I mean, Serena just crossed
the—” A car horn beeped, and Toby sighed. “I gotta go,” he said sadly. “Thanks
for listening, Olivia.”

As
Toby walked off, Olivia raced over to Sophia and Brendan. “Serena’s trying to
reveal Ivy on live TV!” she cried. “We have to save her! Come on, come on!” She
dragged them to their feet and started sprinting up the school steps.

“Wait!”
said Brendan. “Let’s go that way!” He pointed around the side of the school,
and Olivia realized that it would be quicker. Brendan and Sophia were much
faster than she was, even with Olivia running flat out. She followed them past
classroom window after classroom window.

As
they neared the outside of the
Scribe
office, Brendan and Sophia
abruptly slowed, and Olivia almost ran into their backs. Together, the three of
them closed in silently and crouched below an open window.

Olivia
heard Serena Star’s voice saying, “How many hours do you sleep at night?”

Olivia
peeped over the windowsill. Ivy and Serena were sitting opposite each other in
leather chairs, surrounded by lights, a hulking camera panning back and forth
between them. She saw Camilla in the corner, looking weirded out. As for Ivy,
she was shifting around uncomfortably in her chair, and Olivia could tell she
was totally freaked. Olivia had the urge to reach out and touch her shoulder,
to comfort her. After all, Ivy’s chair was only a few feet away.

Olivia
sunk below the windowsill and glanced at Sophia’s black tank top and dark
pants. “I have an idea,” she whispered. Brendan and Sophia looked at her
eagerly. “If Serena Star wants a vampire so bad,” Olivia said, “why don’t we
give her one?”

Serena
Star fixed Ivy with an intense gaze. “Have you ever gone sunbathing?” she asked,
and leaned forward, ready to pounce.

Ivy
squirmed in her chair, unsure what to say. “I—”

Suddenly
there was a bloodcurdling scream in the hallway, and Serena bolted to her feet.
“Something appears to be transpiring!” she announced. Martin the cameraman
swung the camera around to follow her as she rushed across the room.

Serena
flung open the door, and Ivy heard a panicked voice cry out, “A vampire! He’s
trying to bite me!” from the corridor.

Serena
pointed frantically at the camera. “We’re still live, right?” she shrieked.
Martin nodded fearfully. Camilla stood behind him, looking puzzled.

Ivy
craned her head trying to see.
Is it Garrick?
she wondered.

Serena
stuck her head out the door, and then pulled it back in right away. “They’re
coming!” she cried hysterically.

Suddenly
a girl ran down the hall and paused outside the doorway.

It’s
Sophia!
Ivy
realized with a jolt, but for some reason, her friend was wearing Olivia’s
shirt.

Sophia
spun around to look behind her, horror filling her eyes as if something awful
was approaching. A deep, diabolical laugh rung out.

“No!
Please
nooooo
!” Sophia shrieked.

Another
figure appeared beside Sophia. A man wearing a black cape.
Brendan!
Ivy’s
heart swelled. He grabbed Sophia, and she leant backward, exposing her neck
dramatically. Brendan immediately bared his teeth and bent over to bite her.

“I
knew it!” Serena whispered in amazement, but Ivy saw Camilla and Martin
exchange doubtful glances.

After
a moment, Sophia let out a bloodcurdling scream, struggled from the vampire’s
grasp, and fled, with Brendan in hot pursuit.

Serena
Star stepped out into the hall after them, madly gesturing for the camera to
follow. Camilla and Martin began trying to awkwardly maneuver the apparatus
through the doorway.

Suddenly,
Ivy felt a tug on her sleeve. She turned to see Olivia bent down beside her,
her face whitened, her eyes lined with thick black eyeliner. She was wearing
black pants and a black tank top.

“Switch!”
Olivia whispered, pointing to Ivy’s top and swiftly handing over her own.
Glancing at the doorway, Ivy hurriedly peeled off her sweater. Olivia snatched
it and pushed Ivy toward the window.

Ivy
scrambled and dove for the ground. Above her, she heard Sophia say in a normal
voice, “Ooh, that tickles!”

Then
Brendan said, “Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad!”

Serena
Star immediately interrupted, saying, “And now for a brief commercial break!”

Ivy
laughed softly to herself as she heard Brendan and Sophia running off down the
corridor, shouting “I’m a vampire!” in laughing voices.

Sophia
and Brendan had played their parts perfectly. With Camilla and the cameraman
struggling to get the giant camera unwedged from the doorway, Serena Star was
trapped in the hall. Olivia arranged herself in Ivy’s interview chair and tried
to catch her breath. Out in the hall, she could hear Serena Star’s annoyed
voice now apologizing to America.

“When
the vampire and his ‘victim’ collapsed in fits of giggles and then ran off
together down the hallway, your eagle-eyed reporter quickly realized that this
was nothing more than a fantastic charade—two disruptive students’ attempt to
obstruct the Star of truth!” Serena declared dramatically. “However, nothing
will divert me from the real story here. Let us return to Ivy Vega . . .”

The
cameraman finally succeeded in pulling the camera free, and Serena Star stormed
back to her chair looking furious.

