‘Oh, yes,’ said the Countess. She sighed heavily, looking older than Ivy had ever seen her before. ‘This day cannot be over soon enough.’
It hasn’t even begun, Ivy thought. But she only nodded and forced a yawn, even as anticipation buzzed through her skin. ‘I think I’ll go to bed now too.’
‘Good night,’ Olivia said. She kissed both grandparents on the cheek. ‘I’d better go home now.’
‘Wait,’ Ivy said. ‘I’ll see you to the door.’
As they walked together down the hallway, Ivy struggled to find anything to say. Talking to her twin had always been easy, but now there was too much tension simmering between them.
How had things become so complicated?
Ivy opened the front door. The sky was already darkening, the air turning chilly as night drew in. She took a deep breath. There were too many words bursting inside her, starting with, How could you like Holly more than me ? – but she knew she couldn’t let herself say any of them.
They stood together in awkward silence for a moment. Finally, Ivy gave up and simply said, ‘Be careful on your way home.’
Olivia gave her a sad smile. ‘With the curfew you guys just set up, what am I supposed to be afraid of? Vampires?’ She started to walk away down the path before Ivy could say anything.
We’ll fix this, Ivy told herself, as she watched her twin’s figure disappear into the darkness. As soon as I’ve taken care of the blogger, everything will go back to normal.
Right now, though, she had to focus on her plan. Her grandparents were already gone by the time she returned to the living room, and Charles was too absorbed in showing Lillian the floral catalogue to give Ivy more than an absentminded wave goodnight. Perfect. Ivy hurried up to her room and climbed into two layers of leggings and a thick leather jacket. It might be summer, but Franklin Grove nights were still cold.
She counted down the hours in her bedroom, listening as the house turned still. Finally, Lillian left for the night, and even Charles and Horatio were tucked up safe and snug in their coffins. Ivy could hear the clock on her wall clicking steadily through the night until . . .
Showtime. She lifted the lid on her coffin and climbed out. Then she slid open her bedroom window and scrambled swiftly down the wisteria plant that grew up the side of the house. She’d had plenty of practice leaping down from it without any problem, but . . . Ivy froze just as she was about to let go of the wisteria and drop down. A horrible, wet, mouldy smell infused her senses, coming from just below her.
Uh-oh. What’s that ?
She peered down, and her jaw dropped open. Oh no !
Horatio had mentioned doing ‘a spot of gardening’ that afternoon, to keep himself busy and useful. Unfortunately, he hadn’t bothered to mention that he’d left a huge pile of yucky compost directly beneath her bedroom window! With her vampire-strong night vision, Ivy could see the snails and worms that writhed in the pile of muck below her.
‘Yuck!’ She hung on to the wisteria with all her might, her legs flailing. No way am I dropping into that ! But how was she supposed to get down now?
Male laughter sounded in the darkness. ‘Would milady care for a hand?’
Just as Ivy was about to die of a grade-A heart attack, Brendan stepped out of the shadows.
‘Ohhh.’ Ivy tipped her face against the cool wooden slats of the house, her heart thudding with relief. ‘I have never, ever been so glad to see you!’ She looked him up and down. ‘Though . . . your outfit? Not so much. What are they? Old-man trousers?’
‘I thought you might be happy I’m here.’ Brendan was shaking with laughter as he put his hands around her waist and swung her to the ground, several inches away from the compost heap. ‘And they’re chinos, actually. I guess no one mentioned the special new garden decoration to you?’
‘Gaaah.’ Ivy shuddered as she looked at what she’d nearly fallen into. ‘Seriously, though, Brendan. What are you doing here?’
‘I’m here to be your backup.’ Brendan looped one arm around her shoulder. ‘Even professional investigative reporters bring photographers with them, don’t they? Olivia told me about your plan, so I’m here to make sure you stay safe.’
‘Olivia told you?’ Ivy grimaced. ‘I can’t believe she –’
‘Oh, c’mon.’ Brendan squeezed her shoulder teasingly. ‘Are you actually telling me you didn’t want me here to save you from the mean old compost heap?’
‘Of course I did.’ Relaxing, Ivy gave him a quick hug. ‘You’re my hero. Thank you so much for coming – and for not trying to talk me out of this.’
‘Are you kidding?’ Brendan shrugged. ‘I know you, Ivy. I’m not about to waste my breath. Plus, I want to expose this blogger just as much as you do.’
‘Let’s do it.’
Lacing her fingers through his, Ivy led the way to the graveyard, feeling lighter than she had all day. I have to admit, I’m glad he’s here. I should say thank you to Olivia tomorrow, she told herself. Her twin had been thoughtful enough to give Ivy exactly the help she needed – even though she must have been worried that Ivy would be mad at her for interfering.
And maybe when Ivy thanked Olivia for her help, it would finally sort out all the weird awkwardness between them.
Walking through Franklin Grove felt like exploring a completely different town from the one Ivy had known for so long. There were no dark-clothed vampires nodding at her companionably or heading towards the Blood Mart. Instead, they walked through near-empty streets. The only people Ivy and Brendan passed were occasional groups of bunnies, who obviously had no idea that anything was wrong.