06 Love Bites - My Sister the Vampire (11 page)

Olivia struggled to keep her voice even. ‘I know you’ve been having trouble adjusting here but I’d never expect you to do
this.’

‘But –’ Ivy was backing away, almost into the big wooden wardrobe.

‘Dressing up like me to spend time with Prince Alex is plain devious, Ivy,’ Olivia said.

‘If you would just stop shouting –’

But Olivia didn’t want to hear whatever Ivy had to say. Her own sister had been keeping secrets from her. She never thought
that
would happen.

‘Girls?’ came the Countess’s voice from the doorway, and instantly Olivia regretted yelling. ‘Girls, what’s the matter?’ Their grandmother’s
glance flickered from Olivia to Ivy, wearing similar outfits, and realisation spread across her face. ‘I see.’

Olivia shot a look at Ivy.

‘Something has obviously happened between you two, and I don’t need details,’ the Countess said. ‘But you both should know that nothing that ever happens between you stops you being
family
.’

Olivia crossed her arms.

‘You are sisters – twins – there is nothing more important than that bond.’ She motioned for both of them to come over and give her a hug. Olivia didn’t want to refuse her grandmother but she didn’t want to be that close to Ivy at the minute, either.

She stubbornly waited for Ivy to go over first.

‘You, too, Olivia,’ the Countess said.

Olivia shot her sister a Death Squint and hugged her grandmother, making sure she
didn’t touch Ivy at all.

The Countess pulled back and looked at them both. ‘There is nothing that can’t be resolved with a good talk. I’m going to leave now, and you are going to stay here until you work out whatever it is that caused all this squabbling.’

Olivia sighed and her grandmother took both her hands.

‘Believe me,’ she said. ‘Fighting with your family is awful.’

Olivia looked into her clear blue eyes and realised that her grandmother was talking about her biological dad. She’d fallen out with her son and it had taken Charles fifteen years to come back here. As the Countess left the room, Olivia imagined if ten years from now she and Ivy weren’t talking.
I wouldn’t know where she was or what she was doing.

The thought made her anger fade a little.

Olivia examined her sister. ‘I never should have brought that shirt,’ she said. ‘Those frilly sleeves are horrible.’

Ivy gave a hopeful smile. ‘I picked it because I thought it was the most cheerleader thing in your suitcase.’

‘Hmph,’ Olivia said. ‘So . . .’

‘So, what?’ Ivy asked.

‘So why are you dressed up as me and talking to Prince Alex?’

Ivy pulled Olivia over to sit on her coffin. ‘OK,’ Ivy began. ‘I wasn’t trying to get closer to Prince Alex. I think he’s pretending to be interested in you to get back at his mother. If I pretended to be you, I hoped I could trick him into revealing what he was up to.’

Olivia couldn’t believe that Alex would have any ulterior motive. ‘But Alex and I are just friends.’

Ivy raised an eyebrow. ‘Private tours of
the palace? Poetry on the top of a hill? Taking you ice-skating? That’s all pretty romantic for someone who just wants to be friends.’

Olivia had to admit that the walk on the hilltop had been pretty romantic.

Ivy went on. ‘And ever since Jackson was all weird about Valentine’s Day, you’ve been brooding over him, so maybe Prince Alex seemed like a better option. But if he’s just pretending, I wasn’t going to let him break your heart.’

Olivia remembered what he’d said after he recited the poem: something about longing to escape his circle. Had he been trying to tell her something? The Queen had made it pretty clear that she only just tolerated humans in her presence, and Alex could have been saying how his mother would never let him have a human girlfriend.

‘You might be right,’ Olivia admitted to her
sister. ‘Not about him pretending, I don’t think, but about him liking me.’

‘Do you like him back?’ Ivy asked.

Olivia was asking herself the same question. An odd feeling crept over her and she was surprised to hear herself say, ‘I don’t know.’

Jackson had always seemed perfect for her – except for when she thought he might have been a vampire – and, even though they hadn’t kissed yet, being his girlfriend made her so happy . . . usually. Lately, being his girlfriend had been kind of hard. These past two days with Alex had been a breeze by comparison. No long lines of girls, no rushing off anywhere, no Amy Teller hovering over them looking at her watch.

Then something occurred to her.

‘Oh dear,’ Olivia said aloud.

‘What?’ Ivy wanted to know.

‘He doesn’t know I’m dating Jackson,’ Olivia
replied. ‘I’d tried to tell him when we were ice-skating but couldn’t find the right moment.’

