Twin Spins! (11 page)

‘What’s wrong? Why are you reacting like this?’ Ivy asked.

Brendan’s face was turning red. ‘Can’t you see, Ivy?’ He said quietly. ‘You owe it to everyone to learn to control your powers. If the vampire secret at Franklin Grove got out because you gave the game away, everyone would suffer.’

Ivy couldn’t believe Brendan was making out she was in danger of letting down every vampire she knew.

‘I’m sorry you feel that way,’ she said.

Brendan turned to face her. ‘It’s not about how I feel. It’s about the truth. I don’t want you to be far away from me, but if it’s for a really important reason . . .’

‘We’ve never, ever argued before,’ Ivy said, sadness leaking through her.

‘We’re not arguing now.’ Brendan’s rigid expression softened. ‘But I’m going to tell you when I think you’re wrong.’

‘So if we’ve never argued . . .’ Ivy poked her finger into Brendan’s ribs, trying to get him to laugh. She needed this mood to change super-fast. ‘Does this mean I’m never wrong?’

Brendan swatted her away. ‘This isn’t funny, Ivy. For one thing, Olivia knows something’s up and she’s been asking me awkward questions. I don’t want to be stuck in the middle. I mean, how bad does it have to be when one twin is asking the other twin’s
boyfriend
what’s going on? Please . . .’ He pressed his palms together. ‘For my sake as well as Olivia’s, can you just come clean with your sister? If you do decide to leave the country, at least warn her. It might break a vampire rule, but I’m pretty sure you’ll be breaking a much bigger twin-sister code if you sit back and do nothing. You shouldn’t be lying to your sister, no matter what your grandparents say.’

Ivy couldn’t have been more surprised if Brendan had popped out of her coffin. He had never lectured her and she wasn’t sure she liked him mixing the role of schoolteacher and boyfriend. Brendan pulled Ivy into his chest, but it felt clumsy instead of comfortable.

She felt his warm breath tickle her ear. ‘It’ll be fine,’ he whispered. ‘The two of us can enjoy one last perfect night at the dance before you leave for Transylvania. Deal?’

‘Oh my darkness.’ Ivy sat up straight. ‘Now I know you’re joking!’

Brendan looked like he’d been staked. His face got splotchy.

‘What?’ Ivy asked, confused.

Without a word, Brendan pushed off from the swing, shoved his hands in the pouch of his black sweatshirt and walked inside the house.

‘Brendan!’ she called.
Have I hurt his feelings about the dance? This is crazy!

The screen door clattered shut behind him and any ounce of happiness leaked out of Ivy. Her boyfriend wasn’t coming back. He thought she was wrong and that she was being selfish and that she should spend who-knew-how-long across the ocean at Wallachia Academy. She pushed the swing with the tips of her toes, staring at the empty spot beside her. Pinks, purples and oranges spread over the sky. As Ivy watched the beautiful sunset lighting up the ranch, she wondered:
How and when did everything start to go so wrong?

Chapter Eight

‘C
an everyone please take a seat!’ Wrangling a roomful of chatty girls was no easy task for Olivia. She was standing at the front of the common room, waiting to start the committee meeting, but the room was buzzing with so much excitement she could hardly get a word in! ‘We only have a few days left, people!’ She clapped several times. Chairs screeched, heels clacked, and at last it was quiet enough for Olivia to speak.

Before she began, Olivia chanced one quick glance at Lucrezia, Melinda and Veronica, sitting in the front row wearing three matching sneers.
Wait till they hear what I have to suggest
.

From the back of the room, Charlotte shot Olivia the thumbs up and the recording light blinked green. Into what weird universe had Olivia fallen that meant she was actually happy that Charlotte Brown had decided to attend another committee meeting after all? At least the camera would keep the Terrible Trio in check.

Fortunately for Olivia, that wasn’t her only backup. Ivy had come along. Operation Delete Footage was on and Ivy was helping Charlotte in the hopes that she might have an opportunity to delete the vampy-looking footage.

‘First,’ Olivia began, ‘I wanted to thank the committee for taking care of things while I was away and for the lovely suggestion of a pink theme.’ Olivia watched as Lucrezia gave a smug flip of her hair. But Olivia wasn’t done. ‘And it was a lovely
suggestion
.’ This time she emphasised the last word.

Olivia retrieved a folded sheet of paper from her straw tote. ‘This,’ she fluttered the page so that everyone could see, ‘is a copy of the committee contract that the principal had me sign when I took on this role,’ Olivia said, silently thanking Jackson’s manager, Amy, for always encouraging her to read the fine print. ‘Here, in clause 2 of option 3, point 4 on the appendix for page 10 –’ Olivia cleared her throat and began to read – ‘“The committee organiser shall take ultimate responsibility for all details of the dance, further to final approval by the principal.”’ She made a crisp fold in the paper and put it away.

Veronica twisted a string of chewed gum around her index finger. ‘Translation?’

‘I’ve already run an idea by the principal and it’s been approved. This year’s theme will be a barn dance and there will be absolutely no pink – and no black – whatsoever. Got it?’

The room erupted into howls of disappointment.

‘But I already bought a pink skirt!’

‘Does this mean I can’t wear my fuchsia sundress?’

‘Pink compliments my skin tone!’

Olivia shifted her weight on her feet. She hadn’t expected her other classmates to be upset. She looked out into the small crowd. Even Jenny was shaking her head. Olivia had come this far and she wasn’t turning back. Everyone needed to feel included and that meant putting a stop to anything and everything that could make people uncomfortable.
Right?