“Let’s
not pretend any longer,” she huffed at the camera. “I didn’t ask Ivy Vega here,
America, so that she could tell you about her extracurricular activities. I
asked her here because I’ve discovered the dark secret at the heart of Franklin
Grove, and it is worse than you could possibly imagine! An undead people lurk
here. They stalk the land, terrifying the locals and sucking the blood from
this community!” She dug under her neckline and pulled out a crucifix. “I’ve
taken to wearing this to protect myself.Yes, America, there are vampires living
in Franklin Grove!” Serena’s wide eyes were enormous. “And this eighthgrader is
the worst of them!”

“But I
still haven’t answered your question about sunbathing,” Olivia said.

Serena
Star glowered at her, and Olivia knew at once that she had her fooled. “You’re
a vampire,” Serena Star seethed. “And I’m going to prove it.”

Out of
the corner of her eye, Olivia saw the cameraman gaping at Serena like she’d
lost her mind. Meanwhile, Serena was pulling a small ziplock bag from the
inside pocket of her jacket. “This is raw garlic,” Serena announced, waving it
before the camera.

She
held the clove out to Olivia with two fingers. “Eat it!”

Olivia
grimaced. “No!” she exclaimed.

“Eat
it!”
Serena
demanded.

“It
will give me seriously bad breath,” Olivia protested.

Serena
Star narrowed her eyes and turned to the camera. “The fact that she won’t eat
it
proves
she’s a vampire!”

Olivia
sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. She took the garlic from Serena Star and
lifted it to her mouth. Then she pretended to think better of it and shot a
desperate look at the camera.

“Go
on,” Serena sneered.

Olivia
gave a dramatically fearful gulp before popping the clove in her mouth. Then
she chewed with a pained look on her face, and the cameraman looked back and
forth from her to Serena Star anxiously. Finally, Olivia swallowed with great
difficulty.

Her
eyes began to tear, and she started to cough. Raw garlic was really strong!

Serena
Star’s wide eyes lit up in triumph as she pointed a manicured finger at Olivia.
“To dust, you bloodsucking beast!” she cried. She waved her arms at the camera.
“Watch now, America, as a single piece of raw garlic destroys this vampire so
she can never threaten her fellow students again!”

Serena
leaped to her feet. “That’s right! I, WowTV’s Serena Star, have both broken the
biggest story in history and saved humanity from the dark forces of evil!”

Serena
turned, waiting for Olivia to turn to dust, but Olivia just stared back in mock
horrified amazement. There was a very, very,
very
long pause.

“You
s-stopped coughing,” Serena Star finally stammered.

“Duh,”
murmured Camilla from the corner. Martin the cameraman buried his head in his
hands.

“You
can’t fool me!” Serena Star snapped. She turned to the camera. “I saw this girl
leap onto a rooftop! She was in a graveyard! She
guzzles blood
!” she
howled.

Olivia
blinked and said, “Are you okay?”

“I
KNOW SHE’S A VAMPIRE!” Serena shouted.

Martin
whispered something to Camilla. He stepped in front of the camera and took
Serena Star’s elbow, but she pulled it away and flapped her arm at Olivia
hysterically. “SHE’S THEIR
QUEEN
!”

“It’s
okay,” Martin said, firmly putting his arm around her. He looked into the
camera grimly. “This was Serena Star,” he said. “Sorry, America.”

As
Martin led her out of the door, Serena cried, “Vampires are real!” and burst
into tears. Olivia heard her sobbing the phrase over and over again as she was
led away down the hall.

At
last, Olivia turned to the camera and shrugged sadly. “I guess the ‘Star of
truth’ shone too brightly.” She sighed. “It seems to have burned itself out!”
And, at that, Camilla shut off the camera and ended the interview.

“Our
thoughts are with Serena Star as we wish her a speedy recovery. This is Jack
Donnell,” said the tanned former host of
Hollywood Hijinx,
who was
filling in for Serena Star on Friday morning. “Wake up, America!”

Ivy
flipped off the TV and smiled at her dad across the breakfast table. “Pretty
killer story, huh?”

Her
father looked at her proudly. “You certainly made a finer impression than that
boy Garrick Stephens.” He looked at his tea thoughtfully. “The only element I
still do not understand is how you were able to eat an entire clove of garlic
without having a reaction.”

Ivy
had already thought of how she’d respond if her dad asked that question. “Dad,”
she said coyly, “you have to look to the future, not back to the past.”

Her
father sat back in his chair. “Does that mean you are not going to tell me?”

“Not
unless you’re going to help me find out about my adoption,” Ivy said.

With a
tender look, her dad reached across the table for Ivy’s hand—and promptly
knocked over his cup of tea. He leaped to his feet, his gray wool slacks
soaked. “I have to change at once!” he said and darted from the room.

Ivy
stared after him, wondering if he’d spilled his tea on purpose so he wouldn’t
have to talk about his least favorite subject.

After
school on Friday, Olivia went to the Meat & Greet diner with Ivy, Brendan,
and Sophia to celebrate their victory over Serena Star. They grabbed Ivy’s
usual booth near the back, and soon enough Olivia was dramatically recounting
the Toby Decker ladies’ underwear incident. Brendan laughed so hard red
lemonade went up his nose.