‘That was worrying me,’ Ivy said. ‘At least now we know he wasn’t ready to ruin your relationship with Jackson in order to get back at his mum. That
would
have made him evil.’

Olivia couldn’t imagine Alex being cruel; he seemed so sensitive. ‘Are you absolutely sure about this?’

‘His mother is a separationist, and everyone says they fight a lot.’ Ivy jumped up and started pacing. ‘Having a human girlfriend would be one sure-fire way to make his mom really angry.’

Olivia sighed. ‘I think you’re right that Alex is sometimes unhappy with what his mother and his position demand of him, but he’s not a bad person.’

Olivia was worried it was worse than him pretending to like her; what if he really did like
her? If that was true, she was going to have to do something about it. She was with Jackson, and even if things were weird between them right now, she had to stay true to him.

‘So . . .’ Ivy said.

‘So, what?’ Olivia asked.

Ivy sat back down on the coffin. ‘Am I forgiven?’

‘You’re forgiven,’ Olivia replied, giving her sister a big hug. ‘As long as we can bury that shirt in my suitcase and forget I ever bought it.’

‘Deal,’ Ivy said.

‘Or maybe I should make you keep wearing it as punishment?’ Olivia grinned wickedly.

Ivy let out a strangled noise and hurriedly pulled it off.

The next morning at breakfast, Ivy was delighted to see a table of pancakes, sausages, hash browns
and eggs laid out buffet-style.

‘Yum,’ she said to Olivia as they entered the dining room with their father. He sat down towards the foot of the table. ‘Nudge me if I look like a werewolf during a full moon.’

The Countess beamed from her position at the head of the table. ‘I’m so glad you like it. It was Tessa’s idea.’

Ivy grinned at her new friend, who was laying out a selection of maple syrups, and mouthed, ‘Thank you!’

Tessa smiled back. She held up a bottle and made a show of pointing to it and mouthing, ‘Try this one.’

‘Now, fill up, girls,’ the Count said as he sat down opposite his wife. ‘Your grandmother will be putting you to work soon with all the preparations for this evening.’

Ivy didn’t need telling twice and heaped food
on to her plate. She made sure to choose the maple syrup that Tessa had recommended, which was labelled ‘Apricot Maple Syrup’.

The Countess cleared her throat. ‘Charles, my son.’

Ivy paused in her feasting, sensing that something was about to happen.

‘I had hoped that you would be by my side tonight and escort me into the ball?’ The Countess spoke slowly but with a hopeful look on her face. ‘Like you used to do?’

Please say yes,
Ivy wished.
Please!

Ivy remembered what he’d said in the car before they’d arrived at the house. He was only here for his daughters – but maybe spending time here had convinced him to forgive his parents?

Mr Vega hesitated. ‘I regret to say that I am not feeling entirely myself today and so do not think I will be able to attend. I apologise.’

‘Of course,’ said the Countess, her voice catching in her throat. ‘I hope you feel . . . better . . . soon.’

Ivy didn’t know what to say and the rest of breakfast passed in almost silence. Half an hour later, she leaned back in her chair and rubbed her full belly.

‘Now you look like a werewolf who
ate
a full moon.’ Olivia said, laughing.

‘Mmm.’ Ivy smiled. ‘Bliss.’

‘Come along, now, my darlings,’ the Countess said, getting to her feet. ‘There are a few things to do before the ball tonight.’

Ivy pulled herself out of her chair, gripping the edge of the table.

‘Should I get you a crane?’ Olivia teased.

‘How about one of those motorised scooters?’ Ivy replied, trudging after her grandmother into the parlour. Piles of silky red and black ribbons
waited for them on each of the polished oak side tables.

‘You girls can sit there.’ The Countess pointed to a sofa behind one of the tables with ribbon. ‘And the gentlemen can share that pile to help me wrap the party gifts.’

Mr Vega followed the Count towards two armchairs and sat down, dutifully.

The Count poked at the ribbon. ‘Perhaps I’ll leave the pretty bows to you girls,’ he said, before settling into a chair and pulling a book out of his jacket. He was soon hidden behind its pages, chuckling at whatever he was reading.

‘Mmm, sitting,’ Ivy said to Olivia, plopping down heavily.

‘I’ll get Tessa to bring in the presents.’ The Countess called down the hall.

‘Presents?’ Olivia asked, looking the most excited Ivy had seen her since they’d arrived. The
Countess had come back into the room.

‘Last year, we gave everyone a portable music player pre-filled with love songs,’ the Countess said.