Doing her best Ivy impersonation, Olivia stared down Lucrezia, Melinda and Veronica. ‘Listen, I’ve made the decision – barn dance it is.’ Before they could say anything, Olivia jerked her head in the direction of Charlotte’s camera, daring them to argue. Thankfully, none of them did. Olivia’s heart pounded. She’d done it. She had stood up for what she believed in. If she hadn’t been wearing a skirt, she’d have performed a perfect straddle jump! ‘OK, then,’ she said, ‘I want you all to go home and research ideas for food, music and decorations to fit the barn-dance theme, so that we can finalise details tomorrow. So, unless anyone has questions, I guess that’s it for the day.’

The committee got to their feet. ‘Dictator,’ Olivia heard one girl mumble over her shoulder.

‘Yeah, who does she think she is?’ asked another.

Olivia’s chin drooped. She had thought she was doing the right thing. ‘Too much?’ she asked, going over to Charlotte.

Charlotte removed the camera from its perch on her shoulder. ‘Nah. Those girls needed putting in their places.’ She raised her eyebrows and scanned Olivia from head to toe, as if seeing her for the first time. ‘Seems like those three could actually learn a thing or two from
you
.’

From me? Do I really want to be a role model for bullies like that?

Thankfully, Olivia didn’t have too much time to answer that big question because Ivy wandered over, her combat boots sticking out amongst the committee girls’ dainty shoes like two black seeds in a giant pink watermelon.

‘So?’ Olivia probed her sister. ‘Did Mission Deletion work?’

‘Yeah, I took care of it when you were talking to Charlotte.’

This time Olivia really did jump up and down. ‘Congratulations! Your secret’s safe!’ This was the best news she’d heard all day.

Ivy shrugged. ‘For now.’ She started to walk away.

‘What is wrong with people today?’ Olivia muttered, before following her twin out of the school.

Ivy jolted to a stop in the open doorway of her house on Undertaker Hill.
No way
. It looked as if a closet had exploded. Suitcases lay open with clothes spewing out on to the floor. Ivy even spotted one of her grandmother’s fancy dresses hanging from a lampshade. The house was in total chaos. Olivia and Ivy stood in the doorway, bewildered.

‘Maybe our dad shouldn’t be skimping on a maid,’ Olivia muttered into Ivy’s ear.
Maybe you’re right
, thought Ivy.

‘Bombs away!’ The girls looked up to see the Count tossing a velvet jacket over the top railing, where it landed in a lumpy pile with a number of other garments.

‘What is going on?’ Ivy demanded.

Horatio scrambled to fold the Count’s clothing, but he couldn’t keep up with the speed at which Ivy’s grandfather was tossing articles down.

The Countess rushed in and stuffed a bag of toiletries into Horatio’s stiff arms. Horatio offered the girls an awkward smile. ‘The Countess can never have too many outfits,’ he said, and then got back to work trying to wrestle the Count’s clothes into a piece of leather luggage.

‘Well, hello!’ the Count shouted from the second floor, leaning over the railing. ‘Didn’t see you all there!’

Ivy snapped her neck back. ‘No offence, but have you gone mad?’

The Countess scurried in with another bundle. ‘Not mad; glad!’ cried Ivy’s grandmother. ‘We have to get back to Transylvania at once!’

With surprising speed, the Count tramped down the stairs and began helping Horatio stuff the suitcase. ‘Yes, without a single moment of delay,’ he declared.

Ivy and Olivia’s heads pinged back and forth between their grandparents.

‘There’s been an announcement. Prince Alex and Tessa have revealed their engagement.’ The Countess wiggled the fingers of her left hand.

‘Oh my goodness,’ Olivia gushed. ‘They’re getting married?’

‘Yes! And the Queen has asked specifically for me to help with the planning!’ She glanced around at the floor. ‘Now, where is my other shoe?’ The Countess was clutching one lace-up boot in her slender hands.

Olivia dropped to the ground, crawling under the coffee table to retrieve the boot’s mate. ‘Wow,’ she said, helping the Countess pack her fancy footwear. ‘And I thought organising a school dance was tough! I can’t imagine planning a royal wedding!’

‘I know, and they are having the wedding in only a few weeks!
Weeks!
’

Ivy jolted at this. ‘Why so soon?’

The Countess thrust another pair of shoes into Horatio’s arms and slung a belt over his shoulder. ‘Apparently the Queen wants to get Alex and Tessa married as soon as possible to prove she really does support the two of them. The Transylvanian nobility seem to have gotten it in their heads that this isn’t a real relationship.’ The Countess clucked her tongue. ‘And the Queen is eager to put those rumours to rest. So, the second Alex told her about the engagement, the Queen called me.’ Then as if in confidence, she said to the girls, ‘The Queen knows we’re a bit more open-minded, what with all that business with Charles . . .’

Ivy was so not the type to get excited about anyone putting on a big, white meringue dress – that was more her sister’s department – but even she had to admit she felt a rush of happiness for Tessa, the servant girl who’d been so kind to them in Transylvania. Tessa and the prince had been secretly in love for years and now she was being accepted into the Transylvanian royal family. Ivy. She could almost hear Olivia constructing her version of the fairy-tale romance now.

Ivy watched as Olivia sat on a suitcase to help Horatio lock it. Maybe there were good points to living in Transylvania. Despite the strict hierarchies, the Queen was going to a lot of trouble to prove that she accepted and supported her son’s love.
Would finishing school really be all that bad?

When the Count stepped back into the room, he appeared to have caught his breath. The suitcases were packed and the room was starting to look much more orderly. ‘My dearest, we need to hurry if we’re to catch our last-minute flight.’ He turned to the twins. ‘Are you two excited?’

‘About what?’ Ivy asked. ‘I mean, I’m happy for Tessa and all. You’ll have to promise to take pictures!’