You’re okay, she told herself. It’s just the dark. Nothing can hurt you. Her mind started to wander. You’re just in a coffin. Used by vampires. Who happen to drink blood. Suddenly she could hear the loud, quick thuds of her own heart beating, and she had the urge to throw open the coffin and run out of the house screaming.
Instead, Olivia decided to try not to focus on where she was and count sheep. At first, they were all white. Then, without even thinking about it, they became black sheep. And, pretty soon, they started flying.
By the time she got to thirty-four, Olivia realized she was counting bats—which, for some reason, gave her the worst case of the giggles ever.
In an effort to stop her mind from playing tricks on her, Olivia tried to think of nice people: Ivy, her parents, Camilla, Sophia. After a few seconds, she felt herself relaxing. Actually, the coffin was surprisingly comfortable. She even had enough room to turn on her side. She started worrying about what tomorrow’s tests were going to be, but then she thought, I thought this test was going to be a total nightmare, but it’s not so bad, and felt herself drifting off to sleep.
Chapter 11
Olivia was awakened suddenly by a flood of light. She covered her eyes with her hands, peeking out between her fingers.
Out of the corner of her eyes she registered that she was surrounded by purple velvet and absentmindedly started rubbing her toe against it. Then she saw a black-lacquered edge, which made her think of Mr. Vega’s decorating. She lazily turned her head from side to side. I slept pretty well, she thought with a yawn, considering I’m in a coffin.
The pale, gaunt face of Valencia Deborg appeared above her. The vampire’s lips were moving, but for a second Olivia couldn’t work out what she was saying. “Olivia Abbott,” she finally made out, “you have passed the First Test, the Test of Darkness.”
Olivia sat upright and clapped like she’d just finished a cheer. She looked around to catch her sister’s eye, but Ms. Deborg was the only person there.
“Once you have changed, report to the upstairs landing,” Ms. Deborg said sternly before sweeping out of the room.
Olivia rushed to wash her face, brush her teeth, and throw on her clothes. She raced down the hall to the stairs, expecting to see Ivy. Instead, Mr. Boros was standing there alone.
“Good morning,” he said. The few remaining hairs on his head were sticking out at all angles and he was wearing the same rumpled suit he’d worn yesterday. Olivia figured he must have slept in an extra coffin in the attic or something.
Olivia followed him down the stairs to the breakfast room, where Valencia Deborg was ready, wearing a fresh dark-red and purple kimono and holding a tall glass filled with pink frothy liquid. “Your breakfast.”
Olivia’s heart jumped. It’s the memory-erasure concoction! “But I thought I passed!” she sputtered.
Ms. Deborg frowned. “You would rather have Marshmallow Platelets?”
“No,” Olivia said, “but I don’t want to drink a memory-loss smoothie, either.”
Ms. Deborg and Mr. Boros both looked at her cluelessly.
“Oh!” Mr. Boros said finally. “She thinks . . . No, no, young lady, this is a real strawberry smoothie. Made especially for you.”
“Really?” Olivia peered into the glass.
“Cross my neck and hope to die,” Ms. Deborg pledged without smiling.
Sitting down, Olivia took a tentative sip. It was super delicious. All at once she realized she was ravenous and began gulping through the straw.
Halfway through, she started to get a brain freeze headache that made her take a break. “Where’s Ivy?” she wondered aloud.
Mr. Boros and Ms. Deborg exchanged glances. “She’s not here,” Mr. Boros said.
“Where’d she go?” Olivia asked.
“How should we know?” Ms. Deborg answered blankly.
Olivia ducked her head to finish her smoothie. That’s strange, she thought. Ivy promised she’d stay close by. Maybe she’s working on one of those contingency plans of hers, like preparing an escape route out a second-floor window.
After her smoothie, Ms. Deborg presented Olivia with a piece of toast with red jam. As Olivia ate it, she started to get nervous for her next test. Don’t worry, she told herself. Ivy will definitely be back for that. She ate her toast more and more slowly until just a few bites were left. She didn’t want to finish it until her sister showed up. Finally, Ms. Deborg took the plate away and gestured for Olivia to follow her and Mr. Boros. They led her back up to the second floor and down the hall to Mr. Vega’s study.
As the vampire officials proceeded into the room ahead of her, Olivia could see Mr. Vega waiting in the corner next to the enormous globe. She froze in the doorway and scanned the rest of the room. Ivy wasn’t there. She planted her feet. “I want to know where Ivy is,” she demanded.
Ms. Deborg glared down at her. “I told you; we don’t know where she is.”
“I don’t believe you,” Olivia said. Everybody just stared at her.
Ivy’s father cleared his throat. “Ivy mentioned that she was going out with Brendan for the morning. She said she’d be back in time for the Third Test.” He looked away.
Ms. Deborg ruffled an enormous kimono sleeve and a sleek black watch appeared on her slender wrist. She looked at it impatiently. “We must proceed with the Second Test at once.”
Olivia shook her head. “Ivy promised she’d stay with me. She wouldn’t break a promise like that.”
“Are you saying you are unwilling to proceed?” Mr. Boros asked sternly.