Ivy and Olivia shared a look.
Wow,
Ivy thought.
They take Valentine’s really seriously in Transylvania.

‘And this year . . .’ the Countess paused until Tessa appeared in the doorway, carrying a tray of small silver boxes. ‘We’re giving everyone a visit from my favourite feng shui expert in honour of you two and your father. It’s a gift to help everyone find harmony in their home.’

‘That’s amazing,’ said Olivia and Ivy thought so, too.

She snuck a glance at her father. He was neatly sorting the ribbons into tidy rolls, lined up on the table. He didn’t seem to have heard a word the countess had said.

‘Yes,’ his mother repeated, gazing at Mr
Vega. ‘A harmonious home is so important for a family.’ Ivy could see her dad’s cheeks colouring, even as he twirled another piece of ribbon around his finger.

Come on, Dad,
she thought.
Can’t you just put your differences aside and come to the ball?

Ivy went over to help Tessa set the tray down on the table. Together, they placed a few stacks of boxes next to each pile of ribbons. She noticed that Tessa’s face was pale and she had dark circles beneath her eyes, as though she hadn’t been sleeping.

‘Are you OK?’ Ivy whispered.

Tessa nodded quickly, not making eye contact. ‘I’m fine,’ she said. Ivy wasn’t so sure. Her friend looked . . . unhappy.

‘I want us to tie one red and one black ribbon around each box,’ the Countess declared.

Olivia picked up one of the little boxes and
Ivy saw her look inside. There was a tiny scroll that unravelled to reveal a stunning calligraphy message. ‘These are beautiful,’ Olivia said. Party planning was one of her particular skills, and now Ivy had a good idea where she inherited it from.

‘Don’t tell anyone what’s inside,’ the Countess said. ‘It’s my big surprise of the evening.’

‘We promise,’ Ivy replied. She picked up one red and one black ribbon, but before she could ask how her grandmother wanted it to look, Horatio stepped into the doorway.

‘Her Majesty the Queen and the Crown Prince Alexander,’ he said and stepped aside.

The Queen swept into the room, wearing a beige dress with tiny hook and eye buttons of matching fabric running down one side and a little matching hat. Prince Alex was wearing a white knitted sweater with dark jeans and was carrying a suit bag over his shoulder.

Tessa kept her eyes on the ground and slipped out of the door behind them.

Ivy quickly dropped the ribbon and stood up to curtsy. She was a split second before Olivia.

Finally getting the hang of it
, she thought.

The Queen nodded to everyone and air-kissed the Countess.

Prince Alex bowed formally. ‘Countess Lazar,’ he said, ‘would you mind if I got ready for the ball here? There’s little point going all the way back to the palace only to return again this evening.’

The Queen’s brow creased in a slight frown, Ivy noticed, but she didn’t protest.

‘Of course, that’s fine.’ The Countess motioned for Horatio to take the garment bag. ‘Horatio will prepare the third-floor guest suite for you.’

‘Thank you,’ Alex replied and went to sit across from Olivia.

‘I trust I have not missed much.’ The Queen
glided over to one of the gold armchairs and sat delicately.

‘Only the revelation to my granddaughters of what is in the boxes,’ the Countess said. ‘Thank you so much for coming to help with our preparations.’

‘Not at all.’ The Queen leaned forward and started to open a lid.

‘Ah, ah.’ The Countess batted at the Queen’s hand. ‘No peeking!’

Ivy was surprised to see the Queen smile. ‘I don’t know how you’re going to exceed last year’s party, dear Caterina,’ she said. ‘But I know it will be the event of the season.’

‘With Olivia and Ivy here,’ Alex said, ‘there’s no question.’

The Queen’s smile vanished.

‘Which is why –’ Alex looked straight at Olivia and Ivy guessed what was going to happen next.
‘I hope Olivia would not mind preventing me from attending alone.’

Olivia froze. The Countess smiled with delight but the Queen sat stiffly, her back rigid and her gaze straight ahead.

Olivia and Ivy shared a glance. Ivy guessed that the same things were running through her sister’s mind: if Olivia said yes, the Queen could be outraged, but if she said no, she could be offending their grandmother’s most important guest. On top of everything, Olivia still hadn’t told Alex that she had a boyfriend.

Ivy wanted to put a stop to everything – tell Alex to stop trying to annoy his mother, and tell the Queen to stop being so anti-human. But there was nothing Ivy could say that wouldn’t get her into enormous trouble.